Disclaimer: Furor Paxx and VulgateOfEarth do not own the X-Men or any
affiliates. All are the property of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc and
its various affiliates and partners. Phoenix Malcolm, Haiden Malcolm and
all irregular characters are the sole property of Furor Paxx and are being
used with permission.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
~~ That Night ~~
Kurt was restless again, he couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. He kept seeing that look in Phoenix's eyes. With a sigh, Kurt settled down on the bed. He had foreseen this and had taken a Tylenol PM and hoped that it would put him to sleep. Now that he thought about it, he probably shouldn't have taken an entire pill, he'd probably fall into a sleep so deep that he'd never wake up. There was a soft tap at his door.
"Come in." Evan walked in and shut the door with his foot. He had a bag full of burgers in one hand and drinks in the other.
"Thought you needed a little pick-me-up." He said as Kurt leapt off the bed and relieved him of the burgers.
"You're a saint, Evan."
"Don't mention it. You can have the rest of the burgers. I already ate and noticed that you barely touched your plate. So I got you a little something."
"Phankz." Kurt said through a mouthful of burger. He was on his second already. Evan sipped his water, thinking about how to approach Kurt. The only reason Scott let him get the burgers was because Evan was Kurt's best friend, if anyone could get him to talk, then it was Evan. 'But only with the right kind of bribe.' Evan thought to himself. All of a sudden, Kurt stopped eating. "Zere's something zat's been bozzering me, Evan." Evan would have smiled if he hadn't heard that incredibly sincere voice that Kurt only used with certain people at certain times.
"Well what's up, man, you know you can trust me."
"I don't know vhat's up. All I know is zat its driving me insane." Kurt grabbed his head. "All day and night, I haven't slept vell for days, if I get to sleep at all."
"Geez. You have no idea what it is?"
"No." Evan's heart almost broke. He had never seen Kurt so miserable, not even when he'd been rejected by a girl who had a crush on his worst enemy. "I can't even figure out vhy it bothers me now. And zen zis Phoenix shows up." Kurt winced and Evan knew that for tonight at least, that was what was bothering his friend.
"That guy gives me the creeps, man. I don't know what's up with him."
"I don't know, he makes me sad, I guess."
"Sad!?"
"Ja, he seems so lonely. Like, like, ach, words fail me."
Evan studied Kurt's troubled countenance carefully. "Like he's in a crowd, but still alone."
Kurt's head shot up. "Ja, zat's it, like he's in the middle of a great big crowd and looking for someone. Someone important. But he can't see and is so afraid of missing zem zat he," Kurt's shoulders drooped and he began tapping on the spade on his tail. "He cuts people down, hoping zat just beyond zem is vhat he's looking for. It makes me sad zat he was alone for so long zat it came to zat."
"Do you think he'll try to cut us down, too?"
"If he does, I just hope he finds vhat he's looking for. I vouldn't mind so much zen."
"Well, I would. If he tries to hurt anyone, I'll-"
"I vonder, how many times has he heard zat? How many times has he been cut down? At ze table, I saw vhat he used to be, and vhy he changed so much. In zat one instant I knew."
"Why?"
"No one listened to him, no one cared. And zen someone offered him a chance to stand out in zee crowd. He accepted, hoping zat vhen he found vhat he was looking for, it vould get rid his obligations to zat person who made him stand out. And he still hasn't found it. It must be hard fighting his curse and looking for zat something. It's just so sad." Kurt had leaned back against the wall and was staring out the window. He was talking more to himself than Evan.
"Maybe we should talk to him tomorrow. If he can't find what he's looking for by himself, maybe we can help. Then he won't have to cut people down anymore."
"Yeah. Zat'd be ni-" Evan watched Kurt for another moment, and then decided that he was really asleep. He picked up the rest of the burger that Kurt had abandoned and wrapped it up.
"I'll just stick this in the fridge for you, 'kay?" Evan stopped at the door and set the bag down. Before he left, he made sure that Kurt was covered, and the window locked. 'Man, it's below freezing and he leaves the window cracked. He must be crazy.'
~~ The Next Morning ~~
"We're gonna be late, hustle people."
"Yeah, Scott, we, like, know already."
"Ach, my homevork!!"
"Where's my skateboard, I know it was do-"
"Ahhhhh!!" There was a crash in the next room, and a string of garbled German.
"Kurt? Dude, you found my skateboard, thanks man."
Scott took several deep breaths to prevent laughing. "Everybody in the car." He picked up his books and sidestepped to let Evan, closely followed by Kurt, through the door. Kitty and Jean were already waiting for them. "We're gone." He grabbed his keys and ran to the car.
~~ At Lunch ~~
"So, are ve gonna talk to him or not?" Kurt didn't even wait for Evan to sit down. Inwardly, Evan cringed. He had hoped that Kurt was too sleepy to remember the suggestion, but evidently, Kurt had other plans.
"Okay, just let me eat first." Kurt didn't answer, he just began tapping on the table and thinking of an approach.
"Ah said 'Hi thar.' Are y'all ignorin' me or what?" Rogue's heavy southern dialect cut through Evan's concentration, but didn't phase Kurt.
"Oh, hi, Rogue. Kurt's on a mission and it's my fault." He explained about how he had made the half-hearted suggestion to Kurt about Phoenix.
"Man, ya' made a mistake. He's gotta be the meanest person I know."
"Who?" Scott asked. He and Jean sat down and listened to Rogue tell the story this time. "Evan, you know better than getting Kurt worked up. But at least we know what's been bothering him."
"It sounded like a kinda good idea at the time. You should have heard Kurt; he had me convinced that all we had to do was talk to him. But when I saw Phoenix this morning. I'm afraid of him again." Everyone lapsed into a silence.
"Kitty said she was going to sit with Sarah today. In case you wondered." Scott said, just to fill the silence. Everyone could see her across the lawn.
"Zere he is, Evan, let's go." Kurt's eyes snapped into focus and he dragged Evan towards the solitary figure in the distance. "Hey, Phoenix, vait a minute!!" Kurt yelled after him.
As Evan and Kurt approached, something silver flashed in the trees, leaving a flurry of leaves in its wake. Phoenix shifted and crossed his arms. Evan could have sworn he'd seen something in his hand, but they were still pretty far away. He did know that the sick feeling of dread that built within his chest wasn't imaginary.
"Well, Chris and Adam. What's up?"
"It's Kurt and Evan."
Phoenix ground his teeth slightly, and shrugged. "Sorry, I picked up your names from other people."
"Yeah, I know." Kurt was in his element, making friends was his specialty. "Zat's vhy ve came, to introduce ourselves."
"Well, that's nice, to hear Pietro talk, you're just a bunch of mindless idiots. I'm glad he was wrong." Evan frowned, he couldn't tell if Phoenix was being sarcastic or sincere.
"Ach, Pietro doesn't like us very much. I'm Kurt Wagner, and zis is Evan Daniels."
Evan nodded his greetings, if Kurt noticed that neither of them was paying attention to him, he gave no sign. He continued to babble aimlessly, as Evan and Phoenix looked each other over. Evan began to see little signs that something really was off about Phoenix. His belt was just a strip of black cloth with designs burned in it, his hair was a strange sooty color. Evan narrowed his eyes. That really was soot. Why would Phoenix put ashes in his hair? And those brown highlights. who had dirty gray hair with ruddy brown highlights? It didn't look all that bad, but it was. weird. And Phoenix had a black and brown shirt on. Like rust. Rusty paint. Dark black pants, or were they brown? The butterflies in Evan's stomach rose in his throat for a second, and then the two of them locked eyes.
~~ That Night ~~
Kurt was restless again, he couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. He kept seeing that look in Phoenix's eyes. With a sigh, Kurt settled down on the bed. He had foreseen this and had taken a Tylenol PM and hoped that it would put him to sleep. Now that he thought about it, he probably shouldn't have taken an entire pill, he'd probably fall into a sleep so deep that he'd never wake up. There was a soft tap at his door.
"Come in." Evan walked in and shut the door with his foot. He had a bag full of burgers in one hand and drinks in the other.
"Thought you needed a little pick-me-up." He said as Kurt leapt off the bed and relieved him of the burgers.
"You're a saint, Evan."
"Don't mention it. You can have the rest of the burgers. I already ate and noticed that you barely touched your plate. So I got you a little something."
"Phankz." Kurt said through a mouthful of burger. He was on his second already. Evan sipped his water, thinking about how to approach Kurt. The only reason Scott let him get the burgers was because Evan was Kurt's best friend, if anyone could get him to talk, then it was Evan. 'But only with the right kind of bribe.' Evan thought to himself. All of a sudden, Kurt stopped eating. "Zere's something zat's been bozzering me, Evan." Evan would have smiled if he hadn't heard that incredibly sincere voice that Kurt only used with certain people at certain times.
"Well what's up, man, you know you can trust me."
"I don't know vhat's up. All I know is zat its driving me insane." Kurt grabbed his head. "All day and night, I haven't slept vell for days, if I get to sleep at all."
"Geez. You have no idea what it is?"
"No." Evan's heart almost broke. He had never seen Kurt so miserable, not even when he'd been rejected by a girl who had a crush on his worst enemy. "I can't even figure out vhy it bothers me now. And zen zis Phoenix shows up." Kurt winced and Evan knew that for tonight at least, that was what was bothering his friend.
"That guy gives me the creeps, man. I don't know what's up with him."
"I don't know, he makes me sad, I guess."
"Sad!?"
"Ja, he seems so lonely. Like, like, ach, words fail me."
Evan studied Kurt's troubled countenance carefully. "Like he's in a crowd, but still alone."
Kurt's head shot up. "Ja, zat's it, like he's in the middle of a great big crowd and looking for someone. Someone important. But he can't see and is so afraid of missing zem zat he," Kurt's shoulders drooped and he began tapping on the spade on his tail. "He cuts people down, hoping zat just beyond zem is vhat he's looking for. It makes me sad zat he was alone for so long zat it came to zat."
"Do you think he'll try to cut us down, too?"
"If he does, I just hope he finds vhat he's looking for. I vouldn't mind so much zen."
"Well, I would. If he tries to hurt anyone, I'll-"
"I vonder, how many times has he heard zat? How many times has he been cut down? At ze table, I saw vhat he used to be, and vhy he changed so much. In zat one instant I knew."
"Why?"
"No one listened to him, no one cared. And zen someone offered him a chance to stand out in zee crowd. He accepted, hoping zat vhen he found vhat he was looking for, it vould get rid his obligations to zat person who made him stand out. And he still hasn't found it. It must be hard fighting his curse and looking for zat something. It's just so sad." Kurt had leaned back against the wall and was staring out the window. He was talking more to himself than Evan.
"Maybe we should talk to him tomorrow. If he can't find what he's looking for by himself, maybe we can help. Then he won't have to cut people down anymore."
"Yeah. Zat'd be ni-" Evan watched Kurt for another moment, and then decided that he was really asleep. He picked up the rest of the burger that Kurt had abandoned and wrapped it up.
"I'll just stick this in the fridge for you, 'kay?" Evan stopped at the door and set the bag down. Before he left, he made sure that Kurt was covered, and the window locked. 'Man, it's below freezing and he leaves the window cracked. He must be crazy.'
~~ The Next Morning ~~
"We're gonna be late, hustle people."
"Yeah, Scott, we, like, know already."
"Ach, my homevork!!"
"Where's my skateboard, I know it was do-"
"Ahhhhh!!" There was a crash in the next room, and a string of garbled German.
"Kurt? Dude, you found my skateboard, thanks man."
Scott took several deep breaths to prevent laughing. "Everybody in the car." He picked up his books and sidestepped to let Evan, closely followed by Kurt, through the door. Kitty and Jean were already waiting for them. "We're gone." He grabbed his keys and ran to the car.
~~ At Lunch ~~
"So, are ve gonna talk to him or not?" Kurt didn't even wait for Evan to sit down. Inwardly, Evan cringed. He had hoped that Kurt was too sleepy to remember the suggestion, but evidently, Kurt had other plans.
"Okay, just let me eat first." Kurt didn't answer, he just began tapping on the table and thinking of an approach.
"Ah said 'Hi thar.' Are y'all ignorin' me or what?" Rogue's heavy southern dialect cut through Evan's concentration, but didn't phase Kurt.
"Oh, hi, Rogue. Kurt's on a mission and it's my fault." He explained about how he had made the half-hearted suggestion to Kurt about Phoenix.
"Man, ya' made a mistake. He's gotta be the meanest person I know."
"Who?" Scott asked. He and Jean sat down and listened to Rogue tell the story this time. "Evan, you know better than getting Kurt worked up. But at least we know what's been bothering him."
"It sounded like a kinda good idea at the time. You should have heard Kurt; he had me convinced that all we had to do was talk to him. But when I saw Phoenix this morning. I'm afraid of him again." Everyone lapsed into a silence.
"Kitty said she was going to sit with Sarah today. In case you wondered." Scott said, just to fill the silence. Everyone could see her across the lawn.
"Zere he is, Evan, let's go." Kurt's eyes snapped into focus and he dragged Evan towards the solitary figure in the distance. "Hey, Phoenix, vait a minute!!" Kurt yelled after him.
As Evan and Kurt approached, something silver flashed in the trees, leaving a flurry of leaves in its wake. Phoenix shifted and crossed his arms. Evan could have sworn he'd seen something in his hand, but they were still pretty far away. He did know that the sick feeling of dread that built within his chest wasn't imaginary.
"Well, Chris and Adam. What's up?"
"It's Kurt and Evan."
Phoenix ground his teeth slightly, and shrugged. "Sorry, I picked up your names from other people."
"Yeah, I know." Kurt was in his element, making friends was his specialty. "Zat's vhy ve came, to introduce ourselves."
"Well, that's nice, to hear Pietro talk, you're just a bunch of mindless idiots. I'm glad he was wrong." Evan frowned, he couldn't tell if Phoenix was being sarcastic or sincere.
"Ach, Pietro doesn't like us very much. I'm Kurt Wagner, and zis is Evan Daniels."
Evan nodded his greetings, if Kurt noticed that neither of them was paying attention to him, he gave no sign. He continued to babble aimlessly, as Evan and Phoenix looked each other over. Evan began to see little signs that something really was off about Phoenix. His belt was just a strip of black cloth with designs burned in it, his hair was a strange sooty color. Evan narrowed his eyes. That really was soot. Why would Phoenix put ashes in his hair? And those brown highlights. who had dirty gray hair with ruddy brown highlights? It didn't look all that bad, but it was. weird. And Phoenix had a black and brown shirt on. Like rust. Rusty paint. Dark black pants, or were they brown? The butterflies in Evan's stomach rose in his throat for a second, and then the two of them locked eyes.