Wagner 1:1
The man stood in the shadow of the old oak tree that still stood in front of Bayville High School. His one hand rested lightly on the rough bark while the other tightly clenched the invitation, written on fine cream paper. A taxi pulled up next to him and the man closed his eyes and blended with the shadows. A man and woman stepped, laughing over some joke, out of the cab and up the steps into the main entrance of the school.
Kurt Wagner sighed as he forced his hand to unclench his invitation and put it in his pocket. Pulling his hand free he stared at the blue appendage. Three fingers. Blue fir. Claws. He made a fist and looked away.
Out from his other pocket he pulled an older watch, bulky and ugly, and strapped it on his wrist. With a defeated sigh Kurt pushed the button on his inducer and his appearance shifted.
His dress was the same, all black with the start white collar, and his hair was still the same navy blue. It was shorter now, though, than in High School, curling at his ears and over his forehead, and just brushing the nape of his neck. His skin, on the other hand, was no longer the furry midnight blue he was born with. Well, it was, but the inducer made it pale cream, and his golden eyes developed pupils. His tail was well wrapped and hidden around his leg. With a tug on his priestly collar, Kurt Wagner stepped from the safety of the tree and walked the steps to his fate.
His ten-year reunion.
***
Thinking back now Kurt couldn't remember why he thought is was a good idea to come in the first place. As it was, he was only lukewarm to the idea to begin with, but Father Brian had found out and encouraged him to go. Now, as he stood in the small line for his table information and nametag, he wished Father Brian wasn't so hard to refuse.
He smiled at the woman behind the desk as he stepped up, her face only vaguely recognizable and her name-tag proudly announced her name was Vikki. Kurt mentally rolled his eyes. There was probably a reason why he wouldn't remember her very well. When she spoke he remembered why.and who he was.
Her name was Vikki Kessler (or it was, anyway) and she was in his history class sophomore year. Her voice gained renown for being the shrillest in the school and actually cracked glass once. Now all it's strident tones were directed at him.
"Hi!! Welcome back!" Kurt smirked.
"Hallo Vikki." She smiled.
"You remember me!" Kurt cracked his neck and found his nametag.
"How could I not?" He asked, the irony lost on the subject. He saw her take a not-so-subtle glance at his nametag and her eyes bugged.
"Kurt! Kurt Wagner! Is that you?"
"Last time I checked," he muttered, but she didn't hear, she was talking again.
"Look at you. You've grown! And what's this? A Priest's collar? Don't tell me Mr. Party is a man of the cloth." Kurt smiled sadly and tried to make his escape.
"Ja. Afraid so. But if you excuse me, I must find my table. Bye Vikki!" With that he all but ran into the gymnasium.
On entering the doors, however, he stopped. The room was decorated exactly like it was the night of their senior prom. Kurt tried not to gag. He hated pastel Unicorns then and he hated them now. Checking his card he saw he was seated at table seven. When he finally found it, he was only mildly relieved to see it empty. He could avoid people for now, but they wouldn't stay away forever. More and more Kurt thought about just up and leaving. He hadn't wanted to come in the first place.
Right?
He was just about to get some punch when he heard a familiar voice.
A very familiar voice.
"Fuzz man? Is that you?" Kurt turned and blinked at the boy who had been his best friend for over a year.
"Ja, Evan. Ist me."
***
Evan really hadn't changed much from the last time he had seen him. His hair was still blond, though it covered his head instead of having the two points on the side. He still had ridges on his faces and hands, but they had receded to the point of being barely noticeable and he had been able to completely retract his spikes, so the furniture was safe.
Right now, he was staring at Kurt as the blue mutant shifted nervously. Evan smiled and opened his arms.
"It's good to see you, Fuzz!" Kurt smiled back and returned the brotherly hug before gesturing for them both to sit.
"And to see you, mine freund. It is unexpected. I thought you vere still underground." Evan shrugged.
"I am, mostly. I still live with the Morelocks, but my 'rents were worried so I opened up a PO Box as soon as the spikes retracted. The reunion committee found me though that. I thought it would be fun to show, freak some people." Kurt laughed.
"Evan, you never change."
"Damn strait. What about you? How did they find you?" Kurt shrugged.
"Though the Professor. Then through the church. Father Brian convinced me to go, though." Evan blinked at him, then LOOKED at him.
"Damn, Fuzzy, you're a priest?" Kurt nodded.
"Ja. In New York City. Close enough for the Professor to visit every so often to see how I am." Evan stared at him thoughtfully.
"How long you been gone from the mansion, Fuzz?"
Kurt shrugged. " About nine years. I tried going back about three years ago, but I never made it to the gates."
"Why did you leave?"
"Same reasons you did. I didn't fit in the X-Men anymore. When mutants were exposed and I was constantly worried about my fuzziness being known, I turned back to the church for strength, as I had back in Germany. But my resurrection in faith took a toll on my role in the x-men. It eventually got to the point vhen I could no longer equate the two in my mind. I could either be religious or an X-man. My mind got so twisted about it, the Professor suggested some time away, to distance myself. That vas nine years ago. I'm still searching."
Evan seemed a bit off balance at this revelation, but it didn't shake him for long. He reached out and gripped Kurt's arm, just above the elbow.
"You'll find what you're looking for. I'm sure of it. You're too damned stubborn not to." Kurt looked seriously at Evan for a long moment.
"You've changed, Evan."
"Matured. Tunnels will do that to you." Kurt nodded.
"Ja.oh, and Evan?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't swear in front of a priest."
***
Kurt looked around the still empty table.
"Do you know who else vill be sitting vith us? I'm guessing they're putting old friends together, but we were the only two from the mansion in our year." Evan nodded.
"You're right, but I have a feeling they'll put the ex-brotherhood members with us. Mutants and Mutants after all."
"Ex-Brotherhood?" Kurt asked, surprised. Evan nodded.
"Yeah. I'm staying at the mansion for this whole thing, and I found out about it my first night there. After you left, apparently, some of the old Brotherhood guys teamed up with Xavier instead."
"Who?"
"Wanda was first. Then Tabby, Pietro and, believe it or not, Toad."
"No vay!"
"Yes, way," Said another familiar and amused voice from behind them. Kurt spun.
"Tabby!" he cried, excited at seeing his old friend again. There was no mistaking Tabitha, no matter where she went. Her dress was neon green with sparkling sunburst woven into the skintight fabric. A thick white belt accented her white heeled boots and her arms were filled with sparkling noisy bracelets. Her hair was still kept short and flipped out and her eyes were accented in green. "Wow, Tabby.very..eighties." She grinned.
"I know, isn't it fantastic! I found it in a secondhand store in the village. I just love the color."
"It's very you." He agreed. She grinned and pulled her old friend into a hug.
"Look at you," she said, pulling away. "I never thought I would see the day that Kurt Wagner, the Amazing Nightcrawler, would become a priest. If anything I thought you would have run away to the circus." Kurt laughed and pulled her chair out.
"Where are the others?" Evan asked. Tabby rolled her eyes.
"Wanda was still forcing Todd into the shower when I left. Pietro was rushing around trying to put together an outfit that he would wear that would look good. Pietro was ready, of course, way before you even left and has been tapping his foot since." Evan grinned.
"I know. That's why I left." Tabby made a face at him and turned her attention back to Kurt.
"So why the Holy Man duds?" Kurt smiled patiently.
"I had to search my soul for answers. The best place for soul searching is in the church." Tabby raised an eyebrow, knowing she had only gotten an abbreviated version. "I'll explain later vhen more people vish to hear it. I don't vant to have to explain myself every time I meet an old friend." Tabby nodded and looked at the entrance.
"The twins are here," she announced, "and Todd. He doesn't look to happy to be clean."
"This is news?"
"Collar or no, you're still a wiseass, Kurt." He just grinned.
The twins came over, Todd trailing behind, looking vaguely ill and very uncomfortable in his clothes. He was the first of the three to notice Kurt, however.
"Blue? Yo, man, issat you?" Kurt smiled.
"Ya. In the fur." Todd grinned. "Good to see ya back, man. Still think ya should ditch the hardware." Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Sorry, Todd, I don't vant to cause a riot by people seeing a blue demon in a priest's collar." He turned his attention back to Wanda and Pietro who were still standing and staring. "Hello, uhh, please, have a seat. Relax."
"I'msurprisedtoseeyouhere, Blue. Didn'tthinkyou'dcome." Kurt shrugged.
"I almost didn't, but Father Brian is very persuasive."
"And seeing us isn't enough to bring you back here?" Tabitha asked, sounding mildly, yet mockingly, hurt.
"I.vell.I." Tabby smiled.
"I was kidding, Kurt." Kurt shot her a look. Wanda spoke next.
"Actually, I believe he didn't want to come back in order to avoid temptation."
Kurt and Wanda stared at each other, expressions still, till Kurt lowered his eyes and spoke softly.
"She's right. I am a priest now, and a priest cannot do certain things. It's against my religion. Being back here, where it's so easy to fall back into old patterns. It will be hard to resist sin."
"Truth is never a sin." Wanda said and Kurt raised his head to stare at her.
"O.k." Evan said slowly, "That's enough of that. It's getting way to serious. This is a party, man. Relax. Have some fun. Here," he handed Kurt a drink. "Don't worry, it's just punch." Kurt laughed and sipped the punch.
"I can drink you know, Evan."
"You can?" Kurt nodded.
"How else am I supposed to take communion? Holy grape juice?" Evan just rolled his eyes. Tabby pulled the drink out of his hand and grabbed his arm.
"Come, on, Kurt. Get that stiff out of your spine and dance with me." Kurt laughed and danced and for the first time in ten years, he didn't worry about X-men or the priesthood or Scott.
TBC
Well, sorry it took so long. Writers block sucks. And FF.net has been really funky the last few days.anyway, I hope the NEW IMPROVED ACCENT helps understanding. Un, next chapter, Kurt visits the Mansion and Professor X.
Mariko Azrael - it's Kurt/Scott, my favorite Evo pairing.
Manni18 - no he doesn't know Kurt is fuzzy and I don't know yet if he ever will.
I was, am, and will always be, Immortaljedi
The man stood in the shadow of the old oak tree that still stood in front of Bayville High School. His one hand rested lightly on the rough bark while the other tightly clenched the invitation, written on fine cream paper. A taxi pulled up next to him and the man closed his eyes and blended with the shadows. A man and woman stepped, laughing over some joke, out of the cab and up the steps into the main entrance of the school.
Kurt Wagner sighed as he forced his hand to unclench his invitation and put it in his pocket. Pulling his hand free he stared at the blue appendage. Three fingers. Blue fir. Claws. He made a fist and looked away.
Out from his other pocket he pulled an older watch, bulky and ugly, and strapped it on his wrist. With a defeated sigh Kurt pushed the button on his inducer and his appearance shifted.
His dress was the same, all black with the start white collar, and his hair was still the same navy blue. It was shorter now, though, than in High School, curling at his ears and over his forehead, and just brushing the nape of his neck. His skin, on the other hand, was no longer the furry midnight blue he was born with. Well, it was, but the inducer made it pale cream, and his golden eyes developed pupils. His tail was well wrapped and hidden around his leg. With a tug on his priestly collar, Kurt Wagner stepped from the safety of the tree and walked the steps to his fate.
His ten-year reunion.
***
Thinking back now Kurt couldn't remember why he thought is was a good idea to come in the first place. As it was, he was only lukewarm to the idea to begin with, but Father Brian had found out and encouraged him to go. Now, as he stood in the small line for his table information and nametag, he wished Father Brian wasn't so hard to refuse.
He smiled at the woman behind the desk as he stepped up, her face only vaguely recognizable and her name-tag proudly announced her name was Vikki. Kurt mentally rolled his eyes. There was probably a reason why he wouldn't remember her very well. When she spoke he remembered why.and who he was.
Her name was Vikki Kessler (or it was, anyway) and she was in his history class sophomore year. Her voice gained renown for being the shrillest in the school and actually cracked glass once. Now all it's strident tones were directed at him.
"Hi!! Welcome back!" Kurt smirked.
"Hallo Vikki." She smiled.
"You remember me!" Kurt cracked his neck and found his nametag.
"How could I not?" He asked, the irony lost on the subject. He saw her take a not-so-subtle glance at his nametag and her eyes bugged.
"Kurt! Kurt Wagner! Is that you?"
"Last time I checked," he muttered, but she didn't hear, she was talking again.
"Look at you. You've grown! And what's this? A Priest's collar? Don't tell me Mr. Party is a man of the cloth." Kurt smiled sadly and tried to make his escape.
"Ja. Afraid so. But if you excuse me, I must find my table. Bye Vikki!" With that he all but ran into the gymnasium.
On entering the doors, however, he stopped. The room was decorated exactly like it was the night of their senior prom. Kurt tried not to gag. He hated pastel Unicorns then and he hated them now. Checking his card he saw he was seated at table seven. When he finally found it, he was only mildly relieved to see it empty. He could avoid people for now, but they wouldn't stay away forever. More and more Kurt thought about just up and leaving. He hadn't wanted to come in the first place.
Right?
He was just about to get some punch when he heard a familiar voice.
A very familiar voice.
"Fuzz man? Is that you?" Kurt turned and blinked at the boy who had been his best friend for over a year.
"Ja, Evan. Ist me."
***
Evan really hadn't changed much from the last time he had seen him. His hair was still blond, though it covered his head instead of having the two points on the side. He still had ridges on his faces and hands, but they had receded to the point of being barely noticeable and he had been able to completely retract his spikes, so the furniture was safe.
Right now, he was staring at Kurt as the blue mutant shifted nervously. Evan smiled and opened his arms.
"It's good to see you, Fuzz!" Kurt smiled back and returned the brotherly hug before gesturing for them both to sit.
"And to see you, mine freund. It is unexpected. I thought you vere still underground." Evan shrugged.
"I am, mostly. I still live with the Morelocks, but my 'rents were worried so I opened up a PO Box as soon as the spikes retracted. The reunion committee found me though that. I thought it would be fun to show, freak some people." Kurt laughed.
"Evan, you never change."
"Damn strait. What about you? How did they find you?" Kurt shrugged.
"Though the Professor. Then through the church. Father Brian convinced me to go, though." Evan blinked at him, then LOOKED at him.
"Damn, Fuzzy, you're a priest?" Kurt nodded.
"Ja. In New York City. Close enough for the Professor to visit every so often to see how I am." Evan stared at him thoughtfully.
"How long you been gone from the mansion, Fuzz?"
Kurt shrugged. " About nine years. I tried going back about three years ago, but I never made it to the gates."
"Why did you leave?"
"Same reasons you did. I didn't fit in the X-Men anymore. When mutants were exposed and I was constantly worried about my fuzziness being known, I turned back to the church for strength, as I had back in Germany. But my resurrection in faith took a toll on my role in the x-men. It eventually got to the point vhen I could no longer equate the two in my mind. I could either be religious or an X-man. My mind got so twisted about it, the Professor suggested some time away, to distance myself. That vas nine years ago. I'm still searching."
Evan seemed a bit off balance at this revelation, but it didn't shake him for long. He reached out and gripped Kurt's arm, just above the elbow.
"You'll find what you're looking for. I'm sure of it. You're too damned stubborn not to." Kurt looked seriously at Evan for a long moment.
"You've changed, Evan."
"Matured. Tunnels will do that to you." Kurt nodded.
"Ja.oh, and Evan?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't swear in front of a priest."
***
Kurt looked around the still empty table.
"Do you know who else vill be sitting vith us? I'm guessing they're putting old friends together, but we were the only two from the mansion in our year." Evan nodded.
"You're right, but I have a feeling they'll put the ex-brotherhood members with us. Mutants and Mutants after all."
"Ex-Brotherhood?" Kurt asked, surprised. Evan nodded.
"Yeah. I'm staying at the mansion for this whole thing, and I found out about it my first night there. After you left, apparently, some of the old Brotherhood guys teamed up with Xavier instead."
"Who?"
"Wanda was first. Then Tabby, Pietro and, believe it or not, Toad."
"No vay!"
"Yes, way," Said another familiar and amused voice from behind them. Kurt spun.
"Tabby!" he cried, excited at seeing his old friend again. There was no mistaking Tabitha, no matter where she went. Her dress was neon green with sparkling sunburst woven into the skintight fabric. A thick white belt accented her white heeled boots and her arms were filled with sparkling noisy bracelets. Her hair was still kept short and flipped out and her eyes were accented in green. "Wow, Tabby.very..eighties." She grinned.
"I know, isn't it fantastic! I found it in a secondhand store in the village. I just love the color."
"It's very you." He agreed. She grinned and pulled her old friend into a hug.
"Look at you," she said, pulling away. "I never thought I would see the day that Kurt Wagner, the Amazing Nightcrawler, would become a priest. If anything I thought you would have run away to the circus." Kurt laughed and pulled her chair out.
"Where are the others?" Evan asked. Tabby rolled her eyes.
"Wanda was still forcing Todd into the shower when I left. Pietro was rushing around trying to put together an outfit that he would wear that would look good. Pietro was ready, of course, way before you even left and has been tapping his foot since." Evan grinned.
"I know. That's why I left." Tabby made a face at him and turned her attention back to Kurt.
"So why the Holy Man duds?" Kurt smiled patiently.
"I had to search my soul for answers. The best place for soul searching is in the church." Tabby raised an eyebrow, knowing she had only gotten an abbreviated version. "I'll explain later vhen more people vish to hear it. I don't vant to have to explain myself every time I meet an old friend." Tabby nodded and looked at the entrance.
"The twins are here," she announced, "and Todd. He doesn't look to happy to be clean."
"This is news?"
"Collar or no, you're still a wiseass, Kurt." He just grinned.
The twins came over, Todd trailing behind, looking vaguely ill and very uncomfortable in his clothes. He was the first of the three to notice Kurt, however.
"Blue? Yo, man, issat you?" Kurt smiled.
"Ya. In the fur." Todd grinned. "Good to see ya back, man. Still think ya should ditch the hardware." Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Sorry, Todd, I don't vant to cause a riot by people seeing a blue demon in a priest's collar." He turned his attention back to Wanda and Pietro who were still standing and staring. "Hello, uhh, please, have a seat. Relax."
"I'msurprisedtoseeyouhere, Blue. Didn'tthinkyou'dcome." Kurt shrugged.
"I almost didn't, but Father Brian is very persuasive."
"And seeing us isn't enough to bring you back here?" Tabitha asked, sounding mildly, yet mockingly, hurt.
"I.vell.I." Tabby smiled.
"I was kidding, Kurt." Kurt shot her a look. Wanda spoke next.
"Actually, I believe he didn't want to come back in order to avoid temptation."
Kurt and Wanda stared at each other, expressions still, till Kurt lowered his eyes and spoke softly.
"She's right. I am a priest now, and a priest cannot do certain things. It's against my religion. Being back here, where it's so easy to fall back into old patterns. It will be hard to resist sin."
"Truth is never a sin." Wanda said and Kurt raised his head to stare at her.
"O.k." Evan said slowly, "That's enough of that. It's getting way to serious. This is a party, man. Relax. Have some fun. Here," he handed Kurt a drink. "Don't worry, it's just punch." Kurt laughed and sipped the punch.
"I can drink you know, Evan."
"You can?" Kurt nodded.
"How else am I supposed to take communion? Holy grape juice?" Evan just rolled his eyes. Tabby pulled the drink out of his hand and grabbed his arm.
"Come, on, Kurt. Get that stiff out of your spine and dance with me." Kurt laughed and danced and for the first time in ten years, he didn't worry about X-men or the priesthood or Scott.
TBC
Well, sorry it took so long. Writers block sucks. And FF.net has been really funky the last few days.anyway, I hope the NEW IMPROVED ACCENT helps understanding. Un, next chapter, Kurt visits the Mansion and Professor X.
Mariko Azrael - it's Kurt/Scott, my favorite Evo pairing.
Manni18 - no he doesn't know Kurt is fuzzy and I don't know yet if he ever will.
I was, am, and will always be, Immortaljedi
