Iolana Mahi'ai pressed her hand against the window, letting the cool glass soothe her skin. She felt hot all over, she'd only just got her breath back. She was kneeling on the wide, cushioned window ledge that sat halfway up the main stairs, hiding from her fellow pupils. Iolana cursed herself in her native language, letting the syllables fall into her lap like raindrops.

She couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. There were only a handful of kids in the school and somehow she'd managed to embarrass herself in front of most of them. The window looked out onto the gardens, now empty and dulled as the autumn drew closer. Iolana sighed and rested her forehead against the glass beside her hand, closing her eyes for a moment.

There was a boy. How could she be so stupid? Boys were nothing but trouble and rarely worth the effort, she didn't know why she even tried nurturing a crush on one. And of all the boys, why did it have to be Fred Doving? He was a year older than her and probably didn't even know her last name, but he was gorgeous and funny and she was powerless to resist.

Iolana winced as she replayed what had happened not five minutes ago in her head. There they all were, out adventuring in the gardens, testing the limits of the seemingly endless school grounds. They were a large group, maybe fifteen or so, and they all knew each other well.

Iolana didn't know what had come over her, one minute she was laughing with her friends, the next she and Fred were alone and she was admitting that she liked him. At least, she thought they were alone. Tommy Jutland overheard her and immediately repeated her confession to the whole group. Iolana's cheeks still burned with embarrassment when she remembered the look on Fred's face.

She thought about trailing up the stairs to sulk in her room for a bit until her friends found her and tried to console her. Iolana raised her head from the window and sighed deeply, watching her breath fog up the glass.

"Come on, now," she whispered to herself. "You can't wallow in self-pity. That's even more embarrassing." Iolana sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then uncrossed her legs and slipped off the window ledge. She stopped in the main foyer, trying to decide whether she should try and find her friends or go back to her room.

Before she could reach a decision, the doors of the mansion burst open, smacking against the walls and making an awful racket. Thankfully, Professor Xavier was in his study, otherwise there would've been hell to pay. Iolana jumped and almost fell backwards when someone rushed past her, travelling so fast they were just a blue blur.

"Sorry!" The person yelled back over his shoulder. He disappeared around the corner before Iolana could even respond. She clicked her tongue irritatedly.

"Moron."

"Are you okay?" Iolana's thudding heart picked up again at the new voice. She span around to find Fred standing close behind her. He looked just as shocked by the other kid's arrival as she felt.

"Fred!" She squeaked, taking an instinctive step backwards. He smiled at her, running a hand through his dark hair. Was he nervous? What could he possibly be nervous about?

"I wanted to talk to you." Fred glanced around them to make sure they were alone. He didn't want anyone else to interrupt them that day. He cleared his throat and took a tentative step closer. "You ran off before I could tell you..."

"Tell me what?" Iolana didn't mean to interrupt but she was so anxious, the words came tumbling out. Fred ran his fingers through his hair again, laughing nervously.

"That I... That I like you too." He said, his voice low and uncertain but still hopeful. Iolana grinned.

In a different part of the mansion, Kurt was still running. He'd just finished a morning shift at Francisco's but he still had the energy to rush home. He couldn't be late, he couldn't miss her. Kurt suddenly stopped dead in the middle of the corridor.

"Oh, right." He muttered to himself, embarrassed. He closed his eyes and envisioned his destination. Less than a moment later, Kurt arrived at the reception area. He was so flustered, he'd forgotten his mutation. It happened more often than he cared to admit.

Not wanting to waste any time, Kurt fell into the seat behind the desk and grabbed the phone. The administrative staff were all on their summer holidays too, so the only public phone in the mansion had been left unguarded. Kurt tried to turn the rotary dial, cursing under his breath when his fingers didn't fit.

Thinking fast, he scrabbled across the desk looking for a pen and found one in the unlocked drawer. He jabbed the pen into the rotary and dialled the number he now knew by heart. Kurt waited breathlessly as the phone rang, a little softer than usual because of the distance. He hoped the Professor was too busy to check his phone bill. At last, there was a blunt click and someone said,

"Murphy residence, how may I direct your call?" The voice was small and sweet and much younger than he'd expected. Kurt hadn't considered the possibility that someone other than Peggy might answer the phone. He was so surprised, it took him a moment to get his words straight.

"Uh, hi. Can I-"

"Cathy!" There was a loud rustling sound as the phone was passed between hands and then a new voice, older, masculine and slightly annoyed, spoke. "Get off the phone, you know you're not supposed to answer it." The rustling stopped and the voice said, "Hello?" Kurt tried again with a little more confidence.

"Hello," he said politely. "Can I please speak to Peggy?" The boy on the other end of the line sighed then asked him to wait a moment.

"Peggy!" He bellowed so loud that Kurt had to move the phone away from his ear. "There's a boy on the phone for you!" Though the connection was a little frazzled, Kurt could just about hear someone else's voice in the background, loud and outraged.

"A what?" Then he heard a series of thuds, the sound of Peggy hurrying down the stairs before her father answered the phone. She shoved her brother out of the way, annoyed at him for alerting the whole house.

"Shut up, Michael. Go watch the telly." The phone switched hands again accompanied by some muffled swearing. Then at last, Kurt heard the one voice he was looking for. "Hello?"

"Peggy?" He would know her voice anywhere but the past few seconds had made him nervous and Kurt wanted to be sure he was talking to his girlfriend. Thankfully, Peggy had managed to get to the phone before anyone else in her family could have a turn.

"Kurt, hi!"

"Oi, keep it down!" She heard her sister yell from the living. Peggy scoffed and apologised to Kurt.

"Hang on." She pressed the receiver to her chest to block out most of the noise then called out to her family. "I'm on the phone!" Peggy kicked the hallway door closed with her toe, using just the right force so that it clicked shut without a bang, otherwise her mother would be upon her in seconds. At last, she was alone. Peggy raised the phone to ear and apologised again. "Sorry, you called during Top of the Pops."

"How are you? Have I missed anything?" Peggy asked quickly. Now that the door was closed and her family were safely shut away in the living room, she had the front hallway to herself, but she didn't know how long the peace would last.

"Everything's pretty boring at the moment, don't worry." Kurt reassured her. Peggy grinned.

"You know the rule, no doing anything fun without me."

"It's impossible to have fun when you're not here."

"Good answer." It had been two weeks since they last spoke but they slipped into a natural conversation with ease. There was no awkwardness, no uncomfortable silences. They missed each other too much for that.

Kurt knew the best time to call was when Peggy's family were all occupied with other things. He had to rush home from his shift so they had time to talk before her mother's rule about not using the phone after eight o'clock set in. This was only the second time he'd called since Peggy went home but it was already going considerably smoother than last time. As if on cue, the hallway door opened and Peggy's younger sister stuck her head around it.

"Peg, hurry up. I need the phone." Peggy sighed and apologised to Kurt again before she pressed the receiver back to her chest and raised her eyebrows at her sister.

"Oh, you need it, do you?" Orla sighed dramatically but didn't move from her position so it looked like a floating head was annoyed with her.

"Tina's calling, we're gonna watch TOTP together." She gave her a look as if to say 'why don't you get how important this is?' but Peggy wasn't convinced.

"If you want to watch it together, go to her house." Kurt had heard a lot about Peggy's moody thirteen year old sister and knew this might take a while so he leaned back in his borrowed chair and got his breath back. "Oi, don't get stroppy with me, you little-"

"Margaret!" Peggy flinched when she heard her mother call her full name but she would not be beaten.

"Shout at her, not me!" Her sister whinged for a bit longer then finally gave in and went back into the living room. Peggy sighed and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment and enjoying the quiet. "Sorry." She tried to keep her voice down so that her parents couldn't listen in. "That was Orla. My house is a bit... Mad."

Kurt didn't mind at all, it was actually quite nice to listen to Peggy's family interact with each other. He'd always secretly wondered what it might be like to have a big family, now he knew that all he'd missed out on was a lot of headaches.

"It's good to hear your voice." Kurt glanced at the open doorway just in case there was someone coming. They were allowed to use the phone but he'd be embarrassed if anyone overheard them. "Your accent is stronger." Peggy chuckled as she slid down the wall to sit down, pulling her knees up to her chest and propping up her arm holding the phone.

"Bet you can barely understand me now." He could picture Peggy's smirk, see the glint in her bright eyes.

"Unintelligible." Kurt agreed.

"Again, you know that but not 'cat'?"

"I can't know every word, Peggy."

"They're cognates!"

"You're a cognate."

"Peggy!" They both flinched at the sudden loud shout. "Who on earth are you on the phone to at this time of night and why do you think it's okay to yell in this house?" Peggy removed the receiver from her ear yet again to call back to her mother.

"It's a friend from school, ma!"

"A friend?" Kurt repeated. Peggy scowled at the phone. She knew he was teasing her but she supposed there was no getting out of it. She was going to have to let her parents speak to Kurt eventually, no matter how mortifying it would be. Peggy's parents lived to embarrass her and she knew Kurt would make fun of her for weeks. With no small amount of trepidation, she raised the phone to her ear again.

"On your head be it." When she heard Kurt laugh, Peggy sighed and called out to her mother. "It's Kurt!" To her great surprise, she heard footsteps coming her way. Peggy scrambled to her feet when her mother suddenly came out into the hallway, a washing basket propped up on her hip and a mischievous smile on her face. Peggy knew that look only too well. Kurt could only wait patiently again as he listened to a muffled conversation happening three thousand miles away. "No, ma, please don't, you'll embarrass me."

"Who's embarrassing?"

"Ma, please, n-"

"Margaret Mary Murphy, you give me that phone right now." More rustling and then a different voice. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Murphy." Kurt hadn't expected to speak to Peggy's mother quite so soon but he was pleased to finally meet her. Of course, Peggy had told her parents all about Kurt, though she'd left out some of the scarier details.

She'd told them all about him and how they met, Peggy simply failed to mention the parts where she got shot saving Kurt's life and he was stabbed by a terrorist. Her parents did not need to know about the X-Men, letting them embarrass her in front of her boyfriend was a small price to pay.

"Please call me Jill, sweetheart. We've heard so much about you."

"Oh, my God, ma." Kurt could hear Peggy groan in the background but her mother was talking again before she could protest further.

"Peggy talks about you all the time." Another embarrassed groan from Peggy and Kurt had to stifle a laugh. "When are you coming to visit, darling?"

"He's not visiting us, ma." Peggy cut in before he could reply. Her mother tutted irritably.

"Margaret, I'm on the phone."

"I'd love to, Mrs. Murphy." Kurt said quickly before Peggy could make up an excuse. Jill gushed about how excited she was to talk to him at last and how he must come stay with them for Christmas. Kurt let her talk at him for nearly twenty minutes before Peggy finally convinced her mother to give back the phone. When she was gone, Peggy let out a whoosh of air and banged her head against the wall.

"That was awful." She muttered, still cringing from her mother's onslaught of questions but relieved it was all over. Kurt laughed at her weary tone, wishing he could see the look on her face.

"Your middle name is Mary?" He grinned, rolling her full name around in his head, enjoying the alliteration. Peggy slid down to the floor again, her cheeks still prickling with embarrassment.

"Shut up."

"Your family sound brilliant, schön."

"You don't live with them." Peggy grumbled. Then she thought about how Kurt had grown up without much of a family and reconsidered her answer, not wanting to sound ungrateful. "They're alright." When Kurt hummed thoughtfully in reply, Peggy quickly changed the subject, wanting desperately to forget the ordeal she'd just been through. "D'you know what today is?"

"Thursday?" Kurt glanced at the small calendar on the desk, just to make sure his dates were correct.

"And d'you know what that means?" When Kurt said he didn't, Peggy grinned. "It's only two weeks until I'm back." She heard Kurt laugh and smiled to herself.

She missed him more than anything. She was having fun with her family and Peggy wasn't the kind of person to mope about because she was away from her boyfriend. They were close, they weren't attached at the hip. But sitting there alone in the hall, listening to Kurt's soft voice and the familiar, warm sound of his laugh, it made Peggy's heart ache just a little.

"I'm counting the minutes." Kurt said, making Peggy chuckle.

"That's what I like to hear." She glanced at the door again to make sure no one was pressed up against it eavesdropping. "I can't wait to see you all again. I can't wait to go to the mall and sit under our tree and just hang out." Kurt hummed again, a low sound that resonated through the speaker right into her chest. Peggy watched the door carefully. "I can't wait to kiss you again." Kurt groaned.

"Please tell me your mother didn't hear that." He said, fearing his invitation to visit might be revoked if she had. Peggy smiled, feeling very proud of herself for getting him flustered from all the way across the Atlantic.

"It's just you and me." He breathed a slight sigh of relief but then found himself breathless when she unexpectedly continued. "So I can tell you about some of the other things I can't wait to do to you." Kurt allowed his mind to wander for a moment before he shook his head, trying to focus on the present.

"You're mad, Peggy." He said in a low voice, letting her know he'd thought about her proposal. Then in a lighter, more mischievous tone, "Margaret Mary Murphy." Kurt heard her make a funny noise on the other end of the line, like she was surprised and annoyed at the same time.

"That's it. I changed my mind, I'm not coming back." She said, though she couldn't help laughing. There was a pause then, it wasn't awkward but comfortable. They sat and listened to each other, chests glowing with happiness. After a moment, Kurt heard Peggy whisper, "Hey, I love you, gorgeous." He closed his eyes and repeated her words over and over in his head. Kurt still couldn't quite believe how lucky he was.

"I love you too." He whispered back. Peggy beamed, only just stopping herself from laughing by biting her lip.

"Brilliant. Love hearing that." She shifted around on the floor to get into a better position. Hopefully, she was going to be there a while, she wanted to be comfortable.

"So who's on Top of the Pops?" Kurt asked, curious to hear what music was popular in the UK at the moment. Peggy listened intently to the television blaring in the next room. It took her a few moments but at last, she managed to identify the music.

"Depeche Mode." She said, wrinkling her nose. She wasn't a fan. Of course, Kurt was quick to defend them.

"I like them."

"You like everything."

One month later

"This is the stupidest idea ever." Peggy muttered, wincing as Scott locked the handcuff around her wrist a little too tight. He grunted, his forehead creased in concentration.

"Hey, you volunteered." He guided one of Peggy's hands around the side of the pipe above her head, then raised her other hand so that they lined up. Her face fell.

"I most certainly did not." But it was too late. Scott clicked the handcuff around her other wrist so that she was stuck with her hands above her head.

"No, you're right," Scott said, shooting her a grin. "But Jubilee and Jean already said no and Ororo threatened me when I asked her."

"So this was your idea?" Before Scott could come up with an excuse, the little radios in the sleeves of their suits crackled. It was Hank, warning them both that their target was on the move.

The X-Men were just under the skin of New York City. Peggy had been very excited when the Professor told them their mission was to bring in a mutant who'd been terrorising the downtown area. She'd always wanted to visit New York City, though its sewers had certainly not been on her list of things to see.

The mutant they were after had reptilian features and was more comfortable down in the murky depths of the pipe systems. The Professor would've gladly let him stay there if he hadn't been using his mutation to slip unseen into people's houses. It wasn't exactly the worst of crimes but he was still their responsibility.

Ororo, Jean, Kurt, and Jubilee were all off in different parts of the sewer, lying in wait. Despite his better judgement, Hank had put Scott in charge, even allowing him to come up with a plan unsupervised. Scott was very excited about this, now Peggy knew why. She was the bait.

Their target had proved to be very slippery, it had taken them most of the day to track him down. His mutation even allowed him to camouflage a little, so they were all starting to get a little annoyed with him. Hopefully, the thief would see Peggy trapped and try to help her, then the others could swoop in and grab him before he could get away again.

Scott was the only one with the keys to her handcuffs but he promised to give them to someone more responsible after Peggy began to panic. He double-checked that she was comfortable (which she wasn't) then grinned and hurried away down another tunnel.

Peggy sighed deeply, then instantly regretted it when she got a lungful of sewer air. She gritted her teeth and tried not to think about it. The thief wasn't going to help her if she was too busy throwing up.

A few minutes passed in relative silence. Somewhere water dribbled down from a leaking pipe, beating a steady rhythm against the already damp ground. A rat sat washing its face at the other end of the tunnel but Peggy wasn't afraid. Light filtered in through a grate above her head, reminding her that she was only a few meters away from the world above.

Her arms started to feel numb after a while but she refrained from moving around too much, not wanting to give away her position. Then at last, her communicator fizzed and Jean's voice filled the tunnel.

"Peggy, he's coming towards you." She barely had time to think before she heard footsteps echoing behind her. Peggy twisted her body round, ignoring the pain in her wrists and craned her neck just in time to see a shadow rise against the far wall.

"Help me!" She cried, adopting the same Brooklyn accent as the thief, hoping he might take pity on her if he heard they were from the same part of town. "Help!" The shadow began to shrink down and down until at last, the small, crooked man rounded the corner. He peered at her curiously, his thick, scaly skin shining in the low light.

Peggy tried to twist herself around so that she could see him better but her arms were locked in place. "Please, help me!" She begged, trying to sound as desperate and hopeless as possible. "Those weird kids handcuffed me and I can't get out!" The man studied her for a moment then scoffed and shook his head.

"You're on your own, kid." He said, then disappeared down another tunnel. Peggy stared after him, her mouth hanging open. She wasn't sure why but she was extremely offended.

"You what?" Peggy yanked her wrists down, making the metal handcuffs clang against the pipe trapping her. "Oi!" She yelled down the tunnel after him, forgetting to use her mutation in her anger and falling back into her own voice. "Come back, you stupid bastard!"

"Peggy, what's wrong?" Kurt's worried voice buzzed at her wrist. She had to stretch her neck and push her chin against the button on her sleeve to make her radio work, only adding to her frustration.

"He bloody left me!" She twisted round again, trying to figure out which direction the thief ran in. The sewer map was safely stored in her enormous memory so it only took a few seconds for Peggy to figure out who he would eventually run into heading west. She pressed her chin against her radio again. "He's heading towards Ororo."

"Okay, Plan B." Scott said, his voice wavering with the bad connection. Peggy waited patiently but nothing came. She frowned and shook her wrist, worried she might've lost the signal. When there was still no reply, she stood on her toes and jammed her chin down on her communicator again.

"Well, one of you has to come get me." It was hard to speak clearly in her position but her friends got the message.

"Sorry, Peggy, we've got a bad guy to catch." She could practically hear the smug grin in Scott's voice. She waited for him to apologise and tell her that he was only joking but it never came. Peggy stared at her wrist in disbelief. Barely holding onto her last scrap of patience, she reached up and spoke into her communicator again.

"Are you having a laugh?" She waited but silence filled the tunnel. "Scott? Anyone?" Peggy realised she could no longer hear any static, that meant either her radio really had stopped working or her so-called friends were out of range. The built-in communicators were only a prototype. Peggy would have a few small critiques for Hank when and if she got back to the surface.

She sighed and sank to her feet. Her arms were beginning to grow numb and her neck hurt from the strain. Peggy glumly looked around at her meagre surroundings. "Brilliant." She muttered.

Thankfully, it was only a few minutes before her radio suddenly crackled to life again. That meant one of her friends was close. Peggy was just about to try and speak to whoever it was when she heard someone running down a nearby tunnel, coming her way fast.

She twisted around to look over her shoulder just in case they came out behind her but there was no one there. Then she heard someone call her name. Peggy turned to see Kurt at the end of the tunnel. He looked a little panicked but otherwise unharmed. "Well, if it isn't my knight in shining armour." Peggy laughed as he ran up to meet her.

"Peggy, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Kurt placed his hands on her cheeks, leaning in close so that he could inspect her for any cuts or bruises she might've miraculously obtained in the few minutes she was alone. Peggy gently pulled her face from his grasp, touched by his concern but more interested in getting out the handcuffs.

"I'm fine. Even better now that you're here." She grinned at him and Kurt gave her a proud little smile in return. Peggy looked up at her restraints and rattled them to show she was still very much stuck. "Get me out these, will you?" To her delight, Kurt dug around in his suit and pulled out the key. Scott had kept his promise and gave them to someone more responsible, just as Peggy asked.

"This was a bad plan." Kurt said as he reached up and carefully took her hand in his. He didn't want to hurt her, so he tried to move the handcuffs as little as possible as he tried to get her out.

"Definitely. You got him?"

"We got him.

"Nice one." As she waited patiently for him to free her, Peggy found Kurt had to stand very close in order to reach the handcuffs. He still kept some space between them though, ever the gentleman. Peggy moved her hands back an inch, making Kurt look down at her. She smiled up at him and Kurt licked his lips, trying to meet her eyes and not stare at her mouth.

After a moment, he managed to tear his gaze away and return his attention to her handcuffs but Peggy was having far too much fun. She slid her hands further away from him and Kurt had to lean his body against hers to reach them. "You like 'em?" Peggy asked, nodding to her restraints. Kurt took one look at the mischievous expression on her face and wearily shook his head.

"Peggy, this is not the time." He tried to protest but he wasn't fooling anyone. Peggy shrugged as best as she could in her position then leaned forward to leave a chaste kiss underneath his chin.

"It could be." She murmured against his skin, pressing another kiss at the curve of his jaw. Kurt hummed, a noise that both warned her not to continue and let Peggy know he was desperately trying not to enjoy it and failing. She ignored him and continued to kiss along his jaw, all the way down to the hollow of his neck.

"Jubilee will be here any second." Kurt's feeble attempt at getting her to stop would've sounded a lot more convincing if his voice hadn't hitched with a slight moan halfway through.

"Then we better make good use of the time we have." Peggy slid her hands forward along the pipe so that she could move closer and press her body against his. Kurt chuckled, finding her forwardness amusing but persuasively sexy.

"You're ridiculous." As he shook his head, Peggy leaned back a little so she could meet his gaze, still smiling wickedly. Kurt tried not to let his gaze wander, he truly did, but his hands had a mind of their own. They slipped around her waist, keeping her close. "I do see the appeal." He admitted. The moment he let one hand slide up her waist, Peggy leaned forward to kiss him properly. She had barely brushed his lips with hers when they heard someone say,

"Really, guys?" Kurt immediately took a step backwards, turning around to face Jubilee in one fluid movement. She stood with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised, unimpressed by what she'd found.

"Nothing happened." Kurt said quickly. Behind him, Peggy sighed deeply.

"Not through lack of trying, though."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Jubilee raised her hands and Kurt threw her the key. She was several inches shorter than Peggy but she managed to reach up and finally undo her handcuffs.

Peggy hissed when her muscles burned. Though she had certainly been looking forward to kissing Kurt, her arms were almost numb and she was glad to be free at last. Jubilee swung the handcuffs around her index finger as she watched Peggy stretch out her aching limbs. "You sure you don't wanna keep these for later?"

"Jubilee, please." Peggy scoffed and gave her a look, though as she walked past, she winked at Kurt. He began to roll his eyes but stopped when Jubilee looked his way.

When they met up with the rest of the team, Peggy immediately gave Scott an earful about leaving her but he seemed unbothered. In fact, he seemed to find the whole thing quite funny and Kurt had to tactfully change the subject before an argument sparked. He proposed they should get out of the horrid sewers. There was enthusiastic, unanimous agreement.

They headed back up to the surface and found Hank sat safely in the jet, his feet up on the dash, reading a science magazine. He took one look at them all, sweaty and dirty from their mission, and grimaced.

"Yeah, thanks, Hank." Jean muttered, already beginning to peel off the heaviest sections of her armour. They shuffled onto the jet, tired and filthy, but happy.

"So, I was thinking," Kurt spoke softly to Peggy as they all began to pack away what they could of their suits. "Movies tonight?"

"Sure!" Peggy grinned as she sat down in the closest seat. Her suit was very simple compared to the others', there was no external armour to remove. It meant it was quick to get in and out of but Hank hadn't been able to create a material that both allowed Peggy to vanish completely and was strong enough to protect her.

Kurt wasn't much pleased with this but didn't say anything, he knew Peggy hated to be mollycoddled. Still, he wished Hank would find something suitable soon, it wasn't doing his nerves any favours. "What did you have in mind?"

"I like the look of The Terminator." Kurt finished putting away the last of his bulky armour, leaving him in just the basic under-suit. He flopped down into the seat beside Peggy, his head immediately falling to rest against his harness so that their faces were close. "Or we could rent Ghostbusters?" Peggy considered her aching limbs and the late hour.

"A night-in sounds fantastic." She said, reaching over and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Across the jet, Ororo and Scott made disgusted noises but they ignored them.

Later, freshly showered and much more comfortable, Peggy woke from her nap when she heard someone knock on her bedroom door. She grumbled to herself as she slid out from underneath the covers, trying to ignore how her arms still ached. She opened the door to find Kurt standing there. He'd thankfully had a shower too, just the thought of the sewer smell made Peggy grimace.

He held a VHS tape between two hands. The box displayed the logo of the video store he'd just visited but the title 'Ghostbusters' was printed on the spine in thick black letters.

"You ready?" Kurt asked as he hurried into her room, immediately hunching down in front of the video player. He hadn't seen the film but he'd heard good things and he very excited. Peggy chuckled at his enthusiasm as she flopped down onto her bed.

She'd borrowed the video player from a kid in her Geography class. In return, she gave him the answers to a history test he had next week that she'd already taken. Peggy knew it was slightly immoral but it wasn't exactly murder and anyway, she cared more about the VCR than she did about cheating.

Kurt finished sorting out the film then bounded over to the bed to help Peggy set up. They placed as many pillows and cushions as they could find against the wall so that they had something comfortable to lean against then pulled the duvet across them.

As the opening credits rolled, Peggy drew her knees up and leaned her head against Kurt's shoulder, making him blush despite the fact that they'd been dating for three months. They didn't talk much, they were both far too engrossed in the film. Whenever Kurt got scared, he'd rest his hand over hers and squeeze gently, making Peggy smile. At one point, his tail slipped around her waist, keeping her close.

As much as Kurt was enjoying the movie, there was something nagging in the back of his mind. School started up again on Monday, just three days away. They were constantly being reminded that this was their final year before they either moved on or stayed at the school, learning how to become teachers or just being a part of the X-Men. Kurt knew what he wanted but everything was going to change very soon and the thought made his stomach churn. And then there was Peggy.

He couldn't possibly be any happier than he was right now, curled up beside her in the dark, her hand in his, but that could all change too. Kurt realised he wasn't watching the film properly but he couldn't shake that uneasy feeling. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to the side of Peggy's head, listening for her little hum in response. He kept his mouth there, closing his eyes for a moment, then whispered into her hair.

"Peggy?" He heard her hum quietly again. The tips of her fingers curled inwards just a little, letting him know she was listening, but he doubted he had her full attention. "Do you remember when we talked about what we would do after we graduate?"

"Yeah, why?" Peggy raised her head to meet his gaze. She frowned when she saw his troubled expression. Kurt found it hard to keep himself from fidgeting as he tried to find the right words. Peggy watched him look between his lap, the television, and her hand on his chest before he spoke.

"It's September, soon it will be July again." Kurt said at last, his forehead creased with worry. "We haven't got long to decide." Peggy sat up a little more so that she could face him properly, the film a distant thought now.

"Is that what you've been so worried about?" She asked softly. Kurt finally met her eyes again, his expression still drawn.

"I didn't say I was worried." Peggy smiled.

"You didn't have to." Kurt held her gaze, wondering when he had got so lucky. Then he looked away again, his fingers anxiously pulling at the edge of the duvet.

"I will stay here at the school. I am a part of the X-Men, I have my job at Francisco's and in a few years, I will teach." Kurt's brow furrowed as he tried to find the right words, struggling against the tightness in his throat. "What I'm worried about is…"

"Me." Peggy's whisper made him look up again. She was smiling slightly. Nothing ever got past her. Kurt tried his best to return her smile but it came out all wobbly.

"I don't want…" He sighed, finding it difficult to explain himself. He sat up a bit straighter. "You have a family. I don't want you to be separated." To his surprise, Peggy got up and went to pause the film. This was a serious conversation and she'd never seen Kurt look so worried, he deserved her full attention. When Peggy returned to the bed, she took his hand in hers and kissed his palm.

"Neither do I." Peggy missed her family every day, despite how annoying they were. Then she raised her eyebrows, shrugging slightly. "But you know, I can't stay there forever. Eventually, I would move out, maybe go to University, find a job." When Kurt nodded, Peggy began to smile. "But I'll be honest, Kurt, that all sounds a bit boring to me."

He stared at her, his scarlet eyes filled with uncertainty and surprise. Kurt looked like he almost didn't believe her, which Peggy found quite heart-breaking underneath her amusement. Kurt's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"You mean..."

"You are absolutely, completely, and unreservedly stuck with me." Peggy finished for him, leaning forward and kissing him quickly between each new adverb. Kurt still looked quite stunned. He began to smile but it faded fast.

"I didn't know…" The words got lost in his throat, choking him. Kurt's brow furrowed again as his gaze fell to the duvet. "I mean, I wasn't sure that you…" Despite all they'd been through, all that they'd said to each other, there was a small part of him, tiny yet powerful, that couldn't understand what Peggy saw in him.

She was beautiful, intelligent, brave, and underneath his show of bravado, Kurt was still very self-conscious, not only of how he looked but of who he was, where he'd come from. It wasn't a thought he often entertained but sometimes that worm of doubt wondered if he was really good enough for Peggy.

She was willing to leave her family and her home to stay in New York, to stay with him. Kurt knew what it felt like to start again somewhere new, he knew how hard it could be. He couldn't believe Peggy thought he was worth it. Kurt didn't say any of this out loud, he didn't have to. Peggy could read him like a book. She squeezed his hand, letting her thumb slowly smooth across the skin at his wrist.

"Kurt, you know I'm mad for you." She whispered, managing to get him to look up at her again. It wasn't often Peggy spoke about her feelings. It felt unnatural to her, even embarrassing, but Kurt looked so upset, she thought she should open up just this once. "I'd give you the shirt off my back." Kurt's expression shifted. His gaze dropped again and he began to smile, properly this time.

"What? Like, right now?" He tucked his fingers under the hem of her T-shirt, brushing his thumb along the bottom of her spine. Peggy scoffed but let him pull her shirt further and further up her back until she could feel him toying with her bra.

"When did you get so cheeky?" She said, half-heartedly swatting him away. Kurt laughed as he leaned back, pulling Peggy closer until she was practically on top of him. She smoothed her hand up his chest so that she could cup his cheek. "I'd be an idiot to ever say goodbye to you, Kurt." She smiled and he returned it, his chest rising and falling in time with her own.

"I love you." Kurt murmured, marvelling at how easily the words fell from his lips. They didn't say it to each other often, neither of them really went in for lovey-dovey romantics, but that didn't make the feeling any less real. Kurt brushed some of Peggy's hair behind her ear, his hand lingering close to her cheek. "I've loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you."

"Oh, yeah?" Peggy raised her eyebrows, clearly not believing him. Kurt raised his eyebrows right back, always ready to meet a challenge.

"It was raining." He spoke quietly as his mind drifted back six months. "It was raining the first time I saw you. You were walking up to the school." Peggy's cocky smile slowly faded as she realised he wasn't joking. Kurt had never mentioned anything about seeing her before they were introduced. He grinned at her surprised expression. "My heart sang at the sight of you and it hasn't stopped since." Now it was Peggy's turn to look dumbfounded. After a moment of stunned silence, she shook her head.

"Bloody hell, Kurt." She muttered before kissing him hard, her hands on either side of his face. Peggy tried to get her knees underneath her so that she could move closer but she teetered dangerously close to the edge of the bed. Luckily Kurt caught her before she fell, laughing at the panicked look on her face as he pulled her close.

"That was good, ja? Very romantic?"

"Oh, it was like poetry." Peggy rolled her eyes as she regained her balance. "How long have you been planning that one then?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"Two weeks."

"You muppet."

"Scott." Jean's voice was low and grave but she was smiling. She was sat on the floor of the gym, her homework fanning out around her like a blanket of snow. She was supposed to be double-checking her English essay for any spelling mistakes but her friends were being very distracting, as per usual.

"I'm fine." Scott tried to sound confident but his voice wobbled when he did. He was sitting on one of the highest bars of the climbing apparatus. He gripped the metal bar so tight that his knuckles had turned white but he'd still managed to lose his balance.

On the highest bar, not far from him, Kurt was far more comfortable. Jean thought he looked like a leopard sleeping in a tree. He lounged across the bar, his tail coiled around it to keep his balance. Below him, Ororo had her legs hooked through one of the metal rings, her chin resting on her arms. When Scott wobbled again, she laughed at the alarmed look on his face.

"You're going to hurt yourself."

"I'm fine, Jean."

"Ororo?" At the sound of her name, Ororo sighed and unlooped her body from the metal ring.

"I've got him." She began to make her way over to Scott, navigating the climbing frame with ease.

"I'm fine, you guys!" Scott protested. He raised one hand, forgetting that he didn't quite have his balance, and immediately began to sway. He cried out and before Ororo could reach him, he fell backwards off the bar. Thankfully Scott hadn't been far off the ground but he still landed on the rubber mats with an indignant 'oof'. Jean raised her eyebrows.

"You okay, Scott?" She got a lot of swearing and grumbling in response, so she knew he was absolutely fine. The gym door opened and Peggy came hurrying over. It was the first day of school and their timetables had all swapped around, so they didn't have the same free periods that they used to. That meant Peggy had to run all the way from her Latin class on the top floor to meet her friends for lunch.

When she saw Scott lying in a heap, she didn't question it, though she did grin when she met Kurt's eyes. He greeted her with his usual zeal as he unwrapped his tail from the bar. He let himself slide lazily over the edge but caught himself again before he could get too far, hanging more than six feet off the ground and swinging gently from his tail.

"Wow, look at you, eh!" Peggy laughed as she sat down beside Jean on the mats. Jubilee would be with them soon and then they would go get some lunch, but she was tired from all the stairs and couldn't wait to sit down and get her breath back. "Did I see you at this year's Olympics?" Kurt scoffed as he swung himself forwards and back, building up enough momentum so that he could grab onto the bars.

"You just want to see me in those little shorts." Peggy shrugged.

"You said it, not me." Kurt chuckled as he span around the bar twice before landing gracefully on his feet. He wasn't very athletic but PE had quickly become one of his favourite subjects as this term, they were doing gymnastics and this was something Kurt excelled at. The door to the gym opened again but unlike Peggy, who'd made herself very comfortable, Jubilee only poked her head through.

"C'mon, you guys!" She waved excitedly, making even Scott look up from his defeated slouch on the floor. "They've got pie in the cafeteria!" They were all out of the door in moments, Jean bringing up the rear after she only just about managed to shove all her homework back into her bag.

Jubilee was right, there was pie. The cafeteria was packed with kids but they managed to battle their way to the queue with little to no mishaps. Once everyone had grabbed their lunch, their dessert, and Scott had gone back for seconds, they wandered out into the gardens. Just as they planned, Annie and Nancy met them as they were going out of the door.

Scott and Annie got together over the summer, so luckily by the time everyone was back together, they were over the excessive PDA stage of their relationship. Annie tucked her arm through Scott's by way of a greeting, slipping into the group's rowdy cake versus pie argument with ease. They all sat beneath their tree, briefly considering how little room they had now compared to just a few months ago. Their little group had certainly grown.

"I saw you and Kurt at the mall the other day. You guys are adorable." Annie said to Peggy once they had all settled. Beside her, Jubilee snorted, always entertained by people's reactions to Kurt and Peggy's relationship.

"So I've been told." She looked over at her boyfriend. He was listening intently to a story Nancy was telling. Peggy smiled to herself and returned her attention to her lunch.

"Just messing with ya." Annie chucked one of her chips over to Peggy by way of an apology which she gladly accepted. "But you are a nice fit. I see you staying together for a long time."

"Well, let's not jinx it." Peggy laughed as she passed Annie one of her own chips, just to make it a fair trade. She thought that's where the conversation might end but Annie was still grinning.

"I hear church bells." She sang. "The pitter-patter of tiny, blue feet." Peggy could feel her face starting to go red but she laughed it off, trying to act as if she wasn't embarrassed at all. She stole back one of Annie's chips, ignoring her complaints.

"Shut up, you nutter." Peggy glanced at Kurt to make sure he hadn't overheard them. Thankfully he was laughing at something Ororo was saying. Jubilee saw the expression on her face and shared a knowing smile with Annie.

"You're not gonna frighten him off." She said, taking a nonchalant sip of her drink. "He'd probably marry you today if you asked." Peggy snorted, turning back around to face her friends.

"Exactly. I don't want you giving him any ideas." She muttered, making the girls laugh.

The bell rang at last, marking the end of lunch. They all groaned on cue, already begrudging their upcoming lessons despite only having been back at school for four hours. The group gathered up their bags and empty food cartons and began to slowly make their way up the winding path to the mansion.

Kurt announced he had to rush off because he had an induction with a new student and her parents and he couldn't be late. It was usual for older students to show new arrivals around, Peggy herself had been given the tour by a girl in the year above them.

Kurt kissed her quickly on each cheek, squeezing her hand in his before he turned and hurried around to the front of the school, once again forgetting his mutation in his hurry. Peggy watched him run off with a fond smile. She and Jubilee had a free period together now, so Kurt was going to "accidentally" bump into them "studying" on his tour.

She was looking forward to an hour of peace in the common room but Peggy couldn't shake what Annie had said. She and Jubilee were at the back of their group so she thought it was safe to bring it up. Her friends were always so rowdy anyway, there was no way they'd be overheard with all their racket.

"That was nice of Annie to say that stuff." She said, choosing her words carefully. "Mad, though, don't you think? Me and Kurt getting married?"

"Well, if Annie saw it." Jubilee shrugged, clearly not as bothered by it as she was. Peggy frowned, not completely sure she understood what she meant by that.

"Saw it? Saw what?"

"She said she saw it." Jubilee repeated, beginning to get a little confused herself. Then something clicked in her head. "You don't know about her mutation?" Peggy was beyond baffled now.

"Yeah. Light manipulation, she said." Jubilee began to smile.

"Her other mutation."

"What other mutation?" They reached the school steps and Peggy put a hand on Jubilee's arm to stop her before she went inside. They waved to their friends who were all still arguing, about what they didn't know, but it was probably something ridiculous. When they were alone, Jubilee leaned back against the mansion doors.

"She's kinda... Zoltar, you know?"

"What're you on about?"

"Sometimes she sees into the future. Only glimpses, really, but Hank's pretty psyched." At last, Peggy finally began to understand. When she asked Annie about her mutation, she demonstrated her fascinating ability by making the cafeteria lights dim with just a flick of her wrist. Peggy couldn't remember her saying anything about any other powers.

She voiced her thoughts and Jubilee nodded understandingly. "Annie doesn't like to tell people. She's worried someone might force her to do it or that she'll see something she doesn't wanna see." Peggy nodded, that made sense. It was still a dangerous time to be a mutant and Annie had extraordinary power, it must be terrifying to think that- Wait. Peggy stared at Jubilee, her eyes suddenly very wide.

"Hang on… So when she said... About me and Kurt being... And that we would have..." She tried to make sense of her jumbled thoughts but they came tumbling out in one big incoherent mess. Fortunately for Peggy, Jubilee understood exactly what she was trying to ask.

She nodded slowly, a slow smile beginning to appear on her face. Peggy could feel her heart thudding against her ribs and she couldn't seem to close her gaping mouth. "Bloody hell." She whispered at last, beginning to smile too.

It was only when Kurt got to the front door of the mansion that he remembered his mutation. He swore under his breath, disappointed in himself for getting flustered again. He teleported to the front gates, right at the feet of Francisco. He greeted his boss' family with enthusiasm, shaking Francisco's hand and talking a mile a minute about how excited he was to show them around.

Then Kurt spotted the young girl hiding behind her mother, eyeing him cautiously. He'd never met Elena but he'd certainly heard a lot about her. She didn't look afraid, just nervous, which was understandable. The Xavier Institute was a formidable looking place from the outside but easy to navigate with your friends by your side. Kurt smiled at Elena and introduced himself. She still looked uneasy so he pointed at one of the many glossy badges that bloomed on her denim jacket.

"You like Queen?" Of course Francisco's daughter would love music, she'd grown up in the record shop Kurt worked in. Elena nodded, already beginning to brighten up now that the conversation had turned to something familiar. Kurt grinned and gestured for them to follow him down the gravel path back to his home. "Come with me. I know a girl with a wicked Freddie Mercury impression."

The End