"What was it like?"
"What was what like?" Naomi asked, most of her body obscured by the fridge she was digging in.
"Growing up with Wade," Jubilee expanded, leaning a little bit to get a peek over the door to see the older woman. Ever since Naomi's father had come to visit, the students had been bombarding her with questions about him and his occupation.
"I didn't grow up with Wade," Naomi said, straightening up and shutting the fridge.
"Who'd you grow up with?" Jubilee asked as Naomi opened the freezer.
"My mom and my stepdad," she replied, reaching in and pulling out a container of cookie dough ice cream.
"You never mention them," the teenager said, Naomi shrugging as she crossed the kitchen to the drawers.
"Dad cheated on my Mom with his secretary, Mom cheated on my Dad with Wade and got pregnant, neither of them told anyone, and I find out that the man who I thought was my father for sixteen years wasn't actually."
"That sucks," Jubilee said sympathetically.
"It's okay; I was glad to get a different Dad," Naomi said, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a spoon. But, before she could dig into her treat, the pint disappeared from her hands and instead she held an apple.
Naomi annoyance was clear in the sigh and the name she called out.
"Peter!"
The man in question moseyed around the corner and he gave his wife a suspiciously innocent expression.
"Yes, Dear?"
Naomi held up the fruit and gave Peter a look; her husband once again giving her an innocent look.
"What a healthy choice, Baby," he said, Naomi leveling him with a withering glare.
"Pietro Django Maximoff." Peter swallowed hard; she only used his full name when she was pissed "If you don't give me back the ice cream, I swear to god I will not have sex with you for the rest of this pregnancy."
"Ew."
The Maximoffs looked over at the high school student in their presence, Jubilee's nose scrunched up at the two of them.
"Don't be a prude," Naomi said as she sent Jubilee a sarcastically amused look.
"This is worse than Lorna."
The couple exchanged a look before returning to looking at Jubilee; the teenager seemingly realizing her mistake and making towards the door. Before she could escape, though, Peter had his hands wrapped around her upper arms and was escorting her back to where Naomi was standing.
"What did you mean by that?" Naomi asked, crossing her arms at the guilty looking Jubilee.
"Nothing. Just, you know, she's gross," Jubilee said, shrugging her shoulders and grinning uncomfortably.
"Jubilation."
Jubilee deflated slightly and looked between the two adults.
"If I tell you, do you promise not tell Lorna I told?" She asked, the pair nodding "Alright, so, we realized Lorna has a crush on somebody and I'm, like, 99.9% sure I know who it is."
"Well?" Peter asked, Jubilee shuffling.
"You'll get mad."
"Oh, god, it's not Scott, is it?" Naomi said, her eyes wide as Jubilee huffed.
"I said mad, not disgusted," she countered before sighing "She keeps saying she doesn't, but she definitely has a crush on him."
.
"Lorna Sally Maximoff!"
The emerald haired young woman jumped slightly; exchanging a look with the white haired woman who sat beside her. Before either of them could utter a word, Naomi burst into the room with fire in her eyes.
"What'd I do?" Lorna asked, harkening back to a question her brother had asked many a time before.
"Can I speak with you?" Naomi asked, her voice not leaving any room for saying no "Privately?"
Lorna followed after her while sending Ororo a worried look. The pair exited the library and headed upstairs to Naomi and Peter's room. Naomi shut the door behind them and Lorna sighed as she tried to figure out exactly what she was in trouble for.
"So, I heard something interesting about you today," Naomi said, her voice taut.
"Yeah?" Lorna's reply guarded.
"Yeah, I heard that you have a crush on a certain Summers brother."
Lorna sighed and rolled her eyes at Naomi; the latter crossing her arms and returning the glare.
"Do you really believe that horseshit that Jubilee has been saying?"
"Should I?" Naomi countered, Lorna putting her hands on her hips.
"No."
"Mhm."
Lorna looked to the ceiling and threw her hands up as she groaned in annoyance.
"Why doesn't anybody listen to me when I say I don't have a crush on Alex Summers?!"
"How did you know I meant Alex? I could've been talking about Scott," Naomi said, Lorna rolling her eyes so hard that it seemed like they were going to roll right out of her head.
"Obviously. In what universe would it be Scott?"
"The universe where you're into guys your age," Naomi offered, Lorna huffing.
"Is that why you're so fucking pissed? Because you think I'm into a guy who's, like, twenty years older than me?" She asked, her voice tight "My upbringing doesn't automatically make me a damaged girl."
"That's not what I'm saying," Naomi replied, her voice also getting higher.
"It certainly seems like it is," Lorna said, gaining steam "Just because Peter and you have daddy issues doesn't mean I do!"
Lorna turned on her heel and stomped out of the room while Naomi stood frozen in shock.
.
Stupid Naomi.
Stupid Jubilee.
Stupid everybody.
With each iteration Lorna's bedframe received another kick from its owner. The young woman in question gritting her teeth as her toes began to hurt from the constant beating of the bed, but she kept on in her rage.
"Lorna, if you would stop abusing my furniture, I would greatly appreciate it."
The nineteen year old whipped around to face the Professor, who smiled wanly despite her clenched fists and furious expression.
"What?" She demanded.
"When I sense one of my students is deeply upset, I will always check on them," Charles replied, his calm tone doing nothing in the face of the storm.
"You better not be looking in my head," Lorna snapped back, Charles putting his hands up.
"Of course not, My Dear," he said "But, is it too much to ask for you to tell me what has troubled you?"
"Everyone here is conspiring to drive me insane," Lorna said, stalking back and forth across the small room; unaware of how heavy the air was becoming with electromagnetic energy "They all keep insisting I have a crush on Alex Summers. And it's all because they think I'm some fucked up girl with daddy issues, but I'm not. I'm not!"
"Nobody thinks that," Charles said gently.
"Yes, they do!" Lorna yelled "Why else would Naomi flip her shit? Or Jubilee keep going on and on about me having a crush on a guy twenty years older than me? They all think I'm broken!"
"The only person who thinks you're broken is you, Lorna."
Silence filled the room and for the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Lorna was still.
Charles sighed; he hadn't wanted to say that, but it seemed that it was the only way to get Lorna to listen.
"Lorna…"
"You said you weren't looking in my head," Lorna said, her voice small now, like she'd just been betrayed.
"I wasn't… not then, at least," Charles said "But I overhear things."
"Then you know everything, don't you." she sounded scared now and Charles's heart ached for her.
"Yes, I do… I don't… I don't understand why you seem to think I'll throw you out."
"I'm not normal," Lorna replied softly, plopping down onto her bed "I'm not right."
"You're not normal, yes," Charles agreed, moving his chair so he was directly in front of her "But that doesn't mean you're wrong or broken. Being different is nothing to be ashamed of, you should know that. Your feelings, no matter who they are for, are yours and they are just as legitimate as anyone else's."
Lorna looked down at where her hands were resting in her lap as quiet fell between the pair. Finally, after a moment, Charles reached forward and took her hands in his; Lorna looking up at him through her lashes in an attempt to hide the tear that was currently working its way down her cheek.
"Your feelings are not the product of not having a father."
Lorna's lower lip trembled before she suddenly moved forward and buried her face in Charles's shoulder. He pulled her into a tight embrace and let her shake while tears began to quickly fall.
"You are not broken."
.
"They are the size of a kidney bean."
When only silence followed that statement, Peter looked over at the woman he shared his bed with. Naomi was holding a book, Pet Sematary, but she was looking over it and into the distance. Peter laid his book, a parenting one, down on his chest and studied his wife's profile. After a moment of appreciation, Peter reached out and gently touched the back of his fingers to her cheek, which he pulled away slightly when Naomi jumped and looked over at him. He moved again and ran his thumb across her jawline. Naomi leaned into his touch and gave him a small smile. Peter reached down and took her hand in his; rubbing his thumb over the back of it.
"What's up?" He asked gently.
"Just thinking," Naomi murmured, looking down at where her hand was grasped in Peter's.
"Lorna?" Peter guessed, Naomi shrugging but still not looking up from their hands.
"Some of it."
Peter let go of Naomi's hand and sat up a bit more so he was even with her. He reached up and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear; letting his fingers linger on her cheek.
"And the rest of it?"
Naomi sighed and readjusted her position on the bed as she considered how to say this.
"Talking to Jubilee reminded me…" She said after a minute "I have to… I have to tell the rest of my family."
Peter took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair as he absorbed her words. In the back of his mind, he must've known this, but he hadn't truly thought about anyone other than Isaac and Wade.
"You don't have to tell anyone," he said, Naomi looking away from him as she thought.
"Yeah… but I should," she said, returning her eyes to him.
Peter sighed and grabbed both of the books that were resting on the covers and dropped them on the bedside table. He leaned against the headboard sideways so he could look at Naomi straight on.
"You have to stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"You're one to talk," Naomi muttered, looking away from him.
"Hey," Peter said, gently grabbing her chin with his right hand and turning her so she was looking at him again "I'm being serious. I know that… I know that there are some things that you have to worry about. Things that I can't make okay."
Naomi reached up to remove Peter's hand from her face and grasp it comfortingly.
"But," Peter continued "Your family… Tell them. Or don't tell them. Who cares? Just, no matter what you do, don't stress yourself."
Naomi gave Peter a soft smile, which he returned with one of his own.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"That's what I'm here for," Peter said casually, throwing his left arm over her shoulders while using the hand still in her hold to bring her closer.
"What're you doing?" Naomi asked, her smile implying she knew exactly what he was doing.
"Oh, I figured you needed a reminder of how amazing you are and that you deserve every good thing in the universe," Peter said, Naomi's smile growing wider.
"And how were you planning on doing that?"
"By fucking you into oblivion… obviously."
.
"Lorna!"
Ororo sent her closest friend a questioning look. She'd been able to tell that Lorna was tender about something, what with the way she had rarely spoke today and how her only smiles had been her small ones. Now that Lorna had winced, Ororo realized that maybe her sister-in-law had something to do with all this.
"What?" Lorna asked once Naomi had stopped in front of the pair, but her tone lacked the usual level of cynicism she wore so well.
"I'm sorry."
Both of the teenagers felt their eyebrows nearly hit their hairlines; it was not in character for Naomi to go and offer up apologies unless she had been proven wrong. She even looked uncomfortable doing it as she shuffled under their scrutiny.
"What?" Lorna asked again, this time out of surprise.
"I'm sorry," Naomi repeated "I was a real bitch yesterday. I was just worried about the concept of you having a thing for a guy I had made out with, is all. But, it wasn't fair to you and I shouldn't've acted like that."
Lorna and Ororo exchanged a sideways look before they both focused back in on the older woman. Finally, Lorna reached out and gently pushed Naomi, which made her roll her eyes.
"I'm allowed to admit that I'm wrong," she said.
"Yeah, but you do it so rarely," Lorna replied, Naomi shrugging in allowance.
"Well, I figured I should get right with everything before I walk straight into the lions' den," she said, starting to walk away from the pair.
"Are you training in the Danger Room?" Ororo called after, thinking of how glitchy the training room had been lately.
"Nope," Naomi replied, turning around to face them but continuing to walk backwards "I'm gonna call my parents."
.
Naomi had been first: her youngest had ducked into that boy's car with a backpack over her shoulder and she never came back.
Michael had been next: he'd driven off in his own car and headed to the apartment they'd helped him pick out.
Then Isaac: he got a ride with Naomi and Peter, who took him to the airport for his flight to New York.
A few months later had been Joseph: they'd dropped him off at his dorm room.
Anna had been last: cans dragging behind the car that had just married written on the rear windshield.
And now it was just them.
The house was too big; five whole bedrooms were now empty and no amount of office supplies and sewing machines could fill them up. Mrs. Parker had tried to turn Naomi's room into a sewing room when she first moved out, but it had felt wrong. Maybe part of her suspected, or at least hoped, that Naomi would come back. But, she never did and her room was still filled by the long unused furniture.
Michael's room became a study for Anthony and Isaac's a sewing room for her. Anna's and Joseph's became guest rooms, which was useful as Anna had a tendency to visit quite often with her kids.
But, 90% of the time, those rooms were empty. It was often just her in the house and even when Anthony was there, she still felt very much alone.
One of her friends had told her it was empty nest syndrome, but it had been seven years since the last one left and she still felt as vacant as her home.
She was cleaning up after dinner when the phone rang. She quickly switched off the water and hurried over, as she knew that Anthony wouldn't get it.
"Hello, Parkers' Residence," she said, her voice forced into lightness.
"Hey, Mom."
Deborah froze. She had two daughters and only one of them would greet her like that.
"Naomi?"
"Yep," her daughter replied awkwardly.
A billion thoughts ran through her mind before the one that mattered came up: cancer. Naomi has cancer. And why else would she be calling them unless… Unless this was goodbye.
"Wh-H-How're you feeling?" Deborah asked, praying that Naomi wasn't about to tell her that she was on her last leg.
"Oh, yeah, that. Long story, I'm fine. Not dying," Naomi said, her voice slightly back to normal.
"O-Oh," Deborah said, feeling pretty awkward and very confused.
"Anyway, I called because, um," Naomi puffed slightly as she seemed to build up courage "I'm pregnant. Yay."
Deborah could feel the phone start to slip out of her hand, but she couldn't make her fingers grip any tighter. Instead, the phone fell and dangled by the cord for a moment as the information sank in.
"Mom?"
The sound of Naomi's voice woke Deborah out of her stupor and she quickly grabbed the phone. Feeling pretty embarrassed, Deborah held it to her ear again.
"I'm sorry," she said "You surprised me."
"Yeah," Naomi said, not sounding very surprised.
"How-How far along are you?" Deborah asked, running her fingers through her more gray than blonde hair.
"About eight weeks," Naomi replied, Deborah's mouth falling open for a second before she shut it.
"Uh, did-did… Did you mean for this to happen?"
"… Yeah." Naomi's voice was softer now, with a sweet tinge to it that let Deborah know that this wasn't an accident.
"Well, congratulations," Deborah managed.
"Thanks, um…" Naomi sighed "Next time you talk to Michael, Anna, or Joseph, do you mind telling them?"
"You don't want to tell them?" Deborah asked.
"Nah, I mean, I don't even have their numbers," Naomi said, her mother swallowing a little bit harder at that.
"Are you planning on having a baby shower?"
"I'm not sure yet, but… I'll invite you if I do," Naomi promised.
"Well, you know our address," Deborah replied, the rest going unsaid:
It used to be yours.