Family matters ch 5
The hot African sun is sinking in a blaze of glory.
He walks towards me, that sway of the hips, a counterbalance to his tail.
His eyes glow like the sunset.
Wakanda isn't Barcelona, but it is safe. Besides, he only wants to go to Barcelona to see La Sagrada Familia, he can't fool me.
We've been here for nearly two months now, he's pretty much healed. As much as I think he'll ever be. He's got physical scars, down his right arm, across his chest, shoulder and a crescent on his cheek. The cuts were full of soil and debris, the healers can only do so much. The fur mostly hides them, but I know where each and every one is. The mental scars are deeper.
We stayed on Krakoa long enough to see little Theresa back amongst the living. She was a host to a goddess. Who knew? Well, everyone apart from me, apparently.
Mystique certainly did.
Mystique, who is now safely entombed, deep in suspended animation in the bowels of Krakoa. Once Kurt got some of the Krakoan flora on to her, his little white flower, the Island had her.
The Morrigan? Never heard of her. Would be very happy if I never heard of her ever again.
Celtic death goddess, apparently, red hair, shapeshifter, fond of crows and killing people. Sounds like good match for the evil bitch. I hope they rot together.
Sean and Tom are glad Theresa is free of Her too. She said she was going to flay Kurt, but the cuts on his flesh are patterns, deliberate, The Morrigan was marking him, marking him as hers. Tom says they are power lines, I shudder to think what she had in mind for him.
Ororo came here with us. The Wakandan people adore her, we are welcome to stay as long as we want as honoured guests. T'Challa is a good man. Good job too, the human world isn't safe for my boy, Krakoa wasn't, I'm running out of options. And he will be safe. I won't have it any other way.
Ororo resigned from the Quiet Council, but I think she's considering going back, she can see the good she can do there.
I'm still not having anything to do with them.
Kurt, of course, has forgiven the lot of them. Probably his mother too. He's an idiot.
Jeannie came to see us off before we left Krakoa.
She'd not been able to save his bible from the explosion, but she'd protected his rosary with her telekinesis. Kurt hugged her goodbye. I didn't.
I love her. I fucking love her. But I don't like her much, just at the moment.
I'm still mad at her. At all of them. Because while they were all 'sorry' they were sorry for the wrong reasons. They were sorry that Ororo and I weren't told, sorry the plan didn't work, sorry we had to find out. They still don't understand the enormity of what they did, the horror they placed on Kurt's shoulders, the responsibility for Mystique's actions, which wasn't his in the first place. He was the innocent victim in the whole stinking mess.
He comes and sits beside me, he's been out with some of the Wakandan kids. I like little kids, innocent, full of fun, Kurt likes teens, gawky, misfits like him, unsure of themselves and their place in the world. He so self assured, they blossom under his attention. The Dora Milaje also seem to have an interest in him, which is strange, as I didn't think they even spoke to mere men like us. According to Shuri he's also 'cute'. I'm not sure adult German men are allowed to be cute, ever, there's probably a statute against it. But there you go, what do I know?
He leans against my knee. He's not clingy any more, he can be away from me for hours, but I'm still the safest, most secure thing in his world.
I kiss his temple. And he's the most beautiful thing in my world.
I will always hate Mystique, I'll never forgive her for all the pain she's put him through. But she did one good thing in her wicked, evil life, she had a child, she gave him to us. To me. And for that I can't help but be grateful.