Strangers&Quiet Streets [OPEN]

[harmony]

New York City never slept. This was apparent by the bright lights that Harmony could not seem to escape. The lights followed her in every direction, flooding over her features and bringing the night to into an eerie light. Despite the initial creepiness of it all, Harmony was beginning to enjoy New York City. She had visited it as a child once or twice, but living in the city and visiting the city were two extremely different things. Harmony had never thought that she would enjoy the amount of people that were present on the streets at almost all hours of the night, but it was oddly comforting, she felt safer then she had felt in a while.

Harmony already found herself assimilating into the New York City life style as well. The late nights and partying didn’t really suit her, but she found herself entranced by it at the same time. She had already been to a few clubs in her first few weeks of living here, it was like the city brought out a whole other side of her, but as soon as the drinks and the loud music were gone Harmony returned to her quiet self. She found her quiet self walking down a smaller back street. Her outfit was not fit to combat the night time cold. She was dressed in a white sweater dress that barely kept out the wind, black leggings, and a pair of black boots. The only one of those that managed to beat back the cold were the boots. Harmony regretted her choice of clothing as she wrapped her arms around herself.

The street was lonely. A few street lamps illuminated the numerous cracks in the sidewalk that bordered the road. Harmony let out a silent breath as she started to walk down the street. She looked up for a brief moment and spotted the next major road was a on the other send of the street. Harmony shivered and then put her head down to avoid the chilly wind.

The person came out of nowhere. One second Harmony had her head down, observing the sidewalk, counting the cracks as she went over them, and the next she was reeling backward after having slammed into another person.

“I’m really sorry!” Harmony quickly spouted out.

[adamwalker]

Adam sighed. He knew that soft and soothing voice. It belonged to his...entrancing partner. He slowly turned around with a smirk on his face. He smiled at her as he saw sitting on her butt. She looked gorgeous. Harmony Cannon. They were opposites. While he was calm and patient, she was...Well she wasn't always easy to be around. He bent down and offered her his hand. Her eyes gleamed. He noticed she was cold and arched his right eyebrow at her. "Maybe not the best choice of clothes, eh?" He himself wasn't the least bit cold. He wore his signature outfit, a simple black suit with a white shirt and black tie. His shirt wasn't tucked and not fully buttoned. Despite the formality of his attire, he pulled it off quite well, making it seem as if it was a normal attire. What had he been doing here? He knew all too well. He had seen an interesting set of footprints and was unable to stop himself from analyzing it and following the trail. It was quite interesting that of all abilities, the one he could never fully grasp was his own. Yet as he bent down, offering Harmony his hand, it didn't matter. Despite them being so opposite, there was none other he would rather have as a partner.

[harmony]

Harmony looked up to find herself looking at her partner, Adam. One of the street lights was shining dimly down on him, illuminating his familiar face. He was dressed in his normal attire. While it was untraditional, the look worked for him, complementing his facial features and body type nicely.

Harmony couldn’t help but smile at his comment, she was in fact freezing. “Yeah” She replied. “I forgot how cold it got at night here.”

It was strange how life worked, of the millions of people living in New York City and of the thousands walking the street this night, Harmony had bumped into Adam, but Harmony wasn’t complaining, she genuinely enjoyed Adam’s company, despite their many differences. She remained on the floor for a moment, wiping off a few particles of dirt that had managed to flutter themselves on the front of her leggings before looking up and taking Adam’s hand and getting to her feet.

As their hands touched a flood of emotions entered into Harmony’s mind. She had braced herself for this, it happened every time she made even slight contact with someone. Harmony could occasionally stop the flood of emotions from someone she was just talking to, but she was almost powerless to mitigate the influx of emotions that had just manifested. Harmony took a short breath and casually raised her hand to her head, trying to sort out which emotions were hers and which were Adam’s. She took extra care to cover up the discomfort she was felling, though she knew it was pointless, Adam was especially skilled at reading how people were feeling, and he knew Harmony well.

Talking was somewhat of a chore to Harmony, but it always had helped to take her mind off any kind of discomfort she had felt. So she began to talk, trying to initialize a conversation with her partner.

“Enjoying the nightlife?” Harmony asked Adam as she moved her hand from her head to the side of her body.

[adamwalker]

Adam smiled, he knew she wasn't a fan of talking so he decided to take it easy on her. ~We can talk like this, love. I have no problem with it. Well I was actually thinking of you earlier~ He chose his words carefully, not trying to scare her away because of his feelings for her. ~So what have you been up to?~ He smiled at her. She was the only one he could chose not to analyze and he was glad. While a part of him wanted to read her, he never tried to. He liked her as a mystery to him. He loved her. He knew that. But he was too afraid of losing her to do anything about it. He sighed. He hated having to touch her. Not because he hated her touch, he loved it in fact. He was just scared she'd find out the truth. Although, he was pretty sure she already knew.

[harmony]

The sensation of telepathy was something that Harmony could not describe with words. It was like speaking with someone, but at the same time she felt almost as if she was speaking to herself. She certainly preferred telepathy over talking, though that had not always been the case. During the beginning of their partnership Harmony had found it uncomfortable, but as her and Adam grew closer, and she even began to trust him, she found telepathy to be a more soothing option over face to face communication.

~Nothing really,~ It took her a few moments to sort through her thoughts. ~I was just enjoying the sights. I visited the city a few times when I was younger, it’s crazy how much this place has changed.~ The city had indeed changed since she was younger. There was a subtle chaos and uneasiness resting in the streets of the city that had not been there many years ago. Harmony related this new sense to her recent mutations, not many places had been the same since the day she had developed them.

Harmony smiled back at Adam. ~How have you been?~

[adamwalker]

Adam put on a pair of black gloves and held her hands. As someone who analyzed, he did not like being analyzed himself. He was too scared that she'd figure out his emotions. As he grabbed her hand he pulled her close and tight to him so that they were wrapped around each other. ~It's really too cold to be hanging around here. Besides, I need to discuss some things with you. Hold on tight.~ He smiled at her and they then transported to his room in the Marriott Hotel. Once they were in the room, he held her tightly for a couple more seconds then necessary. He smiled at her as he detached himself from her. ~Well...I've had an offer from the X-Force. The one led by Cable.~ He sat down on the bed with his eyes staring at her as he said it. Truth be told, he wanted her to try to stop him. He wanted her to give some hint of something more than friendship.

[harmony]

Teleporting always made Harmony’s stomach drop. It reminded her of being on a rollercoaster, one that was extremely fast with a steep drop you never saw coming. The destination of the teleporting was Adam’s hotel room. It had been a while since she had come to this room. The last time was when they had first arrived in the city.

She was happy to be out of the cold, and even once they were in Adam’s room, she felt herself holding onto her partner. Harmony didn’t move for a few moments, letting herself take in his embrace. Harmony took a soft breath as he pulled away, and she watched as he went to sit on the bed.

When the thoughts from Adam entered into her head, a sudden anger rose up from inside Harmony. It stemmed from the absurdness that Adam was presenting and from another part of her that was angry with Adam even considering allowing himself to get mixed up and possibly injured or killed because of some vigilante group.

Harmony broke off the telepathic communication, her emotions were running high and this was something that needed to be discussed in person.

“Adam…” She said quietly. “What exactly do you know about this group? Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s some kind of mutant vigilante group or something right?” There was an edge of frustration in her voice. Harmony ran a hand through her hair before taking a seat on the bed next to Adam. “This could be really dangerous” Harmony continued. “And I care about you.” Harmony really did care about Adam. She had never realized how much he meant to her until the moment came when he was contemplating doing something dangerous.

[/blockquote]

[adamwalker]

Adam was about to begin when he heard her final words. He stopped cold in his tracks. Even with this new development he was unable to let himself analyze her. Her words caused his heart to pound. A sudden rush of emotion shit him. He paused for a second, taking the time to think. As much as he would have liked it to, he didn't think that she meant it the way he wanted her to. He looked at her eyes, trying to get something from them without really analyzing them. "What do you mean by that? We face danger everyday. What did you mean by 'I care about you'?" He looked away, unsure of what to do or say. He knew this could end up bad. If he didn't chose his words carefully she might end up hating him.

[harmony]

Harmony held Adam’s gaze for a moment before looking away. Adam was extremely good at hiding his feelings, but for a moment, when their eyes met Harmony sensed something. She didn’t know what exactly it was, but it was a powerful emotion pushing to be released from the depths of Adam. There were emotions moving within herself as well, emotions that Harmony had almost forgotten how to express and feel.

“I know we do, but this is different. I want to know that you’re not getting mixed up in something bad.” She said. Her tone changed as the subject of the conversation changed, the anger slowly dispersing and a new, quieter tone taking over. Harmony could alter their relationship drastically with her response to his question, so she stalled for a moment and began to place together the words she needed.

It was within a few seconds of thinking that Harmony realized that she didn’t need words to express how she felt about Adam instead she needed one simple action. Harmony reached over and placed her hand on Adam’s cheek, and then brought herself close to him. She hesitated for a slight second, before slightly parting her lips and then pushing them lightly against Adam’s. Harmony closed her eyes for a moment before pulling away.

“Now do you get what I mean?” She asked softly, before sliding off of the bed.

The reality of what she had done suddenly landed itself on her. Harmony realized that Adam may not share her feelings and that with a single action she might have destroyed the relationship, and partnership that they had worked to build.

“I’m sorry,” She quickly apologized. “I shouldn’t have put you in that position, and it was extremely un professional. If you don’t feel the same I understand.” Harmony was embarrassed, and when she was embarrassed she began to ramble.

[adamwalker]

Stop. That's what everything did;it all just stopped. One minute he was looking away and then the next, her lips were on his. He was unable to move, startled by the actions. However, when she touched him she would feel his heartfelt emotions. He trembled, overcome with emotion. With a smile he kissed her back as she finished her last words. He gently held her head in his hands, allowing her to feel every ounce of passion and love he felt for her. He, at first, kissed her with an urgency but gradually stopped until the kisses were soft, supple and sweet. He slowly pulled away to look in her eyes.

He produced an audible gulp as he carefully chose his actions. He knew he loved her. It was something he found rather idiotic to deny. He had felt that way for quite sometime but had held his emotions in, afraid of her reaction. So as his eyes glanced over her beautiful body, a smile slowly dawned on his face. "I've wanted to do that for quite sometime, love." He leaned forward, once again taking her lips as if they now belonged to him. He slowly laid her back on the bed as he hovered above her, kissing her. His tongue slowly made its way inside her mouth, searching for her tongue in turn.

[harmony]

Kissing. It was something Harmony hadn’t done in a long time. Her empathy ability caused her body to be completely, and utterly overwhelmed by emotion every time she kissed someone, so she had avoided it as well as the touch of many people. But now, a few months after acquiring her strange abilities, she had managed to slightly restrict the flow of emotions and allow herself to return to enjoying the company and feel of another person.

Harmony felt as though she was glowing as Adam kissed her again. She felt as though his love for her was flooding her body, and her senses, but Harmony was enjoying it. She kissed him back passionately. Harmony’s lips tingled pleasantly as the emotions began to grow more powerful.

“Adam…” She whispered as he moved her back onto the bed. Harmony laid there for a moment, looking into Adam’s eyes. She had felt his emotions herself, and she certainly knew her own emotions, but she wondered if this relationship was going to be successful. The two of them came from different beginnings and were very different people, yet she found herself entranced by him. Harmony kissed him back, allowing herself to reciprocate his feelings.

Their lips remained locked for a few moments before Harmony placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him gently back a few inches from her face. She looked into his eyes, holding his gaze for a second. “Are you sure we’re not going to fast?”Harmony said to him before she gave him a slight kiss on the lips. “I really do have feelings for you Adam.” Harmony allowed one of her hands to fall from his cheek and move to his shoulder. “But I don’t want to ruin our friendship if we’re both not ready for this.”

[adamwalker]

Adam sighed and backed off. He sat down. "Listen to me carefully now Harmony. We're partners, true. But I'm pretty sure I love you more than that. I know that I've loved you for quite sometime. The only trouble is, recently I've found someone else who also causes similar feelings. I'm torn right now, Harmony. I'm not sure what to do. I love you both and I don't know if I can make a decision right now. You hate me, don't you?"

He was not going to make the same mistake he had made with Felicia. If things were to continue then he wanted her to know it all. She had every right to deny him, to reject him. It wasn't fair for him to tell them he couldn't choose. However, he wasn't sure if he could chose. They both made his heart beat faster. They both made him smile. But weirdly enough, they both gave him the power to stop Analyzing, something he was barely ever to do.

[harmony]

His words burned against her thoughts. Harmony had felt complete and selfless love radiating from him just moments ago and now he was telling her there was someone else? She suddenly hated herself. She had acted too late, hidden her feelings for Adam and made them seem unreachable. Now Harmony had lost her chance, he had fallen for someone else. She wondered how long Adam had felt feelings for her, she wondered if it had been as long as she had. Harmony remembered the first day she met him. She remembered not feeling much towards him, but as time went on she realized that she was developing feelings that were past friendship and past partnership, at the time Harmony had believed that Adam would not return what she felt, so she had never ventured into the thought of the two of them being more then just partners. Harmony wished she had taken the risk far sooner then she had.

Harmony was silent for a second, and she felt a knot form in her throat as she looked at him, but she held it back. She wasn’t going to give into such weak things such as crying. Harmony had learned that crying never solved anything, only action did. Though, she couldn’t hold back the face that she was hurt, and that she felt betrayed.

“I don’t hate you. I could never hate you Adam. ” She sat up in the bed and leaned back against the head board of the bed, tossing the pillows onto the floor. “I still…love you...somehow.” The words came flowing out, and Harmony was genuinely surprised that she could say those words to someone who had just confessed that they were in love with her another woman. She looked down, and sighed quietly. Nothing in life was easy.

“What’s her name?” Harmony asked. Her voice was level, despite the raging turmoil inside of her. She wasn’t sure why the other woman’s name mattered at all, but she just wanted to know who had captivated Adam enough that he felt it necessary to confess his feelings about her to Harmony.

[adamwalker]

Adam was surprised when she said she still loved him. "Black Cat." He moved and kissed her once again, slowly and deliberately. He kissed her with gentleness and compassion. "But I also love you." He held her against his body and embraced her. "I'm so glad you don't hate me." He kissed her, savoring the taste of her lips. He held her, not wanting to let go. In all honesty, he was scared. He didn't want to lose her but neither did he want to lose Felicia. There was something between Felicia and Adam. There was a passion that ran through them. He couldn't deny that he had very strong emotions or her. But he had known Harmony for so long. He had loved her for so long. It wasn't something that he could so easily forget. It wasn't something he wanted to forget.

[harmony]

Black Cat. The name sounded familiar. Harmony was sure that she had heard the name when she was being briefed on mutants that inhabited New York City. Harmony could only recall that Black Cat was the daughter of one of the best thieves that New York had ever seen. She was a little shocked that Adam had somehow developed feelings for this woman, though Harmony supposed that Adam and Black Cat were somewhat similar. Harmony suddenly found herself hating this Black Cat. It was a deep, irrational hate. She should be mad at Adam, for allowing himself to be caught with another woman, but as he kissed her, she found that she could not find it in her heart to be truly mad at him.

“This Black Cat…” Harmony said as she pulled away slightly from Adam’s kiss and embrace. “Can never love you as much as I do.” She realized now what she had to do. Win Adam back from this other woman’s grasp. Harmony slipped her boots off and returned to Adam with a renewed passion. She cupped his warm face in her hands and pressed her lips against his for what seemed like the hundredth time, not that she was complaining, and closed her eyes. Harmony allowed her emotions to flow freely from her conscious to his, allowing him to feel her passion, and how deeply her feelings ran for him. She smiled slightly as she moved her hands to his chest, tugging gently on his tie.