So, has this been done in the Nightcrawler/Nightangel fandom yet? Fic: Wings about Nightcrawler and Nightangels next meeting after Apocalypse defeat. Things do not go well.
Fic: Wings
Pairing: none, Kurt and Warren centered
Warning: mentions of self-hurt (well…it's Kurt ^^;) and some violence
Might be continued into a Nightangel or Quickcrawler fic if I get the inspiration :)
Things had slowed down since their fight against Apocalypse, and people were finding their routines in Xavier's institute for gifted children. Strong friendships had been formed in the last few weeks and continued to grow as the youngsters came closer to one Another and more ready to let their guards down. Amongst those groups of friends were Scott, Jubilation, Jean, Kurt and occationally Peter who, despite being a few years older found he had a lot in common with the teenagers. New students where still emitted occationally and it was one such student that currently held the attention of the group.
"He's hot, whoever he is." Jubilee smiled and tried to glance at the newbie from the corner of her eyes withouth it being obvious that she was staring.
"Oh yes," Jean nodded at the boy who was still too far away to notice. The park was all but deserted; most students were at their classes and only the five of them had an hour of recess. "Even with that huge backpack on his back."
"I don't know," trying to keep his jealousy in check, Scott frowned. "He looks kind of silly to me, all dressed in pink."
"Everything looks pink to you!" Jean laughed and turned back to him which made Scott smile at the success of his little rouse to get the attention back to him.
"I tink maybe I know him from somewhere?" Thoughtful, Kurt shifted his head from side to side like a curious cat. "He zeems a bit familiar."
"Let's just wave him over here and we can see for ourselves." Never one for patience, Peter gave a sharp whistle and the young man turned towards them. "Hey, you! you new here? Come over!"
Slowly the newcomer started walkling towards them and then suddenly stopped at about the same time Jean drew her breath sharply and came to her feet.
"That's not a student!" She pointed,but the newbie ignored her, staring at Kurt with an intensity that was frightening. "That's Angel!"
*His name is Warren, and he is a student here now.* professor Xavier's voice was all but lost in the sudden mayham; the group came to their feet even as Angel sped towards them. But his eyes were fixed on Kurt who backed away in sudden fright.
"Hey, you!" Angel shouted, pointing at Nightcrawler, whose red eyes got huge with terror.
"No! Don't hurt me!" The young mutant screamed before disappearing in an explosion of Sulphur.
Snarling with rage Warren's wings flashed out, metal shining almost painfully bright in the afternoon sun as he took off to the sky.
"Stop him!" Jean grabbed Peter's arm. "Hurry, before he hurts Kurt!"
"Stop him how?" Peter shook his head, staring at the sky where Warren dived like a bird of prey, just to swoop back up and dive back again as he presumably spotted Nightcrawler appearing somewhere else. "I'm faster than him, but I can't fly. As long as he's up in the sky I can't do anything."
"Then get Kurt back here!"
"I can get to where he is now, but look at that guy –" he waved at Angel – "searching for him. Little 'crawler is gonna be teleporting away before he even arrived. And I have no idea of where he'll be going next."
"Jean, can you send a message to Kurt? Tell him to get back here, tell him we'll protect him." Nervously, Scott fiddled with his glasses but he couldn't hit Warren without seriously hurting him, and the professor had said he was a student now.
Pressing her fingers to her temples, Jean focused, but shook her head.
"I can't. Every other second he's not even in this dimension. It's like trying to talk on a really static phone line. He's too terrified to even notice me."
"What's he so afraid of?" Quicksilver shrugged. "I mean, he kicked this guy's ass twice already, right? He can do it again."
"That is what he is afraid of." Jean stared at the flying mutant, rage swirling around him. "That he will have to fight again."
Warren watched the desperate teleportation with forced patience; the little blue rat tried to flee but from up here it was easy to keep track of the swirling purple clouds. Whenever they showed signs of slowing down, he swooped, scaring the little rat to more panicking actions. He needed the other terrified and fleeing, spending all his energy without thought until finally he swooped down and there was no more teleporting.
Drenched with sweat and trembling with exhaustion Kurt tried to bamf again as he saw the metal blades flashing towards him but he had no strength left. He ran, but he was far too slow. Screaming he was hoisted up in the air, arms and legs and tail flailing to fight off his assailant but Warren was far too strong and he was already exhausted. They tore up through the air with such force that Kurt had to close his eyes, far too high for him to teleport down safely, even if he'd had the strength. Somewhere far off he could hear Jean shouting in his head but he knew his friends where powerless to save him.
Warren's eyes blazed with rage as he took a grip on Kurt's neck and held him out over the void.
"You and I have unfinished business," he snarled, anger distorting his fine features to something ugly as the metal wings gusted air around them. "You *destroyed* me! With my wings I was something – a fighter, an angel, *beautiful*! – and with them ruined I was *nothing*! Ugly! Grounded! Nothing more than a freak! And you dared put me in a cage?! Grounding me again?! If I could I would tear your powers away from you to and force you to live like nothing more than an ugly, powerless freak as well! But I can't do that." He took a deep breath and the mad rage seemed to grow colder. "So I guess I will have to be satisfied with breaking every bone in your body and ripping your tail off."
Kurt couldn't answer, couldn't explain or apologize, could barely even breath around the grip on his neck. His thick fingers tore uselessly at Warren's fingers and he kicked equally uselessly at the muscled belly, his tail trying to squeeze around Angel's leg like a snake. But the winged mutant didn't even seem to notice.
He tore off Kurt's jacket and t-shirt, and Kurt's tail started thrashing wildly as Angel groped for somewhere to grab it, to break the delicate bones inside, snarling like a beast.
And then suddenly he stopped. The grip around Kurt's neck grew a fraction less tight and Nightcrawler drew a shaky, desperate breath. The stars in front of his eyes withdrew a little as oxygen entered his body.
"What is this? What is this?!" In the desperate fight, Kurt had twisted somewhat in Warren's grip and now Angel pointed at the new scarring on his shoulder, the one still bleeding so he had to hide it under bandages which had now been ripped off.
The scarring of wings, spread out from his backbones to his shoulders. Wings cut into blue flesh with beautiful details and no pain relievers.
"For… my…sin," Kurt croaked, still clutching the grip around his neck.
"Sin? What sin?" Angel stared at the finely rendered wings, tiny feathers painstakingly cut into skin.
"My sin…of wrath…of violence…of hurting you…..and destroying you. I had to….pay for my sin. Had to pay for what I did to you. These are my punishment and reminder that wrath and violence will bring nothing but the destruction of beauty." It became increasingly easy to breath and talk for each stuttered explanation. Warren's grip grew more and more loose around his neck and he gulped down air thankfully. "Wrath is one of the seven deadly sins. I thought you were dead. I couldn't apologize or make amends. But…I couldn't live with the sin of what I had done either. I had to punish myself. And it had to be beautiful. To remember you as you were before I hurt you."
Warren was staring at him as if he'd never seen anything like him before. It wasn't a stare that Nightcrawler was unfamiliar with, but this time it wasn't his looks that drew the stare. It was his soul.
"So many people have hurt me over the years," Warren mumbled softly. "No one has felt remotely as bad about it as you." The grip on Kurt's neck shifted again, this time to more of a support.
"I am truly sorry for what I did." Kurt lowered his eyes as the shame burst up inside him. "Both when I was forced to do it and when I was not."
"How did you….on your back…?"
"With this." He waved his prehensile tail. "And a razor. And a mirror." He almost smiled, showing pointy teeth. "It took some time. But the pain….helped me move on."
"All these scarring….you did yourself? How many….?" A kind of almost morbid curiosity held Warren as he looked at the many scars decorating Nightcrawler's body.
"One for every sin." This time he did smile, fangs flashing embarrassed. "So quite a few."
Warren closed his eyes and the anger seemed to drain from him, leaving him weak as a wrung out rag. The metal wings beat slower and they started descending. Nightcralwer looked at him wildly.
"You are not going to…kick my ass?"
Warren shook his head.
"There is nothing….I can't…." he tried to encompass the enormousness of what Kurt had done to himself into words and failed. "I forgive you. There is nothing left to forgive. Please, if you can…forgive me to?"
"Of course, my friend. We were both victims of circumstance." Bellow the school park was approaching rapidly, but not too fast. Kurt could see his friends as little spots far beneath them and he squirmed uncomfortably. "Please. If I could ask a favor of you? I know I have no right….."
Warren laughed, hoarsely.
"Anything."
"Your sweater. If I could borrow it. I would not want the others to see my scars. My sins." Red eyes met blue and smiled wryly. "Pride is not yet a sin I have conquered fully."
Warren laughed, despite himself and they landed a bit away. They managed to shift sweaters quickly – it was far too big on Kurt's scrawny chest – before there was a flash of silver and a fist connected to Warren's chin, sending him stumbling back.
"Peter, no!" Kurt shouted. "No more violence, please!"
With a popping of gum, Quicksilver suddenly appeared, scoping Kurt up in his arms and glaring at Warren.
"Less than you deserve." He grunted at the fallen Angel. "You stay away from our little buddy, ya hear?"
And then they were gone in a new flash of silver.
