Getting to Know You (Ilya)

[dolemeck]

Dolemeck had just met Ilya, and they bonded quite quickly. The two just seemed to work well with one and other. Each complimenting the other, and making up for the other's faults when it came to their powers and control. It was strangely natural, and appeared to make Dolemeck less anxious, and Ilya more calm.

Today, Dolemeck asked Ilya to join him on a picnic. He wanted to talk more with him, hold hands, and just spend some time with him. A picnic was a good way to do that, and the two cold share more about their lives privately.

Using his powers, he set up a checked print cloth on the grass of the mansion grounds. He had picked a spot in which they could see the lake, and yet have some privacy. He managed to get out of his chair and sit on the cloth. the picnic basket by this side. This was going to be a wonderful day.

Comments

[kid_from_chukotka]

"Only you could make shopping sound fun," he says fondly. The truth is, shopping is a bit of an overwhelming idea. SHIELD had been intimidating enough and there weren't nearly as many people on a SHIELD base as there were in a standard city or town. But who knows? He didn't have Dolemeck then, and SHIELD's staff were always watching anyone who wasn't SHIELD like hawks. "But I'm curious enough that I'd kinda like to go. You'd have to lead the way, though. I have no sense of direction - in cities. In the wilderness I'm fine. Comes with living where I did with a mother who hated being in the house as much as mine did, I guess."

[dolemeck]

"Well, there is a small shop at Salem Center I like to go to. It is in a not so terribly crowded part of the city. Certainly nothing like New York City." He continued to smile as he spoke. "We will need one of the teachers to bring us there, and I promise not to let you get lost! After-all, if you got lost, what would I do? I would panic, that is what I would do!"

It was true, if Ilya got lost somewhere, he would panic. He was new to this area, and even more new to this era. It would be frightening for the both of them.

"Oh! Maybe we can go to the fishmarket, too? Pick up something to make together for dinner one night?"

[kid_from_chukotka]

"I'd be more concerned with you getting lost. I'm the one who can and has lifted and thrown things much heavier than hostile anti-mutant people in the past." Once again, it's not the wheelchair that makes Ilya worry for him, it's the rest of the world. SHIELD had painted a picture of anti-mutant sentiment that made Ilya wonder if they were deliberately trying to scare him.

He brightens at the mention of the fishmarket. "That'd be nice. Maybe I could talk with the cook, see if she'd be willing to make some fish pirozhki or something. It'd be nice if you could try some of the food I grew up with. Which is another reason I need to learn to cook."

[dolemeck]

"Trust me, it is VERY hard to lose me." He grinned. "As big of a world as it is out there, I cannot imagine many black haired, green eyed Brits about."

"Aye! You can ask Hana to make almost anything, Kayla too! I am sure they would be more than happy to help teach you how to cook!" He was happy Ilya wanted to try so many new things already. Sure, the other teen could have holed himself up from the world, but now he seemed inspired to try new things. "I think Hana would love that! She loves anything about cooking, even teaching it!"

[kid_from_chukotka]

"True. The accent would give you away even if I couldn't find you visually, and the same can be said for me, probably, though SHIELD gave me list of places in New York with large Russian communities." He's not ready to go to any of those places, not yet. It's too much. But maybe in a month or two, with Dolemeck and some poor teacher dragged along, he might be willing to try, if only once.

"You make me want to learn new things. You've taught yourself history and sewing, and those aren't easy things. So, maybe, I can learn to cook. It might be hard without any recipes to read, though. My parents and grandparents just cooked out of memory and looked at things to guess how much of different ingredients they needed."

He still wants to hide away, a little. But if he takes it little by little and doesn't think of things as immense and terrifying as the far future or what he'll do with his life ultimately, then he can manage.

[dolemeck]

"We can look on the internet for certain recipes you remember. See if we can find how to make them. Or perhaps look in our school's library!" He once again looked up at Ilya. "It is rather vast and I am sure we could find books on just about anything there!"

He always tried to be modest when Ilya complimented all the things he had learned. It was how his brother raised him (thankfully).

"Well, I just have a lot of time on my hands. if I am not busy doing or learning something, I will just get bored. I-I mean when I am not about with you, of course, Ilya!"

Yeah, that was smooth.

"That sounded bloody horrible. I am sorry."

[kid_from_chukotka]

"It's okay. You look... well, cute, when you're flustered." What a dumb thing to say, but it's the truth. Ilya smiles at him, shrugging slightly. "I knew what you meant, anyway. You're easier for me to understand than other people."

[dolemeck]

"I am still a bit shocked at that. I happen to be the most awkward person at the school!" He went back to chuckling. Already, he could see the mansion coming back into view. "I now wish the day could last just a bit longer. Just a little bit... so we could have more time without school or training. Just... us time."

[kid_from_chukotka]

"To me, you're the nicest person in the school," Ilya told him without pause, not needing to think about it. He sighed, looking at the mansion. "So do I. I really like being with you. I feel like I could be with you all the time and never get tired of you. But if we can get to be room mates, then we won't have this problem. Um, if you're still okay with that idea, I mean."

[dolemeck]

"Why would I have a problem with that? It is not like we are going to do anything that will get us into trouble, right?"

That's right, because they are good students. Good students who follow the rules! Hell, Dolemeck has never been late for class since he started attending, and often handed in assignments earlier than expected. They would not let something like raging hormones and a budding romance ruin all of that, right?

"Aye! No problem there!"

[kid_from_chukotka]

"It's not that, it's just... you know. The nightmares, flashbacks, things like that. I won't be a perfect person to live with, you know? And I won't know as much as a different room mate might about the world."

Please, in order for anything inappropriate to happen they'd need a good twenty hours scheduled in just for all the time Ilya would spend asking if this was really happening and if every single action was okay. And that would assume he could work up the courage to start anything more serious than cuddling up to Dolemeck. (On purpose. On accident... nothing is certain.)

"Sometimes I have these nightmares I'm trapped in the gulag but it's this big maze of tunnels, and I can't get out. Or that I'm in some kind of room made of ice and these horrible sounds are echoing everywhere. It's not all the time, but it happens."

[dolemeck]

"If I have nightmares, it is always of a car coming at me, and I have nowhere to go. Not as bad as your own, but I understand how bad they can be." He pointed out. "Besides, the majority of the time, I am unconscious from my pain medication. It puts me in a deep sleep... enough that Bobbi now has an art collection consisting of drawings of me asleep."

He laughed at the last part, trying to help ease Ilya up on being so serious.

"Stop being so negative! You would get to see the small work space I made in me room for my sewing machine... and the bedsheets I made for me-self..."

[kid_from_chukotka]

"I think yours is worse, actually. I came out of everything physically fine. What happened to you is much more permanent and a lot less fair." He wonders if pain medication is supposed to do that, but he's not an expert on medicine that isn't herb based and Siberia at that, so he'll trust the doctors know what they're doing. "I'm not being negative, I just don't want to bring anyone down. It's been on my mind ever since I realized I was going to get a room mate."

[dolemeck]

"You will not bring anyone down." He reached over to pat Ilya's hand. "If you need to, speak with one of the doctors in the school about your concerns, or even Headmistress Ramsey. We have counseling, you know? It might help to start attending."

After-all, Dolemeck attended up to three group sessions a week. It was helping him out greatly. Perhaps it would help Ilya as well.

"Or you can speak to me, and we will work our way through it together. Granted, I may not have a doctorate... but I am always willing to listen."

[kid_from_chukotka]

"I'm not sure about counseling. SHIELD counselors didn't give me a good impression of that profession. But... maybe it'll be different here. I'll think about it."

He took Dolemeck's hand and squeezed it gently. He loves how Dolemeck gives him options and choices. Even at SHIELD there was this constant feeling of being pushed and directed at all times. There's just a respect Dolemeck inherently gives him that can't be put into words but means everything. "Thanks. I know I can talk to you, and I just hope you know you can do the same, Dolemeck."