Kurt and Jean: Saturday Evening (Backdated)

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Jean also comes to check on Kurt after his break up. Beer is brought. The conversation turns to Jean and Scott. Jean is stubborn.



Things were fairly quiet on the teaching front with everyone on Spring Break, leaving Jean with not much to do other than focus on what X-Men generally did on their downtime: training and manning the comms, among other things. Luckily she had a few things to do in the medlab that kept up the variety. And during the downtime to the downtime she checked on her friends.

A spray of sand marked the clear line where the mansion floor soon turned into "beach." Jean appeared somewhat off-theme by wearing a pair of grey pants and a green blouse. She paused in the doorway, glancing over the blue man in his beach chair.

"Room for one more?"

Kurt was completely on theme, down to sunglasses, and tipped them at her as he turned his head to smile. "For you, always."

Jean smiled back, then held up two bottles of beer she had been hiding behind her back.

"In case you said yes I brought these. I hope Erdinger is still your favorite?"

He peered at the bottles, then beamed. "It is! And you even found Weissbier. You were at that importer in the city, yes?"

Settling down beside Kurt in one of the chairs, Jean laughed as she handed him his beer. "I had no idea there were so many different varieties of Erdinger. Luckily the import shop owner was able to help me out," she said. The tops of the beers came off with a soft 'pop.'

"I decided to try the Urweisse version. He said it had a 'spicy aroma.'"

"I have not had this in some time." He reached for the nearer bottle and lifted it, enjoying the scent. "He guided you well."

Jean's smile widened. "Thanks," she said. She mimicked his action, nodding her approval at the aroma. She took a sip, letting the silence linger.

"So how're you holding up?"

He didn't seem are tumultuous as she imagined.

He took a moment to consider an honest answer, sipping at the beer as he did. Finally, "Honestly, I think it is a relief. We had been fighting for some time."

Jean nodded solemnly, not because of the breakup but because of their hardship leading up to it. It was never easy ending something like love. Sometimes you got over it, like Kurt, sometimes you didn't. But there had to be a breaking point.

"Eventually it had to end. I'm sorry you had to go through that but I'm glad you're okay. If you do ever need anything let me know."

"Of course", he assured her, then gave her a slanted look. "And you will do the same, I hope?"

Slipping off her shoes, Jean curled her toes in the sand. She glanced over and nodded. "Always."

"Good." He settled back in his chair. "Perhaps I will not have to lock you and Scott in a room after all."

Jean set down her beer, silent a moment before speaking. "You spoke to Scott?"

"This morning", he confirmed. "He came to me much as you have now, to check on me, but conversation turned."

"To us," Jean said. She rested both hands on her knees.

"To you." Kurt was watching her, both in concern and to judge her mood on the topic. "He would like to talk to you, I think, but he does not know where to start."

Jean shook her head. She snatched the beer off the table but forgot to take a drink.

"I'm a liar. That's where he'll start. I kept things from him just to upset him. That's where he'll start," she said, quickly putting the beer down again with a clang as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.

"Jean..." He sat up, trying to get a better look at her face. "He said things when he was angry and upset, and he is sorry. But he is afraid talking again will just turn to another argument."

"He's sorry...." Jean said, then laughed. "He can tell you but he can't tell me. His fingers don't work? He can't send an email? He can't knock on my door? He's always better. He's always the one who's right. He's the leader...and yet he can't say it to my face. He doesn't understand me and he hadn't tried to understand. I didn't do it to hurt him. If he wants to apologize he better man up and do it himself. You tell him apology not accepted."

"Of course you did not! It was one of the worst experiences a woman can have, you were suffering, and really he knows it." He sighed. "I will tell him that if you wish, but really a mediator does better work with all parties present."

"And yet all he could focus on was how I hurt him," Jean said. She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I don't know if I can do it, Kurt. I loved him but he just...he let me down."

Kurt smiled sadly. "The most important thing is whether you loved him or you love him. If you still do, most things can be worked through."

Jean opened her eyes with a disquieted look. She said nothing, uncertain of what to say. She'd lived so long with the scar and then it'd been ripped open to a fresh wound with their fight. Part of her expected a bandage, not a blade. Every time she saw Scott it was like rubbing salt in that wound. It couldn't heal.

"I don't know," she said faintly.

He nodded. "If you would like, I will sit in with the two of you. Perhaps if it looks like becoming an unhelpful argument, I can steer things back on course."

Jean was silent again for a long time, staring at the beads of condensation as they ran down the beer bottle.

"I don't know, Kurt," she repeated. "I need to think about it."

"All right", Kurt said gently. "The offer will be open as long as you may need. I just... do not like to see you both unhappy, if there is a chance it may be repaired."

"Thanks," Jean said, glancing over with a faint smile. "For trying."

She didn't know how she felt right now. It was so much more convenient to run, especially when he didn't try to chase her. Part of her wanted him to. To tell her he was sorry himself. To try to work it out instead of saying that was it. It wasn't the Scott she knew.

"What else are friends for?" he returned with a smile back. "You can always come to me."

Jean squeezed Kurt's arm lightly. "Always," she said. She looked around at the beach, her eyes flickering over to the volleyball net.

"Are you up for a friendly game?" she smiled.

He glanced that way and grinned. "I think that sounds a lot of fun. First to score ten?"

"Sounds like a plan," Jean said as she stood. She smiled.

"Some rules, though....no powers or tails. Civilian-style." She shrugged. "At least for the first ten."

"No tails, no teleporting, no telekinesis", he agreed easily. "I make no promises about acrobatics."

Jean squinted at Kurt, tilting her head. "That is a pretty cool thing to have to hold back in these sort of things."

"It is difficult!" he protested, laughing. "I have been an acrobat since I could walk, I might just accidentally slip into it."

"Well...I am trained to have to deal with overtly agile people. I will treat this as a learning opportunity," Jean said, grinning wryly.

"That is the spirit!" And he made a move to the far side of the volleyball net, swinging himself over it with a hand on the pole.

"You should know...." Jean said as she stepped up to her side. "When I train I train to succeed. And that sometimes means playing dirty. Rules or no rules."