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Chapter Text

“I’m getting some more chips! Anyone want anything from the kitchen?”, you asked as you wiggled off the bean bag chair on your friend Sean’s cozy living room floor. Sean and some of the friends he had introduced you to tonight politely waved their hands and shook their heads, completely engrossed in the game of Monopoly on the coffee table.

“Could you please get some more Oreos, if that’s okay?”, Hank smiled as he pushed his the frame of glasses up his nose.

You give him a smile back and thumbs up as you pushed the swinging door with your back and into the kitchen. Your twirled on your feet as you turned, but jumped at the sudden sound of glass hitting the kitchen floor. A young blonde man by the sink swore as he tip toed around the puddle of Coca Cola on the white tiles.

“Crap, let me clean this up.”, he groaned and swiftly bent down to move some of the glass shards out the way.

“Hey, maybe you shouldn’t -“, you started to say as you walked towards the sink. The man jumped back up and swore again as looked at his hand. You saw a bright line of red on the palm of his hand, a trickle of blood rolled down his wrist. He sighed and started running his hand under some running water. Sean came through the swinging door, a concerned look on his face. He whistled at the scene in front of him.

“Hey, man! You know you don’t have to keep using my back door to come inside? Glad you could make it to game night though. You alright?”, Sean asked his friend. His friend nodded as he dabbed his hand dry with some paper towel.

“Sorry for the mess, Sean. It was an accident, I just got startled.’, the man said as he applied some light pressure to his hand with some more paper towel. Sean patted his friend on the back and assured him it was okay. Sean moved with ease around his own kitchen, he pulled out first aid kit from under the sink and placed it on the kitchen counter. He squeezed your shoulders as he walked past you.

“Do you mind helping him? Sometimes blood makes me uhhh…”, Sean said as he mimicked a fainting spell. He winked at you before swiftly cleaning up the mess on the floor. He left through the garden door to take out the broken glass and some trash, whistling as he walked. His friend had sat down on one of the kitchen stools as you walked over to him. The kitchen was suddenly quieter than it was before, with just the sounds of the ticking clock and the buzz of the fridge filling the room. You snuck a glance at Sean’s friend. He had sharp cheekbones and a dimpled chin. Some strands of his blonde hair had fallen onto his forehead, making him boyishly handsome. His blue eyes shifted to meet yours, your heart skipped a beat and you inhaled sharply. The sudden sound of Hank complaining about how all the good properties were gone on the Monopoly board made both you and the man quietly laugh to yourselves.

“Okay, give me your hand.”, you said and held out your left palm while you turned your head so you could dig around the old first aid kit on the kitchen counter. The man in front of you sighed and gently placed the back of his right hand onto your extended palm. You quickly turned your head as the intense heat of his hand suddenly warmed your own.

“You’re…really warm? Do you feel okay?”, you asked and raised your eyebrows in concern. The man chuckled lightly and nodded his head. His smile revealed a charming dimple on his left cheek.

You dabbed an alcohol swab on the fresh cut on his right hand. You had expected him to wince, but instead he gazed around the room, before looking down at your hand while you worked.

“That didn’t hurt at all?”, you asked him as you reached for some gauze from the first aid kit.

“Not really. I’ve felt worse before.”, he shook his head and pursed his lips, giving you a small shrug of his shoulders. You paused to look at him while unravelling the gauze, your eyebrows furrowed slightly with curiosity. His bright blue eyes flickered up to meet yours along with a smile. You blushed slightly and broke his gaze, busying yourself with wrapping the gauze around his hand. He looked around Sean’s kitchen before looking back at you. He liked the way you nibbled your bottom lip in concentration and how the wisps of your hair curled around your face. You were quick, but gentle with how you held and maneuvered his hand around until you were done. You let his hand go and he slowly flexed his fingers and studied his gauzed covered palm.

“A broken bottle and some blood. That was not how I imagined starting this party and evening, but…thank you. I’m Alex, by the way. Alex Summers. What’s your name?”, he asked and that dimple returned to his face. You opened your mouth to speak, but Sean had come back inside the kitchen and closed the back door behind him.

“You guys ready to deal in? We can reset the board since you just got here, Alex.”, Sean offered and drummed the kitchen counter before heading back to the living room.

“That’s probably for the best. I went bankrupt a while ago. Oh, and my name is Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, Alex.”, you smiled as you turned to leave the kitchen.

“Well, Y/N. How about we form an alliance?”

Chapter Text

The flutter of the green to orange ombré of the leaves above you caught your eye as they swayed in the gentle breeze. You looked up and inhaled the crisp fall air from the old park bench you were sitting on. You crossed your right leg over your left and twiddled your foot along to the lyrics of the song that was stuck in your head. You hummed to yourself as you watched a fluffy dog bark and chase after a ball on the patch of grass in front of you. Beyond that, the water of the lake had begun to glimmer in the afternoon sunlight. 

You turned to dig through the bag that sat on your right to look for your book. You tossed one end of your fuzzy scarf over your shoulder as some wind passed through the air for a moment. Book secured, you propped it open on your lap and started to read, content with the sunlight and soft bustle of people who passed through the park. 

The afternoon passed and you looked up from your book when you noticed the evening approaching. Your eyes followed the horizon of the lake for a second, which was beginning to reflect the dark blue of the sky. A familiar figure passed by your line of sight, a man with blonde hair. The man stopped in his stroll and waved over in your direction before he started walking towards you. He called your name as he got closer. 

“I thought I saw a familiar face.”, Alex Summers smiled at you and tucked his hands into the pocket of his dark jeans. He wore a worn out leather jacket and a dark green sweater that brought out the blue of his eyes.  “Hey, Alex. It’s been a while, it’s nice to see you again.”, you smiled shyly back at him as you tucked your book back into your bag.

“What are you up to this evening?”, Alex asked as he pushed the strands of blonde hair that had fallen on his forehead away from his eyes. 

“Nothing much today. I just like coming here to just sit and relax, maybe people watch sometimes. This park is beautiful in the fall.”, you said and tightened the scarf around your neck, only just realizing that it was getting slightly chillier. 

“Oh, I agree. I like coming here as well. I like to walk around here or sit too, it helps take my mind off things.”, Alex said and his eyes flickered to the empty space next to you and he gave you a small smile. You smiled reassuringly back at him and patted the bench. You quickly placed your hand back on your lap, slightly embarrassed that you assumed Alex didn’t have other places to be or people to see that evening. Little did you know, you were one of the few people Alex would be happy to spend the evening with. Alex returned your smile and sat down next to you on your left. He was close enough so you could feel the warmth that he always carried with him and you had only recently found out the reason why that was. Your leg tensed up as his knee gently brushed against your leg for a second, but you relaxed instantly when Alex’s blue eyes met yours. He started asking about what you had been up to lately and the conversation flowed from there.

The sky had turned dark as you both continued to talk, with hints of stars and glow of the moon covering the world above you and Alex. You looked at your watch, slightly stunned at how late it had gotten. Alex looked over at your watch and whistled before you stood up from the bench.

“Oh! I didn’t realize it was getting so late. I guess you don’t notice when in good company.”, he softly chuckled and looked down at his sneakers. You blushed slightly and looked down at your own shoes for a second. You looked back up with Alex cleared his throat. 

“Can…I walk you home? You live close by, right?”, Alex asked and ran his hands through his hair. 

“I do, but you’ll be taking a detour if you walk in my direction. Don’t worry about me.”, you insisted and swung your tbag over your right shoulder. Alex shook his head at you in gentle protest. You frowned for a second because you didn’t want him to go out his way just to see you home, but you could tell Alex didn’t really mind. 

“Alright, let’s go.”, you smiled at him and started walking. Alex followed your pace and walked on your left. The two of you strolled towards the park exit down a path. Lampposts illuminated the park and street with a warm glow and other people strolled or jogged by as they enjoyed the evening outside. You and Alex simply ambled along, shoulders bumping occasionally against each other while you chatted. His steps and pace followed yours as you told him a story about an embarrassing moment from your teen years, his dimpled smile never left his face as you walked. You both stifled heavy laughter as you finished your story. The back of your hand brushed against Alex’s as the shared laughter settled into a comfortable silence. You both stopped at a crosswalk light and let the traffic pass through. You looked down at your hands when you noticed how cold they felt, so you flexed your fingers and curled them into a tight fist. Alex looked down at your hands while furrowing his brows.

“Are your hands cold?”, Alex asked before looking back to you, some concern hidden in his blue eyes. 

“A little. I…uh..forgot to pack some gloves with me.”, you said and crossed your arms across your chest. Alex nodded his head and pursed his lips. 

“You know I’m a walking space heater. At least let me use my powers for good.”, Alex bent down and whispered into your ear. You turned to look at him and that damn dimple on his left cheek appeared and caused your heart to flutter. 

“Alex! No, it’s fine. I’ll survive, we’re not too far from my place. I’ll be okay.”, you spluttered out a nervous giggle and shook your head. He chucked softly and nodded his head at you in understanding. Alex smiled to himself, a bit pleased that he could make you blush so easily. 

The crosswalk light changed, and you both made your way across the street. A large crowd of people walked in the other direction towards you. A few pedestrians in a hurry bumped into you and murmured apologies as they pushed past, the sudden surge of bodies going past caused you to suddenly lean heavily onto Alex’s side. Without thinking, Alex slipped his right hand into your left and gently tugged you forwards, towards the safety of the sidewalk and out of the crowd. You both paused and looked down at your connected hands before looking back at each other. You had to admit, the warmth of Alex’s hand against yours offered some instant relief from the chill that had numbed your fingers not too long ago. Alex cleared his throat. 

“I can…let go if you want? I just didn’t want you to get lost in that crowd.” Alex said quietly and gestured his head towards the crosswalk behind you two. The truth was, neither of you wanted the other to let go in that moment. You inhaled, breathing in and hoping for some courage to tell Alex it was okay.

“You don’t have to let go. I…like how it feels.”, you said and looked down briefly to try and hide the growing blush on your cheeks. Alex smiled at you.

“Well then…shall we?”, he turned and slowly started walking towards your street and you bit your lip to try and hide your big smile as you walked alongside him. 

As you turned the corner towards your apartment, Alex slowed the pace of his strides and your steps fell to meet his. The street was fairly empty, just a few people passed by on the other side and you could hear the gentle rush of cars passing by on the busier road behind you. You and Alex simply ambled along the pavement and talked about some movie that was playing in the theatres, hands still connected. He walked you to the front steps of your building and glanced up before looking at you. 

“I had a good time with you today, Alex. Thank you for walking me home and…for keeping my hands from freezing off. I promise the next time we hang out, I won’t forget my gloves.”, you chuckled. Alex grinned and you swear his blue eyes sparkled a little bit in the evening light. 

“You’re very welcome. I like the idea of there being a next time. I’ll happily hold your hand again to keep you warm, so forget your gloves as often as you would like.”, Alex said smoothly and that dimple made a reappearance on his cheek. You inhaled sharply and let out a nervous giggle. And with that, Alex held up your hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of your hand before he let go.

“Goodnight, Alex.”, you said after a moment and smiled at him before you walked up the stairs to your building. 

“Goodnight, Y/N. See you soon.”, Alex grinned back at you and watched as you waved goodbye and entered your building. He turned to leave and head home. 

Alex smiled to himself as he walked away and thought about how the palm of your hand fit perfectly in his. As it was, Alex’s life had been turbulent for so long. From putting himself in prison, to joining the X-Men and deciding what side of the fight he wanted to be on, choices were made that would alter the days and months and years to come. If Alex Summers did anything right in his life, it was falling for you. 

Chapter Text

You flipped the through the channels on your television, the flashing scenes and images illuminated your living room with an ever changing glow. You settled on the news channel and watched a weather woman talk about the upcoming days of wind and snow for the week ahead. You sighed and looked out the window in your apartment as flurries passed by in the sky.

“For you. You’re out of marshmallows, by the way.”, Alex strolled out of the kitchen, two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands. He smiled as he handed you your mug before he settled into the couch next to you. You smiled back at him and said thank you as you curled your fingers around the warm mug. You looked down at Alex’s mug and noticed that most of the mini marshmallows were in your mug instead of his. You opened your mouth to say something, but Alex clinked his mug against yours before taking a sip. You shook your head to yourself and took a small sip of your hot chocolate before balancing the mug on your hands and lap. You both sipped your drinks and watched the news together, sharing comments as you listened to a reporter interview an author about their upcoming book and movie deal. Alex remained close to you on the couch as your head had slowly dropped to rest on his left shoulder.

He leaned his head against yours and placed his left hand on your knee, occasionally rubbing gentle circles along the top of your jeans. He sighed happily, content with the mundaneness of it all. Alex moved his head up when a new segment came on, an interview with a local mutant activist. They talked about mutant rights, privilege and how you can be a better ally to mutants around you. Other mutants were interviewed, they talked passionately about the awareness campaigns they were doing, they even mentioned Professor Charles Xavier and the school he had recently established.

Alex leaned forward on the couch, eyebrows furrowed as he listened and watched. The segment ended and a commercial came on screen. Alex sighed and leaned back towards the couch, his head rested on the plush back cushion.

“What’s on your mind, Alex?”, you asked and turned your body to face Alex as you crossed one leg underneath you and placed a gentle hand on his knee. Alex sat up and looked at you with those blue eyes before giving you a small smile.

“It’s just that…I never thought I’d live to see the day mutant rights would be discussed so…openly. I know there’s a lot more work to do, but it’s nice to see and be a part of.”, he said softly. You reached your hand over to his, giving it a tight squeeze. Alex squeezed your hand back in response and smiled at you.

“Man, if only younger me could see this now. I had resigned myself to a life of isolation with pushing everyone away from me and going to prison. I thought that was just better for me and the world.”, Alex sighed and the smile on his face faltered for a second.

“Well…I think younger you would be glad to know about where you are in life now, Alex. And to see how the world is slowly, but surely changing.”, you said thoughtfully and rubbed your thumb against the back of Alex’s hand.

“I’m also glad you’re here too. I see good things happening for future you, Alex.”, you continued and gave him a small smile. Alex chuckled and shook his head, wisps of blonde hair fell on his forehead. He looked a lot younger for a moment, you could see a glimpse of a stubborn eighteen year old Alex Summers, the one who refused to see the good in anything.

“Like what?”, he asked and raised a curious eyebrow. You took his left hand in yours and turned his palm upwards. You gently traced the lines on his hand with your fingers.

“You see, this line means you’ll live a long, healthy life. Look at how it ends all the way here.”, you said as you pointed at a soft line on Alex’s palm. Alex’s eyes met yours for a second, his held a look for mild perplexion and amusement, while yours glimmered with sincerity from the smile that was on your lips.

“Hmm….what else?”, Alex hummed and then smiled back at you, the dimple on his cheek made a charming appearance. Your eyes fluttered across the lines on his palm and you fixated on a curved one.

“This one is your love line, it looks like you’ll be surrounded by love for the rest of your life, even if you don’t know or feel it. There will be lots of it, from what I can see.”, you run the tips of your fingers along that curved lined and smiled shyly at Alex before looking back down at both of your hands.

“Love…huh?”, Alex murmured softly. You nodded your head and slowly began to take your hand away, but Alex held onto yours, not wanting your touch to slip away from his. As he gently rubbed his thumb along the back of your soft hand, Alex Summers felt something in his heart for you in that moment. Right here in your living room, on a cold and cozy winter night, he had found the love you had just described.

Chapter Text

Alex slowed his car down as he drove down the quiet road, just slightly past your apartment building. He stopped and put the car in reverse and looked in the rear view mirror as he begun to parallel park. His dimple appeared when he smiled at you as he turned his head to get a better look out the back window. Alex hummed along to the music on the radio as placed his right hand on the back of your headrest, while his left hand effortlessly turned the wheel and his car slid perfectly into place. You looked away and out your window in the passenger seat, trying to hide your blush at how such a small act made you all flustered on the inside. The car rumbled softly alongside the radio music, as a comfortable silence fell between you and Alex. 

“Thank you for agreeing to come tonight. It means a lot.”, Alex said and cleared his throat before looking down at his hands and then back up at you again. 

“Of course. I know it was important to you, Alex.”, you said warmly.

“I think Scott really liked you. I wanted it to just be us three first, but my parents insisted on meeting you as well.”, Alex smiled wildly at the mention of his little brother. You remembered how you and Alex had been standing in the front garden of his parents’ house just a couple of hours ago, when Scott had spotted you two through the living room window. Scott had ran to open the door and Alex let go of your hand as his younger brother ran straight into him with his arms wide open. You had watched the two of them fondly as they hugged and your heart felt warm from the obvious love Alex had for his brother. You were deeply touched that Alex had invited you in to this part of his life and that he wasn’t as closed off as he used to be. You were happy that Alex was now a part of your life and you wanted to see more of what made Alex… well, Alex. 

“It’s okay, I had a great time getting to know Scott and your parents a little better. Your parents mean well, it seems like you guys have come a long way.”, you said thoughtfully and looked at Alex. He sighed and nodded his head. His past relationship with his home and parents had been volatile for as long as he could remember. It was filled with love, anger and resentment on all ends. Alex had felt like an outsider in his own family because of his mutation and they had struggled to understand what it meant to be a mutant. The younger Alex had pushed them away and left in an effort to keep his parents safe, but to also escape the look of  fear his parents carried and hid in their eyes when they looked at him. But, all of that had changed when his younger brother was born. He didn’t know for certain if Scott had a mutation or not, but that didn’t matter to him. Alex could not stand the thought of his little brother growing up in a house surrounded by others, but feeling alone. 

“And Scott absolutely adores you, you know that right?”, you chuckled and thought back to the gentle jokes and bickering the two of them had shared over dinner and how Scott was almost glued to Alex’s side while they were at the house. 

“I’m glad he has someone like you in his life, Alex.”, you said quietly and smiled at Alex.

Alex looked up at you and his blue eyes fluttered around your face. His lips struggled to form the words he wanted to say, so he slid the palm of his right hand under your left and loosely laced his finger with yours. In that moment, Alex wanted to say that he had never thought he would find someone he wanted to invite in like this. He wanted to say Scott was going to be part of his life no matter what. He wanted to say that it was now also you. You were going to be in his life no matter what too. Alex wasn’t sure that his car was the place he wanted to confess all of this to you for the first time, so he just returned your soft smile. He held up your entwined hands and kissed the back of yours. There’d be time to tell you, Alex thought to himself. You both had the rest of your lives together anyway. 

Chapter Text

You had noticed the small things first. How Alex’s lopsided smile never quite met his eyes or how he seemed to disappear into his thoughts sometimes, with his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, only coming back to the present when you softly said his name or touched him. You would ask what was on his mind, but Alex would just shake his head and smile, insisting that it was nothing. But it wasn’t nothing.

You remembered when he had shown you the letter. The creases on the paper, the official emblem stamped at the top, a flurry of black script printed below. Your eyes went foggy with tears and you tried to swallow down the beating pulse of your heart. Your mind raced, chasing every thought, question and ‘what if?’.

What happens to us?

Why him?

What if he doesn’t come back? 

As you plucked up the courage to ask the first question with a deep breath, Alex reached out to pull the letter away from you. It fluttered to the floor as he took both of your hands into his and gently kissed your knuckles. 

“I’m so sorry I did not tell you right away. It wasn’t fair for me to keep you in the dark. I’m sorry.”, Alex said softly as he lowered his head so his eyes could meet yours. You met his gaze and reached up to tenderly place your hand on his cheek. Your eyes softened, you were touched by his apology even though he had nothing to be sorry about.

“I’m not mad at you, Alex. I’m just worried…and scared, that’s all.”, you said quietly as you grazed your thumb across his soft skin. Alex sighed and leaned his face into your gentle touch. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

“I’m scared too.”, Alex whispered, his breath shaking ever so slightly. There was a look of soft vulnerability in his face that he often hid from others. He was learning to let go of the stoicism that had acted as a shield for him for most of his life. You never blamed for keeping his guard up at times, considering the life he had lived and things he had to endure as a mutant. 

“We’ll get through this. I know we will.”, Alex said as he reached up and took both your hands in his. You looked down at your entwined hands, and then up at Alex before you let go and tightly hugged him. Your bones and heart ached knowing that an empty space that would be at your side while he was gone, for god knows how long. Alex buried his head in the crook of your neck and closed his eyes, wanting to remember the feeling of being nestled against you.

For just a moment in time, the threat of war and what was to come didn’t matter. It was just you and Alex, wrapped up in warmth and silence, just holding onto the promise of a better tomorrow.

****

The time passed by. The seemingly endless number of weeks turned into finite days leading to the ‘X’ that was marked on the calendar. Goodbyes were said, bags were packed and affairs placed in order.

The day Alex had left for Vietnam, he had stood across from you. He breathed deeply as he looked at your face, wanting to say everything he possibly could for what might be the last time he saw you. Your eyes looked over him too, not knowing if you would see those ocean blue eyes and dimpled smile ever again. When it was time, Alex closed the space between the two of you and slipped his arms around your waist to pull you close. You leaned into his embrace and rested the palms of your hands on his warm chest. 

“Just come back, Alex. That’s all I want. Come back to me.”, you whispered quietly to him, trying to hold back the tears that were pooling in our eyes. Alex sighed as he gently reached up to take your hands off his chest so he could hold them in his one last time. He squeezed your hands as he leaned his forehead against yours. 

“I promise.”, Alex softly said before he kissed you. 

You remembered your entwined lips, bodies and hands. The fleeting, featherlight touch of your fingers grazing against his as Alex forced himself to let go and walked out the door. And then you were left with the taste of his lips and the memory of his laugh, his touch. 

He’ll be back, he’ll be back, he’ll be back. The words you repeated inside your head fell into silence as a vacant space seeped in to surround you. Alex’s absence settled into your heart, like the draft of a cold winter breeze. His warmth was gone. He was gone. Alex Summers was gone. And there was nothing you could do to ever change that.