Relationships

            Scott smiled as Kim snuggled against his chest, one hand lightly placed against the crook of his neck. He kissed the top of her head, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. She giggled, lifted her head and kissed his cheek. His heart burst with happiness as he thought about the last month. It had been perfect.

            In fact, the entire time had been spectacular, not just the budding relationship with Kim. He had learned how to do so much. Catching onto Braille was a lot easier when he put his mind to it. He learned how to trust his other sense, how to deal with a walking stick, how to tell his money apart, organize his clothes and a bunch of other tasks that would help him do a bunch of things that a seeing person would take for granted. Learning how to do all of these things helped him break out of the shell his mutation's manifestation had wrapped him in. He was happy and energetic again, like he had been at home with Nora and the others. He had started looking forward to the future, sure that he would have one - that he could create one with Xavier.

            And, maybe, that he could create one with Kim.

            If he could just get up the nerve to tell her the truth about him. It had been a month, and he had never been as close to anyone before. Not even Nora had touched him the way that Kim did. And yet he could not get over the fear that she would hate him, fear him. It was just a risk he couldn't take. And he hated himself for it because it felt like he was lying to her every time he saw her. The guilt was eating him up inside.

            "Scott?"

            He shook his mind, clearing it of the thoughts that had been plaguing him more and more often lately.

            "Yeah?"

            "This Saturday is my cousin's birthday. There's a party. Do you want to come with me?" Her voice was filled with fear, obviously nervous that he would react poorly to the idea of meeting her family for the first time. In reality, Scott wasn't scared. He was excited. He had heard a lot about her family, especially her cousin Warren, and was looking forward to getting to actually meet the people he felt like he already knew.

            "Yeah, sure. That would be fun."

            "Are you serious?" Her voice was incredulous.

            "Yeah." She smiled and leaned up for a kiss. It was a testament to how many times they've kissed in the last month that they could find each other's lips almost instinctively.

                                                *                      *                      *

            Scott and Kim sat outside the main doors of the school, waiting for the family's driver to come pick them up for the party. Only when Scott actually thought about it, did the immense wealth of Kim's family bother him, and he wondered why it did, since Xavier was just as rich, if not more so, and that didn't bother him at all. Maybe because I'm not dating Xavier.

            He lifted his head as he heard a car pull up and stop next to them.

            "Hello Ms. Worthington. And Mr. Summers?"

            "Hi Ben. Scott, this is Ben. He's been driving us around for about five years now."

            "It's a nasty job but someone's gotta do it."

            "Ha. Ha."

            Scott followed Kim into the car, and Ben was soon pulling away from the school. A short while later, they pulled off the highway and made their way toward the large grounds of the Worthington Mansion. Scott felt them stop, and that was when the nervousness hit him. Not that they wouldn't like him, not that they wouldn't approve of his and Kim's relationship, but once again of: what if? What if they found out about his eyes? About his mutation? He wasn't afraid that he wouldn't fit into their financial world. He was afraid he wouldn't fit into their normal world.

            "C'mon, Scott. We're here."

            "Okay." For not the first time, he desperately wished his mutation was the ability to make himself invisible. Or teleportation. Or, really, anything that would save him from this fate.

            "Kim?"

            "Warren!" And that was when Scott's nervousness went away. Anyone who could make his Kim sound that happy, that excited, that carefree…they were okay in his book.

            "This must be the famous Scott."

            "Hi." Scott stuck his hand out in the general direction of the voice. A firm, warm hand grabbed it and shook quickly and confidently. "Scott Summers. Happy Birthday"

            "Warren Worthington, and thanks."

            "Or, as I like to call him, Taxes."

            "Taxes?'

            "Yeah… W-2." Kim snorted her usual laugh at one of her horrible jokes, while Warren and Scott groaned.

            "Don't listen to her. That's the first time I've heard that one. How long did it take you to think that up, cos?"

            "What can I say? These things just come to me."

            "I wish they wouldn't."

            "You're just jealous." Scott smiled at the easy banter and teasing barbs the cousins threw at each other. He felt a pang of longing for a family of his own, and smiled when he thought that he did have one. Xavier was his family, and he was Xavier's. But a part of him missed Sandra's hugs.

            "Come on inside, Scott. The rest of the family is just dying to meet 'the most wonderful guy in the whole entire universe'."

            "Oh, my God, Warren! Do you have to repeat every embarrassing thing I say?"

            "Hey, you're just lucky I can't show the baby pictures." Scott felt Warren stop abruptly in front of him, barely stopping himself from running into him.

            "Uh…I'm sorry if I was out of line there, Scott. We're just used to joking about things with Kim; I don't know how you feel about that kind of stuff."

            "Oh, no. It's perfectly fun. Life's not worth living if you don't see the humor in it."

            "Good, good. I would hate for you to think I'm an insensitive prick."

            "At least, until you've gotten to know him. Then you'll know he's an insensitive prick."

            "Ha. Ha. Ha."

            Scott went on autopilot as they entered the house and started greeting all of Kim's family. Sometimes he felt like he made the best impressions when he wasn't really controlling his body. However, he was aware enough to realize that his nervousness was slowly ebbing away as relative after relative welcomed him with open arms. He stubbornly ignored the voice in his head saying yeah, but they don't know, do they? And neither does she…

            After talking school with Kim's mom, future plans with her Dad (as Kim pleaded in the background for him to stop scaring Scott away) and sports with Warren's Dad, Scott finally grabbed a plate of food and hid off in the corner.

            Everything went smoothly for a while, until Warren's mom started raising a fuss. Scott meandered his way over to find out what was going on, and learned that her cat, as it had done many times before, had gotten itself caught up in a big oak tree. Scott could hear a quiet meow plaintively whining above his head.

            "Oh, Warren. Please, baby, go get Athena."

            "Okay, okay. When will that stupid cat learn not to climb that tree!"

            Scott turned to Kim, who was standing next to him and leaning against his shoulder. "Does Warren have to climb up after the cat a lot?" He felt her tense up.

            "Uh…yeah…"

            "Poor guy."

            She didn't say anything in response, and Scott wondered if he had said something wrong. He was about to ask her, when he heard the strangest thing. It was the sound of a bird fluttering into the air, but it was right next to him and louder than any bird he had ever felt before. And, even more strangely, it felt like the bird's wings were fanning the air around him into a comfortable breeze.

                                                *                      *                      *

            Back at their usual spot in the school lounge, curled up on the sofa, Scott thought back to the strange events of the day, and he finally got up the urge to ask Kim about it. She sat quietly, tense again, and he was afraid she was going to refuse to answer the question. Or at least pretend she hadn't heard it. Just when he was about to give it up as a lost cause, he heard her take a shaky breath in and release it.

            "I was afraid to tell you. I don't want you to be afraid…or hate me."

            "What is it? He reached out and grabbed her hand, trying to show her that he could never feel anything but love for her.

            "My cousin. Uh…he's a mutant. He has, well, angel wings." She pulled her hand away from his, obviously getting to run the second he started reacting horribly to the news. In reality, all he could do was sit there, in shock, as he thought about how long he had been afraid of her finding out the truth and hating him for it. When, actually, the person she loved most in the world was even more obviously mutated than he himself was.

            A burst of relief and love filled his body, and he reached out and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately.

            "Did you really think that would make me love you any less?"

            She laughed a strange, strangled laugh and threw her arms around his neck, breathing quickly in happiness and pent-up stress leaving her body. She moved into kiss him, but Scott moved his head aside.

            "I have something to tell you, too."

            "Yeah?"

            "Uh…my blindness. It wasn't caused by hereditary problems. Or an accident. Or anything like that."    

            "What was it caused by?"

            "I'm a mutant, too. Red force beams burst out of my eyes when they're open. Underneath the sunglasses is tape, heavy-duty tape, keeping my eyes shut so I don't hurt anybody or anything. I don't know if I can actually still see or not, but it's too dangerous for me to ever try to do so again."

            "Oh, my God. Why didn't you ever tell me before?"

            Scott pressed his forehead against hers, breathing deeply. His heart dropped as he heard the sound of her sunglasses clinking against his.

            "I was afraid." 

            "Did you really think that would make me love you any less?"

            "Yes."

            "Then come here and let me show you differently." She pulled him into a kiss, and Scott didn't think he could ever be happier in his entire life than he was in that moment that Kim leaned over and kissed the real Scott Summers.