Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2006 17:31:58 -0400
From: Dusty Hansen <dustyh75@hotmail.com>
Subject: newest ultimate x man part 6

Obligatory warnings and disclaimers:

1) If reading this is in any way illegal where you are or at your age, or
you don't want to read about male/male relationships, go away. You shouldn't
be here.

2) The X-Men and any related characters are property of Marvel Comics,
trademarked and registered and copyrighted and all that. I'm using them
without permission.

For those who read the comics and worry about such things, this story takes
place in the (much simpler and easier to follow) Ultimate X-Men universe,
right around issue 54. If you don't want to dig out your copy, the team at
that time is Jean Grey, Cyclops, Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler,
Colossus, Angel, and Dazzler.

Comments can be sent to "dustyh75@hotmail.com"

Thanks.

***

Peter, who had looked bored and somewhat surly before, sat up straight in
his chair, glancing back and forth between Seth and the Professor.
Something was wrong.  Seth's hands were suddenly gripping the arms of his
chair so hard that Peter could see his forearms trembling a little, and
guessed that under the gloves Seth's knuckles would be flat white.

"My parents?" Seth asked, his voice so low Peter had to strain to hear it.

"Yes, I called them this morning," the Professor answered, shuffling some
papers on his desk.  He wasn't even looking Seth in the eyes.

"You called my parents?" Seth asked, his voice strained.  His heart was
pounding in his chest suddenly.  "Why did you, where did you even know,
where are they?"

"Savannah," the Professor answered.  "I called them to-"

"You called my parents?" Seth demanded, almost yelling.

"Yes," the Professor answered icily.  "I thought we'd already been over
that.  As I was saying-"

"You knew where my parents were and didn't even tell me?" Seth asked.  He
felt like the room was spinning, and he wondered for a second if he was
going to throw up all over the Professor's desk.  He hadn't seen his parents
in weeks since they'd kicked him out, didn't even know where to find them,
and the Professor had found them, telephoned them, and then just called him
into his office to tell him about it.  "You called them and didn't even ask
me?"

"I wasn't aware that I needed to," the Professor said, his face blank.

"Professor," Peter interrupted.  Seth was obviously upset by this
conversation, and the Professor, as usual, didn't seem to care as he pursued
his own agenda.  After his casual disregard at the briefing this morning it
was more than Peter felt like tolerating in one day.

"Not now, Peter," the Professor said curtly, holding up a hand.  His gaze
never left Seth.  "As you are only seventeen, Seth, you are at this time a
minor.  Should something happen while you are at the school, I would require
the consent of your parents to seek medical treatment.  Given that, I took
the liberty of contacting them this morning to begin to make arrangements."

"Not now?" Peter repeated, his brows furrowing together.

"You had no right to just do this," Seth began, finally finding his voice.
He felt like screaming, crying, and projectile vomiting all at the same
time, but at least he was speaking up.

"Excuse me?" the Professor asked sharply.  "I believe yesterday I offered
you a place to stay, food to eat, clothing, an education, and I believe you
said yes.  By your own assent, that gives me the right to act on your behalf
unless you would, perhaps, care to rethink your enrollment here?"

The three of them were silent for a moment as Seth realized he was suddenly
on the verge of getting kicked out.  He locked eyes with the Professor for a
second, but looked away.

"No," he answered finally.  "I'm sorry, sir."

"I would ask you to please control your emotional outbursts in the future,"
the Professor said dismissively, and Peter felt his temper flaring again.
It wasn't enough to ignore his apology, but instead the Professor had to
give him a little kick, too?  Asshole.

"Why are we here?" Peter demanded, unconsciously leaning toward Seth.  The
Professor noted the movement, but said nothing.

"As I was saying before Seth's outburst, I have located and contacted the
Rands," the Professor answered.  "I explained the nature of the school, your
condition, and my intention to enroll you here, and they agreed that this
would be the best place for you."

"Of course they did," Seth said bitterly, still looking at the floor.

"Your parents have agreed to transfer your legal guardianship to me, as they
no longer wish to be associated with you," the Professor continued.  Seth
flinched as if he'd been punched.  He'd known his parents didn't want him.
They'd made that clear when they told him to leave their home, but hearing
that they'd had time to think and to reconsider and that they'd decided that
they still didn't want him hurt more than he'd thought it would.  He thought
he was over it, or at least starting to get over it, but clearly that was a
mistake.  "I have drawn up a number of papers that they need to sign, and
which you need to sign as well, and have contacted a lawyer and notary in
Savannah who will assist us, as I cannot travel there personally while the
team is deployed to Genosha."

He turned from Seth to Peter, finally looking him in the eye and appearing
not to notice the fury burning across Peter's face.

"Peter, I would like for you to accompany Seth to Georgia.  Earlier you
argued that mutants need to help their own kind, so I have presented you
with this opportunity to be somewhat more helpful, and to redeem yourself
for your earlier outburst.  You and Seth will fly out this afternoon," he
said, pushing an envelope across the desk toward Peter.  "All of the contact
information, your schedule, and hotel reservations are included in this
packet.  You're to meet at the Rands' home at eight PM.  Are there any
questions?"

Peter glared at the Professor.  Seth looked at the floor.

"Very well, then," the Professor said, turning away from both of them to
open something on his computer.  "Peter, after you've packed your overnight
bag, please take Seth to the mall for some clothes, and then take a taxi to
the airport.  Safe traveling, gentlemen."

Seth blinked.  That was it?  The Professor drops this bomb on him, and
they're dismissed?  He felt shell shocked, and almost dizzy.  His knees were
shaking as he pulled open the door of the office, and the sunlight in the
hallway seemed too bright.  Blinking, he started toward the stairs.

"Seth?" Peter called, a little uncertain.  He felt like he should say
something, do something to make Seth feel a little better, but emotions
weren't always his strong point.  Seth turned back toward him, blinking, and
Peter did the best he could.  "I, um, I have an overnight bag you can
borrow.  I'll bring it to your room in a minute?"

"Sure," Seth answered dully.  "Thanks."

In the office, the Professor listened to the exchange and smiled.  The best
way to pull in teammates who felt alienated was to give them a common enemy,
and in this particular case he would have to fill that role.  He was here to
teach, not to be loved.

***

Seth left his door open, and when Peter walked in with the travel bag Seth
was just sitting on the bed, staring at his shoes.  The book he'd borrowed
from the library, along with his toiletries, sat next to him, and when he
looked up at Peter his eyes were dazed.  Peter set his own bag down on the
floor by the doorway and walked toward the bed.

"Seth?" Peter asked.  He'd thought maybe Seth would have cried after the
meeting with the Professor, as he was very upset and seemed a little high
strung, but instead he seemed muted, as if someone had turned his volume
down or something.  "Are you all right?  I brought you that bag."

Seth blinked at him, as if just noticing Peter was there.  Peter studied him
thoughtfully for a moment.  He had short, light blond hair that was almost
white in some light, light blue eyes, and a somewhat angular face, all
cheekbones and strong nose and decent chin.  He was cute but pale, decently
muscled but seemed somehow insubstantial.  It was hard to explain, because
Peter could sense an underlying toughness, some kind of strength, but at the
same time there was a quality to Seth that made you want to just scoop him
up and carry him away somewhere.  The long sleeves and thin leather gloves
gave him a closed off quality, but it was also an attitude that Seth
projected, a distance that hung around him like a cloud.

"Peter?" Seth asked.  "Is it time to go?"

"We have a few minutes," Peter answered.  He wasn't sure how you went about
comforting someone, and wasn't even really sure what was wrong.  He began to
put Seth's belongings in the bag, carefully stowing the toiletries and
leaving the book in a front pocket where Seth would be able to get to it
during the flight.  "Are you all right?"

"You asked that already," Seth responded, rather than answering.

"You didn't answer it," Peter pointed out.  He waved a hand at the bed.
"May I sit?"

"Sure," Seth answered, scooting over a little.  He didn't really think Peter
was going to threaten him or anything like that.  It was just that he was
such a big guy that he made the bed, and really everything else in the room,
look kind of small.

"I do not know why you are upset," Peter began, hoping that Seth would
supply it.  Seth was just staring at him, his eyes wide, waiting to see what
Peter would do.  He didn't know Peter at all.  This afternoon in the
Professor's office was the first time he'd even spoken to him.  Adding to
the awkwardness, he suddenly remembered that Scott had said he should get to
know him, because Peter was his "kind of guy".  It wasn't that he didn't
want to talk to Peter.  He didn't want to talk to anyone.  Right now he
wasn't sure what he wanted.  "If it's the Professor, he is always that way.
He may act like a benevolent father figure, and may sell himself as a
peacemaker on the news, but he would do anything for his cause."

"Then why do you stay here?" Seth asked.  He'd gotten here two days ago and
wasn't sure he wanted to stay.  If this was what the original students, the
ones who had been here for months and years, thought then how was he
supposed to believe that anything good would come of this and it would be
worth what the Professor was asking of him?

"Because some of the things he does are good," Peter answered simply.
"Whatever his motivations, some good comes of his actions.  People are
helped, and I would not be able to help them without the X-Men."

"I don't think I can do this," Seth said, looking away.

"Do what?" Peter asked.  "Work with the Professor?  He is not always so
direct, or so uncaring.  Once you are used to him-"

"I don't mean the Professor," Seth interjected, holding up a hand.  "I mean,
not directly, I guess.  What he's asking, actually what he's telling us to
do, I don't know if I can do it.  If the choice is seeing my parents to stay
here, or not seeing them and leaving, I might have to leave."

"Why?" Peter asked.  "Have you not seen your parents before?"

"No, of course I have," Seth answered, shaking his head.  "I just, I don't
want to see them.  They don't want me."

"Because you are a mutant?" Peter asked.

"Partly," Seth answered, not wanting to get into the rest.  He didn't know
if Peter knew about him or not, and this didn't really seem like the time to
get into it.  "It's a lot of things, but that's most of it."

Seth pulled his legs up onto the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees,
pulling into himself as he tried to talk about what had happened without
remembering it.  Unfortunately that wasn't possible.  Carrying this around
inside was like having a wound that never quite scabbed over.  He forgot
about it for a while, but then it would bubble up again like a volcano,
burning everything inside him.

"I've known for years that I was a mutant," he began.  Peter's face was
impassive, but managed to seem sympathetic somehow.  Looking into his dark
blue eyes, Seth wanted to talk to him, wanted to talk this out with someone
before he got on that plane to Atlanta.  "I found out in junior high, but it
didn't use to happen so often.  Most of the time it would be weeks or months
between when it would go off.  It wasn't always this strong, either.  People
used to just touch me and maybe get dizzy, or feel a little sick, but when I
got older it just got stronger, and it happened more often.  People started
to talk, mostly just kids at school, and I started to think that I should
maybe tell my parents before something happened."

"And?" Peter asked, even though he'd already kind of figured out where it
was going.

"And they told me to leave," Seth answered, staring at his knees.  His voice
was low, and Peter had to lean in to hear him.  "They went through the whole
thing with the `No child of ours could possibly be a mutant' and `You're not
our son anymore' and all that, just like in some stupid after school special
or something, and then they told me to get out.  And I just, I never thought
they would treat me that way.  I thought when I told them that they would be
ok with it, that we could maybe work it out together, and we'd still be a
family.  I told them other stuff, before, and they told me that they still
loved me and no matter what I would always be their son, but when I told
them I was a mutant they, you know, they just told me to pack a bag.  I
grabbed some clothes, grabbed some money, and that was it.  I didn't have a
family anymore."

"You haven't spoken to them since?" Peter asked.  "When we met with the
Professor earlier, you didn't seem to know that they were in Savannah."

"I didn't," Seth said, shrugging.  "When I left the house, they told me
never to come back, and I didn't think I would.  They were pissed, and I was
pissed, and I just kind of stomped out yelling about how I couldn't help who
I was and someday they would realize that and all that kind of stuff that
people yell in movies or on TV, but in my heart I didn't really think it was
real, you know?  I just kind of thought it was a fight, a bad fight, but
that we would get over it, and when it was done maybe someday we'd even
laugh about it."

"Where did you go?" Peter asked.  All he'd done was ask questions, but it
seemed like this was something Seth needed to let out.

"All over," Seth answered.  "I started out crashing at a few friends'
houses.  I had some older friends that I knew from a, um, from this group at
my community center, and when I told them my parents kicked me out they took
turns letting me crash on their couches for a couple weeks, but I started to
feel bad.  I didn't want to take advantage of them or anything, and I kind
of thought that maybe after they had a couple weeks my parents would come
around, because they had before with, um, something else."

When he looked up Peter was kind of smiling at him.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Seth asked, suddenly feeling
very stupid.  Why had he thought he needed to hide that and tapdance around
it like that?  He already knew about Peter, Peter had probably already heard
about him, and he suddenly felt very foolish.

"Yes," Peter answered, nodding.  "We can talk about that later, I think."

"I don't know why I didn't tell you," Seth stammered, and felt like he was
in a scene from "Dirty Dancing".  On the other hand, he'd forgotten for a
second how scared and hurt inside he was, but the minute he realized he had
it came rushing back again.

"Tell me the rest," Peter said softly, leaning in.  He saw Seth starting to
pull back inside again, and wanted to catch him before it could happen.
When he got him to drop his guard, Seth became a whole other person, and
Peter wanted to see that person again.  "What happened when you went to see
your parents again?"

"They were gone," Seth answered.  "The house was empty.  All the furniture
was gone, the doors were locked, my key didn't work anymore.  There was a
sign on the lawn, a `For Sale' sign, and they were just gone.  I knocked on
the neighbors' doors, and they wouldn't answer. I knew they were home, but
they wouldn't answer, because my parents had, they had told, told everyone."

Seth felt his voice shaking, his breath starting to hitch, and knew that he
was about to lose it.  He didn't want to, but there was no way to talk about
it, to understand that he wasn't just abandoned by his family, but that they
had taken everything else with them, too.  It was as if his whole life had
vanished, like his parents had taken that with them, too, as if they could
load it all into a van and drive away.  When he tried to talk to friends
from school, everyone knew, and no one would talk to him.  A few kids
threatened to hurt him and he gave up and stopped talking to everyone he
knew, because every time he tried it was the same thing.

Seth jumped as Peter's hand settled onto his shoulder, giving it a firm
squeeze.  To his own surprise, Seth leaned into it.

"They shut off my phone," Seth continued.  "I went to the post office, but
they wouldn't tell me the forwarding address.  They don't release that to
people, I guess.  I went to the bank, and they had closed out my bank
account.  My parents were cosigners on it, and they just, everything was
gone.  I even went to the real estate office, the one on the sign, and they
said they had specific instructions not to speak to me.  They felt bad about
it, you could tell, but they also looked at me like they thought I might, I
don't know what, but you could tell my parents told them."

"And now the Professor wants you to see these people again," Peter said
simply, but his tone was firm.  He had seen many things, knew that people
were capable of much cruelty, but to hear that the Rands had not only cast
their child out but done everything they could to destroy him as well.
Peter wanted to look such people in the eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this," Seth repeated, the same thing he had said
before.  "I don't know if I can see them after that.  I don't know what to
say to them."

"You don't have to say anything," Peter said, standing.  He held out a hand
to Seth, and felt the cool touch of Seth's glove sliding across his palm.
"Listen to me."

"Peter, if this is one of those pep talks like Scott gives," Seth began,
shaking his head as Peter pulled him up.

"I said listen," Peter said.  "Look at me.  No, not at my shoes.  Look at
me.  Your parents have already divorced themselves from you.  They cannot
hurt you again today, because they have already hurt you this way.  They
will not find new ways to hurt you, because I will not allow it.  Do you
understand me?"

"You just met me," Seth pointed out.  "You don't even know me at all, and
all of you, already, you're all ready to fight for me.  Why?  Why are you
doing this?"

"You already know the answer," Peter said, shaking his head.  "I told the
Professor that we take care of our own, and I told you that sometimes good
things come from the Professor's uncaring plans.  They may be your parents,
but you are one of us.  You can do this, because I will do this with you."

Seth swallowed, nodding.  It was the same thing Kurt had tried to tell him
over breakfast, the same togetherness that Ali and Warren had tried to pull
him into last night.

"Thank you," he answered finally.  He didn't know what else to say, and it
was hard to talk around the huge lump in his throat.

"It's time to go to the mall," Peter said, smiling.

***

They didn't talk much for the rest of the trip.  They took a cab to the
mall, carrying their bags since both of them only had small overnight packs.
  Seth went to a couple stores to grab casual clothes, some jeans and a pair
of khakis and a few long sleeved shirts, as well as incidentals like socks
and boxers and undershirts, but didn't really want to buy more than would
fit in the bag for now.  When they got to the register, Peter surprised him
by pulling out a credit card.

"Peter!  Don't pay for my stuff!" Seth gasped, even though he had no way of
paying for it himself.

"I'm not," Peter shrugged, handing the card to the clerk.  "The Professor
has probably already ordered one in your name.  We all have a monthly limit.
  He'll give you an ATM card, too, in case you need spending money."

"Wow," Seth shrugged.  He'd have to thank the Professor later if he still
felt like talking to him when this was over.

The Professor's generosity only extended so far, though.  He didn't spring
for first class seats, but Seth at least got the window, and there was no
one seated between them.  Peter turned on his Ipod as soon as the
electronics light went off and appeared to doze, leaving Seth glad that he
had brought that book.  Actually, it was more correct to say that Peter had
brought the book, since he had been the one to actually pack Seth's bag, and
Seth smiled sheepishly to himself thinking about that.

Seth glanced over at Peter as he reclined back in his seat, the white buds
of the headphones tucked into his ears tightly enough to block out the noise
of the screaming children in the seats behind them and the woman from Jersey
who hadn't stopped talking since she'd sat down.  Seth reflected enviously
that his first purchase with his X-Men gold card was going to be an Ipod of
his own, but envy wasn't the only thing he felt as he looked at Peter.  Like
Scott and Warren and, in a strange way, Kurt, Peter seemed to prove the
theory that every guy at the mansion was stunningly attractive.  It wasn't
just that he was big, his biceps straining the sleeves of his Armani t-shirt
while his thighs filled out Diesel jeans shredded at both knees (Peter,
apparently, had a little bit of a label problem) and his slablike pecs
heaved with every breath, capped by firm nipples that let Seth know Peter
was a little cold.  Instead, he was also handsome with dark hair a shiny
black like coal and a strongly built face that looked like it belonged on a
statue somewhere.

Seth sighed, looking away, but felt his eyes sliding back over the edge of
his book to Peter every few minutes.  Once Peter caught him, his dark cobalt
eyes meeting Seth's by accident when Seth glanced over, and he smiled as
Seth blushed and buried himself back in his book.  Peter had peeked out of
his half closed eyes at Seth a few times, too, and was starting to think
that he liked what he saw.  He also liked that it seemed to be mutual.
Eventually Peter got up to use the restroom, and when he came back, rather
than returning to his own seat, he took the middle seat next to Seth.

Seth looked over at him, smiling a little no teeth half smile, and Peter
looked back, returning the same smile before settling comfortably into the
seat and leaning back again.  His bare arm, resting on the armrest, touched
Seth's sleeve from shoulder to elbow, and lower down he shifted his leg a
little so that his calf happened to press lightly against Seth's.  Seth was
painfully conscious of the new contact, glad that he'd pulled down his tray
table to rest his book on so that Peter couldn't see the front of his jeans.
  Was Peter flirting with him?  Or was he just trying to comfort him again
by staying close and making him feel protected or something?  He shifted
experimentally in his seat a little, so that his leg was pressed a little
more firmly against Peter's and their arms were touching just a little more,
and then glanced over.

Peter's eyes were closed as he leaned back, lost again in the Ipod, but he
was still smiling a little.  Seth smiled a little, too, and went back to
reading, not breaking their contact.

***

To be continued.

A shorter chapter than usual, I guess, but this was a good break in the
story.