One More Time - A "The New Mutants" Story

-Questions and Answers-

author's note: thank you SOOO much for 100+ reads, it means so so much to me, and please enjoy this.
p.s it may seem like a filler chapter at first, but keep reading, it gets important!

Sam's POV:

Back in Roberto's nice safe-house, it felt a bit less "nice" than it did the first time we were here. The vibe went from a good one to an eerie one, like everything, including the air, had changed while we were gone. Maybe it was what happened at the warehouse- how we were supposed to be back here with Dani and Rahne and instead they're still back there. Or it's just the fact that everyone and everything is oddly silent. You can't hear the wind entering through one of the large windows, the floorboards don't creak nor have a load enough affect when we step on them, and no one has felt the need to say a word. When the silence was long enough in the main area, I decided to venture into another room. To me, it looks like it could be Roberto's room, but it's also hotel-level-of-clean; so it could be a guest bedroom. Whatever the room is, I was followed in by Roberto and we both haven't said a word since. The door naturally closed (silently, too) until you couldn't see outside but you also didn't hear the door shut fully.

"Hey, Sam?" Like some kind of machine getting a command, I quickly looked away from wherever my head was facing and focused on Roberto while he spoke. "Do you think Illyana and I could, like.." He paused for a moment as if he regretted even starting his sentence. "Work in the long run?" I was about to say something, but he continued going on. "Because I’m hoping so, but I feel like an idiot ever since she came back from giving me Lockheed." "No!" Shoot. That sounded like I was talking about their relationship. "I mean, no, you're not an idiot-- not to the whole you and Illyana thing-- I mean, yeah, that's a whole other story, but.." I took a few seconds to regain my anxious self and maintain more stability with my words. "If you want you guys to work, you gotta make it happen. You’re obviously the only one making moves right now, so how about you give her a reason to make some moves?" I said, more like asking than answering his question. But there we go! I gave some inspiration! No response came out as quick as I guess I wanted something to come, so I just instinctively spoke again; this time, whatever came to my mind. "I dunno, was that good? I’ve never been very good at dating advice." Without any hint of laughter at my comment, I finally got the words that I needed. "That’s actually good." Yes! "I mean, you've never even been in a relationship before and-" My thoughts let his word come to a mental pause in my head. So, yeah, I haven't been in a relationship before. But that is definitely not something I need to reflect on right now. It is the time for being a good friend, Sam, not the time for anything else. I let the conversation continue. "-you seemed to know the right thing to say after getting the hang of it." "Thank you" is what I would've said if he didn't keep talking.

"You know what? We could do a thing of sharing something on our minds and giving advice back, because that sounds like something to pass the time."

"Okay!" I responded enthusiastically, then thought back to what he really had said and got back to my anxious-talking.  "Yeah, um.." What could I share that's appropriate for this conversation? Hm.. "Okay, I got something-" I started to blurt out the things my brain was telling me without realizing it- "Even though I wish I didn’t have this on my mind right now." Roberto tilted his head while keeping his eyes fixed on me, and I know what he's thinking-- what the heck can he say that he doesn't even want to think about. "Do you think we can trust that Leon guy? And, I don’t know, maybe.." Starting to regret my decision, I shook my head to brush it away and keep going. "Do you think that Rahne and Dani will be okay?" Usually Roberto is the kind of guy who seems to think before he speaks, or at least takes a few seconds to process it without too bad of an awkward silence filling the area. But this time, the words just piled out of his mouth, like his brain was prepared for this moment but he wasn't. "I don’t know if this is gonna help, but I really don’t think we can trust that guy." And thank you for the advice. Oh, wait, he probably has more to say. "He seems to know way too much already. We do trust Dani and Rahne though, so they’ll make sure to call in for backup if they need to. Even though odds don’t seem to be in our favor right now, hope is all we can have." I wanted to smile, but at the same time, I didn't want to be so ecstatic at this time, so I kept my face still and thought of what to do next. While lost in thought, I heard Roberto add, "If that did the opposite of help, I’m so sorry, I’m just telling the truth." Pulling myself back to focus, I spoke quickly. "No, no, that helped." Pause. "Kinda."