X-Men: Decimation

Assailant in the Trees

A/N: I'm not completely stopping the She-Hulk story. But I needed to begin this. I've been missing the X-Men. And Steve and Kyle need more of their story told.

Steve Rogers looked over at Kyle out of the corner of his eye as he drove along the winding country road toward the Xavier Institute. Silence filled the car but Steve's mind was the loudest it had been in such a long time. While Kyle absentmindedly fiddled with the pop socket on his phone, Steve couldn't stop the spinning thoughts that consumed him.

I can't talk about this right now, Kyle had said, his expression irritable. He told Steve it was about the upcoming field trip. But Steve k ew- just knew- that something wasn't right. What had Kyle been actually talking about on the phone? With whom? And- most importantly- why had he deliberately avoided telling him?

Steve silently reflected on their relationship- the ups and downs of it and the trials they had been through. When he met Kyle, they had both been reeling from the trauma of losing their loved ones in Thanos's genocide. They found solace in one another's arms. But then Steve and the Avengets discovered a last-ditch tactic for reversing the loss of half the universe. This, naturally, led to Steve choosing Bucky over Kyle. And, though he loved Bucky like a brother, he knew deep down that he wasn't choosing the right partner. And certainly wasn't acting out of the right motivations. After finally correcting that mistake and fighting to win and keep Kyle's heart, Steve had finally achieved what felt like peace. He loved Kyle. He adored the young mutant. And he knew that he would do anything to make sure Kyle knew that he would always be Steve's first choice. Always.

Steve's left hand briefly left the steering wheel and touched the small box in his pocket. A rush of emotions fell over him as he did so. He wanted to marry Kyle. He wanted to slide a ring over his finger and make sure that Kyle knew he would always be his.

But now there's this...thing...between us, Steve thought as the car approached a large mass of trees that plunged the road into shadow.

"You're pretty quiet," Kyle remarked.

"So are you."

"I'm just tired," Kyle said as he leaned over and rested his head on Steve's shoulder. "I'm already anticipating how draining it's going to be to chaperone a group of teenagers through the Smithsonian. Plus, I'm already missing Dean."

Steve smiled softly and readjusted himself so that his arm was around Kyle. While he instinctively felt that this wasn't the entire truth, he knew Kyle well enough to know that this was likely part of how he was feeling. "I'm  sure the kids won't be too much trouble. There'll be plenty of us to keep tabs on them. And, as for Dean- he and Thor need this. And they'll be back before you know it."

Kyle grinned. "Yeah, and I'm sure they'll have plenty of adventures while they're gone."

"I don't know. I got the impression that Dean's been feeling pretty run down, what with the baby and...everything."

Kyle blew a raspberry. "Oh, please. It's Dean and Thor- if they come back home and don't have some stories about kicking ass I'll be utterly shocked."

Suddenly something darted across the shadowy path, prompting Steve to slam the breaks. Instinctively, Kyle used his telekinesis to snare the car in a protective bubble, dampening their sudden stop.

"What was that?" Kyle asked, his heart racing.

"Stay in the car," Steve said in a calm voice as he snatched his shield from the back seat and stepped out of the car.

"Like hell," Kyle growled, following after him.

"It looked like a person," Steve said in a low, tactical voice as he looked around. "But it moved like an animal."