Chapter Text
"It's my granddad," Kitty said. She'd taken to balling up the end of her shirt in her hands when she was nervous.
"The one who died this year?" asked Professor X, finally putting down his pen to appraise Kitty. There was a definite concern in his gaze, the kind that always came before he said no to something.
In his defense, she'd burst into his study after dinner, completely unannounced, but she didn't know what else to do. It was an emergency.
Kitty nodded, and the Professor gestured for her to elaborate.
"Every year, he'd go to Washington, to the museum they have there, for survivors. There's a big to-do and every year he goes and gets up on stage to ask if anyone's seen his sister, they got separated. Everyone takes turns. It was really important to him, but now he can't do it, 'cause--'cause--"
"Kitty, it's all right, dear. Of course we'll make sure you can attend in his stead, if that's what you'd like to do. But I'm not letting you go alone."
"Everyone's busy," Kitty said, calming down. "Tests are coming up."
"Magneto doesn't have to take any of the tests," said the Professor.
"Magneto? Professor, he doesn't want to take some kid to DC. And--and--what if I don't feel safe?"
She mostly didn't mean it. Ever since Magneto saved their lives at Columbia the other week, she'd more or less started to get used to the idea of Teacher Magneto. But... The Professor's expression turned kind. He stood and came around to the other side of his desk, leaning on it. His hand clasped her shoulder.
"I can promise you, he'll be on his best behavior. And I think he'll surprise you."
"I can't go with Ororo?"
"We do actually need her."
"So you're just sticking me with the spare teacher!"
The Professor laughed. "Technically. Tell you what," he said and turned to reach for the phone, "I'll set you up with your own hotel room for the night, in a very fancy hotel that I know for a fact has excellent room service. And I'll give you a little money for the lobby phones. You can report any bad behavior on Magneto's part straight to me."
Kitty grinned. She'd started this conversation half in tears, but the Professor had a knack for finding something cheerful on the horizon, or for making it. She guessed that came with the territory of his powers, but she was grateful anyway.
"He's not going to be mean? Or grumpy?"
"Well, within reason," the Professor said, hands up in surrender. "We can't ask the rain to stop being wet."
Sure enough, Magneto was up bright and early in the morning, loading a car with a little bag of his things, checking the mirrors. Kitty watched him from the kitchen window with some major misgivings.
"Scott's going to be in DC, later," Ororo said, patting Kitty's shoulder comfortingly. "If you need any backup, just call. Him or me. I threatened to kill him once over you, and I meant it."
"That was only, like, a few months ago," Kitty said.
"The Professor works fast," Ororo said, and drank from her mug of tea. Kitty frowned, not quite following, but it seemed enough of an answer for Storm so it must be for Kitty as well.
"I'll miss you," Kitty said.
"Please, child, it's only two nights."
Kitty pouted, and Ororo laughed. Her laugh was the coolest sound ever; like a distant rumbling of thunder. The weather witch threw an arm around Kitty.
"I'll miss you too, little one."
Kitty took her school bag, which had her homework and her study material, as well as two changes of clothes. Magneto stuck out a hand vaguely as she approached the car, and she belatedly figured out to hand the bag to him. Satisfied, he put the bag in the back, closed it, and got into the driver's seat. Kitty debated for a moment and got into the passenger side.
Mr. Lehnsherr drove steadily, eyes on the road. It was a little funny when she and the other students found him doing mundane things: Ororo in particular liked to tease him. When did the wanted terrorist Mutant Master of Magnetism learn how to make American coffee? But it really struck Kitty now: why did he know how to drive? Couldn't he fly? Did he have a car all this time? Who taught him?
She laughed to herself, and Magneto turned to look at her for a moment, but neither said anything. They drove to the train station and parked the car without a single word passing between them. That was okay, though, because Magneto let her put on the radio.
The train was fancier than she was expecting. They got in at the front end and they had a table all to themselves. Kitty sat on one side and Magneto the other, and as they got to moving Kitty watched the green whirl by. She studied, and Magneto read. The spine of his book was something about teaching theory, which made Kitty laugh again. Magneto lowered the book, peering over the table at her.
"We're both doing homework," she said by way of explanation.
"Ah," Magneto said. "True enough. I don't suppose you'd like to swap?"
Kitty flashed a nervous smile. Was that a joke? He said it so off-handedly, Kitty couldn't really be sure.
By the time they got into DC's giant train station, it was something like 4:00. Kitty took her bag and hefted it onto her shoulder, but Magneto pulled it up and off of her in one fluid motion.
They took a cab to their hotel, which was grand as well. The lobby was huge and bustling, though kitty spotted the phone booths the Professor had mentioned. Along one side of the lobby about ten phones stood, separated from each other by wooden dividers sticking up out of the wall. At the moment a few were in use.
"Quite a few journalists stay here," Magneto said, noticing where her eyes had traveled. "They need to be able to make long-distance calls."
"Oh," Kitty said. She imagined the men on their phones, relaying important secrets half a world away. She toyed with the idea of spying on them, which could be cool, but certainly not with Magneto over her shoulder.
Magneto went to the front desk and checked them in.
"Two adjascent rooms under Xavier," said Magneto. The desk attendant was a man, who looked at Kitty for a brief moment before finishing up the check-in. The glare Magneto was giving him didn't seem to affect him at all, and Kitty almost laughed again.
"What?"
"It's funny watching you do normal stuff," Kitty said.
Magneto steered her away from the desk. "Try not to say things that make it sound like we're in a cult. It's strange enough having to check in with a teenaged girl."
"Just say you're my granddad, dummy," Kitty said.
Magneto glared.
"I mean, Mr Lehnsherr."
"While we're in DC I'm Mr Xavier."
"Okay, Grandpa Michael," she said. "Hmm. Not a very Jewish name, Michael Xavier. Could you try Micah?"
"It already says Michael on my passport," Magneto said, "so, no."
Kitty laughed. She was actually having a good time, at least in making fun of Magneto.
They got into an elevator and went up to the top floor. Her room was awesome: it even had a TV, and there was a connecting door to Magneto's room.
"Only for emergencies," Magneto said, very serious. "And questions do not count as emergency. I've got quite a lot of work to do, so you can figure out what you'd like to do tonight on your own."
Kitty nodded, and the door shut. She put the TV on and took out her stuff, only to come to a horrifying realization. The men downstairs, the women too: they were all dressed nicely. Everyone at the luncheon would be dressed nicely, too. Kitty didn't have any clothes like that, and if she did she certainly didn't bring them. She'd brought jeans and brightly colored shirts. One plain white one, but she was thinking of using that for pajamas.
Suddenly she seized up in fear. What would her granddad say? The whole point was for her to honor him, and she hadn't even thought of what to wear.
Stupid, stupid. This was what everyone always said about her: immature, and incapable of focusing on the task, of doing things thoroughly and in the right manner.
She didn't know what to do, and stupidly she knocked on the divider door. After a moment, Magneto opened it, frowning. He looked like he might've snapped at her, but then he must have seen her expression, because he stopped.
"What's the matter, little one?"
"I don't have any nice clothes."
Magneto nodded. "That's all right. There's a shop on this block. Let's go get you something."
"What? But, that costs money."
Magneto pulled out his wallet, waving it. "Charles' money."
Kitty laughed, realizing that there had been tears in her eyes that she wiped away.
"Oh, well," she said. "In that case."
The store wasn't too big, and Magneto sat on a circular bench outside the changing rooms. Kitty waited until he was situated, and ducked into the men's section. She found it difficult to make herself wear a dress, and she didn't want to be a disaster tomorrow.
No. A nice pair of pants and a jacket and a nice shirt. To look like she's made an effort, but still look like herself. That'd be the right thing for her granddad.
She'd grabbed a bit blindly, tried a bunch of stuff on that she didn't like. The brown pants made her think of the Professor. Finally she tried on a bright blue corduroy suit and knew she liked it. Especially since it was a little big, which meant she could roll the sleeves up. She felt like a grown-up in this, and walked out of the changing room ready to fight with Magneto about it.
Magneto, reading a paper he'd nabbed from the hotel lobby, hardly looked up at her.
"You're ready?" he asked.
"Yes," she said firmly, expecting resistance at any moment which simply didn't come. Magneto rose, folding the paper neatly, tucking it under his arm, and they went to the desk to pay.
"Go and sit down a moment," Magneto said, and she nodded. He spoke with the man behind the desk, but from the bench she couldn't hear what about. Magneto returned with the man in town.
"You'll need it altered a little," Magneto said. "They'll just take a quick measurement."
Some old man was already closing in on her with a tape measure.
"Raise your arms," he said, and Kitty did. Within a few seconds it was over. The man grumbled for a second, muttering numbers to himself, and put the tape measure away.
"Right," he said. "We'll take the suit, then."
Kitty backed away, and then realized how childish that must look. Magneto simply put a hand to her shoulder.
"We'll get it back tomorrow morning, when they're done with the alterations."
"I like the sleeves long," she said. Magneto nodded at the man.
"We'll keep the sleeves, then, dear," the man said, and wandered off, muttering more numbers under his breath.
"Go, change," Magneto said. "And you need a nice shirt, as well."
She picked a girl's one, and at the checkout learned its price and balked. And the suit was even worse! Magneto didn't flinch, just passed over a check, signed in his fancy script.
The woman gave her a bag with the shirt folded and boxed inside. This place was a little too fancy for them. But Magneto didn't seem to think so. He was unsurprised by every new development.
They left, and Magneto lit a cigarette as they walked back to the hotel. He must've noticed Kitty staring.
"What?"
"I was expecting you to be mad," Kitty said.
"Why?"
"The Professor always wants me to dress smart. I don't know if what I picked out is--what he'd have in mind."
Magneto appraised her, and sighed. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and bent down a little to be eye-to-eye with her.
"Listen," he said. "Charles is--he's trying to protect you, when he says things like that. Well, he's also being a snob. But he's learned from his own life that it's safer to hide what we are, and to some extent he's right."
"I don't think the suit gives me away as a mutant," Kitty said, frowning. Then she cracked a smile. "Although it's about as blue as Kurt."
"I didn't mean mutant. Child, there are many reasons someone can be... different. And it's difficult, to be different. Any of those ways. But you shouldn't have to hide. It's the world that's wrong, not you. Do you understand?"
"Maybe," she said.
"You don't have to hide here. First of all, we're in a city and not upstate New York. And second of all, these people we're going to see are your people. I'm your people. Your family, in a bigger sense. Nobody's going to mind if you want to wear whatever clothes you want. They'll be happy to see you, and pleased you made such an effort."
Kitty nodded. It was exactly what she'd hoped to hear, honestly. Magneto noticed she'd calmed down, and straightened himself. He puffed away on his cigarette, and stubbed it out just outside the hotel.
"Get what you want for room service," he said. "I've got something to do."
Magneto hadn't bothered tossing her the key, but she didn't think it was out of forgetfulness. He let her make her own way to her room, and Kitty phased through the door. She put the TV on, kicking off her shoes.
She called downstairs to order room service, and they told her the food would be up in twenty minutes. TV was boring. She resolved to do some snooping.
Sometimes she wondered if her curiosity wasn't a part of the power set. Like how Mr Worthington had lighter bones. It made natural sense that she couldn't butt out when her mutant power was butting in.
She peered into the room next door, but no one was in. She wandered a little, checking out this and that, but got bored. The lobby was her best bet. She took the elevator down and followed the corridor out to the lobby, and was shocked to find Magneto at one of the pay phones.
He was leaning, with one arm over the phone machine, all casual. And he was smiling as he spoke quietly down the phone. This was too good to pass up.
Kitty walked into the wall, following it until she was close to the phone section. Three phones down from Magneto, someone was having a rapid-fire discussion in Spanish, and another man in a language she didn't recognize. Finally, she was close enough to hear Magneto.
His voice was low.
"Honestly, Charles, it's bad enough you don't tell them about yourself. This is the second kid from your school I've had to give the talk to. Although I think it went over her head."
She couldn't hear, put it must be the Professor on the other end. That in itself was weird. From this distance, shouldn't the Professor be able to just... use his powers? Everyone had been shooting worried looks after the Professor all month. And he'd looked a little pale the other night. And he was leaning on his desk funny. Were his powers on the fritz again? Something he said made Magneto laugh lowly, and suddenly Kitty remembered Magneto was a supervillain again.
"Bobby. Bobby Drake. Yes, that was ages ago."
What about Iceman? What could they possibly be talking about?
"Charles, please."
He sounded so... amused. Happy. His voice was barely above a whisper but Kitty didn't dare stick an ear out of the wall in case someone saw it. She pressed up as close to it as she dared, though.
"She's fine. I'm fine. We're fine. Your faith in me is astounding."
The Professor said something else down the receiver, and Magneto coughed.
"That was one time."
The machine made the warning sound that his minutes were running low. Kitty was also getting worn out using her power for this long, but it was worth it so far. She had so many questions.
"Look, Charles, I have to go. Yes. Yes, actually. I paid for a--for something this afternoon and it worked fine. Your forger is excellent, and Michael Xavier apparently has very good credit."
Another low laugh.
"I know. I love you, too."
Kitty fell back out of the wall. Luckily in the opposite direction: behind that side of the lobby was a storage room, full of lockers and boxes and mercifully unoccupied.
Did she hear that right? He was unmistakably talking to Professor X, right?
She beat him upstairs to her room, and the room service arrived just as she phased in. She answered the door, and the tray of food was brought in. A minute later, the partition door knocked and she opened it to see Magneto.
"What's dinner?" he asked.
"Why?"
"I promised you wouldn't eat garbage."
Kitty gestured. "I got a burger and fries and a shake and an omelette and the steak frites, because I didn't know frites just means more fries, but that's what it means, and a slice of cake and a poached pear but I don't know what that means either."
Okay, so maybe she talked a little too quick. But at least she didn't ask: why'd you say I love you to Charles Xavier over the phone two minutes ago?
Magneto raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't choose?"
"I'm hungry," she said. And now that she'd used her powers for so long, she was ravenous. Magneto shrugged, put his hand up, and one of the sides of fries floated his way on its little metal tray.
"Hey!"
"Tax," he said, picking one off the floating tray and eating it. "You've got plenty."
He turned and closed the door after the fries tray followed him into his room.
Kitty shrugged, turned on the TV, and dug into the food. It was probably the best burger she'd ever eaten, which she couldn't wait to tell Ororo. The TV was playing some bad movie, and she switched channels to the news.
"Ten states so far are considering a ban on the use of so-called mutant powers, as public awareness of mutant beings walking among us broadens. What used to be a fringe group of individuals has swelled into a segment of the American and possibly global population. Some scientists suggest that as many as one in a hundred children today are mutants."
"One in fifty," Kitty muttered.
"Turn it off," Magneto called from his room. His voice was muffled by the wall, but managed to get through the closed door pretty good.
"What if they show the Professor's speech?" Kitty called back.
"All the more reason."
Kitty laughed. Sure enough, in the interest of even-handedness, the news lady turned to a video.
"Professor Charles Xavier, foremost expert on human evolution, currently teaching at Columbia University had this to say in a speech directed to the American public."
"Mutation is a simple fact of life," Charles-on-TV said, with the same comforting smile he'd given Kitty yesterday. "And it doesn't have to be a frightening one. There's no reason to fear change, and after all, these are children we're talking about--our children."
"We've invited a few panelists to discuss the recent changes in public opinion around mutants," the woman said as the video cut out. "Doctor Henry Peter Gyrich--"
The TV turned off with a click. Kitty only knew one person in this building who could do that.
"I was watching that!"
"Go to sleep. Or do your homework."
Kitty grumbled but she was tired. She tried to do a little more studying, but her heart wasn't in it. Finally she climbed into bed and tried not to think about how nervous she was about the next day. The idea of facing it with Magneto was surprisingly calming: nothing could possibly be scarier than Magneto, and he was being nice.
"Good night," she called. Just to be nice, too. She couldn't wait to tell Ororo everything.
"Good night, child," said Magneto. Or, he might've. She couldn't entirely hear him.