A/N

Random K/O fic I wrote ages ago, post X-3, Kurt's return to the Mansion. I don't own the characters, and if I did Ororo would have dropped rocks on my head because her figure would be ruined on account of all the babies she and Kurt would have.

Enjoy!

The frantic pace of mansion life had slowed with the onset of summer. Almost half of the children had opted to return home this year, some taking close friends with them. Ororo always felt slightly guilty about the relief she felt at having less students to care for. It had been tough, these last few months. She had remained steadfast and unyielding in the face of the pressure as Headmistress of Xavier's, but internally she could feel the weariness sneak through her insides, draining her of her energy. She hoped this summer would be uneventful.

She was upstairs when the doorbell rung, watering the plants in the hallways between the student's dormitories. She waited, listened for the sound of footsteps at the base of the staircase that would tell her Logan or Warren were answering the door. When none came, she tucked her misting bottle to one side of a small table and descended the stairs herself. She wasn't expecting anyone, she noted briefly, and when she swung the door open she certainly wasn't expecting the man who stood there. He wore a tentative smile, his tail swishing gently behind him - mild nerves - and when he saw who had opened the door, an unmistakable sparkle entered his gentle golden eyes.

"Kurt!" She exclaimed, her surprise erupting into a sudden onset of pleasure at seeing him, a smile formed automatically. At her warm expression his own smile broadened, his tail arching higher and flicking jauntilly.

"Ororo, it is so good to see you." He made a small step forward, slightly uncertain of what to do next, as if half-expecting her to push him back out the door. Instead she reached out and enveloped him in a firm hug, and he felt a wave of contentment bubble within him. He wrapped his arms around her back, having to force himself not to curl his tail around her waist. They were two friends greeting one another after months of absence... nothing more.

He could not dare to hope for more.

She took a step back to examine him, still smiling, wondering for a brief moment if she would ever be able to stop. That cliche was quickly eliminated when she got a proper look at him, and a crease of concern centred itself between her eyebrows. "You too, Kurt... but you're so thin. What happened while you were in Germany? Come on, come in." She ushered him inside, letting him drop his single bag into a chair and settle himself on the adjacent couch before joining him. He was thin, she mused, running her gaze over his hollow cheeks, the tattooed threads seeming thrown into sharper relief than usual. He seemed to be gathering his words, struggling with what to say, and before she realize it she reached up and brushed the side of his face, very gently, with her fingertips. It was the same touch he had given her an age ago in the Blackbird, but he doubted if she had wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet when their places had been reversed.

"It's ok, Kurt. You can tell me anything." He was drawn to the softness in her chocolate eyes, reading the concern there. Concern for him, he though, his heart skipping a beat. He smiled slightly to reassure her, his tail creeping around and bumping gently into her knee. "There is not much to tell, Liebchen. Mutants are as subject to prejuduce in Germany as they are here. I did not always get enough to eat."

She leaned forward, watching him intently, clearly still worried about him. Unconsciously her hand moved to his tailtip, tracing a finger along the ridge there and filling him with the desire to feel her touch in places far north of his tail. He was glad she chose to speak then, giving him a moment to get a grip on himself. Being away from her only served to highlight her beauty, and oh what beauty it was...

"We'll have to get you fed up, in that case. Did you... find what you wanted?"

He wanted to lower his eyes, but made himself stare levelly into her own. "What I found was really the opposite of what I wanted. Which is why I decided to return here. I would like to stay... if you will have me."

She surprised him again when she reached out to wrap her arms around her neck, very aware this time, it was not a casual hug of greeting. Just what it was he didn't want to analyze right then. He just wanted to return her embrace, drink in the sweet smell of her coconut perfume, feel the smoothness of her cheek against his rougher one.

He knew then with a rush of warmth that he had indeed, come home.