Pretending

By the end of the day, Kurt was wondering if he'd ever be able to look at some of the guys in the school again. Oh, the things he'd do for Scott. And that reminded him, he still had to think of something to get back at him for the comment in the lunchroom.

He grinned, mulling ideas through his head while searching for said boy.

Scott was searching through the halls, the corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile. All day long he'd heard nothing but 'Sandra, Sandra, Sandra' whispered through the halls, joked about by his classmates. The 'new girl' already had more than one admirer. He spotted 'her' not far away and sneaked up behind, tapping her shoulder.

"Hey stranger." He smiled. "How was your day?"

He spun around, grin widening at the other boy. "Hey yourself. Oh, alright, I guess. A little strange, considering, but..." He trailed off with a small shrug. "And yours?"

"Likewise," Scott said softly, glancing round as people started to file out of their respective classrooms thick and fast.

"You know you've got half the school lusting after you?" He asked in a tone that was both rueful and amused, looking down at Sandra/Kurt.

He blushed and let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah... Maybe I should have toned the image down..." he muttered, but shrugged. "Can't change now anyway."

"Good job," Scott said without thinking, horrified to find himself blushing. "Er, I mean, you shouldn't have to tone down just because of the way people are looking at you." He cleared his throat, looking away - what had that been about?

"So are you going to, er, change before I take you home?" He frowned, lowering his voice, "and what are you going to tell Kitty when she asks where you've been?"

Kurt sighed, not wanting to think about that. "Well, I guess I have to, huh?" He paused, chewing on his lower lip. "I don't know. What am I going to say to anyone who asks that? I guess I'll just say I felt sick?" he asked, shrugging.

He glanced around, before frowning. "I'll... be right back." He moved away, trying to find a more secluded place to change his image back to his normal hologram.

Scott watched Sandra move away, unable to stop his eyes drifting south watching the swing of her hips and – er - other things. Someone shouldered past him roughly, he caught a glimpse of red hair before Jean took off down the corridor. Scott ran a hand back through his hair; good grief, was this day getting weirder?

Kurt stopped on the other side of the building. He looked around carefully again, making sure no one was looking his way before pushing a couple buttons on the watch-disguised-bracelet, changing his appearance back to male. He grinned to himself and patted down his hair absently then headed back towards Scott.

Todd rounded the corner and - bang - bumped straight into Kurt, loosing his balance he stumbled back.

"Watch where you're goin’ – oh," He sneered, "it's you." He picked himself up, brushing off his jeans. "Where the hell you been, fag?" He asked with a smirk, "You missed one hell of a treat, yo."

His grin immediately fell, turning into a deep scowl. "It's none of your business where I've been, Toad," he muttered, shifting his gaze to try and find Scott. He still didn't want to deal with Todd-- but did he ever?

"Oooh, touchy some? What, you scared I'll tell?" Toad smirked, loving to push Kurt’s buttons. He let the smirk drop away, preferring to watch the emotions flit over Kurts face as he looked away.

"Don’tcha wanna know a new bit of new? It involves your fuck buddy," Todd said with a lazy grin, leaning back against the wall.

Kurt rolled his eyes, gaze locking back onto Toad. "There's just no reason for me to tell you, Toad. And, no. No, I don't." A small smirk flittered across his face. "What's his business is his. And he's not a... fuck buddy." His nose wrinkled a bit at the word.

"Good job he ain't 'cos he's got a new slut by the looks of it." Todd smirked.

"Shame he's got this new girl tagging round after him; she seems like a nice girl." He shrugged. "Not that you'd care about that."

Scott had gotten tired of waiting, wondering if something had happened, he followed the general path that Kurt had wandered off on. His eyes narrowed as he spotted Kurt talking with Toad... Toad of all people!

"You having problems, Kurt?" He called out in stern tones as he walked towards them, fists bunching unconsciously.

Kurt growled out a soft snarl, opening his mouth to comment back. He cut himself off at Scott's words and looked at him. He frowned a little. "Not any more than usual, Scott," he said, moving away from Todd and heading over to Scott.

"See you later, fag!" Todd called with a dirty snigger before - literally - hopping off.

Scott shook his head - jerk - as he watched Todd leave before his gaze moved to Kurt. It was weird, seeing Kurt again in place of Sandra. Obviously the two were the same. It just... made him feel... weird.

"Alright?" He asked, his tone as brisk as usual and not as soft as when he'd been talking with 'Sandra’.

He scowled again, holding himself in check so he didn't bamf over to Toad and beat him silly. He curled his hand into a fist before letting out a rush of breath. "...Yeah. Yeah, I'm just annoyed."

Scott nodded.

"Come on." He gestured towards where he'd parked the car, seeing Kitty and Lance heading towards it already. "Silly girl," He sighed, shaking his head. Stopping Kurt a minute he frowned. "I'd like a word, in private, when we get back to the mansion, okay?"

Kitty leaned against Scott's car, grinning up at Lance and waiting for Scott.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Scott but nodded. "Alright. Is something wrong with... you-know-what?" he asked, frowning a little.

Lance smiled down at Kitty, trying to get rid of the expression but failing miserably, knowing they only had a limited time before the one-eyed wonder made it to the car he tried to think of something witty to say.

"What?" Scott asked dumbly before it clicked. "Oh! Oh no, she's fine. It's something else." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it," He said as he headed towards the car again. "Get in the car Kitty!" He called out, opening the doors.

Kurt quickly got in the front, not wanting to be stuck in the back again. There was just something about the backseat cushions that hurt his spine a little.

Kitty rolled her eyes at Scott and muttered, "Fine, don't, like, blow a gasket." She smiled again and stood on her tiptoes, kissing Lance's cheek. "Talk to you later, okay?"

Lance grinned, touching the place where she'd kissed.

"Uh, sure, yeah," He mumbled as he blushed, inwardly beating himself up. "Later."

Scott narrowed his eyes, thankfully hidden behind the visor at the display between the two, glancing over to where Kurt was sat beside him, feeling a strange jolt run through him as he did so.

"Kitty! Stop exchanging saliva and get in the car already! Some of us want to go home," He called out as his stomach rumbled loudly by way of evidence.

Kitty giggled and waved a goodbye to Lance then hopped in the car. She buckled herself in before proceeding to smack Scott on the head. "Jerk," she said, huffing.

Kurt snickered at them both, but decided to not say anything-- not wanted either of his best friends mad at him.

"Ow." Scott flinched as he started the car, wishing for the first time that Kitty wasn't a girl. "It's not my fault you're... you're... you're fraternizing with the enemy," He snapped eventually as he pulled off.

Kitty rolled her eyes again and sank back into the seat. "Isn't, like, the whole idea equality?" She suddenly turned her attention to Kurt. "And just where have you been all day?"

Kurt smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Nowhere?"

Kitty stared at him then let out a heavy sigh. "Men!"

"Yes, well, if they'd play by the same rules as we do maybe I could understand," Scott said sternly, mouth closing with a snap as he listened to the exchange between the two, letting out a low sigh and glancing at Kurt before grinning at Kitty in the rear view mirror.

"You love us really Kitty." He winked.

Kitty huffed and put her head in her hands, looking out at the scenery going by.

Scott stepped on the accelerator, wanting to speak with Kurt but unable to say anything in front of Kitty. Sandra’s full figure kept flickering across his mine, competing and comparing with Jean's. It was far too distracting and he suddenly had to think of something very cold, hoping no one would notice the blush on his face.

Scott had pulled into the car park still in thoughtful - if slightly embarrassed - silence. Getting out, he shot Kurt a look, nodding over his shoulder.

"Kitty, can I ask a huge favour? Would you mind doing me and Kurt a coffee? Please?" He asked, using the first thing that came to mind as an excuse to get rid of her.

"What am I-- your maid? Make some yourself," she said, still mad about his attitude towards Lance once again. She headed into the mansion, leaving them behind.

Kurt smirked, holding back a bit of laughter. He got out of the car, shouldering his back pack. "So..."

"I love you too Kitty!" Scott called after her, grinning stupidly now that he knew he could talk with Kurt alone. He glanced over at the other boy, his grin slowly fading to a smile.

"So? That's all you can say after all that?" He teased, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "Um... Still up for that date?" He blurted, wincing a little at his total lack of tact.

Kurt blinked then smiled a little. "Um, I guess so. There's no reason not, right?" He just hoped that Xavier didn't know he technically skipped school.

"Right, right." Scott nodded quickly, feeling himself start to go red as the question he'd really wanted to ask ran around his head. "So how was life as Sandra for a day?" He asked, trying to avoid going back in just yet.

"It was... different," he said vaguely, blushing red a little himself. "I don't know if I'll be able to look at some of the guys in school again," he added, voicing his thought from earlier.

"Well, as long as they don't look at you - I mean... Er... Sandra... Um…" He trailed off. "What did Toad want? You - I mean, Sandra was talking to him at lunch, too, right?" He asked, hoping the protective tone in his voice wasn't too noticeable.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on it. "Well... during lunch he was flirting, but after school he was just trying to get a rise out of me." He smirked. "Sometimes I think he has a death wish or something, you know?"

"I think it's probably a personality flaw that you have to have in order to join the Brotherhood," He said flatly, one corner of his mouth hitched in a repressed smile before it faded.

"He's not bothering y – Sandra is he?" He asked, his fists balling. "What did he mean when he called you a fag?" He added before frowning. "You didn't kiss him did you?"

"He just-- Oh, Gott in Himmel! Nein!" he yelled, interrupting himself as his eyes widened. "Why would you think that? He's my rival, he's Toad."

Scott held up both hands in a pacifying gesture.

"Easy," He said in quiet tones. "He called you a fag, Kurt, I was just trying to figure out how the hell he knew, okay? Geez." He glanced over at the door which Kitty had disappeared through, hoping she hadn't heard.

"Last thing I need is for another one of us to be interested in them. Kitty and Lance are bad enough." He sighed.

Kurt turned red again and glanced down, thinking about how Todd had guessed he was gay. He sighed softly.

"As much as... I don't like him, he isn't so bad around her," he muttered absently.

"What?" Scott asked flatly. "A member of the Brotherhood, Kurt; someone who stands for the exact opposite of what we fight for?" He shook his head, turning away to reach for his bag.

"What happens when there's a fight between us and Kitty and Lance are on opposite sides?" He turned back around, looking down at the smaller boy. "I'm not going to hold back just because she thinks she's in love with him."

He frowned and shook his head. "Scott, yes, they're our enemies, for a lack of a better word, but they're not our opposites. Like Kitty said earlier, it's about equality and acceptance."

He paused and put on a grin. "Besides, she's fought him before. And no one expects you to go soft, Cyke. I think we'd all have a heart attack if you did."

Despite his temper Scott laughed, shaking his head in reply.

"Hey, I can be soft when the time calls for it," He said, smiling fondly at the other boy. "Do you always have to do that? Make me laugh when I'm having a good rant?" He said, pretending to be grumpy as he headed towards the house, dropping the earlier subject of the Brotherhood. He knew he went on and on about Kitty and Lance but… He didn't want to see Kitty - or any of the team – hurt and he was always on the watch for Lance breaking Kitty’s heart. The last thing he needed was for Kurt to fall in love with someone he shouldn't. Kurt was most definitely one of 'us'.

His grin just widened and he shrugged, following him in. "I guess it's just part of the fuzzy dude's charm."

He re-shouldered his bag, looking over at him. "So... Any idea of where we-- er, you're going out tonight?"

"Charm, right, sure, you tell yourself that Kurt." Scott half grinned, heading into the kitchen - coffee sounded a great idea - "Well, I gotta look up the number of Jean’s favourite restaurant and book a table." He pulled a face before glancing over at Kurt with a smile.

"What kind of movie do you think Sandra likes?" He asked, flinging his bag onto the breakfast bar.

Kurt pouted and half-heartedly punched him in the arm. "Hey-- everyone loves the fuzzy dude. Don't deny it."

He lapsed into thought, frowning a little before pulling a face. "Probably chick flicks. But maybe you can convince her for a good suspense," he said, flicking off his inducer and heading to the 'fridge to find something to snack on.

Scott rolled his eyes behind his visor and punched him back with about the same amount of force. "Oh, of course everyone does, Kurt," He said sarcastically, hiding his smile by making coffee for the both of them. "I just feel privileged that you spend so much time with me." He grinned before wrinkling his nose.

"Chick flick?" He frowned, voicing his distaste before looking thoughtful. "I wonder what I'd have to do to 'convince' her," He mumbled.

He just laughed, pulling out the makings for a sandwich. "Oh, you should. I won't grace just anyone with my presence," he joked.

"Probably not that much," he said, catching what he said. "She, uh, seemed to like you anyway." He smirked, throwing a wink at him.

"Only special cases, huh?" Scott shook his head, placing a cup close to where Kurt was making his sandwich. He grinned a little at the wink.

"Well, of course she likes me; it’s the Cyclops charm, didn't you know?" He said, attempting to steal Kurt’s lines before the smile faded. "You really think she likes me?" He asked seriously.

"Who likes you?" Jean asked as she walked into the kitchen.

He snickered. "Like you have charm, Cyke," he said, teasing him. He quirked an eyebrow, opening his mouth for a response, then spun to look at Jean.

He grinned. "Some new girl. Sam, I think? Or was it Sandy?" he asked, playing the innocent.

"I can be charming!" Scott laughed before he turned to face Jean.

"No one that I know of." He glanced over to Kurt. "And it's Sandra," He corrected, trying not to grin.

"Sandra? The fat girl that came to talk to us at lunch?" Jean asked as she hunted in the fridge for the orange juice. "Honestly, Scott, where do you pick them up?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Well, sorry, Scott. I didn't even meet her, you know."

He shoved the food back in the fridge, reaching around Jean, then took a bite of his sandwich. He scowled a little and muttered to himself, "I was not fat..."

"You should have, Wagner, she was lovely," Scott said with a grin. "Just your type, come to think of it." He frowned at Jean.

"She wasn't fat, she was sexy," He defended without thinking. "Voluptuous," He added. "And she said she'd go on a date with me."

Jean had frowned, hearing Kurt muttering to himself in the fridge, some nonsense that she didn't care about before she stared at Scott, her mouth opening and closing a few times - what did he mean she was sexy? Jean was the only one Scott was supposed to like.

"What on earth are you going out with her for? She's - she's - she's new!" She blurted.

Kurt resisted the urge to throw food at Scott, making another check mark in his mind of things to prank him for.

He laughed around his sandwich at Scott's reply, leaning against the counter and observing them. Once again, though, he held his tongue.

Scott glanced over at Kurt, wishing the teleporter could back him up but sighed turning back to Jean.

"So what if she's new? She seems nice enough and she doesn't have any friends." He shrugged, taking a sip of coffee. "How was your day Jean?" The red head stared at him for a moment before smirking.

"Oh, so it's a 'just-friends' date," She said, sounding relieved, "Hm, it was fine."

Shooting Kurt a smile, she asked, "Where were you today?" Behind her, Scott swore under his breath as he spilled coffee, reaching for the kitchen towel.

His gaze flickered to Scott then back to Jean nervously. "Um, I... I wasn't feeling too good earlier, so I, uh, took a rest. But I'm feeling better now," he added quickly, not wanting to take a false trip to the infirmary and have Hank look him over.

"Aw, well I'm glad you feel better," She said with false brightness before flipping her hair over her shoulder. "We'll talk later Scott, when there's less company," She said without looking directly at Kurt. "Catch you later!" She called before leaving the room and storming up to her room. Scott smiled after her.

"She's so sweet to be worried about us," He sighed happily, "Don't you think?"

"Mm," was all Kurt said, a scowl forming on his face again. He picked up his mug and took a swing of his coffee. He let out a gasp, scowling harder, as he burnt his tongue.

Scott snapped out of it as he heard Kurt gasp, standing up he moved over to the fridge to find the milk.

"Aw heck, sorry," Scott mumbled, topping up Kurt's drink, cooling it down. "I always forget that not everyone likes it at 'burn-your-mouth-off' hot." He lifted Kurt’s chin, frowning a little as he raised a finger, gently checking the other boy's lower lip for burns. "You alright?" He asked quietly.

Kurt blushed, thankful his fur hid it, but sure that Scott could feel the heat anyway. "N-no, I'm okay. I've had worse in the danger room, ja?" he mumbled, not moving his lips much.

"Ja," He whispered in reply, "Er, I mean, yeah." Scott realized what he was doing and abruptly let the other boy go, taking a few hasty steps back. "Um, so I'll catch you - I mean Sandra later, yeah?" He frowned. "Where should I meet her?"

"Um, ah... O-outside the institutes gates?" he responded, eyes widening a little then glancing away. "So, I'll, uh, see you later tonight then."

He moved away and out the door, leaving his half eaten sandwich and mug of coffee.

Scott stared after the blue boy before letting his head come in connection with the breakfast bar.