The Flower That Blooms In Adversity (X-Men/Fantastic Four/Kurt Wagner Fanfic)

Chapter 10 - Mansion

     The next day dawned, and all were asleep. Kurt had remained at Darcy's side, falling asleep in the chair Johnny had pulled up for him. A few moments after the sun began to shine into the room, Darcy's eyes opened, blinking in the sudden light. As she regained her bearings, the memories of what had happened filed through her mind. Then, she began to move, shifting slightly, and realized that someone was holding her hand. She realized that it was Kurt, and a soft and loving smile lit up her face. She gently squeezed his hand, speaking to him.

   "Kurt-" She was cut off as the blue mutant shot up from his sleeping position, looking around wildly until she laughed. Yellow eyes met blue as they stared at each other. Then, Kurt engulfed the smaller woman in his embrace.

     "Darcy! You had me vorried!" She laughed slightly.

     "I'm fine, silly. Mostly thanks to you, I might add. My family had no idea what to do, and I couldn't exactly tell them. Being unconscious sure doesn't help. But it usually doesn't take me that long to get back on my feet. What happened?" Kurt chuckled slightly, answering after a moment, knowing she would get it out of him eventually.

    "Zat vas because of your father attacking me. I vas as respectful as I could be, but ze truth did not agree with him." Darcy laughed, knowing Kurt was to kind to be very disrespectful. Especially to her father.

   "I missed you, elf-boy."

   "Ze feeling is mutual." Kurt replied, pulling her into a kiss. Ben had just walked down the stairs, hearing voices, and entered the room just as this happened. He still refused to admit to himself that his daughter was involved with Kurt, or even that she had any affection towards him in general. But, he could no longer live in denial as he watched Darcy slip her arms around Kurt's neck, deepening the kiss as his arms curled around the back of her torso and head, both moving in sync. They pulled apart, and Kurt sat on the couch with her curled into his chest, talking quietly and enjoying the tranquility of the morning. Ben crept back up the stairs heading to his room to sort out and clear his mind, coming to terms with this grown version of his daughter.

   A few hours later, the rest of the tower's inhabitants made their way downstairs to find Darcy and Kurt fast asleep on the couch, Darcy curled into Kurt's chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Johnny, being Johnny, snapped a picture of the two, and Sue and Reed rolled their eyes, walking into the kitchen to join Ben, who had instantly walked in there as he came down this time. Soon enough, the young couple stirred, and went to join the others for breakfast. Darcy was given a very joyful and relieved welcome back, and her father hugged her tightest, not really knowing what to say. Then, Johnny spoke up as they all sat down.

    "Alrighty, Princess. Story time!" They settled in, Kurt placing an arm around Darcy as though it was second nature.

    "Well, I discovered my mutation when I was thirteen. I knew how mom felt about it, so I didn't tell her, and I didn't want to mention it to you, dad, because I wasn't really sure how you'd react. A few months before everything went nuts, I ran into a redhead lady on the street, and I could suddenly hear all the thoughts around me and move things with my mind. That was when I really started to believe that there were people like me out there. You all know the story of me leaving, so I'll skip that bit. I found a place to stay, and I worked at a gas station for about six months. Then, a couple of not very nice mutants came looking to recruit me for the Brotherhood or whatever. Thankfully, Logan and Kurt were there, and they showed me to the institute, letting me heal with Logan's abilities."

    "Why did you need to heal?" Sue asked. Darcy waved a dismissive hand.

   "One of them got a few shots off and one hit me. I just used Logan's healing factor, and it was pretty much gone in a few seconds. They took me to the Institute, and I've been there ever since, learning and teaching." Johnny spoke up again, a teasing smile on his face, though it was paired with a pointed look at Ben.