[Colby Cross]

Colby didn't go looking for trouble. Honestly, he didn't. But trouble seemed to have it out for him. He could have avoided it, in all honesty, but ignoring the situation he'd been at first a mere witness of  would have played on his soul far longer then any injury he endured  while engaging it would have done. Now he found himself running, thundering down pavement, the sound of rapid footsteps pounding after him. 
He almost tripped over himself as he skidded to a halt, throwing the weighty door to the club open with a forcible shove from both arms. The afternoon had only just crept into early evening, meaning the popular night venue was far from at it's typical capacity; Still, with his heart still pounding somewhere in his throat, the boy paused, casting a nervous glance back towards the door before rapidly manoeuvring through the few patrons to head directly towards the bar. He spotted an all too familiar spill of brown waves, his sister sliding a glass of brightly coloured alcohol across the bar as Colby stumbled to a breathless halt before her. 
"Hey Lulu," He grinned between intakes of breath, flinching slightly from the sharp soreness of a cut lip, bringing a hand to it before running the same hand sheepishly through his own brown hair. "...You... er... Mind if I hold out-" He then flinched suddenly, shooting the club doors a look as they were suddenly thrown open; Shortly followed by a small group of very pissed off college kids. 
Colby darted behind the bar, ducking under the barrier which separated the working floor from the dance floor, dropping down low as he then pressed his back against it, sitting himself down on the floor, his gaze pleading up at his sister not to reveal his hiding place. He could still feel the electricity of adrenaline pulsing through him, the ache which typically followed whenever his ability deamed fit to fire into action already starting to settle in.
The small smear of red from his cut lip was leaving a distinct taste of metal, Colby wiping it hurriedly with the back of his hand before it dripped onto his shirt, as he tossed an awkward, embarrassed grin at his sister. He put one open hand to the side of his mouth, as though he was whispering a secret; His knuckles clearly partly split. "... The other guy looks worse."

[Luxanna Cross]

Lifting her gaze, green eyes locked upon very familiar blue ones. She was surprised to see her underage brother in a bar, though, before she was able to voice that, he moved towards her, seemingly hiding from someone. She looked towards the door and her eyes narrowed. "Not again." She said with an exasperated sigh.

Waving the other bartenders off, signaling that she would handle it, she looked down at her brother. "What did you do?" She didn't dare keep her gaze at him too long, less the clearly angry group of people would find him. She might not have agreed with his actions, but she wasn't so cruel she wanted him to end up in more trouble than what he clearly was already.

Waiting until they looked away, the brunette dropped down to sit beside her brother, taking his damaged hand in hers.

[Colby Cross]

"Me?!" He pouted, as though the very idea of him being involved in anything remotely unsavoury was unthinkable; This comment was followed by a sharp flinch teamed with an intake of breath. The cut to his lip was still very much raw. He gave a small nervous laugh, averting his gaze from her as he cast an uneasy look towards the dance floor. Thankfully, it seemed the bar was providing an excellent barrier."...Hey, It wasn't exactly MY fault...." He ran his tongue over the injury to his lip in an effort to soothe the sharp soreness, his awkward grin failing him as Luxanna took hold of his injured hand; The last thing he wanted was to get her in trouble, and here he'd brought it right to her doorstep and she, as always, was more concerned for him. "... Hey Lu, it's not that bad, I've had worse..." He mumbled in a softer tone, his bright eyed playful bravado falling away at her concern. He hadn't had the chance to really take in the damage in the few minutes the whole ordeal had been, his blue eyed gaze now dropping to the red, raw splits in his poor bruised knuckles. When the adrenaline calmed, it was going to sting like heck.
Colby then shot his eyeline upwards, to where the other bartenders were being very impolitely attacked with verbal demands regarding to Colby's whereabouts. The boy pushed himself back up further against the bar, pulling his legs closer to his form, hoping none of them thought to lean over. He mustered up another sheepish smile, mouthing silently, "Sorry" to the green eyed bartender.

[Luxanna Cross]

She should have scolded him more. She probably should have outed his position the very moment he'd been trying to hide from the trouble he'd undoubtedly been a part of causing, but try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to. She should have been madder, too. But he was her brother. Her younger brother. She didn't think she'd ever stop feeling protective of him, and if the roles had been reversed, she took great comfort in knowing he'd take care of her the same way.

She looked at him for a moment; She could see a lot of her own personality in him. Or maybe she'd been the one mimicking his for all these years. Maybe they'd both gotten their inability to admit how hurt they really were from their parents. It didn't really matter, but it caused a small smile to form on her lips. "Just because you've had worse, it doesn't mean it's not bad." Letting go of his hand, she reached for a cloth and moved towards the ice machine.

Filling the cloth with ice, she offered the other bartenders an apologetic smile. She knew they wouldn't sell her brother out. They were good people, after all. Returning to her brother's side, she took hold of his hand once more. "This might sting a bit, but it'll help with the swelling." She said before placing the cloth filled with ice against his sore knuckles.

"What happened?"

[Colby Cross]

Colby kept darting his gaze upwards towards the other bartenders, sighing audibly with relief when it clear they'd managed to send off the rather pissed off gaggle of testosterone. A polite thumbs up from one of his sister's coworkers confirmed it, and he replied with a thankful smile.
The younger Cross child gave out a low hiss with a bite of his bottom lip as the shock of ice pressed against the growing sting of his burst knuckles; As the initial rush calmed to a dull throb, he finally allowed his stance to relax ever so slightly, averting his eyeline with an uneasy expression. Of course she was going to ask, and while he believed wholeheartedly that his reasons had been valiant, quite gentlemanly even, that didn't mean she'd think his actions had been; And one of the worst things had always been seeing disappointment in her eyes.

It reminded him of their-

He shook his head lightly, shrugging as he cast her a sunny smile. "... Nothing, really. Honest," He replied brightly, knowing that was clearly not going to be enough to satisfy her. He sighed, bringing his free hand to his injured lip, tentatively touching it to judge how sore it really was. "... I just... They were bothering this cute girl. At first I kinda thought it was just some guys she knew or something but then-" He flinched a little from his lip, bringing his hand away as though it had burned him, lowering his eyeline as his smile dropped. He gave an uneasy shrug; He could feel a dull ache forming more steadily now in his muscles, a lovely little aftereffect of his mutation. "... She looked real uncomfortable, Lu, so I casually walked past and... I heard some less then polite things about... You know. People like us. Next thing I know, one grabs her arm and-" He caught her gaze now with his own blue eyed one, his playful smile returning. "Well... You know the rest." He indicated towards his poor hand with a small nod of his head. "...Personally, the guy deserved it. Asshole." He mumbled the last word under his breath, clearly the insult meant for the guy whose face had met his fist.

[Luxanna Cross]

The brunette remained silent as her brother told her about what had happened. It was clear that he'd much rather have her let it go, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. He might be considered an adult, but he was still, and would always be, her baby brother. She'd never stop worrying about him.

With one hand still holding the ice over his, she lifted her free hand. Ruffling her younger brother's hair, she issued a low sigh. How could she possibly be angry over something like that? Yes, it was stupid of him to get involved, but his motive had been pure. 

"So, she was cute, huh?" A small smile formed on her lips at that. Her expression grew somber again. "You do know you're going to have to tell dad about this?" It wasn't as if their father wouldn't notice that his son looked like he'd gotten beaten up, after all.

[Colby Cross]

Colby awaited her reply with impatiently held breath, and when it came in the form of a hair ruffle he grinned and batted her hand away playfully with his uninjured one. He was relieved; She hadn't given him that all too familiar look of saddened disappointment. "You bet, and I'm sure if I see her again she might be inclined to maybe say yes to a date offer from her oh so valiant hero?" He joined in with the banter, releasing a breath in a gentle sigh he hadn't realised he'd been holding; All he wanted was for this little incident to be blown over now with out further- This reprieve however was short lived, as her next comment was one he'd kind of hoped he'd he able to skip over. His smile wavered, his expression replaced with a far more pleading one. "Aww, Lulu, can't we just... Say I fell or something? I'm pretty clumsy, so it's not entirely unbelievable..." He trailed off, and gave a breathy sigh through his nose with a soft pause; He tugged uneasily at the sleeve of his jacket. "... Do we have to?" This remark was devoid of his usual playfulness, and was more a straight up request.

Their Dad... Well. He was a police Detective, so safe to say this was unlikely to be swept quickly under the carpet.

[Luxanna Cross]

"Not if you show up like this." Unless she was the kind of person who liked going on dates with people who looked like they should rather be at home, resting. She was hardly the person to ask about these kinds of things, though. Her brother was the one who'd inherited these kinds of notions, after all. She barely understood the concept.

"I'm a terrible liar." She reminded him with a shake of her head. And she didn't exactly feel like lying to their father was the right way to go. He'd much rather appreciate the truth. "And he's not stupid." Though, she said that more to herself than what she did her brother.

Of course, she had a hard time telling her brother no, too. "He'd be madder if he found out himself." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Colby to tell their father, or is she was trying to convince herself from agreeing to keeping it a secret.

[Colby Cross]

Colby blinked rapidly at his sister, before sticking his chin up slightly with a wide grin. "Oh I dunno, maybe she'd think the lip and hand ware like... Battle scars? Maybe she likes rugged men?" He almost laughed at his own comment; Since it was very much clear he was far from a traditionally "rugged" looking figure. Colby knew Lux barely mused on such notions, but he always appreciated her interest and discussion even if she had little personal understanding.

His pleas were not outright declined, but Colby hadn't expected her to agree to the idea either; It was her kind of being diplomatic, showing her clear dislike of his suggestion while at the same time encouraging him not to lie without outright saying no, leaving Colby to make the final choice. The boy puffed out his cheeks in thought, gently flexing the fingers of his injured hand; As predicted, despite the dulling of the ice, they still stung like heck.
"... Ah... ...Well, you ARE a pretty bad liar..." He teased, before sighing, running his free hand through his brown hair with an uneasy chuckle. "... Which kinda runs in the family. He'd know I was lying right off without even trying. Must be a police thing." He trailed off, falling quiet, his eyebrows knitting together a little; It was looking like going home tonight wasn't going to exactly be fun. He tugged at his jacket sleeve again.

"... Hey, Lu? ... I'm sorry. I didn't... I didn't mean to storm in here like this. Kinda ruined your shift now, huh?" He cast her an apologetic smile. "At least you can't say I don't keep things interesting."

[Luxanna Cross]

She couldn't help but to laugh, though she was tempted to scold him. "Yeah, maybe she would." She wasn't sure how she felt about her brother being old enough to seek women out in this kind of manner. She could still remember him being thirteen and awkward. Somewhere along the line he'd grown up into a proper young adult. "Only one way to find out." She offered.

She watched him as he debated with himself. Though, he didn't outwardly speak the words, she could see that her reasoning settled within his mind. She smiled softly at him, tempted to ruffle his hair, but bit down on the temptation. "Yeah, I am." She laughed. "And yes, he would." She added. Besides, they hadn't been raised to treat their father with such little respect they felt the need to lie. It wasn't what their mother would have wanted, either. Besides, their father would respect them more for their honesty.

"Oh, I don't mind." She said, shrugging. In truth, she really didn't. She always had time for her family. That was a thing that would never change. After all, they'd always been her number one priority. They always would be. Still, she could see that he was worried about going home alone. "Hey." She said, looking at the watch on her hand. "Why don't you head over to the staff room. My shift ends in twenty minutes. We can walk home together."

[Colby Cross]

As soon as he'd suggested it Colby knew it was relatively out of the question. Dodging the issue, yeah, that was still an option he'd consider, but full out lying... He didn't have it in his heart to do that to their Dad, despite the obvious parental disapproval he was going to face. He may not have seen disappointment in her eyes, but he heavily expected it from their Detective Father. Still, maybe if he casually slid in through the front door, made a bolt for his room, made sure their Dad didn't catch his face for the next few days until it healed up- ... Yeah. Like that was going to happen. He sighed, defeated.
"... This is going to go down real well," He grinned uneasily down at his injured hand. "...Although maybe I'll be let off on heroic grounds? I can hope, right?" His smile then faltered slightly as Luxanna so easily dismissed his apology, raising his blue eyes to meet hers.

Colby couldn't shake the guilt, despite knowing his sister was more then happy to prioritise him. Of course it made him feel like an ass, getting himself into trouble then relying on his older sibling to shield him; He knew now, as the adrenaline calmed and gave way to a dull ache in his muscles, that perhaps he could have handled the situation better... But that didn't mean he felt the guy didn't deserve the no doubt broken nose he was going to have to go home with.
He shuffled a little uneasily, flexing his hand a little more as the sting ran down the back of his hand; He didn't want to put more unnecessary stress onto Lux, but he also didn't think venturing beyond the bar on his own was going to be a good idea for his physical wellbeing with the group of boys he'd pissed off most likely hiding round some corner or other waiting for him to emerge.
"... You know you're the best, right?" He grinned, although his expression held an element of sad apology. He pulled his hand away from the dulling touch of the ice, flexing it fully with a slight flinch as it looked it over; Thankfully it had stopped bleeding. "...Ouch. Heh. Sooo... You guys still have that really fancy coffee machine back there?" He moved to get up, giving a small grimace at the pain from his wounds. He was trying to be lighthearted, trying to avoid thinking about the situation he was going to have to face back home.
Safe to say, Detective Cross wasn't going to take this well.

[Luxanna Cross]

"It's not going to be nearly as bad as you think." She promised. Their father was a logical man and while she knew he didn't want his children getting into trouble, he could hardly be disappointed for what his son had done. Mad, perhaps, but not disappointed. While it had been stupid of Colby, it hadn't been a bad thing to do. It had come from a good place, after all.

A soft smile caressed the brunette's lips as she looked at her brother. He'd grown up right before her eyes and while she still looked at him like he was a reckless fourteen year old, he was considered an adult now. "I know." She grinned back at him, a hand coming out to ruffle at his hair.

She helped her brother when he made the motion to get up. "We do, yeah." She said, nodding towards the door leading to the staff lounge. She reached for her pocket, pulling out the key for her locker. "There should be some towels in my locker. Get yourself cleaned up." There even was a shower in there if he needed it.

[Colby Cross]

Colby gave her a grateful nod, making a small attempt at stretching out his aching arms; Even though it had been agility which had been enhanced, which by it's general definition usually meant in involved running, the aftermath always seemed to affect most of his muscles, regardless if they'd be used wholely directly or not. There were varying levels of course, but it always seemed worse when teamed with high adrenaline... Which it nearly always was.
He was brought from his thoughts by a ruffle of hair, pouting in a childish fashion as it was turned into wild unkempt flicks, raising an eyebrow slowly at his sister in a questioning fashion.
"And NOW my perfectly crafted hair is a mess, thanks a bunch Lulu," He mockingly scolded, his gaze bright as he tried to flatten it back down with both hands. "I'll have to use up as much fancy coffee as I can for that. Prepare for one very highly strung young adult."

His lips turned up in a thankful smile as he got to his feet, snapping a quick glance over towards the door he'd so unceremoniously burst through; There was no sign of the gang, and he could only hope he didn't happen to cross paths with them again. No doubt his face was going to be on the idiot thug's "wanted" list for a few weeks. He blinked rapidly as he pulled out a key, taking it in hand with a further apologetic sigh. "... I really do owe you for this. I promise to, you know, try not to be so grandly heroic in future, although I make no promises. It just comes so naturally to me." He then moved to head towards the door which led into the staff area, a small haven from the loud hustle and bustle of the club. He cast a look back towards Luxanna, one hand on the handle, his bright expression softening. She really did so much for him... More then she should. More then he felt he deserved at times. He smiled, and opened the door into the respite beyond.

[Luxanna Cross]

"Nothing new there." She quipped at him with a smile. She'd never not treat him like her younger brother. She didn't think that was a trait she'd ever be able to toss away, even if he was both taller and stronger than she was. It was her virtue as being the older sibling, after all.

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes at him, pushing at his back as he started moving. She caught the look he tossed her way and offered him a simple shrug. While she often took care of him, he did the same for her. Whether he wanted to admit to it or not.

Fifteen minutes passed slower than what she had expected them to. She'd grown restless and angsty, which made her distracted. She couldn't quite shake the feeling of dread. She could only hope that whoever had been chasing her brother, wasn't out there somewhere, waiting.

Opening the door to the staff lounge, the brunette peeked her head inside. "Ready?"

[Colby Cross]

Colby attempted to clean himself up as best he could, but he couldn't quite disguise the obvious wound to his lip as slight bruising began to seep purple into his skin, along with a similar colour around his poor knuckles; Still, he cleaned the blood off, and tried to make himself as presentable as possible. He did pause to check his injury in the bathroom mirror, flinching slightly as he delicately pulled his bottom lip down to evaluate the damage; It would heal relatively quickly, although he wished his ability knew how to deal with the sting of cut lips as rapidly as it knew how to deal with cell damage caused by that very mutation.

He soon took himself, cleaned up, into the small staff lounge area. Flicking his sister's locker key between the fingers of his uninjured hand, Colby gave a soft sigh as the coffee from the certainly fancier then average (by which it produced a fairly decent cup) machine came to a steady brew. He leaned a little against the small side table the machine sat on, rubbing his forearm thoughtfully as the room gradually filled with the warming scent of the beverage and the sound of bubbling water.
The ache that had flared up with the use of his ability was dulling, having been aided by the warm waters of the bathroom. He'd only been running on his mutation's enhancements for around a minute anyway, a time frame which usually meant a relatively quick recovery.
He was brought from his musings by the door opening, a bright smile sweeping his features. "Just about," He confirmed, gesturing towards the coffee pot. "Think I was going to leave without some o' of the best staff room coffee in downtown? ... Mind you, I've only tried this one, but still. Pretty high honour from yours truly." He grinned, and flinched slightly from the dull sting, before he went about quickly preparing two take out cups of the brew.

"... Sooo, How was your shift? You know. Before I burst in unannounced." He was trying to make light conversation, but the inevitable conversation with their Father was playing on his mind.