second summers

There was a guilt in her chest, too–a guilt of leaving behind her found family. Yet, someone wise had once told her that she had to do what was best for her if she was truly going to make a difference. This was her truth. “Don’t be afraid of change. Sometimes…. leaving to be yourself is the right thing. Even if its daunting.” She turned to offer him a smile and a reassuring squeeze of his hand. 

“I’m not sure what I’d do with my degree. I want to see the courses and explore it a little more.” She paused, mulling over what he had said. “Well, as handsome as you might look in a pilot’s uniform, I’m glad you’re not. You’d be gone a lot more and I’d be bored with no one to tease.” The plane crash was a sensitive subject. She didn’t want to cross a line. Humor was a way to ease the lingering pain– or at least she hoped to. 

Lorna stopped. A shirt was folded in her hands. Her breath had hitched. Slowly she set down the shirt before turning to Alex. “You do?” Her head tilted to the side, regarding him. “Well… its better than renting hotel rooms. We have separate rooms to start.” She’d never lived with anyone. Running away together was one thing, but moving in together… that was another big step. Lorna could be impulsive sometimes, but she didn’t want to rush things. Not this. This felt too important. 

“We should go shopping to make it feel more like ours though? Once we get there, obviously. But it could be home.” 

Change was never something that Alex feared, it was always something that he fully embraced but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his own reservations. Scott and Gabriel were here and despite the turbulent history, the brother’s had a chance of making things right. “Sometimes you’ve got to close your eyes and jump right?” Jumping into missions and dangerous situations wasn’t a new experience for Alex but leaving to find some peace was. 

“Whatever you decide, I’ll have your back be it late night study sessions or food runs.” He smiled back at her. This wasn’t a conversation that Alex had planned on having again. The last time he seriously spoke about his own academic future was his graduation but then the world came crashing down with The Living Pharaoh and an actual pyramid. “At least I know what my next halloween costume is going to be,” Alex teased. “Besides, I would look pretty good in the uniform.” Teasing and flirting was making this situation lighter, something that Alex assumed they both needed right now. 

“Serving your country.” IT’S A SCOFF ; a dark look thrown at Alex. “Are you really so deluded? guilty or innocent , one way or another , they would have you all thrown in here - but you’re serving your country.” THE DISGUST IS EVIDENT ; any respect he might have once had for the man is now gone. “I didn’t kill the president , although i doubt you believe me. Why would i? he was one of us. Yet that hasn’t stopped them from putting me away now has it? - how long before crimes are fabricated , mutants are arrested? do you think it will end with me? if so you are a fool.” 

Havok met Magnetos’ words with a glare of his own. It wasn’t naive to think that humans and mutants could work together in every way, including service. “Are you so close minded.” He said as he balled his hands into a fist. The camera’s would be watching everything and Havok had to rise above this but it was so damn hard. “I haven’t tried to kill thousands of people so there’s that.” Alex tried to shrug off the other mutant’s words but it was seeming to be an impossible task.  Alex looked to the camera’s and put his hand over his mouth, as if he was about to cough. “I don’t think you killed him but you’re not exactly innocent are you?”

He lost track of time. He no longer knew if it was day or night. They took not only his dignity when they took off his clothes and put the stupid collar on him. They locked him like an animal in this cell. He had tried to make his way out but he learned the hard way that using his powers was out of the question. His captors drugged him to make a move. Now, he was paying the price. Fortunately, he was not alone for a long time. It seemed Alex had falled into the trap as well. They were now in the same conidtions.

“Does it look like this was my choice?” He asked the other man quietly. “Don’t touch that too much. if you try to take it off, you’ll be paralyzed for a while” he warned the other man. Gabriel decided to share that piece of information with him. 

“I tried attacking the guards, but they have a remote control for the collars. We cannot also walk beyon the blue lines. Otherwise, it will have the same effect” He added.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be a few days of celebration but being thrown into a prison cell wasn’t exactly on Havok’s agenda. “It may not have been your choice but you’ve got to be involved.” Trust wasn’t exactly something that Alex shared with his little brother and with good reason. The people of Shi’ar weren’t exactly friendly towards anyone with their last name but who could honestly blame them?

“For the record, I didn’t hit you. I swatted you. There’s a difference.” At least to her. It was important to differentiate in her mind. Still, she remained playful. Though, to her delight, Alex seemed taken by her almost-kiss. A hum slid from her. Warmth filled her chest and her cheeks tinted ever so slightly, even as she tried to ignore it. “Perhaps you can show me later, then.” Lorna grinned wickedly. 

She had to sit back, however, as the nurse came over. She decided to take a drink so that Alex could fill out all the paperwork. Lorna was slightly disappointed that he had to put his shirt back on. Not that she could say that aloud, at the moment. “I’m glad you think so. Maybe next time I’ll wear something nicer.” She leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek. “8 is perfect. I’ll see you then.” 

__

The day passed slowly, but Polaris worked on training. She enjoyed being at the top of her game. She had to be prepared for anything. The danger room allowed that– though, in some ways, she wished there was a danger room outside. Rarely, if ever, were they fighting in a controlled environment. Nor could she work with the natural metals around her in the danger room. 

Around six, she headed inside for a shower and a bite to eat. 

Now dressed in her comfortable clothes, carrying a few two liter bottles, she headed into the common room. “How are you feeling– how’s your arm?”

 Lorna poured them both a glass. 

The rest of Alex’s day was filled up with mission debriefs and the endless paperwork that was the bane of his life. The only thing keeping Alex going was the idea of tonight. It was just a movie night but it was something relatively normal instead of going on another mission for another end of the world scenario. 

Alex had made a decent effort for tonight. He shaved but the communal room was already overfilled with students and having a room full of teenage mutants wasn’t the night that Alex was planning. Kicking them out, Alex got to work transforming the room. The room was cleaned and Alex had set up his TV with the pizzas and a blanket and pillows spread across the floor. He wouldn’t admit it, but it actually looked pretty good. 

     He drove quietly, unsure of what to speak of, and partially unwilling to find a subject. He wanted to, there wasn’t really a reason to stay silent, but post-mission he liked quiet. And he was cataloging what they’d need at his home. Splints, possible resources for stitches, bandaging, probably something to eat, bigger painkillers depending on how Alex was doing for pain.

     In the apartment, he made sure Alex was comfortable before he moved away to grab his medkit and other supplies. When he returned, he sighed and shrugged at first. He respected Charles Xavier, but he wasn’t sure he trusted him in person- especially given Cable’s more… violent tendencies.

     “Can’t really say I think I’d be welcome there. Not exactly a student or a shinin’ example of morality by Xavier’s standards.” He began to work on Alex’s leg, motioning to a bottle of heavier painkillers on the coffee table. “’Sides, more comfortable with my own space.” It wasn’t entirely true, but it was enough. He worked on tying the splint, checking for any wounds that may need further tending.

 Alex could understand his nephew’s predicament with his place amongst the X-Men. He was a man out of his own time, fighting alongside his father while his mother was branded a villain. It would be hard for any kid, or man as he was now. “I’m not the best example but there’s a place for you within the school,” At least that’s what Alex had told himself on a daily basis but it still didn’t get rid of the feelings of doubt.  “And I think your dad wouldn’t mind seeing more of you.” Alex still couldn’t get a read on his brother or his nephew. He had no clue if everything was okay between them.

“And you think this will make them do so?” SCOTT ARCHES AN EYEBROW ; not that it can be see. He thinks this idea is too risky ; too dangerous and he doesn’t want his brother in the line of fire. SCOTT HATES THIS IDEA ; he thinks it’s going to cause more problems than it fixes. He finds himself slamming his hands down on his desk. “You’re putting yourself in the line of fire , you realise this yes?” SCOTT HAS ALWAYS BELIEVED IN HUMANITY ; in Xavier’s dream , but with the mounting tensions , and Erik doing very little to help that - he finds himself on the edge. “What if they decide they can’t trust you because you’re a mutant? what then Alex? what if they turn on you?”

In all honesty, Alex had no idea what this revelation would do. When everyone was criticizing heroes and mutants who hid behind their personas, what other options did they have? Alex had weighed the risks, at least he thought he had. Alex had no family like Scott, no kids or serious partner to worry about so he was the perfect scapegoat in every sense of the word. “It’ll be my ass on the line, no one elses.” Alex tried to keep his rising temper under control. “I have a perfect military record and a decent college degree so on paper, I’m perfect.” Plus Havok wasn’t as known as a hero so there wasn’t too much to judge.

Returning to Shi’ar was supposed to be a positive experience. It was supposed to be a political trip, to help maintain the relationships between the people of Shi’ar and mutant kind but something wasn’t right upon arrival. They had a welcoming party for Havok and his team and it was good. The drinks were freely poured and the atmosphere was a joyous one and yet after a few drinks, Havok’s world went dark. 

“A normal life– that’s the real paradise, isn’t it?” She grinned at him. Lorna didn’t let go of his hand after she helped him up. She headed back to the hotel she had been staying at, leading him up to her room. Her suitcase was already laid out on the bed. It was only there that she let go– she needed to put away what was left of her toiletries and pack her dirty laundry into a bag, along with her shoes. “Is there anything you need to get before we leave?”

A chuckle slipped from her, but she nodded. “The Professor has a lot more patience than either of us. I don’t know how he has done it all of these years.” He was practically a saint in her eyes. She knew that she had given him trouble over the years– and she wasn’t the only one. “Probably better pay, too, at a research company, or a think tank.” 

After zipping up and setting her suitcase on the ground, she looked at him. “We can. We can have that life, Alex.” School. Normal work that wasn’t fighting aliens or the government. “I want that.” She wanted that– with him. She held up her pinky– yes, it was juvenile, but it was one of the most sacred promises– “Promise me.”

To admit it, to even think of having a normal life filled Alex up with this immense guilt. Alex felt like if he left everything behind, he was leaving behind a family, his own people for what, to finish his studies and settle down? Alex was quiet during the walk up to the hotel but he never let go of Lorna’s hand. “I’ve got a back still packed.” At least the last mission was good for something.

Alex sat on Lorna’s bed while she packed, listening to her and watching her go about her business. Charles Xavier had done so much for mutant and humans but all anyone could see was this pointless war between the two. Humans feared them and mutants, rightly so, resented the humans. “I can’t picture myself in a think tank,” He chuckled lightly. “I thought I should have followed my dad and become a pilot but I hate flying.” He never used to. It wasn’t until the plane crash that Alex had an intense fear of being in the air.

Ava refrained from taking his hand, knowing that in her current state of mind, it would be useless. Not enough time to explain, however, when gunners jumped out of the truck and almost opened fire before… something turned their vehicles into chunks of rended metal. Impressive.

What he might not have accounted for was where all that shrapnel would go from such a force. A pair of girls, probably no older than 15, seemed frozen in place at everything going on. Two girls whose lives would have ended if Ava hadn’t phased them through a jagged piece of undercarriage flying in their direction. “I’m not the one who should be thanking you,” she called back to her supposed “rescuer.”

Havok cursed under his breath when the remains of the truck exploded. The one thing he could count on was his powers being a destructive force, even when he was trying to help. There was no wonder why his suit was needed to regulate his powers. He watched in an odd sense of awe when the girl.. Glitched? Havok didn’t know if that was the best word for it, but it was strange. She didn’t seem like a mutant. “How the hell did you go that?” Havok had never seen anyone like that, or powers like that. “Are you a mutant or something else entirely?”