Tails of Change [Revamping!]

3) Projecting

[Author's Note:

X-Men Characters in this Chapter: Nightcrawler (Kurt), Shadowcat (Kitty), Spyke (Evan), Cyclops (Scott), and Jean Grey

OC Characters in this Chapter: _____(Sorin)

*Italicized words are either German words or English words with a more Germanic spelling. Any words that are dissimilar to the English version (or a bit out of context) will have a translation appearing here:

natürlich (PRN: nah-tur-lihk) == naturally / of course

Kätzchen (PRN: cat-see-en) == Kitty

aha (PRN: ah-ha) == I see

null (PRN: nool) == nonentity, nothing, naught, zero

Es gibt (PRN: Ess geebt) == There is/are

{1.27.2018} Revamped! New material!]

"So? How did the mission go last night?" Evan asked, setting his lunch tray down next to Kurt's and sliding into the picnic table seat. Evan was the only one of Kurt's friends that had skin as dark as his own. Kurt's blueness generally drew more attention, but with Kurt's inducer active, Evan was the one who visually stood out – especially with his abnormally light-colored hair. It didn't seem to bother him, and Kurt doubted any of the others even gave it a second thought, but Kurt noticed and he noticed how other students noticed. Both at school and at the Institute. Even before Evan arrived, Ororo and Dr. McCoy were the only mutants with darkened skin, both of whom were out of Kurt's age group. Evan was a welcome addition to the X-Men and to Kurt's life. It made no difference that his color was not a result of his mutation. Having someone his own age who wasn't the Caucasian norm comforted Kurt all the same.

"Truthfully, it vas not much of a mission. Die parents vere normal, just abusive. All Herr Logan had to do vas scare der father a little bit, und all I did vas ask Sorin if he vanted to come live at das Institut."

"So, the new guy's name is Sorin?" Scott asked, between bites of mashed potatoes, keeping his head down.

"Ja."

"What makes him a mutant?" Scott scoops another chunk of potato. His hand rose to make sure his sunglasses were situated correctly on his nose. He was always doing that, worried that they would fall off and his powers would be discovered, or worse: hurt somebody. Professor Xavier had specially designed the reflective lens to keep Scott's destructive laser gaze under control. The ones he wore for missions were a gold-framed, red-tinged lens stretching across his eyes in a futuristic, cyborg-type style, and maybe that's why he went by the name Cyclops. But his everyday wear-it-out-in-public lenses, the ones he wore when he wasn't in uniform, looked like a pair of 80's sunglasses.

"He has de power to go invisible, und he has a cat-like appearance."

"So, he has a tail like you?" Kitty grins at Kurt, twisting the end of her brown-haired ponytail between her fingers.

"Ja."

An image of Sorin's back flashed across Kurt's mind. Kurt's hands working the salve into Sorin's shoulder, down to the small of his back, right above his pant line and where his tail protruded. The image was coupled with snippet of Sorin's moan.

"Kurt, you're projecting," Jean says from her seat between Scott and Kitty.

"Was?" Kurt watches Jean poke at her salad with her fork, her long, sunburnt-red hair hiding enough of her face to prevent Kurt from reading her expression.