Of Turkey and Togetherness - Part 2
Posted on Tue Jan 14th, 2025 @ 1:46am by Charles Xavier & Scott Summers & Connor Bruin & Bobby Drake & Hank McCoy & Meilin Jiang & Kurt Wagner & Nathaniel Essex & Darian Elliott & Hayden Davis & Aurora Summers & Jean Grey & Kennedy Kelly & Kayleigh Marshall & Maeve MacKenna & Meja Vikström & Jennifer Bryant & Drew Williams & Warren Worthington III & Angela Williams
6,127 words; about a 31 minute read
Mission:
Episode 5: Days of Fortune Past
Location: Breakstone Lake
Timeline: November 22nd, 1990
Bobby Drake soared through the crisp winter air in his ice sled. His exuberant laughter rang out as he performed loop de loops around the mansion's exterior. He executed a lazy spiral down toward Breakstone Lake, his breath visible in the icy chill. Between aerial acrobatics, he belted out parodies of familiar tunes:
"I... am... Iiiice-man!" he sang to the tune of Black Sabbath's Iron Man, his voice carrying a playful grunge as he pantomimed an air guitar. A moment later, he switched to a spirited rendition of holiday lyrics, crooning, "Scott's nuts roasting on an open fire... Bobby Drake nipping at your heels..."
Finally, with a grin, he spun into a new parody: "You wanna' have fun? We've only begun! Skating in a Winter Wonderland!"
As the crowd gathered across the patio and the lawn, Bobby waved them forward before shooting a dazzling jet of icy mist toward the lake. The surface shimmered as frost crept outward, freezing the water into a solid, gleaming expanse. Before their eyes, Breakstone Lake transformed into a natural ice rink.
With arms loosely slung across each other’s hips Scott and Jean stood on the patio and watched as the lake froze over. As Bobby joked at Scott’s expense, she looked up at him and a silent, private telepathic conversation began. Whatever was said between the lovers caused smiles to appear on both of their faces. They seemed happy and content as they partook in the holiday’s traditions at each other’s side.
The onlookers cheered and laughed, their breath clouding in the chill air. Members of the First Class clapped each other on the back, their spirits buoyed by Bobby's familiar antics.
Professor Xavier, seated on the patio, chuckled softly. "Bobby has made this a yearly tradition," he explained to the newer members of the group. "I feared it may have been a thing of the past, so I am delighted to see its return." His eyes twinkled as he gestured toward the boathouse. "If memory serves, there should be several pairs of old ice skates in the wooden bench down by the dock."
Before Xavier could say more, Hank McCoy let out a hearty laugh and sprang forward, his melancholy visibly lifting for the first time in weeks. With his trademark agility, he dropped to all fours and galloped down the snow-covered path toward the lake. His deep voice carried a literary quotation over his shoulder:
"In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, arrives the snow!’"
Jean laughed at Scott’s final telepathic remark before her attention returned to Hank's departure to the frozen lake. Since this had been a long standing tradition for the mansion, they both had a pair of skates that had been telekinetically delivered to Scott to carry as they made their way down to the water’s edge together.
The crowd erupted in more laughter as Hank's blue form bounded down to join Bobby, his jovial energy infectious. A few others began making their way toward the boathouse, eager to lace up and join in the impromptu skating festivities on Breakstone Lake.
Aurora smiled at Bobby enjoying himself, the winter's scene was beautiful, but Scott’s speech had touched a nerve leaving her wanting nothing more than to be wherever Scott and Jean weren’t. Leaving the party goers to it she headed back towards the Mansion, back to her room where she could stay away from wedding plans, and anything else that might ruin the evening further for her.
Aurora wasn't the only one who was in need of quiet time. Drew was feeling a bit out of sorts the last few days. He watched as the others took off towards the lake, then he slipped back inside. A few minutes later he was in his dormitory room. Shortly there after he was changed into a t-shirt and sweats and ready for bed...at least until the midnight raid to the kitchen happened.
“No way, I’ve never been ice skating before,” Tandy said with an enthusiastic smile as she bounded down to the lake, dragging Ty by the hand as she went. “I can’t wait to try.”
“That means I’m skating too, right?” Ty grumbled but he seemed in good spirits about the activity.
“Naturally!” Tandy laughed as she began to sort through the skates, looking for a pair that fit her and another for Ty.
Kennedy rolled her eyes at the flashy scene that Bobby put on to freeze the lake. She was already learning that if Bobby Drake was given the opportunity to show off and be the center of attention, he would take it. Still, she was impressed by the control and use of his powers, a private and perfectly frozen skating rink was a sweet way to do something nice for everyone at the mansion. Quickly finding a pair of skates in her size, Kennedy put them on with ease and made her way out onto the ice. She glided across the pond like someone who was more than familiar with the activity.
“Don’t forget to leave air holes for the fish, Bobby!” The redheaded Jean called out to him as she started to lace up her skates. “Remember that one year they all suffocated and died. Come spring the pond was nothing but floating bass and catfish. It smelled awful.”
Maeve placed her hand over her heart, "That sounds terrible... those poor fish." she commented as she tentatively tapped the ice with the tip of one of her feet. "This is safe right? I don't need to be pulled to safety by Hayden?"
"Quite safe, my dear," Hank assured. His jumbo sized feet had taken extra time to get laced up and he was finally ready to get on the ice. "In fact, our Robert's frozen constructs are so entropically precise that the ice is smoother than a Zamboni surfacer would allow." He skated off into a somersault and stuck the landing into a forward dash across the lake.
Bobby finally darted downward from the sky and skated circles around the dock before coming to a stop in front of Maeve. "Hank makes it sound so boring! If you're scared, though, take my hand. No safer place to be on an ice rink." He gave her a wink.
"I only followed about 5% of what he said." Maeve admitted as she shook her head. Looking at Bobby she bit her lip a little as she looked at his hand. Second later she placed hers in his, "I'm not scared by the way. I just want to see if your hand is cold..."
Even in ice form, Bobby's heat sink effect meant that his hand wasn't much colder than the ambient air around him. The tingle that passed between their palms was warming all on its own. He couldn't hold back a playful grin. "Call me a Pop Tart... 'cause I'm so cool, it's hot!"
"You're so cheesy!" Maeve giggled and then was in awe of how his hand didn't feel like ice at all. Aside from the smooth texture and the glass like effect it was just his hand in a different form. "You're hot... I mean you're warm," she corrected herself quickly. "That's amazing."
"Thank you," Bobby said. He smirked at her slip to let her know he wasn't letting it go. Much like her hand, which he held fast as he pulled her onto the ice. "You're pretty rockin' yourself."
Maeve felt like she wanted the ground to open up. She could see the smirk on Bobby's face as clear as the Statue if Liberty on a clear day. Her feet wobbled a little as her feet touched the ice but she felt that Bobby had her, she was safe. "Just skate." She said bashfully as she tried to stop her cheeks from turning crimson.
"Sure." Bobby smirked as he pulled her forward hand-in-hand. "We'll just skate."
Darian leaned against the wooden bench, his arms crossed with the ease of someone who never let nerves show. The ice reflected the soon to be setting sun and the laughter of others glided across the frosted surface. He tilted his head as Angela skated up to him, her smile as radiant as the icy sheen underfoot.
Angela followed the group down to the frozen lake. She donned a pair of ice skates and pushed off the dock. She, like Kennedy, seemed very comfortable on the ice. She circled around back to the dock and spotted a hot looking guy who was looking dubiously at the frozen lake. She skated over to him and looked up at him on the shore line. "Hey there, handsome. You going to come out and play?"
Darian leaned back against the bench, arms crossed like he owned the whole lake despite the fact he hadn't set foot on it yet. When Angela rolled up on her skates, all confident and glowing, he gave her his signature grin, smooth as his fresh fade.
"Yo, what’s good, ma? You tryna get me out there to bust my ass in front of everybody?" he teased, his voice light but full of swagger. "'Cuz I wouldn't. I mean, I’m a natural at everything, but maybe I’ll let you teach me a lil’ somethin’."
Meilin, sitting nearby on the dock and lacing her own skates, arched a brow. She wasn’t buying his act for a second. "Come on, D. Skating is not that different from skateboarding. You've got this."
When Meilin chimed in, calling him out with the skateboarding comparison, he threw her a side-eye, shaking his head with a smirk. "Aight, Mei-Mei, you gon' put me on blast like that? Cool, cool. I see how it is," he said, his tone playful but not without a touch of challenge. He used her old street name from her time as the first Fallen Angel under the late Telford Porter.
Turning back to Angela, his grin grew wider. "But, nah, she right. If I can shred on a board, I can handle a lil' ice."
Dropping onto the bench, he grabbed the skates and looked at them like they'd personally insulted him. "Damn, these joints got more laces than my Timbs," he muttered, fumbling for a moment before glancing back up at Angela with his swagger back in place. "Yo, you 'bout to see a legend in the making, girl."
Angela leisurely skated backwards and gave Darian a coy smile. Despite what Meilin might have told Darian, ice skating and skateboarding were to vastly different things. "Make you a deal, macho man. If you can catch me...I just might give you a prize. How's that sound?"
"I see your deal and raise you a better one..." Darian leaned toward Angela and said. "Look what I can do!" What might have been an accidental loss of balance looked like an unusual if visually impressive twist from one foot to another that ended in a backward slide at a 45 degree angle from Angela. "Check it out! I'm on fire, baby!"
"Not bad, handsome." Angela turned away with a look over her shoulder. "I've been ice-skating since I was 7. Let’s see if you can keep up." She faced forward and started accelerating away from the shoreline.
Jennifer went down to join the others on the ice. She waved to Angela, who she remembered from earlier, and the young man she had only briefly seen. He reminded her of a few boys she had known back in Halifax. She smiled to Meilin as she sat down and put on her skates. Of course, she was quite familiar with the sport. She stepped out onto the ice and skated over to the others.
Letting Angela skate away, Darian circled back to Jennifer who had just taken to the ice. "Hey, shawty," he said, skating to one side as he got the hang of it. "What's good?"
Jennifer smiled over at him and then pulled in front, spinning to skate backwards before him for a moment. "I am!" She gave him an impish grin, as if to say she knew that wasn't what he meant but was having a little fun with words anyway. "Having fun?"
Darian smirked, finding his rhythm on the ice as he matched Jennifer's backward glide. "Fun? Girl, I’m out here lookin’ like I was born on skates, y’know what I’m sayin’? Ain’t nobody smoother than me right now," he said, throwing a playful wink. "You and your homegirl might need to team up just to keep up." He spun lazily, catching a glimpse of Angela skating further out before turning back to Jennifer with a grin that practically dared her to step up even though his moves were nowhere near as polished as either of theirs. "What’s good with y'all tryna show me somethin'? Don’t be shy now, I’m ready to see who’s really got it."
Hayden parked herself right on the ground near the frozen lake, contemplating whether to try it or not. Waterskiing was one thing, ice-skating was a completely different book. Being the beach girl that she was, she'd never really learned to ice-skate...despite growing up outside of Buffalo.
"LET'S GO, HAYDEN." The digitized words of Connor's speech-generating device hung in the air long after he had cast off onto the ice, leaving the girl in his wake.
Hayden started at Connor's invitation as he ran by. She watched as he and the others got out on the ice and then smiled. "Oh what the heck," she said, and grabbed a pair of skates. "Ice is just frozen water. Though this has a lot more finesse than what I did in the Danger Room that day." She laced them up and slowly made her way onto the frozen lake. Hayden didn't venture out into the center of the lake yet so as not to get in the way of everyone who knew what they were doing. She wobbled a little at the beginning, but eventually started finding her balance. By no means was it perfect, but she was having fun.
Finally getting the hang of it, Darian was skating in jerky circles in a cat and mouse game with Angela and anyone else he could entangle. When he passed by Hayden, he gave her a soft hip check and made sure they locked eyes before favoring her with a wink. "Bahahaha!"
Hayden felt the soft hip check and quickly looked over to see the wink before she lost her balance. "Oh no!" she exclaimed as she hit the ice. She sat there laughing for a minute, backside getting cold. "Laugh it up, funny boy. You're time's a comin', just you wait." She got up and found her balance before she started skating again, eyes open for Darian.
"Gotta' catch me first, yo!" Darian cawed like a crow as he skated away back toward the faster girls.
Jean and Scott had taken turns lacing up each other skates, just like they had done so many times as teenagers. Jean already helped Scott in short order with telekinesis-assisted fastening, but Scott had to do up her laces the old fashioned way, which suited him just fine. There was a time when a pubescent Scott would have paid a thousand dollars just to hold Jean by the leg. Once he got the last lace tightened, he asked, "How's that feel?" before backing out onto the ice and offering her an inviting hand. "Shall we?"
“I would love to, Scott Summers.” Jean smiled at Scott and took his offered hand. Like a pair of dancers, they glided across the ice in a smooth, effortless fashion building up speed until Jean’s scarlet red hair was blown back from her face. Without hesitation, Scott placed his hands around her waist and lifted Jean up into the air in a way that would make Frances "Baby" Houseman jealous.
Jean held the magnificent pose above Scott’s head for a moment but it broke as she began to laugh. “Stop tickling me! That’s not fair.”
"We both know you like it," Scott teased. Rather than let her back down to the ice, he caught her in his arms, which nearly made him stumble. Scott popped into a half crouch and pivoted his skates outward into a duck-footed posture that sent them both spinning like a top. When they slowed down, Scott leaned down for a kiss as he stood her back up.
“Show off…” Jean teased at his feat of maintaining equilibrium. She shook her head and laughed as their spin slowed. “But a cute show off.” She leaned in and eagerly met his kiss, a brief expression of their love.
Out near the center of the frozen lake, Hank was a blur of blue fur and endless energy. "What a delight! I haven't felt this unencumbered in ages!" he bellowed, his voice alive with childlike glee.
He zipped past Kennedy with a whoop, his deep laughter booming across the ice. "Ah, a worthy adversary!" Hank exclaimed, his eyes twinkling as he gave chase.
“If I win, will you give me an A in Biochemistry?” Kennedy laughed as she lowered her center of gravity and became serious about skating.
Connor, coming straight off the dock and not wanting to be left out, hurtled toward them with a reckless abandon that was equal parts enthusiasm and lack of expertise. "HERE I COME," he signed, his feet wobbling but his grin unshakable as he twirled haphazardly between Hank and Kennedy.
Hank slowed just enough to clap a hand on Connor’s shoulder, steadying the younger man before he could topple over. "Marvelous effort, Connor!" he said, his laughter undiminished.
Connor grinned back, his breath puffing in the frosty air. "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING," he admitted through sign, but his laughter was bright with joy.
"And yet you’re doing it splendidly!" Hank replied, spinning away with a graceful flourish.
“Have you even fallen yet?” Kennedy asked Connor as she began to skate backwards in order to face him, her feet crossing over one another with little to no consideration. “I would say that if you haven’t fallen down yet, you do know what you’re doing.”
Before he could give a retort, Connor buckled forward at the waist. His hands sprang forward onto the bare ice into a skidding handstand before he twisted into a roundoff and back onto his skates. He laughed at Kennedy and signed, "IF THAT DOES NOT COUNT, THEN I HAVE NOT FALLEN."
“For you, Connor, I think that counts,” Kennedy said with a laugh at his flourish. “Simply because I think that’s as close as you’re going to get to falling.”
Kayleigh had spent her time watching everyone else have fun, she’d never tried ice skating before, and she was a little nervous as she stood at the edge of the ice. “Erm...I have no idea where to start, I’ve never skated before.”
“Keep your posture straight and your knees bent.” Kennedy attempted to provide Kayleigh with some direction. “Swizzle your feet together at first, that’s the easiest way to move at first.”
“And get ready to fall down a lot.” Ty shouted from a few yards away. He was sitting on his backside while Tandy attempted to pull him up. He noticed his fellow Fallen Angels were out and enjoying themselves. “Even D is trying! Come on, Mei-Mei, you gotta look stupid too.”
Meilin had been watching from the dock with her arms folded. She had worn a nice coat with the intention of attending a formal dinner, not giving herself over to the elements in an impromptu athletic performance. Still, the others were having fun, just as she had encouraged them to do, and it wasn't so long ago that she herself was a rambunctious teenager either. When would another opportunity for unscheduled fun present itself?
"Okay." Meilin removed her beige business jacket and folded it neatly on the bench where she found a pair of ice skates that matched her tiny feet. A thin smile had formed on her face.
In a moment, she joined the rest of them on the ice, lagging behind near Kayleigh until she felt confident enough to go further out. "Don't worry about falling down," Meilin said to Kayleigh. "Everybody does now and then. If they see you fall, just laugh with them because their turn is coming. Enjoy the moment for what it is; it may not come back around again."
Kayleigh smiled and nodded as she let herself get into the fun, she slipped and slid trying to keep her balance, but found herself enjoying it. “This isn’t as...easy as it...looks!” She grinned as she fell on her backside, having to figure out how to get back up.
Angela skated up to Kennedy, a wide smile on her face. She loved ice-skating and was pretty good at it. "Hey there roomie. Having fun?" She was impressed with Kennedy’s skills on the ice. "It's nice of Bobby to do this for us."
“Hi Angela.” Kennedy greeted her as she rearranged her scarf. “Yeah, I love ice skating. We had a pond at our county house that would freeze over and we would skate all winter.” Her gaze fell on Bobby as Angela mentioned him. “Yeah, he can be nice when he wants to be. He has this weird way of being endearing one minute and a total butthead the next, so it’s kind of hard to predict which one you’re going to get.”
Scott and Jean glided gracefully across the ice, moving in a rhythm that felt as natural as breathing. The cold air flushed their cheeks, but their smiles were warm, their laughter blending with the cheerful sounds of the others skating around them. Near the edge of the frozen lake, Scott slowed, taking Jean’s hand and pulling her close.
"I think this is the part where I sweep you off your feet,” Scott teased, his voice low and affectionate as he leaned in to steal another kiss.
Their lips met in a sweet, lingering smack. The world around them began melting away. It wasn’t hurried or stolen but deliberate and tender, a moment that belonged only to them. Jean's free hand rested lightly on Scott's chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath his jacket.
Just as Scott deepened the kiss, a sudden thwack of snow splattered against the side of his face, jolting them apart.
"Hey!" Scott barked, turning to see Bobby standing at the edge of the ice with a mischievous grin, packing another snowball in his hands.
"Get a room, lovebirds!" Bobby called out, lobbing another snowball their way, though this one angled toward Jean in a clearly power-assisted arc.
Scott’s expression softened, though his mock annoyance lingered. "He’s going to regret that..."
Kennedy was about to say something more when she noticed the mischievous grin on Bobby’s face and her conversation trailed off.
“Bobby Drake!” The typically sweet Jean turned outraged as that red headed temper in her sparked and ignited. She let go of Scott and her green eyes locked on Bobby, the source of her anger. “You could have knocked his glasses with that snowball in addition to being a total jerk!”
Jean raised her hands up into the air and a dozen snowballs were created and began to circle around her like planets around the sun. “If you want a snowball fight! You are going to get one.”
With a flourish and wave of her hand the cycling snowball flew into action and went racing towards Bobby guided by all her upset with him.
At first Bobby was able to dodge the snowballs but Jean’s telekinetic ability allowed her to attack him from all directions and he was soon pummeled with snowballs.
“She’s onto something,” Kennedy said with her own smirk as she bent down and created her own snowball. “Watch this,” she said to Angela before letting the snowball fly, her natural ability to land every shot she took kicked in and Kennedy hit Bobby square in the face with another snowball.
Jean laughed as Kennedy joined in and she gloated over Bobby now covered in snow. “Serves you right!”
"Oh yeah?" Bobby summoned all the mist that hovered over the lake and coalesced it into a powdery concentration of crystalline snow easily the size of his own body. "Watch this!"
A crimson burst cut through the air and made the gigantic snowball explode into a miniature avalanche over Bobby's head. Tiny snowflakes drifted in the wind, but most of them piled around Bobby's head and shoulders, thermally bonding with his ice form.
"That was amazing," Scott said with sarcastic innocence as if his hand wasn't dropping away from his glasses. "You should definitely do that again."
Bobby had to puff the snow away from his face just to speak. "You suck, Scott."
DREW'S DORMITORY ROOM
Drew had retreated to his room and changed into sweat pants and a t-shirt when when the others had raced down to the frozen lake to have fun. He opened his window and looked out. He leaned on the window seal and looked at the students and staff frolicking on the frozen lake and shore line. Part of him wanted to join the festive group at the frozen lake, but he wasn't like Angela. She was the sociable one. He didn't do well in big groups. It was one reason why he never went out for football. Track and cross country were more individual pursuits other than the relay races. He was also not confident around girls and most of the older adolescents were drop dead gorgeous girls. He pulled out his Calculus text book and started reading. He might as well get started on his studies before starting class on Monday.
DRAWING ROOM
Kurt had noticed Meja dart off to another room during dinner. When she hadn't come out with the others, he bamfed around the mansion until he found the quiet corner she had chosen.
"Hallo, Fraulein Meja..." Kurt let his greeting linger until the brimstone puffs dissipated, leaving the air clear between them. "I pray zhat I did not startle you. Eet is just zhat ze osthers hef gone down to ze lake and I see you hef not joined zhem. Is somezhingk ze matter? Hef you taken ill?"
Meja seemed relaxed and smiled the same tired, strained smile that she'd passed nearly everyone else since Jean had told her to take it easy upon her release from the med bay. "Unfortunately yes, I've sprained a tendon in the lower part of my calf and I've been told I shouldn't even go for my morning run." She paused a moment, the practiced smile fading from her lips as she shifted in the padded chair and looked back across at Kurt. "I hadn't thought my leaving the buffet was noticed, to be honest."
"I zhink zhat you should not mistake people giving you space for zhem not noticing you vhatsoever," Kurt suggested. "Vhen I first trained to be an acrobat, I vas no older zhan you, Fraulein. Truth be told, I vas not very good." He laughed through his fanged teeth at the humble admission. "Due to my... abilities... I did not fall down often, but my training partner vas anosther story. She fell often. I had to vork harder in order to keep her safe, and zhat left me visth injuries from time to time."
For a moment, it seemed like Kurt was going to trail off as his memories awakened him to another time in his life. He remembered himself, though, and the fact he was trying to inspire Meja with a reclusive point. "I know vhat it means to be on ze outside of everyzhingk, and not just because of my... appearance." He looked down his arm and rolled his unique hand with three fingers. "I hef only known two vorlds before my time here and I never quite fit in eisther of zhem. Vhat I can tell you for certain, Meja, ees zhat ze path to success is not valked alone. Ve must hef our friends alongside us."
Meja remained reverently silent while Kurt spoke. Nodding at a few intervals before a genuine smile overtook her features, "I know. I've just rarely been injured since I was younger, and it really sucks. I love training and my morning runs, but I can't even do that. 'Taking it easy' is so boring and it's hit me harder than I thought it would."
"Zhen ve shall just hef to get creative. Zhere are plenty of zhings ve we can do aside from training." He leaned forward, his smile turning almost mischievous. "Do know vhat brings friends togesther in Bavaria? Chocolate!" He let the word roll off his tongue with a happy chuckle. "Come, if you cannot join your friends, zhen ve vill hef your friends join you. I happen to know zhere is baker's chocolate in ze kitchen and plenty of cream to mix togesther into... how you say... hot chocolate. Sound good, ja?"
Despite herself, Meja chuckled, the smile remaining a gleam in her burnt umber eyes as she nodded, "Especially with how cold it is. Ja, varm chokolade... perfekt." Her mother tongue of Swedish began to show itself as she rose, wincing very slightly before she put more weight on her uninjured leg. "Have you ever tried the Swedish version of varm chokolade, Kurt?"
Kurt's ears perked up at Meja’s question, and his yellow eyes lit with curiosity. "Ah, varm chokolade from Sweden! Ja, I hef tried eet before, but not from ze hands of an expert, I am sure," he said with a playful bow of his head. "I vos once in Gothenburg and zhere I had ze most delightful cup of Swedish hot chocolate. Zhere vas cinnamon, I zhink, or perhaps cardamom? Ze flavors are vivid in my memory, but I fear I hef never tried to make eet myself."
He stepped back with a flourish and gestured his hands from her to the door "But now! I am in ze presence of a true Swede! If you vould do me ze honor of showing me how eet is properly done, zhen zhis vould truly be a day of Thanksgiving!"
Kurt tilted his head slightly, his grin warm and encouraging. "What do you say, Fraulein Meja? Shall ve create somesingk delicious for our new friends?"
The warm smile remained radiating her features as she nodded, "I think that's a great idea."
Kurt and Meja appeared at the lakeside in a puff of brimstone, the characteristic bamf turning heads as the sulfurous air dissipated. Kurt landed gracefully on one foot, arms spread wide as though introducing an act in a grand circus, while Meja stumbled slightly but managed to stay upright, her expression a mix of amusement and embarrassment.
"Hallo, friends!" Kurt called out, his voice brimming with excitement. His tail flicked with enthusiasm as he gestured dramatically toward the mansion. "Ze hour of cold toes and frozen noses is over! Meja and I hef come to bring you inside for somesingk truly magnificent—hot chocolate, ze likes of vhich you hef never tasted before!"
"Just something that my mom taught me to make. Great for warming up after skating and playing in the snow." Despite being rugged up herself, the warm welcoming smile beamed across her face and accentuated her orange eyes as she spoke.
The skaters paused, looking at each other with curiosity and intrigue. Hank skidded to a stop near the edge of the lake, his furry, blue face lighting up. "Hot chocolate, you say? I dare say you’ve read my mind, good sir," he said. "Lead on, Maestro of Cocoa!"
“I’m finally ready for dessert.” Jean kissed Scott on the cheek and whatever she said to him telepathically created a lopsided smile on his face.
Jean and Scott exchanged a coy glance before Scott smirked and his attention returned to the group, "Well, we're not going to say no to that, but we’ll probably head out soon after."
“Come on, Bobby!” Jean called out for him and she wrapped an arm around his shoulders to bring him in for a brief hug. Her temper was like a firecracker, one loud pop and then it was over. “The ice master earned it.”
As much as Bobby wanted to pout at being bested in front of everyone, he could never hold a grudge against Jean. "Yeah, yeah, let's go."
Hayden skated up to the shore of the frozen lake and took a few seconds to catch her breath. "I love hot chocolate. Especially with whipped cream on top and a dusting of cinnamon. But I'll try any kind of hot chocolate." She came up to a bench and removed the ice skates, putting her own boots back on.
“You guys sure know how to host a holiday!” Tandy said while creeping back to the seats on the edge of the lake. “We should come back for Christmas too.”
“Only if there is no more skating.” Ty groaned as he sat down heavily on the bench. “I’m going to be sore for days.”
Angela skated up right behind Hayden and began to unlace her skates. She looked around at the group of people opting for the promise of a hot cocoa and warm fire, of which she was one. She had enjoyed the winter wonderland as much as the next person. She realized that Drew had skipped out on all the fun and she'd been so distracted she hadn't even noticed his absence. She looked up at the mansion and saw the light on throuhigh his window. She let out a soft sigh. He would have to come out and talk to people eventually.
"I WANT MARSHMALLOWS IN MINE," Connor signed after he had kicked off his ice skates and sprinted for the patio.
“I second that one!” Kayleigh smiled as she followed on behind Connor.
Angela looked up as she pulled on her shoes for the walk back to the mansion. "Make that three please." She glanced at the shoreline and spotted Darian making his way back. She walked down and offered him a hand off the ice. She gave him a brief kiss on the cheek and batted her eyes at him afterwards. "You might not have been able to catch up, but...you're too cute to not give a consolation prize to." She turned and bounced off with the lead group heading in for hot chocolate.
Darian stood there stunned for a moment, Angela's kiss lingering like a spark on his cheek. His trademark smirk slid across his face as he called after her retreating figure. "Damn, baby! You that loose? I got a midnight snack waitin' upstairs for you if you hungry later!" His tone was teasing, but the words carried were lewd enough.
Before he could revel in his own boldness, a sharp smack landed on the back of his head.
"Watch your mouth, Darian!" Meilin said, her tone cool and flat as she glowered at him with narrowed almond eyes. "You aren't in some Harlem back alley. That kind of talk doesn’t fly here anymore than at Beat Street. Show some respect!"
Darian rubbed the back of his head, his bravado crumbling as he glanced at Meilin's disapproving face. "Sorry, Mei-Mei..." he muttered, his voice low and contrite. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground, suddenly finding his own boots very interesting.
Meilin crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, giving him a long look before softening just a bit. "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to her."
"But she's gone!" Darian protested, pointing at her retreating form.
"Then run." Meilin folded her arms and dared him to protest.
He did not. His pace picked up into a half-hearted trot, uneager as he was to eat more crow.
“I’m going to stay for a little bit longer,” Kennedy said as everyone else headed toward the mansion. The pond was cleared out and it made it easier for her to free skate without fear of crashing into an amateur skater. This was her first holiday away from her family and a moment alone, to dance on the ice, was an appealing way to clear her head. “I’ll catch up later.”
RSS Feed