13452/Things on the Mind

Things on the Mind
Date of Scene:	07 June 2021
Location:	Jean's Office - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Scott shares some information with Jean...and confesses feelings.
Cast of Characters:	Cyclops, Phoenix

Cyclops has posed:
Knowing Jean's been hard at work with the end of the school year and having had to go out and save an alumni recently - Scott's trying his best to support her. Even when she's likely buried in work and is probably in a 'no time for fun' mode. He hasn't seen her most the day, and so he's gone and prepared her a cup of tea and a turkey sandwich. He manages to balance the tray while stepping into her office without knocking, but he does at least announce his arrival somehow.

<<I'm coming in whether you like it or not.>>

Tray re-taken in both hands, he walks over to Jean's desk and sets the tray in an empty spot. "Tea with milk and sugar. Turkey sandwich with cheese, mayo, and a slice of tomato. Oh and a little avocado this time cause I know you like that too, and I bought some fresh ones." He offers this and then steps back with a smile. "So, what do you want me to start off with first? The good news, the bad news, or the revalation?"

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey hasn't come out of her office at all today. She's been busy with student meetings and reports for the end of the year and finals. Jean is always in a 'no time for fun' mode. She doesn't ever really shut off. There's a reason for that, though even Scott likely doesn't know the entirety of that, if she's shared anything at all about the why's. She has a tendency to hold fears or insecurities pretty close to the vest on the best of days, never mind the bad days.

Jean is indeed in here. She's sitting at her desk, leaned back in the chair with her legs stretched out in front of her. She's got a report on her tablet in front of her and is reading it, propped up on her left thigh. The top of the tablet lowers toward her knee a little bit as she looks up, a small smile appearing. <<You never need to announce your approach. I can always tell,>> she sends to him.

With her concentration broken, Jean yawns widely as she shuts the tablet's screen off. She sets it atop the desk and leans her head back to look at Scott. She reaches for the tea first, and has a sip of it. "Hmm... Why not start at the beginning and go from there?"

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers chuckles at that note sent to his mind and then he shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe you can always tell, but I will always be polite..." He offers this before moving to sit in a chair on the other side of her desk. Though he can't promise he'll remain seated, a lot of times when he's got stuff on his mind he's more the type to pace...but he's trying something new!

"Talked with Alex at length last night. Apparently, he had sent me a letter after our last fight... when I didn't respond to the letter I never got, he thought I had ignored him...which understandably upset him." He explains, then continues. "So we're better there. He's moving back into the mansion...but...something might be wrong with him Jean. He admitted he's pretty much almost always got his finger on the trigger button, needing more to keep himself from going off on people...He's going to consider letting you muck about in his mind...if you'd be willing to do so. Maybe see if there's something in his psyche that's fucked up." This much, for the moment, and then he's silent to perhaps let Jean respond.

Phoenix has posed:
"I appreciate that, you know," she says with a warm note to her voice. "Even if I can tell, what if I don't notice sometime?" There's a smile and a small shrug. Sitting is a good start, but she never minds it if Scott paces. She reaches for the sandwich and starts to eat it while he talks. She nods about Alex. "Do you have any idea what happened to the letter?" Her brow furrows and she puts the first half of the sandwich down, half eaten. "I'm willing. I don't like to do so, but..." Jean shrugs. Needs must, and such.

"It might be after effects of when he was drugged before. I had to block several pathways to keep him from exploding." The way she says that, it sounds less like temper exploding and more like the boom type of explosion that sets things on fire and otherwise rips them apart.

Cyclops has posed:
"Not a clue. Not even sure how he sent it, so I don't know where it might have ended up." Scott offers and then frowns. "I know you don't like to Jean...and if you have another idea to try I'm all for it. Alex doesn't really like the idea of it himself, heh...I just..." He cares about Alex, and is worried for him. Besides being his brother, he's a friend, a fellow mutant. All that jazz.

"Yeah, he went into that a bit with me. How he was just...gathering energy he couldn't put anywhere. So maybe..." Then he takes a breath and stands, resorting to pacing a bit. "One of the last things he told me was that Lucy wasn't forced to take the drug. She bought it from a dealer. He doesn't know the dealer but he'll help us find out. So that's a bit more concerning..."

Phoenix has posed:
"Hmm. Maybe I'll start out just talking to him. Read his surface thoughts. Maybe there's something I can glean from that. Jean reaches for the sandwich again and lifts it to her mouth to resume eating. Eating is good! There is another plate on the edge of her desk, with nothing but crumbs on it. Those had been glazed pillow cookies from Shannon. So at least she hadn't gone all day without eating. She may even have snuck down to the cafeteria for lunch. "But yeah. I don't blame him for not liking the idea. It's not happy fun time for either of us." Jean grimaces faintly.

Jean nods as she chews a bite and swallows it. "That's exactly what was happening. And I didn't know what to block, so I had to meld with Hank so he could show me what and where." She shudders faintly at the memory. Then cheers up slightly at the news. "Well, that's good news, at least. Maybe this thing isn't being weaponized. But Hank thinks he might have a solution. The.. drug he was talking about for Parkinsons. There's one to.. I don't remember. Opposite. That does the opposite thing that he thinks might stop the effects."

Jean eats another bite and then talks again. "So that's what he was planning. It's worrysome, yeah. Don't know what he's going to find or if he's going to get into trouble."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers nods. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. I might have jumped the gun a little. I know I'm bad about that sometimes." He offers this, lifting a hand up to rub at the back of his head. He does note the other plate, and he figures Jean is good about taking care of herself, but sometimes it's the little things he does. Perhaps a part of him wanting to show that he cares about her. As a friend. Perhaps...no not perhaps...more than a friend. He's just not one to really express his feelings in that regard.

She probably knows it anyhow.

"That's not the only thing he's been planning. He's wanting to get back at those who tried to nab him. Apparently there's people also wanting to nab me. He's pissed. Lorna's pissed. They want to just go and take down the ones doing that, plus the ones snagging mutant kids. The ones using mutants for their powers to gain...whatever." Scott sighs. "I told him to come here. That we'll talk. We'll plan something out. That I don't want him just going after them and doing whatever. I know some of the X-Men have their own missions, that do things a little off book from what we stand for." A pause, a breath. "Hopefully we can come up with an idea that's good on everyone's conscience."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey smiles at him a little bit. "Better to jump the gun a little so that he's aware getting into his head is what might be needed. Because it might be. And it's better to know in advance than be surprised by it." She finishes that half of the sandwich and reaches for the other. Jean is good about taking care of herself, she has to be. The Phoenix won't allow otherwise. But it really is the little things. Both as a friend, and more than a friend. She smiles gently at him, at what she feels from him.

She does know it anyhow.

"Oh, I meant the thing he was planning after the incident at the park, with Lucy." She eats another bite before talking again, taking the time to listen to what he has to say. "I can't blame either of them for being pissed. Do they have any leads? And yes. We need to talk, to plan, so that we're all working together instead of against each other."

Jean finishes the sandwich and reaches for the tea. She lifts it and takes a sip of it. "Everyone has things they do on the side. Hobbies, if you will." Jean donates to charities. But she doesn't go off site much except for missions and sleeping. And the occasional barbeque or soaking. They have a hottube, afterall.

Cyclops has posed:
"I can't blame them either, Jeanie...I really can't. But I also can't condone them just going after these people. Of harming anyone without..." Scott fades off and then shakes his head. He doesn't really want to get into it in the moment. Jean knows how Scott feels about just 'handling' issues with humans. Alex means to kill. Scott doesn't like the idea of it in some regards, in others he understands. It's why he and Alex butted heads to begin with.

When she finishes the sandwich, he actually moves around her desk and shifts to lean back against it next to her, but with room she can still set her tea down. "Hobbies are good things to have. You with charities. Me with the car in the garage, and my bike. Working on them and such. Remy gambles. Logan goes off on his own. The little things that keep us all sane..." He chuckles then before reaching to tuck a stray strand of Jean's hair back behind one of her ears only to then sort of jerk his hand back and moves to stand again as if he's going to walk off. "Speaking of..I should..go work on the bike a bit.."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey does know how he feels about handling humans. She understands Alex's point of view, but killing humans brings bad press. And bad press is the last thing mutantkind needs. "I know, Scott. And I agree with you. I can't blame them, but.. killing is almost never the answer in most situations, and killing humans is especially never a good idea."

She follows him with her eyes as he walks around the desk. She does actually play in the gardens at their house, too. That's one of the ways she unwinds. Sometimes, she even helps Scott out in the garage. Occasionally, she even rides the bike with him. Though she's much less keen on that! Flying she likes. Enjoys even. Riding on that bike with Scott? Is a little scary at times.

Jean doesn't move away from the impending touch. Doesn't argue to it or try to fend it off. And then he's aborting. And Jean reaches out and catches his hand. "Stay," she says.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers is good with letting Jean do whatever she wants at the house that lets her relax. He likely sometimes helps with the gardening, just like she helps with his bike. They both surely enjoy the hot tub. All the other topics of conversation seem to melt away in that one moment when she catches his hand before he can escape away and tells him to stay. So he stays. A little hint of a smile teases the corners of his lips and he nods. "Alright. I'll stay. I can't resist a request from you Jeanie..."

This much and then he turns his hand in such a way, their fingers can entwine together for a moment. If she allows them to anyway. "It's been a hell of a year. Lots of ups and downs. I'm glad you and I have been together to keep most things at bay..to help all those we can..and to keep the students and staff here as safe as possible. But more than that Jean, I..." And then he pauses. Cause Scott's so good with the pausing. He tries too, to finish the words verbally. "I love you."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey doesn't stop him, certainly. She even gives his hand a squeeze. She smiles at what he says and sits back in the chair again, leaning back until she's comfortable once again. She hasn't released his hand. "It has been. Lots of ups and downs. Hank. The drugged twinkies. I think he's finally forgiven you for that. The mutant 'cure'. Everything." She pauses as he continues, and waits until he finishes the words that she can hear echoing in the surface thoughts she can hear from him.

"I know," she says softly. Not exactly what anyone wants to hear in response to 'I love you', but there it is. Then, "I love you too. Always have. Think I always will."

Cyclops has posed:
She knows. Of course she does. Makes Scott wonder for a brief moment why he should have even said it to begin with. Then...she's affirming that she loves him too, and he can't help the smile that comes across his lips then. "Always have huh? Makes me almost wish I was psychic like you.." He'd wink, but it wouldn't be seen, so he just lets his smile talk.

"So what do you think then? Of you and me? Seeing where things go on a more personal level than...just friends...?" He asks this, giving that still held hand a little squeeze. "I suppose we should actually go on a date...but we've sort of skipped all that and moved in together..." A joke, he chuckles. Hoping she gets it.

Phoenix has posed:
Because it's always nice to hear it said aloud. In someone's mind, it's just thoughts. It doesn't mean the same thing as when it's deliberately spoken. It just.. means /more/, somehow, when it's being said out loud with deliberate intention. And then her smile fades, and she's shaking her head. "No you don't, Scott. You don't want to be psychic like me. You can never have a moment that's all to yourself. Never."

Jean considers what he says, and then lifts a shoulder. "I don't know, honestly, Scott. I think.. I think I would like that, but.. what if it messes something up? Makes someone on the teams uncomfortable?" The things Jean Grey worries about. Never about herself. Never. Always about other people.

Cyclops has posed:
So said aloud it was, so it could mean that much more. Though as her smile fades, he clears his throat and shakes his head. "Oh. Well. There is that to consider isn't there." He offers and then looks around the office for a moment.

"I don't know Jean... if it does, then we'll handle it. Chance could be no one will be bothered by it." Except maybe Logan. "I'm also worried...about messing things up between me and you...we've always been great friends. I don't want to lose that...but if I didn't say anything..." His nerves start getting the best of him and he trails off, not completing the thought. It wouldn't take Jean's power to know that right now, in this moment, there's both the man wanting the woman, and the boy who fears rejection.

13452/Things on the Mind

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