Midnight Hour

Midnight hour

Kurt Wagnerx reader (3.5k) a fix-it fic of sorts

You had always admired Kurt, admired his bravery and kindness even in the face of terrible obstacles, in a world that has never required you to prove yourself you must pay the price someday, Genosha's midnight hour has arrived.

A chilling whisper on the Wind, your gift was never apparent to the naked eye and it will never be, not in any way that matters.

In this world you are the only thing that matters, it seems, the clock will never strike it’s midnight hour for you, and you know it, did the others know? did he know? That this beautiful place could become hell in just a few moments or better yet, just one moment.

11:58PM

Your happy nation. It was never meant to be.

Something’s off

And it takes you forever to notice, forever, you could stay here forever.

That is your gift, eternity, once upon a time the man your friends called "the professor" came to you, he knew you were a mutant, only he and you could tell for some reason. Your mutation was never apparent, no moving objects with your mind, no extra appendages and no deadly rays coming from your hands or eyes, nothing.

It was in your 16th birthday that you realized then, the day of your birth, the day of your parent’s death, both of them in one fell swoop and you thought that you were about to join them but you were still there, suspended, mid-crash.

That is your mutation, time is always by your side, your only ally after your parents died and before Kurt came along to change your mind, Kurt was never priviledged like you, many would say he got the short end of the stick on his mutation while you were able to live normally, blissfully ignorant of the trials mutants faced, and you regret it now, regret of not even thinking of putting your gift to good use before. You could’ve stopped this, if time were truly on your side.

But i’ts not.

Something’s off

You should by all means be dead, the sentinel’s deadly ray would’ve reduced you to dust, but it didn’t and it never will, still it doesn’t mean it won’t hurt, it hurts and blisters your skin like nothing you’ve ever felt before and still you won’t die, you’ll live, The timemaker demands it. And these poor people, Madelyne, Dazzler, Anna, Katie and poor Kurt, you hope he’s made it or that he’ll make it before you get out. You stay suspended for a few moments, mid explosion, frozen, like a painting on some rich person’s wall, one with a penchant for tragedy that is, before you summon the willpower to actually get your feet on the ground and run towards the exit by the dancefloor, you see Anna and try to pull her with you, so heavy, like a stone in your arms when you try to pull her away, she’ll make it, she’s Strong.

You see Madelyne for the last time that day, you cannot save her, it would be like pulling the Mona Lisa out of its painting with your bare hands, impossible, every time you try to put your hands on anyone at that tragic scene, a chill runs through you like the timemaker himself telling you no, its a dreadful sensation that shocks you every time.

You don’t see Kurt, The first time you’ve seen him was not on genosha, it was a long time ago while you were still wandering the Earth and doing reckless things just to test yourself, you weren’t scared for yourself but he was, he saved you, saved you from even needing to start using your gift that day regardless of the possibility of you hating him just for being how he is, but you could never hate him, you loved him, loved him for having an open heart in spite of what this world did to him, he said things would be better for you both on Genosha and you believed him like always, and now look at you, Goddamit. But you still looked for him, looked until you found him on that crumbling rooftop and making your way down again, he wasn’t hit, Thank God.

His prayers really pay off more often than not.

So now you’re out, you see the terrible mechanical beast still howling after firing off that first shot, and you feel the Wind, hear the whistle all around you and see those poor souls reaching out to the sky for the last time. You stand and just observe it, powerless, your head feels like a terrible weight on your body.

Kurt is there to pull you away towards the rooftop garden, he’s always thinking of you first, that sweet fool.

"Liebling, you’re okay! you are..." Kurt’s concerned gaze is on you even before the trip is done to the rooftop, but then oddly enough he pulls away and takes a step back "what have they done to you? What is this?" You don’t feel hurt, you were hurting under the sentinel’s ray but now, nothing, until you look down and see yourself on the left side, skin partially peeled off around the charred remains of your prettiest dress and on the rest of your body a slightly green hue, as if the sentinel has corrupted you somehow, time’s twisted painting.

"I’ll be fine, go! Save as many as you can!" He’s still looking at you, hesitating, hands up as he’s about to touch you but can’t, reminds you of Rogue that way, these two can be birds of a feather sometimes "Go Kurt, they need you" these few seconds feel like hours to you, as happy as you are that he’s okay, hesitance will only bring regret.

"Go, we’ll save what we can" that’s when you see Remy waving and jogging in the direction of you both "go be a hero".

He glances at you one last time before disappearing in a cloud and leaving you in the care of Remy, But tonight you can see it, something in him has changed and he’s more Gambit than Remy right now.

"How many are there?" you turn back and meet him halfway, Gambit’s dark stare meets yours and he just shakes his head, already defeated "too many to count"

The ground shakes once that thing fires again, like some terrible and repulsive insect crawling around your home and destroying everything in its path, you feel the Wind and the world is peaceful once more, at least for you as you run your hands over your left arm, it’s as smooth as it’s ever been, the dress too is back to how it was. Like none of it has ever happened, you are still untouched by the carnage.

So you can go out there, that’s your conclusion. All the years wasting away wondering what you could have done with yourself, whispered confessions to your lover under the sheets of how you wanted to be more like him, brave and kind like his X-men friends, and Kurt always knew what to say, you might have not saved anyone physically he said, but you’ve saved him, saved him from his loneliness, he’s the best of them in your eyes, and this time you will be more like him. You turn back to Gambit, frozen, of course. But you’re not dying, far from it, you’re supposed to be dead, but now more alive than ever.

You reach out to him and the sentinel fires again before Kurt rolls back into the Garden, it’s devastating to see him like this but you somehow know he is alive, blistered, bruised and bleeding but still alive, there are others kneeling right by your side, Gambit and Magneto together with Rogue. They’re speaking but you don’t hear a thing over the ringing in your ears.

Your wedding was a simple affair, too simple, neither of you had any desire to share it with others, at a monestary’s chapel under the moonlight you and Kurt said your vows and you promised to keep him in your heart for the rest of your life, if you could choose a gift it would be that, to make it so your lover would be safe tucked away right between your palms, in your kiss, in your heart.

Perhaps it is true that Magneto was right, you never paid him much mind, never had any problems of that sort due to being so ordinary, and his reputation was never positive with Kurt anyway, but that’s the phrase you heard on the streets "Magneto was right" even the children were saying it, and this was the reason.

If anyone can figure out how to stop this thing it’s you, you can feel it in your bones, as many times as it fires at you it won’t kill you anyway, and the pain of it burning your skin is nothing compared to the pain of your regret.

"Save as many as you can, we shall not live our days wondering if we could have saved more!" And its your turn to say Magneto’s right, it didn’t take any convincing from you for Gambit to let you go with him, he’s seen you heal like your burns were nothing, and you both nod at each other before mounting the bike.

The streets are more than chaotic, Genosha is truly hell on Earth for you at this moment but There is only one escape, and its not for you.

Rogue and Gambit are there, brilliant, so much you wonder how is it possible that you don’t see them in the News every day, how can the X-men be so underrated for a lack of better word? They’ve saved the world countless times, Kurt has told you so, but seeing it with your own eyes is a whole other story, you have always lived in a world where the word “hero” is used every day like it’s mundane, but they are as heroic as you've imagine them to be, they ARE heroes, and you are unsure if you could ever measure up to that.

The effect of the rays the smaller Sentinels shoot at your people are unsubtle to say the least, death, quick but not painless death, this is what the X-men have been fighting every day, painful fiery death given two legs and a horrific voice. It’s coming towards you, and you see it, Gambit’s hair is no longer blowing back with the Wind, you know what you should do, what you are meant to do. That thing would have hit Gambit before it got to you, if you hadn’t reached out your hand in front of him.

You know what you should do, its centimeters from your hand and it will hit you before erasing Remy from existence in a fiery blast.

You know what to do, and you will, this is your gift.

You reach out.

The timemaker demands it. Doesn’t mean it hurts any less.

It consumes you, until you’re nothing, fearless but still burning.

The moment lasts forever until

"Holy, i’m... Gambit’ll make sure to avoid it mon ami, that does not look like it’s any fun" and it’s so like him to joke about this situation, it brings you back. The Wind is cool and soothing against your body and you can almost forget all about it, the only reminder of your ‘’death’’ is the tremble and rattle of your skeleton, like the sentinel’s energy is still coursing through your body.

“It’s fine, i’ll be fine” You avoid Rogue’s concerned stare, she averts her gaze from Magneto for a moment to look back at you "We’ll just have to keep that one from the furball, i reckon’ he’d be freaking out about it right now" and it’s a good idea, you might have even answered it, but Magneto crashes through another building and redirects all your attention back to the fight between him and the sentinel, between him and Genosha’s doom.

You know you should be looking for the Moorlocks, that is the whole reason you are here, to take away their pain if needed. But all the destruction is disorienting.

Magneto beats it over and over again, he’s pulling on anything and everything he can, you can see the sentinel bend but not break. And the moment just stretches on and on before Gambit runs out of the building with those kids. And after that, well, its all over.

"OMEGA LEVEL THREAT DETECTED"

You step back violently like you could somehow run away from yourself, all of your body trembles in horror, disgust, the Sentinel’s terrible face turned towards you, towards all of you standing on the rubble of what used the be a nice and cozy plaza, You, Rogue, Gambit and the children, Magneto faces the thing, that skull, no mouth, empty eyes. You know its him, and you know he won’t resist for long.

If you could, you’d run, you’d save him. But you are just you, not a hero yet just someone who tries, a fledgeling barely out of the nest, and you are no match for the vacuum of Wind the clash between these two produce, so you just stand behind Gambit and Rogue, Stand and watch as Anna tries to save her former lover, and how the man who loves her saves her.

"Don’t you dare Erik, you hear me?" Rogue’s voice has never sounded so sad for as long as you’ve known her, your friend, she knows what’ll happen, to Erik and the others around him.

"He’s trying to protect us, Rogue." Gambit defends, even he knows that as troublesome as Magneto could be he held many others in his heart, at that moment he regrets hating the man, he can see Magneto as Erik for the first time, vulnerable, trying.

And you, you’re not in any danger, this moment does not belong to you.

Rogue breaks out of your metal cocoon, not like it would have been difficult considering its maker is gone, and Gambit goes after her as always.

As that thing turns back, you hate it, an uncontrollable urge squeezed your throat so tight you could barely breathe, an imperious desire of beating it, of breaking that face and killing that atrocious reverse of everything good.

It turns back towars the Garden, Kurt is there, your love and your friend. Your other friends as well. Your whole life, everything that’s left of you is there.

You see Gambit, you know what he can do.

You turn to him, and hold out your hand "Anything to wager on?" Remy has always been a fast thinker, its how he survives, he knows the right thing to do to keep himself at those he cares about safe, even in a situation like this he rarely slips up, he knew loving Rogue was the right thing to do from the very beginning, even if it cost him. He knew coming to Genosha was the right thing to do, he could’ve been fine on the X manor, but he is here now, and he is needed, Gambit knows what you mean, it’s terrifying, he’s never done it to another person, it’s a death sentence as far as he knows.

“Are you sure it’s what you want? Chér... this might not even work”

“Look at it Remy, we don’t have a choice, if the cards are truly in your favour, then wager that it'll work" And you’ve never really stopped to look at his eyes, they are truly something else, a gift just as special as him, you can see the hesitance, hesitance will eventually become regret.

He fixes his gaze on you, only you for the first time in the night.

“We have to Remy, we have to"

And reaches out to you.

“Gambit see your bet, and raise it” He holds you hand in a firm grip and you feel it, the heat and energy coursing through you are something else entirely.

“It’s...” Destructive, even more than that sentinel’s death ray, but it is also light, a pink and warm light, you never truly stopped to make much conversation with Gambit, its not like you see each other every day, but he is a friend to you at that moment, and you trust him.

And he trusts you.

He lets go of your hand, and you feel overwhelmed, more than in your whole life your body’s limits are tested, and time slows down to nothing, there is no melody and no whistle.

Even then it doesn’t stop, your brain feels like it could vibrate out of your skull.

You take off then, you know even someone with your gift can’t hold it in forever, you run faster than you’ve ever run before thanks to Remy, thanks to Rogue and Magneto, and to your Love, your Kurt, You would never be here if it weren’t for him.

Your heart beats fast, and you conjure up a memory, it needs to be a good one to work.

You leap up towards that impossible goliath, so so high, it’s terrifying and your heart is beating so fast. Are you going to die? Without even saying Goodbye? And is it going to be Worth it?

You’re flying, for the very first time you’re flying by yourself, your whole body feels electric, bathed in light and about to burst, and it most likely will. The sentinel has no way of reacting to you.

You must be facing it directly, but you don’t even see it, time is frozen and yet it passes by you so fast, it’s time. Gambit’s stronger than you, and his power causes strange effects you cannot describe on your body, its death, it’ll surely end up killing you at some point.

11:59PM

“CAUSE THE CARDS ALWAYS BE IN MY FAVOUR!” you hear him, and this time they are.

Gambit and rogue look up at you, you would only hear of this moment days later, Rogue had tried to fly after you when she realized, but of course, you were moving too fast for her to ever hope to catch up, they didn’t see you, only a vague silhouette emiting a warm light that bathed the ruins of your former home, like a powerful shooting star you leaped towards your goal and then, you were burning out like a real star. They held each other and watched, it felt right, might have been twisted at the time but it truly did feel right for them to be together at that moment, they knew you'd consider that a good thing.

You and Kurt spent a good part of your time together observing the stars, in the dark of the night, just the two of you no matter how cold it was, sometimes you’d both be surprised by snow or rain and Kurt would always just shrug it off and give you his coat, of course, not everyone is fuzzy like him you’d say. That’s the moment you think about, not the death and destruction, but the perfect nights spent with the perfect man.

His confession to you under the stars, it hadn’t been too long after fate had you two meet in a starry night just like this one, this was supposed to be a perfect night, and yet you had barely seen him today. He was so good to you, your hero, even before you got to know him as nightcrawler he had made a point to save you from being mugged, you knew it was a possibility walking around all by yourself, but the moment that mugger even thought about shooting, you’d disappear from his sight, not by just walking out of the alley while time was frozen, but by being pulled away by Kurt.

He had expected you to freak out and run, or to be scared or angered at him but you weren’t, you could have been, but something about him just captivated you, must have been love at first sight. And the moment you stretched out on the grass and invited him to stargaze with you, he was captivated as well.

Once for the explosion. Twice for the fall.

You are buried beneath the rubble where Goliath has fallen, takes a few hours to find you even with Anna digging around the rubble for any trace of you and Remy praying that he hasn’t killed you. Its dawn already and a crowd is forming around the crater formed by the fallen sentinel, the survivors all whispering among themselves trying to understand what is it that took that thing out, the first answer of course, its that it was the X-men, but Kurt is more concerned about your whereabouts, he’s been searching desperately from the moment he recovered consciousness, it took a while for him to find anyone who had even registered that they’ve seen you, but they told him you had been with Rogue and Gambit, and there they were, But no you.

He stands there for a minute, hesitating again, if he approached them he might just have to hear that his worst fear had come true, or not, you could be somewhere else...

Kurt swallows the lump in his throat and approaches the edge of the crater where Rogue is digging around the rubble, looking for something, or rather someone.

And then she unearths the stone right above you, she studies the state of your dress before anything, that’s what Remy has told her to look out for, he’s seen how that dress had been reconstructed a few times whenever you took any damage, It’s in a mostly acceptable state, just dirty from the rubble, no blood to be seen, and then she studies your face next and you’re smiling at her.

You reach out your hand, to your sister in law, she smiles back at you for a moment, and shakes her head. You've gambled and won.

I'll be the first to admit i didn't have much of an idea on how to end it, maybe i'll continue it sometime, i have a few ideas for a reunion with Kurt, this was a request by @please-ignore-me-in-general and @weebwholovesuchihasasuke so i hope they enjoy it even a little bit.