Re: Not harassing Nathan [Joule, Phoenix]

by **Joule** Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:08 am

Nathan's choice had been a wise one - no one ever called him Nathaniel. No one. That name was his and his alone. Only his parents and Helen ever used it - and she only did it when lecturing him about his health. Even 'Nat' sounded foreign to him from time to time. He was Joule now. Everyone knew him as Joule. His letters were addressed to Joule. His businesses were on his hero identity. He was Joule.

"Alright then you pretty boy with your cool voice and guitar skills and all that. How about something more like this?"

He began tapping his foot, almost starting to play some Elvis, but then chickening out and changing it to 'Phoenix', shooting Nathan a playful glance.

"Check this little trick out."

Winking at the other man he changed the sound coming off his guitar, from acoustic to electric.

by Phoenix Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:38 am

Nathan smiled when he recognized the song, though it was strained from the start. Unlike Joule, he preferred keeping a large separation between his hero life and his person life. It was why he didn't let anyone call him Phoenix except when they went on missions. He didn't want there to be anything to do with Phoenix in his life. Phoenix was a curse, and even if it was just a song, he knew it was because Joule made the connection because of the name.

He wasn't Phoenix. Why would he think this was a good idea?

"That's pretty cool that you can do that," Nathan said, smiling reverting to a natural one so fast that if you blinked you would have missed it all together. Nathan had plenty of experience when it came to smiling, and it had practically become second nature to him to always be wearing a happy expression on his face to some degree. Anything less was unacceptable.

by **Joule** Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:12 am

"Yeah I know I'm cool like that, Nathan sweetheart~"

Joule's arrogance was there but there was something more; the genuine pride and excitment of a man over what he could do. It was obvious Nat held a lot of love for his powers. What a beautiful irony.

"Want me to do it for you too?" He foud himself shuffling closer.

by Phoenix Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:37 am

"Nah, I actually prefer the sounds of an acoustic over an electric. It kind of fits my style a lot better!" He was glad. Glad that they were getting along so well, and that Joule was starting to sound genuine as he spoke. It had been a long time since Nathan had ever really had people to speak with, and it looked like this group wasn't as bad as he had originally thought. Inside, it made him actually happy for once that things were going so well. It even made it easier to ignore the voice's quiet threats and prophecies of how it wouldn't last long.

by **Joule** Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:53 am

"Suit yourself!" Laughing, he continued to play and sing along with Nathan, going through a great variety of songs before eventually beginning to think that that it was time to call it a nigh.

He didn't want to stop but his eyelids grew heavy and he couldn't stop yawning. But what awaited in his sleep? He was in no hurry to find out. He wated to stay there, to play music always, no never have to sleep again.

by Phoenix Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:05 am

The sun had set, and like always, Nathan could feel his energy quickly draining as the night grew darker and darker until he was barely able to stifle a yawn. He glanced over at Joule, smiling slightly when he saw that the other looked like he might nod off at any moment.

"You still awake there, Mr Curly Hair?" Nathan asked, grinning slightly at the other. It looked like Joule would fall asleep at any moment. Hell, Nathan was starting to feel that way himself, but his energy levels were always affected by the sun setting and rising.

by **Joule** Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:14 am

"Hm what- what?" His head jerked awake, looking around, tired eyes focusing on Nathan. "N-no no I'm awake I'm awake! I am totally awake! H-ha ha I could stay up all night."

The truth was he didn't want to sleep. He never wanted to sleep. Who in their right mind would, in his situation? He looked away, playing a random melody on his now-reverted-back-to-acoustic guitar. He hoped Nathan wouldn't notice. He hoped the could just keep playing, all night, every night, and never close their eyes.

by Phoenix Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:20 am

Nathan chuckled shaking his head in amusement at the other's denial of his own tiredness. Hadn't Joule yet realized that it was hard to get anything past him, especially when the other was practically nodding off where he sat.

"Really now? Because I can't. Soon as the sun's gone from the sky, I'm generally out like a light," Nathan said laughing lightly. He normally didn't try to stay awake as soon as he felt the first touch of sleepiness wash over him. There generally wasn't much of a reason to, really. But he was trying, since Joule was in his room, and the other didn't seem to want to actually go to sleep yet.

by **Joule** Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:02 am

"Yeah-" a yawn, "Yeah really, not tired at all. But you go right to sleep, it's cool, it's cool... I'll just... Find something else to do. Maybe some training... Anyway, I should probably let you rest now."

Why did his body have to betray him in such a way? It was his so it should do what he told it to do. If Joule said 'stay awake' it should stay awake and not complain with yawns and blurring vision and heavy eyelids and all that. What a lousy body.

by Phoenix Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:29 am

Nathan raised an eyebrow at that as he looked over Joule, humming softly in the back of his throat. Did the other really think that he couldn't notice that he was obviously tired and in need of some sleep?

Nathan sat his guitar down on its stand next to his bed, before turning towards Joule again, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not tired, eh?" Nathan asked, and it was easy to tell that he wasn't buying it. "You do now how important getting eight of hours of sleep is for your health, right?" Joule didn't want to go to sleep, that was obvious, and Nathan was curious as to why. After all, the other was a health nut, and it just didn't make any sense. There had to be some reasoning behind it that Nathan just wasn't able to figure out.

by **Joule** Wed Aug 06, 2014 11:07 am

"Yeah well..." His voice trailed off, sentence cut short by another yawn. "Nevermind," he waved his hand, tired smile on his lips.

Why did Nathan need to ask such a thing? After the conversation they had shared just a few days early? He knew about the nightmares and he knew about his powers leaking out, and what that could do to him. Perhaps Nathan didn't pick up on as much as Joule had thought. He didn't want to spell it out. He didn't want to explain that each night was like Russian roulette for him. In any case, Nathan would probably just suggest something useless again like counseling. So he remained silent.

by Phoenix Wed Aug 06, 2014 11:37 am

"You should really try to get some sleep, Joule," Nathan said, brow furrowing in concern. The other had to stay as healthy as possible, unless he wanted to have another stroke. That obviously wasn't an incentive for Joule to stay up all night. Nathan sighed, shaking his head.

He was tired, he could feel how bogged down his mind was, but he couldn't go to sleep with Joule still in his room. And it would be rude of him to kick the other out. So he resigned himself for staying up as long as it took. Besides, he had to convince Joule to go to sleep as well.

by **Joule** Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:02 am

Joule could tell that the other man was tired. He really could, and he knew that he should go and let him sleep, but his feet refused to move. If he left, he would be alone, and if he were alone he would fall asleep. Of course he needed sleep to stay healthy but sleep also caused problems for his health, so he was at a loss. It was a lose-lose situation, and at the moment he simply wanted to avoid the nightmares. So he stayed. Tried to make conversation. Was too tired to. Why couldn't his body listen to him and stay awake?

"So.... Uh... It's a nice room you've got here."

by Phoenix Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:38 am

Nathan blinked at that and looked around his room. It wasn't nice. It was bare. There were no photos or posters to decorate the walls, and it was very obvious that his personal belongings were very few. His room looked almost as though no one lived there, except for the ungodly amount of pillows on the bed. It was far from being considered nice by anyone, even with the wildest stretch of the imagination. Nathan refrained himself from saying this though.

"Thanks," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, brow furrowed. Why couldn't Joule just go to sleep? Nathan felt bad for him, that he was haunted by something, but he also really wanted to sleep. The sun had sunk, and his body screamed to be allowed to rest and regain energy.

by **Joule** Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:33 pm

A few more moments of awkward silence passed, Joule pretending to pick dust off his guitar. He looked at Nathan again; the man seemed tired, shutting down as the sun had disappeared from the sky.

"Right then..." He shuffled his feet. "I guess this is goodnight..." He didn't need Nathan's help to stay awake anyway. He could go to the training room. He could do other things. Better if he dealt with his problems alone. As always.

by Phoenix Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:57 pm

"Hm? Oh yeah, I guess," Nathan said, doing his best to stifle a yawn. He rubbed at his eyes, grunting slightly. "I mean, ya should get some sleep as well, y'know? Mm, yeah, sleep's good." Nathan's mind was definitely not as sharp at this moment as he flopped down among his insane amount of pillows, humming as his head landed on feathery heaven.

"Y'can stay here, if y' want. Mm, s'nice pillows. Sleepin' buddies are fun." Nathan was more or less asleep at this point, pulling a pillow over his face as he sighed in contentment.

by **Joule** Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:30 pm

"N-no I-" Joule's instant reaction was to turn down Nathan's offer, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice. "I... I don't do sleeping with other people. I mean I SLEEP with other people as in shagging but I don't sleep with other people. So... Uh... I'll just leave you too it. "

It wasn't entirely true, but close enough. He'd slept with Kade sometimes. But that. That was different. He didn't know how or why, but it was. It made the nightmares go away sometimes. Other times it didn't but Kade didn't seen to mind, so he stayed. Nevertheless, it was not something he was comfortable with doing with anyone, it meant becoming vulnerable in their presence. Better to leave now and return tomorrow.

"Night Nathan..." He muttered as he let himself out of the room.

by Phoenix Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:54 pm

Nathan hummed in response, though he hadn't actually been awake for a while now. His strange habit of false consciousness had taken over and he was out like a light, snuggling into his pillows, since he was pretty sure they were actually really soft cats.

He slept throughout the night soundly, and when morning came about, was up like a light, fully rested and ready to face a new day with a bright smile and a happy spring to his step. The last few moments of the night before were completely gone from his memory, just serving as further proof of how weird his sleeping habits actually were once his head touched the pillow.

by **Joule** Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:03 pm

Nat looked like death. He'd managed to stay away the night before, and kept himself busy training, but now he felt as if a truck had ran him over. Eyes half open, movements zombie-like, he walked into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He had his own tea, of course. His aunt often sent him tea from the UK even though he had repeatedly told her that he could get good tea from where he was loving too. She shrugged it off, muttering something about Americans and how they wouldn't know real tea if it were stuffed up their nose.

by Phoenix Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:14 pm

Nathan hummed a merry tune to himself as he walked into the kitchen, already planning on grabbing a quick drink of orange juice before going to waste the morning away in the training room to get the energy pumping through his veins. However, that all came to a halt when he looked at Joule, his mouth falling open slightly as he tried to figure out whether that was actually Joule, or someone who looked a lot like him.

"You look like something the cat dragged in," Nathan said without thinking, his eyebrows raised in shock. Joule seemed like someone who took a great deal of time to perfect his appearance. Why on earth would he ever stumble around looking like he was half dead?

by **Joule** Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:50 pm

There was a brief silence, before a deep voice in an accept not too different to Joule's, though much posher than his casual one, spoke up from his wrist.

"Apparently Joule's brain functions at the moment are limited - not too different from usual then if you ask me - and I am to communicate in his place. I will drop in a good morning, that my master so rudely forgot to say, and convey to you his message, 'can't talk now, tea first.' Very eloquent I must say. He has a way with words doesn't he?"

by Phoenix Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:59 pm

Nathan blinked, his entire form seizing up for a moment because there was a voice, he did not recognize this voice, and there was no one else in the room. Fear ran through him at the strange voice, because he didn't know where it was coming from, and the voice never sounded like it was just in his head. His therapist had said that this could happen--

'Relax, you idiot. It's a coming from your friend there, on his wrist. Oh, if only all wrists could talk, hm?'

Nathan cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling stupid for thinking he would start to hear a British voice along side the one already in his head.

"Ah, alright. Tea," he said lamely, before going back to pulling the carton of orange juice out of the fridge and grabbing the glass. He needed something to do, to keep his fingers busy.

by **Joule** Fri Aug 08, 2014 7:02 am

All of Joule's focus was on his tea. All the universe was the tea. Every breath was tea. Feel the tea. Be the tea.

Ugh what am I even thinking...

"Shut up Richard," his voice was a sleepy grumble. "Mm just a little tired..."

"My sincerest apologies, sir, how could I forget that you are usually so well-mannered."

He blocked out the noise and watched the leaves slowly sink to the bottom of the strainer, wondering what it must feel like to be falling aimlessly, only to have a net catch you and keep you there, in the warmth, not letting you sink any further.

by Phoenix Fri Aug 08, 2014 11:54 am

It didn't take much for Nathan to realize that Joule had attempted to stay up all night and was now reaping the benefits of sleep deprivation. He hummed softly as he walked over to the little bar counter top that outlines the kitchen and sat on one of the stools, nursing his orange juice.

Well, at least it was sunny out. Though he doubted anyone else was affected by the sun's energies like he was. The fact most of the team were mindless zombies when they first got up was proof of that.

Nathan sipped at his orange juice, mind idly wandering about as he contemplated random things, though he kept winding up at the urge to scold Joule for depriving himself of sleep. Even if he was plagued by night terrors, it still wasn't reasonable to try and force oneself to stay awake until you passed out unconscious. And Nathan realized that telling Joule to go seek professional help never went over well.

by **Joule** Fri Aug 08, 2014 5:10 pm

It was a quiet morning. Joule left the kitchen without another word, he and his tea, and took a walk in the garden while sipping it absentmindedly. It did wake him, for a few brief hours in which he trained and even reviewed some of his physics notes, but after lunch he felt even worse than he had in the morning. His body could go on longer than the average person's without sleep, but he had barely allowed himself to rest enough during the past week, and now it was all catching up with him.

It took several grumbles, talking to himself, and arguing with Richard before eventually accepting that he did indeed need some sleep.

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