In which Scott is pure
The kids all scrunch in the back of the car together, Bobby quite literally on top of Scott and Warren’s arm around the back of the seat. Illyana looks back at them while Kitty handles looking at the road. “Right then, children. A few things. One: Neither of us are, well, experienced at parenting, so don’t expect us to be completely adjusted to it at first. Two: ou don’t disrespect us, we’ll respect you. Three: Pronouns?”
“Oh my God, Illyana, we are the token gay parents aren’t we?”
“No, it’s okay.” Jean pipes up. “Mine are she/her.”
“He/him.” Scott mutters, and Bobby finishes him off with “And you better respect him, too!”
“Okay then. What about you two?”
“We both use he/him.” Hank says, motioning to himself and Bobby.
Warren stays quiet.
“Right then. Second, and this was all my idea, we are going shopping.” Kitty says, while Illyana makes a face. Jean and Warren smile at that, while Scott sinks further into his seat.
They arrive at the mall and Warren drags Scott out, smiling, with Bobby running out after him “So where do you want to go first?”
“Forever 21!” Jean and Warren chorus.
“Gamestop!” Bobby squeals.
“Newbury Comics?” Scott says, shrugging, while Hank has his face buried in a book.
In the end, they go to Gamestop, Bobby running and skidding like a dork, dragging Hank along. As celebration, he gets Call of Duty to go with the Playstation all ready at the adult’s house. Kitty thinks it’s adorable. Jean and Warren also drag the other three into a few clothes shops, getting Hank some polo shirts, Bobby a new t shirt, and Scott a hoodie.
“They’re crazy.” Bobby whispers, fondly watching his older siblings laugh as they manage to get Scott something he likes.
The last place they stop is a hair salon. Jea whooshes in an informs the shop runner that “My brothers need haircuts, please, and can you put that on my tab?” and before KItty knows it Bobby’s sporting a choppy blue-dyed head and Scott’s smiling ear to ear and he feels the buzzed ends of his hair.
Warren and Jean are very proud of themselves.
When they make it home, Bobby takes Hank and Warren to explore the house with Illyana, while Jean and Scott seem to be discussing something. It goes on for a few minutes until Scott turns to Kitty.
“Look, Mrs. Pryde-Rasputina-”
“You can call me Kitty.”
“Well, look, Kitty, no more games.”
“Huh?”
“Are you planning on hurting Bobby?”
“What?”
“Are you planning on hurting any of us?” Scott says, pointing a finger at Kitty’s chest.
“Scott, calm down-” Jean starts, but Scott interrupts.
“Are you going to?”
“No! No way in hell! Why? Did we say something?”
“Scott, I think we should leave it alone…” Jean says, grabbing his arm.
“We did that the last time, Jean, look how well that worked out!”
“Look, guys- can we sit down and talk about this? The others will be busy for a while.”
They end up going into an extra room, and Kitty sits on the floor. “A few things: I’m never going to lay a hand on you. Neither will Illyana. Okay?”
“Yes.”
“Second: who did? Because I am going to lawsuit them so hard-”
“No, it was no one, we swear.”
Kitty decides not to pry.
“Right.”
“One more thing.” Jean says.
“Yeah?”
“What- what are we going to have to do?”
“Like chores?”
“Yeah, like- to eat, I guess? What do we have to do to prove our worth?”
Kitty nearly breaks at that, but she keeps on a straight face. “What? Nothing. You guys will get food whenever- though mind you, Illyana’s the cook around here- but you’ll have to clean your room and stuff.”
“Oh.” Scott says, looking surprised.
“Look, me and Illyana adopted you guys because we wanted kids, and you guys seemed really awesome. Let’s be real, I mean, I’m not experienced in motherhood at all, but I’m going to try, I swear.”
“Hey, Kitty?”
“Yeah?
“Thanks.”
Scott still seemed pretty on edge, but he was kind of busy laughing about his sibling's antics at dinner (take out) for Kitty to worry too much about it. Illyana and the other boys seemed to have bonded very closely, with Bobby happily telling Scott and Jean about the many rooms in the house (“Illyana says we can have our own rooms, but I think all five of us could share this really cool one I found. What do it think? The bed’s big enough and it's not too hot in there, so it's basically perfect!”) and Warren and Hank nodding along. Kitty was slightly envious, but she was happy her wife seemed to be having such a good time.
The kids turn in for the night at about 10, after Bobby shows Scott and Jean their new room and Illyana passes out on the couch.
Kitty’s the last one up after moving Illyana to their bed, and she decides to check on the kids.
Bobby’s smack dab in the center of the five of them, with Hank and Warren on one side of him and Scott and Jean on the other. Jean has her arms around Bobby’s torso and Scott sitting up next to them, apparently still awake. He motioned for Kitty to follow him and then walked outside.
“Yeah?” She asks.
“Sorry to ask this, but do you have some ace bandages I can borrow?”
“Uh, yeah, we’ve got some in the bathroom.... Why?”
Scott peered at his shoes.
“Oh, God, Scott, please tell me you aren’t- you bind with ace bandages?”
He looked up, shocked. “How do you- how do you know I’m trans?”
“Well, your brother yelled about respecting your pronouns, and that social worker told me.”
“Oh.” He says, dismayed. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, kid. Illyana’s non-bianary herself- just prefers she/her pronouns. So it’s not as if I care. But you bind with ace bandages?”
“Yeah- it’s the only stuff we had.”
“Scott, come wit me, right now. We’re going and getting you out of those, and then I’m going to find you a proper binder.”
“Huh?”
“Kid, you’re under my roof now. And one of the rules of my house is no binding with those god damn bandages.”
Scott sheepishly follows Kitty to the bathroom, and she waits for him to cut off his bandages as she rummages around a dra. “Ahah!” She cries, pulling out a binder. “It’s ‘Yana’s but she won’t mind you borrowing it.”
He stares at her, speechless, before taking the binder, pulling it on, and awkwardly grabs Kitty into a hug before running out.
She follows him and sees Scott shaking Jean’s shoulders, then Bobby’s, then Warren’s, then finally Hank’s.
“What the-”
“Guys! Mrs. Pry- I mean Kitty gave me a binder! A real actual binder!”
“No way!” bobby says, boling up. “Does it fit right? Is it nice? Does it hurt?”
“Yeah, it fits! How do I look?”
“Like a dude.” Jean says. “And I mean, like, more like a dude than normal. Scott goddamn Summers, newly minted binder owner.” She says, smiling and punching him lightly on the arm.
Scott is beaming and Hank is checking the properties of the binder when Kitty closes the door.