Who: Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe and a bit of Rachel (Grey) Summers What: Drinking and blowing off steam When: 1/17, during the AU plot Where: Scott and Rachel's house Rating/Warning: PG13 for vague fooling around Status: Complete
Ororo came up to Scott’s doorstep with a bottle of Captain Morgan and a bottle of soda. She’d gotten the bigger size; between her, Scott and Rachel they probably could use it. She felt lucky that she was still herself - same job, same friends, same dreams - and worried for Kitty, and Logan, and the other people affected. It was uncomfortable, and alarming.
She knocked at the door, hoping that nothing had changed since she spoke to Scott at lunch. If he was someone else, she wouldn’t hesitate to break the bottle and hit him with it. Expensive or not.
It wasn't Scott that got the door, but Rachel. One that looked particularly baggy-eyed and somewhat out of sorts. But her expression changed immediately when she noticed it was Ororo at the door, "Hey, there, lady dating my dad! Come in, come in!"
She waved Ororo inside, then bounced on her feet a bit and shouted over her shoulder, "DAD! Company!"
Scott came down the stairs. He was wearing his usual slacks and polo shirt. What. It was comfortable. He smiled when he saw Ororo and the lines on his face lightened. Today was stressful. He'd already called in sick while he'd started working on some theories as to what was going on.
"Just what the doctor ordered."
Ororo couldn’t help but be weirdly nervous when she saw a pretty girl she assumed was Rachel, and even more nervous when she saw Scott. “Hi. You both have probably had a crazy rough day, so I brought rum and Coke.” She held up the bottles. “It’s nice to meet you in person, by the way, Rachel.” She wouldn’t have said she was dating Scott - they weren’t exclusive or anything - but she didn’t protest. “You two at least look like you’re still you.”
"Oh. That's right, this is our first time meeting officially. Sorry about that. Yeah, I'm Rachel. I'd shake your hand but it has stuff in it," Rachel grinned sheepishly at Ororo, and offered her hands out to take the stuff, "Rum and Coke. You're a lifesaver. Seriously. They told me it'd never get boring around here and so far they've been right."
“Rum and coke is a good choice, and not too boring,” Scott commented, putting his hand on Rachel’s shoulder briefly, before turning to get some glasses. “Ice anyone?”
He didn’t protest the dating thing either.
Ororo handed the bottles to Rachel. “Thank you. And yeah, I haven’t come into contact face to face with anybody who’s not themselves, but I’ve seen enough. Ice would be good, thank you,” she told Scott, interjecting over her shoulder. She noticed he didn’t correct his daughter. Not sure what the hell it meant, but she noticed.
His daughter noticed, too, and tried not to jump up and down repeatedly or scream at the top of her lungs like a little girl. Instead, she carefully carried the bottles to the counter and unscrewed them, "I only know Kitty well enough to notice, but the network seems to be in an uproar about a few others, too."
She started pouring rum into glasses as Scott filled them with ice, "All I know is Kitty is very not Kitty and it's driving me insane."
“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve met other versions of people,” Scott admitted. “It’s common enough in my dreams. But yes, Kitty and Logan are definitely not themselves.” He gave Rachel a smile, though there were times he’d wondered at their friendship, he’d never asked.
Ororo nodded. “I’ve seen a few other people, as well. Some more posts on the network asking what the hell is going on, and such and such.” She shook her head, trying to remain calm. “It’s scary. I’ve never seen anything like this before, but I respect that you have.” She kind of wanted someone to hold her and tell her it wouldn’t happen to her, but she couldn’t have that. Hence the rum.
She could probably have that if Rachel left them alone and gave them some space, though. And Rachel was definitely thinking it while she mixed in soda with their rum and passed the glasses around.
"Here you go, one big glass of brain bleach for everyone. And for the record, I haven't experienced it in dream land, either, and this is my first time with the Orange County weirdness. Aside from the time Dad took his glasses off on New Year's Eve to show me why he kept wearing them, anyway."
“Usually though, the others are still around.” Scott wasn’t sure if it was a replacement issue or if people were actually...being held somewhere. And they didn’t have a telepath to find out for sure. “I don’t think they’re...ah...aliens, though. If that helps any.”
He took the glass and sipped gratefully.
“What’s the alternative to like, weird alien possession?” Ororo took a sip and laughed. “That is just how I’d make ‘em - strong. Are you trying to get me drunk, Scott?” She knew Rachel was right there, but she liked teasing Scott. It was easy. And he blushed as red as his glasses.
"I'm the one that measured, maybe it's me that's trying to get you drunk," Rachel joked. She wasn't sure what the alternative to weird alien possession was, either, but she did remember something from her texts, "Kitty... The Kitty that's here, anyway, seemed to think that reality had warped somehow. Apparently that happens pretty often with her. So I guess the alternative would be... alternate reality personas, or some kind of clone swapping, or evil twin scenario maybe?"
Scott's ears turned pink at the banter but he sat there looking for all the world as if it didn't bother him. "I don't think it's a reality warp. That's a possibility, but not as likely as some other things." He nodded at Rachel. "Either a mind swap, an evil twin scenario. Something like that."
“God, you guys talk about this like it’s no big deal. I’m still at the point where I feel like I fell into a comic book.” Ororo took a long swallow, as much as she could. “If it is one of those things, where’s the real Kitty? And Logan?”
Rachel took a very long swig off of her own drink. That was the question of the day, really, and it really bothered her. Her mind could wrap around alternate realities and evil twin scenarios, but it stopped short at the idea of her real friend being in danger somewhere.
"I don't know. I mean... You'd think the exchange had to be even - person for person, right? It's easier to think that the swap was like that and not just... someone grabbing them and hiding them in a cave somewhere. Does that even happen in reality?"
She glanced at her father, "It doesn't, does it?"
Scott eyedarted behind his glasses. “No, not really. That sort of thing doesn’t happen that often in reality.” He couldn’t lie entirely, but he could play it down. “When something weird happens, something really weird happens.” He gestured as if talking about the whole of the county. “Just wish I knew why.”
“That often.” Ororo noticed. “So it does happen.” She sighed. “I’m sure you could tell stories.” But she wouldn’t insist. Not in front of his daughter. Just, it was all scary as hell, and this made it very personal. This Kitty and Logan thing. They’d both become friends of hers. “At least the rum’s good?”
"It's really good rum. I'm glad you brought it," Rachel agreed, with a nod of her head. Her dad wasn't really reassuring her right now, and she took a second to finish off her drink.
She got up to fix herself another one, "Hopefully they're safe. That's all we've got to go on, I guess."
“For the time being, yes.” Scott settled back into the couch and ran his hands through his hair. There was no use in stressing, and he’d done everything he could right now. Laura was keeping an eye on Logan, though Kitty was proving more difficult to track down.
Ororo laughed a little, but only a little. “Makes me wonder if we’re all headed for a bumper crop of crazy dreams. My last few were okay” - except for the fact that T’Challa didn’t seem to exist - “but it makes me worry for the next ones.”
“We might be.” Scott frowned. “I’ve had to make some charts about mine. I’ve been dipping into what appears to be alternate versions of myself in some. Some of those realities are...dark.”
"Yeah, those dreams. They sure are crazy." Rachel's very first dream had been about hunting down and killing at least a dozen people, if not more. Some of them she'd even had emotions about, though for some reason - she wasn't quite sure why - the emotions were hard to access and didn't stop her from doing anything.
There was even a certain amount of pride in her work, something that Rachel had no idea how to process. So she basically pretended her dreams were super a-okay and left it that.
Her glass was refreshed with rum and coke, and she jiggled it in the air a bit, "Thanks again for this! I'll let you two talk."
Without waiting to hear protests or affirmations, Rachel padded out of the living room and into her bedroom. Music from some video game or radio filtered through the door, and it was clear that she'd turned it up loud enough not to overhear them.
Ororo had to laugh. “Is she just really obvious at wanting to get you dates? ‘Cause she’s really nice and seems sweet.” She could understand why the daughter looked after the father just as much as the reverse.
"It's like she's trying to make up for lost time in trying to hook me up with people," Scott said, laughing. "It feels kind of nice. Like I've been missing out and not knowing it. Having a good relationship with her is really important to me."
“I’m sure.” Ororo nodded. “It’d be the most important relationship in the world to me.” She’d never really wanted any children of her own, but she didn’t have anything against them. She smiled at him. “Is it nice to have a woman in the house again, too? It didn’t go too bachelor pad while she was gone?”
Scott smiled. At some point he'd need to tell Ororo that he might have other children, but that was a discussion for another day. How do you bring up 'oh in my dreams there's Rachel but she's actually from another timeline, and then there's Nate, who was raised in the future and is actually older than me. Then there's another Nate who's kind of my son too....so I don't know if they exist here or not.'
Yeah.
That could wait.
"Probably more bachelor pad after Dani moved out," Scott mused. "Rachel actually has the room I was in back then. It's got a good view of the back yard so I thought she'd like it."
“That’s good. So you both have some privacy?” Ororo figured Scott’s room was upstairs. He didn’t need to hear some of the things his daughter probably got up to. She remembered being that age. “I mean, I know you love each other, obviously, but you still need it.”
“Yes,” Scott said, nodding at her and trying to ignore the heat in his ears. "There are some things that neither of us want to know or need to know."
Ororo couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t actually mean anything lewd. Your imagination supplied that one.” She drank a little more, setting her glass down. “Or do your ears go red when you drink?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scott replied. A smile tugged at his lips until he laughed. “I’m not saying.”
“You’re full of crap.” Ororo laughed. She went to sit down on the couch, nearer to him. She was still smiling, but she couldn’t entirely stop it from ebbing. “Scott ... I’m not too proud to admit I’m a little scared. I don’t want to be someone else one day.”
“Or to end up someplace else. I understand. More than once I’ve found myself in a situation that might drive most people a little over the edge. But…” He reached for her hand. “You’ve got a support group. People who care a great deal for your well being, and plenty of others who don’t mind listening, even if they might not dream about us.”
“It does help, to know that. Even if two of the ones who helped the most are ... someplace else.” Ororo didn’t want to seem ungrateful for his help, so she smiled, letting him take her hand and trying to calm down. “You’re very level headed. I get the feeling you look after the rest of us, whether you’re asked to or not.”
"It's ingrained in me to help people in general. When they're close to me, friends and people that I'd consider family under other circumstances, I want to help more." He shook his head. "When there's powers involved, and knowing the types of things that people do to people who are different, it's not in my character to stand back and do nothing."
“Trust me, nobody knows about experiencing bad things ‘because they’re different’ more than I do.” Ororo said dryly. “But clearly I need another rum and coke. You good?” She got up, feeling a little daring, taking her time going to pour and standing on tiptoe to reach the ice tray in the freezer.
"I wasn't trying to imply..." Scott nodded, and sat up a little straighter as Ororo stretched for the ice. Holy ... "Yeah I'll take another." It felt a little wrong, but also... not.
“I know you weren’t. I’m just saying, I’ve got extra perspective on that.” Ororo brought the ice tray down, mixing two more drinks. She saw him sit up straighter and grinned. “Uh oh. What kind of drunk are you? Don’t tell me you get giggly.”
“I’m the somber kind of drunk,” Scott said, deadpanned. “Talking about the way things used to be and the way they should be. Or something.” He was a little distracted right now.
“Oh, crap. No nostalgia.” Ororo came over with the drinks, deliberately leaning forward in front of him to set his down. Why not? She’d had enough rum not to care. “Seriously. Right now, unless there’s something we can do for Kitty and Logan, I move that we not care for a little while.”
Ororo was flirting with him. Scott wasn’t too tipsy to be oblivious to that. He wasn’t sure how to deal with it. He’d dealt with it well enough in a less private setting, but this wasn’t public. So he took a long swig. “If anyone needs me they can call.”
“Sounds about right.” Ororo sat down with hers, smiling a little. “You do know I like to poke fun, right? Especially at serious people. I sort of have to; it’s my way of staying sane.” She smiled. “I swear, I do it because I like you. You’re a good person.”
"Then you're going to be laughing at me a lot." Scott grinned, and rested his hand on her knee. It was a little bold, but Scott didn't get where he was by being a chicken.
“Oh, I already do.” Ororo grinned. She obviously noticed the hand, and scooted just a little closer. Why not? She had her drink in hand, and took a sip. “I just mean that you’re very serious. There’s a time and a place for everything, including fun.”
“I take it this is a time for more fun, and less seriousness?” Scott quirked his eyebrow and took another sip of his own drink. The hand on Ororo’s knee rubbed a little suggestively.
She’d have to be an idiot not to notice, and Ororo Munroe was no idiot. She smirked, though she was serious for a minute. “I do think it’s important to find balance. You can’t help Kitty and Logan if you’ve got a bleeding ulcer from all the worry.”
“My ulcers haven’t been bleeding much,” he replied, looking entirely serious. But there was a twinkle in his eye that no one could see. The best part of a poker face. “I hope I can rely on you for help when I need it.”
“As much as I can provide.” Ororo meant it. There’d be some things she just couldn’t do, but whatever she could, she’d help. She drank about a third of her rum and coke, put it down, and laughed a little. “Are we on the path to getting tipsy and fooling around? Because if so, I’m just going to sit on your lap and be done with it.”
“I won’t expect you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” Scott said, a mere second before he was pulling Ororo into his lap. She certainly didn’t seem to be uncomfortable right now, so he moved in for a kiss.
And that was why she let him; she wasn’t uncomfortable, and she didn’t think it was all the rum and Coke. Ororo got comfortable, pleasantly surprised that he was a good kisser. She’d half expected it to be awkward, but either the drink had loosened him up or he was secretly Casanova. She shifted so she was kneeling, letting him get a good look. There was not going to be sex for him - not while his daughter was in the house - but this was as good a time as any to explore a little.
A little in column A, and a little in column B. The look was enough to leave him wanting more, though his hands only wandered so far, conscious of the same thing she was. She was a good kisser, and he wasn’t sure if that was a spark or a spark but he liked it.
She wasn’t sure either - too much weirdness, too much booze - but it was a good time and Ororo was enjoying it. And it wasn’t like it might never happen again. When (if?) things got less nuts, they could go on another date. Ladies were okay to put out on the third date, right?
She couldn’t help a soft laugh as she went back to kissing Scott, one hand in his hair, careful not to dislodge his glasses. “Is there a way you can band those to your head if we ever wind up doing anything really involved? I don’t like just-lying-there fooling around, but I’m scared of knocking them off.”
Scott was surprisingly good at getting them to put out on the first date, but that usually ended up with no second date. Other guys would probably just assume they were terrible. Scott just assumed it got too potentially emotional.
Her question made him blush, and he nodded his head. "I have wires, and I can always use my visor."
“Okay, good.” Ororo laughed again. “Getting laser burns would so ruin the mood.” She shifted on his lap, trying to get her leg to not fall asleep before going for another kiss.
Hands sliding down Ororo’s back, Scott returned the kiss. He shifted underneath her, and discovered that her ass was every bit as firm as he’d been led to believe.
She hadn’t expected him to have that much boldness in him, and it amused her. She had to wonder what kind of person he turned out to be in the dreams; if he was this serious. If so, she had a double dose of stress to help get rid of. Ororo nibbled down his jaw, nosing into the curvature between neck and shoulder, just barely using her teeth. If he wanted her to play rougher, he’d let her know.
Scott made a sound in the back of his throat, and rubbed his hand up her back until his palm rested at the nape of her neck. He pressed a little bit, because she'd just found one of his spots.
Ororo laughed softly at the sound. She might have nibbled harder in response. Maybe. Just a little.
Grinning, Scott moved his hand into Ororo’s hair. He had a bit of a thing for hair, and Ro’s color and texture had always been particularly appealing. Not that he’d ever thought about that much. He realized they were making out like teenagers and he liked it.
Worked for Ro. She couldn’t resist trying to leave a bruise on his neck, just because. Something for Rachel to squeal about. This was fun.
Scott was going to have to go to work and Shepard was notorious at teasing people she was friendly with. But it was worth it, and he'd wear it proudly like a battle scar. Groaning, he rested his hands on Ororo's hips, because if he didn't slow them down now it was going to be a lot more painful to slow down later.
She felt his hands and paused, letting up a bit. “End of the line,” she murmured, smiling a little. Honestly, she was grateful; she’d begun to lose track of herself a little bit.
He nodded, catching his breath. This was... a lot of fun, and incredibly hot. "I don't think I've made out on a couch in years. You're an influence."
“Good.” Ororo laughed. She was still sitting on his lap, smiling. “See what happens when you relax a little?” But she was only teasing, and she settled against him. “If it’s okay with you, can I take a short little nap on the couch before I go? Not sure I should drive home yet.”
“Why don’t you head upstairs and nap on my bed,” he suggested, pushing some hair behind her ear. “I’ll just pass out here.” Like he’d let Ororo nap on a couch.
“You sure? I don’t want to put you out.” Ororo raised an eyebrow.
Scott smirked at her. “I won’t be put out. I might need a cold shower, but I won’t be put out.”
“All right.” Ororo laughed. “I’d say I’m sorry, but It’s not being a tease if you’re going to back it up. And I intended to ask you on another date if you didn’t ask me, so I’m backing it up.”
“How about a movie? I’ve had bad luck making it to movies so I’d like to change that luck,” Scott replied, his fingers finding the skin between her top and bottom.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Not a lot of chance to talk, but maybe that was okay. She wasn’t sure she’d have the nerve to fool around in public, but maybe she’d surprise him, and herself. “Hopefully things will calm down soon, so we can do it with a clear conscience.” She meant go on the date. Not ... like ... do it. Not yet. That wasn’t the reason she wanted to go out with Scott again.
He nodded, understanding. “Yeah. It feels kind of wrong having fun when there’s crazy things happening. Like we should be doing something even when we can’t.”
“Yeah. I mean, again - it’s about balance. Don’t worry ourselves into an early grave when we can’t do anything right now. But at the same time, we can’t act like everything’s normal, when it’s not.” Ororo shrugged.
She smiled a little. “Thanks for letting me sleep it off a little. And hopefully things will right themselves.” She couldn’t entirely resist one last peck on the mouth.
“The thing I try to tell myself is that things tend to right themselves with or without my input. The difference is I just want to make sure things aren’t worse because I do nothing.”
“Makes sense to me.” Ororo nodded. “Sleep well.”
“You too.” He grinned at her, and watched her go up the stairs.