Ruth was going to die at the hands of a turtleneck wearing shark with nice eyes and metal bending abilities.
It wasn't a terrible way to go, Elvis died on the toilet. But still.
"Alex, please don't let him hurt me," she said, looking back at the blonde who followed close behind. "Alex, please, I'm too young to be thrown off a satellite."
"Who told you about the satellite?" Erik asked, looking up at the sky. "It was twenty years ago. Summers, did you tell her? Because, really, let it go."
Alex shook his head. "No. I'm pretty sure it was Hank or Raven. Really, Ruth, how did you find out?"
Ruth shook her head. "I'm not gonna let him throw another person off a satellite. At least I have a fair enough chance of surviving it. Like, forty percent."
"Those aren't that good odds," Alex pointed out.
She shrugged. "I said fair, not good. But, seriously, please don't throw me off the satellite, I might die."
Erik nodded. "I am aware. McCoy wouldn't let me leave Charles' office until I was fully aware of your anxiety and your tendency towards panic attacks."
She sighed. "Good. So...you'll let me go?"
He scoffed. "Not a chance. Summers, why are you even following? Isn't your brother supposed to be here?"
Alex nodded, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Yeah, but Scotty aggravates her mutation so it's better he's not here. Trust me."
Ruth whined. "I'd rather have him here." She looked up at Erik. "Can Kurt be here? I'd like that. I like Kurt."
Erik stopped and blinked at her. "You're so odd. Alright. Summers, find the blue one."
Alex nodded, turning around and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Kurt Wagner! Kid, get over here!" He turned to a kid, jerking his head. The kid nodded and cupped his hands to his mouth, shouting so loud that it made the trees shake.
Kurt bamfed next to Ruth moments later. "Hallo." He turned to look at Erik, smiling. Erik softened, looking at the boy fondly.
The group began walking, Kurt and Erik talking in their native German while Alex smirked down at Ruth who gaped, staring at the two. He stood behind her to make sure she didn't try to make a run for it.
She stared up at the large satellite looming above them, grabbing onto Alex's jacket. Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating. She froze, staring at the ladder that was blocked off by barbed wire and a fence.
Erik rolled his eyes and flicked his wrist. Ruth gasped, clinging onto Alex, as the metal parted easily, letting Erik waltz through. She stared at the metal as she followed, heart racing, growing lightheaded.
"Charles says you have a little problem with Mystique," Erik called down as they began to climb.
Ruth nodded, wiping her palms as she tried to grab onto the first rung; if she slipped, she'd break her neck. "Yeah. She wants progress and I do too, but she wants it faster."
Erik didn't look down at her. "There's nothing wrong with that."
She nodded again. "I'm aware." She shrieked, her hand slipping. Kurt caught it and bamfed them to the top of the tower, overlooking the satellite.
She held onto his jacket for dear life, eyes shut tight. She slowly opened them, still gripping his Michael Jackson jacket. "Oh God, thank you." She slid to her knees, burying her face in her hands.
Kurt sat next to her, rubbing her back as they waited for the other two men to finish climbing up. She was as terrified as ever, shaking whenever there was a particularly strong gust of wind.
"Are you crying?" Erik asked, incredulous, as he stepped onto the platform.
She took a shaky breath. "I might."
Alex stepped onto the platform as well, causing Erik to make room which pushed Ruth, causing her to shriek. Erik sighed. "Get ahold of yourself."
She let out a hysterical scream. "You get ahold of yourself, old man!"
Erik looked down at her sharply and she just stared back. "I'm not old. Now stand up, we need to get this over with."
She groaned, jumping to her feet, too defiant to get up slowly. "What is it with you and Raven? All you want me to do is hurry up! I can't, you fuckers, I need ti—"
She screamed, cutting herself off, because Erik chose that moment to push her off the platform, leaving her to the mercy of the wonderful thing known as gravity.
She felt the cold rush of air on her face, the sound of her scream being drowned out by the roar of the air. Her heart was racing so fast she wasn't sure if it was still beating or if it had stopped completely. Tears streamed down her face, partly from the sting of the air and partly from pure terror. She was going to die.
She saw the ground grow closer and closer, though she could barely see through her tears. But then, she was moving. Moving forward, no longer falling. She was gliding. She raised her hands to wipe her eyes, trying to spin and see what was happening.
She shrieked when she felt a pull on her back and quickly adjusted herself. She heard a muffled whoop and turned to see Alex pumping his fists in the air, Kurt bamfing in the small platform, cheering. Erik was smiling, a fond, faraway look on his face. Ruth wondered what he was thinking about.
She made her way towards them, the weight on her back becoming more noticeable as she drew closer.
It could be worse, she could be dead on the pavement.
Erik and Alex caught her, bringing her back on the platform. She sighed, glaring up at Erik. "You, sir, are a sick man. How does Charles feel about this?"
Erik shrugged. "He said it was a lovely idea. Kurt, please send us back into McCoy's lab, he's going to want to see her wings before they disappear."
Kurt grabbed ahold of the three of them, appearing at Hank's lab moment later.
"Wow," Hank said, looking up, "So that's what the screaming was."
Ruth perked up. "You heard me screaming."
He smiled, shaking his head. "No. I just guessed. Erik, what did you do?"
"What I did to Sean," he said, leaning against the wall with Alex. The two looked like a father and son.
Hank shook his head. "Ruth, I'm sorry about that. But, look on the bright side, your wings are back. We are making great progress. They don't seem to be disappearing." He grabbed his stethoscope. "I'm going to listen to your heartbeat and breathing."
She nodded and let him work, wondering how much her heartbeat had slowed since the initial appearance of her wings.
"You seem to be going at a relatively regular speed. Slightly irregular, but nothing too major. Are your wings retracting at all?"
She shook her head, looking at the fair sized wings spread out like another pair of arms. They were glossy and black, the color of her hair.
"I don't think so. Hey, wait, is my shirt completely ruined?" She tried to look behind her, but her vision was blocked by her wings as well as her inability to turn her head 180°.
Hank nodded, giving her a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid so. I'll make sure your suit can accommodate that. Maybe I could find a way to keep your wings from destroying them. I don't know how they were able to, in all honesty, they seem to be like a bird's wings. Are they heavy?"
She shrugged, feeling the drag of the feathers against her back. "Kind of. I don't really notice it? Are my bones hollow like a bird's, is that like a thing?"
He shook his head. "It might be for Warren, but for you, I think this is more of a defense mechanism. It's like sweating or shivering. I feel like it will weigh on you, but your body will make adjustments. Nothing too extreme, however."
Kurt waved his hand, walking into the conversation. "Ruth, when we find the Engel, Warren, you should ask him how he keeps his clothes on with his wings," he said a word that she guessed was 'wings' in German. "We should take you to the mall to find new clothes. When your wings disappear, of course."
She nodded, trying to fold them closer to her body. "How long are they going to stay here?"
Hank shrugged. "Hard to say. For as long as you want if you're able to control it. Are you still afraid?"
She shook her head. "Not anymore. Still shaking, though."
Hank nodded, writing that down. He had made some other notes, probably when he spoke to Alex and Erik who had no doubt been keeping track.
She started to feel a sort of tugging on her back and winced, feeling the odd sensation of her wings being pulled back into her body.
She shuddered. "That was weird. How'm I gonna get them back?"
Hank shook his head. "I can't say for sure. In the meantime, I suggest you take some time to relax. Kurt, why don't you take Ruth to her room or to your friends, help her calm down."
Kurt nodded and bamfed them out of the room, despite her protests.
"Hallo," he greeted, waving with his empty hand. "Ruth found her wings again."
Jubilee sent up a little flare in congratulations while Jean waved her hands in silent applause. Peter cheered, raising his glass while Ororo clapped politely with Scott.
"Can you give me rides and stuff?" Peter asked, sitting up.
Ruth shrugged. "If you throw me off a satellite, I'm sure I could. Maybe."
"He threw you off a satellite?" Scott parroted, incredulous, looking at Jean for confirmation.
Kurt nodded. "It's true. It was very, uh, spooky."
Ruth slowly turned away from Scott to look at Kurt. "Spooky?" The blue boy nodded, looking so proud of himself. She shrugged. "Okay. But seriously, my shirt's all torn because my wings burst through."
Jean tilted her head. "Are they supposed to? I didn't think wings would be that strong."
Ruth nodded. "Yeah, that's what Hank said. I don't know why, maybe it's because I was desperate. Either way...my shirt's destroyed."
Kurt nodded eagerly. "Yes! I told her that we would take her to the mall to get new clothes."
Jubilee squealed. "Yes! Yes, when should we go! Jeanie, Scott? Ro, what do you think?"
Ororo shook her head and pointed to Scott who looked away. Jean shrugged. "Whenever, I guess. Peter?"
"Let's go today!" he shouted.
Ruth shook her head. "No."
He nodded. "Today! Get another shirt, we're going to the mall! It'll be great, you'll love it!"
She shook her head, starting to run away. "Don't threaten me with fun!"
º º º º º
Ruth sighed as she followed the group into the mall, glaring at their backs, ignoring Kurt who glanced at her every few moments.
Kurt had shown her the watch Hank had made him, giving him the ability to project a holographic image so as not to get himself into any unnecessary trouble.
His hologram had pale skin and light, icy blue eyes. His hair was the same color, but it was cut shorter, styled a little differently.
"You're drawing a lot of attention," Scott said, turning around. "You might get a date."
Kurt blushed, cheeks turning pink instead of purple. "I-I don't think so." His accent was still there, at least.
"Oh, honey, with that accent, you're could have anyone," Ruth said, patting his shoulder. The hologram was very realistic.
His blushed turned darker and he ducked his head, glancing over at the boy who kept looking at him. "Why is he looking at me?"
"Because he thinks you're cute," Scott whispered. "Talk to him."
Jubilee turned around immediately. "What's this about someone thinking Kurt's cute? That's it. Everyone, we are going to go our separate ways. I love you all, but this is important. Everyone, disperse! Peter, take care of Kurt. Jean, you and I will hang close incase we need to help. Ro, wanna come with?"
"What about me?" Ruth asked, still upset about being dragged to the mall.
Jubilee worried on her lip. "It's already hard for three of us to go and hang out near them...can you go with Scott? Far away? I don't want him to start getting ideas. Please?"
Ruth sighed, looking at Kurt and the boy. "Okay...c'mon, Scott, is there a—" she cut herself off, remembering that she didn't have anything from her house.
Scott pulled on her arm, waving goodbye to the group. "Have a what?"
She sighed. "I had a record player back at my house. I wanted to see if there was a record store here. Can we go anyways?"
He nodded, grabbing ahold of her wrist. "I know where it is. Let's go."
She let herself be pulled towards a dusty-looking store, a fair number of people inside. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling self-conscious as they stepped into the store. Scott rubbed circles into her wrist with his thumb, leading her towards a section of the room.
She flipped through the records, glancing at the different cover art. She soon got into a steady rhythm, ignoring the other people in the room.
'We should recreate these covers,' Lionel said, resting his head on her shoulder, 'Okay, look away, we got shirtless guys. Look away, Ruthie, look away! Hey, look, The Beach Boys!'
Scott waved his hand, getting her attention. "Hey, look." He showed her a vinyl with Dazzler on the cover. "She's a mutant too."
Ruth grinned, taking it from him. "Yeah! 'ts weird, people seem to accept her more than they seem to accept the rest of us. She's awesome, though, I almost saw her in concert."
"Really?" he said, raising an eyebrow, "God, I had such a crush on her a few years back."
Ruth snorted at the idea of a younger Scott gushing over a girl on the TV and in magazines. It was a cute thought, but she found herself cringing in secondhand embarrassment.
"What about you?" he asked, standing next to her, "Have any celebrity crushes that you don't want to think about ever?"
She laughed silently, shaking her head. "Oh God, um...ugh, Donny Osmond."
He burst out laughing. "Donny Osmond?"
She smacked him. "When I was, like, nine, shut up!"
He laughed, making his way to another section of the room. "Ruth Osmond. Sounds pretty catchy. Ruth Grey. You could marry Jean? Who cares if it's not legal, I'm sure Hank or Charles could marry you two off. Ruth Lee. That works too. Ruth Munroe...nah. Ruth Wagner...maybe. Ruth Maximoff?"
"Ruth Summers," she added, following him.
He stopped in his tracks, shoes squeaking. He stared at a random vinyl, not looking at her. "Uh, yeah. That...that works too."
She shrugged, seeing his cheeks turn pink. "I like it."
He spluttered for a response, turning to look at her. He glared, frowning when he saw her grinning at him, her tongue poking out between her teeth.
"Really had me going there," he said, turning back to the box.
She shrugged again, moving to the other side. "I was serious," she mumbled to herself. She heard him look up at her, but she didn't move.
They looked in silence, Ruth missing Lionel and her record player as she flipped through each one. She had to take a deep breath when she saw a Culture Club vinyl; she and Lionel loved the Culture Club.
"What's wrong?" Scott asked, breaking her out of her trance.
She looked up, realizing she had been staring at it for a long time. "Oh! It's just, uh, Lionel and I loved the Culture Club. Haven't listened to their new album yet. Just came out in October, yeah? That was four months ago."
He nodded, leaning forward. "Yeah. Haven't listened to it either. Haven't really heard them at all yet. They good?"
She nodded earnestly. "Yeah! They're great! I had their other albums, back at home..." she trailed off, a pain flooding into her chest and stomach.
He gave her a soft smile. "I'll be sure to listen to them."
Before she could reply, Ruth heard the sound of Jean's voice. 'Abort mission. The boy's friends are mutantphobic, this isn't going to end well. We need to leave immediately. Don't let them know who Kurt is.'
Scott and Ruth looked at each other, then rushed out of the store, Scott grabbing her wrist as they exited.
They saw Peter lounging on one of the islands, slowly inching his way towards Kurt who was talking with the boy and his friends.
Jubilee was standing by one of the kiosks, Jean and Ororo watching from a nearby store.
Scott started to move forward, but Peter shook his head, miming slicing his throat with his hand.
Ruth pulled away from Scott, patting his shoulder. She ran towards Kurt, forcing herself to sound as hysterical as possible.
"Kurt!" she screamed, causing people to turn and look. "We have to go right now, Erik and Raven are ganging up on Hank and Charles was kidnapped and Alex is dead! We gotta go!"
She grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet and pulling him towards the door. She trusted the others followed close behind.
"How was the date?" she asked as they ran.
"He talked about himself too much. He was nice, though," Kurt said.
She sucked in a breath. "You can do so much better."
º º º º º
Ruth made her way back to her room, anxious. After the group returned home, Scott disappeared. The group scoured the entire mansion for him, but found nothing.
It was still light out, which still gave her hope. Kurt and Alex suggested they go out looking for him, but Charles merely smiled and shook his head, saying he assumed Scott would be home in time for dinner.
She opened her door and stopped, shocked to find a bag sitting on her bed.
She smiled, looking at the bag. She pulled out a box, gasping at it's contents: a record player.
Along with it was the Culture Club's first album as well as their new one. There was also the Dazzler album the two had been eyeing, a Beach Boys one thrown in there as well.
She was too shocked to realize who gave her the presents.
She found a note behind the bag. She frowned and picked up the note, recognizing the handwriting.
'A little piece of home. Besides, I want to listen to that band.' —Scott.
a/n I tried not to make it go anywhere near 3000 words but I failed. I'm so sorry and thank you, those who stuck it out.
I actually really liked how this chapter came out. Erik and Ruth interaction and she found something new. And more Suth! Or Rott! Comment which one is better!
Kurt's watch is real/canon (I'm almost positive or else I just hear it everywhere) and the Culture Club's second album did come out October 1983. Donny Osmond was a teen idol in the 70's and...that's all the research I did, I think.
Yay! Progress! I still love this story and I hope you all too! Thanks for reading!