frost_queenEmma Frost ♕ White QueenDate: 2025-01-15 02:25 am (UTC)
A glass of wine and a deviled egg, an oversized t-shirt and, quite possibly, no pants (there are very tiny shorts under there, in case anyone is worried about the children), her hair shoved up in a messy bun, and Emma looks almost normal. Except, of course, for the fact that the t-shirt is Louis Vuitton, it has two large slits in the back, and she's still got a pair of diamond earrings in. Regardless, Scott has the smallest moment to take this in because she's so lost in her own thoughts that she doesn't even realize he's there until he speaks. She nearly jumps, but in an attempt to recover she takes a quick, small drink of her wine. Very relaxed. Totally normal.
"Oh. Why are you still awake?" A pause, before adding. "And I'm fine, Scott." Her tone is tired instead of annoyed, at least.
seeingredscott summers ⊗ cyclopsDate: 2025-01-15 08:32 am (UTC)
Even after all the years they lived in this mansion, it's rare for him to see Emma looking anything less than coldly immaculate. Her hair messy, halfway dressed for bed, it's like the temperature's turned up a few degrees. Scott's gaze unthinkingly travels up the bare length of her legs. He's always known Emma is a beautiful woman (how could anyone not notice?), but this is the first time the knowledge hits him in a visceral way, which— No.
He redirects his mind to answering Emma's question: the moment he poked his head into the students' common area with two covered platters, awkwardly apologetic about bothering them. Scott is an exceptional X-Man but an uninspiring teacher, and never before has he experienced the sort of adulation he got from by giving teenagers too many deviled eggs. His thoughts are still tinged with embarrassed pride; he was anxious that he was falling short, and it's a surprise to learn that the students admire him.
"I disposed of the eggs," Scott says, matter-of-fact, as he takes the dirty dishes to the sink. He doesn't look at Emma. "I don't sleep much, anyway."
frost_queenEmma Frost ♕ White QueenDate: 2025-01-15 07:07 pm (UTC)
This sort of attention from Scott is unusual but absolutely not unwelcome. Still, Emma doesn't want to scare him off, so she masks her tiny, self-satisfied smile by lifting her glass to her lips. This shouldn't make her feel as giddy as it does. Embarrassing.
To escape this she turns her focus to the evening Scott has had, and her small smile shifts into a broader one as she finishes her sip of wine.
"I'm sure they love you more than you know," she starts, humming and taking a bit of the egg in her hand. "Even without egg bribery. But you should sleep more. You need to be well-rested."
Gently, she tries to search his mind, seeing if his sleep has gotten even worse because of everything with Xavier.
Scott's spent the past ten years learning to accept concern from others, but it still requires conscious effort to not retreat from Emma's gentle probing. He could probably hide his inadequacies from her—he's had enough practice at it, living with Charles Xavier—but Emma is one of the few people he feels nearly safe with. She knows his mind already.
Guilt runs through his thoughts about Xavier (their worsening relationship during his temporary stint leading the X-Men, the year he spent in Genosha with Magneto instead, learning to shield his mind in the first place) and he's been tying himself into knots trying to make up for it. He stays up late thinking of ways to take care of who's left, and never quite hitting the mark. Like the eggs.
"I'll go to bed after I finish up," he promises. Finish up being a vague parameter that might include running laps later to tire himself out, but Scott is too regimented not to sleep. Still washing dishes, he steals a look at Emma out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry you have to be here for this."
frost_queenEmma Frost ♕ White QueenDate: 2025-01-23 11:49 pm (UTC)
Finishing up her snack and downing the rest of her wine, Emma continues to gently search Scott's mind, taking in his thoughts and feelings. Even though they're all familiar lines of thought to trace, it doesn't mean that she likes them. She stands, moving over to his side to help with the dishes.
« This is my home. I'm glad to be here. » Hopefully, the switch to telepathic conversation will help him express himself a bit more. She resists the urge to lean into his space, bump her hip against his, instead busying herself by grabbing up a towel to begin drying.
« You take very good care of all of us, even though you don't have to. And having a complicated relationship with Charles is natural. I hate him, sometimes. Deeply. Do you think that makes me bad? Or means I owe penance? »
seeingredscott summers ⊗ cyclopsDate: 2025-01-25 01:12 am (UTC)
Scott exhales. He could never hate Xavier—the man who saved him, who gave him purpose, who is in many ways the only father he's ever known. As complicated as they both are, Xavier loves him, and sees him better than anyone else does. Scott is a good second-in-command, and not one to inspire others. Even he'd choose charismatic, empathetic Kurt over himself if it came down to it.
"That's different," he says aloud—his guard still up, his thought process more carefully ordered even as he makes room for Emma in his mind. He doesn't judge her for feeling this way, because it is different. They're different. But Scott knows who Emma is, and how deeply she cares for people. Everything else is irrelevant.
He doesn't want to talk about Xavier. « I'm glad you're here too. I hate to say it, but this might all fall apart without you. » He missed her. He knows he can always text or call, but it's not the same as having Emma here. Hearing her voice. Seeing her face.
frost_queenEmma Frost ♕ White QueenDate: 2025-01-25 01:58 am (UTC)
Emma settles into Scott's mind where the space is made for her, a cat finding its perch. She'd never say it, but his mind, as stifled and troubled as it can often be, is one of the most comforting to her. She feels like she understands it. It is regimented. Easy to rest in.
She lets him dismiss her words about Xavier, not wanting to push too hard when it's unnecessary. Scott is struggling. They all are, in their own ways. After a long moment of drying dishes in silence she does lean into him, a soft and quick touch, before straightening. « I am incredibly important. » It's difficult to tell if she's joking or not.
« We'll figure this out. I don't have the time for Charles to be out of commission for an extended period. »
seeingredscott summers ⊗ cyclopsDate: 2025-01-25 06:55 am (UTC)
Scott ducks his head, hiding a smile, when Emma leans into him. « The X-Men will save the day. We always do. » Coming from anyone else, this might sound sarcastic, but Scott exudes the steady confidence that he can only ever summon for superpowered terrorists or armed zealots or bodiless psychic threats. With the eight of them together again, they have to succeed—and they'll do it before Frost International's next shareholder meeting.
The dishes disappear from the sink, and Scott passes the last fork to her. « Emma. Thank you. » Ostensibly for helping him with cleanup, but his mind lingers on that thought. It always makes him feel better, talking to Emma. He wishes he knew how to do the same for her.
frost_queenEmma Frost ♕ White QueenDate: 2025-01-25 06:06 pm (UTC)
« We do, » Emma agrees, the 'we' part of it natural even though she technically hasn't been a part of the team in years. She presses her hand to Scott's for a moment as she takes the offered fork, humming quietly. It's nice to simply take the quiet moment in, forget about earlier, forget about Xavier, forget about the amount of time that she's been away. All those things are irrelevant during this little bubble of comfort.
Though her eyes remain focused on her final drying task, she smiles a little. « Of course, darling. I'll always be here if you need me, for dishes or anything else. »
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AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
"Oh. Why are you still awake?" A pause, before adding. "And I'm fine, Scott." Her tone is tired instead of annoyed, at least.
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
He redirects his mind to answering Emma's question: the moment he poked his head into the students' common area with two covered platters, awkwardly apologetic about bothering them. Scott is an exceptional X-Man but an uninspiring teacher, and never before has he experienced the sort of adulation he got from by giving teenagers too many deviled eggs. His thoughts are still tinged with embarrassed pride; he was anxious that he was falling short, and it's a surprise to learn that the students admire him.
"I disposed of the eggs," Scott says, matter-of-fact, as he takes the dirty dishes to the sink. He doesn't look at Emma. "I don't sleep much, anyway."
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
To escape this she turns her focus to the evening Scott has had, and her small smile shifts into a broader one as she finishes her sip of wine.
"I'm sure they love you more than you know," she starts, humming and taking a bit of the egg in her hand. "Even without egg bribery. But you should sleep more. You need to be well-rested."
Gently, she tries to search his mind, seeing if his sleep has gotten even worse because of everything with Xavier.
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
Guilt runs through his thoughts about Xavier (their worsening relationship during his temporary stint leading the X-Men, the year he spent in Genosha with Magneto instead, learning to shield his mind in the first place) and he's been tying himself into knots trying to make up for it. He stays up late thinking of ways to take care of who's left, and never quite hitting the mark. Like the eggs.
"I'll go to bed after I finish up," he promises. Finish up being a vague parameter that might include running laps later to tire himself out, but Scott is too regimented not to sleep. Still washing dishes, he steals a look at Emma out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry you have to be here for this."
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
« This is my home. I'm glad to be here. » Hopefully, the switch to telepathic conversation will help him express himself a bit more. She resists the urge to lean into his space, bump her hip against his, instead busying herself by grabbing up a towel to begin drying.
« You take very good care of all of us, even though you don't have to. And having a complicated relationship with Charles is natural. I hate him, sometimes. Deeply. Do you think that makes me bad? Or means I owe penance? »
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
"That's different," he says aloud—his guard still up, his thought process more carefully ordered even as he makes room for Emma in his mind. He doesn't judge her for feeling this way, because it is different. They're different. But Scott knows who Emma is, and how deeply she cares for people. Everything else is irrelevant.
He doesn't want to talk about Xavier. « I'm glad you're here too. I hate to say it, but this might all fall apart without you. » He missed her. He knows he can always text or call, but it's not the same as having Emma here. Hearing her voice. Seeing her face.
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
She lets him dismiss her words about Xavier, not wanting to push too hard when it's unnecessary. Scott is struggling. They all are, in their own ways. After a long moment of drying dishes in silence she does lean into him, a soft and quick touch, before straightening. « I am incredibly important. » It's difficult to tell if she's joking or not.
« We'll figure this out. I don't have the time for Charles to be out of commission for an extended period. »
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
The dishes disappear from the sink, and Scott passes the last fork to her. « Emma. Thank you. » Ostensibly for helping him with cleanup, but his mind lingers on that thought. It always makes him feel better, talking to Emma. He wishes he knew how to do the same for her.
AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma
Though her eyes remain focused on her final drying task, she smiles a little. « Of course, darling. I'll always be here if you need me, for dishes or anything else. »