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ax_mainScott checks in on Nick after the rescue. He offers what little hope he can, from one orphan to another.
Once they got back from the Grey's, Scott had gone to his room to drop off his stuff and then, after a brief mental 'hello' to the Professor, made his way down the hall. It felt awkward - most personal interactions did, but this one was going to be tougher than most - going to the room of someone he barely knew and who he'd last seen on the kid's worst day. But checking in on Nick was the right thing to do. The kid had been through hell. The least Scott could do was see how he was holding in there, or if he was at all.
He gently rapped on Nick's door.
Nick hadn't been expecting anyone to knock; Lil didn't knock, not anymore. She came in, because, well, he was leaving the door unlocked at her request. If he needed to change, he could use the bathroom. If he needed to be alone, he could tell her. At least having her close to him could keep him from feeling like his heart was going to crawl out of his mouth and pull the rest of his organs along with it.
Maybe he could see someone. Maybe he could try. Besides, Lil wouldn't be gone for long.
Shakily, he got to his feet. He was wearing sweatpants and a shirt that was thoroughly wrinkled; he'd been sleeping in both articles and he was only slightly ashamed to admit to himself that he probably needed a shower, but it was just so hard to care.
When he opened the door, he remembered he'd still had the lights all turned off, as he frequently did. He was starting to realize just how accustomed he was becoming to it. When he opened the door to see Scott, Nick blinked. Someone who knew what happened, at least. Someone who probably wouldn't bitch about Lil staying in his room with him. Someone he didn't have to explain things to. He was okay with that. Besides, Scott pretty much had saved his life.
And Nick knew nothing about the guy.
"H-hey," Nick said, surprised at how hoarse he sounded. How long had it been since he'd so much as spoken? Lil was keeping things to simple yes and no questions, for the most part. The only reason he wasn't crying right now was because his eyes hurt so badly from it.
"Hey," Scott replied, voice calm and pitched low. He took in the room. Dark, which was going to make it tough to see, with his glasses, but he'd do his best. Next time he'd wear the visor. Nick was in clothes that were...probably at least a couple days old, based on the wrinkles and the slight smell. It looked like one or more people were staying in the room. But the place wasn't torn up, no blood, no real red flags. Scott figured it could have been far worse.
"Is it okay if I come in?" He didn't want to intrude, but he didn't necessarily want to force Nick to have this conversation in the hall, either.
"Yeah, it's just... kind of a mess," Nick said, backing up so Scott could come in. "Sorry," he said, feeling compelled to apologize.
Scott shook his head a little as he stepped into the room. "No need to apologize," he assured the younger teen. He was careful as he moved around, relying more on his other senses than on sight as he navigated the dark space. "I just wanted to...you know, check in. See you. How you're doing, I mean."
"Thanks," Nick said. "O-others have, but... I wasn't in great shape when they came knocking," Nick said, rubbing at his nose a little bit. "D-do you need a light?" he asked, seeing him fumble around in the dark.
He shook his head 'no.' Once his body settled into what he internally called blind-mode, his other sense would do some of the heavy lifting. It just took a few minutes. Fortunately (though it hadn't felt so at the time) Scott had spent enough time blind that he still retained some of the skills and habits he'd developed. "It's your room. If you want the light off, leave it off," he said.
"And I don't blame you. I wouldn't have been in great shape either. Still, it's good your friends came to check on you."
"Yeah. Th-the day after, Lil and Teddy came," Nick said. "Lil's been staying here, since I don't... don't have a roommate," Nick explained, as he seated himself back down on his bed. "It's been good to have her here when the nightmares happen," he said, quietly.
Scott nodded a little. "They get better with time," he offered. "Which I know is trite as fuck to say, but it is true."
His nightmares of the crash had faded, and were rare. The ones from events more recent, those were a different story, but he was sure they would fade in time too.
"I'm sure it does," Nick said, quietly. "Lil's been saying that it'll get better." He trusted her on that.
"Lil's right. Take it from a guy who's been there." Scott's voice was equally soft. He swallowed, pushing past the discomfort that came with discussing any aspect of his past with someone he didn't know well. "Have you talked to the Professor at all?"
"S-some," Nick said. "We're kind of... talking slow, about it. He says we can... take things... slow, y'know?" Nick said, heaving a sigh. "I just... keep feeling like it's my fault," Nick admitted. "I... I didn't bring an image inducer. But s-someone must've seen me..." They'd always been so, so careful. For seven years, they'd never been seen that they knew of.
"It's not your fault." Scott's voice was no louder than it had been previously, but it was firm. Assured. "Whether you had an image inducer or not, whether they saw you or not, none of this is your fault. This is the fault of those evil motherfuckers."
The swear made Nick wince. "I know, but..." He sniffed. "It... it still hurts," he murmured, feeling like he might cry again, but he couldn't.
Scott swallowed and looked down at the floor for a second before fixing his gaze back on Nick. "I wish I could say it stops hurting. But it doesn't. All I can say is that it hurts less, as time goes on." He still missed his parents, after all. It still hurt sometimes, to think about them. To think about what had been lost. But it was a dull pain, now.
"I really hope so," Nick said, his voice just above a whisper. "I really, really hope so."
Scott was silent for a long moment. Finally, though, because he thought Nick needed to hear it, he said, "My parents died when I was ten. And it still sucks. But it doesn't feel like that stabbing, suffocating kind of...misery that it felt like then. It does get better, Nick."
"I'm... I'm sorry that happened to you," Nick said, feeling awful on Scott's behalf. "I'm so, so sorry," he said. Nobody deserved what he was going through, right now. He couldn't even fathom this kind of suffering before. But here he was, in the thick of it.
He waved off Nick's concern, heartfelt though it was. "It happened a long time ago. I'm fine now. But....I'm sorry, Nick. I know how it feels, and nobody deserves to feel that. I am truly sorry."
"Thank you," Nick said, nodding. "Thank you for... for rescuing me. If you guys hadn't come, then..." He didn't even want to think about it.
"You're one of us. We look out for each other," Scott said, shrugging.
"Still..." He was glad he'd made the call. Of all the people Xavier could have picked, Scott was obviously one of the best for the job. "Thank you," he said, again.
Scott reached out, slow enough that Nick could jerk away, and then gently patted him on the shoulder. "No need. But you're welcome."
He didn't flinch. "Thanks," he said again. He let out another sigh. "I think... I need another nap," he said. He'd been taking lots of naps. If he could just sleep the sadness away, that would be best. "Sorry, I ... I appreciate you... coming to see me."
"You don't need to apologize, Nick. Go ahead and rest," Scott said, making his way over towards the door. "And, if you need anything...you know how to find me."
"Yeah. I... thank you." It was good to have another person watching his back. Xavier did. Lil did. Teddy did. And Scott did, too. And the rest of the X-Force who came and rescued him. Obviously, they weren't entirely for some nefarious purpose like they'd suspected at first. Maybe they were good people who would do good things. But he was so, so tired.
"Anytime." Scott let himself out, gently shutting the door behind him. Hopefully the kid would find his way out of this, eventually, with enough people helping to lead him on his way.
Once they got back from the Grey's, Scott had gone to his room to drop off his stuff and then, after a brief mental 'hello' to the Professor, made his way down the hall. It felt awkward - most personal interactions did, but this one was going to be tougher than most - going to the room of someone he barely knew and who he'd last seen on the kid's worst day. But checking in on Nick was the right thing to do. The kid had been through hell. The least Scott could do was see how he was holding in there, or if he was at all.
He gently rapped on Nick's door.
Nick hadn't been expecting anyone to knock; Lil didn't knock, not anymore. She came in, because, well, he was leaving the door unlocked at her request. If he needed to change, he could use the bathroom. If he needed to be alone, he could tell her. At least having her close to him could keep him from feeling like his heart was going to crawl out of his mouth and pull the rest of his organs along with it.
Maybe he could see someone. Maybe he could try. Besides, Lil wouldn't be gone for long.
Shakily, he got to his feet. He was wearing sweatpants and a shirt that was thoroughly wrinkled; he'd been sleeping in both articles and he was only slightly ashamed to admit to himself that he probably needed a shower, but it was just so hard to care.
When he opened the door, he remembered he'd still had the lights all turned off, as he frequently did. He was starting to realize just how accustomed he was becoming to it. When he opened the door to see Scott, Nick blinked. Someone who knew what happened, at least. Someone who probably wouldn't bitch about Lil staying in his room with him. Someone he didn't have to explain things to. He was okay with that. Besides, Scott pretty much had saved his life.
And Nick knew nothing about the guy.
"H-hey," Nick said, surprised at how hoarse he sounded. How long had it been since he'd so much as spoken? Lil was keeping things to simple yes and no questions, for the most part. The only reason he wasn't crying right now was because his eyes hurt so badly from it.
"Hey," Scott replied, voice calm and pitched low. He took in the room. Dark, which was going to make it tough to see, with his glasses, but he'd do his best. Next time he'd wear the visor. Nick was in clothes that were...probably at least a couple days old, based on the wrinkles and the slight smell. It looked like one or more people were staying in the room. But the place wasn't torn up, no blood, no real red flags. Scott figured it could have been far worse.
"Is it okay if I come in?" He didn't want to intrude, but he didn't necessarily want to force Nick to have this conversation in the hall, either.
"Yeah, it's just... kind of a mess," Nick said, backing up so Scott could come in. "Sorry," he said, feeling compelled to apologize.
Scott shook his head a little as he stepped into the room. "No need to apologize," he assured the younger teen. He was careful as he moved around, relying more on his other senses than on sight as he navigated the dark space. "I just wanted to...you know, check in. See you. How you're doing, I mean."
"Thanks," Nick said. "O-others have, but... I wasn't in great shape when they came knocking," Nick said, rubbing at his nose a little bit. "D-do you need a light?" he asked, seeing him fumble around in the dark.
He shook his head 'no.' Once his body settled into what he internally called blind-mode, his other sense would do some of the heavy lifting. It just took a few minutes. Fortunately (though it hadn't felt so at the time) Scott had spent enough time blind that he still retained some of the skills and habits he'd developed. "It's your room. If you want the light off, leave it off," he said.
"And I don't blame you. I wouldn't have been in great shape either. Still, it's good your friends came to check on you."
"Yeah. Th-the day after, Lil and Teddy came," Nick said. "Lil's been staying here, since I don't... don't have a roommate," Nick explained, as he seated himself back down on his bed. "It's been good to have her here when the nightmares happen," he said, quietly.
Scott nodded a little. "They get better with time," he offered. "Which I know is trite as fuck to say, but it is true."
His nightmares of the crash had faded, and were rare. The ones from events more recent, those were a different story, but he was sure they would fade in time too.
"I'm sure it does," Nick said, quietly. "Lil's been saying that it'll get better." He trusted her on that.
"Lil's right. Take it from a guy who's been there." Scott's voice was equally soft. He swallowed, pushing past the discomfort that came with discussing any aspect of his past with someone he didn't know well. "Have you talked to the Professor at all?"
"S-some," Nick said. "We're kind of... talking slow, about it. He says we can... take things... slow, y'know?" Nick said, heaving a sigh. "I just... keep feeling like it's my fault," Nick admitted. "I... I didn't bring an image inducer. But s-someone must've seen me..." They'd always been so, so careful. For seven years, they'd never been seen that they knew of.
"It's not your fault." Scott's voice was no louder than it had been previously, but it was firm. Assured. "Whether you had an image inducer or not, whether they saw you or not, none of this is your fault. This is the fault of those evil motherfuckers."
The swear made Nick wince. "I know, but..." He sniffed. "It... it still hurts," he murmured, feeling like he might cry again, but he couldn't.
Scott swallowed and looked down at the floor for a second before fixing his gaze back on Nick. "I wish I could say it stops hurting. But it doesn't. All I can say is that it hurts less, as time goes on." He still missed his parents, after all. It still hurt sometimes, to think about them. To think about what had been lost. But it was a dull pain, now.
"I really hope so," Nick said, his voice just above a whisper. "I really, really hope so."
Scott was silent for a long moment. Finally, though, because he thought Nick needed to hear it, he said, "My parents died when I was ten. And it still sucks. But it doesn't feel like that stabbing, suffocating kind of...misery that it felt like then. It does get better, Nick."
"I'm... I'm sorry that happened to you," Nick said, feeling awful on Scott's behalf. "I'm so, so sorry," he said. Nobody deserved what he was going through, right now. He couldn't even fathom this kind of suffering before. But here he was, in the thick of it.
He waved off Nick's concern, heartfelt though it was. "It happened a long time ago. I'm fine now. But....I'm sorry, Nick. I know how it feels, and nobody deserves to feel that. I am truly sorry."
"Thank you," Nick said, nodding. "Thank you for... for rescuing me. If you guys hadn't come, then..." He didn't even want to think about it.
"You're one of us. We look out for each other," Scott said, shrugging.
"Still..." He was glad he'd made the call. Of all the people Xavier could have picked, Scott was obviously one of the best for the job. "Thank you," he said, again.
Scott reached out, slow enough that Nick could jerk away, and then gently patted him on the shoulder. "No need. But you're welcome."
He didn't flinch. "Thanks," he said again. He let out another sigh. "I think... I need another nap," he said. He'd been taking lots of naps. If he could just sleep the sadness away, that would be best. "Sorry, I ... I appreciate you... coming to see me."
"You don't need to apologize, Nick. Go ahead and rest," Scott said, making his way over towards the door. "And, if you need anything...you know how to find me."
"Yeah. I... thank you." It was good to have another person watching his back. Xavier did. Lil did. Teddy did. And Scott did, too. And the rest of the X-Force who came and rescued him. Obviously, they weren't entirely for some nefarious purpose like they'd suspected at first. Maybe they were good people who would do good things. But he was so, so tired.
"Anytime." Scott let himself out, gently shutting the door behind him. Hopefully the kid would find his way out of this, eventually, with enough people helping to lead him on his way.
