Carry Your Burdens: X-Men fic; Storm/Nightcrawler
Title: Carry Your Burdens
Author: erikssiren
Fandom(s): X-Men
Characters/Pairings: Storm/Nightcrawler
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Set after X-Men 3.
Summary: Nightcrawler returns and Storm questions.
Author’s Notes: Finally, my fic for help_japan! A huge apology to its recipient, yetanothermask for being so late. I've actually had it written for a while but for some reason didn't get it written until now. She asked for Storm/Nightcrawler with a touch of "his religous piety and his feelings of inadequacy." I hope I've delivered!
There was no beta for this and it has actually been a while since I've seen the movies so I apologize for any mistakes made in either of those areas.
Storm sat at her desk a room away from where the professor’s chair still sat, empty, sighing as she went over one of the two stacks of papers on her desk. First, and the pile she had almost finished, student’s papers she had to grade by tomorrow’s classes. The second, and the one she dreaded, applications from the current teachers here as well as a few mutants she had reached out to for the positions recently vacated by both Wolverine and Marie almost at the same time. The clawed mutant’s wanderlust had been too much to ignore as hard as he tried and Marie, no longer satisfied to try and teach a class of mutants unable to understand why she was no longer like them, left on a mission to find a mutant by the name of Gambit down in New Orleans and never returned.
Their numbers in the mansion were dwindling and despite the world accepting them more than ever, Storm never felt more cut off. Though there was acceptance from the humans, there was still a rift between them and a new one between the mutants and those of their kind who had taken the cure, or as some had believed; betrayed their own. Some days Storm could feel herself siding with those mutants, only to quickly push it away. There was no time for her opinions, she had to think of her students.
Suddenly Storm felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere, the tiniest of displacements, right behind her. Storm frowned slightly; there aren’t any students in the mansion with teleporting abilities, not anymore.
“Hello,” a soft voice said from behind Storm, making her jump slightly. She turned, hands up and ready to fight, only to immediately relax as she took in the sight of the blue-skinned Kurt Wagner.
“Kurt!” She laughed, lowering her hands though they itched to touch him. Whatever small romance had blossomed between from their first meeting still lingered, it tugged at her heart the longer he stood.
“I’m sorry it’s been so long,” he said solemnly, his three-fingered hands twitching slightly. Did he feel it too? “I’ve been working to reach other mutants across the sea. They’re much more secretive there, though when they heard the news of America’s cure-” he cut himself off at the anger that Storm had not been able to suppress as it showed on her features. Try as she might, she could not forgive the men who preyed on the fears of the mutants who had not yet understood how special they were. She had not forgiven them for the deaths caused by their battle.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” she said as calmly as she could manage. “How long will you stay?”
He shrugged, his tail swishing in a gesture that betrayed his nerves. “As long as you will have me, I want to help. There’s so much anger out there, it’s as though they’ve forgotten there’s good out there. That He is out there.” His religious beliefs were the only thing that created a large wall between them: she didn’t understand how he could believe so wholly in someone who didn’t show themselves. Who doesn’t care about the people he’s created to save them from each other.
“Let’s take a walk,” she said instead.
***
“I don’t understand,” he said after a few moments of silence, “how the world can be so angry.” They had passed by a few students debating heatedly over Congress' latest action to restrict mutant's rights, a fight Storm nearly had to break up before they sat in the warm spring sun under a tree. Storm sighed.
“They're scared, they're confused, they...they may even feel abandoned by whatever or whoever dropped them in this mess called life.” She hoped she kept the bitterness from her voice and tried to ignore how much of her own thoughts she was voicing.
“But God has granted them life,” he argued calmly.
“What kind of God is He to have granted them such a life?” She thought of the children huddled terrified of the images on the television screen of mutants, brutally murdered by their own kind because they had chosen to take the cure.
“What kind of God would He be if he gave them nothing? Out of lonely peace is created strife.”
“Who said that?”
“Me,” he said simply, humbly.
Storm smiled briefly before sighing. “I’m so tired of fighting,” she admitted, looking up at the leaves as the sunlight streamed softly through them. She closed her eyes as a gentle wind rushed over them.
“Fighting who?” Kurt asked and Storm opened her eyes and faced him. Concern filled his features.
“Everyone: the government, humans, my own students.” Marie's face, streaked with angry tears as Bobby called her a coward and Storm hadn’t argued with him. “I’m just tired.”
“Ah, but that’s where God comes in,” he said gently. His voice stayed soothing and refrained from turning preachy. “He helps you carry your burdens.”
“And what about you?” She asked, giving in to her urge and taking his hand in hers.
“What do you mean?” He looked at her hand in his and curls his three fingers around it. Peace flooded her and she realized how much she had actually missed him and needed him near.
“What if I want you to help me instead?” It’s a part of their relationship they’ve always silently acknowledge and finally Storm was tired of silence.
“I-I do not know if I can be all that you want,” he answered softly, slightly scared.
“Perhaps not, but I think you can be all that I need.”
“And if I fail?”
“Then I will be here to help you.” She smiled at him and he returned it hesitantly. They sat like that for some time: hand clasped and sharing a secret smile, bathed in sunlight.
Author: erikssiren
Fandom(s): X-Men
Characters/Pairings: Storm/Nightcrawler
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Set after X-Men 3.
Summary: Nightcrawler returns and Storm questions.
Author’s Notes: Finally, my fic for help_japan! A huge apology to its recipient, yetanothermask for being so late. I've actually had it written for a while but for some reason didn't get it written until now. She asked for Storm/Nightcrawler with a touch of "his religous piety and his feelings of inadequacy." I hope I've delivered!
There was no beta for this and it has actually been a while since I've seen the movies so I apologize for any mistakes made in either of those areas.
Storm sat at her desk a room away from where the professor’s chair still sat, empty, sighing as she went over one of the two stacks of papers on her desk. First, and the pile she had almost finished, student’s papers she had to grade by tomorrow’s classes. The second, and the one she dreaded, applications from the current teachers here as well as a few mutants she had reached out to for the positions recently vacated by both Wolverine and Marie almost at the same time. The clawed mutant’s wanderlust had been too much to ignore as hard as he tried and Marie, no longer satisfied to try and teach a class of mutants unable to understand why she was no longer like them, left on a mission to find a mutant by the name of Gambit down in New Orleans and never returned.
Their numbers in the mansion were dwindling and despite the world accepting them more than ever, Storm never felt more cut off. Though there was acceptance from the humans, there was still a rift between them and a new one between the mutants and those of their kind who had taken the cure, or as some had believed; betrayed their own. Some days Storm could feel herself siding with those mutants, only to quickly push it away. There was no time for her opinions, she had to think of her students.
Suddenly Storm felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere, the tiniest of displacements, right behind her. Storm frowned slightly; there aren’t any students in the mansion with teleporting abilities, not anymore.
“Hello,” a soft voice said from behind Storm, making her jump slightly. She turned, hands up and ready to fight, only to immediately relax as she took in the sight of the blue-skinned Kurt Wagner.
“Kurt!” She laughed, lowering her hands though they itched to touch him. Whatever small romance had blossomed between from their first meeting still lingered, it tugged at her heart the longer he stood.
“I’m sorry it’s been so long,” he said solemnly, his three-fingered hands twitching slightly. Did he feel it too? “I’ve been working to reach other mutants across the sea. They’re much more secretive there, though when they heard the news of America’s cure-” he cut himself off at the anger that Storm had not been able to suppress as it showed on her features. Try as she might, she could not forgive the men who preyed on the fears of the mutants who had not yet understood how special they were. She had not forgiven them for the deaths caused by their battle.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” she said as calmly as she could manage. “How long will you stay?”
He shrugged, his tail swishing in a gesture that betrayed his nerves. “As long as you will have me, I want to help. There’s so much anger out there, it’s as though they’ve forgotten there’s good out there. That He is out there.” His religious beliefs were the only thing that created a large wall between them: she didn’t understand how he could believe so wholly in someone who didn’t show themselves. Who doesn’t care about the people he’s created to save them from each other.
“Let’s take a walk,” she said instead.
***
“I don’t understand,” he said after a few moments of silence, “how the world can be so angry.” They had passed by a few students debating heatedly over Congress' latest action to restrict mutant's rights, a fight Storm nearly had to break up before they sat in the warm spring sun under a tree. Storm sighed.
“They're scared, they're confused, they...they may even feel abandoned by whatever or whoever dropped them in this mess called life.” She hoped she kept the bitterness from her voice and tried to ignore how much of her own thoughts she was voicing.
“But God has granted them life,” he argued calmly.
“What kind of God is He to have granted them such a life?” She thought of the children huddled terrified of the images on the television screen of mutants, brutally murdered by their own kind because they had chosen to take the cure.
“What kind of God would He be if he gave them nothing? Out of lonely peace is created strife.”
“Who said that?”
“Me,” he said simply, humbly.
Storm smiled briefly before sighing. “I’m so tired of fighting,” she admitted, looking up at the leaves as the sunlight streamed softly through them. She closed her eyes as a gentle wind rushed over them.
“Fighting who?” Kurt asked and Storm opened her eyes and faced him. Concern filled his features.
“Everyone: the government, humans, my own students.” Marie's face, streaked with angry tears as Bobby called her a coward and Storm hadn’t argued with him. “I’m just tired.”
“Ah, but that’s where God comes in,” he said gently. His voice stayed soothing and refrained from turning preachy. “He helps you carry your burdens.”
“And what about you?” She asked, giving in to her urge and taking his hand in hers.
“What do you mean?” He looked at her hand in his and curls his three fingers around it. Peace flooded her and she realized how much she had actually missed him and needed him near.
“What if I want you to help me instead?” It’s a part of their relationship they’ve always silently acknowledge and finally Storm was tired of silence.
“I-I do not know if I can be all that you want,” he answered softly, slightly scared.
“Perhaps not, but I think you can be all that I need.”
“And if I fail?”
“Then I will be here to help you.” She smiled at him and he returned it hesitantly. They sat like that for some time: hand clasped and sharing a secret smile, bathed in sunlight.