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[collateraldamaging]

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[collateraldamaging]

I--

[ That's visibly upsetting to him, and he's about to defend his team when he seems to realize something. And looks even more upset. ]

...I'd never managed to keep any, before my team. I drive everyone away, it is what I'm best at. That the others haven't managed this is not a fault in them, they simply have far too much to deal with to also handle my outbursts.

[ Even though... they did have that intervention for Cammie. But it's Cammie, they had to. She's their baby sister. And she's not going to hurt anyone like he could. ]

[notrosecolored]

[ He is silent a moment or two because upsetting Kazu again isn't really his goal here, but.

Okay, back to him.

Sort of. ]

Darling [ Get out of his vocabulary, Emma ] My girlfriend had an outburst and ate a sun. I once got pissed off at my chronically angry boyfriend and his couple of feet of retractable metal claws and knocked him through a wall. This [ He gestures at the gym and bag ] isn't an outburst. It's an emotion looking for a release valve.

[collateraldamaging]

[ The darling throws him off balance badly enough that the rest of Scott's point is able to just knock him right over, mentally. He glances over to the bag and shredded profile as if that'll offer him some understanding, but when it doesn't he looks back at Scott skeptically. ]

...once again your baseline for what's 'bad' is much higher than mine. I'm glad you don't see my behavior as unacceptable, but obviously my world has very different standards.

[ It's his fault, Scott! Everyone ever has always told him so. ]

[notrosecolored]

[ He snorts. ]

Yeah, and I am very obviously not from your world and we're not in your world. My standards exist and I don't need you to be 'worthy' of being able to beat the shit out of a punching bag with me. Especially since you absolutely could attack me but you absolutely wouldn't win.

[ Last part is kind of a tease, honestly. ]

[collateraldamaging]

That actually isn't the kind of attack or hurt I meant. I don't hit my friends and of course I wouldn't win.

[ He scrubs a hand over his face, trying very hard to process this but obviously overwhelmed. Also does he have to fuck Scott now? The Val energy in this conversation is intensifying. ]

You're right. Your standards exist and I should not question them, that's disrespectful. I appreciate your patience.

[notrosecolored]

[ Yeah, very obviously overwhelmed so he's not going to point out that this also doesn't need an apology, at least not directly. ]

Good news: My tertiary mutation is that I'm immune to emotional damage from being yelled at by people who are generally lashing out. ...actually I'm pretty sure that's foreplay about half the time with Logan.

[collateraldamaging]

[ That gets a blink, Kazu dropping his hand to look at Scott again... and smiling for the first time since he showed up. That's only the second joke he's heard from the older man but once again it's exactly his brand of humor. ]

A valuable superpower. And that almost counts as more advice -- I will be careful not to yell at Logan.

[notrosecolored]

[ The response, in return, makes him laugh. Soft and rusty but pretty damn real. ]

I'd really advise against it. Generally. For you.

[collateraldamaging]

[ ...oh no. That's incredibly attractive. Stop it, Scott! It takes Kazu a moment to snap out of the 'oh, he does laugh' to actually respond. ]

I don't suppose you were witness to the one conversation we've had? Val was nearly crying, he laughed so hard.

[notrosecolored]

[ Scott is both aware he's attractive and oblivious being attracted to him so.

He isn't going to stop.

The smile stays and turns curious and a little bemused.]

I wasn't. Please tell me about it?

[collateraldamaging]

[ Kazu is doomed. ]

I was flirting with Akihiro and it became suggestive... so when I noticed Logan in the post I attempted to change my tone, which confused Akihiro and might as well have been a magic summoning ritual to draw his father's attention.

It was very awkward. Also, he does not like being called Sir.

[notrosecolored]

[ That uh.

That gets a much more certain less soft bark of laughter out of Scott, but there's real humor there. ]

Yes, he does.

But probably not like that.

[collateraldamaging]

...well, yes, the comment was more that I should get on my knees if I was going to persist.

[ Scott really does need to stop being hot, but also Kazu is enjoying hearing him actually laugh for once. Not bitterly or angrily, just... laughing. His own smile broadens. ]

I politely declined.

[notrosecolored]

Just be careful. He might take it as a challenge and then we're all in trouble.

[ He loves Logan. A lot. Their relationship is.... what it is.]

[collateraldamaging]

How do you mean?

[ Why would they all be in trouble? That could be taken a lot of different ways and Kazu neither wants to get stabbed nor offend their sort-of-boyfriend's father. ]

[notrosecolored]

[ He shakes his head, smile still easy. ]

Because he'll meet it.

He's not actually going to hurt you or anyone else, Kazu. Not willingly or without really good cause like protecting someone else.

[collateraldamaging]

He'd-- but I am dating his son.

[ Isn't that weird? The rest, though... he gives a soft 'hmph' and crosses his arms. ]

That is not why I was concerned with making a good impression.

[notrosecolored]

Logan's at best a half-tame Wolverine. He is as informal as people get. He doesn't seem to like formality much in any circumstances.

You'll be okay and you did fine.

Though maybe continuing to provide amusing interactions for Val and I.

[collateraldamaging]

No, he was completely unimpressed... my mistake.

[ He relaxes a bit, shrugging one shoulder. ]

I'm sure there will be more, my options for how to speak to him are dropping like flies. And we do want to invite him to our engagement dinner since the whole thing is sort of his fault.

[notrosecolored]

What did he do to make him responsible for your engagement?

[ Better than asking him making suggestions on how to talk to Logan. ]

[collateraldamaging]

It got us talking about family. I am the only one of our team with living parents and Val has met them, nearly a year ago and long before we were together. I never got to tell them about us, but I told him they would still welcome him like a son if he ever needed somewhere to call home... you can see how it led to that.

[ There's a sad, distant look in Kazu's eyes now. ]

I think my mother knew well before either of us. She asked about him all the time.

[notrosecolored]

[ There's only one thing there that gets a bit of a double take ]

How long have you actually been together?

[collateraldamaging]

...only since as we've been here, really. We got together at home, but I died later that same day.

[ Which means he needs to think for a moment to judge how much time has passed -- they went straight to a permanent contract so it's not like they had to resign and could use that to keep track. ]

Four months? It should have been much longer.

[notrosecolored]

[ That is... not long. He is, however, going to get more information before doing more than being silent and trying to avoid judging.

God knew it took he and Jean a while, and he considers that 'before' very much important and part of their relationship now. ]

How much longer should it have been?

[collateraldamaging]

About a year. I know now when things changed between us, but he was right to wait.

[ He shifts his weight, shrugging one shoulder. ]

That still seems fast by most standards, I'm sure... but we've spent nearly every possible moment together for all that time, by choice. A lot of it in each other's heads. I have no doubts, not about Val.