Warren was the first one to wake up in the morning. He wrapped his arm around Scott's warm body, which pressed against him. He stroked his strewn-about hair and kissed his brow. It had a soothing effect. Warren could feel Scott's bare chest pressing against his own as he snuggled up next to him. He gently covered his partner's form with a wing, who slept soundly until late in the morning.
Scott finally woke up with a start an hour before noon. He removed the eye mask and replaced it with his glasses after feeling his eyes.
"Good morning." Warren kissed Scott on the cheek and looked at him, searching for the eyes concealed behind his glasses.
"What time is it?" Scott inquired, his face flushed from the rays of sunlight that threatened to break through the drawn curtains. Specks of sunlight filtered through Warren's wings, giving him an even more angelic appearance.
"A little before noon." Warren answered. "Last night, you were completely out of it. You gave me a scare. I let you sleep in." He chose to talk.
"Shit. I'm running late." Scott replied. He fumbled with the covers, trying to get away.
"For what?" Warren questioned, splayed out on his stomach, half on top of Scott, one wing dropped below the bed, the other covered his companion.
"I have a lot of work to do" Scott replied, his fingers tangled in Warren's blonde hair.
"You were up all night working. Scotty, you literally collapsed in front of me." Warren appeared to be upset.
Scott gave him a glance, then looked away. "But..." he began to say before being cut off by Warren's pained sigh. He noticed his eyes glistening with tears.
"Warren," he said, his heart, breaking.
"Scott, I love you. But I can't stand by and watch you kill yourself." Warren added.
Scott's eyes widened as he heard Warren's confession. He couldn't understand why Warren might fall in love with him.
"I'm not killing myself, War." Scott clarified. He was flummoxed as to why this brief statement felt like a lie in his gut. "I didn't intend to." He added, now that he was unsure.
"Let me look after you." Warren requested, hopeful.
"I'm fine." Scott reacted. Warren was wary. Over the course of a few weeks, he'd learnt that whenever Scott Summers said he was fine, he wasn't. He was probably repressing his pain. He decided to call him out. "You really aren't, Scotty."
"I'm fine," Scott repeated himself, uncertain. His voice rattled. "I have to be."
"It's okay to not be okay." Warren comforted Scott and hugged him. Scott choked back a sob as he wrapped his arms around the blonde man.
"Let me look after you." Warren repeated in a low enough voice for Scott to hear. Scott sighed and nodded.
He took a sharp look at Warren, remembering that he had just confessed his feelings for him. "You love me? How come?"
"Because you're you. You're Scott. And I'm Warren. And I love you. I know you don't understand because you haven't experienced it with anyone since your parents died, and you don't process human emotions the way normal people do through no fault of your own, because, let's face it, you grew up in a lab and had abusive foster parents or guardians, and they'd have you believe that love is either a weakness or something conditional, but, Scotty, you deserve it. You have earned the right to be happy. And I will gladly keep reminding you for as long as it takes for you to believe that you can be loved without anyone expecting anything in return." Warren continued, attempting to persuade Scott.
Scott didn't know what to say in response. He was moved by Warren's candor and the love he received, even though he felt he didn't deserve it. He just nodded and snuggled up to Warren. "I can't. I can't stop now. I need to work because if I don't, I don't know who will. " He stated.
Warren gripped him even more tightly. "I'm not stopping you from working, Scott. However, you should dial it back. Regardless of what Xavier says. Trust me, okay? I've known enough workaholics in my time. "I recognize the symptoms of burnout." Warren protested.
Scott gave a nod. "I have no idea how to be in a relationship. I've never had anything like what we have." He confessed.
Warren kissed Scott as he threw his arms around him. "I'm not very good at relationships either. But if you want to be in one with me, I'd like to be in one with you." Warren wondered aloud, hoping for the best.
Scott smiled and nodded. Warren smiled and kissed Scott with all the passion he could muster upon Scott's confirmation. Scott reacted by climbing on top of Warren as they made out. They parted ways and took shallow breaths. He didn't want Scott to get hurt, and he knew if he didn't stop, things would escalate.
"So, Kurt?" Warren wanted to know why the blue-furred mutant had been on Scott's bed the night before.
"What about him?" Scott mused, bemused why Warren would bring him up.
"Last night, he was on your bed." Warren spoke, his voice trembling with insecurity.
"We were just goofing around. And he knows about us. I hope that's all right?" Scott asked, his gaze fixed on his lap and his fingers fumbling with the covers.
"It's all right. To be honest, I don't care who knows. But how did he find out? "Did you tell him?" Warren grabbed Scott's hands.
"That's good to know. When we held hands under the table, he became suspicious. He then confronted me. But he's okay with it. Thinks you're good for me." Scott mumbled, unable to hide the blush that had spread across his cheeks. "Are you jealous?" He pinched Warren's sides and teased him.
"No!" Warren scowled and lied.
"Liar. I'm flattered." Scott spoke out.
Warren gave a nod. "Sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean for the fight to happen. I just... I think the professor is being unfair to you. You're only human, after all. Well, a mutant, but still human." Warren took flight and perched on a chair, putting some distance between himself and Scott.
Scott untangled himself from the sheets and sat on the floor beneath Warren, leaning against the other man's knees.
"You were correct, Warren. I realised the professor is only concerned with his dream." He averted his gaze, allowing it to fall to the floor. "Thanks for opening my eyes."
Warren's stomach dropped as he heard Scott's admission. "What happened?" He questioned, dreading the response. Scott recounted his argument with Xavier. About how Xavier viewed Warren to be a negative influence, about his work ethic, about keeping secrets, and about how the telepath threatened to enter his mind. Scott untangled himself from the sheets and sat on the floor beneath Warren, leaning against the other man's knees.
"You were correct, Warren. I realised the professor is only concerned with his dream." He averted his gaze, allowing it to fall to the floor. "Thanks for opening my eyes."
Warren's stomach dropped as he heard Scott's admission. "What happened?" He questioned, dreading the response. Scott recounted his argument with Xavier. About how Xavier viewed Warren to be a negative influence, about his work ethic, about keeping secrets, and about how the telepath threatened to enter his mind.
Warren became more enraged by the second. "What a jerk! How could he! So he just rearranges the furniture in your head whenever he wants?" He was infuriated. "Do you think I'm a bad influence?" his voice changed for a fraction of a second.
"Absolutely not, War. But maybe he is." Scott reassured the blonde.
"I don't understand why he is so hard on you." Warren was disturbed.
"I suppose because he regards me as his son." Scott suggested.
Warren let out a snort. "He sure as hell won't be receiving any father of the year awards."
"I know. I believe he said that to appease me. He still sees me as the scared child whom he believes he rescued and to whom I owe my life." Scott reacted. He was confused as to why the other students were not given the same level of responsibility as he was. Had he made a mistake by accepting the position of leadership? By believing Charles was concerned?
"You owe him nothing. Do you still want to stay?" Warren complained. He couldn't understand why Scott felt obligated to Charles after everything he'd done.
"I have no choice. My team is not guilty." Scott raised his voice. "And the Professor is right in one point. We can help both mutants and humans." He believed in helping others. He wanted to put an end to suffering. "I don't want what happened to me to happen to others like me." Scott went on.
Warren breathed out a sigh. "Fine. If you're staying, I'm staying as well. Would you like to talk about your past?" After hearing what Scott had just said, he wanted to know.
"What is there to discuss? I was a kid. My parents flew Alex and me. The plane had caught fire. They pushed us to jump. The plane's falling debris landed on my parachute. We were falling, but I had to keep Alex safe. That's when I think I hit my head. Because of the impact, I was in a coma for a year. Alex and I became separated. We had no idea either of us was still alive. I was placed in a boy's home in Nebraska. As you know, Mr. Milbury or Sinister kept me in a coma. He conducted experiments on me. I've always had this creeping suspicion that he killed the Bogarts. They were supposed to be my foster family. They were nice.
The kids there regularly bullied me. This one bully, he killed himself. I watched him die. Jumped off the roof. When my powers were activated one day, I destroyed the building. As a result, I ran away. I spent some time on the streets. I met Matt who had also lost his dad. Unfortunately, Jack found me. Among other things, he used to hit me." Scott took a big gulp. He didn't want Warren to find out about what Jack did to him. Warren's grip on his hands tightened, and he knew the other wanted to know what had happened. He went on. "The professor tracked me down with the assistance of an FBI agent, Fred Duncan. Jack wanted me to kill a security guard. He threatened to kill me if I did not help him.
The professor stepped in. He forced me to murder him. Then I joined the institute." Scott stated calmly and rationally.
Warren let out a breath he'd been holding in. "I'm so sorry, Scott. "Can you recall what Sinister did to you?" Scott made a shaky motion with his head. "Bits and pieces."
"How about Jack?" Warren inquired.
"I'm not talking about him." Scott said as he averted his gaze.
"Alright. If you ever need to talk, I'm here." Warren clarified. "Did the professor order you to kill him?"
"Yeah, Jack was abusive. Every day, he would threaten me. It's not something I want to rethink. I didn't want to kill him. But I had no choice. It's all my fault." Scott spoke as he avoided eye contact.
"He still forced you to murder a man. You may have fired the shot. He did, that being said, load the gun. Scott, it's his fault. I hope you know. His, as well as Jack's." He was relieved Jack was no longer alive. Or he would have killed him himself because he saw how much pain the man caused Scott.
Overcome with emotion, Warren's hands brushed against Scott's hair. His fingers tenderly caressed his neck, moved on to his chin and to his hair, massaging it repeatedly. Scott's lips parted as he became enthralled in the sensation. Warren extended his arms to embrace Scott. He brushed Scott's hair as he rested his cheek on his head. Scott stretched an arm above and placed it behind Warren's neck. The chair made a creaky noise. Scott rose from the floor and sat on the edge of the chair, leaning on Warren's lap. He turned to face the blonde and embraced him.
Warren closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Scott. Lost in the haze of love, his lips touched Scott's neck. It was both electrifying and reassuring at the same time. Warren's breath felt warm, and when he shifted and exhaled against his companion's ear, it mildly fogged up the side of Scott's glasses.
They held each other for a while, placing kisses of reassurance that oozed sensuality. Scott closed his eyes and sighed. He felt at ease for the first time in a week.
With his head resting on Warren's, his smile quickly devolved into a frown. The sound of heavy footsteps outside his room broke their moment of silence. He quickly drew away from Warren and stood up as the door opened.
"You didn't show up for training today." Logan spoke up and fixed his gaze on the blonde mutant.
"Hello to you too Logan. I slept in." Warren made a dry remark.
"Double duty tomorrow." Logan added. He sniffed the room and walked out with a smirk, knowing he had interrupted something.
"Ugh! This is so unfair! " Warren grimaced and slid off the couch.
"How is it unfair?" Scott was puzzled.
"I miss one danger room session, and he makes me do double duty." Warren added his honest opinion.
"Want me to make it up to you?" Scott drawled as he sat down on his bed.
Warren gave a mischievous smirk. "And how do you intend to make it up to me?" Tempted, he asked.
"Any way you want." Scott responded in a suggestively, stretching his form on the bed.
"Promise?" Warren had to double-check that he had heard him correctly; the wheels in his head were turning. Scott gave a nod.
" You're going to spend the rest of the afternoon in bed." Warren said with a coy smile.
"Anything but that." Scott piped up.
"You made a promise." Warren highlighted.
"I had no idea you were going to be such a sneaky bastard."
"With you, I have to do sneaky."
I was considering another way to make it up to you." Scott sat up and straddled Warren's waist, who gasped at the contact. A knock on the door interrupted them. Warren stood up, relieved and annoyed, and fixed his pants while Scott grabbed a robe. He went to his room next door just as Scott opened the door to his.
"Hello, Scott! How are you? We see you in the morning. And it's not like you to be late. So, we were worried." Kitty started talking and walked into the room, followed by Amara, Jubilee, and Tabitha.
"Don't fret, Kitty. I'm fine. Thanks for asking. Is everything okay?" Scott questioned, flummoxed, not used to the particular group of girls visiting him.
"Enough of this small talk. We came to ask Scooter, "Is Warren attached?" Tabitha strolled in and lounged on Scott's bed.
Scott carefully constructed his response, "What?" after considering his options, in stead of saying what he really wanted to say, which was to tell her to keep her hands off his man.
"Does he have a girlfriend? Is he single? "Leader boy, get with it." Jubilee lamented him.
"Yeah, like Scott! You spend a lot of time to him. You must know." Kitty began to talk.
"Why don't you just go ahead and ask him?" Scott snapped, clearly upset with the direction the conversation was taking.
"Because it's uncool." Amara jumped in, a little embarrassed by Scott's suggestion.
"What's the harm?" Scott inquired inadvertently and cursed himself for encouraging them to chat. But he was intrigued.
"It's weird." Kitty talked. "Do you really think we're going to ask Warren if he's single?"
"Isn't that usually how it goes?" Scott wondered aloud. "Besides, if someone was curious about me, I'd rather they ask me than wonder and ask others."
"No, Scott, you're clueless when it comes to dating. Ugh!" Jubilee uttered.
"You are not like other men. You're such a sweet little boy scout." Tabitha cooed and stood up, pulling Scott's cheeks.
Scott glared at her, irritated by her actions. He had seen Tabitha sneak out alone on Friday night and not return until 3 a.m. only a week before. He wished to flip the script. "Really, Tabitha, can you tell me where you go on Friday nights?"
"It's none of your damn business!" Tabitha spoke abruptly.
"You're right." Scott gave a sly grin.
"How could you possibly know?" Tabitha asked, accusingly, and pointed at him.
Kitty cut Scott off just as he was about to respond. "What is Warren's Rolex doing here?" She investigated, pointing to the bedside table. While Scott's heart darted in fear of their relationship being revealed, she moved forward to pick up the watch and examine it. At this point, the girls carefully examined his room.
Amara inspected his bed and lifted a solitary feather. "Come to think of it, this looks like it belongs on Warren's wings." Scott's appearance was scrutinised for any cues.
Everyone in the room jumped when they heard a loud knock on the door. Scott pushed open the door to reveal Warren.
"Have you seen my watch?" "I think I left it here while we were playing risk." Warren had overheard their conversation while in his room and quickly came to his boyfriend's aid with a plausible lie. Tabitha smiled deviously at Warren, satisfied with the lie, and said, "So Warren, why don't you hang out with us? We bet we can make your day more interesting than you playing risk with Scooter here." She leaned forward and winked.
Warren couldn't help but scoff at her overt attempts to flirt with him. When he heard Scott grumble, he couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face. "Tabitha, I'm already in a relationship. Rain check?" He retorted, then reached for his watch.
"With whom?" Kitty was curious as to who had sparked Warren's interest. There was no mention of a supermodel in the tabloids, so it couldn't be one of them. The question posed, who could it be?
"Someone pretty special." Warren answered while Scott hid in the shadows, hoping they wouldn't notice him.
"Is she a supermodel? An actress?" Jubilee wondered out loud, now giddy with gossip. The other girls prodded him for more information. Warren remained silent.
"Oh, please! Things are finally getting interesting, and you're not going to tell us? It's not fair." Tabitha moaned, desperate to find out who it was.
Scott drew a sip from his water bottle. His throat was dry. "Wait, is it someone from the institute?" Amara poked. Her question nearly caused Scott to choke on his drink. 'Shit.' He thought to himself. Kitty raised her eyebrows when she noticed Scott's reaction.
"Oh my god! It is someone from the institute." She squealed and exclaimed. "Is it Jean?" Or Rogue?"
"Seriously, Kitty. Roguey can't touch. It has to be Jean." Jubilee added.
"Nope. No one from the institute." Warren lied. "Jean isn't my type." He further said.
"So, who is your type?" Tabitha asked.
Warren gave them a long, thoughtful look before saying, "Tall, gorgeous brunettes." He grinned at Scott and departed the room, leaving the girls to wonder who this person was. The young women were dissatisfied with Warren's cryptic response and turned to look at Scott, who was attempting to avoid them. The institute's defense alarms went off right then. The teenagers exchanged glances as Scott dashed to his window to see who it was. He noticed a group breaking in.
"To me, my X-Men!" Report to the front lawn. We have intruders." Scott communicated using his talkie. He quickly changed into his uniform and dashed to the Institute's gates, which were being trashed as others followed him. "Who are you?" Cyclops questioned as the figure revealed itself with an evil smile.
"We're the Marauders. And we've come looking for you, Cyclops." He said this before charging at the X-Men. Cyclops fired an optic blast, knocking him backwards. "Scalphunter!" exclaimed his partner. Enraged, the woman yelled, glaring at Cyclops and releasing a shockwave that disoriented the X-Men. "You're going to pay for this!" Scalphunter stopped her when she growled and leapt to strike Cyclops. "Watch it, Arclight; we're required to bring him alive."
He addressed the X-Men after looking them in the faces. "Come with us now, and no one will be hurt or killed."
"Bullshit" Cyclops piped up, not believing his words.
"I warned you. Now, I have an excuse to explain to my boss why I had to kill you and your little friends." Scalphunter made a snide statement.
Harpoon smiled maniacally as he pointed his slayspears at Angel's wings, "Sometimes the early bird gets the worm, sometimes the bird gets harpooned!" The marauder threatened Angel, while Vertigo's powers made the X-Men dizzy.
Cyclops got past the dizziness and saw two Slayspears, mere inches apart, about to lodge into Angel's wings. "No!" He yelled, blasted the spears out of the way, and then aimed another powerful blast at Harpoon, causing him to fall.
Jean and Spyke were confronted by Riptide, who spun his body and flung shurikens at breakneck pace. Jean prevented the guns from attacking the X-Men in midair and pushed them back to Riptide, but not before one became stuck in Nightcrawler's leg, just as Spyke launched his own assault. Cyclops noticed his friend's distressed face. "Nightcrawler, retreat!" He commanded as the blue mutant vanished, leaving only a puff of smoke.
Scalphunter was aiming a weapon at Storm when he was stopped by Cyclops' optic blast. As the X-Men started to fight, he turned to the leader of the team, not pulling any punches. Scalphunter landed a blow that knocked Cyclops backwards. His pre-existing wound was ruptured by the kick. He was well aware that the kick would also result in a bruised rib. Cyclops staggered up as Vertigo released another dizzying spell, forcing half of the X-Men to pass out. Storm struck her opponent with a bolt of lightning, rendering her unconscious.
"Jean, I need your TK Bandages to keep me from collapsing. Pick me up, Angel." As the winged man soared towards the leader, Cyclops gritted his teeth. Jean nodded and enclosed the wound on his waist in Tk bandages. "Fly me till I blast the shit out of them." said Cyclops. "So, I'm a glorified air taxi?" Angel remarked with a cheeky grin, attempting to lighten the mood. "Cyclops, get down!" Wolverine growled at him as he smelled the injury.
The pain from the bleeding wound was ignored. Without wasting time, Cyclops aimed his visor like a sniper and fired a destructive optic blast at Scalphunter who was fighting Wolverine. The clawed mutant was attempting to shred Scalphunter, leaving the marauder on the floor.
Arclight sent out yet another shockwave after seeing her partner drop, causing the rest of the X-Men to fall. Bobby attempted to build an ice wall around Arclight, but he lost his balance and hit his head. Rogue, who was closest to Wolverine, absorbed Wolverine's strength and fought Arclight. Angel flew Cyclops as he directed his optic beam at the woman facing Rogue. Scalphunter stood up and examined the situation. He was well aware that they were fighting a losing battle. "Get back!" His squad rushed towards him when he called out to them. "You may have succeeded for the time being, but we're coming for you, Cyclops." He issued a warning, and the team vanished.
The battle had ended, and the marauders had fled. Cyclops had eluded his captors, but the wound was threatening to sting. Jean's TK bandages were no longer effective. Rogue was helped up by Kitty, while Wolverine and Storm held Bobby and Tabitha, who were unconscious. 'Everything will be fine. The X-Men are safe now,' Scott thought as he collapsed to the floor from the trauma. Warren lifted Scott's limp body and glided across the lawn to the mansion.
"Scotty, please stay with me." Angel begged as he carried him.
"Damn kid. Told him to stand down. " Logan frowned as his wounds healed
"Logan, he just saved us. At the very least, you owe him respect. He is the leader." Storm cut him off in his complaining and carried Tabitha to the med bay in the air.
"He's a pain in my ass, that's what he is." Logan growled and tightened his hold on Bobby. 'Fuckin' kid.' What the fuck does he think he's doing? I don't need his protection!' Logan remarked aloud.
"Logan, you're shouting. I can hear your thoughts." Jean spoke up, attempting to consciously stop Logan's rage-filled internal monologue. Logan let out an agitated growl and earned a wince.