II
Kurt sat in his room, Indian style, atop his bed. Upon his covers, strewn out before him, lay a vast collection of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and bills of every denomination. Including, he noted upon counting, a Canadian penny. What was it about those that they continued to turn up in his change?
Total amount: fifty-seven dollars and fifty-six cents. Not nearly enough for any sort of decent gift for his girlfriend, though Kurt as he neatly folded up the dollar bills and organized his coins into rolls. Curse the Gut Bomb, he thought light-heartedly. His addiction for their delicious food had has also eaten into his allowance. Kurt may not have been a business tycoon, but he knew the price of gifts, and they'd be even higher nowadays, with the Holidays nearly upon them.
Thus, it was time to call in some favors.
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"Sure," said Scott, reaching for his wallet and handing Kurt a bill. "Here's that twenty I owe you. What's it for, if I might ask?"
Scott was in his room, e-mailing his little brother Alex about their upcoming vacation. This year he was going to be spending the time with his brother and his adopted family down in Hawaii, where snow was all but unheard of except in the mountains. He'd be leaving in a few days, along with most of the other students. Kurt was staying home this year with his sister Rogue.
"Late Christmas present I forgot about," he replied, pocketing the twenty and mentally adding it to his perfect-gift-for-Amanda funds. Which basically meant everything he had. No expense was too great for her.
"Hope it wasn't mine," joked Scott. Kurt snickered.
"Nein, nein... got somethin' for you a long whiles back," Kurt replied.
"Hey if you see Kitty don't tell her where I am," he stated quietly, hunched over the laptop of his desk like he was committing a great crime. "I still owe her five bucks for that bet."
"Vhat bet?" asked Kurt, tilting his head.
"She bet me the Brotherhood wouldn't show up at the pyramids to help... and well, I kinda bet against her..." he added, blushing. Kurt chuckled, nodding, and closed the door to Scott's room. He was glad he hadn't made that bet himself, he would've lost it.
Whistling a merry tune, appropriate to the holidays, Kurt headed off to call in his next favor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ahlright, ahlright, just let me find it, willya?"
Rogue's voice echoed up from underneath her bed, where she was currently crouched, searching for something. Kurt patiently stood to one side, twiddling with the ends of his beige over-shirt. Finally, the auburn and white haired locks of his sister emerged from the bed, and she stood, holding her hands a small block box.
She sat down on her bed, clicking it open and rummaging through it. Finally, she pulled out a five and slapped it down onto the bed next to her. This she repeated twice, and a third time.
"There ya go... one... two... three five dollars. For tha times ya bought me lunch," she stated, neatly handing the small pile of bills to her adopted brother. Kurt smiled, taking, again mentally adding them to his total. Getting better, he thought.
"Danke Rogue," he said, turning to exit.
"Who's it for?" she asked, 'causing him to stop in his tracks. "Give your big sister some credit, furrball. Ya forgot ta get someone a present, that's why ya'll're callin' in favors a week before Christmas day, right?"
"Ja," he replied. "For Amanda."
"Ah, that explains it," she replied with a smirk. "Whatcha' gettin' her? Don't worry I won't tell," she added quickly.
"Vell..." he fidgeting, his tail lashing about his legs. "To be honest I'm not yet sure... I've been thinking about it, but I can't decide."
"Trouble finding something just perfect for 'em?" asked Rogue, nodding her head in understanding.
"How did...?" he started.
Rogue pulled a lock of her white hair before her eyes, as if inspecting it. "Well, my hair ain't red, and Ah ain't a telepath... take a wild guess."
"You've had to do this before?" he asked.
The pale Goth gestured, indicating he should close the door so they had a mediocre of privacy. Not that it was easy, with one resident who walked through walls and two others who read minds, not to mention somebody who could smell lunch being cooked in the kitchen from sub-level twenty-three, nearly a hundred feet below. But it would do.
"Last Christmas, yeah... for... for Scott," she said softly, a blush coming to her normally ivory-pale cheeks. Kurt nodded. He'd known practically since Rogue had met Scott, not counting that time in Caldecott cemetery, that she'd had a crush on him. It had faded in time, especially after Jean had moved in to finally lay claim. Much like him and his crush on Kitty, which Rogue teased him mercilessly about.
"Ah wasn't sure what to get," she said quietly. "Ah must've spent hours in just about every sunglasses store in the city of Bayville," she added, smiling quietly. Kurt laughed at that, but not too loudly. He didn't want to interrupt.
"So in the end you got him a sweater... why?" he asked.
"Ah guess part of me realized, maybe, that we'd just never be anything more than friends... so ah got 'im somethin' simple. Something practical, no less," she replied. "Ah just wanted to get something he could really appreciate."
"I think you did," he replied. "He was wearing it last I saw him, actually."
"Really?" she asked, her expression brightening. "This ain't some foolish little prank of yours, is it?!"
"Nein, truth to God!" he swore, placing one hand flat in front of him and another up in the air as if he was holding the Bible and before a court, respectively.
Rogue smiled. "Ah'm glad," she said. "But for Amanda, Ah imagine ya want to find her somethin' more special than a sweater."
"Actually Rogue you've been a big help," he replied. "I'm sure I'll find something," he added, as he departed with a characteristic implosion of air.
Rogue grimaced, waving away the scent of sulfur. Silently she wished Kurt luck. Rogue had never known Amanda very well, since the two didn't have a great deal in common. But whenever she was around her annoying little brother he never failed to wear a smile on his face. True love like that was a rare thing. Even Kitty could never do for Kurt what Amanda had for him, and she was grateful. After all that had happened the past few years, with Magneto and the Sentinels and Mystique's 'death' and rebirth, Kurt deserved some happiness.
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"Kurt! I told you not to 'port in here like that!" shouted Kitty.
Thankfully Kurt hadn't seen anything, but she was wrapped in a pink towel, and her brown hair was dripping wet and hanging loosely around her shoulders. Obviously she'd finished her evening shower.
Kurt wasted no time in 'porting straight out, knocking on the door gently. "Sorry Keety! I just need to talk to you vhen you're done, I'll be in meine room."
Kitty grumbled, finishing her nightly ritual of brushing her hair down, working out the loose strands and making sure it was absolutely straight and smooth. She left it down during the evening, only pulling it up into her characteristic ponytail in the morning before breakfast. So, grabbing her pajamas and sliding into them, she made her way down the hallway to Kurt's room to find out what he wanted.
The door was unlocked and she made her way inside, but to her surprise the furry blue elf was nowhere to be found. And equally to her astonishment, she saw neatly spread out on his bed was a collection of coins and bills, all neatly laid out and arranged. The Fuzzy Dude was up to something. But it couldn't be Christmas shopping, she thought. It was too close to Christmas Eve. And it certainly wasn't for Chanukah, that was only three days away. It was waaaayyyy too late for that, plus Kurt wasn't Jewish. As far as Kitty knew, she was the only member of her faith at the Institute.
A muffled 'bamf' and the scent of sulfur made her whirl around to spot Kurt, who'd just 'ported into the room.
"Oh Keety, sorry I'm late... couldn't find Jamie," he stated, adding some of his coins and newly acquired dollar bills to the pile on the bed.
"Like, what's this all about Kurt?" she asked, crossing her arms. She was very tired, she'd had a particularly bad training session earlier today with Logan, and afterwards she'd been absolutely swamped in work trying to get things finished before Winter Break. She was looking forward to a nice, relaxing Chanukah with her parents.
"Sorry Keety, but I need a favor. I need to get back that money I loaned you for your school supplies. Look, normally I vouldn't ask, but..."
"No no, that's fine," she interrupted. "Just... what is all this about Kurt?"
"Ah... late Christmas present," he replied, grimacing. Kitty raised an eyebrow, giving a gentle 'go on' gesture. "For... Amanda," he added with a sigh.
"Oh..." said Kitty. "Can I help?"
"Nein, danke," he replied. "Just need to gather some things before I go looking for it... and..."
"Oh no, that's fine... wait here..." she replied, immediately turning and rushing towards the wall. She slid through it, as insubstantial as a ghost. A few short moments later she returned, eagerly placing two fresh, very crisp twenty dollar bills in his hands. Kurt was startled, this was much more than she owed him. He said as much.
"Oh keep it, Kurt... you can always pay me back later..."
"But Keety..."
"Keep it," she replied. "I remember all the times you casually lend out money to me, Scott, Sam, even Jamie. Even if we refused to take it. You kept saying 'no monetary bonds between friends.' Well enjoy, fuzzy, because you're my best friend and I wanna help you with this."
Kitty didn't get a chance to say anything more, because Kurt walked over and hugged her. She smiled, patting his back, and the two parted. It was a chaste, friendly hug, but the two were comfortable with one another now. They had their own 'special someone' each, but would still always remain good friends throughout. They shared a bond of friendship since their first days of the Institute.
"Just do me a favor, 'kay? If you spot Lance at the mall don't tell him what I got him, alright?" she asked. Kurt nodded. She'd shown him, her best friend, the gift she'd gotten Lance. The last thing she wanted now was for it to be spoiled. She intended to drop it off at the Brotherhood Boarding House on her way to the airport.
"Danke," he intoned, truly grateful. She nodded, stifling a yawn. Bidding one another good-night, Kitty again phased her way back to her room and collapsed on her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The last day of school was, to many, the previous day. The hallways were suspiciously empty of most ner'do'wells, who'd skipped the final day to get a head start on their Winter Break. However, every single member of the Institute students were present, as Professor X had no intention of letting them shrink from their responsibilities. Lance Alvers of the Brotherhood was also present, though none of his colleagues had decided to show themselves (two of them still being banned as they were, one more never having registered as a student in the first place).
Kurt had, while not actively avoided Amanda, not sought her out today as he normally did. During lunch or during their mutually shared classes. He'd claimed he was busy, which he supposed was true enough. He didn't want it to leak he hadn't actually found her a gift, especially after she'd obviously gone to all the trouble of finding him one.
Which led him back to a thought that had been nagging at the back of his mind most of last night, preventing him from sleeping. What -had- she gotten him? He wanted to get a gift for her, of course, but not something that outshone hers, or she'd feel bad. The last thing Kurt wanted to do was make Amanda feel bad. At the same time, he couldn't give her something insignificant, in case the opposite was true. He wracked his brain, trying to think if he'd been given any indication of what he might like. He hadn't said he needed anything recently to her. Not that he remembered, at any rate.
"Arrrgh," he grumbled softly, turning his attention back to his classwork. Last day was due to end any moment, but it couldn't come soon enough for him.
Evidently it couldn't for Mrs. Lawrence either.
"Alright guys," she said, giving a clap of her hands to draw the attention of the students who'd been engrossed in their activities. Which included a mix of actual work and a few slackers sharing gossip about the latest Matrix movie.
"I know you're all anxious to get out of here and enjoy your Winter Break. So come on up and turn in your papers and get the heck out of here!" she said with a big, happy smile on her face. In some ways she reminded Kurt of a grown-up Kitty, all energy and spunk. Her hair, though cut short, was brown like Kitty's, and helped to create the illusion.
Still, Kurt did not ponder his good fortune, and was among the first to grab his pack and turn in his paper, slinging his back over one shoulder and take off down the hallway. Most of the other classes had yet to get out, not having such generous teachers, and the halls were deathly silent as he made his way to his locker, grabbed his things, and 'ported off of the school grounds.
Time for shopping.
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Kurt popped back into existence atop of the Bayville Mall, in the back above the dumpsters. He'd once teleported onto the ground directly, but he'd once run into some of the workers down there, and had to make a run for it. Now he took a look before he climbed down.
Thankfully no one was there, and Kurt crawled forward on all four limbs like some great spider, landing on the ground gracefully. He did not shy away from the awful stench emitted by the dumpsters... they served worst things at the school cafeteria for lunch. And the cool air and snow helped to muffle the smell.
Kurt glanced around to make sure no one had noticed him, then tapped the button on his holowatch, hunching over. For a moment, the image it projected faded away, leaving the blue-furred elf that he was underneath visible. Quickly he scrolled through the options on the watch and activated another setting, letting the air shimmer around him again as an image covered his true form.
The holowatch truly was a marvel of technology. Though only a visual device, it was capable of creating a large number of images over the person who wore it, and perfect images that, even up close, could pass inspection. True, it could not alter the general dimensions of the person in question to a certain degree. That being the illusion's eyes were in the same place as the originals. Same with the hands, the feet, etc. However, upon toying with it during a Spring Break, Kurt had discovered it did possess a great deal of malleability. Like when he'd been trying to impress Kitty he could modify the image so he looked like a furry-blue Arnold Schwarzenagger. Or, he thought with a blush, the time the Professor had thought to teach him a lesson about it, and made him look like a girl. Though, he admitted privately to himself, he still looked good, even as a girl.
Toad had also discovered some of the range of the holowatches capabilities when he'd tried to win over Wanda. Kurt had decided to leave the files left on his holowatch in case Toad ever wanted to borrow it again. He doubted the slimy boy would, but you never know. And he did open Kurt's eyes about how similar they truly were.
Kurt's new setting was the same height and general build, but with dark blonde hair and slightly tanner skin, with a completely different ensemble of wintery clothes. A blue jacket and white scarf, nothing extravagant. He didn't enjoy doing this, but he'd found it was better. Those from school who might recognize him as a mutant would make buying things hard. Bayville's local stores had no shortage of 'Right to Refuse Service' signs stored under their counters. And today, he didn't want anyone from the Institute or school to recognize him and have word get back to Amanda.
So it was that Kurt strolled into the Bayville Mall on a mission.
Strolled straight into chaos.
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Kurt's first stop was the Borders located at the front of the mall. Though books weren't really his thing, he supposed he could take a look around, see if something caught his eye. He did have all the rest of the day until the mall closed, after all. And Amanda had said she did have a thing for fantasy and sci-fi novels.
So it was that Kurt found himself crouched between book rows, examining the latest works by such authors as Chris Claremont, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. However, nothing seemed to catch his interest, and with a dejected sigh he stood, brushed off his jacket of imaginary lint and continued his search, wandering down between this row and that. From the Manga (which he had a secret love of) to the Self-Help (surprised they don't have a Chicken Soup for the Mutant Soul, he thought dryly) to the Romance novels and more. Literature, Cooking, Religion, Science. Nothing seemed right, good though some of them might have been for friends (and indeed, a number of books had been purchased already for his friends at the Institute) but not his girlfriend, his sweetheart, his love.
Dejected, Kurt took the opposite exit from the Borders out into the main mall, as always amazed by the number of Christmas decorations that had sprung into existence, seemingly overnight, since Thanksgiving. Silver tinsel and green garlen was strewn and hung, respectively, everywhere one looked. Along most of the walls were snowflakes, both painted and paper. And, unsurprisingly, in the normally clear center of the mall was the largest Christmas tree Kurt had ever seen, nearly brushing against the roof of the mall, three stories up. It too was decorated by golden garlen, as well as countless red crystal globes, and atop, a star that probably was as wide as Kurt's outstretched arm.
Kurt strolled on. For all their loveliness, the beautiful decorations all paled to the thought of his beloved's smile. So, determined to see such a thing, he returned to his quest to find her a present, expertly dodging to and fro the unusually thick crowds, careful not to let anyone brush against him. His tail wrapped itself around his waist underneath his shirt to avoid discovery.
A JC Penny's was next. His talk with Rogue had given him the idea that perhaps something simple might work best after all. So, clothing, preferably a warm winter coat for their snowball fights. Or a nice sweater. Blue, of course, being Amanda's favorite color (he still blushed to think about that). But again nothing seemed right. It was the wrong cut, the wrong shade of blue, or as Jean was wont to say, 'just plain ugly.'
A few stores he plain avoided. Toy stores, for examples. Amanda wasn't a ten-year old, he thought. Victoria's Secret was also something he immediately slashed off his list of potentials, despite what his hormones told him to get his girlfriend. He shut the image out of his mind (storing it away for later, of course) and returned to his search.
And so he visited the next store. And the next. And the next...
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Kurt didn't find anything that day. Or the next, at a different mall on the far side of Bayville. Most things were sold out, or, like the first mall, just weren't what he was looking for. By the twentieth everyone had left the Institute for the holidays, even the usual crowd had vanished.
Rogue was visiting her foster mother Irene for the holiday (though Kurt suspected she was also going to visit a certain Cajun in New Orleans as well). The Professor and Beast had gone to speak with a colleague of theirs about mutants. A renowned scientist by the name of Patronete. Scott was with his brother Alex in Hawaii. Even Logan had left to take care of 'important things.' Leaving one fuzzy blue mutant alone at the Institute for Gifted Youngsters.
By the twenty-second, Kurt had begun to despair of finding a gift in time. He was running out of time, and he needed to find it. Not just any gift would do.
So it was time to bring in the expert.
Margali Sefton.
"I need advice," he stated quietly before the matron of the Sefton household. Amanda was out with her father, getting a pine tree to decorate. Thus, Kurt had managed to catch Amanda's mother without alerting his girlfriend to his dilemma.
He sat in the living room with her, fidgeting, his tail curling around the leg of the chair he sat in as Margali sipped her tea across from him. He explained the situation, then waited patiently while she thought about it.
"You really do care about her, don't you?" she asked at length. Kurt, surprised, nodded.
"Ja," he replied simply.
"Then the best advice I can give you is to act on those feelings," she stated quietly, placing her teacup back down on the coaster before her. "At the risk of sound like an overly clique Christmas movie, let me say this. The most magical gifts come from the heart. Let that guide you, Kurt."
"Thank you, Mrs. Sefton," he intoned respectfully, standing. "You've been a great help. I'll respect your wisdom."
"Just treat my daughter right," she replied, patting him on the head in a motherly way that made him blush. "That's all I ask."
Kurt departed with newfound determination, and a brown-haired woman's blessing. He would find Amanda the best present for Christmas, one that showed her exactly how he felt about her.
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There it was. The most perfect gift he could've found her.
Kurt's face pressed up against the display window, eyeing the item in question through perhaps an centimeter or so of clear glass. It was beyond perfect, it seemed as if the universe itself had, after deciding to bring the two of them together, crafted this just for them. It was beyond perfect.
Kurt reached into the pockets of his jacket, examining his money. Counting slowly, fearful that he'd find he was short by another dozen dollars or so. To his vast surprise, and relief, he had nearly the exact amount he needed. And he could still repay Kitty some of the money she'd lent him when she returned home from Northbrook.
He made his way into the store, and drew over a clerk to make his purchase. And, he noted from a sign on the counter, it included packaging and gift-wrapping so it was all nice and pretty.
Life was beyond good.
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Kurt hid the package under his coat as he made his way out of the mall, grateful that particular store had been mobbed like most of the others had been. There'd been a line, but it'd been short and he hadn't stayed for long. It was, however, already growing late in the day. He'd delayed his visit to the Seftons until the afternoon when Amanda had been out looking for a tree, and after a few hours searching it was growing late. The sky was already dark, clouds hanging with the promise of fresh white snow in the next couple of days.
Kurt's night vision allowed him to make his way home with relative ease, carefully slipping into the Mansion as he hid his gift underneath his bed. No sign of anyone, not even Logan. He hadn't come back yet, apparently. He then slid off his holowatch and gratefully collapsed atop the covers, falling asleep almost instantly.
He dreamed that night. Of Amanda.
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Author's Notes:
We see some good ol' Kurt-Rogue brother-sister bonding. Isn't it cute? Yes it is. Also a little more insight into Rogue-Scott-Jean love triangle that is, sadly, no longer part of wonderful world of Evolution. Poor Rogue. For the record, I do not know how to spell the Jewish holiday. Chanukah seemed good to me, my apologies if I misspelled it. Mrs. Lawrence is based off an actual teacher I once had in High School. Now that I think back she does remind me an awful lot of Kitty Pryde. Of course, I also had this one Phys Ed teacher who reminded me of Logan too. Not fun. The concept of Kurt's holowatch is, of course, based off of how it seems to work in 'Adrift' and 'The Toad, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.' Anyone recognize those author's? If not I'm shocked. They were the authors who wrote X2 and X-Men, the novels based off the movies. Margali's use of the term 'magical' is, of course, an in-joke of her comic version being a sorceress.
RogueSummers: I'm shocked you don't read Kurmandas. But I imagine you're more of a Scogue sort, yes? Your name says as much. Don't deny it! I like that couple too, as you'll see later on.
CrypticIdentity: Well thank you, glad you're enjoying my stories. Its a good idea, actually, but 'fraid not. Something like that is being saved for our favorite Rogue. But good guess, none-the-less.
Elrohirthewriter: And so much anger, can't forget that. Believe me, she's as responsible for her fate as anyone else. But yeah, pity for poor Misty. Hehe. Hope you enjoy the rest to come.
Sarah: Glad you liked my take on Kurmanda, but believe me there are plenty of us out there. Alaer and Internutter are some of the best though. Nice name you have. Interesting note... in my other story, 'Weapon X24', I named the mutant X23 after you. What a coincidence!
No Name: They are cute, aren't they? Trust me, plenty more to come. I do want to wrap this up before the actual twenty-fourth, after all.
Psycho Artist: Its not a Kurtty! That's Kurt/Kitty! This is a Kurmanda! And yes, thank you for commenting on the cuteness. That was the angle I was working.
Pix: Glad you like.
Kinomi: Oh believe me I shall. Sorry about the dreaded 'text block of doom' but you know what its like for us poor bastards who don't have Microsoft Word. And our spelling, and our grammar.
Comet-hime: Just a tiny bit. This is Kurt and Amanda's time in the spotlight, I'm not letting anyone else get it for more than a few moments. As for Kurt's family, well, I'll weave in a little more.
Gambi316: Don't worry, plenty for even you to enjoy to come. And of course Rogue/Remy references later on.