Title: Silver Bells.
Author: Asitiswhenitwas.
Fandom: X-Men Comic 616 (Old School and/or First Class.)
Rating: PG-ish.
Pairing: Scott/Jean. (Guest starring first class ensemble.)
Disclaimer: Own Nothing.
Note: Holiday Song Titles challenge (#1) at JeannieXSlim Live-Journal community.
Summary: Set during the first class' first semester. It's the last day before holiday break. The gang, save for Scott, are 'enjoying' an afternoon in the student lounge. Scott is still quite reserved, and it's starting to annoy a certain redhead with a crush. Desperate times call for… well… I wouldn't say desperate... Fluffy I suppose.

"-- does he think he is?" Jean Grey huffed while pulling herself out of the deep comfortable leather chair. "Doesn't he realize that this is the last night we're all going to be together before heading home for the holidays?" She looked over her companions; Bobby and Warren were seated on a couch near the staircase. Hank was sitting in the opposite leather chair which, much like the one jean was just occupying, addressed the fireplace at a 45 degree angle. The students lounge at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters was, at the time, a common room at the end of the hallway where the student's bedrooms were located.

"I'm not sure he does…" Warren adjusted his position on the couch, what had started as a pleasant afternoon drinking hot cider and listening to Christmas carols in front of an open fire has deteriorated into an interrogation.

"Slim is just… being Slim." Bobby added, looking over to Hank for confirmation.

"I think what Robert and Warren are trying to say Jean." he paused for a second waiting for her to wheel around and look at him. "Is that after his time in that state orphanage and so on…he may not feel entirely comfortable--"

Jean sighed deeply, and very audibly, having effectively cut Hank off while plopping back down into her chair. The professor hadn't told them much about Scott's past, and Slim to this point wasn't very forthcoming. The others tended to be a bit speculative about the matter; it had only been a few months since this first class had been assembled and their fearless leader hadn't opened up much at all.

"It's just…" Jean hid her scowl behind a half empty mug of what was now technically only warm cider. "He shouldn't just be holed up in his room."

"I suppose…" Hank agreed while Bobby and Warren both simply shrugged.

"I got it." Jean smiled a bit after a long sip of cinnamon apple bliss. "I've got twenty bucks for whoever gets him to come out of his room." Her eyes trained up to the entrance to the hallway that led to their bedrooms. More specifically, to the sprig of mistletoe that Warren had hung up over the archway in an attempt to catch Jean under it. Warren's play had earned two or three obligatory pecks on the cheek for Hank, Bobby, and himself.

"You're kidding right?" Warren rolled his eyes.

"No problem." Bobby chimed in. "The twenty is as good as mine."

"I'm game." Hank added, looking over at Warren.

"Fine… Fine… I'll go first." Warren stood up. "Don't expect anything special."

---
Accepting charity has never been easy for Scott, which was part of the reason he declined each of his classmates on their offers to spend the holidays with their families. He had decided instead to stay at the mansion over the holidays and do some odd jobs. Scott figured that cleaning out the basement, touching up the paint in the dining room, and tuning up the professor's cars would go a long way towards paying off the alarm clock that Charles gave him just over a month ago.

At current Scott was leaning back in his desk chair absolutely absorbed by the book he was reading, stopping from time to time in order to jot down some notes in a composition book. The knock on the door startled him as he quickly returned all four feet of his chair to the floor.

"Come in." he offered towards the door, returning his eyes to the text.

"Oh, hey slim." Warren took a step or two into Scott's rather Spartan room looking around for something to engage him in, to no avail.

"Hey, Warren." Scott looked up from his book for a moment before scribbling something in the notebook.

"Look… the guys and I were thinking about heading outside to play some football." A lie, but Bobby wouldn't get cold and Hank was a star at his old high school. He's a guy right? Sports tend to be the end all be all male bonding exercise… well… sports and booze.

"That sounds like fun, but I'm kind of in the middle of something…" He sighed deeply. "And you know… my glasses." Scott looked off into space. The professor had planned a sleeker pair, more like goggles that wouldn't be as loose on his face, but they hadn't been finished yet. This left a very real possibility of his glasses getting knocked off while roughhousing.

"Oh, yeah, uh… I'll let you get back to what you were up to." Warren sheepishly backed out of the room closing the door behind him and heading back down the hall.

"Your turn frosty." Warren said as he slumped down into the couch.

"What did you say?" Jean asked forcing a half smile to cover her pout.

"Suggested a game of pick up football." Warren looked up at the ceiling. "Realized the glasses thing the second it came out of my mouth."

"Ouch… awkward." Hank smiled a bit. "I'm sure he understands... Your turn Robert."

"Ok. Have my money ready Jean; he'll be out here in a minute." Bobby waved with a confident grin heading down the hall towards Scott's room.

---

Scott sighed a bit hearing another knock on his door. He put his pen between the pages of his notebook, and his notebook between the pages of the book he was reading.

"Come in."

"Hey slim!" bobby chirped walking into the room, leaning against the wall with a smile. "Feel like playing a game of risk?" Bobby's appeal was to the tactician in him. He knew Scott loved the game, if their previous game nights were any indication.

"Great idea." Scott looked over at the alarm clock on his bed stand while stretching his back. "Can it wait until after dinner? I'm kind of locked into this book. Besides, I'd hate to start playing and have to come back to it later…"

"Uh… sure Scott… no problem; after dinner in the lounge?

"Excellent… I'm going to." Scott made a motion toward the book he was reading.

"No problem…" Bobby raised his hands defeated; before making his way back to the common room.

"No luck?" Warren asked, sitting up while noticing Bobby returning empty handed.

"Nope… oh and we are playing Risk tonight."

"Oh no…" Warren griped. "Not again? Do you remember last time?!"

"He named his army, if I remember correctly" Hank smiled a bit while standing up.

"Kept saying something about how the revolution would not be televised…" Bobby slumped down on the couch next to Warren. Jean laughed a bit.

"Eliminated two of us by the end of his second turn… by the end of the game he was using four colors." She took another sip of cider.

"I would have had a chance." Hank chimed in. "If Warren and Bobby didn't waste their time and their resources fighting over Australia… we could have struck an alliance and driven back the hoards."

"You're my last hope Hank." Jean smiled, eyes again finding their way mistletoe pinned neatly on the archway.

"I shall not disappoint , my lady." Hank bowed before disappearing down the hall.

---

Scott rolled his eyes at yet another knock on the door. Again?

"Come in!" he called to the door, as Hank strode into the room.

"What are you reading?" Hank asked, genuinely interested.

"Oh…" Scott was quite surprised that someone actually asked. "It's a Biography of Scipio Africanus… He was a Roman general… Defeated Hannibal."

"Interesting… I might have to take a look at that when you are done with it."

"Uh, sure. Ok."

"Slim." Hank smiled. "Let me apologize whole heartedly in advance for what I am about to do."

"Uh- -" Scott was cut off as Hank leapt up onto the desk and cleared his throat.

"What are you doing Hank?" Hank ignored him and slipped into his best… or as it were, worst Robert Goulet impression.

"SIL! VER! BELLS!!! SIL! VER! BELLS!!!"

"Hank?" Scott patiently asked.

"IT'S CHRIS! TMAS! TIME!!! IN THE! CITY!!!"

"Hank!"

"RING A LING!!! HEAR THEM! SING!!!"

"HANK!"

"SOON IT!!! WILL BE!!! CHRISTMAS DAY!!!"

"HANK!!!" Frustration finally set in. "What the hell are you doing! Get out of my room!"

"STRINGS OF! STREET LIGHTS!!!"

"That's it…" Scott grabbed his book and stomped out of his room. "What the hell…" He slammed the door behind him still able to hear Hank from inside.

"SIL! VER! BELLS!!! SIL! VER! BELLS!!!"

Fuming, Scott headed down the hallway toward the common room, managing a half wave to Bobby who was sprawled out on the couch.

"Whoa, hey Slim." Bobby smiled a bit in recognition as he watched Scott get closer to the common room, seeing Jean sneak along the wall next to the archway.

"Hey Bobb- -" Scott was cut off as he was turned around by Jean, who had grabbed his arm as soon as he stepped into the room. "Wha?" Jean silenced him placing her index finger on his lips, and then pointing up to the sprig of Mistletoe above their heads. As his eyes fixed on the mistletoe she brushed his lips with a gentle kiss, lingering for but a moment as his face flushed only a shade lighter than his glasses. She stayed close, ignoring Bobby and Warren's laughter. Jean smiled; intoxicating Scott with the warm spice of her breath as she whispered.

"Merry Christmas Scott."

Silver Bells.

(Asitiswhenitwas)

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