Well . . . chapter 27.
**********
The next morning, Nate woke up extra early, got cleaned and dressed then went down to the gym, with the idea of working out before everyone else woke up.
He entered the very large gym, passed the trampoline, the trapeze, ropes and other gymnastic equipment and walked further in the back, where there were kickboxing things like punching bags and a small arena. He stretched for a while, keeping an eye on the clock on the opposite wall where he could read five a.m. Very quickly, he started practicing his fighting tricks.
Ten minutes later, he was already sweating heavily and gasping for air. He had a pretty strong feeling that his work out wasn't doing any good to his wound.
"You should try backing up a little from your opponent," he heard a voice say behind him.
He turned around and saw Logan, fully dressed, leaning on one of the gymnastic equipments, watching his moves. From Nate's guess, he had been there for a couple of minutes.
"Your kick would be higher and stronger," Logan continued. "And you would loose less energy by giving one good blow, than multiple smaller ones."
Nate stayed silent for a while.
"Thanks," he said finally. "You fight?"
He had some sort of a grumble for answer, followed by a more articulate one.
"Yeah," Logan said, walking forward a little. "I guess you could say that."
Nathan kicked the sand filled bag, backing up a little like Logan had told him to do. When he looked back at the older man, he looked satisfied.
"So, what's your decision, kid?" the Wolverine asked, getting a blank stare for an answer. "Max told us at dinner that you were going to tell him what you're going to do."
Nate's eyebrows cocked up as he looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head.
"He can't keep anything to himself that one," he muttered to himself, unaware that Logan could hear what he was saying tanks to his heightened senses. "I think I'm going to go see the professor afterwards to tell him my answer."
He punched the bag again.
"How's your wound?" Logan asked, pulling out a cigar from his pocket.
"Boff . . . not too bad, I suppose," Nate said.
"Good," Wolverine said as he lit his cigar with a lighter he found in his other pocket. "Then get on that ring and show me what ya got."
Nate smiled as they both walked to the ring.
***
An hour later, both Logan and Nate were walking to the kitchen, sweating like pigs, laughing and talking. They ate breakfast , and afterwards, Nate left to go talk to the professor.
***
Nate walked back up to his room where he took a quick shower and changed into cleaner clothes. Afterwards, he walked resolutely up to the professor's office, passing a few early birds on his way down. He looked at his watch and read seven in the morning. A bit early to go talk to the professor, but Logan had affirmed that he was up at that time.
He knocked softly on the door, and waited for a response that came soon afterwards. He opened the door and walked in, glancing at the professor behind his large desk.
"Hello, Nathan," he said with a small smile. "How are you feeling today?"
"Very well, thank you," Nathan said, responding to the smile.
"What can I do for you?" the Professor said, motioning him to a seat.
"I was wondering, professor, if you would accept another student," Nathan said, his eyes glowing maliciously.
The professor's smile widened.
*****
Twenty minutes later, Nathan walked out of the professor's office holding a folder in which were papers about the school, and everything that was going on.
He walked directly to the dorm hallway and knocked on the fourth door to his right, in the boys' corridor, which was Max's dorm. He opened the door, and looked at Nathan expectantly.
"I'm staying here," Nate said, smiling.
Maxim sighed, a wide smile curving on his lips.
"Ah new you would," he said, shaking his head. "But come on, let's go for a walk."
Nate dropped the file of papers in his room on his way out, and followd Maxim to the first floor, then out the door, into the grounds. They walked in silence for a long time, both savouring this moment of calmness and peace. It was Max who broke the silence first.
"So, tell me," he started. "What pushed you to stay?"
Nathan didn't answer.
"It's not in your nature to decide to stay in one place," Max continued, occasionally looking in his friend's direction.
"Someone said . . . If you don't know where you stand within yourself, where does that leave you? . . . When you stand centered in your own space, it will become clear what your choices are and which ones you make," Nate said calmly. "I . . . I found where my space is."
Max said nothing.
"Max . . . I think I found someone," Nate continued, looking at the ground.
Maxim smiled, but tried to hide it.
"I . . . I'm just so smitten about this girl, you won't believe," Nate said, crossing his hands behind his head.
Max chuckled.
"And who is the lucky winner?" he asked.
"Katherine Pryde," Nathan said softly.
Nathan could almost feel Max frown.
"But . . . I heard Rogue was the one that liked you?" he asked.
Nathan slowed his pace even more, sighing deeply.
"Yeah . . . but I love Kitty," he said sadly. "What am I going to say to her?"
"First of all, you have to talk to her about it, because it'll hurt more if she sees you with Kitty while she's thinking about you," Maxim said. "But what you're going to say to her, I have no idea."
Nathan sighed.
"This isn't good."
"Duh," Max approved. "When that sort of thing happened to me, I didn't have time to say two word, and she thought I was asking her on a date. It was terrrrrrible."
"Yeah, I remember," Nate said. "But I guess I have to do it."
"My opinion would be to go tell her right away before going out with the other one," Max said. "Definitely."
"Euh, Max?" Nate asked, looking away. "Kitty doesn't know."
Maxim burst out laughing.
"What are you WAITING for?" he said.
"Just give me time, my God," Nate objected. "I've been through a lot, I'm allowed to take a little break."
"Nope. Now that you're a student, you're going to see both of them nearly 24/7. You need to get this sorted out fast."
Nate sighed again.
"Okay," he said finally. "I'll go talk to Rogue tomorrow."
**********
now, how am I going to make Rogue react? Kill Kitty? . . . Euh, no. I don't think so.
**********
The next morning, Nate woke up extra early, got cleaned and dressed then went down to the gym, with the idea of working out before everyone else woke up.
He entered the very large gym, passed the trampoline, the trapeze, ropes and other gymnastic equipment and walked further in the back, where there were kickboxing things like punching bags and a small arena. He stretched for a while, keeping an eye on the clock on the opposite wall where he could read five a.m. Very quickly, he started practicing his fighting tricks.
Ten minutes later, he was already sweating heavily and gasping for air. He had a pretty strong feeling that his work out wasn't doing any good to his wound.
"You should try backing up a little from your opponent," he heard a voice say behind him.
He turned around and saw Logan, fully dressed, leaning on one of the gymnastic equipments, watching his moves. From Nate's guess, he had been there for a couple of minutes.
"Your kick would be higher and stronger," Logan continued. "And you would loose less energy by giving one good blow, than multiple smaller ones."
Nate stayed silent for a while.
"Thanks," he said finally. "You fight?"
He had some sort of a grumble for answer, followed by a more articulate one.
"Yeah," Logan said, walking forward a little. "I guess you could say that."
Nathan kicked the sand filled bag, backing up a little like Logan had told him to do. When he looked back at the older man, he looked satisfied.
"So, what's your decision, kid?" the Wolverine asked, getting a blank stare for an answer. "Max told us at dinner that you were going to tell him what you're going to do."
Nate's eyebrows cocked up as he looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head.
"He can't keep anything to himself that one," he muttered to himself, unaware that Logan could hear what he was saying tanks to his heightened senses. "I think I'm going to go see the professor afterwards to tell him my answer."
He punched the bag again.
"How's your wound?" Logan asked, pulling out a cigar from his pocket.
"Boff . . . not too bad, I suppose," Nate said.
"Good," Wolverine said as he lit his cigar with a lighter he found in his other pocket. "Then get on that ring and show me what ya got."
Nate smiled as they both walked to the ring.
***
An hour later, both Logan and Nate were walking to the kitchen, sweating like pigs, laughing and talking. They ate breakfast , and afterwards, Nate left to go talk to the professor.
***
Nate walked back up to his room where he took a quick shower and changed into cleaner clothes. Afterwards, he walked resolutely up to the professor's office, passing a few early birds on his way down. He looked at his watch and read seven in the morning. A bit early to go talk to the professor, but Logan had affirmed that he was up at that time.
He knocked softly on the door, and waited for a response that came soon afterwards. He opened the door and walked in, glancing at the professor behind his large desk.
"Hello, Nathan," he said with a small smile. "How are you feeling today?"
"Very well, thank you," Nathan said, responding to the smile.
"What can I do for you?" the Professor said, motioning him to a seat.
"I was wondering, professor, if you would accept another student," Nathan said, his eyes glowing maliciously.
The professor's smile widened.
*****
Twenty minutes later, Nathan walked out of the professor's office holding a folder in which were papers about the school, and everything that was going on.
He walked directly to the dorm hallway and knocked on the fourth door to his right, in the boys' corridor, which was Max's dorm. He opened the door, and looked at Nathan expectantly.
"I'm staying here," Nate said, smiling.
Maxim sighed, a wide smile curving on his lips.
"Ah new you would," he said, shaking his head. "But come on, let's go for a walk."
Nate dropped the file of papers in his room on his way out, and followd Maxim to the first floor, then out the door, into the grounds. They walked in silence for a long time, both savouring this moment of calmness and peace. It was Max who broke the silence first.
"So, tell me," he started. "What pushed you to stay?"
Nathan didn't answer.
"It's not in your nature to decide to stay in one place," Max continued, occasionally looking in his friend's direction.
"Someone said . . . If you don't know where you stand within yourself, where does that leave you? . . . When you stand centered in your own space, it will become clear what your choices are and which ones you make," Nate said calmly. "I . . . I found where my space is."
Max said nothing.
"Max . . . I think I found someone," Nate continued, looking at the ground.
Maxim smiled, but tried to hide it.
"I . . . I'm just so smitten about this girl, you won't believe," Nate said, crossing his hands behind his head.
Max chuckled.
"And who is the lucky winner?" he asked.
"Katherine Pryde," Nathan said softly.
Nathan could almost feel Max frown.
"But . . . I heard Rogue was the one that liked you?" he asked.
Nathan slowed his pace even more, sighing deeply.
"Yeah . . . but I love Kitty," he said sadly. "What am I going to say to her?"
"First of all, you have to talk to her about it, because it'll hurt more if she sees you with Kitty while she's thinking about you," Maxim said. "But what you're going to say to her, I have no idea."
Nathan sighed.
"This isn't good."
"Duh," Max approved. "When that sort of thing happened to me, I didn't have time to say two word, and she thought I was asking her on a date. It was terrrrrrible."
"Yeah, I remember," Nate said. "But I guess I have to do it."
"My opinion would be to go tell her right away before going out with the other one," Max said. "Definitely."
"Euh, Max?" Nate asked, looking away. "Kitty doesn't know."
Maxim burst out laughing.
"What are you WAITING for?" he said.
"Just give me time, my God," Nate objected. "I've been through a lot, I'm allowed to take a little break."
"Nope. Now that you're a student, you're going to see both of them nearly 24/7. You need to get this sorted out fast."
Nate sighed again.
"Okay," he said finally. "I'll go talk to Rogue tomorrow."
**********
now, how am I going to make Rogue react? Kill Kitty? . . . Euh, no. I don't think so.