In Fear of Three Little Words

Man, sometimes me and computers just don't get along. I was going to put a message in Chapter 19, but the next thing I know it's sending the chapter. Bizarre.

What I was going to say was: Fear not, I'm still posting. In fact these two chapters are a bonus today because I just finished Chapter 53 and sent it to my beta for editing. Unfortunately, this story is trying to take off on a new tangent just as I thought I was wrapping it up. Damn these characters. They just keep talking and talking. Such a demanding lot. But they're all such wonderful characters. I knew I was hooked on this series when I saw Logan walk into that store in the first ep. Woah, baby. Talk about hot to the touch! I think I'll go have that cookie now! Thanks again for the reviews!


Chapter 20


“What’s this about you and Logan going somewhere together?” Kitty asked from the doorway of Kurt’s room?

Kurt glanced up, his heart skipping, pounding, skipping and finally settling into a quick rhythm, anticipating an uncomfortable confrontation.

“Yeah, you two have been really weird lately, spendin’ way too much time together,” Rogue added. She leaned against the door frame and stared at him suspiciously. “Now you two are goin’ for a weekend alone? What is up witht?” t?”

Kurt returned his attention to his packing, stuffing a flannel shirt into his bag. He had known this moment would come, that his friends would finally start putting the pieces together. Logan had warned him though Logan had not savored the coming questions and confrontation any more than he.

“I don’t see how Logan’s and my weekend plans are any of your business,” he finally said, knowing instantly he’d set himself up for a full blown battle.

“Hey!” Kitty exclaimed. “Since when do you and Logan have weekend plans together?”

“As of now. Mind your own business...ladies.”

Rogue pushed into the room, stalking towards him and facing him across the bed. “Look here, bro. What goes on in this house is everyone’s business.”

Kurt zipped his bag up with finality and looked up at them again. “And that’s why we’re leaving for the weekend.”

Kitty now stood beside Rogue, staring at him like she’d never seen him before. “You’ve changed, Kurt,” Kitty said with obvious concern. “Ever since this Trask thing. In some ways you’re the same, but in others...you’re so different.”

Kurt let out a frustrated breath. “Yes! Yes! You’ve got it. I’ve changed. If you’d experienced what I experienced in the last month you’d have changed too. Things happen. People grow up.” Kurt lowered his gaze. “Logan and I need some time...to found out who we are again...to find out....” Kurt took a deep breath and let it out, screwing up his courage. “To find what we are to each other.”

“Woah.” Rogue said. “Back up the bus. Am I missin’ something or did that sound way too personal?”

“You heard right, Rogue,” Logan said from the doorway. He wore a black turtleneck and blue jeans, tight in all the right places. On his shoulder was an overnight bag and his leather jacket hung over his arm.

Logan strolled into the room and Kurt’s attraction to this man felt like a vice strangling him, holding him prisoner. But he didn’t want to fight it. He wanted to embrace this need inside of him and see if it was real or just infatuation like the Professor believed.

“I’m not much for sharin’ feelings or anything,” Logan said, the two girls staring at him now instead of Kurt. “But Kurt’s pretty much summed things up. This is somethin’ personal between me and him, real personal. So, we’d appreciate it if you’d give us a little room to explore and see where we land with each other. Okay?”

“Logan,” Kitty began. But she shook her head and turned away.

“Aw, half pint,” Logan said, raising her face up with a finger. “I’m sorry if this confuses you. But you’re probably no more confused than we are.”

“You’re sayin’ you two are romantically involved or somethin’?” Rogue asked. She looked from Logan to Kurt. “That is what you’re sayin’. Oh god. This is totally freakin’ me out.”

“Are you two crazy?” Kitty yelled. “Have you lost your minds?” She took a step back away from Logan, and Kurt saw the hurt in Logan’s eyes. “This is a joke. Right?” She gave a half-hearted laugh, as fake as her belief that they were joking. “Yeah, that’s what this is...a joke.” She stared at Logan. “Say it’s a joke!”

“Kitty, please,” Kurt said. “Don’t make this so hard on us.”

“Hard on you?!” she shrieked, turning the full force of her anger on him. “What have you done to Logan to make him feel this way about you?”

Kurt flinched as if she’d struck him.

“That’s enough, Kitty.” Logan’s voice had gone hard. “This isn’t your business. You have no idea what you’re talkin’ about, what’s gone on between me and the elf. You don’t have a clue what we went through together and you think you have the right to stand there and judge us?”

Tears streamed down Kitty’s face and Kurt didn’t understand why Kitty was taking this so personally. Of all the people here, he’d hoped for understanding from her. He had obviously missed something...somewhere.

“We were hoping to have a quiet weekend together,” Kurt said. “To find out if there’s something there for us. Nothing is meant to hurt you or Rogue or anyone in this house. We care about all of you.”

“It’s okay,” Rogue said. “It is your business.” She moved over to Kitty and put an arm around her. “I think it was just a shock, that’s all.”

“A shock!” Kitty yelled, shaking off Rogue’s arm. “They’re both guys! How can they---- Why would they----” Kitty’s gaze ran wildly from Kurt to Logan to Rogue. She pushed by Logan and ran from the room.

“Well,” Kurt said. “That didn’t go so good.” Nausea rolled through his stomach and he wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.

“I’m sorry,” Rogue said. “I didn’t know Kitty had a problem with...you know...gay issues.”

Logan rolled his eyes and groaned.

Kurt looked over and found Scott standing at the open door, arms crossedht aht against his chest. Jean stood beside him, an unreadable expression on her face. Others had gather behind them, drawn by Kitty’s yelling, Bobby and Amara, Roberto and Ray, peeking in to see what was the fuss.

“What’s going on?” Jamie asked, poking his head in.

“Nothin’s going on,” Rogue said. “It’s none of our business. So everybody shoo. Go away.” She made a motion with her hands, but nobody moved.

Thanks for trying, sis.

“I think it’s time some things got out in the open here,” Scott said. “Ever since this Trask thing happened, you two have been acting strange, like there’s something going on between you.”

“Scott, don’t. This isn’t the time or place to talk about this,” Jean said putting a restraining hand on Scott’s arm.

He shook her off gently and crossed the threshold of Kurt’s room without invitation. It seemed no one needed an invitation anymore.

“Who the hell do you think you are, Cyke, invitin’ yourself into other people’s personal business?” Logan growled, dropping his coat and bag behind him and readying for a fight. “This is between me and Kurt and nobody else. So you’d do well to butt out.”

“What affects this team is my business and when I see Kitty running from you in tears, then I want to know what caused it,” Screplreplied getting in Logan’s face.

“Logan and I are going away for the weekend together...alone,” Kurt injected. “That’s what she’s upset about.”

Scott straightened and turned on Kurt and Kurt knew in the depth of his heart that if he could have seen Scott’s eyes he wouldn’t have liked what was there.

“What’s happened to both of you? You’ve been spending a lot of time together,” Scott stated. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed how much you touch Kurt, Logan. You always have your hands on him,” Scott added. “What did Trask do to you to turn you into...into....”

“What?” Logan asked in a goading tone. “Go on say the words. They’re just ready to drip off your tongue. Kinda like the way the word mutant sounds coming out of humans’ mouths particularly ones that hate us.”

Scott took a step back, suddenly uncertain. “That’s different.”

“How’s it different?” Rogue asked. “It’s society that puts labels on us, religion that makes perfectly natural feelings evil.”

“What are they talking about?” Jamie asked.

Kurt rubbed his face. He’d be blushing scarlet if he wasn’t blue.

Jean gently pushed Jamie back, stepped into the room and closed the door.

“Scott, you are interfering in Kurt’s and Logan’s personal lives,” Jean said, stepping forward and placing herself between Logan and Scott. “How would you like it if they stuck their noses into our relationship?”

“But this is different, Jean” Scott said. “Their relationship could jeopardize the team.”

“Why is that?” Jean replied, sounding piqued. “Because they’re both men? We expect the world to tolerate us because we’re mutants. We want them to respect and accept us for who we are. How can we expect that when we can’t even show tolerance for one another. If Logan and Kurt have found something together we should be happy for them, not sit in judgement on them.”

“What about the other students? What about their parents?” Scott said, taking another angle at his argument, one that Kurt had expected all along. “What if they don’t accept...a relationship like that and don’t want their kids taught by a....”

“Why don’t you just spit the word out?” Logan said, crossing his arms against his chest. “Fag? Queer? Which label you wanna stick on us, Cyke? I’ve never had much use for labels, but if it makes you happy, go right ahead and label away. Me and the elf aren’t stickin’ around to listen to your self-righteous rant.” Logan swept up his bag and jacket from the floor, stalked to the bed and grabbed up Kurt’s bag as well. “You comin’, elf?”

Kurt nodded. He followed after Logan, the crowd in the hallway parting. Rogue walked with them and Kurt glanced over at her. She smiled and winked at him and walked them all the way out to the SUV.

“I hope you find what you’re lookin’ for, bro,” Rogue said, leaning close to Kurt in a conspiratorial way. “I kinda see what you see in the guy. Just don’t let him boss you around too much, okay?”

Kurt gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks for understanding, Rogue. You don’t know how much it means to me. I just wish I knew how to make Kitty understand.”

“Don’t worry about Miss Priss. She’ll come around. I’ll talk to her.”

“Come on, elf. Times a wastin’,” Logan said.

“See what I mean,” Rogue said flinging a look towards Logan. “Go, enjoy. Everything will be better when you get back. You’ll see. Jean’ll jerk Scott into order.”

Logan revved the engine and shoved the passenger side door open from the inside. Reaching over, he grabbed Kurt by the arm and dragged him into the vehicle.

“Later, Rogue,” Logan said and roared away down the drive.