An Unlikely Friendship
~Ayaia of the Moon
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Kurt Wagner wasn't having a very good day. It had started when he was late for the morning DR sim, and had plummeted from there. He'd been late once again for his first hour class, resulting in a detention, he'd missed lunch, his favorite class of the day, because he had tried to help one of the new recruits, Jubilee, get out of a sure expulsion without catching anyone on fire due to her mutation.
He sighed. The day had continued to just – to put it the American way – suck. After he finally got out of his detention, Kurt walked to the football field. The team wasn't scheduled out until at least 4:30, ensuring complete solitude. Exactly what he needed. He glanced around, then listened hard, making sure there wasn't anyone out there, then, with a *bamf* he simply disappeared.
This was his ritual for every day he missed Scott's proffered ride home. Or when, before school, especially the days he'd teleported too much in that morning's DR session, he'd stop off at Gutbombs, eating a hamburger or two. (teleporting made him so hungry sometimes…) He was always careful, making sure there was no one to witness his departure, and always looking to make sure there was no one to witness his arrival. It was just so much better than walking home. Especially since, in his natural state, it wasn't as comfortable to walk on two legs. After doing it all day, Kurt was ready to get home and hang upside-down for a while.
Kurt never mentioned to the others how uncomfortable it was to walk on two feet. How unnatural it felt to him. It just brought attention to his un-natural appearance, and the shortcomings of it, as opposed to the perks everyone was always trying to point out. He appeared at the gate of Xavier Mansion; his 'school for gifted youngsters' and scanned in, allowing the gate to buzz him in, and then just teleporting again to skip walking the distance to the door.
Kurt just 'ported directly into his room, looking at his holowatch out of habit, trying to catch the time. Then he remembered that it didn't really tell time. Just looked like a watch. He couldn't count the number of times people had asked him for the time, and then pointed at his watch, saying he should know it. Kurt would just look at it, feign a look of confusion, tap it a few times, and then shrug helplessly, explaining that it must have broken. He just wore the watch out of habit, and needed the battery replaced. In reality, ever since he'd broken it trying to alter his induced image, it hadn't told time properly.
Vell, he thought, correcting himself, that vas before... He looked at the clock instead, determining he had an hour and a half before the next Danger Room simulation, and that long to get ready. He tried to shake off his depression, telling himself it would get better. It didn't help that an annoying little voice deep in his conscience was telling him that it could be years before he could freely walk among the humans.
He dejectedly sat back on his bed, looking up to the chandelier the professor had installed for him, and teleported to the position he determined comfortable. That was another thing he hated about being exposed as a mutant. Being born as a mutant, he'd been raised his whole life that it was wrong to trick people, or disguise yourself. It was wrong to try and fool everyone else into believing that the projected image of himself was the real him. Though he didn't like his appearance, he didn't feel comfortable hiding it.
But he lived in constant fear that someone would discover his true appearance. No one knew how careful he had to be every day. Avoiding people touching or bumping him in the hallway. Making sure his tail was wrapped around his leg, because it wasn't protected by the holowatch. Never shaking anyone's outstretched hand, because they'd feel his fingers.
That was one thing made easier when everyone discovered that he was a mutant, he reflected derisively. Now that no one wanted to come near him in the halls, and he didn't have to worry about touching them.
He heard a knock on his door, and looked at it. "Ja, komm mal rein."
The door opened uncertainly, and a head appeared, with long, black hair. Jubilee. "Um, does that mean 'come in' or does it mean 'I hate you, go away?'"
Kurt shook his head. "'Schuldigung," he shook his head again. "Sorry, Jubilee. I haven't been having the best day. You can come in if you vant to."
The Chinese girl stepped in, looking up at Kurt with a wrinkled brow. "Woah. Is that comfortable?"
"Ja," Kurt said, smiling, and then amending. "Vell, for me it is."
"Doesn't the blood rush to your head if you stay like that too long?"
"Ja, but it feels wunderbar to me."
"Voonderba? Oh, wonderful."
"Ja, you catch on," Kurt said, smiling and uncoiling his tail. He fell freely for a second, then teleported, easily catching himself, and depositing himself on the bed. "So vat brings you here? Did you vant to talk?"
"Um, I wanted to make sure I thanked you. You helped me out today, and I wanted to make sure you knew I was really grateful for that."
"Well, you're welcome."
Jubilee smiled. "I'm so glad to be back. I missed it here."
"I'm glad you came back too," Kurt offered, smiling in return.
Jubilee nodded. "I was afraid I'd be ostracized or something, but everyone's been really nice to me. Like I never left."
"Vell, the x-men do not leave anyone behind. Or so Scott says."
"Yeah."
"Are you going to be in the sim today?"
"Nope. Still a newbie. My session is after yours"
"I don't believe the professor thinks that."
"Yeah, but try telling that to Mr. Logan."
Kurt smiled. "Gut point. Vell, I'll put in a gut vord for you."
"Thanks Kurt. And thanks again for helping me today."
"It vas no trouble, Jubilee – ach – Jubilation? Vhich do you prefer?"
"Well, actually, Jubilee Lee sounds odd. I'd really prefer Jubilation."
"I never thought of it that vay."
"People usually don't. It just bugs me a little."
Kurt smiled. "Vell then, I shall try mein bestes to tell everyone, ja?"
Jubilee – ach! Kurt caught himself. Jubilation! – made a weird face at him, but smiled. "That would be nice. Thanks."
Kurt just laughed. "You said that already."
Jubilation laughed too, some of the tension broken. Kurt sensed that she didn't want to leave just yet. As such she loitered by the doorway, looking at a book he had sitting on his bureau. Perplexed, she walked over to take a closer look at it. "Is this really 'Of Mice and Men' in German?"
"Ja," Kurt said, running his fingers through his hair in embarrassment. "Ven I first arrived, it vas assigned in my English class. I vasn't sure if I had the language down. I asked the professor for a favor."
"But your English is fine, Kurt," Jubilation said, smiling, "even if you do slip into the odd phrase or two at times. It's endearing."
Kurt flushed, an odd effect with his furry blue skin, and Jubilation giggled. "Ja, it is gut, but I vas… paranoid. I didn't vant to bring attention to myself. Sometimes I couldn't understand all of the lectures from the teachers. I vas just making sure I did vell in the class."
Jubilation looked aghast, and she smirked a little. "It's hard to believe. Not that I don't believe you or anything, but…you? Not wanting to bring attention to yourself? Come on."
Kurt half-smiled and his tail started to idly swing about behind him. He knew he could control his tail most of the time; it was prehensile; but when he was distracted, or depressed, it became catlike in its motions, and he didn't even notice it was moving. "I get a lot of attention already, if you get my meaning."
Jubilation just nodded, leaning on the bureau and absently flipping the pages of the book. "I know it gets old really fast when people use the classic 'trying to level with you because they're a mutant too' bit. I know I've heard that lecture from Jean one too many times, but I seriously think you and me could identify with each other. I mean, obviously not completely, right?" Jubilation hastily cut herself off, as if afraid Kurt was going to interject, but he didn't.
She sighed, trying to gather her wits. "I mean, Rahne tells me things she's gone through; people chasing her, calling her an unholy creature, trying to shoot her with a silver bullet or something. And Ray told us about the time he went looking for Evan, and almost got killed by the Morlocks for deserting them. I know I'll never know what it's like to grow up looking like a mutant, to the degree that I'm getting killed over it, but I know how you feel when you have to put on a face out of necessity. Like, people expect you to be the happy-go-lucky fuzzy man, right? And people expect me to be the one who always follows Bobby because I like him or something, and I'll always be branded as a troublemaker."
Kurt's tail swished, and he said nothing. She just kept talking, quickly and vehemently. How long had she wanted to get this off her chest?
"Like those stupid guys today? They just have this fixed image of mutants in their mind that interferes with their actual brains or something. They try to…to just do things that they'd never actually do. It's like they aren't humans any more at all, just prejudiced jackasses." Jubilation gasped and covered her mouth.
Kurt just grinned a little and said nothing, imploring her to go on.
"It's…it's just stupid…that's all…" she continued lamely, before recovering her steam. "And…and that's not everything similar about us, Kurt. I know what it's like to grow up without friends. Just be isolated. I didn't even have adoptive parents until Mr. Logan and the Professor found me. My—my parents were—were killed. In a mob-hit. I lived in the mall after I ran away. I'd had parents who barely acknowledged my existence; whom I barely saw anyway, and private gymnastics lessons." Jubilation seemed lost in another world for a moment. "I loved being a gymnast," she said softly. "I was going to go to the Olympics someday."
"I vas in the circus vith my own trapeze act. I am a very gut gymnast as vell," Kurt rejoined, enjoying the startled look Jubilation got on her face…like she'd forgotten he was there.
She shook herself from her sad reverie, smirking. "I don't cheat with my tail."
"Ja, If you call it cheating. I prefer the idea that I'm using everything I have to my advantage."
Jubilation giggled. "I still think it's cheating."
"Have it your vay, then," Kurt relented, glad he'd made her laugh. "So how did the Professor and Logan find you?"
"Cerebro, of course. I arrived here at about the same time as Sam. Rahne came the day after I did, and then Bobby, then Jamie and Ray, and finally Roberto. Princess Aquilla was here before I was. I guess my powers were too small or random for Cerebro to detect at first. I was in the middle of running away from mall security when Mr. Logan took care of them for me. I was willing to listen to anything he and the Professor said after I saw the way he scared them off."
"I had already learned how to control my powers ven the professor found me," Kurt said, remembering. "Cerebro knew who I vas, but couldn't point me out; I vas in too many places at the same time."
Jubilation sat backwards at the chair on his desk, facing him. "I remember the first time I used my powers."
Kurt remembered his own experience, and shivered. Jubilation appeared not to notice.
"I was, um, picking up a five-fingered discount in the food court," she paused, as if waiting for Kurt's reaction. He merely nodded to her to continue. "Well, I had just walked away with some lady's wallet, and I guess I was too obvious or something, because this security guy stopped me. You know how sometimes you can look at a person and tell if they're…well, you know…um…crooked?"
Kurt nodded, though he hadn't yet had the experience. He used to just distrust everyone. Jubilation just needed the feedback.
"This guy…well, you could just tell he didn't always play by the rules. So I shoved the wallet at him and split, but he had more guys at the door, and he took me to their office. He asked me how many purses I'd stolen from, and if I just didn't have anything better to do, like he thought I was just doing it because I was bored, when I was actually doing it because I was hungry. And ended every other sentence with 'chinky.' It made me mad, but I figured he'd finish his little speech, and I could be on my way."
"That is the vord they use for you?" Kurt interrupted, realization erupting on his face. "Like…like they call Keety a… a 'kike?'"
"Who called Kitty a kike?" Jubilation looked mad all of a sudden.
"It vas after mutants vere exposed. Keety told us that the people at her old school called her a kike, and the people at her new school called her a mutie. She just didn't think she'd ever escape it. I just joked, saying at least she vasn't called a 'sausage-muncher.' I vas almost insulted. It's like the people ran out of steam ven they realized they hadn't come up with a… a… a degradation for the Germans."
Jubilation calmed down a little, smiling at his joke and continuing her tale. "Well…he didn't let me go."
Kurt straightened his relaxed posture. "Vat happened?"
Jubilation continued, "He said something about banning me from the food court or something stupid, but then he stood up and moved this box on top of his filing cabinet. I think he was blocking the view of a security camera."
"Vas?"
"What kind of screening test do they have, to hire a guy like that to keep a mall safe? I don't like to think about it. But anyway, he got up, and started to walk around the desk. I was already weirded out, and when he charged at me, I just put my hands out in front of me, I don't know what it would've helped, and these huge sparks came out of them. He was sufficiently freaked out, needless to say, and I organized a hasty retreat."
Kurt sat up, grinning and clapping. "Gut for you!" he said, making Jubilation turn red.
"It wasn't that impressive," she said, as Kurt continued his praise, now adding whistles to the equation.
"Nein, it vas very impressive!"
Jubilation just rested her head on her arms, smiling lightly. Suddenly, she jerked oddly, like she'd just been poked. She withdrew a cell phone from her jacket pocket, glancing at it and then replacing it. "Just reminds me to suit up. Newbie session starts in an hour."
"Vat is the time?"
"Four."
"Ah. I have a session in an hour too! Do you think ve got tricked?"
"I don't know," Jubilation said thoughtfully. "I could have sworn Mr. Logan set the session. Maybe not. Who told you about it?"
Kurt thought a moment, and then slapped his pronged hand on the bed. "Drake! He vas trying to fool us!"
"I wonder what's going on?"
"Ve can see in an hour."
"Yeah…"
Kurt sat comfortably in the silence, and Jubilation grinned at him.
"Thanks for doing this, Kurt. I've just wanted to talk to someone, and you're the one I think who understands."
"Ja. I know vat you mean."
"So when did you first use your powers?"
Kurt stiffened. It wasn't a happy memory. "In Germany," he said evasively.
Jubilation looked at him expectantly. When he didn't say anything more, her features changed. Her face seemed to fall, and she made to get up. "Oh. All right, if you don't want to tell me, it's fine –"
Kurt stopped her, holding his hand up to her. "Vait…I'll tell you, since you told me your story, but…" he struggled for a moment, "it…is hard for me to relate. Listen?"
Jubilation nodded, getting comfortable on the chair once more and prompting him to continue.
"Ven I vas fourteen…Ich…" he shook his head, concentrating. "I had always lived vith my foster parents in Germany. I vas alone a lot…" Kurt just brought up his hand, gesturing to himself. Jubilation nodded again.
"But my vater had friends in the circus, and I vould get jobs every year to help them clean up after the performances, set up the rings and the tents, and… they vouldn't ask questions."
Jubilation nodded again. Kurt took a deep breath. "I vas helping to set up the pole that year. I vas excited because I had never been allowed to do that before. They hadn't set up the safety nets yet, and I lost my footing…"
Jubilation gasped, and Kurt swallowed. "I vas scared to death," he admitted shakily. "And then, I vas outside on the ground. It vas because my teleporting is a link to my willpower. The Professor said that I must just concentrate an image of vhere I vould rather be, and flex certain muscles to activate the mutation, and I vill go there, so long as it is within my limit. I had done that, just desperately vishing I vas anywhere but vhere I vas, and I triggered the 'port by instinct.
At first I vas shocked, then I vas relieved…but then I vas frightened again. I hadn't been injured, but I vas in the middle of the street, and it vas crowded vith potential customers for the circus."
"Oh no," Jubilation said softly.
"They didn't know vat to make of me," Kurt said, laughing hollowly. "They came closer, and they started to poke me, and pull on my tail. Like they veren't sure I vas real. Then things got vorse. They vere convinced I vas some sort of devil. They talked about purifying my soul. I didn't understand some of it, they vere all talking at the same time, and they all started to shout: 'Burn the Demon.'"
"Oh my God, Kurt!" Jubilation exclaimed. "What happened?"
Kurt smiled thinly. "I tried to recall vat I'd just done, so I could escape. But I couldn't do it. I prayed to God to deliver me, but I couldn't remember vat I'd done."
Jubilation couldn't speak. Her hands were clamped over her mouth in horror as Kurt continued almost monotonously. "I saw a pole. Someone had taken it from the tent and driven in into the ground. They had started putting vood at its base. They vere…they vere going to…" Kurt hunched over, grabbing his tail, which had been swishing faster and faster in agitation. With something in his hands, he continued softly.
"They vere going to burn me at the stake."
Jubilation found herself scooting onto the bed next to him.
"I tried asking them…begging them to let me go. I told them I vas not a demon. I tried to remember some verses from the Bible, trying to convince them I vasn't an unholy thing, but they vouldn't listen. They just found some rope and tied me to the pole, and then someone lit a torch…I thought I vas going to die."
Kurt had tears on his face now too. He wiped at them in annoyance, making his fur stuck up at odd angles, but Jubilation didn't laugh. She leaned on his shoulder, stroking the fur on his arm. Kurt had twisted his tail into submission, and it was almost painful. He paused his tale, turning to face her. He wordlessly lifted his foot onto the bed, pulling her hand over to the base of his shin. She curiously felt where he indicated, gasping when she felt the difference in softness. In seemingly random intervals ranging from the base of his shin, down his ankle, to the soles of his feet, the fur was coarser, and Jubilation could make out the discolored skin beneath.
"Kurt, these are burns?"
"The ringmaster…he vas mein vater's friend," Kurt continued, tucking his foot away, his posture a little more relaxed. "He came outside to see vere I had gone, and he started shouting at the people, telling them to vait. I couldn't hear his story, but he vas telling them I vas a part of the show. I had come outside for publicity, or something. Vhile they vere distracted, without meaning to, I 'ported into the voods."
Jubilation wiped her face of residual tears, hoping his story had a happy ending. Instead, Kurt took her hand again, placing it on his wrist. Jubilation immediately started touching around it. It was fainter, but there was definitely some kind of scarring there as well.
"It took me an hour to get all of the ropes off," he said, pulling his hand away from her grasp again. "It took a month for my feet to heal. I'd chewed the ropes off of my wrists, and the cuts I gave myself got infected. That is vhy there is scarring there too."
Jubilation cleared her throat. "How did you learn to control it?"
"It got easier, I suppose," Kurt said quietly. He released his tail, and it wriggled uneasily behind him. "The professor came after that, about three months later, and my parents jumped at the chance for me to come to America. He let me have some time to learn better English than I knew, and then he sent the money for the tickets. Five trains and a plane ride later, I vas at the platform vere the Professor picked me up."
"Kurt, I don't understand how you can be happy all the time. I don't know what I'd do if that happened to me –"
Kurt looked her in the eye, fur still sticking up at odd angles around his cheeks. "Vith the guards at that mall, did you think you vere going to die, or vish you vere dead before Logan saved you?"
Jubilation shivered. "I don't know. I was functioning on pure adrenaline and they wouldn't give up chasing me. I know I would've run out of steam before they did. I guess you could say I would've wished I were dead."
Kurt smiled then. "And vat do you fall back on ven you feel depressed? Or remember vat could have happened to you?"
Jubilation smiled too, getting it. "I remember how good I've got it now, and what Professor Xavier said about how humans and mutants coexisting in peace. Like Martin Luther King's dream."
"Ja. Even if I made a list of all the bad things that happened to me, and all of the gut, I vould have more things to be grateful for than not. It's something meine mutter taught me to do ven I vas small. If I can keep that in perspective and be ultimately happy, then I don't care so much at the mask I sometimes vear out of necessity, verstehst du?"
Kurt stood then, disappearing with a *bamf* and reappearing a second later with what looked like a wet wash cloth.
"Sure, Kurt," Jubilation said, stretching and looking curiously at the wash cloth, "I understand, but what's that for?"
"This," Kurt said, thrusting the material at Jubilation's face. She shrieked in indignation and felt his fingers rubbing the cloth into her face. When he pulled away, Jubilation glared at him, snatching the offending rag.
"What was that for?"
"The cold vater refreshes your face, ja?"
Kurt grinned, scrubbing at his own face, and Jubilation realized it was to conceal the evidence of her tears. She inspected his face in turn when he pulled the cloth away, nodding her approval and teasingly rubbing the fur on his face so it stood up.
"Ach! Don't do that!" Kurt muttered, smoothing the fur back into place. "It feels so…wrong, and …einfach komisch."
"We should do this again, Kurt," Jubilation said, standing and grinning at him.
"Ve have more in common than ve thought, ja?"
"Yeah. We do."
"Right. Miss Jubilation, vould you like me to escort you to the Danger Room, vhere I vill assist you in the imminent death of Bobby Drake?"
"I'd be delighted," Jubilaiton said, taking the proffered arm and holding her breath as Kurt 'ported them away.
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A U T H O R S N O T E
.10: fixed the German errors. Made me happy. I love being able to speak German. :D
~Ayaia