Freedom

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Of course, Tony wasn't the only one to be once again rethinking everything in the ongoing relationship between the genius inventor and the mutant assassin. K had been weighing everything out that had gone on over the past few months. It had been a wild ride, for sure, but Tony hadn't been very clear on what exactly it was he expected her to do with herself outside of caring for their kids should they continue the way they were going. And it sure looked like they were going to continue. She knew that she loved him. Or loved being with him. One or the other. He was a genuinely good guy, which ... when put in company with the rest of his attributes was something so rare, K really didn't know how the hell she balanced out against all that.

And seeing as he didn't want her stepping in on any kind of protective detail for him, she was even more at a loss on what was expected of her outside of decorating his arm and living a life of luxury and ease at his side. It seemed ... underwhelming.

So far, whenever she'd go out with the combined team, or even just with one or two hero-types, they were doing what they could to show her how it was done, not letting her try it herself. Which meant again, she was simply filling space.

Of course, it wasn't always like that. When she went out on a run with most of the X-Men without an Avenger, or even when she stepped out with Janet, she was allowed to do something, even if many times that something was less than helpful to anyone.

Not that she blamed them, but the Avengers in particular seemed to be going well out of their way to keep from putting her in a position where she might end up murdering the problem.

Which ... she even understood that, but it left her wanting less and less to do with any of them. It must have been plainly on her face, too, because she'd just gotten in from a run with Steve and Logan - who had very different ideas on what she could and couldn't do - when Kurt almost appeared in front of her with a grin, his tail swaying behind him.

"So," he said as casually as he knew how. " What kinds of adventures have you found yourself on today?" Kurt was grinning still, excited to hear something new, but K really ... didn't have anything.

"I didn't really do anything," K said, forcing a little smile as she ran a hand through his dark curls.

"But ... you are on the team, yes? You're supposed to be an X-Man!"

K smirked. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be," K said. "But I don't think I'm an X-Man or an Avenger. Or that I can be." She smiled a little crookedly at that. It was ridiculous to think that she could do something like that. It was idiotic for her to have listened to Wanda on that count, and even Scott's guilt trip to stick around for Katie's sake was starting to feel as if she'd screwed up by listening to him.

She shook her head lightly and tried to brighten up for him, knowing it wasn't something the little boy needed or wanted to hear and that any indication that she might be planning to leave the place would have Kurt upset. "What about you? Training to save the world?"

But Kurt had seen her reaction and instead of answering, he'd moved forward cautiously and then very nearly attached himself with a warm hug. "Just causing a bit of trouble," Kurt admitted. "Maybe you need to tell them what team you'd like," he said. "Maybe that's why they don't know what to do. They need to be told."

"I don't think that's what's going on, bud, but ... I'll keep that in mind." She gave him a little squeeze and kissed the top of his head before she slipped of to change and try to relax, but that left Kurt ready to find a way to fix it.

He puffed out his chest as he watched her go, his tail switching behind him irritatedly, and as soon as the women's locker room door closed, he was on his way- marching right to where Peter was to inform him: "Your new Dad needs to do something to cheer K up, or I'll get someone else to cheer her up."

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