"Please don't do this." Kurt said. He sounded so dejected and sad and it broke Peters heart.
"Do what, Kurt?" He said.
"Don't pretend that you care Peter."
"Wha-No, where did that come from? Kurt?" He ran around to look him in the eye and, just before he teleported away, Peter saw the tears in his yellow eyes.
He had been running around the institute for a couple of minutes before he ran into Scott and Jean.
"Have either of you seen Kurt in the last," He looked at his watch, "Five minutes?" He looked panicked and scared to Scott and Jean knew why.
"I think he's in the attic, do you know wh-" but she didn't finish her question before the silver haired boy was gone. "C'mon Scott we should help."
"Jean what on earth is going on?"
Jean just started to pull him up the stairs towards the shared room of Jubilee and Ororo.
Peter burst onto the roof calling Kurt's name. "Kurt?" He started walking towards the hunched shape that was leaning against the attic wall. "Kurt?" The shape didn't respond. Peter walked a little bit closer until he was kneeling in front of the shape that he now knew to be Kurt. He was crying silently into his sleeve.
"Why are you even here? You don't care." Peter was shocked that his friend could ever think that about him, especially considering how he really felt about him.
"Why would you care? I'm just the annoying blue mutant who gets in the way." He sniffled again as he said that.
"Where the fuck did you get the idea that I don't care. Where did you get any of this? Did someone say this to you?" Peter started to bristle a little at the thought that someone has said these things to sweet little Kurt. He didn't think it was possible for anyone to dislike Kurt.
Kurt just buried his head further into his jacket.
"C'mere." Peter said, cuddling into Kurt's side and wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. "Tell me what happened."
Kurt sniffled one more time before he started speaking softly into Peters chest, where he was now leaning.
"I-I was wa-walking towards," He stopped and composed himself slightly before hiccuping on. "I was walking along the pathway towards the main entrance when I heard- I heard someone speaking, I don't really know who it was, but they were saying-" He stopped and hiccuped a little before more tears fell down his face. Peter wondered if it would be okay for him to wipe them off his face but before he could stop himself he reached forward and cradled his head, wiping the tears from his cheeks.
"It's okay Kurt. It's okay. I lo-" He stopped himself before changing his sentence a little. "We love you, me, Jubilee, Jean, Scott, Ororo. And we don't think you're annoying or you get in the way or anything. You are perfect Kurt. Don't listen to anything anyone says about you."
"We agree completely with everything Peter's saying Kurt." Peter hadn't even noticed Jean and the others come in, he was to focused on the mutant leaning against his chest.
"Really? You don't think I'm annoying? You care?" The remains of Peters shattered heart were crushed to dust at the surprise in Kurt's voice. Peter subtly started to wipe his eyes before anyone noticed his own tears at the way his friend was feeling. But you can't hide anything from Jean. She smiled to him and then reached for his hand as Jubilee reached for Kurt's and the two boys were lifted to their feet.
"C'mon guys, let's go get some fresh air." Storm said as she lead the way down the many steps to the ground floor and carried on out into a sun lit courtyard. Jubilee, Ororo and Scott went ahead with Kurt, cheering him up, but Jean and Peter lagged behind slightly. "I know how you feel about him." Jean started.
"I know that you know how I feel about him." Peter was hoping to confuse Jean with his fast talking and a bit of a tongue twister but she was not deterred.
"We all know."
"What? How? I'm like the most subtle person here God." He said with a slight bit of sarcasm. He knew he was obvious. Luckily Kurt was oblivious.
"You should tell him." She said.
"I might, someday, but not now." He replied. He looked towards the friends in front of him and smiled when he saw Kurt look around and smile at him. There was still some evidence of his upset in the way that he was acting but he still managed to turn and smile at Peter. Someday he thought to himself, someday.