Chapter Text
Growing up in a small prairie town, waking up to the sound of a woman's screams had surprisingly normal for Kurt. Not because anyone was getting hurt or there was an actual woman screaming, but many nocturnal animals back home made strange, surprisingly human noises. Barn owls, Bob cats, mountain lions, foxes, even coyotes could sometimes sound like a person in distress. So when Kurt was jolted awake from the sound of screaming echoing through the mansion, his first instinct was to teleport to the chicken coop Xavier had on campus with the fencing foil Rogue had given him and a lantern. It wasn't the first time he had dealt with an intruder to a hen house in the middle of the night, and he knew there was no time to waste. He kicked open the door with scream, banging the foil handle against the metal lid of the lantern to make extra noise and spook whatever unwanted guest that was there away.
….little did he realize he was the only unwanted guest to be found, that was until the birds began screaming themselves and fluttering about having been woken up by the blue farm boy. Kurt fell back as one flew into his face, dropping his lantern and foil (thankfully not breaking the lantern in the process) as he scrambled to remove a very upset buff orpington from his face as she herself panicked. After a minute of terrified clucking, feathers and hay flying, and Kurt scrambling and coughing on the ground from the kicked up dust and dirt things finally settled with him clutching the squirming hen to his chest, gasping and looking around, only to find there was no one else there except for him and the very irate and confused hens, all staring at him. Kurt swallowed and winced, relaxing his grip on the hen in his arms who promptly fluttered out and onto the floor, puffed up in anger.
“I thought…Scheiße…sorry Gertie…Girls…” he sheepishly admitted as he got to his feet, "...great…no eggs for a few days und I only have meinself to blame…" well, at least none of the chickens were dead, he thought, locking the coup up and leaving in embarrassment with the sword and lantern, but if that wasn't an animal making that sound…Kurt facepalmed as it dawned on him and teleported back to the mansion. How could I be so dumb? Of course it was a person! Stupid! stupid! He thought as he ported back and began looking for Dr MacCoy. Someone could have been seriously hurt and here he was worrying about chickens…hopefully he still had a chance to help though.
As he made it to the med bay, there was already a gathering of other students and staff there: Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Lady Monroe, Remy, Dr. McCoy…and the professor?! Whatever this was must have been serious. They all turned to him as he entered the room some in surprise, some in shock, done with a look he couldn't describe. “Is…everyone ok?” Kurt said, panting.
The room was quiet, staring at him with apprehension. "Vhat?” He questioned, before noticing he still had feathers stuck to him with static cling. He blushed and brushed himself off. " S-sorry I thought something bad attacking ze coop…” he admitted, " just never mind the mess chat is going on? Is everyone ok?!” He looked up again and saw that Rogue was in the center of the room and had tears streaming down her face.
"Oh no, fraulein, are you alright?” He reached out to her. He hadn't known her long but in the time since he initially began helping Remy court her he had grown attached to the girl. She didn't need protecting but he still had grown a bit of a protective sense towards her faster than he thought he would.
Rogue flinched looking at him with horror and realization, and Jean gently stopped his arm. "Kurt, Kurt things are…well under control please just relax," she says awkwardly trying to sit him down in a chair next to the door, "Please we-”
"OH GOD IT WAS HIM IN THE DREAM!!!” Rogue cried before sobbing again. Kitty and Remy were at her side trying to soothe her.
" Vhat???” Kurt cried, trying to standing up again suddenly and voice cracking, "Dream?! Vhat did I do?!”
" Nothing Kurt you didn't do anything-" Jean started trying to get him to sit again, “you aren't in trouble-"
“But she's crying cause of me!!" Kurt replied.
“No she’s-"
“Please calm down son-" beast began but was interrupted by Rogue.
“I saw your mom, Kurt!!" she cut in, causing the room to fall silent.
Kurt blinked. "My mutti? Vhat?” he questioned quietly, “but…I…you have never met mien mutti..”
“Not…not your adoptive parents Kurt…” she replies quietly, “I saw…I saw the woman who…I got a memory of her some how and I saw what happened to her… what happened to you…”
It was if a glass had fallen on the floor and shattered. The world seemed to stop spinning for a second as those words hit him, and suddenly, Kurt couldn't breathe, and he slumped in his chair as he processed this. He had never expected this day to come, and he didn't know how to feel. He loved his adoptive parents, with all his heart. They had given up so much for him and in his eyes they were his only parents aside from the Holy Father. But…ever since he could remember, the question of who gave birth to him and what had happened to her had haunted him. Why had she abandoned him to the river? Was it an accident? Had she expected him to die? So many questions that had left him staring at his ceiling wide away till dawn for so long, his heart aching all the while…and now he may be getting the impossible answers to those questions…from a girl he just met a few months ago… his mind was swimming…how? Why??? How did she…
Then he remembered. When they first met Rogue had touched him, taken his powers and memories…perhaps she had gleaned something from him subconsciously? He prayed to God that was the case…
“Kurt? Are you alright?" Professor Xavier asked, rolling forward in his chair in concern.
Kurt just nodded. “Ja…" he breathed before looking up, “please, just…tell me everything you can.”
Rogue bit her lip hesitating. "It…it ain't a good story Kurt…" she admits.
“Please," he begs, looking to her, "I don't…I don't mind. I figured it could not be happy but I…I’d rather know than not.” and so she began telling her dream…and Kurt found tears falling from his face as she did, but not out of horror as he had expected.
In fact it was nothing like what he expected. He expected a story of a distressed woman reviled by what she had birthed. Him being thrown away to be drowned or sacrificed or something…but instead he was completely unprepared for what rogue described…he found there was only one conclusion he could draw from the story: he had been loved and wanted, at least by his birth mother, and it almost hurt worse than if he had been intentionally discarded.
Despite everything, his birth mother had wanted him all along. She may still be out there, still mourning him, no clue he was even alive. His chest physically aches at the thought. And a thought instantly occurred to him. “I have to find her…” he whispered, "I have to know more."