Summer grins. “That’s sweet. Honey, I turned thirty-three a few months ago.”
[ ❧ ─ “Really? You don’t look it, Summer.”
“Believe me, I know.” She shrugged. “I go by what my grandfather always said, you’re only as old as you feel. Most days I’m about five, I think.”
“Well, look. How old do you think I am?”
[ ❧ ─ Don’t say the wrong thing. “In your twenties, right? At most, I think.”
Summer grins. “That’s sweet. Honey, I turned thirty-three a few months ago.”
She chuckled, a little sadly. “It really is just that, memories. I see so far into other people, it’s hard to remind myself that others don’t see what I see. And you guys … make me feel old.”
[ ❧ ─ “Really?” Blinking in slight confusion, Xavier let his gaze drift down to the floor.
“Well, look. How old do you think I am?”
“Just — memories.” She shook her head, dislodging a hair clip. “You don’t need me to load you down with all that.” One hand untangled the clip from the knots of hair, spilling it down over her shoulder.
[ ❧ ─ “Summer, if you listened to all of my problems then I can listen to yours. If you want to talk about it, that is. I wouldn’t want to push.”
She chuckled, a little sadly. “It really is just that, memories. I see so far into other people, it’s hard to remind myself that others don’t see what I see. And you guys … make me feel old.”
“Why ‘you of all people’? Look, it doesn’t even matter if he takes you up on it — what matters is offering. If this is someone you care about, then you let them know, and the rest is in their hands.” Summer’s expression went distant. “You can’t save people from their own pain, all you can do is hold their hands if they let you.”
[ ❧ ─ Instead of answering the question he received, Xavier just nodded and gave another smile before he noticed the look on her face and spoke up on it. “Are you alright, Summer?”
“Just — memories.” She shook her head, dislodging a hair clip. “You don’t need me to load you down with all that.” One hand untangled the clip from the knots of hair, spilling it down over her shoulder.
“Oh, good grief.” She shook her head. “You should definitely be there for him. Trust me, I’ve been there too. Just letting people know that you are there if they want you, it can make a huge difference.” She thought about the number of times when that was /all/ she could do. Sometimes, being an empath sucked; she was capable of just fixing people, but knew that in the long run that it wasn’t going to be a real solution. People had to find their own strength.
“I doubt he’ll open the door to me, Summer. Especially me of all people.” Xavier shook his head but then sighed afterwards. “Yeah, but… I’ll try anyway. You’re probably right.” Full of wisdom wasn’t she?
“Why ‘you of all people’? Look, it doesn’t even matter if he takes you up on it — what matters is offering. If this is someone you care about, then you let them know, and the rest is in their hands.” Summer’s expression went distant. “You can’t save people from their own pain, all you can do is hold their hands if they let you.”
“Oh, no!” An embarrassed laugh turned into a cough. “What’s going on? Is she going to be okay?” She shook him a little bit. “You just have too much emotional stuff going on in your life! Poor Xavier.”
“Tried to commit suicide,” he pursed his lips but gave a slight smile, a mere tilt of the corner of his lips. “Not my sister, his. I helped him bring her to the hospital but… He’s been quiet since then.”
“Oh, good grief.” She shook her head. “You should definitely be there for him. Trust me, I’ve been there too. Just letting people know that you are there if they want you, it can make a huge difference.” She thought about the number of times when that was /all/ she could do. Sometimes, being an empath sucked; she was capable of just fixing people, but knew that in the long run that it wasn’t going to be a real solution. People had to find their own strength.
She gets up and goes over to him, putting an arm around his shoulders and hugging. “I’m glad to help. You better tell me how it goes, though, I’m going to be eaten up with curiosity!” Smiling into his eyes, she goes on, “I assure you, from the perspective of my vast age, even a little time with someone you care about is worth it.”
[ ❧ ─ ”Thanks a bunch, Summer. Don’t think you know how much you’ve helped me out here.” He returned the hug happily, features alighting with a smile of his own. “I’ll probably tell him all of that later, though. Ehm, sisters in the hospital.”
“Oh, no!” An embarrassed laugh turned into a cough. “What’s going on? Is she going to be okay?” She shook him a little bit. “You just have too much emotional stuff going on in your life! Poor Xavier.”
“Well, look, I don’t know — I’m not — ” Summer clears her throat. “Without talking to Tony, I don’t know for sure that he likes you,” a partial truth at best, but using her gift by rummaging around in people’s lives is not — it’s just not okay, really, “but it wouldn’t surprise me. People do that. They think they’ve gone too far, committed too much, and they pull back. He’s probably afraid of hurting you. But if you want him, if you want this, you need to put that out there. It’ll always hurt worse not knowing.”
[ ❧ ─ “I… thanks, Summer.” Xavier gave the other a grateful smile. So it was possible that Tony liked him then? After all, he was the one who told the younger boy to stay away for a while. Just until he was ready to talk to him again, of course. “I’ll – I’ll do that, promise.”
She gets up and goes over to him, putting an arm around his shoulders and hugging. “I’m glad to help. You better tell me how it goes, though, I’m going to be eaten up with curiosity!” Smiling into his eyes, she goes on, “I assure you, from the perspective of my vast age, even a little time with someone you care about is worth it.”
” — well, no, you don’t really get to know who your neighbours are before you move in, Sam!” Summer laughs. “But I lucked out. I seem to have landed in a whole group of kindred spirits, it’s just a shame most of them are already paired off to each other. Seriously, it’s like incest or something.”
The people on the other side of the voice chat speak, and she grins and laughs again. “Fine, fine, I won’t use that word. But there are a lot of cute people here and I can’t touch! Merlin and Mordred are together, and let me tell you, I would be in that sandwich in a heartbeat. /Doc/ would be in that sandwich. I’m pretty sure Tony and Xavier are going out, too.” She sighs. “Yeah, I know, but there is one straight couple! … are you serious? I would go out with any of them in a heartbeat. Aithusa, Arthur — maybe not Sherlock. I’m not sure Sherlock has a libido.”