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Chapter Eleven: Tickle Fight!
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The Xavier Institute was an almost incredibly large estate, greenly landscaped with all the trees and plants that could grow on the eastern seaboard, proudly planted and tenderly maintained by Storm. From the air, Nat could see a great pink and white sea of plumb trees in bloom, scattering their petals to the wind to blanket the grass below. Specks of yellow and orange shone from the flower beds along the front walkway. Settled in the center of it all was a fantastic brick mansion, complete with eaves and peaks and grand windows that gleamed in the afternoon sunshine. A swimming pool glittered in all its turquoise glory and a much less inviting, rocky lake took up the far corner of the property, visible from quite far away, and just beyond that was the ocean. Nat's breath caught in her throat at the sight of it all, having never seen the earth from this high up before, and she sat in amazed silence.
Kurt was seated cheerfully in the front seat, guiding the Blackbird and relishing the chance to show Nat his abilities at the controls, while Ororo and the professor, seated in the back of the plane, chatted amiably and oddly knowingly about the weather. In the seat beside the pilot, Evan barked crossly at Kitty as she reached up from behind him and grabbed his Game Boy, turning down the volume knob, only to have Evan turn it back up as soon as she'd returned it. He smirked over his shoulder at her. Behind Nat, Jean had fallen asleep against Scott's shoulder with her hair splayed like a splash of crimson paint against his gray sweater, and his arm was draped protectively over her. The look on his face could be described only as dreamy.
Kurt swung the Blackbird to the left, approaching the lake and the large artificial waterfall that emptied into it. A vast rush of wind from the jet's underbelly played little patterns on the water below as the Blackbird approached the cliff. Nat was just preparing to scream bloody murder when the waterfall parted at the last second, revealing behind it a long metallic-looking corridor where the Blackbird touched gently down. Her heart pounded in her chest and her body felt numb but exhilarated. She grinned broadly to herself and found that she was practically bouncing on her seat.
Kurt spun around to face her, looking immensely proud of himself. "Willkommen, Nat! Ve are here."
Swinging her ponytail, Kitty pushed the button that made the door hiss open, and stalked down the stairs with the batteries to Evan's Game Boy in her back pocket. A very irritated Evan pursued her closely. Jean woke blearily and yawned, looking surprised before Scott smiled at her and offered her his hand. The two didn't even glance in Nat's direction before they followed Evan and Kitty out into the cavernous silver room that served as the Blackbird's hangar, and vanished down the hall. Nat smiled at their departing backs, and heard Kitty snigger in their direction, then the drumming of Storm's feet as she herded her nephew and Kitty away for supper.
Professor Xavier had remained behind in the cabin, apparently waiting for Nat, and Kurt didn't look like he was going anywhere either. He peered excitedly at Nat, and then at the professor.
"Time for the customary velcoming tour, Lehrer?"
Xavier nodded, and the ramp lowered for his chair, Kurt and Nat following him down. Nat couldn't tear her eyes from the high, metallic walls and the floor that looked like it must take a thousand men working all day every day to buffer it into its currently gleaming state. She was almost breathless with anticipation and awe, her thoughts whirling as she tried to take it all in. "After we get something to eat, Kurt. I'm sure Natalie must be hungry after our trip. Then we can show her the house and bring her things to her room."
A restless, slightly discouraged shadow passed over Kurt's face, and Nat leaped at the chance to cheer him up, let alone the opportunity to get a better look at the unbelievable house and grounds. She caught his eye and smiled. "I wouldn't mind waiting a little longer for dinner, Professor. To be honest, I'm a little too excited to eat, and I'd love the chance to take a look round this place."
"I remember the drill, Professor. Bitte, you go relax and have some food, and I vill show her around."
Xavier looked at Nat, who was blushing like mad, and wanted to laugh at their utter transparency. "Go ahead, then. Nat, you'll find your bedroom three doors to the right of Rogue's. Kurt can show you where everything else is; he knows his way around as well as I do, perhaps better."
Kurt beamed and clapped his hands. "Phantastisch! I vill take you, then!" He grabbed Nat by the wrist, nearly hauling her off her feet as he led her out the door on the far side of the hangar. With a little smile and a shake of his head, Professor Xavier steered himself toward the opposite doorway. Apparently remembering something, he paused for a moment, and Kurt did the same. Nat, bewildered, stood awkwardly aside while she watched, for the first time, as someone received a silent telepathic message.
Kurt flashed his wide white grin and gave the professor a salute. Nat laughed anxiously, suspecting that they were "talking" about her, but not entirely positive. "Ja, ja! Don't vorry, Herr. I know the rules!"
At the end of a long, blue-tiled passageway, Kurt punched in a series of numbers on the keypad at the door of an elevator. "Eins, neun, acht, vier. This veek the access code is Nineteen Eighty-Four, after some book that Jean likes."
"I read it once." She shrugged and smiled, locking her hands behind her back where a little pain had developed from sitting so long on the Blackbird. "I couldn't watch television for a month without having nightmares about it watching me in return."
"Ach, really? The only book that ever gave me nightmares vas Green Eggs and Ham."
Nat rolled her eyes, letting a little puff of disbelieving air out between her lips. "What's so scary about that?"
Kurt's face was completely serious, but his eyes were amused. "Have you ever taken a good look at Sam-I-Am? The little fuzzy guy? Ven I vas very small, it vas like looking into a mirror. For veeks, I dreamt that a tiny version of myself vas chasing me and trying to make me eat funny-colored meat." He screwed up his face and stuck out his tongue, making Nat laugh so hard that her lungs protested by not letting any sound come out, and her stomach started to hurt.
Letting her use his elbow for support as she tried valiantly to reclaim her breath, and not looking at all bothered by it, Kurt led her into another hallway that ended with an elevator, which took them the rest of the way to the mansion. By the time they got there, Nat had managed to regain her composure, but was still red in the face from laughing, and seemed to take that as an excuse to lean on Kurt's arm for a few moments longer than was absolutely necessary. When the lift doors opened, Nat was nearly knocked on her rear by the sight that greeted her.
They had apparently been released into another large room, this one very different from the one they had left. Beautifully paneled woodwork ornamented the soaring walls and the immaculate hardwood floor glowed like a Minwax commercial where it wasn't accented with lush oriental carpeting in shades of burgundy and wine. The high windows that she had seen from the sky let sunlight stream inside, and the pillars composed artistic shadows on the floor. A broad marble staircase spouted up from the middle of the room, which Nat now knew to be simply the foyer, and an intricately carved handrail led the way to the top. Large paintings and portraits in heavy gold frames hung on the walls.
"Whoa."
Kurt chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, apparently pleased at her reaction. "Impressive, isn't it? Ven I came here for the first time, the only place that I had ever seen that vas anything like this vas the train station. And it smelled funny there, so this vas much nicer."
"It…it's like some sort of museum! An expensive one, too. I can't believe you really live here!"
"So do you, if you haven't forgotten."
"I just about had." She walked slowly to the stairs, running her hand lightly over the handrail, almost amazed that it didn't disappear, and actually felt sturdy and cool against her palm. The step was firm under her foot, and she perched herself on the edge, staring wide-eyed around her. "This place is amazing!"
"You'll get used to it. Once you've broken a couple of vindows or knocked over some furniture, it's practically homey. Komm mitt, und I'll show you around the ground floor."
After showing her the kitchen, dining room, living room, classrooms and library, they had pretty much covered all that was of interest and importance of the educational part of the school. "The professor's office is that room on the right. He's usually in there during the day, and he pretty much lets us go in venever we need to talk to him. Oh, and one of the bathrooms is through the den and there is another down that vay, but there is vun connected to your room so you von't be needing those much."
"We get our own bathrooms?!?"
"Ve didn't used to, but it became a necessity. In a house with ten people, you're almost allowed to be a little over-protective of your time. At least if it involves bathroom privileges. The professor probably didn't vant to have to even think about that."
"Don't think I'm rude for asking, but…just how loaded is this guy?" Nat gazed around her, still practically in shock.
Kurt let out a little guffaw and he shook his head, raising his palms to the sky as if he'd been trying to figure that out for a long time. "Novun knows. He just comes from a family vith plenty of Geld, das ist all that ve've been able to learn. Now, come upstairs and ve can find your room."
On the second floor, Kurt pointed down the hallway on the left and turned, Nat trailing behind. "Kitty's and Rogue's rooms are down here, so das is vere ve should find your room, nein?"
"I'm pretty sure that's what the professor said. Can I meet this Rogue person?"
He shrugged. "She's probably downstairs having dinner vith the others, but ve can check." While he was speaking, he pushed open a door at the end of the hall, and was instantly flung backward to smack sharply against the wall as a pale green blur shot out of the doorway, snarling. Nat jumped and let out a little shriek, but Kurt seemed relatively unsurprised, even pressed up against the wall by the girl's gloved hands.
"How many times do Ah gotta kick you outta mah room for not knockin', Fuzzball?"
He pushed the girl back, dusting at the front of his shirt. "Relax, Rogue, relax! I vas only coming to—" she noticed Nat for the first time and looked vaguely sheepish "—introduce you to our new student. You know? The vun that Professor Xavier told you vas coming ven he called here a few nights ago from Moira's island?"
"Oh, um, right." She stuck out her hand and Nat took it after only a moment's hesitation, remembering something that Kurt had told her about Rogue's abilities the night before they left Muir Island. Rogue's grip was strong but lasted only a moment, and Nat realized that this girl was probably even less used to human attention than she was. Rogue glanced down at her green and orange pajamas and bare feet, looking slightly embarrassed.
Nat rushed to think of something to ease the awkwardness that hung palpably in the air. "I'm Nat, and I guess I'm sort of…living here with you all now. Sorry to barge in like that. I just…wanted to meet you and all, and I didn't mean to disturb—"
"You ain't gotta be sorry. It wasn't you that came chargin' in like a mad bull without warnin' me first! What if Ah'd been changin' or somethin'?" She shot an angry glare in Kurt's direction. "He does it all the time."
"So wahr mir Gott helfe, Rogue! I didn't even know that you vere in there!"
She cocked her head and rested her hands on her hips, but Nat caught something in her eye that was far less than anger. "So you were gonna come in when Ah wasn't there at all?"
The German mutant laughed loudly, waving his hands over his head in surrender. "Nie und nimmer, I'd never even think of it! Nat vanted to meet you, das is all."
Rogue's eyes narrowed in thought as if she were examining him through a microscope. "Well…okay. But don't do it again!" She turned on her heel and vanished into her room, slamming the door behind her, then opened it again and stuck her pale-skinned face out through the crack. "Nice tah meet you, Nat."
And she disappeared back inside.
Nat and Kurt stood there for a moment in silence, not sure how to react, before Kurt broke the discomfiture with a noisy bellow of laughter. Nat stared at him briefly as he bent over as if the laughter hurt him, his hand on his stomach.
"D-don't vorry about Rogue, Nat. She gets sort of…cranky sometimes."
"I hope I didn't upset her…"
"I doubt it. She vas annoyed vith me. Besides, 'upset' is sometimes a relative term, vith that vun." He gave her a crooked little smile. "Now, do you vant to see your room next, or mine?"
She bounced on her toes. "I can see your room?"
Kurt grinned wider and gave her a little shake of his head, as if he was confused. "If you vant to. It's just a room, though, and not even yours."
"That's okay. I wouldn't mind seeing how the mighty Nightcrawler spends his time at home."
With a shrug of his narrow shoulders, he led her back past her own bedroom and down a different hallway. When he opened the door and ushered her inside, she stood just inside the doorway, staring. "Wow, this is really nice."
"Anything like you expected?"
"Well…it's awfully clean."
Kurt snorted a bit. "I'm not sure vat that's supposed to mean, but okay."
"Hey, turn around."
He frowned. "Huh?"
"I said turn around. I wanna go snooping. You know: go through your drawers, flip through your homework, take a glance in the medicine cabinet…" Nat started strolling toward his desk, swinging her hips as if she were trying to sneak past him. With an artificial shout of outrage, he leaped at her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back and lifting her up off of the ground. She shrieked and tried to swat at his arms, but couldn't do much more to resist when she found herself turned upside down, her hair falling around her face.
"Nein, nein! Not the desk! Das ist vere I keep all the photos of my girlfriends!" He started to tickle her along the ribs, and soon she was gasping for breath between yelps of laughter, clawing at his shirt as she tried to keep from falling. Kurt, too, was struggling for air, and the two crumpled to the carpet, weak with merriment. He jabbed her once more just above the navel, and almost got them started all over again.
As soon as they had begun to breath normally again, both were painfully aware of the fact that they were lying together on the floor. There was an uncomfortable pause before Kurt got shakily to his feet, offering her his hand to stand up. She took it, and eyed him warily with a sideways glance. He cleared his throat, but neither of them spoke for a long moment.
"I guess ve should go down and see vat they are having for dinner, nein?"
She nodded slightly, and the two went down for supper, walking noticeably farther apart on the stairs.