It was at 3.00 am in the morning when Warren woke up from his sleep after hearing a scream from Scott's room. He got up and rushed to the adjoining door. He opened it, only to find Scott drenched in sweat, whimpering from a nightmare. Warren rushed to Scott's side and woke him up. Scott gasped and sat up. He could hear his heartbeat through his head. Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, Jean, Logan, and Storm had entered the room. He saw Warren sit next to him, his hands rubbing his back in a soothing motion. Professor Charles Xavier rolled in.
He looked at everyone in his room and decided to stay quiet. "Are you okay?" Kitty asked. "What was the nightmare about? Do you remember?" Rogue asked with concern.
Scott breathed deeply and replied, "I..I don't know."
"Can I have a look?" The professor asked. Scott nodded, apprehensive. He placed his fingers on Scott's temple and got inside his mind with great difficulty because of his unusually strong barriers to telepathy. He doubled his concentration and saw bits and pieces of the nightmare. An orphanage. Experiments. Pain. And finally the face of an evil man smiling at him. Suddenly, some things had happened to Scott when he was at the orphanage, barged in. A piercing pain struck the Professor and Scott and had them both clutching their heads. The professor quickly cut the link. Alarmed, the others wanted to know what happened. Warren clutched Scott's arm and held him. "What the fuck" Scott uttered. "What did you see Charles?" Logan asked. With a solemn face and fear in his eyes, he said, "Essex." Both Ororo and Logan's eyes widened. "I don't understand Charles. What does Essex have to do with Scott?" Ororo questioned.
"Who is this Essex?" Warren asked.
Scott took shallow breaths. He tried swallowing the bile that was rising in his throat. Mr. Milburry or 'Nathaniel Essex' had endlessly experimented on him and made him forget by putting mental blocks in his head. He remembered the years of abuse. He was nothing but a project. "Essex is a powerful geneticist with powers who has committed heinous crimes against humanity." The professor stated. "So he's like Magneto?" Kurt asked. Xavier shook his head and spoke, "Magneto still has a conscience. Sinister, like his name, is evil."
"I don't understand. Why is Scott dreaming of him?" Jean asked.
"They've met before. He was the man who ran the boy's home Scott was sent to. The whole place was a set up so he could conduct experiments on Scott." The Professor replied. The students heard a skint. Logan had his claws out and was growling. Everyone was shocked. "What did he do to you Scott?" Warren asked angrily. "Where is that motherfucker. I'll kill him! He growled."
"Get in line." Scott replied. "He experimented on children. And killed those he deemed as failures. After the plane crash..he..I think he put me in a coma and conducted experiments on me. He created the mental blocks. Everything's hazy. And then Jack came along. And..the professor and an FBI agent rescued me from him." Scott revealed to his teammates, who were shocked to hear about all of this.
"Scott.." Rogue tries saying something. But falls short. What would she say to a man who just found out his entire childhood was a nightmare? No one knew what to say. And Scott would rather have that than hear them placate him with banal remarks.
"So what are we going to do about Sinister?" Warren asked.
"For now, I don't know his next move. He's planning something. And I'm sure it involves Scott at the very core. Stay vigilant. Be careful. Logan, Scott, we'll have to increase Training. That means more danger room sessions. We cannot risk losing anyone to Sinister. Storm and Kitty, please check the security protocols." He looked pointedly at the team "And last but not least, we will have strict curfews for everyone living at the mansion. If you are going out, you will need to take someone with you. And that means, no driving alone. Especially you, Scott. He wants you. Jean and I will conduct a daily mental scan of the school. You can all get students to help you with various tasks, but you will have to keep Scott posted on your activities. Scott, you will keep a note of all of this and see to it that everything runs smoothly. We cannot afford a hiccup." Warren narrowed his eyes and glared at the professor. "You can't possibly ask Scott to oversee everything. Not when he can't function. It will only add to the stress you have placed on him."
Rogue agreed. The others were silent. "Scott can handle it. I would rather you don't underestimate your teammate." The professor chided. Rogue's anger flared at that remark. Scott interrupted, "It's okay, Wa..."
"Shut up, Scott" Both Warren and Rogue interjected. "Professor, he has a lot on his plate. Not only does he have to lead the X-Men, prepare the danger room schedules, have extra training, schoolwork, and let's not forget the nightmares and insomnia, he is also now responsible for everything at the mansion? Can't you see the enormous pressure you are placing on him?" Rogue interjected.
The professor sighed. "I wouldn't do that if he wasn't capable."
"With all due respect, Charles, it's not about capability. It's about you placing everything on Scott's shoulders. If you pull this shit with Scott, I will take him out of this institute. And I will make sure he can go whereever the fuck he wants to without your interruption." Warren fumed. It surprised Scott to see Warren's protective, fierce side. It was at that moment, he realized how much he meant to Warren. "Warren, Scott made a choice when he became the leader of the X-Men." The professor spoke.
"He was 15, Charles!" Warren said with distaste. "Warren, Professor is right. This is my responsibility. I have a history with Essex. And if he hurts any of you...I..I don't want that to happen. And if it means losing some sleep, I'll do it." Scott swallowed thickly. "Scott, what about...? What about us? We don't want to lose you." Warren spoke. Scott placed his hand on Warren's. "If he wanted to kill me, I'd be dead already. It looks like he wants me alive. How else is he going to manufacture an army of mutants? What I'm worried about is who he thinks is worth killing. What if it's you, or Rogue, or Jean or any of you? I can't have that on my conscience just because I was not feeling up to it. I'll be safe. But, I can't make any promises. I care about my team." Warren shook his head. "Scott.."
At that point, Scott hugged him. Warren melted into Scott's embrace. Who knew how long they would have. The others left in silence. Rogue stayed behind. "I hate that Charles is making you do this." Rogue said. Warren agreed. Scott groaned. "I owe him a lot. He saved me from Jack and Essex."
"No, you don't, Scott. You've gone on missions for him. You've risked your life multiple times. Saved multiple lives. You don't owe him shit." Warren retorted.
"Enough." Scott raised his voice. "It is my decision. And I know you don't like it. But, I have to do this. I hope you support me."
Warren closed his eyes and didn't reply. He was getting a headache, and the hangover wasn't helping.
Scott got up and took off his sweat-stained t-shirt. He walked up to the balcony and looked at the sky. "We have training in the morning. Go sleep." He commanded.
Warren and Rogue looked at eachother and left without a word.
That night, Scott didn't sleep.
Scott put on his uniform and walked to the danger room. It was 4.00 am, and it was still dark outside. He went to the deck and started developing programs and simulations for his team.
At 5.05 am Logan, Rogue and Warren showed up. "You're late." He stated. "By five minutes." Logan defended. "Late is late. Logan, if you have to train us, you of all people need to be here on time." Rolling his eyes, the Wolverine shoved Scott with his arm and walked towards the viewing deck, mumbling to himself about boy scouts. Rogue and Warren stayed silent, seeing Scott on edge.
"He's going to do something stupid." Warren commented to Rogue. "No doubt about that." Rogue agreed reluctantly.
"Cyclops, you're on the front. Angel, fall back, you'll be our eyes from the sky. Rogue, you're with Cyclops." The simulation started. Giant robots showed up. Scott blasted one of them while Angel circled over the other. Rogue climbed up behind the robot and pulled out the wires. Not before it threw her off. Just in time, Angel caught her. They glanced ahead and saw Scott destroy the other Robots. The scene changed to an orphanage.
"This wasn't a part of the Simulation. Summers, you idiot! You changed it." Wolverine growled. He tried stopping the simulation, but the command was overridden and he was now stuck on the viewing deck. Holograms of Essex and the brotherhood appeared around them. Scott's breath fastened, and he moved ahead. Milburry was taunting him. "Tsk tsk. Scott, I had such high hopes for you. My mutant wonder. You're such a disappointment." Cyclops fired an optic blast at the hologram. Angel was fighting with the toad, while Rogue was fighting with Pietro. Leaving Scott to fight with Avalanche and Blob. Blob ran towards Cyclops. He hit the mutant with his beams and ducked just in time to avoid the blow by Sinister. Avalanche started an earthquake which made Cyclops and Rogue fall down. Angel caught Rogue, but Sinister clutched at Scott's neck. On seeing this, Warren flew behind Sinister and kicked him. Scott fell to the floor. He rubbed his neck and launched a powerful blast at Sinister. He watched the hologram disappear. With only Avalanche left standing, the three went after him. Scott climbed up a wall and jumped at Avalanche, who was standing beneath. They tumbled. The hologram disappeared, and the session ended. Wolverine quickly walked down and looked at the three. He glared at Scott. "You." He pointed his finger at Scott's chest. "Do ya have a death wish? You changed the simulation and locked me up." Scott talked calmly. "Our old training simulations were too easy, Logan. I just changed it up a bit."
"A bit? You were almost choked to death!" Logan exclaimed.
"But I didn't," Scott stated.
Logan shook his head in disappointment. "Ya know what Cyke, you're an asshole. You had no right to change it without consulting me or Ororo. Next time you do this, you're off the team. You may be a leader, but don't forget you're still a student."
"I am the leader. I have the authority to override protocols. Don't give me that shit about me having no right. I'm just doing what's best for the team." Scott muttered and shoved past Logan.
"He's going through a lot, Logan" Rogue said.
"Why do ya think I haven't gutted him yet?" He replied and left the room.
Rogue and Warren looked at eachother. "I am worried," Warren spoke. "Same. But, what can we do?" Rogue asked. "Be there for him, I guess." Warren mused. Rogue simply nodded.
Scott took a shower to remove the grime and sweat. He closed his eyes and let the warm water pour over his muscles.
He heard the door open. "Not again" he moaned.
"Not again what?" A familiar voice asked him. Warren.
"I'm showering, War."
"I know," Warren stated, unbothered by Scott's nudity. He unzipped his fly and relieved himself. Scott was used to Warren and him sharing a bathroom when he had visited the blonde man in February. Neither of them was ashamed. Scott continued to shower. Warren sneaked a glance at him. He zipped up his pants, flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and left the bathroom.
Scott entered his room and noticed Warren perched on the bed. He took off his robe and walked to the closet. "Is everything okay?" Scott asked. "No. I don't know. How are you?" Warren asked. "I'm fine," Scott stated. Warren looked at Scott and called his bullshit. "How are you, really?" he asked again. "I'm scared," Scott admitted. "I don't know what I'm doing. I'm confused." Warren nodded. "It's okay to feel those things."
"I know," Scott stated. He put on his pants and sat on the bed next to Warren. They looked at each other, unmoving.
Being attracted to Warren was new. He knew he was bisexual because now and then he found men attractive, but he never acted on it. Except for the one time, he kissed a guy. His name was Matt. He was a little older. Nothing came of it since they were kids. And Matt was honestly a nice guy who taught him Braille and how to fight blind.
"Scott. I like you. And I don't mean platonically. And I don't think you should sacrifice what we have for the greater good. I know, I'm probably jeopardizing our friendship, but I really like you. A lot. Romantically." "What?" Scott stated in shock, but Warren continued. "And I hope you like me too. And we have been through a lot together." "What" Scott said again and Warren babbled on. "We like each other. We understand. We ...Oh god. Fuck. I'm rambling." Warren panicked while he confessed.
"Calm down, War. I like you too. A lot." Scott smiled at him after getting over the shock. "But wow. Holy shit?"
"Really?" Warren asked. Scott nodded. Warren smiled and pecked him on his lips. Scott deepened the kiss. "Hah. Yeah. Holy shit." Warren grinned.
In a sweeping motion, Warren placed his hands on Scott's hips and kissed him. Scott groaned into the kiss. He pushed Warren towards the wall and pressed him with his body, trailing kisses down his neck. "Angel." Scott murmured, leaving a mark on his neck. They walked backward and landed with a thud on the bed with Warren on top of Scott. "I can't believe this is happening. You have no idea how many times I've dreamt of you like this." Warren spoke in between passionate kisses as Scott moaned with pleasure. A knock on their door brought them back to the real world. "Scott, is everything okay? Are you hurt? I heard you moan!" Kurt asked. "Uh. I just stubbed my toe. No biggie. I'm fine, Kurt, see you later." Scott said hurriedly, while Warren gave him an amused look. "What?" Scott asked defensively. Warren lifted his hands and laughed, "Nothing. You're cute when you're flustered."
"Shut up and kiss me, Angel." Scott asserted and grabbed him by the back of his neck. Warren happily complied as his hands grazed on Scott's chest. His uniform was getting uncomfortably tight with sweat and arousal.
Reaching up for air, Scott and Warren slowed down and placed chaste kisses on each other.