------
Author's Note:
Greetings.
Whee! More of Pietro's inner thoughts. Read, REVIEW, and enjoy. ;) Pretty please.
Cheers.
Jack
------
I have no idea how long I stayed outside, but it was an absolutely gorgeous evening. The sound of the party raging just inside the doors provided a pleasant contrast to the sound of crickets and other nighttime noises. After the hellish couple of weeks I'd had, it was a nice change of pace not to have to worry about anything.
Yeah, I admit it. It felt really good that anything my father threw in my direction would have to wade through about fifteen X-Men before getting to me. That thought made me grin from ear to ear.
Still, I wasn't entirely sure how well I'd fit in at Xavier's institute. The guy seemed nice enough, and I was starting to remember a little more of my past. Wanda and I had called him 'Uncle Charles' back then. Dad had been a graduate student at one of the SUNY schools and a single father before he and Xavier split. If my memory wasn't playing tricks on me, the two of us had spent a lot of time in our 'Uncle's' care.
I raised an eyebrow. Hadn't he been married to Doctor MacTaggart back then? Or was the redheaded woman in my mind someone else? Oh well. Maybe later I'd take him up on his offer. I wouldn't mind seeing things from my past, from before Magneto entered all of our lives. That made me frown. Where was Wanda, anyway?
I dragged my butt across the country to the lair of my rivals to save her. You'd think she'd have been a little grateful. Well, ok, I'd had a lot of help from Mystique and that blind friend of hers. It's the principle of the thing. I got the ball rolling after that woman deposited me behind a locker at Grand Central. Shouldn't that count for something? The door-wall opened behind me and for just an instant I thought perhaps my sister had come out to join me on the patio.
No such luck.
"Need something, fur ball?" I asked Nightcrawler as he closed the door. I let a little of the frustration I was feeling creep into my voice. I didn't bother looking at him as I spoke, either. It was his fault I was in this darn chair to begin with. Maybe he'd get the hint. "You know, for a guy..."
"...who can teleport, why can't I just get lost? You've said that before."
True enough. It hadn't worked last time either.
"Nice night isn't it?" he said, coming up beside me. I risked a glance in his direction. He wasn't acting patronizing or sympathetic, not even the slightest bit concerned. What a novel idea.
"Sure," I said. Might as well play along. Maybe if I kept being snide with him, he'd get the hint. "Probably be a lot nicer if I wasn't trapped in this wheelchair." Yeah, that was a sneer. Sue me.
The guy went on as though he hadn't even heard me.
"The ocean looks incredible at this time of year," he said thoughtfully. "A hundred shades of blue on a thousand little waves, each one reflecting the moon as though the sky was a rainbow and the ocean a pot of gold." I rolled my eyes. Just my luck that Nightcrawler would have a poetic streak.
"Right. Incredible," I sighed. "Also completely out of my field of vision." He looked blank at that last comment. Oh, right. English wasn't his first language. "I can't see it from here."
"Oh. Would you like to?"
That caught me up short. Most of my life had been built around nervous tension. I tend to either dominate those weaker than me or hide from those who are stronger. I wasn't used to dealing with people treating me as equals. I didn't get a chance to say anything, though, because the door-wall slid open behind me. Nightcrawler's eyes went wide and I saw his body go tense. He started toward the door in that odd gait he was. What was wrong?
I craned my neck around. Good thing I moved, too. I had a bare instant to duck to one side as a splinter of bone shot through the air past my nose. Oh crap.
"Evan, no!" Nightcrawler yelled.
"Get outta my way, Kurt!" Evan flexed his arm at me and I got lucky, catching this one in midair. I tossed it aside. Nightcrawler was doing his best to keep between us, but Evan had four inches on him and probably a good twenty pounds. And here I was, crippled.
Great. Just great. I couldn't move at all because Jean had set the brake on this freakin' chair. I seriously considered just throwing over the arm of the chair to one side and trying to pull myself away. Of course, that would make me appear like a wuss, so it wasn't really an option. I don't mind looking like a pansy, but not in front of Daniels. I wouldn't allow him the satisfaction.
On the other hand that may not have made much of a difference, either. Evan belted Nightcrawler solidly in the gut. The poor guy folded over, falling on the ground with a sharp grunt. At this point, I realized Evan was furious and it looked like I was next on his hit parade.
"Um" I said. Eloquence personified, that's me. I tried again. "Can't we talk about this?"
He was across the patio in a couple strides. It rather belatedly occurred to me to call for help. Daniels was clearly pissed about something. He scrunched his hands into my shirt, lifting me out of the chair. The material of the t-shirt was incredibly strong, I noticed. Why that occurred to me at that point in time, I'll never figure out.
Evan's about an inch shorter than I am, but he lifted me clear off the ground anyway. I felt like an ass with my hands gripping his wrists and my legs dangling uselessly below me. Come on, I thought, you can do better than this.
He pulled me forward until our faces were mere inches apart and snarled at me.
"You come in here and crash a party, fine. But you don't ever, EVER, sit in the Professor's chair. Have respect for the man, you got me punk?!"
I tried to object. Really, I did. Anyone else would have tried to diffuse the situation. Not me. Again my mouth acted independently of my brain.
"You need to get your grades up in English, Daniels. 'Cause every other nitwit in that house knows why I'm-"
Well, so much for diplomacy. He didn't let me finish, just tossed me up and back like I was a basketball. Oh boy. I caught a glimpse of Summers and some blond kid running, and I mean running, out of the mansion as I sailed through the air. As usual, his timing was impeccable. This was going to really suck when I landed. I couldn't help myself. The laughter just spilled past my lips as I watched the stars float lazily overhead.
It didn't last long. I spun around and realized I wasn't going to land on the cement patio. The pool loomed up at me as I arced downward. Too late, I knew I wasn't going to be able to just swim to the edge. Someone screamed - a high-pitched, girlish shriek - and I realized it was me.
I swallowed about a hundred gallons of water when I hit. Water went everywhere and I clearly saw the neat blue tiles at the bottom of the pool. If nothing else, the water did break my fall and I was able to scramble just enough to get my head above the water. Trust Evan to make sure I hit the deep end.
Spluttering, I thrashed wildly, completely unable to keep my head above the surface for more than a moment.
"What's the matter, Maximoff? Can't swim?" If I could you dink, you'd be on your butt by now, I thought. Summers had him in a hammerlock, which meant things were looking up. Maybe if I could get the hell out of this pool, I'd be able to laugh this off. Sure, just keep believing that.
"No," Summers grunted. Evan was putting up a heck of a fight. "He can't. He's paralyzed from the wait down. Alex." That must have been the blond kid. He stripped his shirt off in a practiced movement and dove into the water like he belonged there. A second later, I felt arms around me and I stopped struggling.
"Easy, dude. I gotcha," he told me, pulling us to the edge. He was a strong swimmer and the fact that my legs were dead weight (encased in wet jeans, I should add) didn't make much of a difference to him. I had the satisfaction of watching Evan's eyes bulge at Summer's revelation. Alex dragged me out of the pool and I gacked up the water I'd swallowed. Ew. So much for this outfit. I looked up at the small circle of people above me and smiled weakly.
"Move along folks," I said, trying my hand at humor. "Nothing to see here."
Summers rolled his eyes and snorted. I looked like a drowned albino rat. Maybe that was why. Then he released Evan, though I noticed One-Eye stood directly behind him just in case the idiot tried anything else. Would you believe Daniels offered me a hand up? I shook my head, but he was insistent.
"Come on, man, I'm sorry."
"You want me to try and stand?" Earth to Daniels, come in Daniels.
Comprehension seeped into his eyes and he withdrew his hand. Summers ushered him back into the house, leaving me alone with Alex and Nightcrawler.
"You ok, man?" I looked more closely at Alex. He looked a lot like a short, more tanned version of Summers. The last thing this world needs, I thought, is another Scott 'Stick-In-The-Arse' Summers. Maybe it was just coincidence.
"I'm fine, really," I lied. Here's hoping he wasn't another telepath because I hurt like hell. Bad enough that water can hurt just as much as cement when you hit it, but it was also freezing and the chlorine was making the stab wound in my back itch.
And I couldn't reach it. You have any idea how irritating that is?
He motioned to Nightcrawler and between the two of them they managed to lift me back into the wheel chair. The world tilted and swam and I had to shake my head to right it again.
"You're not fine at all," Nightcrawler muttered. "You lying little dummkopf."
Give the guy a cigar. I just scowled at him, hugging myself. Sitting around in wet clothing was not my idea of a fun time.
"We need to get him into dry clothing," Alex said over me at the little demon. No kidding, Sherlock. Far be it from me to say that out loud. Look what happened last time I tried to explain myself. My teeth started chattering and I clamped my mouth shut in a futile attempt to stop the noise.
"Ja, I know." Nightcrawler was moving about behind me and I twisted around to look at him. He was looking thoughtfully at the back of the mansion.
I had to ask. "Why are you counting windows?"
"I'm trying to remember vhere your room is."
"Who cares? Just pop us up into any one of them," I chattered. It took an act of will to keep my teeth from clacking together. Too bad I wasn't up to it.
"Und vhat if I 'pop' us into von of the girl's rooms?" He sounded so serious, I had to laugh. He gave me a strange look and I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
"Yeah? And what if?"
Alex laughed. Kurt just rolled his eyes and placed his hand on my shoulder.
Wow, holy vertigo Batman! I swear it felt like the entire world jump about three feet to one side the instant he clamped down on my shoulder. He'd done the whole teleportation thing to me back in Colorado, but it took a lot of getting used to. Lucky for me I didn't get airsick.
A sulfurous smoke whirled around us, accompanied by a reasonably loud noise sort of like that of a leather-bound book hitting a desk. A good- sized book. Dictionary, maybe.
[Bamf!]
An instant later we were in a dark room and I realized too late that the chair was still sitting by the pool. I slumped and would have fallen, but Nightcrawler grabbed me with three hands and steadied me until he could get me to the bed, where I sat down. Three hands? I remembered how one of them felt and realized that he'd grabbed me with his tail, too. That had to come in handy sometimes.
Lights blinked on, making my eyes blink rapidly. He must have 'ported us into his room. It wasn't hard to figure out. There was a pair of Dockers draped over a chair by the desk that had a hole in the backside big enough to fit a tail through.
"Moment mal," Nightcrawler said from over by the light switch.
[Bamf!] [Bamf!]
I looked over in time to see him reappear with an armful of towels. He tossed them on the bed next to me and started rummaging through a drawer in the dresser across from the bed. It occurred to me that he wasn't wearing that his little hologram device.
"You never run around in your fur at school," I said, drying off my head.
His voice was muffled through the fluffy towel. "You really think I'd last through homeroom looking like this?"
"Good point." I felt something hit the bed next to me. A neon yellow t-shirt with a weird logo on the front. It looked like one of those 'school crossing' signs I'd seen near Bayside High, only there wasn't a stick figure of a woman and child in the triangle. I smirked. A little guy with a pitchfork was pulling a smaller figure with a spaded tail across the street instead. Have to admit, the guy's got a unique taste in clothing.
Nightcrawler went out the door, heading down the hall. I took the opportunity to peel off my wet shirt and dry myself off as best I could. The bandages were completely soaked, but I managed to squeegee them as dry as they'd get. I slipped the shirt over my head just before he came back with a bundle of clothed I recognized as my own.
"We're about the same size," I noted. The shirt was a small. He nodded, tossing a pair of my track sweats on the bed. I blinked at them, not looking forward to struggling into anything with legs. When he knelt at my feet, I jumped.
"Hey-hey-hey," I blurted. "What-are-you-doing?!"
He looked up at me with those weird yellow eyes. "Getting you out of these wet pants, of course." Oh, hell no. If I'd been able to kick him away, I would have. Instead I had to settle for smacking the back of his head until he backed off.
"Nothing personal, Nightcrawler," I said.
"Kurt. Mein name ist Kurt." Lucky for me I understood his German.
"Fine, Kurt. Go get Lance or Todd or...or...or Wanda. Anyone but you."
He tilted his head at me and his expression never changed. He didn't argue, though, which was just as well. I didn't know why I was so uncomfortable around him. Maybe it was the fact that it should have been him sitting here with only half a functioning body.
Maybe it was something else. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. Finally, he just darted out the door instead.
I flopped back on the bed, not caring that I sitting, laying, in a puddle of chlorinated pool water. He'd have to wash his sheets tonight or else they'd be bleached. Oh well. They needed washed anyway. I could see fine blue hairs out of the corner of my eye and could smell him on the sheets. Not that was nasty, just that it was a little strong. He didn't smell...human.
This line of thought was going to drive me up a wall. Thank God it didn't last long. Lance came into the room a minute later, closing the door firmly behind him.
"I heard what happened out there," he told me, shaking his head. "We shouldn't have let you go out there alone, but Professor Xavier insisted that you needed a little less noise." He sighed and knelt in front of me. I reached down to unfasten my jeans while he talked. The air was downright chilly in here and I was freezing my - well, I was really cold.
"It's not your fault," I said as he started tugging the jeans off. "What the hell was up with Daniels anyway? Didn't he notice that big honkin' banner downstairs?"
That earned a grin from Lance. It was nice to see his face light up like that. It didn't happen often. He looked a lot better when he wasn't acting like a sour grape all the time.
"Man, you should have heard Summers. The guy reamed Evan a new hole right in front of the entire school." I laughed out loud. "And when HE finished, then Ororo started in on him. You think Summers is a hard guy to cross, you should have seen her." I laughed again. That was true. I'd seen her irritated on more than one occasion when I'd lived in the house next door to the guy back in Queens.
"Let me guess. She shorted out a light bulb, didn't she?" Lance tossed my wet jeans into a heap in the corner and grabbed a towel. I stopped him. "Wait, turn around will you?" He did. I shucked off the shorts and quickly dried as much of myself as I could reach. Tossing the towel over my waist, I tapped his elbow.
"Even better," Lance said, turning around and toweling off the rest of me. "Blew out the entire chandelier. Should have seen it, man. Her eyes were glowing white." He started the sweat pants up my legs. "Everyone's hair was standing on edge while she bitched at him."
I wormed my way awkwardly into the sweat pants and scooted over to a dry spot on the bed. "Serious?"
He nodded, that wide grin plastered all over his face. He was right; I had missed quite a show. Maybe being tossed in the pool was worth it. I wondered if I could convince Daniels to do it again tomorrow night so I could watch. My eyes glinted and I smirked at the idea.
"You're trying to think of a way to get him to do it again." It wasn't a question.
"Yep." We both laughed again. "The more I think about it, the more I think that moving in here might be a little fun after all."
It was as if I'd just taken a huge burden from his shoulders. He nodded, straightening up just a little.
"Daniels aside, that is," I added.
------
To Be Continued.
------
Author's Note:
Greetings.
Whee! More of Pietro's inner thoughts. Read, REVIEW, and enjoy. ;) Pretty please.
Cheers.
Jack
------
I have no idea how long I stayed outside, but it was an absolutely gorgeous evening. The sound of the party raging just inside the doors provided a pleasant contrast to the sound of crickets and other nighttime noises. After the hellish couple of weeks I'd had, it was a nice change of pace not to have to worry about anything.
Yeah, I admit it. It felt really good that anything my father threw in my direction would have to wade through about fifteen X-Men before getting to me. That thought made me grin from ear to ear.
Still, I wasn't entirely sure how well I'd fit in at Xavier's institute. The guy seemed nice enough, and I was starting to remember a little more of my past. Wanda and I had called him 'Uncle Charles' back then. Dad had been a graduate student at one of the SUNY schools and a single father before he and Xavier split. If my memory wasn't playing tricks on me, the two of us had spent a lot of time in our 'Uncle's' care.
I raised an eyebrow. Hadn't he been married to Doctor MacTaggart back then? Or was the redheaded woman in my mind someone else? Oh well. Maybe later I'd take him up on his offer. I wouldn't mind seeing things from my past, from before Magneto entered all of our lives. That made me frown. Where was Wanda, anyway?
I dragged my butt across the country to the lair of my rivals to save her. You'd think she'd have been a little grateful. Well, ok, I'd had a lot of help from Mystique and that blind friend of hers. It's the principle of the thing. I got the ball rolling after that woman deposited me behind a locker at Grand Central. Shouldn't that count for something? The door-wall opened behind me and for just an instant I thought perhaps my sister had come out to join me on the patio.
No such luck.
"Need something, fur ball?" I asked Nightcrawler as he closed the door. I let a little of the frustration I was feeling creep into my voice. I didn't bother looking at him as I spoke, either. It was his fault I was in this darn chair to begin with. Maybe he'd get the hint. "You know, for a guy..."
"...who can teleport, why can't I just get lost? You've said that before."
True enough. It hadn't worked last time either.
"Nice night isn't it?" he said, coming up beside me. I risked a glance in his direction. He wasn't acting patronizing or sympathetic, not even the slightest bit concerned. What a novel idea.
"Sure," I said. Might as well play along. Maybe if I kept being snide with him, he'd get the hint. "Probably be a lot nicer if I wasn't trapped in this wheelchair." Yeah, that was a sneer. Sue me.
The guy went on as though he hadn't even heard me.
"The ocean looks incredible at this time of year," he said thoughtfully. "A hundred shades of blue on a thousand little waves, each one reflecting the moon as though the sky was a rainbow and the ocean a pot of gold." I rolled my eyes. Just my luck that Nightcrawler would have a poetic streak.
"Right. Incredible," I sighed. "Also completely out of my field of vision." He looked blank at that last comment. Oh, right. English wasn't his first language. "I can't see it from here."
"Oh. Would you like to?"
That caught me up short. Most of my life had been built around nervous tension. I tend to either dominate those weaker than me or hide from those who are stronger. I wasn't used to dealing with people treating me as equals. I didn't get a chance to say anything, though, because the door-wall slid open behind me. Nightcrawler's eyes went wide and I saw his body go tense. He started toward the door in that odd gait he was. What was wrong?
I craned my neck around. Good thing I moved, too. I had a bare instant to duck to one side as a splinter of bone shot through the air past my nose. Oh crap.
"Evan, no!" Nightcrawler yelled.
"Get outta my way, Kurt!" Evan flexed his arm at me and I got lucky, catching this one in midair. I tossed it aside. Nightcrawler was doing his best to keep between us, but Evan had four inches on him and probably a good twenty pounds. And here I was, crippled.
Great. Just great. I couldn't move at all because Jean had set the brake on this freakin' chair. I seriously considered just throwing over the arm of the chair to one side and trying to pull myself away. Of course, that would make me appear like a wuss, so it wasn't really an option. I don't mind looking like a pansy, but not in front of Daniels. I wouldn't allow him the satisfaction.
On the other hand that may not have made much of a difference, either. Evan belted Nightcrawler solidly in the gut. The poor guy folded over, falling on the ground with a sharp grunt. At this point, I realized Evan was furious and it looked like I was next on his hit parade.
"Um" I said. Eloquence personified, that's me. I tried again. "Can't we talk about this?"
He was across the patio in a couple strides. It rather belatedly occurred to me to call for help. Daniels was clearly pissed about something. He scrunched his hands into my shirt, lifting me out of the chair. The material of the t-shirt was incredibly strong, I noticed. Why that occurred to me at that point in time, I'll never figure out.
Evan's about an inch shorter than I am, but he lifted me clear off the ground anyway. I felt like an ass with my hands gripping his wrists and my legs dangling uselessly below me. Come on, I thought, you can do better than this.
He pulled me forward until our faces were mere inches apart and snarled at me.
"You come in here and crash a party, fine. But you don't ever, EVER, sit in the Professor's chair. Have respect for the man, you got me punk?!"
I tried to object. Really, I did. Anyone else would have tried to diffuse the situation. Not me. Again my mouth acted independently of my brain.
"You need to get your grades up in English, Daniels. 'Cause every other nitwit in that house knows why I'm-"
Well, so much for diplomacy. He didn't let me finish, just tossed me up and back like I was a basketball. Oh boy. I caught a glimpse of Summers and some blond kid running, and I mean running, out of the mansion as I sailed through the air. As usual, his timing was impeccable. This was going to really suck when I landed. I couldn't help myself. The laughter just spilled past my lips as I watched the stars float lazily overhead.
It didn't last long. I spun around and realized I wasn't going to land on the cement patio. The pool loomed up at me as I arced downward. Too late, I knew I wasn't going to be able to just swim to the edge. Someone screamed - a high-pitched, girlish shriek - and I realized it was me.
I swallowed about a hundred gallons of water when I hit. Water went everywhere and I clearly saw the neat blue tiles at the bottom of the pool. If nothing else, the water did break my fall and I was able to scramble just enough to get my head above the water. Trust Evan to make sure I hit the deep end.
Spluttering, I thrashed wildly, completely unable to keep my head above the surface for more than a moment.
"What's the matter, Maximoff? Can't swim?" If I could you dink, you'd be on your butt by now, I thought. Summers had him in a hammerlock, which meant things were looking up. Maybe if I could get the hell out of this pool, I'd be able to laugh this off. Sure, just keep believing that.
"No," Summers grunted. Evan was putting up a heck of a fight. "He can't. He's paralyzed from the wait down. Alex." That must have been the blond kid. He stripped his shirt off in a practiced movement and dove into the water like he belonged there. A second later, I felt arms around me and I stopped struggling.
"Easy, dude. I gotcha," he told me, pulling us to the edge. He was a strong swimmer and the fact that my legs were dead weight (encased in wet jeans, I should add) didn't make much of a difference to him. I had the satisfaction of watching Evan's eyes bulge at Summer's revelation. Alex dragged me out of the pool and I gacked up the water I'd swallowed. Ew. So much for this outfit. I looked up at the small circle of people above me and smiled weakly.
"Move along folks," I said, trying my hand at humor. "Nothing to see here."
Summers rolled his eyes and snorted. I looked like a drowned albino rat. Maybe that was why. Then he released Evan, though I noticed One-Eye stood directly behind him just in case the idiot tried anything else. Would you believe Daniels offered me a hand up? I shook my head, but he was insistent.
"Come on, man, I'm sorry."
"You want me to try and stand?" Earth to Daniels, come in Daniels.
Comprehension seeped into his eyes and he withdrew his hand. Summers ushered him back into the house, leaving me alone with Alex and Nightcrawler.
"You ok, man?" I looked more closely at Alex. He looked a lot like a short, more tanned version of Summers. The last thing this world needs, I thought, is another Scott 'Stick-In-The-Arse' Summers. Maybe it was just coincidence.
"I'm fine, really," I lied. Here's hoping he wasn't another telepath because I hurt like hell. Bad enough that water can hurt just as much as cement when you hit it, but it was also freezing and the chlorine was making the stab wound in my back itch.
And I couldn't reach it. You have any idea how irritating that is?
He motioned to Nightcrawler and between the two of them they managed to lift me back into the wheel chair. The world tilted and swam and I had to shake my head to right it again.
"You're not fine at all," Nightcrawler muttered. "You lying little dummkopf."
Give the guy a cigar. I just scowled at him, hugging myself. Sitting around in wet clothing was not my idea of a fun time.
"We need to get him into dry clothing," Alex said over me at the little demon. No kidding, Sherlock. Far be it from me to say that out loud. Look what happened last time I tried to explain myself. My teeth started chattering and I clamped my mouth shut in a futile attempt to stop the noise.
"Ja, I know." Nightcrawler was moving about behind me and I twisted around to look at him. He was looking thoughtfully at the back of the mansion.
I had to ask. "Why are you counting windows?"
"I'm trying to remember vhere your room is."
"Who cares? Just pop us up into any one of them," I chattered. It took an act of will to keep my teeth from clacking together. Too bad I wasn't up to it.
"Und vhat if I 'pop' us into von of the girl's rooms?" He sounded so serious, I had to laugh. He gave me a strange look and I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
"Yeah? And what if?"
Alex laughed. Kurt just rolled his eyes and placed his hand on my shoulder.
Wow, holy vertigo Batman! I swear it felt like the entire world jump about three feet to one side the instant he clamped down on my shoulder. He'd done the whole teleportation thing to me back in Colorado, but it took a lot of getting used to. Lucky for me I didn't get airsick.
A sulfurous smoke whirled around us, accompanied by a reasonably loud noise sort of like that of a leather-bound book hitting a desk. A good- sized book. Dictionary, maybe.
[Bamf!]
An instant later we were in a dark room and I realized too late that the chair was still sitting by the pool. I slumped and would have fallen, but Nightcrawler grabbed me with three hands and steadied me until he could get me to the bed, where I sat down. Three hands? I remembered how one of them felt and realized that he'd grabbed me with his tail, too. That had to come in handy sometimes.
Lights blinked on, making my eyes blink rapidly. He must have 'ported us into his room. It wasn't hard to figure out. There was a pair of Dockers draped over a chair by the desk that had a hole in the backside big enough to fit a tail through.
"Moment mal," Nightcrawler said from over by the light switch.
[Bamf!] [Bamf!]
I looked over in time to see him reappear with an armful of towels. He tossed them on the bed next to me and started rummaging through a drawer in the dresser across from the bed. It occurred to me that he wasn't wearing that his little hologram device.
"You never run around in your fur at school," I said, drying off my head.
His voice was muffled through the fluffy towel. "You really think I'd last through homeroom looking like this?"
"Good point." I felt something hit the bed next to me. A neon yellow t-shirt with a weird logo on the front. It looked like one of those 'school crossing' signs I'd seen near Bayside High, only there wasn't a stick figure of a woman and child in the triangle. I smirked. A little guy with a pitchfork was pulling a smaller figure with a spaded tail across the street instead. Have to admit, the guy's got a unique taste in clothing.
Nightcrawler went out the door, heading down the hall. I took the opportunity to peel off my wet shirt and dry myself off as best I could. The bandages were completely soaked, but I managed to squeegee them as dry as they'd get. I slipped the shirt over my head just before he came back with a bundle of clothed I recognized as my own.
"We're about the same size," I noted. The shirt was a small. He nodded, tossing a pair of my track sweats on the bed. I blinked at them, not looking forward to struggling into anything with legs. When he knelt at my feet, I jumped.
"Hey-hey-hey," I blurted. "What-are-you-doing?!"
He looked up at me with those weird yellow eyes. "Getting you out of these wet pants, of course." Oh, hell no. If I'd been able to kick him away, I would have. Instead I had to settle for smacking the back of his head until he backed off.
"Nothing personal, Nightcrawler," I said.
"Kurt. Mein name ist Kurt." Lucky for me I understood his German.
"Fine, Kurt. Go get Lance or Todd or...or...or Wanda. Anyone but you."
He tilted his head at me and his expression never changed. He didn't argue, though, which was just as well. I didn't know why I was so uncomfortable around him. Maybe it was the fact that it should have been him sitting here with only half a functioning body.
Maybe it was something else. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. Finally, he just darted out the door instead.
I flopped back on the bed, not caring that I sitting, laying, in a puddle of chlorinated pool water. He'd have to wash his sheets tonight or else they'd be bleached. Oh well. They needed washed anyway. I could see fine blue hairs out of the corner of my eye and could smell him on the sheets. Not that was nasty, just that it was a little strong. He didn't smell...human.
This line of thought was going to drive me up a wall. Thank God it didn't last long. Lance came into the room a minute later, closing the door firmly behind him.
"I heard what happened out there," he told me, shaking his head. "We shouldn't have let you go out there alone, but Professor Xavier insisted that you needed a little less noise." He sighed and knelt in front of me. I reached down to unfasten my jeans while he talked. The air was downright chilly in here and I was freezing my - well, I was really cold.
"It's not your fault," I said as he started tugging the jeans off. "What the hell was up with Daniels anyway? Didn't he notice that big honkin' banner downstairs?"
That earned a grin from Lance. It was nice to see his face light up like that. It didn't happen often. He looked a lot better when he wasn't acting like a sour grape all the time.
"Man, you should have heard Summers. The guy reamed Evan a new hole right in front of the entire school." I laughed out loud. "And when HE finished, then Ororo started in on him. You think Summers is a hard guy to cross, you should have seen her." I laughed again. That was true. I'd seen her irritated on more than one occasion when I'd lived in the house next door to the guy back in Queens.
"Let me guess. She shorted out a light bulb, didn't she?" Lance tossed my wet jeans into a heap in the corner and grabbed a towel. I stopped him. "Wait, turn around will you?" He did. I shucked off the shorts and quickly dried as much of myself as I could reach. Tossing the towel over my waist, I tapped his elbow.
"Even better," Lance said, turning around and toweling off the rest of me. "Blew out the entire chandelier. Should have seen it, man. Her eyes were glowing white." He started the sweat pants up my legs. "Everyone's hair was standing on edge while she bitched at him."
I wormed my way awkwardly into the sweat pants and scooted over to a dry spot on the bed. "Serious?"
He nodded, that wide grin plastered all over his face. He was right; I had missed quite a show. Maybe being tossed in the pool was worth it. I wondered if I could convince Daniels to do it again tomorrow night so I could watch. My eyes glinted and I smirked at the idea.
"You're trying to think of a way to get him to do it again." It wasn't a question.
"Yep." We both laughed again. "The more I think about it, the more I think that moving in here might be a little fun after all."
It was as if I'd just taken a huge burden from his shoulders. He nodded, straightening up just a little.
"Daniels aside, that is," I added.
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To Be Continued.
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