Is This Your Spoon?

[Anonymous]

Oh gods. They were friends already? Oliver didn't get the memo that chance meetings resulting in awkward albeit friendly conversation equalled a newly budding friendship. He would consider it an acquaintance, at best. But Eli seemed to have the definition that he missed.

He didn't want friends. Friends meant people liked him. Friends meant people were getting attached. Friends meant that there would be someone to miss him when he was TRIMed. It was an awful thing to live with. Oliver wanted to slip in and out of people's thoughts without any emotional connection. He wanted to be just 'oh that guy', if anything at all.

But since when was life easy?

"Um..Sure." He said, rubbing his neck, silently hoping that their would be no time in which they could both get together. He wouldn't have minded 3AM, most nights he didn't sleep because of anxiety. Sometimes it helped to work himself to the point where couldn't think straight enough to worry. "P-p-p-pretty face? Will there be other people there?"

[Anonymous]

"No, why?" It then clicked why Oliver had asked that, which just got another laugh from Eli, "You are funny! I was talking about you man. You're totally hot! Don't you know know everyone loves the redheads? Plus, you have the most amazing eyes."

[Anonymous]

Oliver was afraid that's what Eli meant. He was just hoping it was not the case. His face flushed a pretty pink, or a prettier one than what was there before. It was like adding extra layers of red to an already red apple. This was not helping the awkwardness that creeps over every fibre of his being. Into his very soul. His hands tensed on the table in front of him, one curling over the spoon that had initially brought Eli there. Evil evil spoon.

   He felt like he had to say something, anything, instead of sit there with a blank helpless expression on his face. Why couldn’t he, when probability rolled his dice, been given at least a little bit of charm and charisma? Oliver wouldn’t ask for much, just a tiny bit, so that when he opened his mouth to speak it wouldn’t have the same chance of being embarrassing that it usually did. Too bad he got no such roll.

   “Oh…Uh…You too.” He said and instantly regretted every. Single. Syllable. Thankfully, the only saving point was that there wasn’t many. “I-I mean that…That wasn’t…”

   Oliver placed his face in his hands, realising belatedly, the spoon sticking to him before, stuck again and now the cool feeling of the utensil was now on his face. “Oh gods."

   He would have gotten himself a shovel to dig his own grave, if it hadn’t already been dug.

[Anonymous]

Eli had never met someone so awkward before and when Oliver started to panic, Eli did as well. He had upset him and he hadn't meant too! He knew that often people didn't appreciate his advances and the last thing he had wanted was to bother his new friend.

"I'm sorry man. Are you not into guys? I sometimes forget and get too pushy. My mom was always telling me I need to not force my aura onto people, ya know? I can turn the flirting down if it bothers you. But thanks for thinking I got a pretty face! Always nice to hear!"

[Anonymous]

Why did he have to be so awkward? Oh, because he was Oliver. It came with the territory. He'd never escape it. And something in Eli's voice changed, he tensed under the impression that the other candidate was finally going to show their true colours - no one could be that upbeat without any ulterior motives - after Oliver's reaction.

He was wrong.

There was nothing in Eli's voice that indicated anger. Absolutely nothing. It was, instead, concern. Every time his paranoia was wrong, it surprised him no less than the last. And, it seemed like Eli had not seen the spoon stuck to his cheek, despite it obviously being there even if Oliver's hand hovered nervously near it.

"It's...It's fine." He said. "I mean...I was..." I was rude, for one. Panicking over an innocent flirt, like it was the end of the world. He'd panic over putting the wrong sock on the wrong foot when they look and feel the same, but it didn't make for an excuse. He felt like a damned fool. Eli was being nice. Genuinely. And in a sea of sharks, it was welcomed. Yet all Oliver could think of was how all of this was lies. That a person like this didn't exist. Especially not here in the ATC.

"I like people that I, uh, like." He said. It probably didn't make a lick of sense. "Y-You're fine, Eli."

[Anonymous]

"Oh! Sweet!" Eli's face brightened again, a huge smile spread across it, "So that means I'm okay to hit on you?"

Eli's yellow eyes blinked rapidly as he finally noticed the spoon. Sticking to Oliver's face. Reaching over, he lightly tugged at it, "Hey! That's a cool trick! Is that your psychic ability? That's awesome!"

[Anonymous]

"You haven't hurt anybody." Oliver said. It was true. He hadn't even been offended that Eli hit on him, he simply didn't know what to do when someone expressed the sentiment. In fact, Oliver couldn't even begin to comprehend what would lead to it. He tended to downplay his appearance, there was a purpose to the unkemptness, outside and inside the ATC. He had seen more than one candidate have their face smashed in and had heard of worse things happening beyond the recreation rooms and cafeteria. A pretty face seemed to be a beacon for saying that they were a target. Not because it was viewed as weak, but because appearances were valued highly. No one wanted that destroyed. And it wasn't that he actually had one, but better safe than sorry if others saw it that way. Which is why he found himself easily procrastinating on Pilot Llown's requests.

Oliver flinched when Eli leaned over and tugged on the spoon. His flushed face definitely wasn't going away anytime soon. No thanks to his nonchalant fellow candidate. "Uh..Y-yeah. E-electrogenesis. It's useless." He said, grabbing the spoon by its handle he moved it along his face, across the bridge of his nose without the dipper part, that's what he always called it, leaving his skin. Until he let go and left it standing straight out from his other cheek.

"I dread the d-day when a toaster gets s-stuck to me." He said. Or something worse. A quick flash of panic came over him and he leaned over the table, closer to Eli and whispered, as if something nefarious was listening in. "...There's no t-toasters around here...Are there?"

[Anonymous]

Eli didn't think Oliver's abilities were useless at all, but before he could tell him that, Oliver was asking about toasters and Eli couldn't help but laugh, "What? Yeah, I mean, I think so? We have toast here, so I imagine there are toasters in the kitchen."

Eli took a breath and concentrated, using his own power to nullify Oliver's own ability, the spoon dropping with clatter. He gave Oliver another smile, "But don't worry! I'll save you from an toasters."

[Anonymous]

Toasters in the kitchen! It was going to be Armageddon. It didn't matter that toasters were usually kept there, unless someone was feeling particularly unhappy while in a bathtub, what mattered was that Oliver was in the vicinity of such a place. His heart hammered in his chest, unable to control the panic that was settling in. He was going to be bludgeoned to death. The little machines were going to come marching out with pitchforks strapped to their electrical cords, swinging like tails, and then they would pounce on him with a wild rabidity. Imagine his mother getting the news? Congratulations, your failure of a son has been brutally beaten by toasters.

Oliver seemed to zone out; drowning in the ocean of his thoughts that were filing through his mind quicker than he would have sunk with lead anchors chained to his feet. The spoon stuck to his face finally let go and hit the table with a clatter. Eli probably wouldn't have guessed that he was saving his fellow candidate from more than a toaster. Or embarrassment by spoon.

An odd, odd sensation washed over him. Something Oliver had never in his entire life felt before. Breathing. In the mental sense. Like a hand reached down and pulled him up, his head breaking the surface of the water. Breathing, without choking, without sputtering, or having his lungs filled with the painful cold. Or being crushed by the depth. Breathing.

Toasters didn't seem so bad. However now he was filled with the overwhelming feeling of what the hell is going on.

Oliver reached out and grabbed Eli by his arms, leaning over the table and nearly having his uniform drag into the food on his tray. "How did you do that?" He said, his voice cracked, "what did you do?"

[Anonymous]

Oliver's reaction startled Eli and he blinked, confused, "Huh? It's just what I can do. There isn't really a name for it or nothin'. I uh...I can nullify things. Like your power and stuff. Are you okay? I can stop if you don't like it."

He felt really bad, he had thought Oliver would have appropriated not having the spoon stuck to his face, but he had messed up and upset him.

[Anonymous]

"Nullify?" He echoed. Things were starting to make sense, in their own little way. He felt...He felt something. Like the gears in his head were shifting and his thoughts were slowing down. Not stopping. But to the point where his they weren't rushing through his mind like hampsters doing cartwheels. And on some hallucinogenic. He could almost find the person underneath it. Oliver not Oliver.

He didn't know what to make of it.

Oliver didn't let go of Eli, but loosened his grip. "S-sorry...I just...I just never..." He said. "Thank you."

[Anonymous]

"Uh, yeah. It's my, you know, power." He wiggled his fingers, "I'm glad it helped, I can keep doing it? Or I can stop? I'm not really sure what I did that freaked you out. I'm sorry."

[Anonymous]

"No, no! I mean..." Oliver sat back, letting go of Eli and sinking into the uncomfortable chair. He didn't even care that it was uncomfortable. Well, he did. But he could rationalize that it didn't matter. The world wasn't going to end just because there's a possibility his ass could fall asleep.

How could he explain how it felt? How the huge relief simply filtered through him, and he could think and not be a...a prisoner in his own mind!

"I-I don't know if I can explain it." He said. "But the nullifying is good! Real good!"

[Anonymous]

Eli brightened, "Oh! Well, awesome! I'm thrilled I got to help. Just let me know if I can do anything else." Tilting his head, Eli studied Oliver, "You look a lot more relaxed, your energy is really flowing way better man."

[Anonymous]

"R-really?" He said, not really believing Eli. Oliver was skeptic. But, he was not the sort that entirely tossed things out the window simply because he couldn't understand another person's viewpoint. It's why he said 'oh gods', incase there were gods out there, he didn't want to offend any by being excluding. That would be terrible for his health. Though, he didn't take into account that there could be goddesses. Possibly grudge holding ones.

He shifted awkwardly in the chair when Eli studied him. "How can you t-tell?"

[Anonymous]

"Oh, well, you seem less...tightly wound. You are still really tense and your chakras are way clogged, but less so now. Like, I donno, a weight was lifted off you or something." Eli laughed and shrugged, "It's hard to put into words."

[Anonymous]

"M-my thoughts aren't going through loops like hamsters on fire." Oliver said, not cracking a smile as he said a metaphor more common in his own mind, outloud. He took it in absolute seriousness. It was a difficult feeling to describe, those were the best words he could work with.

[Anonymous]

"Oh. Awesome!" Eli beamed again, thrilled he could help, "I'm glad! That's always good to get to slow down a little. I can't imagine thinking that fast all the time. I mean, things get all confused for me and I know my thoughts aren't going that fast."

[Anonymous]

"Y-yeah..." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Oliver could feel the eyes of everyone in the room staring at him. Or what he imagined the experience to be like. They were far too busy nursing their food, if you could even call it that, to notice that the redhead existed and was talking to a person who also existed.  His burning face, red right up to his ears, was quick to feed paranoia that lingered even with the power of his new acquaintance. Eli's over enthusiasm was sure to bring some looks their way. He was just far too cheerful for the ATC.

   “So, uh...Thanks.” He said, not realising that he had already uttered his gratitude beforehand until after. “Err.”

[Anonymous]

"Did I mess up again?" Eli's happy expression faded a little, replaced by puzzlement, "Is something wrong?" It was a little hard keeping up with Oliver and his paranoid panic attacks, "Am I talking too much? I'm told I talk too much."