Title: Growing Up
Author: Monica
Series: Invincible
Rating:
Summary: AU –A teenage Scott, Remy and Ororo thrown together, living in New
Orleans together. Ororo thinks about life. Told from her POV.
Disclaimers: Characters are not mine, all Marval's. Not making a dime.
A/N: This series is going to be a bunch of short stories (assuming anyone wants to keep reading) about Remy, Ororo and Scott in the AU universe I plopped them down into. The stories are not necessarily going to be in any sort of order and you probably don't need to read any of the other stories in the series for them to make sense. However, reading the others will make the characterizations and interactions more concrete. Please tell me how you like this. I'm kinda iffy on continuing these stories. Thanks!
Growing up is really hard. Especially when the grown-ups you had to look up to were the very people you wished would die slowly. Except for Scott. He became a grown-up at twelve. I don't even remember when I began to look up to him. All I remember is a gangly boy who always did what was right. When we were kids, I tried my damndest to get a rise out of him. But not Scott. He'd smile indulgently at me, and then do what he was going to do. My mother didn't like him. All the more reason to become his best friend.
"'Ro, we got to get enough food to last the month on twenty bucks. You're going to have to be creative," Scott sighed and shook his head. It was getting harder to make ends meet. His tired eyes rose to meet mine, and I knew that he wouldn't question it if I brought enough food to feed us. He hated it when I stole. Not from some stuffy moral code, but because he knew that I could get caught just as easily as not. I swear, that boy lives to worry.
"C'mon, Rem." The kid's face lit up. I smiled in reaction. How that kid wormed his way into my life… "He needs to get out!" I called back to Scott, who was just opening his mouth to protest. Some things never change.
"'Ro? Can we go home now?" Remy had planted himself in front of me, hands on his hips. A small pout played at his lips. Now where in hell did he pick that up? We were almost through at the store. We had picked up enough money to get through the month easily enough. Every time I looked at him I felt guilty. And I didn't know why. It was driving me crazy.
"In a minute. You know why we had to help Scott make rent this month, right?" The lights suddenly seemed to get brighter at the store. I winced at how worried I sounded.
"Yeah. So we don't have to move out. I'm hungry! Let's go."
"You know that technically, we're not supposed to steal. It's a sin or something." That was not the way to go about it. I could care less if my immortal soul was heading straight to Hell, and I'm sure Remy hadn't even thought about it. "And it drives Scott crazy."
Remy grinned. "You like to drive Scott crazy." He pulled the long coat closer to his body. Ever since Scott bought him the thing, Remy hadn't let it go. I think it was his first gift ever.
"Yes, I know, but this is different. He doesn't get irritated, he gets worried." Remy was looking at me with the strangest look on his face. I lost my nerve. "Come on. We need to get home."
"Remy, have you seen 'Ro?" Scott asked, rubbing his eyes. It was Monday morning and Ororo was usually getting breakfast prepared and arguing with Remy about going to school. Remy was sitting quietly at the table playing with his cereal.
"She left. Around six."
Scott heard the resignation in his voice. Remy was showered and dressed and ready to go an hour before the bus came by. Something was up.
"Where did she go?"
"I dunno. She told me to be good." Remy peered up at Scott. "She's coming back, right?"
"Of course. Did you do your homework?" Scott was thinking furiously. Why did 'Ro take off like that? Where did she go? He looked at Remy who looked miserable. "I'll take that as a 'no'."
"But what if she doesn't come back?"
Scott took a deep breath and reminded himself that Remy was an orphaned kid who had never known any type of security before. Ororo was his rock. Scott pulled a chair around and sat to face Remy. "Listen, do you think that 'Ro would just leave us without a word? We're a family, Rem. A small, fucked up kinda family, but still. When you get back from school, we can take turns at yelling at 'Ro for making us worry. You can go first."
Finally a smile. A small, indulgent smile, but enough to make Scott feel better about sending him off. Where was Ororo?
I woke up and felt the need to do something for my family. Scott was already working his ass off and I was just hanging around the house, acting the bored housewife. I was better than that. I could help Scott get sleep at night. I could help keep Remy live a good life. I could make a difference in the small corner of a nonexistent town in a tiny county in a small state. I got a job as a waitress; working the early shift so I could be home when Remy got home from school. The kid needed some guidance. It felt good to make a difference.
When I walked through the door, I smiled as I saw the boys waiting for me in the kitchen. The looked ready to tear into me. They were worried about me. They cared. It was good to be home.