At The Op-Shop

A little drabble. I based it on an Animorphs book – #24, The Suspicion. It said '…picking my way over hairless Barbies and headless X-Men'. Because I am obsessed with XME, the instant I saw the words 'X-Men' I thought of them. I wondered what would happen if an X-Men visited that same shop.

Not meant to have any Kurtty romance, just friendship, but if you want to think it's romantic, go ahead.

Kurt stepped into the store, hologram on. It was Kitty's birthday tomorrow but he'd clean forgotten. He had to get her a present.

He also didn't want to get her anything unoriginal. What would she like? The op-shop was hopefully going to be a good idea – it had plenty of good stuff in it.

He hadn't been to this one before – actually, Kurt hadn't even known Bayville had an op-shop. But who cared?

There was a clerk at the store, reading a book at the desk. Kurt couldn't see what it was – some sci-fi thing with an alien space-ship on the front.

"Um, excuse me?"

The clerk looked up. "What?"

"Vhere vould I be able to find a present for a sixteen year old girl around here?"

The clerk shrugged. "That depends – what does she like?"

"Uh – it's complicated. I guess some jewellery or someving." Kurt said.

"There's some stuff in the back." The clerk pointed. "You might be able to find something back there."

"Sank you." Kurt hurried off, hoping.

There!

Kurt's fingers curled around the necklace. It was really quite beautiful – and pink charm with green swirls around it. Kurt checked the price-tag. Two dollars fifty. He hoped Kitty would like it.

He pulled it out. It caught on something and the something clattered to the ground.

"Great." Kurt held the necklace in his hand and reached down to pick up whatever he had dropped. It was an action figure.

"Okay. Zat's weird." Kurt said, looking at the figure. It was wearing something like an x-man costume. With the white streak in her hair, the figurine looked weirdly like… Rogue.

Kurt shook his head and placed the Rogue-like figure onto the shelf again. Then he glanced at the other action figures next to it.

Was that meant to be… Scott?

Kurt's fingers curled around the toy. The figure had a visor just like Scott was when fighting, and his hand was on the switch as if to shoot Kurt.

He put the figure back, and looked over the rest. There was a girl with long red hair – she had a striking resemblance to Jean. And was that boy meant to be Bobby?

Kurt wondered if he should also get Kitty the Kitty-like doll.

Nah.

He started to walk to the counter when one more caught his eye. He grabbed the figurine and looked at it.

Side-burns, weird sticky-up bits of hair, yellow uniform – and most noticeably, three long claws shooting out of each hand. Yep, this was Wolverine alright.

"This is beginning to… huh?"

Behind the Wolverine one had been another. Kurt replaced the Logan-like figure and pulled the last one out.

Red uniform, blue fur, three fingers, yellow eyes tail… this was a Nightcrawler one. It was unmistakeable.

"Zat's just too freaky." Kurt shakily replaced the figurine. He wondered for a second if he should buy them to show the others.

No. That Nightcrawler one freaked him out. The others would probably feel the same way about seeing themselves in figurine form.

Kurt brought Kitty's necklace and left the building, hurrying fast. He reached a hidden place to teleport, just hidden around the corner.

Kurt glanced back around at the op-shop.

Or tried to. It had vanished. All that remained was a smoky sort of mist.

He swallowed. "Okay zen." Kurt slowly shook his head, stunned. Had he imagined it all?

Bamf!

He arrived back at the institute's gates. Then he teleported again and arrived in his bedroom. He dropped the necklace on his bed "Okay, I am going crazy." Kurt said. "But at least I'm… wait, what?"

He turned back to the necklace.

Kurt swallowed. He'd seen a lot of weird stuff, but a disappearing shop that had figurines of the X-Men in them was one of the weirdest.

Then he shrugged and started looking for some wrapping paper.

R&R Peoples!