Chapter 4: Cheating

For about a week after he'd kissed Yuu, Noh had resisted going into town again. He was still too horrified with himself.

But it was obvious that Jubilee wanted to hang out at the mall, spend time doing the things she loved, so he couldn't keep that up forever, and they wound up in town with several of the other students on a massive shopping trip. Noh was hoping that the numbers would deter Yuu, and he was making it a point to stick close to his friends.

Of course, all that was well and good, but reminders of Yuu seemed to be everywhere — in coffee and in the tailor that Yuu had recommended. Noh recognized the name, and they had walked by the building no less than five times as they wandered around, window shopping.

So when they passed it a sixth time and Noh saw Yuu sitting outside of the tailor, he was almost holding his breath and trying his best not to make eye contact. Not that it seemed to work when he found himself slipping into the tailor's shop all the same.

Of course, almost as soon as he'd stepped into the shop, Yuu had taken his jacket off and stepped up onto the pedestal where one of the tailors got to work, though he called over his shoulder to Noh. "One moment, please. This gentleman has been waiting."

"Yes, of course," Noh said, watching Yuu for a long moment before he blinked and shook his head, taking a step back toward the door. "My apologies…"

"I can wait a bit longer," Yuu said, then looked up and smiled broadly at Noh. "Or perhaps a bit more than a few minutes."

Noh found himself nodding, a quiet smirk at the corner of his mouth — before he caught himself. "No," he said, "you came here to be fitted…"

"Its' fine," Yuu said. "He was just going to double check a few measurements — make sure I hadn't changed too much from last time."

"I should hope not," Noh said with a small smile.

Yuu grinned crookely and rested one hand at his waist. "I actually think I've lost some since my last trip here. A trick in the winter."

"You don't look as though you had any reason to worry," Noh said, taking a few steps closer to sit down nearby, his gaze on the young man being fitted.

"There's always a reason to be concerned," he replied.

"I wouldn't know."

"No," Yuu said, then gave him a little once over. "I suppose you don't."

"I'm not even sure why I came in," Noh said, trying to say something out loud to put words to how very confused he was.

"Well … perhaps you've decided to try out a little more mature look," Yuu said. "You'd look lovely in charcoal, I think."

Noh smirked. "You should see me in my new uniform," he said. "Black with green accents and a white center…"

"I think I'd like that," Yuu said. "When would you like to show me?"

"Anytime you like," Noh said, caught up in the smirk at Yuu's mouth.

"I'd like to go as soon as we're done here, seeing as you've gotten to see my 'suit,' as it were."

Noh nodded, leaning back as he watched Yuu. "I could show you my ship," he said. "It's a living, breathing entity. She's more powerful than anything in this universe."

"That … that sounds almost as fascinating as you."

Noh grinned crookedly. "You have no idea."

Yuu smiled a little wider. "I'd love it if you showed me."

"Then if you're finished here…" Noh tipped his head.

Yuu looked to the tailor, who smirked up at him and nodded. "You haven't lost enough to make an adjustment do you any favors. Not today, anyhow."

"Good to know," he said before he stepped off the little podium and rebuttoned his vest as he headed toward Noh. "Lead the way, please."

Noh smirked and then simply picked Yuu up. "Faster my way," he said.

For an instant, Yuu looked entirely off guard, but he recovered quickly enough. "We'll see about that."

Noh smirked harder before he simply zipped off with Yuu, winding up in the hangar much sooner than Yuu had expected before he set Yuu down and gestured with one hand to his ship. "See?"

He looked appropriately awed — not only at the ship itself but at how easy it was to get this deep into the X-Men's home. "I don't suppose I rate a tour, do I?"

"Oh, of course," Noh said, grinning as he took Yuu's hand — though the ship wouldn't open. "Oh, really… Don't take that attitude with me! You've let our other friends see—" When the ship whirred a little louder, Noh rolled his eyes. "What do you mean this isn't the same? I know for a fact the crew and I brought home beings of every size, shape, gender, sexuality—" The ship whirred. "No, I have not forgotten about Jubilee. She's—" He stopped and looked around the hangar. "Well… not here…" He'd lost some of his sharper tone as he frowned, suddenly realizing he'd left Jubilee and the others in town. Which he had not meant to do.

His head hurt...

Yuu reached out to take Noh's hand, bringing his attention back around. "I know it's not as impressive, but if you'd prefer, I have an apartment in the city …"

Noh frowned at the Marvel for a moment longer before he let out a breath and turned back to Yuu. "Yes, well, my ship is being emotional," he said. "She's not usually like this…"

The corner of Yuu's mouth quirked up slightly. "Well, I understand the protective impulse."

"She's all I have left of my home," Noh admitted, reaching out to put a hand against her hull — and for a moment, he frowned again, suddenly remembering that he didn't want to do anything with Yuu and that he shouldn't have brought anyone here without talking to Charles or Scott first.

The moment he took his hand off the ship, though, Yuu moved in fast and pulled him into a much more tender kiss than they'd shared before. When they broke apart, he spoke against Noh's mouth: "I'm sorry that you have so little to remind you of home. It's not the same, but I can't go back to my home either."

Noh nodded, resting his forehead on Yuu's. "I'm sorry for your loss then," he said in a breath.

"It's their loss," Yuu replied just as quietly. "They never liked having a half-breed among them."

Noh frowned at that, tracing the edge of Yuu's face with his fingers. "Their loss indeed," he said. "Your world is at a time of genetic explosion. They should celebrate its advances. Especially the more pleasing ones."

But at that, Yuu shook his head gently. "It's not even that advanced of a problem," he said. "My country isn't very open to outsiders."

"Nor was my planet, unless we could assimilate them into ours," Noh said, still tracing a pattern.

"Not even at that," Yuu said. "I was born there, but my father wasn't, so I've always been gaijin to them."

"I don't know that word, and I know this language in its entirety."

"It means foreigner." He smiled almost sadly. "But it's not English. I'm half Japanese."

Noh nodded. "Then I should learn that language too," he said and stole a gentle kiss. "When my ship cooperates, of course."

"I would like that," Yuu said.

"If she would let me in, I could download your language directly to my systems," Noh explained. "I could speak it in a day's time."

Yuu smiled a little more crookedly at that. "What do you think is most important to learn first — since I could teach you a little myself?"

"I'm not sure," Noh admitted. "I've always learned all of it at once."

"Would you like another kiss?" Yuu asked, already leaning a little closer.

Noh smirked at that and beat Yuu to the punch with a much longer kiss than before. "That is a universal language," he breathed out when the kiss broke.

"Hai," Yuu replied with a little smile.

Noh was smiling to himself as he rested one hand on the back of Yuu's neck. "When I came here, I did learn a bit of English before my ship was fixed. Little things like 'no' and 'ship' and the names of my rescuers…" He stole another kiss. "Where do you think we should start?"

"I think 'yes' is the best place," Yuu said. "'No' can stop the fun."

"And 'yes' is…"

"Hai."

Noh repeated it to himself, nodded, and then kissed Yuu again. He was ringing with anticipation and not much thought at that point. "You had an apartment?" he asked in Yuu's ear.

Yuu nodded at that and whispered back the address — along with a short version on where they were headed once they got to the building in one of the much nicer areas of New York.

And in the meantime, the others had noticed Noh's absence, but there really wasn't any clue to where he had gone. And unlike the last time he'd disappeared, there wasn't any reason for it.

They spread out to look, but when it was clear he wasn't anywhere in the shopping center, Paige was the one who called back home — because she didn't like how upset Jubilee looked. "Hey, um, we lost an alien?" she said when Kurt was the one to pick up the line.

"I thought that was nearly impossible for you to do when they are kissing so often," Kurt teased.

"You'd think," Paige agreed, smirking toward Jubilee for a second before she shook her head. "Seriously, though. We were all together, and then he just… disappeared. Not a peep! And we were having fun, so it's not like he was running off to avenge something like last time or whatever."

"I'll ask Jean to get on Cerebro, then," Kurt said. "I'm sure she'll be in touch in no time at all. In the meantime, try to get Logan to stop long enough to breathe and perhaps look instead."

"Yeah, well, maybe we could use a good tracker," Paige said, glancing back at Jubilee. "I thought aliens were supposed to be the ones doing the abducting," she said, trying to get her friend to smile, though Jubilee just gave her a dry look for it. "Hey, it was a good joke." She held both hands up. "Okay, so… we're going to keep looking. Thanks, Kurt."

It didn't take Jean long to find Noh on Cerebro. But she hadn't called the others yet, because… well… she didn't want to.

She was sure there was an explanation. Every time Noh was even in sight of Jubilee, everyone could see how he looked at her — and Jean had been in his mind and could hear the happiness and love he was projecting everywhere when they were together.

She knew he was in love, so why…?

She stared at Cerebro for a long time before she finally reached out to Scott. I found him. He's… safe, anyway. Though he won't be when he gets home.

What's that supposed to mean, Jean?

It means he's having a tryst, Jean said, some of her anger bleeding into her mental tone as she narrowed her eyes.

… what?

That's what I said, Jean said heatedly. He went home with some rich guy.

Are you sure?

Scott, do I sound like I'm kidding?

No, I just… that doesn't sound like Noh.

Well, that's what I saw.

Okay. Well… huh. Scott paused for a long time, obviously at a loss as to what to tell the others.

Logan's going to skin him alive, Jean projected.

Yeah, no kidding, Scott replied. But the team is looking for a missing friend right now. We can't keep it from them either.

He's going to kill him and use it as an instructive lesson for anyone who wants to date his girls.

What do you want me to do, Jean? Scott asked.

Stop a murder?

Thanks, Jean. That's really helpful.

We'll just…

Yeah. Scott let out a breath. Everyone's worried. We have to tell them. And then hope we find him before Logan does.

Good luck with that.

Thanks, Jean. Scott shook his head before he let out a breath and made it a point to pull K aside first, taking the gamble that he could at least count on her to help him make sure to focus Logan on Jubilee until the shock wore off for her. "Jean found Noh," he told K low. "But there's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" K asked, frowning at him already.

"Jean found him in someone else's bedroom," Scott said frankly — he couldn't find any way to soften that blow, really.

K straightened up and blinked a few times. "Wait."

"Yeah, that was my reaction too."

"That makes zero sense."

"That was also my reaction," Scott said dryly.

"Are you sure it's … I mean … is she sure that's what's up?"

"She is. And I get the feeling if I pressed her on it, she'd make sure I got the full view she got."

K made a face. "Oh, that's just … she's meaner than you let on, you know that?"

Scott shrugged. "That's not the point right now."

K nodded, obviously starting to focus a little more past the obvious shock. "Alright, well … who is it?"

"Some rich guy," Scott said.

K stared at him for a moment. "If you tell me it's Tony, I'm going to die. Right here."

Scott couldn't help but laugh at that. "It's not. Jean doesn't know who it was."

"Well, damn. That could have been fun."

Scott smirked. "The point is: you know when word gets out—"

"Keep away from Logan, yeah… no kidding."

"When Jubilee finds out, she's going to need him."

"Oh, she'll be upset," K agreed. "But she might just disintegrate the kid on a molecular level, too."

"Yeah, Jean asked me to stop a murder, so that's why I'm telling you first," Scott admitted.

"Alright. Well … if he took off running …" She shook her head.

"Yeah." Scott let out a breath. "Alright. I'll tell the others. Be ready to catch Logan — or at least send him to Jubilee."

"I'll be ready for both." She paused. "But if the kid shows up, I'm going to take him to the groun."

"Just don't kill him," Scott said. Then, after a beat, he added, "I may blast him into New Jersey myself.".

"I'm not sure if Jersey or what I'd do would be worse …" K said, starting to smile crookedly at the thought.

"See?" Scott smirked at her. "We're on the same page."