[As he ponders more on Mr. Expedition, Scott thinks he can truly focus on how fucking messed up that is too. Something about his 'code,' about wanting to die. It's really awful and they should focus on that right now. Find a way to contact him. He's not sure how they're going to do that, but... it's important. T-they need to do something.
Unfortunately, his mind is drawing a blank and with that, the image of the Sentinels prop up in its stead.]
I-I'm okay.
[The response almost comes automatic, but as he looks at her, something in him cracks, the shaking from before continuing because he can't really hold this back. He really wanted to focus on their fairy friend, but now that the active danger is gone and their adrenaline is gone, he can't stop the fear. When he closes his eyes, Scott can still visualize those glowing eyes, the gatling gun pointed at them as they try to eliminate the 'mutant threat' and anyone that got in its way.]
K-Kotone... [His voice comes out quiet, unlike his normal self as he wraps his shaking arms around her. Guess he doesn't need to say that he really isn't okay.]
[She waits patiently, even as he tries to say that he's okay. He's not any more okay than she ever was when she said that, and he's way worse about pretending. That's okay, though. She'll wait for him until he's ready, however long that takes. She just lets her fingers twine gently into his hair in a gentle caress.
Seems she doesn't have to wait too long, though, and she shifts in bed, trying to pull him closer so he can rest against her. She keeps one hand in his hair, but the other wraps tightly around him, wanting to be a physical presence for him to sink into.]
Take your time. [It's a quiet murmur as her fingers stroke his hair, trace a meaningless pattern against his scalp.] It's okay not to be okay, right?
[And maybe it's weird that she's so calm, isn't it? When he's shaking beneath her. That's something she can't help, though; she's never reacted in a "normal" way to anything.]
[He could never really hide from her for long. Her patient understanding only pushing those cracks further, while also focusing on her soothing hand through his hair.
It's easy to just follow her lead for the time being, shift against her when she moves so that he can remain comfortable and safe in her hold. And really, he does feel safe right now, more secure here than anywhere else. Maybe a little humorous, given how much shorter and petite she is, but Kotone has always been strong. Sometimes a little too much, carrying a certain weight on her shoulders, but he doesn't need 'Kotone the Persona leader.' He just feels better to have 'Kotone his girlfriend' here.]
I... yeah. [He quietly admits against her, arms still subtly shaking around her as he buries his face against her chest. It's okay to be like this, to be vulnerable around Kotone and seek her comfort. Not that Scott isn't emotional around others in general, but he's really letting himself be open with her. It helps that she fought the same thing as him, she knows what happened.]
I'm... I was afraid. Back there.
[Even if he pushed back his feelings during the fight and took charge, there's no denying the terror he felt as well. He just didn't let it weigh him down until now, away from the outside.
He's not surprised how calm she is right now, but he appreciates her soothing tone. It's grounding in a way.] W-Why does Aldrip have them... does the council really hate me-- and Kurt that much?
[Again, she lets him take his time, just closing her eyes and focusing on his warmth against her, on trying to make him as comfortable as possible. It's hard to put stuff into words sometimes, she knows that better than anyone, so however long Scott needs, she'll give to him.
Her hand gently cups his cheek, thumb stroking beneath the frame of his glasses in what she hopes is a soothing gesture. She'd like that kind of grounding touch if it were her, after all, and she just hums with understanding when he says he was afraid. She hadn't been afraid of the constructs so much as she'd been afraid of Scott or any of her other friends getting hurt, but that's normal for her. That can't be all of it, though, can it?
...Oh. Her fingers still for a moment as the weight of it really sinks in. She'd been so focused on following his orders, on trying to be the best teammate for him that she could be, that the full weight of it all hadn't really hit her until now. It had been very specifically targeting him, hadn't it? Scott, not because he was the biggest threat, but specifically because he was a mutant.]
Had you ever seen something like that before? [she asks softly.] The Sentinels, I mean.
[It's pretty tempting to not say anything further, just let himself close his eyes and only focus on Kotone's hand gently stroking his face. He's sure that she wouldn't mind if he put it off for a bit longer, because she'll always be there for him like he is for her, but ironically enough, it's that thought that helps push Scott to continue past his anxiety. She's always made him feel better and sometimes worse, and it's a comfort to know that she's here right now with him.
He really loves her.
His hands loosen their hold on her, but he still keeps close, face buried safely in her grasp as he closes his eyes. Like this, he can just focus on Kotone's warmth, which is nice, but he can also easily picture the mechanical stare of those machines. At least it's a comfort to remember how she smashed them with her own powers, summoning her Personas to crush them without mercy.
Any other time, he'd consider it really hot--]
...They first appeared ten years ago on national television. [Scott's voice comes up, still carrying that quieter tone.] But... they're supposed to be decommissioned and the guy that built them got thrown in prison.
[Does that really mean anything though? It's easy to think that this place is just being crap like usual and bringing up stuff from the past, but Quentin mentioned that the Sentinels still exist in his timeline. They're still an active threat.]
People have accepted mutants more since then. [He thought so at least. Is he wrong? Everything seemed a lot harder in Quentin's timeline.]
[That's the most important thing to remind him, at least at first. She doesn't know about his version of Earth, or Quentin's, or Kurt's, but she knows that here, Scott's more than proven himself to be just like anybody else in town. Better than a lot of people in town, really.
But his earlier question, as to whether or not the council hate him and Kurt that much -- she doesn't know. She hums softly, still stroking her fingers across her skin and holding him tight, as she thinks about what she wants to say.]
I think... they just wanted us to be afraid. [With her own eyes closed, she can imagine that dark bedroom, alone with Ryoji again. The pads of her fingers trail up, gently pressing up and down against the back of his head in a small attempt at a massage.] I don't think they cared how. I think they just wanted us to overcome a challenge.
[Or fail a challenge, but she's not going to talk about that.]
...Y-yeah. [He nods, swallowing lightly and trying to press that shaking away.] You've accepted me from the start.
[A firm reminder, but one that Scott probably needed to hear past that growing dread in his chest. It was just the council or whatever assholes that pulled those Sentinels on him, no one else wants them. He can't picture of any of his friends being okay with shit like that, of course not. No, they'd probably fight just as hard as Kotone did to destroy them and rip them apart.
It's strange that for the longest time that he's been here, Scott never really thought about his status as a mutant being important. Like sure, he was worried about his powers, but everyone else didn't even have to think twice before just accepting him and treating him like normal. It's been so nice, he really cherishes that friendship with others.
So, it's like slamming into a wall to have that reminder be shoved into his face via the Sentinels.]
Everyone probably faced shitty things, huh? [He asks, slowly reaching up to grasp her hand with his, tangling their fingers together in some small effort to support her too.] I... I'm glad you were there with me.
[She didn't look afraid at all during that time. Maybe it's experience, or maybe that's just... Kotone. A little bit of both.]
[And she'll remind him, and Kurt, and any other mutants as much as she needs to. Persona-users, mutants, all the other people with powers... they're still people. As long as they're not intentionally trying to hurt others, then of course she'll accept them. Everyone here had accepted her, after all.
She inhales, then exhales a quiet sigh, squeezing his fingers and closing her eyes.]
Me, too. [Softly and genuinely, she really means it. Being beside Scott when he faced those awful robots... if she hadn't been there, and he'd gotten hurt, she would have had a hard time forgiving herself. It's selfish, isn't it? Glad that she was there for a reason like that? And yet it's true.]
You did really well though. Fighting those guys.
[Again, there's no trace of duplicity. It's not something she's saying just to make him feel better, but something she honestly believes. They had fought really well against the Sentinels, and they'd won. Knowing how to fight them is the first step of any battle, isn't it? Even if they show up again, they'll beat them down again. No matter what.]
We... we really worked well together, huh? As a team. We made it through.
[There's finally some levity in Scott's voice now, the mutant pulling away from Kotone just slightly so that he can look at her with a small smile. It... really felt good to be synchronized with each other and honestly, he wouldn't mind practicing more with her, especially if Sentinels are around. If they can come back, then they have to be prepared for stuff like that here.
He wants to be able to protect Kurt and his friends. Use his powers to do that.]
Bossing you around was kind of fun. [He teases lightly, before leaning forward a little to place a small kiss against her lips. But in all out honesty... he kind of enjoyed that. Leading her, making those calls, even though it was scary as well. Maybe Scott would have a different mindset if she or him got hurt, but something about it felt natural to him.]
[Her eyes sparkle, just a bit, when he says he enjoyed bossing her around, hinting that she's about to make a joke, but it's like he read her mind; she reaches up to cup his cheek, and tilts her head easily into the kiss she'd been about to lean up and give him anyway. It's gentle and chaste, but she lingers there anyway, just soaking in his warmth and humming lightly against his lips.]
You were a pretty good leader. [And another kiss, though it's a short one. Her fingertips lightly tap his lips as her smile widens, half-joking as she adds,] I'd let you boss me around any time, Leader.
[She's really not just saying that, huh? Kotone really believes that he's a decent leader... and it means so much, coming from her. Even though he may not necessarily agree with everything she does as a leader herself, her opinion still means so much to him-- because this is something really important to him. Maybe it's partially knowing that he's Cyclops in other timelines, but... he wants to do this for himself as well.
Even if it means facing Sentinels again and taking charge against them.
It's... a good start. The Tower, despite the fear it created, has helped him realize a couple more things as well. Saving Mystique with Kurt... leading Kotone against the Sentinels. Of course, there was also the thing with Mikey... but that is on the biker. It had nothing to do with the Tower itself. His face almost throbs at the thought of him, but.]
I wish I had a way to record that. So, whenever we disagree about something, I can just pull that up. "Scott can boss me around any time." [He teases once more, voice only pitching up just slightly in a loose attempt to mimic her voice. But after a couple of seconds, Scott's smirk fades back into that more small if intimate smile, expression open and bare as he looks at her.]
[Maybe before she'd have said "for as long as I can be," or hedged in some other way, but she'd made a promise with Minato not to try making people sad. Scott already knows it's not permanent; reminding him of it isn't going to do anything. Besides, even if she's not physically with him, as long as he keeps her memory alive in his heart, it's like she really will be with him. And even once he goes back, and forgets her, it doesn't make the time they've shared together any less meaningful.
She traces the corner of his lips with gentle fingers, just soaking in that honest expression and hoping her own reflects the same as she leans up to just press her forehead against his with a quiet, contented sigh.
Love you. [And it's partly to try to make him feel better, but mostly because it's how she genuinely feels right now. Besides, lest he think he can just tease her and get away with it- she bonks her forehead gently against his with a hint of laughter in her voice.] Even if you're gonna be bossy.
[Scott easily, almost automatically responds, but the sentiment is no less genuine, his smile widening just slightly under her fingers to take its familiar loving expression. Not that the mutant would ever admit it, because he thinks he's not that emotional (okay he knows), but he really only has this look for her. Even if they can't be together forever, he can't imagine never feeling this way for Kotone or wanting to never take this chance to be with her.
Also, ow!!
But he soon joins Kotone in her laughter, arms wrapping around her waist to hug her close. Those tremors from earlier are practically gone now, the fear receding from his person as he soaks in Kotone's presence next to him.]
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Unfortunately, his mind is drawing a blank and with that, the image of the Sentinels prop up in its stead.]
I-I'm okay.
[The response almost comes automatic, but as he looks at her, something in him cracks, the shaking from before continuing because he can't really hold this back. He really wanted to focus on their fairy friend, but now that the active danger is gone and their adrenaline is gone, he can't stop the fear. When he closes his eyes, Scott can still visualize those glowing eyes, the gatling gun pointed at them as they try to eliminate the 'mutant threat' and anyone that got in its way.]
K-Kotone... [His voice comes out quiet, unlike his normal self as he wraps his shaking arms around her. Guess he doesn't need to say that he really isn't okay.]
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Seems she doesn't have to wait too long, though, and she shifts in bed, trying to pull him closer so he can rest against her. She keeps one hand in his hair, but the other wraps tightly around him, wanting to be a physical presence for him to sink into.]
Take your time. [It's a quiet murmur as her fingers stroke his hair, trace a meaningless pattern against his scalp.] It's okay not to be okay, right?
[And maybe it's weird that she's so calm, isn't it? When he's shaking beneath her. That's something she can't help, though; she's never reacted in a "normal" way to anything.]
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It's easy to just follow her lead for the time being, shift against her when she moves so that he can remain comfortable and safe in her hold. And really, he does feel safe right now, more secure here than anywhere else. Maybe a little humorous, given how much shorter and petite she is, but Kotone has always been strong. Sometimes a little too much, carrying a certain weight on her shoulders, but he doesn't need 'Kotone the Persona leader.' He just feels better to have 'Kotone his girlfriend' here.]
I... yeah. [He quietly admits against her, arms still subtly shaking around her as he buries his face against her chest. It's okay to be like this, to be vulnerable around Kotone and seek her comfort. Not that Scott isn't emotional around others in general, but he's really letting himself be open with her. It helps that she fought the same thing as him, she knows what happened.]
I'm... I was afraid. Back there.
[Even if he pushed back his feelings during the fight and took charge, there's no denying the terror he felt as well. He just didn't let it weigh him down until now, away from the outside.
He's not surprised how calm she is right now, but he appreciates her soothing tone. It's grounding in a way.] W-Why does Aldrip have them... does the council really hate me-- and Kurt that much?
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Her hand gently cups his cheek, thumb stroking beneath the frame of his glasses in what she hopes is a soothing gesture. She'd like that kind of grounding touch if it were her, after all, and she just hums with understanding when he says he was afraid. She hadn't been afraid of the constructs so much as she'd been afraid of Scott or any of her other friends getting hurt, but that's normal for her. That can't be all of it, though, can it?
...Oh. Her fingers still for a moment as the weight of it really sinks in. She'd been so focused on following his orders, on trying to be the best teammate for him that she could be, that the full weight of it all hadn't really hit her until now. It had been very specifically targeting him, hadn't it? Scott, not because he was the biggest threat, but specifically because he was a mutant.]
Had you ever seen something like that before? [she asks softly.] The Sentinels, I mean.
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and sometimes worse, and it's a comfort to know that she's here right now with him.He really loves her.
His hands loosen their hold on her, but he still keeps close, face buried safely in her grasp as he closes his eyes. Like this, he can just focus on Kotone's warmth, which is nice, but he can also easily picture the mechanical stare of those machines. At least it's a comfort to remember how she smashed them with her own powers, summoning her Personas to crush them without mercy.
Any other time, he'd consider it really hot--]
...They first appeared ten years ago on national television. [Scott's voice comes up, still carrying that quieter tone.] But... they're supposed to be decommissioned and the guy that built them got thrown in prison.
[Does that really mean anything though? It's easy to think that this place is just being crap like usual and bringing up stuff from the past, but Quentin mentioned that the Sentinels still exist in his timeline. They're still an active threat.]
People have accepted mutants more since then. [He thought so at least. Is he wrong? Everything seemed a lot harder in Quentin's timeline.]
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[That's the most important thing to remind him, at least at first. She doesn't know about his version of Earth, or Quentin's, or Kurt's, but she knows that here, Scott's more than proven himself to be just like anybody else in town. Better than a lot of people in town, really.
But his earlier question, as to whether or not the council hate him and Kurt that much -- she doesn't know. She hums softly, still stroking her fingers across her skin and holding him tight, as she thinks about what she wants to say.]
I think... they just wanted us to be afraid. [With her own eyes closed, she can imagine that dark bedroom, alone with Ryoji again. The pads of her fingers trail up, gently pressing up and down against the back of his head in a small attempt at a massage.] I don't think they cared how. I think they just wanted us to overcome a challenge.
[Or fail a challenge, but she's not going to talk about that.]
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[A firm reminder, but one that Scott probably needed to hear past that growing dread in his chest. It was just the council or whatever assholes that pulled those Sentinels on him, no one else wants them. He can't picture of any of his friends being okay with shit like that, of course not. No, they'd probably fight just as hard as Kotone did to destroy them and rip them apart.
It's strange that for the longest time that he's been here, Scott never really thought about his status as a mutant being important. Like sure, he was worried about his powers, but everyone else didn't even have to think twice before just accepting him and treating him like normal. It's been so nice, he really cherishes that friendship with others.
So, it's like slamming into a wall to have that reminder be shoved into his face via the Sentinels.]
Everyone probably faced shitty things, huh? [He asks, slowly reaching up to grasp her hand with his, tangling their fingers together in some small effort to support her too.] I... I'm glad you were there with me.
[She didn't look afraid at all during that time. Maybe it's experience, or maybe that's just... Kotone. A little bit of both.]
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[And she'll remind him, and Kurt, and any other mutants as much as she needs to. Persona-users, mutants, all the other people with powers... they're still people. As long as they're not intentionally trying to hurt others, then of course she'll accept them. Everyone here had accepted her, after all.
She inhales, then exhales a quiet sigh, squeezing his fingers and closing her eyes.]
Me, too. [Softly and genuinely, she really means it. Being beside Scott when he faced those awful robots... if she hadn't been there, and he'd gotten hurt, she would have had a hard time forgiving herself. It's selfish, isn't it? Glad that she was there for a reason like that? And yet it's true.]
You did really well though. Fighting those guys.
[Again, there's no trace of duplicity. It's not something she's saying just to make him feel better, but something she honestly believes. They had fought really well against the Sentinels, and they'd won. Knowing how to fight them is the first step of any battle, isn't it? Even if they show up again, they'll beat them down again. No matter what.]
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[There's finally some levity in Scott's voice now, the mutant pulling away from Kotone just slightly so that he can look at her with a small smile. It... really felt good to be synchronized with each other and honestly, he wouldn't mind practicing more with her, especially if Sentinels are around. If they can come back, then they have to be prepared for stuff like that here.
He wants to be able to protect Kurt and his friends. Use his powers to do that.]
Bossing you around was kind of fun. [He teases lightly, before leaning forward a little to place a small kiss against her lips. But in all out honesty... he kind of enjoyed that. Leading her, making those calls, even though it was scary as well. Maybe Scott would have a different mindset if she or him got hurt, but something about it felt natural to him.]
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[Her eyes sparkle, just a bit, when he says he enjoyed bossing her around, hinting that she's about to make a joke, but it's like he read her mind; she reaches up to cup his cheek, and tilts her head easily into the kiss she'd been about to lean up and give him anyway. It's gentle and chaste, but she lingers there anyway, just soaking in his warmth and humming lightly against his lips.]
You were a pretty good leader. [And another kiss, though it's a short one. Her fingertips lightly tap his lips as her smile widens, half-joking as she adds,] I'd let you boss me around any time, Leader.
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Even if it means facing Sentinels again and taking charge against them.
It's... a good start. The Tower, despite the fear it created, has helped him realize a couple more things as well. Saving Mystique with Kurt... leading Kotone against the Sentinels. Of course, there was also the thing with Mikey... but that is on the biker. It had nothing to do with the Tower itself. His face almost throbs at the thought of him, but.]
I wish I had a way to record that. So, whenever we disagree about something, I can just pull that up. "Scott can boss me around any time." [He teases once more, voice only pitching up just slightly in a loose attempt to mimic her voice. But after a couple of seconds, Scott's smirk fades back into that more small if intimate smile, expression open and bare as he looks at her.]
...I know you'll always be by my side, Kotone.
[As long as she's here at least.]
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[Maybe before she'd have said "for as long as I can be," or hedged in some other way, but she'd made a promise with Minato not to try making people sad. Scott already knows it's not permanent; reminding him of it isn't going to do anything. Besides, even if she's not physically with him, as long as he keeps her memory alive in his heart, it's like she really will be with him. And even once he goes back, and forgets her, it doesn't make the time they've shared together any less meaningful.
She traces the corner of his lips with gentle fingers, just soaking in that honest expression and hoping her own reflects the same as she leans up to just press her forehead against his with a quiet, contented sigh.
Love you. [And it's partly to try to make him feel better, but mostly because it's how she genuinely feels right now. Besides, lest he think he can just tease her and get away with it- she bonks her forehead gently against his with a hint of laughter in her voice.] Even if you're gonna be bossy.
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[Scott easily, almost automatically responds, but the sentiment is no less genuine, his smile widening just slightly under her fingers to take its familiar loving expression. Not that the mutant would ever admit it, because he thinks he's not that emotional (okay he knows), but he really only has this look for her. Even if they can't be together forever, he can't imagine never feeling this way for Kotone or wanting to never take this chance to be with her.
Also, ow!!
But he soon joins Kotone in her laughter, arms wrapping around her waist to hug her close. Those tremors from earlier are practically gone now, the fear receding from his person as he soaks in Kotone's presence next to him.]