Haruka's Fanfiction

WARNING: Although it uses the X-Men: Evolution characters, THIS IS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!! In this world, same-sex relationships are accepted without prejudice because everyone is bisexual. Also, corporal punishment is common here as part of loving family discipline. If either of these facts about our AU bothers you, DO NOT READ this fic and then complain about same-sex couples or spankings being part of it. It is loosely based on an RPG plotline that Michiru and I started playing in August 2001. If anything is canon here, it's probably an accident.


The X-Men Family

Part 51

By Haruka (haruka@ymail.com)

--

Jean shut her locker door, grateful the long, agonizing school day was over. She hated being the object of pity, and even though the break-up had been mutual, everyone seemed to think Duncan had dumped her.

For Kurt.

At least now she could go home to the training session and work off some frustrations. Although for Kurt’s sake, she hoped they wouldn’t be pitted against each other.

“Hey Jean,” Scott greeted. “Want a ride home?”

“Sure, thanks,” she said, then gave a wry smile. “I guess Kurt and I have switched places in a weird way. He used to ride home with you, and I used to ride with Duncan.”

“Well,” Scott smiled, “I’m happy to have you with me, but I’m not sure I’m happy for Kurt. Duncan still isn’t one of my favorite people.”

“You and me both.”

They went out to Scott’s car and got in. “Have you talked to Kurt yet?” Scott asked. “I think he’s really worried you’re angry with him.”

“I’m not exactly _angry_ with him … I’ll talk to him after the training session,” Jean said, then frowned as she saw something across the parking lot. “Or I would, if Kurt was _going_ to the training session. Look!”

Scott followed her gaze. “Oh no.”

Kurt was riding beside Duncan in his car, which was pulling out onto the street, going in the opposite direction from the Institute.

“Maybe they’re just taking a quick detour?” Scott said hopefully.

“For Kurt’s sake, I hope so,” Jean remarked. “But Duncan can be pretty determined when he wants his own way. He may not have given Kurt much choice.”

--

I’m going to be in _so_ much trouble, Kurt thought as he tilted his head back to enjoy the wind on his face. But it’ll be worth it.

He was blowing off the training session. Deliberately. He hadn’t planned on it, but when Duncan suggested they go on their first date right after school, and smiled at him in that roguish way, any resistance he might have had crumbled.

“I hope you’ll like the country club,” Duncan was saying as they drove. “We can play some tennis or go swimming and then have a nice dinner in the dining room.”

“I’m not really dressed for such a nice place,” Kurt said, looking down at his school clothes.

“There’s no dress code, don’t worry,” Duncan assured him. “I’m wearing jeans!”

Kurt grinned, then a fleeting look of concern crossed his features. Duncan looked at him worriedly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, then gasped. “Hey, I remember now! Summers said you were supposed to go straight home after school! You should have reminded me – I’ll turn around.”

“No,” Kurt told him earnestly. “I want to go with you. I’ll explain at home later.”

“No way,” Duncan said firmly. “Jean always gave me the impression that they were pretty strict over there, and you were already in trouble recently. I don’t want to be the cause of you getting punished again.” He pulled into a store parking lot and turned the car around.

“Duncan!” Kurt protested. “I just said – “

“I heard you,” the football player said. “But look at it this way, Kurt. Your family and friends are going to have a hard enough time accepting the idea of you and I dating at all – if I start causing you to be late and break rules, that’ll give them all the excuse they need to try and stop us from seeing each other.”

Kurt sighed and sank back into the seat. Duncan was right. If he missed the training session, everyone would be furious with him, and because it had never happened before, they’d blame his association with Duncan.

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly. “For saving me from myself.”

“Anytime.” Duncan smiled.

--

The Danger Room was starting to fill up with the Institute’s young mutants. Avalanche and Shadowcat were talking quietly off to one side, Rogue and Gambit were laughing at something Quicksilver was saying, and Cyclops and Jean had just arrived and were both glancing back toward the entrance with concerned expressions. All of the adults and Todd were in the control room.

“Has anyone seen Nightcrawler?” the Professor’s voice came over the intercom. “He’s the only one missing and he’s not in the house yet.”

Jean and Cyclops exchanged a glance. “We saw him going off with Duncan,” Cyclops admitted.

That got Avalanche’s attention. “So I guess it’s official, huh, Red? You got dumped for Fuzzball!”

Jean used her telekinesis to pull his feet out from under him so that he landed on his butt.

“Ow!”

“Hey!” Shadowcat yelled, crouching by Avalanche. “Jean!”

“Jean, that’s enough of that,” Beast said from the control room. “Remember what we talked about?”

From his position on the ground, Avalanche pressed his hand against the floor and sent a subtle flow of seismic energy across it toward Jean’s feet, then yanked it back. Jean lost her balance and fell on top of Cyclops, knocking them both to the ground.

“Oof!”

“Sorry!” Jean said, trying to struggle off of him. She accidentally kneed him in the groin.

“Ung ….” Cyclops fell back over, groaning.

“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry!” she cried, reddening in embarrassment.

The Brotherhood members laughed so hard they gasped for breath.

“Knock it off, Toddpole,” Wolverine warned the mutant beside him. He spoke into the intercom. “All of you, cut it out. I’m coming down there and we’ll get started without Nightcrawler.” He left the control room, entering the Danger Room just as Nightcrawler appeared in a cloud of smoke, suited up and looking apologetic.

“Verzeihung!” Kurt apologized. “I’m so sorry I’m late, I – “

“Maybe you wouldn’t have been if you came straight home as you were told,” Cyclops scolded him as he climbed to his feet.

“Cyke’s right, Elf,” Wolverine said as he approached. “I hear you went running off with Duncan Matthews instead of coming here.”

“Only for a couple of minutes!” Nightcrawler protested. “Then he – “

“Don’t listen to anything Duncan tells you if he’s trying to talk you into something,” Jean warned. “He’s used to getting his own way.”

“Oh yeah?” Todd piped up from the control room. “How much of his own way did he get with _you_?”

“Todd!” Mystique cuffed him.

“Ow, hey, watch it! I’m injured!”

“Not in the _head_!”

“You sure about that?” Avalanche chuckled.

“Knock it off, all of you!” Wolverine faced Nightcrawler. “Next time you tell that guy you’ve got responsibilities at home and don’t let him push you around, understand?!”

Nightcrawler looked frustrated. “It wasn’t like that at all!”

“I don’t care right now,” Wolverine said firmly. “We’re late getting started.” He called to the others, “Everyone take your positions! Gambit, over here – I want to go over things with you again.”

Nightcrawler trudged into place, fuming. Too bad Duncan had been so stubborn – if he knew he’d be blamed for Kurt’s lateness anyway, maybe they could have at least had fun at the country club before everyone condemned him.

--

End of part 51

X-Men belongs to Marvel.

(2001)

This fic is not to be re-posted