spyglass kid

jeanthenorthstar​:

…Was that..? 

   “–Jean-Paul Beaubier, slow down. You’re not supposed to-” 

Yeah, there was no way he was slowing down. And the fastness of the movement toward the two figures was painful, but he was beginning to see their faces more clearly, and took no heed of Kyle’s stern warning. 

“Xenia! Tim!” He cupped his hands over his mouth. 

It was them. 

It was really them. 

“--Kids!” He shouted, a huge breath of relief gushed forth from his lungs, and though everything hurt, it was within moments that he had his arms thrown around the two soot covered children. 

Thank god, thank god. 

“Are you hurt?” He took a step back, turning Xenia and then Tim to face him, one hand on the side of each of their heads as he got a proper look at the students. “Where were you??” 

@exchronos

@towatchthesky

To be perfectly honest, the shouting of their names startled her enough to twitch, the sound of Mr Beau’s voice sending a rush of anxiety through her, making her thing they had done something wrong.

But just in time to whirl around to see the incoming teacher, she was aggressively hugged, making her lose her breath momentarily. Then there was a frantic inspection and their hand on her face and she all but backed away from it because hell,

travelling back in time once was enough for that night.

Where were you??

Uhh..

She turned towards Tim, mouth agape, unsure what to say, or do. “–We’re okay. We uh..”

It was barely enough time to process what was happening. All at once they were thrown into the grass, colliding with the dirt and then their names were being called. 

Just a second to register the arms thrown around both him and Xenia, the hand on the side of his face and the question. 

He threw her a glance, unsure of what to say. “We..” 

He blinked up at JP. He’d just seen him, seven years younger.

She watched him walk towards the entrance, walking behind but giving them a little bit of space. It felt strange, like she was stepping in on a private moment, like something you could only wish for, a do-over.. 

Coming to a stop by the door, what she heard next sent a chill down her spine. Missing. 

What had happened to him? Who would do this to a kid??

Younger Tim was taken care of by the doctors, she caught his gaze, unsure what to say now. A look around told her they were already overstepping in this timeline.

She walked up to Tim, took a seat next to him in the unusually quiet ER reception area.

“Timothy.. We have to go.“ she said quietly, watching the nurse behind the desk answer the phone. Xenia reached over to touch his hand again, it hovered over it. “We can stay, but.. If your parents see you, I don’t know how this will mess up with the future.“

So. “Are you ready?”

It was a little strange to hear her say his whole name. Most people didn’t- something kind of reserved for when his parents were upset with him. But it got his attention, and he looked down and saw her hand. 

“--Yeah.” He cast another look down the hallway. 

The doors open, in running a man to the front desk and Tim couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but it sounded frantic. He saw the breath of relief, the look of disbelief on his face when he turned enough to be seen..

“That’s JP.” He whispered, eyes wide. 

The soot-covered mess of a kid froze when the professor spotted them. The two who’d brought in Tim. 

Unable to help it, she glanced up at Tim, saw the unmistakable fear their eyes, the sadness when they looked down at their younger selves. Xenia protectively brought the young Tim closer to her at the sound of their whimpers, seeing the tears on their cheeks.

She was trying to hold it together for him. How strange to meet a person and not knowing just how much grief was in their past. Sometimes she hated her powers.

“Okay.“ she saw it, the entrance to the hospital. Xenia turned towards Tim, ready to give the young child over to them. Perhaps it was good, that the did this. For himself.

“It’s gonna be okay.“ because he was there, because he was there helping himself.

It’s gonna be okay. 

“Yeah. It’s..” He looked at the entrance, stared at it a moment. He knew it was. Things would look up. He’d been found. A community had come together in support of him, and he’d been held up and encouraged at every turn. 

Even his parents, they’d started going to meetings. A complete 180, they were supportive. 

He’d make friends, and he wouldn’t remember this night. “Thanks.” He gave Xenia a small smile, hesitated a second before he stepped over to carefully take hold of his younger self. 

Holding the kid in his arms, he walked him into the hospital.

He told them, this was Tim Bryant. He’d been missing. 

She didn’t know what would happen, if they left young Tim in there, in hopes that someone else would come. She didn’t know too much about how time worked from a past perspective. This was all still very new to her.

But she did know that she couldn’t leave him in there, alone and scared. Knew that she would never forgive herself for not trying, that she would forever look at Tim in another light.

That this was the night he saved himself.

She nodded, watched him walk closer to the dumpster, but she followed behind him. And into the trash she saw him go, heard him console himself, stood on her toes and craned her neck to be able to see inside.

Yeah, she was worried too. Guess they’d have to find out if they ruined some kind of timeline, later.

Up the young boy went, and Xenia was ready to grab him, holding him tightly to her chest, grimacing when she heard him whimper. “I’m sorry..” she stepped away from the dumpster, pulled up a couple of pieces of fabric from her volumous dress to cover the boy. Protectively.

She looked around now, unsure, finding Tim with her gaze. “Where.. Do you know the way?”

There. He was out. 

Did he know the way? “Uhm- I think, yeah I think so.” Emerging from the alleyway, he was unable to help but watch his own face. The pained scrunch of it, a weak whimper. 

There was nothing for the older to remember about that night. That was a good thing, a mercy- that he still didn’t even remember the days that had lead up to it. 

Only the attempt to run away, and meeting the woman who’d said she would guide him to the clinic.. 

He was glad, that the smaller boy wouldn’t remember this. “This way.” He pointed to the street-sign, and gave a nod of confirmation. No car stopped for the two soot covered teens, trudging their way in what Tim was sure- what he hoped, was the right way to the hospital. 

Not far from here. 

Still frozen next to the dumpster, she tore her eyes away from the child inside to look at Tim and focused on the fact that they were there now and alive and well and happy and good and the other was all in the past-

Someone found him?

Mirroring his actions, she turned to see if anyone would be approaching. But the mere fact that they were there meant they needed not to be, if someone else was supposed to.

But she could hear the labored breaths coming from the young boy, and she was scared they didn’t have enough time to wait.

“Tim..” she spoke quietly. “I think, I think we need to help..you.” how did they do this without.. Xenia didn’t want Tim to see, to relive it, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t kind. But they needed to get him out. At least for someone else to see, to take them to the hospital.

It was late and it was getting darker. Who was going to come?

Finally leaving her spot, she walked up to Tim, concern and worry written all over her. “You don’t have to do anything. It’s okay. Let me.” her hand reached up to place on the boy’s arm, wherever the suit fabric was still intact.

He looked to her in surprise, shaking his head. “But, someone already..” 

It was desolate here. He couldn’t see anyone else, couldn’t hear any other footsteps approaching. 

He blinked at the hand on his arm, watching her a moment. She was brave- she was really brave, Xenia. Tim had never really been like that, but-

He didn’t know. Maybe these days spending time with her, a little of her courage had rubbed off on him. She’d saved them both. “I can do it.” He said quietly. 

He stepped up to the dumpster, took a deep breath, and turned his head to nod at her. Then he climbed up, tripping a little against the side and landing- “Aw gross-” 

He pressed his lips tightly together, seeing the boy- him, seeing him, his faint breaths. He was.. so much smaller, than Tim was expecting him to look. Who would do something like that? That was an answer he’d never gotten. 

Right now it didn’t matter, because right now they- were his only chance of help. So he bent down, to scoop his arms carefully around the kid- who seemed to tense frightened as soon as he touched him. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.” He whispered hurriedly, shooting a worried glance to Xenia. Wasn’t this messing with time? 

The loud sound of a car door being shut, the engine revving up, the car driving away, it barely pulled her attention away because she had already opened the lid, her two by four ready to be lowered down,

she heard Tim’s warning, but she ignored it,

not by choice but.. so much was going on in her head everything jumbled up she couldn’t focus on everything but just the one-

Oh my God..

She choked up, her eyes welled up with tears, she stood frozen. She was staring down at Timothy, a much, much younger him. And he looked… hurt.

Her head snapped back up, the piece of wood fell from her grip, she was looking at Tim over there, older, happier.. Traumatized.

Who would do this..

She thought better than to ask. She wanted to know, she wanted to comfort him, to tell him everything would be okay because it was - because he was here now. Alive, and well, and a teachers pet.

But all she could do was let the lid fall open wide.

“Do you have your phone? We need to.. we need to call an ambulance.” her voice kept steady, she tried to keep herself composed, but it still wavered a little.

And then she remembered. “..How were you found? It’s, important, not to.. mess with the past.”

“Um- yeah, yeah, I have it. I have it.” 

He didn’t want to look into the dumpster, he didn’t want to see.. 

The teenager dug into his pocket and pulled out the phone to dial for an ambulance. But it didn’t pick up any signal- every time he tried to call, just a beeping. His line wasn’t in service, wouldn’t be for some years.. 

“Um, someone found me and brought me to the hospital, they should be..” He turned a small circle and looking around. “They should be here soon.” 

Because the boy in there didn’t sound good, probably didn’t have long. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” she patted her dress down like it would make it look a little less disheveled. She reached up to pull a wilted flower from her hair, tugged at the flower crown. Definitely not that pretty anymore, she bet. Oh, that sucks.

This was certainly an alley, now that she gave it a better look. Still, the question remained, why this place? Why was this important. The squeak made her whirl around towards the dumpster, looking between it and Tim, confused as heck.

A raccoon? Aw but raccoons were cute. “Maybe it’s stuck.” she suggested, walking up to it with no care in mind that it might be something dangerous. Or, more fire. “I’ve heard a lot about raccoons getting stuck in dumpsters, and all you have to do is uhhh.. Ah!” she spotted a long piece of, two by four, careful not to prick herself with a splint now that she didn’t have her gloves on.

And then she reached over to open the lid of the dumpster.

“--Xenia, I really don’t know if that’s a good..” 

His head turned at the sound of footsteps, that at the dark end of the alley he saw the shape of a woman. Tall, and with dark brown hair. A sick churning in the pit of his stomach, 

as he watched her open the car door, and get inside. 

“Hey.” He breathed, stepping down toward her, walking fast. “Hey!” 

He skidded to a halt and the car sped away, and he turned back around and ran back to the dumpster, where inside was

Timothy Bryant.  Eleven years old. He’d been missing for a week. He was still smaller than most of his classmates, hadn’t yet hit his ‘growth spurt’. He’d been left here, for dead. Just the way he’d been told it happened. 

Was someone coming for him? 

She gasped, the sudden movement of the other startling her, then the two arms around her made her freeze but the relief that they had made it out of there won over. She laughed, she sobbed, she wiped her face, the mix of ashes and tears smudging it. She hugged him back.

He smelled so strongly of smoke.

God, it had been so close.

“You’re okay??” She sniffed, took a look around, not recognizing anything. Well, except the smell of trash. She coughed and spit, wiping her hands on her once blue dress, taking in lots of clean trash-smelling air into her poor lungs.

“Where are we..?” This is how her powers worked, based on who she touched. So somehow, somewhere in Tim’s past, this was a place he had visited.

“I’m okay. Are you okay?” Tim nodded, taking a step back to check on her. She looked alright- well. He was sure they both looked a state, but she didn’t look hurt. 

Where.. were they? 

He took another little step back, turning in a circle. He could hear the sounds of the city beyond the alleyway. Not too busy- It must be late at night. 

“Looks like an alley.” He shrugged his shoulders, brow creasing. Where had she taken them? Just then he heard,  what sounded to him as quiet as a cat. Almost a quiet squeak-  

      Coming from the dumpster. 

And suddenly he was standing very, very much more still. 

There was, no way. 

She was fighting against her fear, fighting against her panic to help Tim, to keep calm, to actually do something to get them both out of there. But her doubts were winning and she hated it,

she hated it with all that she had.

you can!

Maybe this time, she could. She didn’t know how, didn’t know where it would take them. But anywhere else was better than this, right??

She let out a sob, ripped her gloves off of her hands and lunged forwards to grab Tim’s hand with both of hers.

What came after was a whirl of sounds and a rush of color, the smell of smoke faded and then everything went black and silent.

Then suddenly a flash of light, felt the hard surface of pavement underneath her, letting out an groan.

It was quiet. Dark. The air was so much easier to breathe.

They were outside.

“..Tim?” she lifted her head up, looked around, found her hand holding tightly onto the boy’s. “Oh my God, Tim??”

The explosion of color swirling around them, the smell of smoke pulled further away and became the freshness of night. 

No, not freshness. 

It kind of smelled like trash. 

They landed on pavement, Tim crashing into Xenia- “Ow-!” But when the movement settled, and things were still.. 

He tried hard to lift it with her, but it didn’t give. It was so hot that he had to quickly pull his hands away, and she asked him to crawl out but- the opening looked small. 

Fear was starting to freeze him, and his eyes darted from her to the opening- the fire. “I- I don’t think I can!” 

He coughed hard, the taste of smoke bitter in his throat. He reached an arm out- “Xenia,” He remembered. 

      “Your powers, Xenia, your gloves!” 

Panic, everything was panic. She didn’t know what to do but try again and lift, but it was no use, she wasn’t strong enough, she wasn’t capable of holding on against fire.

Timothy-

Wide eyes looked down at her hands, the once bright blue gloves now ruined by the smoke, the soot and holes singed through them. Her hands, her powers..

“I can’t-!” where would she take him, where would they go- There had to be another way, there had to be someone in here to help them. But she was coughing too much, and she wasn’t sure if Tim was saying anything else but she saw his arm, saw his face in between the debris that had fallen around him. “I’m not ready!” im sorry!!

Something loud crackled above them and she looked up, terror in her eyes.

Tim’s head shot up to look at the ceiling when he heard a crackle, and then his terrified eyes were back on his prom date. 

I can’t- 

And- “Yes you can.” He shouted back. She was always saying that. Always saying she couldn’t or she wasn’t that good, and maybe they hadn’t talked a ton in all their time shared at Xavier’s, but even before they were friends he’d heard that kind of thing from her. 

It wasn’t true. “Xenia, you can!” 

Everything,

was burning.

How? She couldn’t figure it out. One moment they were all having fun, she was actually having a good time, actually allowing herself to not be worried about saying the wrong thing or do something dumb and Tim was being so nice-

Tim??

Oh no.

“Tim??” people pushed her to get out, but Xenia was now searching for her date instead of standing rooted to the spot as she watched it all burn. She coughed as the smoke filled the room, but out of the screams and heavy footsteps, she heard her name being calle.

Oh God- “Tim!!” she hurried over, grabbing the wide piece of fabric of her dress, at least her shoes were comfortable enough to run in. And then she found him. Shit.

“Tim- hold on!” the beam was too heavy for her, it was on fire. How was she going to get him out of there? “Someone, help!!” but people were clearing out, it was harder to see, it was all just

fucked up.

“Oh God, oh God- Tim, try to crawl out, just try! Please!!”

He tried hard to lift it with her, but it didn’t give. It was so hot that he had to quickly pull his hands away, and she asked him to crawl out but- the opening looked small. 

Fear was starting to freeze him, and his eyes darted from her to the opening- the fire. “I- I don’t think I can!” 

He coughed hard, the taste of smoke bitter in his throat. He reached an arm out- “Xenia,” He remembered. 

The young mutant had been ushering underclassmen, trying his best to guide as many to the exits as quickly as possible. Already things were coming apart, falling- 

He couldn’t see her anywhere. Had she gotten out? 

“Xenia!!” Suddenly a loud groaning sound, the falling of a thin wooden beam from the ceiling came hurtling toward the ground and it missed him- 

   But now he was boxed in. Stuck. It was getting harder to breath in here. 

The sudden shock in the boy’s voice made her read that in the wrong way, momentarily thinking Tim thought it was horrible. But by the next sentence she was corrected.

And she smiled. And blushed.

“Thanks.“ she smiled a little wider, brushed the soft curl back from her face - a nervous gesture. 

Yes. Yes they should! She took a step out of her room to close it behind her, was suddenly presented with his arm. Making sure her light blue gloves were secured to her hands, she curled one around his arm.

“It feels strange,“ she started off, “Not sneaking around this time. But, it’s cool.“ she was joking, of course, talking about their break from curfew to get snacks and milk.

“Hope you didn’t get in trouble..“

“No, I.. didn’t get in any trouble.” 

Which was such a relief, for the boy who’d secretly worried all night that he would be called into Xavier’s office the next day. But no such thing had happened. Everybody was probably very preoccupied. 

“So guess what. I found out from the planning committee what the food’s gonna be.” He whispered as they went down the stairs to go and join the growing throng of students chattering excitedly and waiting to be let into the hall. 

With the final touches, Xenia put her flower crown on her head, securing it with bobby pins. And then she took a good look in the mirror, twirled to make the light blue tulle dress move in a flowy motion. She was happy with the way it came out, a little nervous about practically sewing two dresses because she changed her mind when the first was done.

But, this was it.

Xenia smiled, took a breath. A look at her phone showed that she was right on time. Actually.. Like an hour right on time.

So, just

she’d just have to wait.

Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, she ate some of the cookies she had left.

Some time passed and with the knock on her door, Xenia got to her feet, dusted off the cookie crumbs from her dress and mouth, before stepping up to the door. And with one more deep breath, she swung it open.

“Hi!“ she smiled, a tight lipped one. “Nice suit. You have good taste.“

“Thanks.” Tim smiled, and then he saw her dress. Wow. Was that the one that she said-- 

“Xenia, you made that?” A look of astonishment came over the boy. Had she done it all by herself? “It’s- wow, it’s amazing.” He shook his head in disbelief. 

“Should we-” 

When the bell tolled to signal the end of the final class period of the day, Tim was off to his room to get ready and put on the suit. 

In the hall, teachers and volunteers alike were busy putting the final touches on the end of the year celebration. Balloons, centerpieces, the DJ stand, food and plenty of punch. They even set up a photo-booth, per student council poll this year. 

When the teacher’s assistant finally felt ready enough to step out the door, he gave himself a final look in the mirror. And then, couldn’t move. 

He grimaced, hand rubbing over his pant leg. Fear suddenly making its presence very known in the pounding of his chest, even the taste in his mouth. “You’ve got this.” 

He took a sharp breath in, cleared his throat and nodded at himself. “You look great. Just have fun.” 

And with that, he was out the door and down the hall to go and meet Xenia, to knock on her door and see if she was ready.

“Great. Let’s lose it, then.” 

Thank god. Actually, seeing the suit altered and pinned, now without the bowtie- it didn’t look nearly as dated. 

He took a step back, frowning at his work thoughtfully. Smiled a little to himself, because wow. When did this happen? “You’re growing up.” They all did, all the time. 

It wasn’t that JP ever played the favoritism game, but ever since the little kid first arrived at the school, painfully shy and picked on- and then everything that had happened, the teacher had made sure to keep an eye out for him, keep him under his wing. 

And then Tim had news, and Jean-Paul rose his eyebrows. “What?” 

“I asked someone.” 

Tried as he might, he couldn’t hide the grin, even as his gaze darted to the floor. “A friend. As friends. We’re going to go to Formal together.” 

Well that was no good. “Alright, alright. 

Let me see.” They definitely wouldn’t be able to take it anywhere for adjustments on such short notice, but maybe- It had been a while, but Jean-Paul might be able to do a few alterations himself. Just to take it in where it needed. 

“Yeah..” He weighed his head from side to side. 

“Do you feel at all attached to the bow-tie?” 

“Not really, no.” He shook his head. 

He let the mentor take a look at the suit, trying to hold still as he pulled things into place, pinned parts together.