Just when I was beginning to forget about Warren, he showed up at Pinstack. We locked eyes and his expression saddened.
"Cassidy, are you ok?" Peter asked me, turning around to see what I was looking at
When he saw Warren standing in the back with his arms crossed, Peter scowled
"That son of a-"
"Peter, just let me go talk to him" I cut him off, not in the mood to deal with the mess that he was no doubt about to cause.
He pressed his lips in a thin line and nodded. The rest of the group was looking very concerned at that point, the fun mood completely vanished.
I walked over to Warren, his face lighting up a bit when he saw me. However, it turned back to normal when he saw my aggravated expression.
"Hey," he said while looking down
"I thought you weren't coming" I replied
"I-I wasn't until I realized just how much I screwed up," He said, still not looking at me
"Why don't we both go back to the X-Mansion, and we'll talk about it more then," I said, softening my expression
I knew that I really should have stayed with my friends, but I had never seen him so remorseful before and I could tell he was upset.
I walked over to the group and told them that I needed to bring Warren back to the X-Mansion. Of course, none of them were happy, especially Peter, but they would just have to get over it. I know what it's like to feel like an outsider, and no one should have to go through that alone. Even though he was kind of a jerk earlier, he still cared enough to come find me and make things right.
I was about to leave when Kurt tapped my shoulder.
"Uhm-er- it was nice hanging out with you, Cassidy. I hope to see you again, maybe at lunch, or training"
I smiled back at him "Thanks, Kurt, I had fun too."
I waved goodbye and he waved back. I turned to look at Warren who was glaring directly at Kurt. I was not going to have Warren pick another fight, so I wanted to get him out of here as quickly as possible.
"Ready?" I sighed
Warren nodded and we walked out of Pinstack. I was greeted with the cool night air and wondered how Warren wasn't freezing since he was only wearing his leather jacket and jeans.
After a long walk, since the nurse hadn't cleared Warren to fly yet, we finally arrived back at the X-Mansion. Most of the students were asleep and the hall lights were dimmed. Warren and I walked in silence to our bedroom, neither of us knowing the right thing to say. I sighed and swiped my ID card so we could enter the room. Part of me was still mad at the fact Warren had ruined my Mother's picture, but the other part of me knew it wasn't his fault. I should have kept a better eye on him to make sure he didn't get into any trouble. Like Uncle X said. But I was too worried about hanging out with my friends.
I was brought out of my thoughts by Warren clearing his throat.
"Cassidy, please just give me a chance to explain," He said, sitting down on the bed
I nodded my head. There was no harm in giving him a chance. He patted the spot next to him on the bed and I hesitantly sat down. I noticed that the broken glass was gone from the floor and the alcohol on my window seat had been cleaned up. Warren seemed completely sober now and I was glad that we were getting a chance to talk.
"I-I screwed up big time today, I know. I'm new at this whole...thing. I'm just used to being a massive jerk and killing almost everyone I've ever come in contact with. I made you upset after you've been so nice to me, and I regret what I did, it wasn't right. I cleaned up the glass but I can't find the picture that was in the frame anywhere-"
"That's because I threw it away" I cut him off
"Cassidy" Warren said, his voice empathetic
"It's a memory I'd rather forget, anyways" I replied
That picture was the last one taken before my Mom's death. It was just reminding me that I had forever lost the closest person to me. Maybe Warren did me a favor by ruining that picture.
After a few moments of silence, Warren took a deep breath, "All I want is for you to be close to me, but the only thing I seem to be doing is pushing you away. Despite what you think, I like having you around. You make me feel comfortable. But, everyone I've ever loved has been taken away from me. I don't want the same thing to happen again. Especially not to you"
My head was swimming. Did he really just admit that he likes having me around? I know I said that it would be better if I stayed away, but there was just something about Warren, I couldn't resist.
"Just say something, anything," Warren said, looking me in the eyes, his gaze pleading
"I-I'm sorry" was all I could say
"God Cassidy, none of this was your fault. Why the hell are you apologizing?"
"Because I pushed you away. I thought my friends were more important than you. I kept annoying you and trying to force you to be friends with the people I like instead of letting you have any time to yourself-"
He took my hand in his, his soft touch preventing me from continuing my rambling.
"None of this was your fault. I just have some personal things I need to work out. Old habits that I need to break. Your friends were right, I'm not in East Berlin anymore. Cage fighting rules don't apply here. I'm going to try to get myself in check. But...I might need someone to help me"
I felt a blush spread across my cheeks and I nodded my head in reply, hoping he didn't notice.
"As long as you want me to be around, I'll be here for you. Whatever you need" I promised
He let go of my hands and lifted the corner of his mouth a bit. I had never seen him smile fully and I wondered what it would look like.
"As much as I enjoy talking to you, I think we should probably start getting ready for bed" I said, heading towards the bathroom
"Tomorrow, you can sleep in. I'll stay with you and we can just relax. Maybe talk a little more" He offered hopefully.
I nodded once more and headed into the bathroom to change. I was glad that we had worked everything out. I really felt as though Warren and I had a connection. There was just something about him that made me feel safe. However, I didn't know if he felt the same way and I didn't want to push him too much. Besides, we had only known each other for 3 days and I didn't want to get too far over my head yet.
When I came out, ready for bed, I noticed that he had put on the same sweatpants from the day before and was shirtless once again.
"We really need to get you some new clothes," I chuckled
"Don't worry about that now. Just sleep"
I clicked the light off so the room was dark and made my way towards the bed where Warren was already lying. I hesitated and stood over the bed, unsure if he wanted me to get in or not.
"Cassidy, stop worrying about annoying me" Warren said as he patted the spot next to him "I like having you close"
I smiled even though he couldn't see it and slipped into bed next to him, not worrying about putting much space between us. I felt Warren run his hands gently through the hair that I hadn't bothered to put in a braid. Lying next to Warren felt right and I closed my eyes in content.
"I don't deserve you, Cassidy. You're too good for me" He whispered lightly in my ear
Those were the last words I heard before I fell into a deep sleep.
____________________________________________
"Cassidy, what the hell is he doing here?!" A voice yelled, snapping me out of my sleep
"Hmm?" I hummed sleepily, as I sat up and rubbed my eyes
"I came to check on you because of what happened last night, and now I find him here. What is going on?" Peter yelled, demanding an answer
Warren had woken up by that point and was already giving Peter a death glare
"Piss off, we're kind of trying to sleep here" Warren threw a pillow at Peter, hitting him in the face
"That's it!" Peter lost it, "Get out of here! NOW!"
Peter stomped over and grabbed Warren by the arm, yanking him out of the bed
"OUT" He yelled
Warren rolled his eyes but obeyed, stepping out into the hallway
"Cassidy, what is going on with you? It's like you're a different person ever since Warren got here" Peter said, concern filling his voice
"I-I don't know. Warren told me that he cares about me last night. It seems like I'm the only one he feels comfortable with. Part of that is probably because you and the X-men haven't been very welcoming." I responded
"That doesn't mean you get to sleep with him-"
"NO, NO, NO, it wasn't like that at all! Uncle X just said we had to share a room. There's only one bed, so I offered to sleep on the floor but Warren refused. He said it would be fine if we shared the bed. Nothing else is going on, we're just friends" I cut him off, hurrying to explain myself.
I didn't want Peter to think that something was going on and get the wrong idea.
"I still don't like that guy. You shouldn't be hanging around him. He's dangerous"
"People change, Peter. He hasn't done anything to hurt anyone yet" I stood my ground
"Yet. Do you not remember when he shoved me and almost killed Kurt? The only thing he knows how to do is fight, why can't you see that? I just want to protect you, Cassidy" He said, sitting down next to me on the bed
"I know. It's just," I took a deep breath "I'm tired of feeling useless. I can protect myself. I appreciate you always looking out for me, but I'm not a little kid anymore."
"I get it, but I'm a guy and we can sense other guys' intentions and I can tell that Warren's aren't good. I mean, you're such a great girl, Cassidy. You deserve someone better than him." Peter said, shaking his head
I didn't say anything else and just fixed my gaze on the ground. Everything he was saying was starting to get to my head a bit. What if Warren did have bad intentions or was just playing me? It did seem a bit odd that all of a sudden Warren started being sweet towards me.
"I-I'll be going then." Peter said after I didn't respond "See you later, Cassidy"
Peter then made his way out the door and must have bumped into Warren on the way out because I heard him yell, "Watch it, Angel!"
My relationship with Peter had become strained during the past couple of days. Peter meant too much to me and we had never really had an argument this bad before. I decided to just give him some space, and hopefully, we could go back to how things used to be soon.
Warren then walked through the door "Now that the prick is gone, do you wanna get some breakfast or something?"
I frowned a bit at Warren calling Peter a prick and shook my head at his question.
"Hey, you ok?" He asked, sensing I was upset
"I'm fine. Just not hungry" I said, faking a small smile
Warren shrugged and then flopped on the bed, pulling me down with him.
"Warren?" I asked as he winced when part of his wings touched the bedpost "Do your wings still hurt as bad?"
"They still hurt a lot, but they'll get better. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I always heal" He replied
Warren then stretched his wings out, one brushing against my shoulder. I shut my eyes, expecting Warren to yell at me for touching his wings, but nothing ever came. Instead he took a sharp breath to which I responded by opening my eyes and hoping that I didn't hurt him.
"Warren I-"
"C-Can you do it again?" He cut me off, his voice raspy
I hesitantly, but gently, ran my fingertip over Warren's feathers. He shivered and closed his eyes in content
"Am I hurting you?" I whispered
"No, it feels...good"
The feathers, though not the softest, felt delicate and precious under my fingertips. I knew that Warren had never allowed anyone to touch his wings before, so I couldn't help but feel special. I could feel Warren's gaze on my face, but every now and then, he would close his eyes at the comfort he received from my soothing touch. This was so unexpected, especially since I was so used to having him flinch away and get angry at even the slightest touch. I guess he wasn't lying when he said he wanted me close and felt comfortable around me. The contact was just as relieving and soothing for me as it was for him. Suddenly, he wrapped his wings around me, luring me into a sense of comfort and security. Like my own safe haven. My hand left the white feathers as it was taken by his. His gaze met mine and time slowed down, giving off the atmosphere of solitude. Just him and I, in our own little space, guarded by his wings. In those few moments, I felt as though nothing could hurt either of us. The world seemed less intimidating when I looked into his eyes.
However, our moment was cut short by a knock on the door.
"Cassidy, it's me Jean. Open up."
Warren quickly pulled his wings back to his side, where they previously were, so that I could answer the door. I already missed their warmth, but there was no time to waste. I got up and quickly tossed Warren his leather jacket seeing as how he hadn't bothered to put on his normal clothes since Peter left. I definitely did not want her getting the wrong idea as well.
I opened the door to find Jean standing there with three cups of apple cider.
"Hey, Peter told me what happened. I figured Warren would still be here so I brought us all some apple cider." She said and handed me a cup.
I grimaced, aggravated at this whole situation. No one was supposed to find out that Warren and I were sharing a room until everyone got a little more comfortable around him. Besides, Peter's thoughts about how Warren was probably just playing me still lingered in my head. But after what had just happened with Warren, him finally feeling comfortable enough with me to let me touch his wings, I didn't know what to think. UGH! These feelings are so confusing.
She gave the other cup to Warren and sat down on my beanbag chair.
"Do you...wanna talk about it?" She asked
I shrugged and sat back down on the bed next to Warren, still longing for his touch. I had a feeling that Peter would tell everyone, but I really was not in the mood to talk about anything.
"Uncle X didn't have enough rooms so he suggested that Warren stays in mine, that's all."
"Oh" She giggled a bit
"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow
"Peter made it sound like you two had slept together or something," She said, still laughing
'What?! NO!" I yelled, covering my face with my hands to try and hide my blush
I definitely was not going to sleep with Warren in that context anytime soon. I mean, there was no denying his attractiveness and the two of us obviously had a connection. However, that was the last thing on my mind. Either way, I've never moved that quickly with anyone. It had only been 4 freaking days.
"Oooooh, is someone blushing?" Jean asked in a teasing manner
"JEAN!" I yelled as I threw a pillow at her, my face heating up with embarrassment
We laughed and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Warren smirking a bit
We were interrupted by yet another person knocking on the door. Why does everyone suddenly need something from me today? At this point, my plans for a relaxing day with Warren were ruined.
I opened the door to see Uncle X standing there with a big smile on his face
"Cassidy, how's everything going with you and Warren?" he asked as he gave me a hug
"Pretty good." I shrugged
"Well, I'd like to talk to him," he said as he walked into my room "Hello Jean," He said as he waved at her
She waved back and smiled.
"Ah, Warren. Just who I was looking for. I'd like to talk to you about your wings. Our specialists here believe that your wings are extremely damaged and are past the point of healing. But, we might have a solution. If we can amputate your wings, make them metal, you might be able to fly again. Maybe even start training"
"Might?" Warren asked raising an eyebrow
"The procedure is a bit risky and there will be a day-long healing process, but I believe that the results could be extraordinary"
After a few moments of silence, Uncle Xavier added, "It's up to you, of course"
"I'll do it"
A/N:
I hope that you guys enjoyed Chapter 8 of Archangel! If you like my story please feel free to vote. Have a great day : )
- edited 5/9/20 -