My Best Friends Girl IC

[angrydurf]

Mike had been avoiding the issue for a few days but he knew he had to face Mark and sooner was probably better than later. He had appologized right after his talk with Alex of course but neither of them were really all there for that conversation. He knew he still felt baddly about the whole thing and if the spate of freak accidents around campus, blessedly minor, was any indication Mark hadn't bounced back nearly as quickly as Alex had thought he would.

So he had cancled on one of his schedualed Doom Room sessions with Archer to hopefully catch up with Mark in their room. He waited idley flipping through a textbook, trying unsuccesfully to appear nonchalant, for Mark to get back from his class.

[Avenger Assembled]

When Mark opened the door, Mike's algebra book fell off his shelf and harmlessly whacked him on the back of the head. Mark winced, an apologetic look on his face, and took a step Mike's way. "Ah, geez, Mike, sorry about that. You okay?" Embarrassed as he was, the moment had briefly given him an opening; a reason to actually talk to his roommate. "I'm working on that."

[angrydurf]

Mike shrugged and put the book back up on the shelf. "Don't worry about it, might knock some sense into me yet." He said with a weak smile.

About a dozen abortive small talk subjects rushed through Mikes mind but when it came down to it he didn't like talking around the subject. "You have a couple minutes to talk about the other day?" He finely asked not wanting to force the issue if Mark wasn't really ready.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Sure," said Mark, turning and working on his own bookshelf as if to make sure he wouldn't have any accidents there. "What's on your mind?" he asked Mike neutrally.

[angrydurf]

Mike sat back down facing his roomate and friend, "Well I just, uhm, kinda get the sense that things are not really resolved." He glanced up to the shelf for a secodn as he spoke.

Mike decided to lay it all out at that point, "Look you're pretty much my best friend, and I screwed up pretty bad, I know you know I'm sorry and if thats not enough I understand." He said looking worriedly to Mark, he really hoped that wasn't the case. "I mean I'll be sad but its on me anyway so ... yea." He ended lamely, he had to at least try to work out whatever was still wrong even if it didn't work out in the end he owed Mark and himself that much he felt.

[Avenger Assembled]

The words were on Mark's lips, poised, easy acceptance and deflection. "I..." Suddenly he was in the air again, his friend's face before him, strong hands pulling his shirt tight around his neck. "It wasn't your fault. I heard about what Daisy tried to do to you." What she _did_ do to you, I mean. "I heard Bolt put her up to it because she's trying to get in his pants because he's on the Next-Gen. He hasn't liked me for years."

[angrydurf]

Mike flinched slightly at the comment, "Well if she was trying something she succeeded but that doesn't really matter I shouldn't have reacted that way even if her story had been beliveable." Mike looked down clearly ashamed, "I can't really explain it but it is at least part my fault." He said morosely.

Mike shrugged his broad shoulders as he let out a big breath. He looked back to Mark emotion clear on his face, "I mean Daisy can lie like the best of them but I know you better than that, and that should have won out, but for some reason that just made me more angry." He shook his head trying to piece together exactly what had driven him to such ends.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Mike..." Mark looked down at the book in his hand, then shoved it back on the shelf. "I know you're already in training to control your temper and your strength. I think it would be very unfriendly of me to rag on you for a problem I know you're trying to fix." He smiled, slightly. "Next time you have a thing for a girl I'm dating, by the way, just let me know ahead of time. You probably didn't enjoy hearing me talk about going out with her."

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded it made sense but he still didn't think what he had done was excuseable. He generally didn't have a problem with his temper, he knew how devistating his anger could be if he didn't keep control. Something about the situation had cut through all of that though and really left him doubting if he really was in control at all.

At his mention of Alex Mike blushed deeply, "Well, ahhh, yea, I definately should have explained things between us better I guess." he stammered.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Yes," said Mark flatly, softening at the look in Mike's eyes. "But, just, keep doing what you're doing. Like I said, keep up your thing with Alex and have a good time with that. And keep up with your training, too. I understand what it's like to have powers you can't fully control." He kept his jaw set. "Just keep in mind that when people like you and me make mistakes, it's a lot more dangerous than when other people do it."

[angrydurf]

"Yea, I've been all to well reminded of that." Mike replied solemly. The superstrong youth sighed heavily, "I don't even really know how to explain me and Alex to tell you the truth, part of why I never did." he explained.

Mike looked out the window a look of concentration on his face as he tried to come up with the words for something he had never really voiced before. "I feel like an idiot aparently everyone saw it but me ..." he snickered remembering his argument about it with Eddie and Chris after Mark and Alex first started dating, "I really just thought of her as a good friend, I was happy for both of you, I knew what a good guy you are." he shrugged his broud shoulders in exasperation, "That's what upset me so much at first I think. I can't say what possesed me to belive that nonsense in the first place but, when Daisy said what she said I just felt the most betrayed I ever had. I'm such an idiot, I knew better than that." he dropped his head shaking it in disapointment.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Well, Mike, look at it this way," said Mark, his anger softening even further before Mike's unhappiness. "At least you were angry with me, and not with Alex. I was pretty unhappy about that, but things could have been a lot worse. And they didn't turn out so badly in the end, anyway." He smiled a little. "I'll be okay. And so will you, and so will Alex."

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded, "Well I can't think of much worse than risking our friendship but if you say so." He said with a shrug. then a slight frown tinged his face, "Of course Daisy made it sound like it was all you." He slammed his hand down on his thigh hard enough to shake the floor and topple his algebra book once more. He left it on the floor as he growled, "Darnit why would she do that? I've never even talked to her." Mark had seen Mike mad now and this wasn't anger, he was truely shocked and hurt that what amounted to a strager would try and cause so much trouble.

[Avenger Assembled]

"She's just not very nice," said Mark with a little shrug. "She likes to use her powers to hurt other kids, and she gets away with it because she's really pretty and acts nice when the teachers are around. Even I can tell the difference," he admitted. "I don't know why she decided to pick on you. Maybe she heard you had problems with your emotions."

[angrydurf]

Mike shook his head still somewhat upset. "Yea, you're probably right I just don't get why people act like that." He said scornfully. Sheltered as his upbringin had been Mike hadn't dealt with the normal grade school slings and arrows.

"Anyway," He said trying to get back on track, "I still should have known better. You are a better guy than that and certainly deserve better treatment from your friends. I just want you to know it wasn't over what was going on between you" He said sullenly, "I just lost it when I thought ..." he trailed off, "Oh I don't even know anymore, theres no reason I should have ever thought you'd do anything like that you aren't that kind of guy, that stuff doesn't matter to you."