Matthew hobbled down the hallway. Upon entering his study he sat down heavily and heaved a sigh. He had just crested his sixtieth year and with it had come a whole host of problems. For one the cold and damp of the monastery was not helping his rheumatism. He'd never been particularly healthy, and now it was starting to show.
He closed his eyes and sighed again, straightening against the pain in his back. He wasn't going to give up the monastery just because of a few aches and pains though. Everyone had them once in a while, and he wasn't about to leave the monastery that he'd spent forty years in. It was more his home than any other place that he could think of.
A soft noise and the smell of sulphur filled the room. Matthew made a gesture with his hand but didn't open his eyes.
"Would you lock the door Azazel?" he asked.
There was a slight shuffling and the bars on the doors slotted into place. Matthew opened his eyes and saw Azazel leaning against the wall, his tail swishing behind him.
"How you can always tell it is me and not syn," Azazel said, "is mystery."
"He teleports much more loudly," said Matthew, "And afterwards he generally says something like 'Good morning'."
"He does like to talk," Azazel said, sitting down in a chair opposite Matthew.
"Where is he by the way?" yawned Matthew, sitting up straighter, "I thought he would be here with you. You must need quite a bit after that last storm. There hasn't been one that's lasted that long for years."
Azazel stiffened and Matthew wondered if he'd said something wrong.
"He is…we had guest during storm," said Azazel, "Young devochka named Amanda."
"Oh?" asked Matthew, surprised, "And you're not bringing her to the monastery?"
"She was on way to observatory," Azazel said dismissively, "Kurt is bringing her there now. I come here."
"Well, a good trip to them both then," Matthew said.
He forced himself up and picked up a bottle from his shelves.
"I have some wine here," he said, "Good year, choice grapes. It was a Christmas shipment from the monastery in Rheingau, they send a few every now and then. This is a dessert wine, but one cannot be too picky about their gifts."
Azazel leaned forward. He knew about the monastery that they were friends with. Many was the time when the two of them had drunk the gifts of the monastery in the German wine country together, not too much since Matthew was still a monk. They would talk about books, Kurt's schoolwork, and some practical matters. A new bottle was a special occasion.
"Care for a glass?" he asked.
Azazel nodded his head.
"But vodka is still better than your German wines."
"I had some vodka once," Matthew said, taking down two glasses, "It made me feel like my throat had been invaded by fire ants and I needed to cough out dust balls."
"Da, how I miss it."
Matthew shook his head and poured some of the wine into two glasses. He passed one to Azazel who gulped down half of it almost immediately.
"You never did take time to savor any," he sighed, sitting back down.
"Sometimes you have to be quick," shrugged Azazel, "Not bad, this wine."
"Mmmhm," Matthew said.
He sniffed his for a minute before taking a small sip. When he was done he caught a slightly far away expression on Azazel's face. Frowning he put down his wine glass.
"Is something troubling you?" he asked.
"Nyet," Azazel said, "Nothing…"
From the way he trailed off Matthew could tell that something was definitely wrong.
"You know that I don't like to get into your business," Matthew said, "you always struck me as the kind of man who would resent any interference at all."
"You are good judge of character," Azazel said.
Matthew hesitated but decided to finish what he'd started.
"But you know you can talk about anything," he said, "I consider you a friend Azazel and I hope you consider me one as well."
Now it was Azazel's turn to hesitate.
"You have been good to my family," Azazel said, "Good…good friend."
Azazel sighed and leaned back.
"You know devochka I mention?" he asked, "Amanda?"
"Yes?"
"Kurt is in love with her."
His words were so blunt that Matthew felt taken aback.
"He's…told you this?" he asked.
"Nyet, but I know the signs," Azazel said, "Now she is leaving. I have tried to let him know what is out of bounds for him, what would only hurt him. But this lesson…this is one he decided to learn for self."
Matthew gave him a sad smile.
"I believe that that is something all parents want for their children; for them to learn the lesson without the pain," he said.
"But this is...very bad," Azazel said, "God forbid he decides to say something before she goes. It will make it worse."
"Are you so sure?" asked Matthew.
"Da. If he says nothing she can be one who got away," said Azazel, "Complete rejection will break heart."
"I mean, are you so sure that she'd reject him?" Matthew asked.
"Are you not?" snorted Azazel.
He paused, knowing that he would have to speak carefully.
"I know nothing of the persecution you've faced," he said softly, "Nothing of what it would be like if Kurt were actually found by people who were not…enlightened. But it strikes me that if this were a woman Kurt could fall in love with, well, he's not stupid. He wouldn't fall in love with someone who would reject him simply because he's a mutant."
Azazel remained silent and Matthew continued.
"I've never met Amanda," he said, "But it's likely that if he cares that much for her then it's likely she may feel some strong attachment to him, even if it's not love. I doubt she'd be disgusted; at worst she may let him down gently."
"It will still hurt him," Azazel said, "And then syn will...it will be over."
"What will?" asked Matthew, his brow furrowing.
Azazel snorted.
"He will lose much no matter what devochka says," Azazel said, "When he is hurt he will know what world is like. I have tried to protect him, but this will be end of that!"
Again Matthew paused, knowing that his next words were going to make an impact.
"Yes, it will," agreed Matthew, "And I'm sorry for that. But some things are unavoidable."
"Does not have to be. Or does not have to be now."
"Azazel, he's nineteen."
"I know syn's age, thank you!"
Wincing Matthew, took another sip of his wine. Shaking his head Azazel polished off the rest of his wine in one gulp. He shook his glass and Matthew refilled it. He knew that the two of them were in for a long day.
"Alright," Kurt said, "You trust me, ja?"
"Kurt…" said Amanda, looking down the mountain edge.
She couldn't see the bottom of the crevice. That might be a good thing, but Amanda didn't think so. The air was cold and the sky gray, making her wonder about all the snow at the bottom. It was a silly thought; no matter how much snow there was there wouldn't be enough to ensure a soft landing.
"You said you vanted to know vhat it vould be like to fly," he said reproachfully.
Amanda began to curse herself for expressing that. Although Kurt could teleport he had to take breaks so Amanda didn't choke from the sulphur. They had taken a ten minute break and she'd mentioned her wish as a flock of birds had flown overhead.
She'd just been talking to him to make conversation, to take her mind off the fact that she was in her final hour with him. Apparently he'd taken it seriously. As soon as she'd finished he'd brightly taken her to the edge of the mountain and explained what sounded like the scariest trust exercise she'd ever heard.
"I did," she said, "but um…falling is a little different."
"So you do not trust me?" asked Kurt, looking a little hurt.
She took a deep breath. This wasn't going the way she wanted to. And what could be the harm in it? It was scary, but it was delaying her destination.
"I trust you," she said, "More than anything."
His face lit up and Amanda smiled at him.
"So, you jump vhen I say," he said, "On drei."
Amanda took another deep breath and nodded. Slowly she began to tiptoe to the edge of the cliff, swallowing her fear.
"Eins…" he said.
Was this healthy? It couldn't be.
"…zvei…"
Oh God, the drop was a really big one. It wasn't too late to change her mind, was it?
"…drei!"
Starting forward she jumped off the edge. For a minute it felt like she was floating. Then she started plummeting down the cliff side and her stomach jumped into her mouth. Everything was being rearranged, from her toes to the way her blood flowed. Her hair twisted in the wind, the cold air combing it back. It was terrifying and thrilling all at once.
Suddenly there was a 'bamf' noise next to her. Kurt's arms wrapped around her waist and she felt him encircled around her. For a moment Amanda closed her eyes in tune with the feel of him against her. Then she found herself back at the top of the cliff, coughing against the sulphur.
"Vas zat not fun?" asked Kurt.
She smiled weakly and flopped back so that she was lying in the snow. Somehow being able to see the sky and feel the ground was very reassuring.
"It was great," she said, "Just do me a tiny favor?"
"Vhat ist zat?"
"Don't make me do it again."
He smiled at her and looked at the cliff edge fondly.
"Miene vatti used to play game vith me vonce I started teleporting vhere I vould jump off," he said, "und zen I vould teleport back up to top of cliff."
"How old were you when you started teleporting?" she asked.
"I vas zehn," explained Kurt.
"Ten?" Amanda exclaimed, "You were only ten?"
"Ja," he frowned, "I vas upset zat I could not do it vhen I vas younger, but miene vatti says zat it manifests later-"
"You were ten and jumping off cliffs?" she exclaimed, "How are you not scarred for life? It makes no sense!"
Kurt grinned at her and her stomach turned.
"It is good to do things zat scare you zometimes," he said, "Or ozzervise I vould be afraid of heights und afraid of vhat miene powers could do."
He flopped down next to her and grinned again.
"I guess that makes sense," she said, "You can't afford to be too afraid of trying things, even if they seem scary."
His gold eyes regarded her in a way that made her feel strange. One of his hands raised towards and then hesitated. Her breath caught in her throat and she watched, transfixed as his hand hovered near her cheek. She wanted to tilt her head towards him, feel his fingers on her skin.
Then he pulled away. Amanda watched him in disapointment before she felt something cold land on her face.
"Kurt?" she asked, "Is it just me or…is it snowing?"
Kurt blinked and looked up at the sky. As he did fat flakes began to fall down. Amanda sat up and looked with him.
"Verdammit," he said, getting to his feet, "Ze storm is starting again."
"What?" asked Amanda, doing the same.
"Normally ve haf more time betveen zem," he said, "Not zis time, for vhatever reason. Ve must go Amanda. Ve haf to try und make it to ze observatory."
He held out his hand and she grasped it tightly. In a second they were several yards away, smoke curling around them. She barely had time to blink before they teleported again. Amanda began coughing, inhaling the sulphur too rapidly when they touched down. Feeling like she was suffocating after five minutes of continous teleportation she pulled on his sleeve.
"Kurt," she managed, "we need to stop for a minute…"
The rapid teleportation stopped. Amanda sank down into the snow, coughing and gasping. Kurt sank down with her, one hand on her back.
"Amanda…are you alright?" he asked, worried,
"I'm fine," she said, feeling the snow gather rapidly in her hair, "I just…I just need a moment to…to…"
She trailed off into another coughing fit.
"Entschuldigung," he said, "I did not zink…ze storm…I vill not do it again."
"It's okay Kurt," said Amanda, "It really is."
Amanda reached out and gripped his hand just to show that she really meant it. He had only been trying to get her to where she'd wanted to go. There was nothing in it for him, and he was only trying to look out for her. Struggling to get more air into her lungs she forced a smile at him to prove that everything was okay. He smiled weakly back just as the air was filled with an earsplitting crack.
Together they looked up as a shadow fell over them. Amanda didn't know much about mountains or the dangers that they posed in bad weather. The only thing that she really knew was the danger of snow build-up and how, with certain disturbances, it could cause the snow to spill down the side in what was known as an avalanche. It was the only reason she knew what was happening.
Kurt's arms wrapped tightly around her. She clung to him and more sulphur filled the air. Halfway through the familiar sequence though she felt a shower of cold overtake them. Kurt let out a gasp and gripped her more tightly. Amanda's own grip was slipping and she struggled to maintain it. Against the overwhelming force of the snow it was hard to hold on though, and soon she felt herself pushed away in the tide.
