X-Men: Fate

A Song of Ice & Tenebrae

"What's your issue with Armod?" Adrian asked Reth. They were in Adrian's room waiting while Reva conducted her session. "What happened between you two?"

"If you want to know," Reth said after a deep breath, "I'll tell you. I want to point out, however, that if I asked you about the darkness of your past you'd physically react and reject answering: without uttering a word."

They shared a brief silence.

"He was something of a friend," Adrian said, feeling he had to concede that point.

"I didn't say that to push you," Reth said. "I just. I just care about you. I want you to be ok."

"I know," Adrian said.

"I blame him for the death of the person I considered my soulmate," Reth said. "I don't mean romantically. I mean, she and I were in sync. I loved her. I blame him. I blame myself. Her name was Tess. So when I see him, there's a sudden surge of anger, guilt, and aggression. RJ."

"You try to control it," Adrian said.

"I try to repress it," Reth said. "That just makes it, RJ, stronger."

"I think your problem is that you've done that for too long," Adrian said. "It's compounded. Repression isn't doing you any good any more."

"It's escaping me," Reth said. "It's out of my hands. It led to RJ. Now I find myself trying to work with him, integrate him into my being, accept him."

Adrian moved close to Reth and kissed him.

"You're RJ," Adrian said. "Thanks for telling me."

"I trust you," Reth said. "I want you to trust me."

"I need time," Adrian said.

Reth kissed Adrian.

"I understand," Reth said. "Take all the time you need." He took Adrian's hand, squeezed it a moment, before he let go.

Reva knocked on the door right before she came inside.

"Who's up," Reva said.

"I'll go," Adrian said. "I want to."

"How was it?" Reth asked.

"Good," Reva said, taking a seat on Adrian's bed. "This will be good for us."

"Yeah?" Reth questioned.

"Yeah," Reva answered. "Be open to it." She looked directly at Adrian when she said this.

"Who'd you talk to?" Reth asked to stop the two from staring each other down.

"Danielle," Reva said. "We won't be talking to the same people."

"Wonder who I'll talk to," Reth said.

"Wonder who will talk to you," Reva said to Adrian.

"Emma," Reth and Adrian answered simultaneously.

They glanced at each other before they looked to Reva.

"Cute," Reva said.

!

Adrian and Emma sat across from each other. Neither said a word.

"You could just pry," Adrian said.

"With you," Emma said, "you know I would never. We both know you have a lot on your mind. This is your opportunity to share."

"I've never had so many people interested in what I had to say or what was on my mind," Adrian said. "Maybe I have to take that back. Maybe what I meant was my heart."

Emma gave him a short smile.

"Remember the last time we did this?" Emma asked him.

"During the Bastion event," Adrian answered. "My mutant journey, accepting myself, overcoming the mutant and purifier obstacles that stood in my way, and recovering from the scars inflicted upon me by my past, specifically my father."

"There's nothing wrong with keeping quiet," Emma said, "keeping your life to yourself. You and I went through a process. We dove deep. You did. I'm not here to have you do so again. If you wanted to do so, I'm not here to rush you. I'd like to start where you're at: with what you just told me."

"Are these sessions something we can fail?" Adrian asked. "Get us taken off the team?"

"Yes and no, Emma told him.

"Honest," Adrian said.

"Of course," Emma said. She sat comfortably in the chair across from Adrian with her legs crossed. She gave him a mischievous grin.

"If you see us as a danger to ourselves, each other, or others," Adrian said, "we're gone."

"Correct," Emma said. "Not necessarily. More or less."

Adrian nodded.

They sat in silence.

"Ask me a question," Adrian said. He sat comfortably in the chair across from Emma with his arms resting on the chair's arms.

"Does it bother you that people want access to you?" Emma asked him.

"No," Adrian said. "I just don't want to half-ass it, and nobody's, I'm not going to whole-ass it with just anyone."

"Tell your life story," Emma ventured.

"Pretend my past isn't a part of who I am," Adrian said. "Most people make me uncomfortable. Uneasy. Not everyone. Not you, Kurt, or Forge."

"Not your team," Emma said.

"Reva and I play some kind of game," Adrain explained. "It's like she dares me to stay quiet, dares me to speak, and I have to do the opposite of what she wants or she wins. And the thought of her winning pisses me off." He laughed to himself. "I want to talk to Reth. I want to tell him about me, what goes on in my head. But I don't know him well enough to know how much darkness he can handle. I think about what he's dealt with before, his leadership position he's in on the team, and now this thing with Armod. It used to be too much for me. I can't see myself placing more weight on his shoulders."

Emma said nothing in response.

"How much do you know?" Adrian asked her.

"Everything," Emma said.

"Can we trust you?" Adrian asked.

"Are we no longer taking turns?" Emma replied.

Adrian said nothing in response.

"What do you think is different about Reth that you feel pushes you to want to change for him?" Emma asked him.

Adrian leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

"He wants me," Adrian said. "He's someone who isn't related to me that I can see holding back, waiting for me to give him the word. He holds back at lot, but he doesn't want to with me. He doesn't hate me or fear me. It's hard for him to read me, and he appreciates that. And he's waiting to prove that he has strong feelings for me. And I already know."

"You have an innate psychic resistance, remember?" Emma said. "It's how you made it through the Bastion event. That's why it's hard for him to read you. The reason why Jean and I have access to you is because we've a lot more experience and years than Reth. You can trust me. If you couldn't, I would've come to you about your mall meeting sooner and I would've stopped you all before you entered Jean's mind. In regards to what you just said, what aren't you telling me?"

"I'm going to hurt him, betray him, let him down." Adrian said, meeting Emma's eye. "I'm going to fuck up." He gripped the arms of the chair. He didn't let go of them.

"I didn't plan to get personal with you," Emma began, "but you are different." She sighed. "You mean something to me. And I never expected to become somewhat attached to a student. My response to that is so what. Charles was one of my dearest friends, and he knew that despite the many times I betrayed him, and because of who he was and how he saw me I was never not his friend. Which is why I've always been welcomed here. If Erik hadn't been so stubborn, unbending, and deep down dissatisfied with being unable to draw Charles to his side, he would've occupied a similar role here at school and Charles would've let him. Be who you want. I don't say this lightly. While Kurt and Forge might be disappointed, myself, Reva, and Reth aren't ever going to just give you up to become what you used to be: which we both know is your real fear."

They both looked at the clock that indicated their time was up.

Adrian stood, and so did Emma.

"I'm really glad I met you." Adrian said.

"Likewise."

They nodded to each other, and Adrian left.