This is Awkward

January 29, 2018:

Alex and Lorna have an awkward chat. Back to square one.

X-mansion

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Scott

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

Lorna came back to the mansion looking distinctly uncomfortable. She'd run off after nearly taking out a Strip Mall, much to Scott's annoyance no doubt. He had been ready to take her to see Moira and when his back was turned, she'd ducked through the portal back to Genosha.

It had been a few days, and Marcos had convinced her to go back to the mansion and set up a time to go to see Moira and allow the good doctor to run her tests.

The green haired magnokinetic stepped onto the main level, wearing a long sleeved shirt of black knit and a pair of beaten up jeans and a set of steel toed boots. She stepped aside as a few students hurried on down the hall, staying out of their way. A crooked smirk tugged at the corners of her lips as she crossed her arms, watching them rush off to do whatever teenagers did these days.

*

Following a small herd of students is Alex Summers, currently standing in as Alex Summers, Physics Teacher. He's wearing a pair of mirrored shades and about a four-day growth of blonde beard. He actually tried to wear a tie, today, thinking it'd help him commit to the role. It's now loosely dangling around his neck, having lasted about half the day. His button-down shirt's sleeves have also been rolled up to the elbow. The slacks made it through the day without modification, though.

"Lorna." He intones, offering a tight smile. He hasn't been leaping at chances to 'help out' in Genosha for a while.

*

Lorna blinked, looking surprised as Alex came down the hall next, and her arms tightened around her waist faintly in a reflexive motion. She swallowed a lump that formed in her throat as she noted the thickening of his beard with a flash of guilt. She glanced down and away, shifting her weight on her feet. "Uhm.. Alex.. Hey… Is uh.. is Scott around? I need to talk to him."

She paused considering him again with a flickering glance. "How are … how are the students? Behaving?"

*

"Huh. Haven't seen him today, but I've been in classrooms since this morning." The thrilling life of a physics teacher comes through in his tone. Alex would likely be more engaged if the institute had a football team or something along those lines. "But I don't know that he had any special plans that'd have him away."

Sidestepping some passing students, Alex adjusts the stack of books and papers under his arm and gives a nod. "Yeah, they're pretty manageable kids really. Not particularly excited to have me coming at 'em with Math, but y'know… How've you been? Any more … problems?"

*

Lorna leaned against the wall as she listened to Alex, watching him closely. "Yeah, yeah… things.. are okay." She shifted her weight on her feet, swallowing hard as she dragged a hand through her hair. "I think I managed to annoy him, just.. wanted to uhm… talk to him." She murmured softly, looking back to him again and pursing her lips together briefly.

"Are.. are you okay?"

*

His brow furrowing at the question, Alex lifts a hand to relocate his sunglasses to the top of his head. Casting a glance down the hall at the slowly clearing students, he nods, "Yeah. Well, I think so. I'm just kind of…"

Looking back to Lorna, he shrugs and offers a faint smile, "Just looking for a bit of a purpose, I suppose."

*

Lorna pushed off the wall, and glancing down the hall and back to him, she offered a sympathetic look. "Sorry I can't say I'm of much help these days.. I've uhm.. actually.." She fidgeted, pushing her hair back behind an ear as she struggled to figure out what to say, much less how to say it. Awkward. They were back to the awkward stages.

"I was going to tell you. I swear, Alex.. I just.. I didn't know how to. I didn't want you to find out the way you did." She murmured, her voice soft and low. Green eyes flickered upwards to look at him, watching.

"I'm sorry."

*

Forcing a bit of a laugh, Alex gives his head a shake, "Nah, don't apologize. I don't suppose we've made for a situation where there was an easy way, eh?" He rubs at the back of his head, trying to just power through the awkward, "Look, I'm sorry if I'm adding any sort of stress to the situation."

"I mean, you've got enough to deal with as it is. I don't want you to add worrying about what I think to your plate."

*

Lorna laughed weakly in return to his own, dragging her hands through her hair as she watched him. "Geeze," She breathed, and shook her head.

"We're a mess aren't we.." She muttered and folded her arms over her waist. "I'm stressed enough, apparently. S'sorta why I needed to talk to Scott.. Things have uhm.. been complicated with my powers.. And yeah.." She glanced up at him and winced.

"I dunno if you heard I almost took out a strip mall?" Her voice rose in pitch faintly as she mumbled.

*

"No, missed that one." Alex considers for a moment, then adds in textbook Summers Deadpan, "Was it a nice strip mall, or one of those shitty ones with a couple of payday loan places?" He takes a deep breath and adds, "I'm trying to keep that kind of thing to a minimum, myself… Got pulled out on a Real X-Men mission. Some mind controller made me immediately pass out on the floor, it wasn't impressive."

He gives a sigh, "Though, sounds like there's a break coming up. Logan mentioned a trip down south… I'm assuming it's more of a chance to feel me out than happy fun vacation time, from what I know of the guy."

*

Lorna grimaced, "Nah, it was pretty crappy. Purifiers and what not have their hooks into it. It's why Scott took me and Rogue out.. something, went wrong. I dunno. He thinks it might be the baby or something else that's making things go badly.. I didn't have control at all.. And.." She sighed heavily.

"For some reason he thought it was a good idea to try to pack me up into the Blackbird to see Moira." She rolled her eyes. "Because you know, with my powers being unstable, that's such a good idea. Whatever. Still.. I figured, I'd come back and apologize for kinda skipping out on him.." She had to stifle the twitch of her lips.

*

Giving a nod, Alex adjusts his books again, then goes about unshouldering his bag in order to work at stuffing books and papers in there for easier toting, "Well… You might run into him before I do. I'm mostly going straight from classes to the Danger Room and back, so…"

Huh, Alex living in the Danger Room and working. Maybe Scott has finally converted him? "I can let him know if I see him, though."

*

Lorna's faint smile died as she watched him, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. She exhaled a breath, "I'm worried about you Alex.." She hesitated, looking uncomfortably with having admitted it.

"You said before you didn't really like the whole uh.. teaching gig." She gestured to the school books and papers he was shoving into his pack. What else could she say? It was awkward, and she wasn't entirely sure what to say in regards to where either one of them stood. It was almost as if they were back to where they were a few months ago.

*

"Yeah…" Alex grimaces, "I mean, it feels kind of - I don't know, ungrateful? I know it's an important job." He gives a heavy sigh, "To be perfectly honest, and … I didn't even recognize it myself, but I think up until recently I was still kind of holding out hope that we were going to… I don't know. Ride off into the sunset together and build THAT life, you know?"

He finishes stuffing books into his back and slings it back over his shoulder, "I'm not saying that to make things more awkward, just… You're asking, and… Anyway, I didn't realize how much of my identity I'd had tied up in that ideal. So…"

"I'm kind of recalibrating."

*

Lorna's expression faltered at Alex's admission, her shoulders going slack as she stared in a deepening silence for a long time. Then she looked away, her hand rising to press against her still flat stomach. Her jaw tightened over a thick emotion that welled in her throat. Green eyes flickered back up to him and she grimaced. "To be fair.. I didn't exactly plan this.." She mumbled softly. Her voice muted.

"And if I'd had the option… I would've chosen almost any other time.. Or not at all.. actually." She looked down, distinctly uncomfortable again.

"It's been hard to recalibrate too.. on my end.. Just.. Not entirely sure what I'm doing half the time." She exhaled a breath, shaking her head.

*

"Yeah, well hopefully it'll all work itself out. You've got a pretty extensive support system, hey?" Alex doesn't have quite as many anti-Magneto sentiments as some of the longer-term lifelong X-Men. "As for me, my only plan right now is to keep on blowing up pretend robots in the Danger Room and cramming physics in adolescent brains."

He smirks, "Guess which is more challenging."

*

Lorna's lips twitched faintly at his words, "I guess.. though half of said support system wants me to stay here and another chunk wants to support whatever I decide.. Both sides care.. but you know. That's family.." She muttered, shrugging with a roll of her shoulders. Jean and Scott mostly, Piotr, Rahne.. had been particularly set on convincing her to come back to the mansion. And now, with how awkward things were between the two of them.. she wasn't too keen on having a kid in the mansion at all.

"Mmm, teaching sounds like it's harder. Just saying. I get to sit around, be sick, and apparently, deal with my powers going wonky at random times.. Not as bad as teaching teenagers."

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