He could have killed you.
But he didn't.
He thinks that everything he does is right.
But he's trying to help you, in his own roundabout way. Remember that hellscape? If it's true that you did that, then what would have happened if someone else was there? You would have crushed them. You would have sent a thousand bullets through them.
You would have killed them.
Not David. David is more than capable of holding his own and train you.
Even if he does think he's better than you.
David waits, not even tapping a foot as you collect your thoughts. Swallowing something, probably your sense of decency, you sigh.
"If you're willing to tone things down, slow down a bit, I'll be willing to work with you."
You look to David, measuring his reaction. That reaction is to wince slightly, but keep a small smile with a bit of a sparkle in his eye. "Then how about we get started, shall we? The sooner we get you stronger the better."
God, he couldn't sound more giddy if he was a kid on Christmas. "Haven't we already started?" You ask.
David shrugs, "That was less of a fight, and more of me practicing on a talking punching bag."
You stare at him, and he stares right back. "... can you go one minut-"
"No." He interrupts.
Just like that, you immediately regret your decision. Pinching the bridge of your nose, you fight off a headache. David glances down, "For starters, you should apologize to Charles for ruining his suit when you get the chance."
The suit? What does that have to do with… oh.
The suit, if you could call it that anymore, looks more like a torn rag than anything that could be used for battle. Your entire right arm is bare, the material severed completely at your shoulder. Several holes dot your legs, along with a rather substantial cut across your neck. To top it all off you have a very profound boot shaped hole on your chest. Thankfully, you don't have a mark on you, which is concerning.You remember getting shot, feeling the blood run down your head. If the status of your lack of an arm guard is anything to go on, you probably should be missing half of that as well. "If you're curious, I healed you while you were sleeping." David says casually stretching an arm "I couldn't have you bleeding out on me." For the first time since you've known him, David's tone takes on a softer, almost gentle tone. It makes you take a step back. Is he actually concerned?
"If you died, Manton and Rebecca would never let me forget it."
You're not going to lie, for a second there you had hope. You stare at the man incredulously, "Please tell me that's not your only concern."
David lifted a hand to his chin "It's not my only concern," he admits "but it would be the greatest."
Waves scream into existence around his head, all but begging you to repeat the beginning of your last session. This time, without stopping. You shake your head, and the waves dim to be replaced by other lights. Just look at the positives. At least he has more than one concern. Granted his major concern utterly disregards your health. Again, on the plus side, he's not being subtle about how he sees you. Amazing that that is a step up from the people who were supposed to be taking care of you. Then again, when the bar is six feet underground it's not hard to get over it.
"So how do we start, oh wise and powerful one?"
"David is fine." He says, but you note the smile.
"You don't seem to mind."
"No, I don't," He says "but you do."
You roll your eyes and David either doesn't notice or ignores it. He takes a seat on the floor, you start to sit down as well, but David shakes his head.
"I am resting, you are going to be training. Start by running laps around the training room."
You stare at him "Really?"
David chuckles to himself "If our little, spar, was anything to go by, you don't really know how to run well do you?"
You try to suppress a groan, but it just barely leaks out. David doesn't comment, probably another thing he doesn't have to care about. "What does running have to do with learning my powers?"
David studies you for a second, and in that time, his expression goes from excited back to the annoyance you remember him wearing when you first saw him. He runs a hand through his hair "Do you know how tiring a fight is? It is the most physically, and mentally demanding thing that you will ever do in your life. You have to notice every small detail, manage every movement you take, and fight through the feeling of your own body destroy itself from the strain. Because if you don't, you'll die, and everyone you're fighting for will die as well. We'll take the time to get you into better shape, and for the rest of our available time we'll practice with your powers."
"Then why didn't we start with that?" You demand "It would be a lot better than what you di-"
David cuts you off, throwing a single hand into the air "I admitted that I went a little far. I acted rashly, and went ahead without thinking. I am toning it down now as per your request, so drop it."
"You were throwing a giant fire spear at me!"
"It was plasma." David corrects.
"How is that relevant!?"
David sighs impatiently and points a finger at you. It glows purple, and you get the message. Forcing your mouth shut, you take off at a moderate pace along the edge of the room. Just like a racetrack, you head around the room clockwise. You glance back at David, but he's still sitting in the same spot.
… he's just going to sit there while you sweat your ass off isn't he? At least he isn't talking. You put one foot in front of the other for a few minutes, and you're starting to feel the first beads of sweat start to form on your head.
"You're from Los Angeles?" David asks.
The question causes you to misstep, nearly hitting a wall before you right yourself. "Yeah," You say between breaths "Why do you want to know?"
You see him shrug and lean back on the floor "Watching you run is boring. What was it like?"
If you weren't so focused on keeping a rhythm, you would have rolled your eyes or flipped him off. Instead you just remember "I grew up on the edge of the city… Mom left when I was four and Dad took his bartender job a little too seriously." You stop for a breath, and David thankfully doesn't press it. "He cleaned up his act, but I spent a good chunk of my time growing up letting my brother help me with my schoolwork."
"Sounds like a good man." David comments, sounding almost wistful as he says it.
You shrug as best as you can while you run "He's a genius, he could work on a paper while explaining to me how multiplication works. Even when he started skipping grades, he made sure to keep me and my sister on point with our studies. Although, I'm the only one who really needed it."
You slow your pace for just a step. You hear a whistle, and David's finger is still glowing purple. Looks like you're not slowing anytime soon. He lets you settle into a more comfortable pace, but the comfort in it probably wasn't going to last long.
As it turns out, it doesn't. You never went into sports, but if anyone suddenly gets superpowers you were sure as hell going to recommend it. Your legs keep moving, but you can't feel them anymore. They long since stopped screaming for you to slow down and rest. Now they feel like pistons on a machine, moving just because that was their purpose. Your arms feel the same: limp, barely functioning appendages that have hardly any use anymore. The only thing you can still feel with some certainty is your chest gasping for breath every second. Sweat has long since matted your hair down and stained your skin.
Honestly, you don't know how long it's been. There isn't any clock in the room, and David never answered you when you asked. He told you to keep running, and you did. To the point that you'd rather be fighting him again than continuing this. You put one foot in front of the other, over and over again.
Then, you feel something on your shoulder. It slows you to a stop, and helps you stay up. Your neck slouches to the side, allowing you to see David offer you a water bottle. Somehow, you manage to take the bottle and pour the liquid down your throat. Only to spit it back up again. It tastes like liquid cement, clogging up your throat and making you gag. You drop to your knees, dry heaving the liquid out of your mouth while David just watches on.
"It will be a lot better if you just drink it," he says. You try to look up at him, but your neck doesn't have the strength anymore. You lift the bottle again, steel yourself, and force it down. You feel several waves move the process along. It burns as it goes down your throat. Then, it doesn't. In fact, nothing seems to hurt anymore. Your legs feel like someone gave them a massage, and your arms feel like they've been bench pressing two twenty your entire life. The burning in your chest stops. You feel like you've just woken from the most reinvigorating sleep in your life. The only thing that remains to remind you that you've been running is the layer of sweat over you.The bottle rips itself out of your hand as David takes a seat next to you. His hand glows silver, and the bottle disappears. He looks, almost pleased. A thin smirk plays on his lips and he looks almost marginally impressed when he glances at you."Hour and a half," he comments "Not bad for a kid who never trained a day in his life." You just roll your eyes at the comment.
"Now," David says "We get to the final lesson of today."
"And what's that? I'm going to be dodging more plasma arrows?" You ask.
David smiles "You're going to start flying."
"... what?" you blink.
David's smile slowly disappears as he pinches his head in frustration. "This is going to be my whole life now isn't it? Why can he just..." he whispers.
You finch at the statement, and honestly you don't know what's worse. The fact that he said it right next to you, or the fact that he said it at all. He's helping you Alex, just keep telling yourself that. Even so it's starting to get really hard to justify everything with that answer.
David sighs, long and dramatic just so he can get your attention. Slowly, he starts to float off the ground. He remains in a sitting position, not even taking the time to look impressed at himself for defying the laws of nature. All around him, you feel waves scream in protest. The ones above him try in vain to force him down, while those below are strong and sustaining.
"Flying," David repeats "Will be your main method of maneuverability so long as your powers are working. Because you," he pauses, pushing something down as he does. For the first time that you've seen him, David looks like he's in physical pain "Insist, on going slow, we'll get you floating before we start flying around at max speeds. Truthfully, I can't wait for the time when you insist that I don't hold your hand, but that's not the world we live in."
It's telling that the hardest thing you're managing today is keeping a straight face. Just keep remembering what your brother told you. Always sit up, eyes open, and listen to your teacher. No matter how bad the experience might be. If Clint had to go through this when he was going through school, you have even more reasons to respect him for his work. David looks to you and gestures you up. "Now you." he orders.
You glare at the man "Do you just expect me to just, pick myself off the ground and fly?"
"You threw a mountain at me, survived being dragged across half a mile of earth, and sent a piece of tank armor into orbit." David deadpans "Making yourself fly should be child's play at this point."
That's… honestly a fair point. It shouldn't be too hard. But how do you start? You could just grab hold and go with the flow, but the last time you operated on pure reaction you threw a mountain and ripped apart a tank armored wall. You'd… rather not do that to yourself. You glance hesitantly at David "Do you have any suggestions?"
David purses his lips slightly. Then he closes his eyes in focus. When he does, the waves under him disappear, but he remains exactly where he was. He opens his eyes, and they shine with something. It looks almost like understanding. "You can lift objects easily enough, right? Just grab hold of some waves and force the ones below to be stronger and just throw them?" You nod "That is not how you're supposed to be flying unless you're going in a straight direction." He spins in the air slightly, facing you completely. "Look down at yourself, and tell me what you see."
You look at him skeptically, but you do as orders. The second your eyes readjust, the waves shine, impacting every spot of your body simultaneously. It's blinding, and you nearly lose focus but you squint your eyes and bare through it. "Waves, thousands of them hitting every part of me."
"Good, ignore the ones forcing you down, focus instead on those that keep you up."
You nod, and grit your teeth in concentration. Slowly, the waves start to diminish. One by one, the those that crash down from above fade into the distance, allowing those under you to shine ever brighter.
"Notice each and everyone of them," David commands "Notice how each of them moves you in a different direction." Right, left, up, diagonal, hundreds of different directions all at once. "Now grab hold, and order them to move in a singular direction."
You take a deep breath, and you do just that. "But not all at-. The waves immediately switch directions, all of them pointing up. You have just enough time to smile before you feel yourself lift off of the ground. No, that was wrong. You aren't lifted off the ground, you're blasted off the ground. The solidity of earth beneath your feet leaves you as the air seems to snatch you off the ground. You turn to see yourself speed towards the ceiling, and you throw out a hand in defence. A string of waves comes to your aid, forcing themselves away from the ceiling and pushing you back. It rockets you back to the ground, and you put your hands out in front of you for defence.
Then, the wind stops.
You tentatively open an eye and you see David focusing on you, his hand glowing a bright gold. Whatever he's doing, he suspends you in the air and it forces a line of sweat down his face. "You. Didn't. Wait. For. Me. To. Finish." He says through gritted teeth. He snaps his fingers, and you fall to the ground with a thunk. Waves brace your fall, but they do nothing to stop David from glaring daggers at you.
"...sorry." You whisper.
David looks ready to chew you out, but he grits his teeth and forces a sigh. However it sounds closer to a growl than anything calm. "You're new, you're learning, and I clearly need to be more... precise with you." He looks almost insulted that he has to say those last few words. "We'll start more detailed flying practice tomorrow, you're free for the day while I fix the room."
"Why do you need to...?" You look up, and a crater not unlike the ones you caused in the training space looked down on you from above. You slowly look back to David, and he just looks at you with utter disappointment in his eyes. "Oh."
"Yeah, oh." David repeats. He jerks a thumb at the door, and you get the message. You slowly walk towards the door as David focus on the hole in the ceiling. The door slides open and you turn around just in time to see David's hand glow orange. He reaches to the sky, then hesitates. "Alex," he says, stopping you in the elevator. He pauses for a moment "You can tell the two betting men that Charles won and Matthew has to pay up; They'll probably be in the lab. Rebecca is normally in her training room, T-6 around this time if you want to talk to her."
You blink, that seems out of left field. "But don't stay up too late, we're starting again at seven in the morning tomorrow. If you're late, things will be much more uncomfortable than today. Do I make myself clear?"
You nod your head as fast as you can and David hums in satisfaction as the doors slide close. You lean against the side of the elevator, breathing a sigh of relief. That is going to be everyday? Oh joy. Taking a quick look at the buttons, you don't care where you go next so long as it doesn't involve getting thrown around a room.
[] Go to the training room and talk to Rebecca. You need to talk to someone about this, someone who is willing to listen to your side and give you advice.
[] Head to the Lab. Matthew was willing to listen to you the last time you felt lost, maybe he can give you some pointers. Hopefully Charles wouldn't mind the destruction of his suit.
[] Find Contessa. If she is the Deputy director, you really would like to know what is in her head that allows her to let David get away with that.
[] Grab a bite to eat and go straight to sleep. Today, you've been shot at, punched, ran like a dog, and insulted more times than you can remember. You've had just enough of today.
