The silence of the room seemed to suffocate Kurt. His mind couldn't stand still long enough for him to get a grip on the situation or what he was to do with it. She appeared content, so to speak, in his room. But, sooner or later they were going to encounter someone in the mansion. 'If only there weren't any other people here…' Kurt mentally wished. Upon this thought others gradually settled, most of them leading to the rather perverse side of his mind where he pictured Nym and himself coming together in a space where no one could ever interrupt them.
"Kurt?" Nym asked, her head slightly cocked to the side. Kurt shook his head to dispel the thoughts and brought his mind back to reality.
"Y-yeah? Sorry I kind of got lost in…thought…" Kurt stammered feeling ashamed for once more thinking of her in such a way. He looked down at her and saw the doubt gathering in her eyes, the mistrust there forming a foggy space between them that he could not cross.
"I-I was just wondering if you liked the book! Yeah, I read it for class and now we are writing a paper on it but I don't think I get what the author was doing at all. You know, with all of the kids and the killing and whatnot I was just confused about what I should write about! And, and that's what I was thinking about when you just said my name and so…I just…um…" Kurt trailed off. He was beyond embarrassed. Not only had he rambled on and on about pretty much nothing but he had also just admitted to thinking about mere school work when he was supposed to be helping Nym! 'I'm an idiot, a grade-A idiot' He thought to himself letting his shoulders slump and giving her an awkward smile.
She just stared at him, her eyes slightly wider than usual. Kurt felt the perspiration of humiliation begin to form on his hands and neck. He ducked his head lower so she couldn't see his face. The shame was forming tears of self-frustration in his eyes that he was sure would soon brim over.
"Oh, I get it." Nym finally said letting her face relax as she slowly sat up on his bed. Kurt jerked his head up his eyes searching her face for a sign that he had not just made a blunder that would send them apart.
"You do?" Kurt asked, more than a little strain in his voice as he unconsciously leaned towards her. Nym smiled faintly and patted her hand on the bed signaling him to take a seat next to her.
Well no amount of drugs, legal or otherwise, could have given Kurt the high he was experiencing now. His heart fluttered against his ribcage and his skin practically jumped right off his body. He was going to get to be with Nym on a bed! Sure the context was nothing like what he was subconsciously imagining but still the very thought, no the very action, as he was already stepping towards the bed, brought him to a level of bliss he wasn't sure had existed until just then.
"Sure. At first the book was kind of hard to understand, you know?" Nym asked as Kurt slowly climbed onto the bed and sat himself down less than a foot away from her. He could sense everything all at once. 'Could I always feel my blood pulsing in my hands like this? Did my fur usually stand on end just from being near a girl? Does she know? Can she hear my heart beating? Does she know how close it is to jack hammering its way out of my chest!' all these questions and more passed through Kurt's mind as Nym scooted closer to him holding the book out so he too could see it. Though, in all honesty, the book was the last place Kurt was looking. She was now just a few inches away, her shoulder almost touching his, just hovering there, so close to his own.
"See the author was trying to say that given a situation without any order humans are bound to descend into a world of senseless killing and violence, that no matter the circumstances all humans, of any age, are inherently malicious and if given the chance can, and will, do horrendous things." Nym answered.
Well the world had stopped spinning. Kurt was sure of this. The reason, he was getting snuggly on a bed with the girl of his dreams and she had just spouted out a long winded explanation for the thoughts of William Golding and the basic premise of his award winning novel Lord of the Flies. Could there possibly be anything less romantic than the discussion of one, children killing each other, and two, the ultimate demise of humans based on physiological principal that any and all humanity is evil. Kurt couldn't think of anything more mood-killing. 'Scratch that,' He thought remembering the time the Brotherhood had dared Blob to streak during a soccer game. 'Yup, nothing worse than that' he concluded in his mind. His attention shifted from the horrors of the obese naked mutant back to Nym as she tucked a stand of hair behind her ear.
"Oh, I guess you know a lot about it, huh?" Were the only words Kurt could muster as Nym flipped through the book her whole focus on its crinkled pages. A sigh formed in his chest but before he could let it out a knock came from his door. Kurt stiffened immediately. His protective stance brought him to a stand in front of the bed as his arms swung out slightly from his sides to better protect Nym.
"Kurt?" a voice asked from the other side of the door. At the sound Kurt stiffened, it was the Professor's voice. And not only that, Kurt could hear the shuffling of other feet outside his door as well meaning that the Professor was not alone.
"Yes Professor?" Kurt answered back, his tone defiant.
"I would like to speak to you and your, um, friend in the lounge if that's all right?" the Professor asked. Kurt stayed still for a few moments before turning so he could see Nym's expression. She hadn't moved since the knock on the door, her body still curled up on his bed.
Nym met his eyes with a vacant expression. Kurt turned to face her fully now, rather sure that the Professor and whoever else was with him wouldn't enter the room. He took a step closer to the bed and leaned down slightly setting his hands on the edge of the bed in front of Nym.
"Are you okay with this?" He whispered, though he was sure that everyone outside the door could hear him. The house was dead silent, a very rare and often foreboding occurrence.
"If we do go, and that is a decision that I believe should be left up to you, and things turn, well, ugly don't be surprised if I defend myself." Nym answered setting the book down slowly on Kurt's nightstand.
Kurt was taken aback by her serious expression. Those red eyes narrowed and her lips came together in a tension filled frown.
"My decision?" he whispered not sure he understood her words. Why should he be the one to make the choice when it could be her life on the line?
"Yes, because you know these people better than I ever will. I figure that you can tell if they will attack me or not. In a way I guess I'm trusting you to know what to expect, though, I suppose asking you to predict the future is a bit much." Nym explained. She let a weak laugh out before slowly reaching her hand towards his. Her slim fingers touched the fur on his hands and settled there.
Kurt's mind was racing, he had to protect her, she trusted him, him! This was what he had worried about ever since they had been reunited, would she ever trust him again? And here she was graciously saying that not only would she trust him but she would put her life on the line for that trust. However, Kurt wasn't sure what the Professor had planned or how the other students would react to Nym. But those factors seemed like mere afterthoughts as he soared above the clouds with the elation that in some way, be it big or small, she was once again the Nym he remembered. But, unlike before when he had blindly run ahead of her down the dirt road this time he would make sure that Nym didn't regret following him.
Kurt gulped as he shifted the hand Nym was touching so that he could hold her bone white fingers in his. "I-I'm not entirely sure what they will do. But, no matter what happens," Kurt raised his voice as he made his declaration insuring that everyone outside the door would hear his resolve, "I will not let them hurt you, even if I have to fight them myself." The words left a sour taste in Kurt's mouth. Never before had he so wholly committed himself to a fight. His motto had always been to remain easygoing and somewhat unattached to the fights so that he wouldn't make any stupid decisions. Yet, he now discarded that way of planning in a second for her.
Kurt stood up and let Nym slowly climb down from the bed, never letting go of her hand. Together they stood side by side and faced the closed door.
"Professor, we will meet you in the lounge. I ask that only a few attend so that we can have a calm discussion." Kurt said, his voice strong as his resolve to protect Nym became his only line of focus.
"Of course," the Professor answered in a calm tone, "I do not want this to be anything more than a friendly chat about what is to be done in the future. I assure you that it will just be myself, Logan, Dr. McCoy, and Storm present."
Satisfied that Dr. McCoy would be a part of the meeting, seeing as how he was one of the few supporters of Nym, Kurt agreed to the terms and walked slowly towards the door. He could feel Nym tensing beside him, but he kept a firm hold on her hand.
"We will meet you there." Kurt said stopping a foot from the door.
"Very well, I'll have Strom bring up some tea as well. The rest of you return to your rooms, you all have school tomorrow and I'd rather that you didn't hand in blank assignments." The Professor answered in a loud voice. Kurt heard a few groans and lots of shuffling, but, after about a minute the hallway was silent again.
Nym shifted beside him, her free hand twisting the fabric of her oversized sweatshirt. "Is it a long walk to the lounge?" she asked looking up at Kurt.
"Nah, it's just down the hall." Kurt answered. She was wound like a coil, her nerves and muscles tightened, ready to spring in to action. He turned to face her bending down a little so they were on eye level. Kurt's free hand swung up to her shoulder and rested there with an affirming squeeze. He wasn't going to let anything hurt her, 'Never again…' Kurt chanted to himself.
"I won't let them hurt you, you don't need to worry and as for walking there, well, I thought we could take a quicker route." Kurt said smiling at her. Nym cocked her head to one side before smiling slightly back at him.
"You know, we don't have to go. You don't have to do this for me." Nym whispered. Her voice was strained as though she was fighting just to get the words out. Kurt saw it again, that distant fog in her eyes. "I could just leave, everything would go back to normal…just like before…" the last part she hardly even murmured. The words drifted into the space between them.
Did she not believe he could protect her? 'No, it's more than that.' Kurt thought, "She's hiding something…" But, these worries were forgotten when Kurt suddenly understood her last words, 'just like before'. It didn't take but a few seconds for Kurt to understand that Nym was referencing their first departure from each other. How she had sacrificed herself for him, how he had let it happen. Guilt swelled up in Kurt and lit his anger aflame.
"I will never let you do anything like that again!" he practically growled, gripping her hand tighter. Kurt let his hand drop from her shoulder before teleporting them both to the well furnished lounge at the end of the hall.