It was a hot summer day in Westchester, New York and all the mutants at the X-Mansion were desperately trying to beat the heat. Kurt was one of them and he reluctantly shed his red leather jacket to keep cool. Thankfully no one had to see his exposed arms as Peter had convinced most of the students to have a pool party. Vere zhey celebrating the pool? It is a nice pool. It wasn't that Kurt didn't like his body, he didn't love it granted, but it was more about other people's reaction to his scars. Especially-

"Hey Blue. Whatcha doin'?"

He was tempted to port away to the safety of his room right then and there. It was her. Cleo. She had followed the apparent dress code for the weather, in a cutoff Coca-Cola crop top and shorts. Her brown skin almost glowed in the sun and her curly hair-

She came to sit next to him on the sofa,"Blue, if you keep starin' at me, your eyes'll fall out."

"Oh. Zorry."

He picked up on her wild idioms by now unsurprisingly because he hung onto every word that came out of those glossed plump lips. I vill haffe to beg for forgiveness later und add anozher scar. He shouldn't think of his friend in such a way.

"Just messin' cher," She smirked at him and he felt his heartbeat pick up. "So why ain't you at the party? Everybody else is, cept Scott and Jeanie, though I can guess what they're doin'."

He watched her lavender eyes glow with mischief, as if she knew something he didn't. She looked like that often, he noticed. Maybe because she can read minds like Jean and zhe Professor.

"Vhat do you mean by zhat?"

Of course, he knew what she meant by that; Warren had complained rather loudly about their "activities". He felt the tips of his ears get hotter at the reference. Because Kurt would think of himself and Cleo in that way. He hoped to God that she hadn't read his mind about it.

She laughed to herself," Ah, nevermind that. Still, you didn't answer my question."

"I, erm, don't vant to." He shrugged, that was the truth. I haffe enough people staring at me enough as it is. Zhey will think my scars are ugly and zhey will fear me more.

"That's not true." She interrupted his thoughts. Vhat? "What you thought. You aren't ugly, and people don't fear you."

His face burned the color of her eyes," I zhought you didn't read minds vithout permission." His tail was flicking back and forth, if only the ground would swallow him right now!

She bit her lip," I know. It's just that you were very loud this time, cher."

Great, now he probably made her feel terrible. She scooched closer to him and turned his head back to her. He didn't even realize he looked away. He looked into those eyes and felt something there. She kept her hand on his cheek, tracing the marks there. He had to restrain himself from purring at her delicate touch.

"You think I'm beautiful right?" He nodded, feeling his face burn again. "I have scars, just like you. 'Cept yours look a bit better than mine."

She kissed his cheek and he felt faint, well technically she kissed one of his scars, but the scar is a part of him, so he'd take this small victory.

"Beautiful." She whispered against him. She scooched back to the place where she originally was, and he almost cried. Come back.

She shifted on the couch and pulled at her hair. Her cool, teasing persona had slipped away, and he found a nervous Cleo instead. She was just, how would she say, "too cute for words"?

"Sorry, um, I didn't mean to overstep…" She trailed off and started tugging at her earrings instead.

Zay zomething, Dummkopf!

"Could you show me your..." He traced his mark on his cheek.

She smiled brightly at him, "Sure." She picked up her crop top to show more of her stomach.

"Vere did you get zhis?" He pointed at a looking scar.

"Well, Remy and I were roughhousin'…"

The two talked for hours, the pool party long forgotten.