Layland muttered to himself as he walked. His hand moved through the air to physically sift through his problems. It was a bad habit that even the snap of a ruler couldn't cure his fingers of. His father certainly tried. No, not thinking about that. He swept his hand to his side to tossed that train of thought into the recycle bin. "Stupid useless problems..."

He paused in his mutterings when he realized he had no idea where he was. Somehow, he'd gotten away from the road and he didn't even notice. You'd think the difference between concrete and grass would be noticed. "Well damn, this is a puzzle. I'll just use-" Then he realized he didn't bring his phone with him for some ungodly reason so he couldn't rely on gps. He let out a sigh and picks his way through the mess that was nature until he heard a strange noise that almost made him think a storm was coming. He stepped around a tree and his eyes went wide. That guy? What was he doing here? And what was he doing?

He wasn't sure how he did it---he just did. The family's reason behind their magic, while shrouded, was never fully explained to Cian but he didn't care. With a flick of the wrist the leaves he'd scooped up burst into small, short-lived flame that gave the entire sight a daytime-fireworks appearance. He twisted his hand and breathed out, feeling a rare burst or confidence. "Okay..." He muttered to himself. "Okay, this is gonna be hard. I don't do it much. But here goes... Here we go." He pulled the remainder of the debris around him like a cloak as he spun in on himself, feeling himself go cold and light, as if he were suddenly suspended in an ice bath in zero gravity. All the air rushed out of his lungs for an instant, and his heart seemed to freeze in his chest before everything compiled onto his physical form again and he found himself on the other side of the clearing. The debris fell to the ground and he gasped out a laugh. A perfect teleportation.

Sighing, he shook himself off and looked around, suddenly feeling that same heart-stopping sensation cling at him again, only this time out of fear and shock, a cold dread. Layland. Cian would have gasped if he had any available ability to breathe.

Since he didn't appear to have been noticed, Layland leaned against a tree and just watched. He had the privilege of watching Cian's magic before but this time was even more intense. Maybe it was because the normally nervous boy didn't know he was being watched. The show had Layland on edge, actually breathless. He watched in wonder and growing interest until Cian dashed to another place entirely within the blink of an eye. No, dash wasn't even the right word. Someone should record this. He dashed the thought almost immediately though since Cian would surely hate it. And then the sound of his laugh.

Cian turned and the moment broke as if it never happened. His expression said clearly that Layland wasn't welcome here, or anywhere near the other student. The smile never quite dropped off Layland's face though. He found himself clapping, something he never did. "You're amazing. You know that right?"

It was almost another form of magic, the way sweat simply sprang up when Layland smiled, and actually clapped for Cian's performance. And the compliment. An actual kindness. Amazing? His timidity wouldn't let him accept it without anything less than a cherry-red face that burned with the heat of the sun. "Um... T-thanks..." He ran his hand over his neck to relieve some of the mixed emotions gathering at the base of his skull, ready to burst forward. "B-but... But I don't... I'm not amazing... I just... It's... not natural... I'm not amazing... on my own..." Indeed, without his ability, he was just an artist. He was nothing like his spotlight-loving family, nowhere near as well-known as his world-adored uncle, or his superstar parents. What had they expected when they sheltered him from so many, from everyone? Compliments like that weren't from him.

Shaking his head, Layland took a step forward, then paused again. Exactly what was he going to do after walking closer? This sort of situation was something he didn't have experience in so he simple did things on instinct. And he found himself doubted those instincts. He preferred to think, so now he stood there and crossed his hands as a scowl formed on his face. "Is it that impossible for you to take a compliment. You're going to make me feel like an ass! I don't give those things out for free!" He forced himself to breath out in order to stop the quick burst of anger. He didn't want to be like that. He just didn't know what else to do. "Why can't you just be amazing. You looked...elemental when you were doing that. Not like this subdued look you usually have going on."

Cian flinched, clasping his hands in front of him in a defensive maneuver. The barking tone hadn't been expected after such a nice thing came from Layland, but he should have expected it to change in an instant. He gritted his teeth and tried to hold his ground though his heart was pounding hard and out of control in that usual mix of chemically-induced adoration and grudging resentment. "It's not just about you!" Cian snapped. "It's not just my hating you or my loving you against my will or not being able to take your compliment, I can't take any! I can't take any because my family refused to let me, they wouldn't let me understand anything but a driving outward desire for me to be better, always better because I was never ever good enough for any of them, I was never as powerful or as knowledgeable or as good as them. It's not always about you, defaming you or blaming you or forcing you into something you're uncomfortable with."

He clenched his hands at his side and closed his eyes in defeat. "Air is the easiest... to manipulate... Since the components are so plentiful... oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen... It's easy to manipulate and push because it weighs so little and is... everywhere. It's nothing... special. And teleportation... It's easy to explain away. And here... Here..." He breathed in hard and blinked. "Here, I either ace these classes or I turn into a dancing monkey for my fame-loving parents. You're not the only victim here." His confidence---and voice---were starting to waver, and the ground he stood on so firmly a moment ago was starting to crumble.

"Hey, I know I'm not the only victim here. Do you think it's easy for me to admit that? I'm trying. I gave you a compliment and you just..." Layland trailed off with a loud groan and buried his face in his hand. Why was he always the one that was an ass? He shifted until he was closer to a tree and leaned his hip against it and stared down so his blonde locks swept in front of his face. His father said to get a haircut. That's why he didn't. He grit his teeth and it took all of his energy to keep talking, but he made himself. He didn't understand it, but he hated how Cian talked to him. It made him want to yell as well as deflate into a flat spot on the ground.

"Parents who see you like a dancing monkey or who just say 'do better next test. 99% isn't good enough'...You probably think I've got some kind of perfect life. If one of my grades drops below a B, I'll be cut off from my the family name. There's no love. You'll be dropped like yesterday's trash. I hate to take my father's money, but I'm a research student and I can't be that without a benefactor." He ground his teeth together just from the effort of saying this much. "Why do we always yell at each other like this? I don't want us to be like this! So...sorry I'm a short tempered, selfish bastard."

A heat had settled behind Cian's eyes and he bit his lip, blinking to disperse the damp feeling. He didn't doubt the sun was betraying him, however, and showing Layland just how many tears had yet to fall. So he crouched down where he was and wrapped his arms around his knees, glaring at a spot on the ground. "I didn't say I thought you had... a perfect life. You think I can't see that? It's like it's glaring at me when you look at me. Like you're... screaming." He breathed in shakily and closed his eyes for a moment. "... and no one can hear you. Or they don't want to hear you. And I can, but you're so used to people not being able to hear it you don't... understand that I can. And it's worse because of this chemical enhancement. I can hear it but I want to make it better. And I know you won't let me. Because you're... not like me."

For some reason, Cian felt himself smile. There was obviously no humor behind it because the motion alone let his swallowed tears come up and actually fall. "And I've come to terms with that. D-don't worry, okay? Don't worry about preserving my dignity or any self confidence you think I have." He stuttered to silence because the feeling in his throat was akin to trying to swallow a baseball and failing.

Layland's insides felt like they were eating themselves. What was this feeling? When Cian said those things, he felt like a kid. Not like how he had been as a kid, but how a kid was supposed to feel. All his pride got stripped away and his heart stuttered an extra beat. It took him a second to realize silence fell for nearly a minute. He peeled himself away from the tree and moved like a robot until he was about two feet away from Cian. Then he sat. Side by side, facing the same direction. He didn't burden Cian with staring at him when he knew the other was crying.

"Why are you the realest person I've ever known? This is so fucked up, but..." What did he want? Once again the question left Layland floored. He wanted to fix things. It was in his nature. He hated the idea that someone else would try to do the same. But then, he couldn't help but see how he and Cian were similar. He said they were different, but that's not what Layland saw. "Hey." He shifted suddenly and offered his hand. "Can we be friends?"

Cian coughed out a half-laugh, blinking Layland's way and falling onto his knees to a more comfortable position. "F-friend..." He repeated weakly, brushing back his hair but just making it more of a mess in his face. "I... I personally think I'm past... beyond the friendship stage. And here I've... I never had a friend. A bit of a shock... To be thrust into dedicated love when I never had the chance to build a friendship... I'm afraid I'll screw up." He was ready to offer his hand, but took it back and clenched it in his other. "I don't want to do that. It's... a silly dream to me and all, but I kind of... want to imagine what it'd be like..." He breathed out, abandoning the train of thought before it derailed and scared off this version of Layland that wasn't constantly demeaning Cian in some way or another, sometimes, apparently, without even realizing it.

Layland pursed his lips for a second before speaking. "I've never had a friend either. This is the best I can do and maybe you'll go back to disliking me later, but maybe you might still want to be my friend." He dropped his hand back into his lap when Cian ignored it. He didn't know how to interpret the boy's words when he seemed to stumble all over himself when he talked. He couldn't react properly because all he felt was confusion. He thought they were making progress, but anything could tip them backwards to square one. "Are you saying you don't want to be my friend though? I don't understand you. How can you even screw up? Yes, no. Why can't you say clearly what you want?"

Cian sighed, sitting and eventually falling onto his back to sprawl against the grass. "I don't know what I want... Damn it... The illogical side of me wants to spend every damn second with you... But... But... The rest of me... says it'd be a bad idea. Because I... I know my brain is working under the fairy tail impression that if I just spend enough time with you something will change..." He sat up, rubbing the fallen leaves out of his hair and pulling the small ponytail out. "But I do want to be... friends. If it doesn't... make you uncomfortable."

The entire time Cian talked, Layland watched him out of the corner of his eye. "I don't think I can get any more uncomfortable than you've already made me feel and as soon as I fix the love potion thing, maybe you will stop feeling that way too," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. He wasn't sure much himself if they could make it as friends. Once he set his mind to something though, he would follow through and now he wanted to be friends. "Then we can consider ourselves friends. What sort of things do friends do? I don't think either one of us are the type for usual friend things." Somehow the idea of them shopping at the mall or going to a party was so far beyond funny he couldn't laugh.

Cian shook his head and shrugged. What was it like having a friend? "I don't know... I think I'd be boring... I don't... get out. It's too much anxiety for me so... big crowds give me panic attacks. I'm kind of... well, kind of a useless wimp if you haven't noticed." He didn't mind demeaning himself that way, since it was so true. It was stating facts, and people like Layland, scientists, chemists, engineers, and the like, enjoyed facts. He did as well, but facts rarely applied to his abstract thought. He brought a bracelet out of his pocket and held it up. "I make things like this. My parents don't find it... an appropriate use of my power. But I can create things that no human or machine can because I can use such intricate patterns and tiny details that I've found people... love. So... this is what I do in all my free time..." He was sure Layland would get bored of seeing Cian work with his creations all the time. And what would they talk about? Cian loved Layland, though Layland was working on a cure. Then where would they be? Would Cian even like Layland at that point? Would Layland feel the necessity to take pity and be his 'friend' after that? Possibly not.

"I've never done anything like go to the mall or the movies. It's a bit...undignified of behavior in my family. A nice formal gathering where you whine and dine rich people, that's more normal," Layland said with a sigh. "I'll probably never be able to enjoy things like that. I prefer my lab or a book." Thinking about it, he didn't see how he an Cian could be friends in the usual sense. Just talk? Was that all there was to being a friend then? They'd have a hard time managing more than that. He leaned closer to look at the bracelet and one eyebrow arched up into his hairline. "That's really nice though. The things you can do...it's special. This bracelet looks designer...and I know designer."

Cian looked down to the bracelet, then up as an uncharacteristic grin broke out, an uncontrollable movement of his facial muscles. "Yeah...?" He looked down again, running his finger over the gold and silver he had used to form the crisscrossing pattern, and the rubies he had nested within their settings. "Thanks... I never..." He sometimes got a compliment, but nothing more than a slight gawk and a couple passing comments that it was really nice. Even the buyers he found sometimes didn't take a close look. "... well, I'm just glad you like it. I have others..." He went quiet, sliding the bracelet to Layland. "Or, you know... you can have it. If you like." He shrugged awkwardly, but inside his heart was pounding to the point of cardiac arrest.

"R-really?" Layland hesitated before taking the bracelet. He held it up to study in the light filtering down through the trees. "I've never seen anything like this. This sort of pattern could be a signature. You know, that thing that sets every artist apart." He may not have known much about art, but he had his own buying experiences to base this off of. He socialized with enough high bred women and seen his mother's jewelry box enough to wine and dine with the best of them. He meant what he said though. No frivolous compliments today. "Thank you, Cian. My mother would love to see this. Maybe it can be a late birthday present..." Although he hesitated to gift a gift, even if the delicate design was utterly unsuited for him.

Cian smiled lightly, nodding. "I suppose... I hope she likes it... Um... I'm just a bit curious, but... what's your favorite color? And maybe your favorite metal medium?" Biting his lip, he inclined his head gently, and the movement sent his hair across his eyes. If he had ever gotten a compliment in his life it had been from his mother a year ago, and it was to say that it was 'unnatural how a young male can be so beautiful'. It was her version of a compliment, anyway, and didn't stir quite the emotional response as Layland's had done. Somehow he reveled in the idea that he could get something like that from Layland. A breath of air in the vacuum of space, or a heartbeat as he was dying.

Layland blinked a few times. "Favorite color? Would you think I'm bland if I said grey? I rarely care for colorful or bright things." Even as a child he had the same inclinations. His walls were white, the furniture dark brown. At least his own apartment had poor varieties of color mixed in with the mess if Chinese take-out boxes could be considered decoration. Then again, he found himself attracted to individuals who exuded a more colorful personality. It's why he felt drawn to the girl he still hadn't bothered to learn the name of. The whole situation of that was pretty silly when he thought about it. "I'm that kind of person with simple tastes. Not like my extravagant parents."

Cian shook his head gently. "No... It's not odd... I have some nice smoky quartz... it goes from dark brown to light gray, depending on the stone." Looking up, he imagined something simple. Smoky quartz, perhaps silver or white gold. White gold leaned more toward actual white, so it was plain. And a simple pattern. Perhaps a base of plate silver with a chain of white gold. Cian blinked and looked toward Layland. "Um, sorry... I got... distracted. I suppose I like simplicity, too... only with strategic color. Something to catch your eye, besides white or gray or beige." He shrugged. "Must be... why I paint so much... I painted you a little bit ago."

Immediately he regretted saying it. Grimacing, Cian looked down and picked at his long nails. He'd stopped biting them a while back but often felt the urge to go back to it when he was stressed. And he was definitely stressed now.

Layland didn't know rocks well. If it had color he'd guess the gem. Ruby, sapphire--those were natural to know. A diamond looked like glass. But if Cian had a plan, then it probably wasn't a bad one. He knew what he was doing with jewelry, so Layland didn't say a thing. He watched Cian with growing interest until the other lost his distant look. The words that came left him surprised.

"Oh...really?" He didn't know how he felt about someone painting and it took him nearly a minute to response. Curiosity finally won out. "Can I see the painting? No one ever took an interest in my face like that." He understood why it was Cian to do so, but Layland couldn't help but feel flattered. Not in the way his ego usually got stroked. People praised his intense sort of beauty from time to time, but he only heard it in passing. No one would say it to his face for fear of his personality.

Cian put his nails between his teeth, biting down just slightly, but fighting the urge to sever the ends from their hosts. "Uhm... Ah, well, you... It's at home... I just don't know..." Why did he have to bring it up? He felt like a dolt, but there was no going back now. He sighed and stood, nodding his head. "Sure... Come on then." He straightened his clothing, shoving his hands into his pockets so he couldn't bite on his nails like he was itching to do so, and nodded to the half-hidden trail that led to the main road. "I don't live far... I rent the house on the end of the road here, can see the school from the kitchen window."

His hair caught on a low-hanging branch when he passed and he shook, hearing a snap but disregarding it. "I... um, painted... it for my class. We were doing portraits... but I couldn't turn it in... I did something else instead."

Layland raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect an invitation right then, but he followed along. He was trying to avoid school after all. "Oh, you live near? It's probably good. I just remembered now that I walked somewhere strange." It was perhaps a far cry from saying he was lost. He really had forgotten until now. If he hadn't stumbled upon Cian, he had wandered for much longer, trying to find the road again. The trail Cian so quickly fell onto would have got unnoticed by Layland's eyes so unused to nature.

He normally took the lead with everything but he trailed behind for now because he wouldn't show he had no idea where he was going. "Why didn't you turn it in? Did you not like it?" he asked. He never could understand the sentimental value that a painting could hold for the artist.

Cian hummed. "Well, I come here... a lot. Mostly to get away from everything... so I don't get overwhelmed..." It was a calming place, and he'd sought it out early on so he could have a secluded little desert island in the middle of a choppy, unpredictable sea. Here nothing was wrong. Here, he didn't have responsibility or even family. He was on his own and he didn't have to feel self-conscious. That had changed, however, because Layland had stumbled upon his desert island.

"I did like it...!" Cian felt an unusual pang to defend his work. "I loved it, actually... It took me a solid night, I didn't sleep at all... I had to make sure every point was perfectly replicated, so it looked... like a photograph." He closed his eyes, taking the small trail by memory. "I thought it turned out okay..." He crossed his arms over his chest, the way he always did as a protective motion.

Layland listened in silence. He understood clearly that he didn't happen upon Cian in this spot by chance. It was his spot and Layland barged into it. Good or bad, that had yet to be determined. What made him tilt his head more in confusion was what Cian said next. Layland furrowed his brow, but there was no understanding it. He liked things that worked and if they worked, he wanted to share them with the world. Any other kind of logic escaped the box he lived in. "I don't understand. From your descriptions, it sounds like a wonderful painting. The sort of thing you put yourself into. Why would you not want to share it?" he asked. Maybe he just wanted to understand. The bridge between the artist and the scientist had to have some crossing point.