Achronum

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: Hellfire Manor
Skills: N/A

It took James a moment to register this entire experience because he really didn't want to believe someone would say something so blatantly suggestive to Casper right in front of James but here they were, he supposed. The tempting image of his fist meeting Stacey's face flashed briefly through his mind but he was a reasonable person and he wouldn't succumb to the irritation bubbling in his stomach or the flair of jealousy making his jaw twitch. Instead, he calmly wrapped his arm around Casper's waist and pulled him closer, putting himself between the two a little.

"We actually wanted to discuss adopting one of the kids. We were talking about starting a family and with so many children needing homes, it seemed like now was the right time. James explained. "I'm not certain what policies and procedures we needed to follow because from what little I understand, adoption is a long process and I wanted to make sure we get everything right."

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: Hellfire Manor
Skills: N/A

“Doomed to be happy.” James laughed, happily accepting the kiss. Staring up at the manor as they approached, James held Casper’s hand a little tighter. It was a big responsibility to take a kid into their home and while James was ecstatic to start their lives hopefully without any future genocidal assholes involved, he was also nervous. It was a kid’s life they were talking about, after all. What if they were terrible parents or the kid didn’t like them even if they were good or they got hurt and Casper and he didn’t notice or they did something stupid and the kid decided they didn’t want to tell them important things or what if they killed the kid because they didn’t know how to take care of a sick child?

James shook his head as he led Casper up the stairs of the manor, instead snorting at Casper’s question. “I don’t think they’re going to let them chill out front, babes. It isn’t a yard sale.” James joked, opening the door to the manor. The second floor had been transformed into a makeshift nursery, with poor Stacy X left to handle the orphaned children on her own. “Hey, guys.” James greeted Stacy X and Miranda as they entered. There were at least 40 kids and the sight of them made James’ heart hurt. Maybe next Council meeting they could discuss a plan to get the kids homes before they continued on with the ball. “You mind if we talk real quick? We just have a few questions.”

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Green Lagoon -> Hellfire Manor
Skills: N/A

James laughed fondly at his boyfriend, quick to slide his arm around Casper’s waist, and quirked a brow at Sunshine’s question. He was going to reply but her quick return to her conversation group made him just chuckled instead. James wasn’t under the illusion that she wasn’t entirely wrong - in fact, he knew he’d have his hands full between Casper and their kid but as much as he knew that, he also knew Casper was going to be so fucking loving that it made James’ heart squeeze. Or maybe that was thefucking dinosaur noise coming from the portal Max quickly closed before slipping though the right one.

“Rule number 1, no chaos magic around the kid!” James joked through the portal. He shook his head and waved goodbye to everyone else before heading back towards Hellfire Manor,sliding his hand into Casper’s as they walked. “For the record, I think you’re going to be a great dad. You’re so sweet and caring that it’ll be impossible for them not to love you. God knows it was impossible for me.”

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Green Lagoon
Skills: N/A

“Welcome back, Ben! I’m glad Echo didn’t manage to scare you off for too long.” James laughed, returning Jack’s wave as he spoke into the air around Casper. James’ eyebrow rose at the other conversation going on at the table and how it turned into Sunshine’s thoughts about what Echo did and didn’t want but he was fairly certain he didn’t want to ask. He still laughed at it though, the combination of the Mutant Underground always keeping the table interesting, before pulling his attention back to Casper.

“Do you have any plans right now, sweetheart?” James asked, fingers drumming nervously along Casper’s shoulders. “Because, uh, Destiny said the weirdest thing after the meeting and you remember how we talked about maybe starting a family? She suggested that now was kind of the time so if you aren’t busy, I would like to talk about that? If you’re still okay with that, a lot has changed and the attack wasn’t long ago and I know everyone is still recovering so if you don’t want to I totally get it but we could talk about it at least cause all those kids who lost their parents need homes and the timing is just really good and… yeah?” James cut himself off before he continued rambling more and making himself seem like more of an idiot.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Green Lagoon
Skills: N/A

James listened to the music floating around the Green lagoon as he reached it, pausing to scan the area for everyone. It didn’t take long―the former members of the mutant underground were a motley crew that stood out like beacons in the dark―and he found himself smiling for a moment while he watched. If someone had told him a year ago that the Mutant Underground crew would be sitting around a table comfortably out in the open without worrying about being assaulted, he would have laughed, thanked them for the joke, and brushed it off. He let himself enjoy the warm happiness that washed over him at being wrong in his hypothetical situation before he pushed forward towards the group.

He raised an eyebrow at the shattered remnants of the plate and waffles just sitting in the middle of the table everyone had gathered around as he made his way to Casper’s side. “Hey there, precious.” James tilted Casper’s face up to kiss him and then shifted so he stood behind him, content to rest his chin on Casper’s shoulder while his boyfriend sat. “What crime did the poor plate commit to deserve this fate?”

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

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It took every ounce of willpower not to pretend none of this was being discussed like an eight year old, hands firmly over her ears and shouting loud enough to drown out what she didn’t like. She wasn’t certain if she felt like crying or laughing at the idea of practicing with her Crest. Maybe a little bit of both and a heavy dose of nausea to accompany it. How did someone even begin practicing the sin of her forefathers and failures of bloodline? It wasn’t like the Crest’s ability was unknown―everyone knew the nature of the Crest of the Beast. It’d change her into something violent and uncontrollable and like Maurice, she’d find herself unable to change back when the Goddess saw what she’d become. Absolutely not. She’d been handling her Crest’s power just fine, kept locked tight inside the stronghold of her faith, duty, and devotion and she had no interest in exploring it’s potential or learning to control it in any other fashion.

At least she wasn’t the only one with the same sentiment. Derec for whatever reason seemed as upset as she was, if not more so, and she wholeheartedly agreed with his desire to leave this awful speciticale behind. She made a mental note to catch up with him once his discussion with Professor Roland concluded; if not to offer a bit of solace, then at least to learn the answer to his question because she’d rather not attend these Goddess forsaken classes if she didn’t absolutely have to. And if Derec wasn’t offered an easy escape then it wasn’t like she was afraid to speak her mind. In fact, she had a great many words she’d like to say to Professor Lysander Roland before the day was out and each was sharper than the last. Euphemia had already admitted to not knowing the full extent of their histories and that meant that her brother was likely briefed to the same degree but she wasn’t naive enough to think that the one whose job was to oversee these events had such a narrow view of the truth.

The jostling from her said drew her out of her irritable musings and while she couldn’t bring herself to return the quick flash of a smile from her friend, she did smack him gently in reproach. “It always comes back to Crests in the end, doesn’t it?” Clarissa sighed bitterly. “Professor Roland will be getting an earful about this when he completes his conversation with Derec. Besides the personal relationship each of us have with our Crests, catching us unaware with such a blunt proposal as experimenting with us and our abilities is the pinnacle of disrespect. This Unit is composed of individuals whose experiences in state and military outstrip their apparent age and that alone should have earned us a modicum of respect, not to mention the expected reciprocity from an institution so revered. Instead, they march us in, inform us of how a sensitive issue will be handled, and are surprised at the negative response! Could you imagine the Church using this tactic on the Roundtable? Walk into a meeting and dictate how they want to handle the expansion of the Church into Alliance territory? They’d be laughed out on the spot!”

Her irritation grew until it was fury and she shoved herself to her feet once more. “Actually, I think I’ll go have that conversation now. They’re probably bullying that poor boy into taking this class he clearly doesn’t want to and frankly after this debacle, I don’t think they deserve the dignity of a private conversation.” Clarissa decided, storming towards the exit once more.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Grove -> The Green Lagoon
Skills: N/A

James waved goodbye as he and others left the Grove. His mind wandered as he found some time alone, thoughts of the festival predominate in the beginning. He’d never put together something this large so he’d have to rely on the experience of others to get by probably. It went without saying he’d have to get some idea of an outline and find people most interested in participating and asking what they would like to see and do but those were broad directions with lots and lots of little parts that James hadn’t even considered. But it couldn’t be any more difficult than trying to get a bunch of M-Pox riddled mutants out of a purifier raid while tear gas was pouring in from every direction, right?

James just shook his head at the thought. What had his life become that he was comparing setting up a festival to death defying escapes? But now they could put that behind them because they’d found somewhere that didn’t need people to protect them from Purifiers, didn’t need people to fight to provide them basic human rights, didn’t need people to shunt them from one run down safe house to another and damn, if that didn’t make James so incredibly happy. He hadn’t even been with the Underground for long―the others had been involved way longer―but the exhaustion that came with made it seem like it had been years. The constant struggle just to survive, not including keeping their wards alive and well, must have aged everyone well beyond their years.

But that was okay because they finally stopped running. James hadn’t really dared entertain the idea that they could actually have something stable but here he was, slowly building together that life he always thought he’d have. Maybe it isn’t back in the United States surrounded by familiar neighbors, friends, and family but here he was on his way to pick up the man of his dreams, go pick up their son, and take him home. He felt himself tear up at the little bubble of happiness that surged in his chest. It may not have been what he imagined (he highly doubted anyone could have imagined this) but he loved it all the same.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Grove
Skills: N/A

“Absolutely.” James responded to Reeva’s request, eager to jump into a new project. It wasn’t that he couldn’t sympathize with those who opposed the idea but from personal experience, he didn’t handle shitty things well when he didn’t have something to occupy him in the aftermath and he was certain there were plenty of others who were the same way. He didn’t know how to help the others who needed support in other ways but hopefully this way he’d still reach them by showing them that the future could still be hopeful and bright even as disaster lingered on their heels. They needed to rebuild their sense of community and safety and he couldn’t think of a better idea than this at the moment so he would put everything he had into it.

However, James was startled out of his thoughts on the festival when Destiny called his name. It took a few moments for him to register what she said because he hadn’t realized she’d been aware of their interest in adopting one of the children from the disaster but he’d learned that unless he was directly involved in the situation, he should just assume Casper told everyone everything at all times. Though now that he thought about it, James wasn’t entirely certain they’d had a conversation about adoption beyond the brief moment before they went to sacrifice themselves in D.C. He stared at Destiny for a few moments, pondering the thought, before shrugging it off. They’d just been attacked by technologically advanced mutants from another dimension; someone knowing his interest in a family wasn’t really a problem in comparison. He gave her an appreciative smile.

“Oh, thank you very much!” He quickly amended, making up for the fact he wasn’t certain she could see in a mask with no eyes. He turned awkwardly back to the others at the Summer table. “I’m going to go get Casper and head over to the mansion. If you have ideas for the festival, let me know so I can plan them in. See you guys in a bit.” James waved as he left The Grove to go hunt down his boyfriend.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Grove
Skills: N/A

James returned Veil’s look with a shrug. The best friend of the love of his life was a ghost and as much as he hated to admit it, Selene’s brand of crazy was just a little more intense than Casper’s. She definitely creeped him out after the whole eating ghosts thing in the mansion but the skull really was just another tuesday. Dr. Sinister’s suggestion barely got a reaction out of James because if that idea had gotten even a bit of traction, James knew the entire summer table would have revolted on the spot. He narrowed his eyes at the mischief in Selene’s excitement but it was dismissed when the proposal was officially put forward. James fiddled with the locket around his neck as he contemplated the idea.

“I lost my dad when I was 18. There wasn’t a reason for it, just a bad spat of luck. Electrical fire grew through the building, dad was stuck, and now he’s in the ground. My home was gone, my family was gone, my peace of mind was gone and if someone had the balls to suggest I attend a party barely even three days later, I would have introduced their face to the concrete as fast and painfully as I could.” James spoke softly, opening up that wound unpleasant. The sting in his eyes suggested he wasn’t nearly as over it as he thought he was but he tabled that thought for the time being. “I’m not outright opposing it. Something lighter than what we’ve been dealing with would be a nice change of pace but just throwing a designer party isn’t going to help. In the Underground, we saw people who’d had their entire lives turned upside down as the friends and family they’d loved and trusted all their lives turned on them, hurt them, and turned them into the authorities. It was a frustratingly common experience and it didn’t just strip them of hope, it stripped them of their sense of safety and security.” James explained, his fingers drumming on the table as he spoke.

“We should expand on the concept. The people of Genosha have had their sense of safety and security stripped from them and the best way to start healing is by fostering community support. Instead of just a gala, we should host a festival put together by various parts of the community for everyone to enjoy. It would give everyone a hands on distraction that lets them celebrate life and the best parts of those we lost. We can use the gala as a sort of tie off to the day but a fancy party planned by others isn’t enough to give back what people lost. They need a sense of ownership and pride in the face of despair.”

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Grove
Skills: N/A

Waking to Esme’s summons wasn’t exactly how he planned to spend his day but he wasn’t about to ignore the Quiet Council, especially after the tragedy the Children of the Vault inflicted on them. Healing, rebuilding, and burying the dead over the past few days took a toll on the island. Grief and sorrow still hung heavy in the once mirthful atmosphere despite the attempts to help everyone. This wouldn’t just blow over like a summer storm, James could attest to that. The number of full night’s rest since the attack has been exactly 0, the nightmares leaving him restless and sobbing and clinging to Casper in the middle of the night as he repeated who he was and where he was over and over and over again like a mantra. He’d considered reaching out to someone about it but when telepaths featured heavily in his nightmares, he couldn’t overcome the nausea that rolled in his stomach at the thought of someone in again.

When they’d arrived at The Grove, James couldn’t help the smile on his face as he looked around the room. It was a beautiful space but he turned his attention to each of the members seated as Reeva explained their summons. It was a strange combination, the callousness of Selene and Mr. Sinister versus the stately composition of Magneto and Reeva, not to mention the casual detachment of the others. But it must work to some degree, he supposed. Otherwise Genoshia probably wouldn’t have gotten this far.

“Of course I will.” James replied, following the others and taking a seat. “The Mutant Underground has always helped mutants in need. This is just a different kind of help. Hopefully, we’ll prove as helpful as you think we will.”