"Watch your back Cyclops!"
Scott rolled as a block slotted out of the head and nearly knocked him on his back. He grabbed onto the next one and vaulted over it, rolling again. Scott got back up and Warren grinned at him from his position in the air.
Another block came out of the wall toward Warren. Scott turned the dial on his goggles. He blasted it, the force knocking it back into the wall. Warren gave him a thumbs up before moving to the other side of the room.
Scott did a visual sweep. Jubilee was running across the room, Ororo close behind her. They both ducked as a block came out of the wall. When they got back up Jubilee pointed upwards. Ororo gave her a boost so she could get to a higher vantage point.
From the other side of the Danger Room he saw Jean smile at him. He smiled back. He couldn't help himself. Scott hadn't realized just how much he'd missed training as a team, a real team, until then.
A whirring noise filled the air and, suddenly, the lights came back on fully. Scott frowned and looked around, wondering if someone had flipped the switch to go to class or something, but everyone seemed just as confused as he was.
Footsteps filled the hall as Alex walked in, his hands in his pockets.
"Scott, can I borrow ya for a second?" he asked.
Scott swallowed, although he didn't know why. It wasn't like they'd been forbidden from training or anything. He glanced back at the team, who gave him what they probably thought was encouraging looks.
It really looked like they were all about to be sick, but he decided not to tell them that. They were trying to be supportive after all. So he gave them a smile back and jogged up so he was level with his brother.
Alex jerked his head to the next room over and Scott followed him. He closed the door behind him and gave Scott a long look. He didn't like the way his brother was looking at him, like he was trying to figure something out.
It was more than a little intimidating, and Scott felt a slight tremor of fear. Had he done something wrong? Scott brushed it off. Once again, they hadn't been forbidden from training, and they certainly hadn't been forbidden from figuring things out.
"So," he said, "Everything cool now?"
"Yeah," Scott said, "We all kinda...we talked it out and, we're good."
Alex stared at him for a moment longer. Again, that tremor started inside him. What had he done wrong?
"And you didn't do this earlier why?" he said.
Scott gaped. That was all? His brother just wanted to know why he couldn't have done this faster. Scott clenched his fist.
"You know, this might surprise you," he said, "But it's not that easy, okay? We figured it out, even with all that zen stuff you and the Professor were throwing at us. I'm sorry if I didn't do it fast enough."
He expected Alex to get angry or, in the very least, give a derisive snort. Instead he received an amused look and a small chuckle.
"Not sayin ya did it wrong," Alex said, "Just wonderin why the hell ya didn't just tell him what ya were thinking earlier."
Scott clenched his other fist.
"It's not easy," he muttered.
"Apparently," Alex said.
He walked toward Scott and tapped him on the forehead.
"Scott, why do you have such a hard time telling people what's goin on inside your noggin?" he asked, sounding wistful.
Scott looked up at him, wanting to be angry. However, he couldn't. Not when Alex was using the tone he used the first time he'd ever told Scott he was proud of him. It was just too difficult.
"I mean, mom and dad never really encouraged that kinda shit," Alex said, "But...I thought that was just me."
"Looks like it isn't," Scott said, "Why did you think it was just you?"
"Because I was an asshole when I was your age," Alex said, "I mean, I was gettin better an all, but I was still an asshole. You...I just thought it would be different for you."
He put a hand on his shoulder.
"Scott, I know sometimes you probably feel like I ask too much of you," he said, "And...not gonna lie, I probably do. But that's only because I don't think you'd be happy playing second fiddle to anyone. Not when you can be more."
It felt like a slap in the face.
"That's...how did you figure that one out?" Scott asked.
"Well, sometimes you kinda remind me of me when I was your age," said Alex, "The asshole part notwithstanding."
Scott cracked a grin. Alex grinned back at him.
"I don't want ya ta feel like I'm holding ya back," Alex said, "And I'm glad ya sorted things out with Warren. He was a dick about the whole thing, but friends aren't something ya should cast away lightly."
"I know," Scott said.
Alex nodded and gestured toward the door.
"You should probably get out there with them," he said, "You're going to need all the training you can get."
"Why?" asked Scott.
His brother's grin widened.
"I'm gonna go tell the Professor I think he should cut ya suspension short," he said, "I've had a coupla busy nights lately, and I wanna catch up on my beauty sleep."
Joy filled Scott. They were going to be back on the field, they were going to be X-men again. A sarcastic reply came to his tongue, perhaps a remark about how Alex should've slept in that morning, but he decided not to. Instead he walked up and hugged Alex.
"Thank you," Scott said.
His brother's arms wrapped around him, hugging him back.
"Any time little bro," said Alex, "Any time."
Kurt walked down the hall, his workbooks in hand. It had been difficult to make the decision to get out of bed and go to his GED prep classes. It had been difficult to concentrate during the class, and he didn't know how much of the material he'd absorbed.
"Hey, Kurt!"
He turned. Warren was running down the hall behind him, his wings narrowly avoiding the oncoming students. Kurt stopped, uncertain of what his almost-friend was going to say. They hadn't parted on the best terms.
However, Warren was grinning. That must mean something good.
"Hey," Warren said, "Glad I caught you. You're kinda hard to find."
Kurt shrugged, unwilling to tell him how he'd spent the past day.
"A few of us were gonna go down to the town tomorrow," Warren said, "I was wondering if you wanted to come too."
He bit his lip and looked down at his feet. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go out, not feeling the way he was. Warren, seeing his reaction, rushed to speak.
"Hey, it's cool," Warren said, "They're not assholes like most people are when it comes to physical mutations. I mean, I got a few gasps when I went down there the first time, but they're totally cool with me now."
There was a pause. Kurt didn't know what to say. Warren was pretending like nothing had happened, and Kurt didn't know what to make of that. The way he remembered it, Warren had called him an asshole.
Was he remembering it wrong? The day was kind of a blur. As soon as Kurt began talking about not living in the past, a vision of Stefan had swum up to greet him, making him feel sick to his stomach.
He still felt sick to his stomach when he thought of it.
"You know what?"
He blinked, bringing himself back to the present. Warren jerked his thumb to an empty classroom.
"Let's not do this out here, 'kay?" he said.
Kurt nodded and followed Warren into the nearby room. Warren sat down on one of the desks, swinging his legs. He paused briefly.
"A lot of us are having private chats lately," he muttered.
"Vhat?" asked Kurt.
"Nothing," Warren said.
Warren clasped his hands in front of him.
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened earlier," he said, "Jean was a really sensitive subject. I...I liked her, and my best friend did too and..."
A grimace crossed Warren's face. Kurt could figure out the rest.
"I am sorry," he said.
"Not as sorry as I am for not handling it better," Warren said, "And I took all that out on you when you were trying to help. I'm sorry about that Kurt. I shouldn't have. It was a shitty thing to do."
Warren gave him a half-smile.
"Sometimes I don't make the best choices," he said.
Kurt returned the smile. He thought of Stefan's words years ago and, even though there was still pain, there was some joy in the memory too. He supposed that every memory of Stefan would be that way from now on.
"It's alright," he said.
"Seriously?" asked Warren, surprised, "That easy? This is weird."
Kurt wanted to laugh.
"It's forgiveness," Kurt said, "It can be easy or difficult. Und I choose to make it easy."
"You really shouldn't," said Warren, "Someone's gonna take advantage of that some day."
"Probably," Kurt agreed, "But it ist my decision."
He pulled himself onto one of the spare desks.
"Besides," he said, "I know vhat it ist like to not be sure of yourself."
Warren fell silent and looked at his hands. Kurt wondered what trials he'd been through because of his wings, because he was different. Again, Stefan's words whispered into his head. Perhaps it was time to share them.
"I vas raised by a circus family," Kurt said, "Gut people. Not really mein family, but good people. Vhen I vas younger, I used to be very afraid of vhat I looked like, vhat I could do."
He shook his head at the memory.
"But I vas very religious," Kurt said, "I still am. Und, as a child...zis vas not a good vay to look."
"Oh shit," Warren said.
Warren really did swear too much, but Kurt was happy he understood. Having a physical mutation was difficult enough, but theirs came with connotations.
"But, after ve heard about mutants, Stefan, mein friend, told me somezing," Kurt said, "I haf never forgotten it."
He took a deep breath. The memory was painful, but it was also sweet. He wondered if this was how every memory of Stefan would be from now on. Given the events of the past few days, he rather thought it would be.
"He said to me, 'How do you know zat you're ze only one out zere like zis?'" Kurt said, "How do you know zat, right now, at zis very moment, zere isn't a boy vith angel wings vondering vhat is wrong vith him?'"
Warren slumped, his face filled with a cross between awe and sadness. Kurt had seen that same expression looking at him in the mirror far too many times to count.
"And now you've found that boy," he said.
"I haf," Kurt said, "Und I am happy."
"Why?" asked Warren.
A snort escaped Kurt's lips involuntarily. Really, this should be obvious.
"Because you are not as sad as I vas zen," said Kurt, "Und, even if you haf made bad decisions, you are trying to make amends. Even if you vere like ze little boy I once vas, you are not now."
Warren grinned, his eyes shining.
"Quite the pair, aren't we?" he asked.
Kurt nodded.
"Ja," he said, "Ve are."