Chapter Text
Even though it was only about 4 o’clock, the pewter-grey clouds had knotted tightly together above the small town of Bayview, forcing it into an early darkness. The Xavier Institute sat atop the hill along Graymalkin lane, overlooking the town. The mansion stood tall, resisting the efforts of the bellowing winds and rain to tear it apart. Charles Xavier himself was largely unaware of the severity of the thunderstorm. He had been attending back-to-back conferences in the heart of New York, and so would only be allowed to return the next day. His assistant, Ororo Munroe, was significantly more attuned to the weather than her friend was, but did not worry. She trusted that the young X-Men would be sensible enough to border up the mansion, make some hot chocolate and study against the drizzly backdrop.
*****
Scott tutted as Evan rode down the path leading to the grandiose entranceway of the Institute. The second the front wheels of the board touched the doorframe, he was telekinetically scooped off his board (minus shoes) into a writhing wall of towels. He squawked in protest as one towel attacked his hair and face while the other focused on his shirt and arms. They were taunting Evan while they scrubbed.
‘Become dry, damn you!’ cried Kurt with theatrical flair and a horrendous British accent.
‘Seriously Evan, you look like you got flushed down a toilet.’ Kitty wrapped the towel around his hair as if he had just stepped out of the shower, tutting like a disapproving parent.
The door finally banged shut, startling the group. Jean dropped her arms from her temple as she relaxed, a little embarrassed that the wind had proven to be an admittedly formidable opponent. She smiled wearily at the group and thought for a second. It probably outranked most of the X-Men in the room.
With the door now shut, Scott crouched down onto the floor, mopping up the rain that had been let in. Frustration oozed through his words as he spoke.
‘Evan, you need to really start becoming a bit more responsible. Look at the sky. If there are gigantic clouds of death approaching, maybe forgo the skatepark, ‘Kay?’
‘I did though!’ His now-free hands shook frustratedly in the air. ‘And didn’t the news say it’d be light showers or whatever all day?’
‘Yeah, actually. Evan’s kinda got a point. Did someone do something to make Ororo mad?’
‘Kätzchen, Ororo is with Xavier.’
‘Maybe Xavier did something to make Ororo mad then.’
‘Then why would she be taking it out on us?’
‘Guys,’ Jean started, ‘sometimes the weather just… is a little different than what we can predict. It happens. Everything’s based on similarities to the conditions on other days. For instance, if there’s a thirty percent chance of rain, then that just means–’
‘-it rained on thirty percent of days with these conditions.’ Kitty, Kurt and Evan deadpanned.
‘Oh, come on. I don’t say it that much.’
‘Well, the floor’s dry now, at least,’ Scott interrupted as he rose. He put his hand on the younger mutant’s still-damp shoulder.
‘Evan-–common sense, yeah? If someone told you to go swim in a beach with a sign outside saying it’s ‘Shark Free’, but you can literally hear the Jaws theme, would you?’
He cocked his head to the side in mock-thought. ‘Eh. If that insanely-specific scenario actually happened, I’d tell Kurt to grab his surfboard.’
‘Oooh~’ Kitty cooed, raising her hand up to the side of Kurt’s forehead, ‘You’re gonna need some ice for that!’
She withdrew it rapidly. ‘Tssss~!’
‘Just because you can hear a duh~dun… dundundundundun, doesn’t mean there’s a shark nearby. That’s a stupid reason not to go surfing,’ Kurt shot back.
Not that anyone could tell, Scott slowly closed his eyes and then looked heavenwards as he inhaled.
Kitty grinned. ‘Next time we go, I’m totally going to bring a trombone and play it all the time so Scott can’t go in the water!’
‘I’m sorry, but what is a ‘trahhm-bowWn’?’ He emphasised the word with an egregious imitation of Kitty’s Valspeak.
‘Uhh…. hm. It’s like… got a bass-y, low sound… uh–’
‘It’s the instrument with the slidey thing. Like this, yaknow?’ Evan motioned the slide.
‘Oh! Die Posaune! Ha! Mutti said that was probably one of the only instruments I could ever play.’
Jean dropped her jaw in a look of great forlorn and pity. She hurried over to him and held the few digits he had in her hands.
‘Kurt… I am so sorry. Everyone should get a chance to learn an instrument. I’ll help you learn the trombone.’
‘Ähm, it’s okay.’ He cringed a little at her sudden sincerity. ‘I slapped the drums a bit at the circus. And I can yodel.’ He broke her grip to give her a thumbs up.
‘Please, man, do not demonstrate that.’
‘Evan, shut up and go shower,’ Scott finally piped up, leader voice activated.
Evan shrugged and picked up his shoes and skateboard. He rose with a mock salute (almost hitting himself with the laces) and sauntered off.
Not wanting to be told what to do, Kurt and Kitty teleported away as Scott opened his mouth. He immediately copped a lungful of smoke.
‘Blaghhhk–! I just inhaled that!’ He coughed in a desperate effort to expel the foul air. ‘I should really get back on him about ‘porting indoors. I seriously don’t think he knows how bad it smells. We’re too polite.’
Jean mused. ‘We could put him in an empty cupboard and then tell him to teleport a few inches to the side. Say it’s a training exercise in precision or something like that.’
Before her crush could reply, thunder broke out in the distance and the pair turned towards the glass door. Scott knocked on one of the pillars flanking the entrance.
‘Touch wood, this doesn’t turn into a hurricane or something.’
Jean waited a bit, watching for the flash of lightning. Then she knocked as well. ‘Nineteen seconds. Divide by five, that’s almost four miles from here.’
‘How many times did you watch that weather documentary?’ Scott smirked, punching her lightly on the arm.
‘Once! I just remember it well because it was interesting!'