Richard Forge, and Tyler Gibney, Friday afternoon

[x-wildchild.livejournal.com]

Like father, like son - Kyle's dad is almost as bad with thinking before he talks as Kyle is. He's just older. But he doesn't make a total ass of himself, and he and Forge's father talk about their sons respective pasts - and futures.



Forge nudged Kyle in the side, spinning the basketball on his finger and motioning with his head towards the basketball court outside. Behind them, Forge's father, Richard, clapped his son on the shoulder and laughed.

"All right, John Henry," he said with a grin. "You and Kyle have been babysitting your mother and I all morning. Go get some fresh air, the both of you." He'd no sooner spoken than both boys were hustling themselves outside, trash-talking the entire way.

Rocking back on his heels, Richard watched them run across the lawn, somewhat amused and surprised that his bookish and physically slight son had become such fast friends with the tall and lanky blonde kid from Montana. A noise from behind him interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to see an older gentleman in jeans and a polo shirt leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"Guess the skinny one's yours then?" he said, nodding in the direction of the two boys. Kyle had occasionally made mention of his roommate's indian blood, and Tyler was pretty damn sure they wouldn't have roomed the boy with the young woman he'd met when he arrived, Danielle, or whatever her name was.

"Yes, that's my son. I'm Richard Forge," he said, stepping over to extend a handshake. "I assume you're Kyle's father? It's nice to meet you."

"Tyler Gibney." He said, with a brief nod, accepting the offered hand with a firm grip. "I swear, I almost didn't recognize him. I keep expecting to see the awkward clumsy kid that Midge and I sent off to.." He wasn't sure if the other man knew, actually. And the entire situation was so unbelievable.

Richard nodded. "It must have been around the time that Cheryl Anne and I sent John Henry here. He's mentioned that he and Kyle have been roommates for... has it been over a year and a half now? They change so much. The school's been good for John Henry, I have to admit. And seeing him graduate Saturday... I marvel at how much he's grown."

Tyler shook his head slowly, almost in disbelief. "Kyle's got two more years. 'Course, there were days Midge and I didn't expect him to graduate, sometimes, so that he's even thinking about it and sending us report card with B's and C's, and not just passing by a hair." He broke off, looking up at Richard. "Kyle said he's an engineer, your son?"

"He's going to ESU for a business degree in the fall," Richard explained, "but yes, his talents lie in engineering. What he can do, the things he can come up with and design - I tell you, I work in the aeronautics industry, I see the newest and most high-tech patents come through our offices every week, and then I see what John Henry does in his spare time, and I'm just blown away."

He watched in silence as across the lawn on the basketball court, Forge faked to the left, spinning on his prosthetic leg to get around Kyle, then launched a fadeaway jump shot for a seemingly effortless basket. "Of course, before he came here? It would have taken no end of bribery and threats to even get him to attempt to be social. Now... he has friends. I think that's the best gift this school has given him."

"Huh.." Tyler's eyebrows shot up in surprise, though he just as quickly tried to cover the reaction. "I worry about that, with Kyle. Here, well, here he's pretty accepted. How could he not be? But, out there.." He pointed a thumb out towards the gate. "Your son, he can cover up that leg. Kyle doesn't seem like he even wants to.. " He shrugged, frowning. "He's no engineer. Your son, he's the reason Kyle's even passing math. I worry about him, what he's going to do when he's done school."

Richard coughed to cover a quick laugh. "You know, I used to worry about the same thing. After his accident, Cheryl Anne and I, we tried to convince John Henry to fit in, to cover up and just blend in. And it's just not in his nature. It's not because of his disability, or being a mutant - it's simply how he is. Kyle..." Richard paused, having not spent much time with his son's roommate, "Professor Xavier helped assure us that the school would prepare our son for whatever career he'd choose to pursue. Whatever inclinations or talents Kyle has, they'll show. He seems like a good kid."

"He's not a bad one, even if he's foolheaded sometimes." Tyler agreed. "He's.. just so damn open about it, and in here, that's just fine, but... " He shrugged. "His mother worries, he's still her baby, in her heart, that he's going to finish here, and get back into... Well, Kyle got himself into a bit of a mess before he came here, and I think she worries he's going to go right back into those same ways." He ran a hand through his hair. "He's got those ... ears, and the feet, and he just sure as hell doesn't seem like he even understands that out there, people aren't going to just shrug and move on."

"John Henry had some... discipline problems as well that brought him here," Richard confessed with a sigh. "Frankly, my wife and I didn't know how to deal with him. And over time, we've been mending those bridges. He hasn't had it easy. He..." Richard paused, unsure of how to phrase things. "I'm proud of who he's become. Not just as my son, but as a man. I suppose that's what all fathers want, to see our sons grow to be more than we are?"

"I hope I can say that about Kyle. He's ... " Tyler glanced over at where the boys were still playing one-on-one, and cracked an almost-smile at Kyle easily stealing the ball from Forge, plucking it from the air with one hand while keeping the other in front of the other boy's face. "He's got a good thing here, a good start, and their Professor says he wouldn't be the first student to come in with, well, problems. He's done ... far better than his mother or I expected."

"They'll do that. Surprise you, I mean," Richard replied. He followed Tyler's gaze out to where their sons faced off again on the court. "You know, as much as they grow, occasionally I think they do need to be shown their place." He looked at Tyler's tall frame and smiled. "Think the boys could stand to learn a thing or two about a jump shot from two old men?"

That got a genunine grin out of Tyler. "You know, when Kyle was little, he and I used to shoot hoops. It was just about the only thing we agreed on as he got older. And he never, not once, managed to figure out when I was faking him." He looked over at the court, watching Kyle and nodded. "I've still got an inch on him. Boy's gonna be taller than me before he knows it though."

With a smile, Richard rolled up his sleeves and walked over to the patio door, holding it open for Tyler. "Someday, but not today."