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Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challeng

Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:15 pm
by BitterBamfing
I didn't know Kurt shaved....

It's fun to see Leena being all chipper.

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challeng

Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:30 am
by Dedicatedfollower467
BitterBamfing wrote:I didn't know Kurt shaved....
Well I kind of figure he's got to....

http://www.nightscrawlers.com/gallery/d ... =25&pos=36

The solo series is considered one of Kurt's finest moments -- and if he can grow a beard like that.... well... he's got to keep it in check somehow, right?

I don't necessarily know how he does it, but, well, i guess "unshaven" is a pretty good word -- any guy reading it knows what that feels like.... even if Kurt doesn't actually shave, it's that feeling he's feeling right now.

Augh, sorry about the novel, its just that this particular phrasing and scene kind of bothered me, too, and I'm trying to justify it to myself as much as I'm trying to justify it to you!

:LOL Let's just call it an author's screw-up, glide over it, and pretend it doesn't exist, shall we?

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challeng

Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:59 pm
by BitterBamfing
Sounds good to me because I can't really see Kurt using nair or wax to get that thing off. XD

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challeng

Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:36 am
by Dedicatedfollower467
I suppose he could always trim it. Like with those little scissors.

Next installment, I'm going to finish pretty soon here.

*****

It was dark inside, but Lenna strode inside confidently. Kurt followed her timidly, staring around at the shadowy interior. Lenna’s face glowed with an intense light so bright that he didn’t feel he really needed any other lights.

“So we’re just going to wait here for him?” Kurt asked. He glanced briefly at the mantelpiece, where several pictures of Lenna were sitting and smiling at him. For a moment, he imagined his picture up there beside hers, and then he pushed the thought away. They still didn’t know for sure.

“Yup,” said Lenna, smiling, “Don’t worry, he’ll show up here soon, I doubt he’s had lunch yet.”

“And what if he wants to have lunch in town?”

“He won’t,” Lenna said, “He never eats in town.”

“Did you grow up in this house?” Kurt asked.

“Yes,” said Lenna, “This was my home. I still have my old bedroom. I’m going to go check and see if he’s left it the way it was the last time I was here.”

She darted down into the hallway, leaving Kurt standing awkwardly in the front room. There weren’t any windows open, and it made Kurt feel slightly confined. He revolved slowly on the spot and then turned back to the mantelpiece, trying to find a picture of this mysterious Erik.

He had picked up a simple picture when he heard a noise out on the front porch. Turning rapidly, he saw that the door had been flung wide open, and a shadowy figure was framed in the doorway.

The man shouted and grabbed something out of his pocket, springing forward towards him. Kurt braced himself, trying to go on the defensive. Whoever this guy was, he was obviously out for blood. Kurt wondered with a sinking heart if it was because of his appearance. Maybe he should just teleport away.

The man grabbed the loose folds of his clothing and wrenched him around, pointing something that looked very much like a gun into his face. “Who are you?” the man roared.

Kurt realized then that it couldn’t possibly be something wrong with his appearance, because the whole room was still so deeply in shadow that even though the man’s nose was only a few inches from his own, it was nearly impossible to see his features.

“Papi!”

Lenna stepped into the room and flicked on the light switch, flooding the area with light.

Kurt’s heart leaped into his throat and he nearly choked as he looked up at the man holding him.

“Was?” Erik Wanger’s head went shooting up, staring at Lenna. <Lenna?> he said, <But, but who is this?> He looked down at Kurt again.

Lenna stepped forward very quietly and freed Kurt from her father’s tight grip. <Papi,> she said, <This is Kurt Wagner. Kurt, this is Erik.>

Kurt watched as Erik’s eye grew nearly as round as saucers. He placed the gun slowly on a table beside him, then looked down and turned away. Kurt could only imagine the way he was feeling, because, Kurt himself felt like he couldn’t even breathe.

Erik had a thick, three-fingered left hand. He had a short, curly, untamed crop of hair. But what really got him was the rest of his body.

Erik had the same high cheekbones, the same pointed jaw, the same high, noble forehead that Kurt had. He had the same nose, the same mouth, the same neckline. Then even had a similar body shape, with broad, thick shoulders and a tight waist. They both carried themselves with the same easy grace that came with using and getting used to their own body. Kurt couldn’t believe the similarities. Lenna was right – there was no way this could be coincidence.

Erik was still staring at the floor visibly shaken. He looked up a little bit and slight over his shoulder, though he still wasn’t looking Kurt in the eyes, but rather somewhere near his midriff. <She – Raven – she told me you were dead,> he whispered.

<That’s funny,> said Kurt, trying to play it light but nearly choking with some undefined emotion, <She told me the same thing about you.>

Erik turned completely around now and looked him full in the face. There were tears in his blue eyes, but there was a smile on his face that split from ear to ear. <I never thought I’d ever see you,> he said, <I thought you were dead.>
<I told you father,> said Lenna, <I told you the acrobat from that circus looked like Raven. I did some digging and I found him.>

Erik just kept smiling, bigger and bigger, the tears running down his cheeks. Kurt felt tears in his own eyes, too, and then somehow they had fallen into each other and were hugging desperately. There was nothing more that needed to be said – there was no doubt, no doubt at all in his mind.

BAMF.

The smell of brimstone invaded this private scene and Kurt’s blood chilled instantly. Since it was not he who had teleported, there was only one other person who could have entered the room. He let go of Erik’s shoulder and turned toward the intruder, feeling the fur all over his body pouf up like a cat’s.

Azazel stood before him, regal, cruel, and intense. Kurt almost choked with rage as he stared at him. The fur, the fangs, the tail, teleporting, the ears. Was this his father? This couldn’t be a coincidence either!

Azazel looked exceedingly unpleasant, but he was looking at Lenna, not at Kurt. “I told you to leave him be,” he thundered, pointing at her. She didn’t seem swayed, but stood defiantly.

“He’s my brother,” said Lenna, “I have the right to try to contact him.”

“There is no relationship,” Azazel roared, and then turned toward Erik. A hurtling bolt of energy flew from his hands and headed straight for the man.

Kurt didn’t even think about it. He had teleported on the instant, bamfing Erik to safety. Then he turned on Azazel and glared at him.

“Get out of here!” Kurt roared at him, “Get out of here and leave me alone! I want nothing from you! I want nothing with you! Leave me and them alone!”

Azazel glared at him. “Fine. But as you can clearly see, Kurt, I am your father, not he.”

There was another bamf of brimstone, and Azazel was gone.

Kurt bent his head, and felt tears of sadness and frustration filling his eyes this time. No way of knowing. No way of knowing who was his father and who was just a guy his mother had been fooling around with. There was no way for him to guarantee his parentage.

“Kurt?” said Lenna quietly, “I think I might have an idea. Let’s head back to San Fransisco.”

Erik and Kurt both looked up at her. Kurt realized vaguely that Erik seemed just as upset as he did. They stared at her a minute, and then they nodded in unison, without even realizing it.

Kurt didn’t know what Lenna’s idea was, but he sure hoped it worked. Being the man without a father was hard.

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challeng

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:45 pm
by Dedicatedfollower467
Final installment. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

*****

Kurt felt both restless and hopeless at the same time, pacing rapidly back and forth on the little boat that would soon take them to the island. He didn’t even want to look at Lenna and Erik – he felt cut off from them suddenly, tainted by something evil. Azazel had ruined his life – again.

The minute his feet touched shore he turned back towards Lenna. She had been keeping her idea a secret the whole time, but had promised to tell him as soon as they reached the island.

“Well?” he said, “What’s your idea?”

Lenna smiled and said nothing, stepping nimbly over the side of the boat until she, too, stood on solid ground.

“A paternity test,” she said.

*****

Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Kurt was almost giddy with glee as he nearly raced down the corridor, heading for Hank McCoy. Surely he would be able to sort things out – with a few little samples of DNA the whole mess would be cleared up for once and all.

Hank, however, was not so certain. “It’s a great idea, Kurt,” he said, “But paternity tests don’t work very well with mutants. Because a mutant, by definition, has mutated, it is usually extraordinarily difficult to get a positive paternity test. The only thing we can do is rule out somebody who definitely isn’t your father.”

Lenna pulled out a little baggie with a few small tufts of red hair in it. Kurt stared at her.

“What?” said Lenna, “He certainly wasn’t going to give any DNA up willingly. I wouldn’t worry, he probably didn’t even notice what happened.”

Kurt felt like hugging her, but refrained, turning to Erik Wagner. He felt both hopeful, and a little frightened.

“Well?” he asked, “Are you willing to let us take a DNA sample from you?”

“Of course,” said Erik.

*****

It was the waiting that was the unbearable part. The several days of sitting and doing nothing at all were infuriating. Kurt tried to keep busy – certainly there was plenty to do on the island that he could help out with, but in the back of his mind he was always thinking about the test. His whole body felt tingly when he thought about getting the results – and not always in a good way.

Finally, the day came. Erik and Lenna had to be there with him, to support him.

Hank had a very solemn look on his face, and Kurt felt worried. What did that mean? Bad news, obviously. Kurt tried to calm his beating heart.

“What is it, Hank?” he asked finally, “Give it to me straight.”

“Well,” said Hank slowly, “The test certainly isn’t what we would have hoped. But it’s not as bad as it could be either.”

“Yes?” Kurt felt like his throat was constricting.

“After extensive tests, Kurt,” said Hank, “I’ve come to the conclusion that either one could be your father.”

Kurt felt suddenly as though his legs would not support him. Not again! Another dead end – another loose thread that would never be tied up. The whole thing had been a wild goose chase – he still stood in the same position he was when he started out – fatherless.

He hadn’t realized that his legs really had given out, that he was now sitting on the floor and there were tears slowly wending their way through his fur. Almost mad at himself, he wiped the tears away angrily, but they still kept coming. Why had he even tried to do this? Now he felt even more hopeless than ever.

Suddenly there was someone standing over him. He looked up to see Erik Wagner. Kurt turned his head down. This “almost-daddy” was the last person he wanted to see.

Erik didn’t seem to notice Kurt’s discomfort. He crouched down, much in the same way that Kurt always did. Gently, he placed a hand on Kurt’s knee.

“Kurt,” he said, very quietly but with great intensity, “I don’t care what the tests say. I know you’re my son. And even if you aren’t, that doesn’t matter. It’s your actions that dictate who you are, not your father. Kurt, you have a rare opportunity that few men ever get. Today, you get to pick your family. It’s your choice, Kurt. But I would be deeply honored to call you my son.”

Erik almost choked on the last few words. There were tears running down his face just as fast as they were tumbling down Kurt’s. Something tightened in Kurt’s throat, but it was something happy, and the tears running down his cheeks had turned to tears of joy.

Kurt leaned forward and threw his arms around his father’s neck, sobbing happily into his shoulder. “I choose you,” he whispered, “Of course I choose you.”
The End
*****

Do you spot the moral for Nightcrawler fans everywhere?

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challeng

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:56 pm
by Elfdame
{sniff, sniff} Good stuff, kiddo. *breathes happy sigh* I'm such a sucker for a happy ending.

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challenge

Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:32 pm
by Karl
"Do you spot the moral for Nightcrawler fans everywhere?"

I'd say the moral is that it doesn't really matter who your parents are. What counts is who and what you are.

This is the first story I've read here, and I must say it's quite good.
I'm also not used to posting on Forums, so please excuse me if I don't quite know what I'm doing.

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challenge

Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:50 pm
by Dedicatedfollower467
:content

Thanks guys!

Yup, Karl, you hit the moral on the nose. That's exactly what I wanted to say! Especially as it pertains to Nightcrawler!

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water-- Fall/Winter Writing Challeng

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 3:37 am
by neling4
That was really sweet, especially the ending.