They hadn’t been walking very long at all when they approached what had to be Kevin’ school. Hearing Lee taking deep breaths, Tarin looked over to see her closing her eyes as they walked and seeming to shake off all the worry that had been plaguing her the entire walk.

As someone who knew a thing or two about schooling their features to show something different than what you were feeling, Tarin was pretty impressed. Lee still looked worried, but what Mother wouldn’t be given the circumstances. He did wish that she wasn’t so worried though. This was a regular school, surely if something really worrisome had happened they’d have given Lee more urgency on the phone.

By this time they were walking up to the school, and Tarin stopped at a conviniently placed bench that was outside the gates, probably for people to wait for their kids.

”I think this is my stop.” he said, ”Just shoot me a text if you want me to clear out.”

CW: Holocaust and concentration camps

When Tarin stopped, so did Lee a half step later. Then she took a half step closer to Tarin as she opened her eyes when she felt someone walking towards them too close to avoid bumping into her if she hadn't moved.

Lee nodded, then stretched up to give him a quick kiss. ”Alright, hopefully this won't take all day and I'll be back soon,” she said before finally releasing Tarin's hand and making her way into the school.

---

Five minutes later, Lee was being led into an office to see her son sitting in a chair in front of a desk, and an older woman with black hair sitting behind it with an open window at her back.

” Hi mum,” Kevin said, his voice sounding sheepish.

”Alright, what was this ‘incident’ that you couldn't tell me about over the phone?” Lee asked with no preamble.

”As I said, Ms Smith. There was an incident with another student. There was a small group of boys, including Kevin, having a verbal argument, and then your son punched one of the other boys.”

Lee's eyes widened in surprise before turning. ”Kevin Patrick Brooks,” Lee said, her voice quiet. ''What have we talked about with the fighting?”

”I know, no more gym and you won't teach me,” Kevin answered, but then very quickly started explaining. ”But it wasn't a fight. I only punched him once, and he deserved it!”

”He deserved it?” Lee questioned, nodding, though her tone made it clear she didn't believe that.

” That's what he had been saying. Kevin and I have been talking about how he should have walked away sooner, as his teacher said the argument had been going on for a few minutes when Kevin hit the other student. I'm going to have to suspend Kevin.”

”But mum! He really did deserve it!” Kevin interrupted, and Lee turned surprised and disappointed eyes back to her son. ”They were talking about how mutants should be put into camps like in our project, and then Frankie they should have gas chambers-”

Lee didn't even wait for her son to finish speaking before she had turned back to Mrs Vargas. ”THAT is what the argument was about, and your staff let it go on long enough to get to that point?!?” Lee exclaimed, her voice far louder than it had been at any point yet that day.

”Ms Smith, if you'll calm down”

''It has been no secret since the day Kevin started here that myself and his father are both mutants.”

”I'm really not sure what-”

” What us being mutants has to do with my son, a mutant, being upset enough to lash out physically when another student says that genocide is a good idea?” Lee interrupted, her voice even louder. ”Have you forgotten that there were concentration - I mean “Mutant Registration Camps” here in the US less than 20 years ago? Including one mere blocks from this school??

“And then less than two years later, Romania did the same, except they used the actual concentration camps from the second World War. You know, the ones that these kids were talking about? One of which Kevin’s father ended up in. Do you know his ‘crime’? Helping the victims of the Romanian Senate bombing while a mutant healer saved victim’s lives.

“Do you still think this has no relevance to what happened with Kevin today?” Lee asked. But without waiting for an answer, Lee turned to look at her son. ”I’m proud of you for stopping after that one punch, Kevin,” Lee told him, her voice more gentle while speaking to him. ”Do you have all your stuff?”

And off she went in her running clothes to save the day.

Sinking down onto the bench, Tarin turned off the workout tracker on his watch, which was yelling at him about not finishing his run. Well, he wasn’t happy about it either, but it wasn’t like there was anything either of them could have done about it.

Pulling out his phone, Tarin occupied himself with the internet while he waited for either a text from Lee telling him to go home or for her to come out of the school. It was nice out, at least, and the birds were still singing. It was still a good morning.

Was that…voices? No. Not voices wafting from the direction that Lee had walked. It was a voice. Lee’s voice if Tarin wasn’t mistaken. Wincing for whoever was on the receiving end of whatever she was saying, but knowing that they likely deserved it, Tarin just waited.

And waited.

Eventually, the front doors of the school opened and Lee emerged. She wasn’t alone.

Oh yeah, it had been that kind of call and this had just gotten a lot more awkward. Well, it had been a perfect morning. A guy couldn’t ask for much more than that.

As Lee and Kevin approached, Tarin stood from where he’d been sitting on the bench. Lee still looked pissed.

”Hey guys…” Tarin said, thinking he was probably miserably failing at being nonchalant.

After Kevin had confirmed that he had all his stuff with him (apparently the suspension had been determined before she had even been called, so Kevin had already been escorted back to class to gather his things), it really didn’t take long for Lee to make her way out of the school. Ignoring everything else that the office staff was saying behind them.

They really didn’t want her to turn around and respond to them any more that day. They just didn’t realize that yet.

Lee was still pissed as she made her way out of the building and down to the sidewalk. She just couldn’t believe that the staff had known what the other students were ‘talking’ to Kevin about and not stopped it. Not until Kevin had punched one of the kids.

”How long are you grounding me for?” Kevin asked as they came up to Tarin, sounding a little dejected.

Lee sighed slightly as she looked at Tarin. ”They suspended him for fighting,” she said, shaking her head. ”What do you guys say about going for brunch before Tarin has to head to the shop?”

Oh yes. Lee was still pissed. Tarin couldn’t tell who she was pissed at though, was it Kevin? Was it the school? It was impossible to tell until they were in earshot and Tarin heard Kevin speak.

Lee looked at him and confirmed that Kevin had been suspended for fighting and then asked if they wanted to go to breakfast.

So she was pissed at the school.

”I’m always game for brunch.” he said, ”Gonna have to be somewhere casual though.” he said.

Unable to help himself, Tarin added, ”Did you win?” The details would reveal themselves in time, for now, the bare bones would suffice…if Tarin survived asking the question.

Kevin looked up at Lee in surprise when she asked if they wanted to go for brunch. He had been sure that he was about to be marched home and grounded. Even if Frankie had had it coming.

”Did you win?”

Lee shot a look at Tarin. Despite how angry she was at the school, that was not the lesson she wanted Kevin to be learning.

Even if, in this case, it might have been a good lesson.

”I could have,” Kevin muttered. That had to be why his mum was so against the idea of him getting into fights, right? Because he would win against classmates because of the training he had been getting.

”No winner,” Lee told Tarin as she started them walking away from the school. ”Kevin threw one punch and then walked away. All things considered, I’m rather proud that he was able to do that.”

Tarin winced a bit when Lee shot him that look, but then he grinned and mouthed a silent what in her direction. It was an important question.

One that Kevin had an answer for. Tarin tried not to laugh, he really did, and he managed to keep it to an amused chuckle for Lee’s sake. With that stubborn streak from Lee and the brashness that had to have come from his Father, this was probably not going to be the only time Lee ended up called by the school.

There hadn’t been a winner? Tarin begged to differ as Lee continued, but kept his mouth shut this time. If you could end a fight with a single punch then you won the fight.

Lee sounded a bit less pissed off at this point and that was absolutely a good thing. She even allowed that she was proud of Kevin for walking away after the single punch. What had happened?

The middle of the sreeet outside the school wasn’t the place for that conversation though, ” Let’s get that brunch…”

Yes, brunch was a very good idea, as was going now. Lee definitely wanted there to be distance between her and the school for a few days.

”Can we go to Blossom’s, mum?” Kevin asked. Blossom’s was a small place, something between a breakfast restaurant and a diner, and was Kevin’s favourite place to go for breakfast. The place only served breakfast and an early brunch, though, so between Kevin’s sleep habits becoming more and more typical of a teenager, and her lack of energy in the mornings, it had been months since they’d been there.

”Sure, Kev, we can go to Blossom’s,” Lee said.

And it really didn’t take too long to get there and find a booth to slide into. Snagging a menu off the table, Lee glanced over it. She already knew what she was getting, unless she spotted something that was new that sounded good. ”You can’t go wrong with waffles,” Lee commented, glancing over at Tarin. ”But the crepes here are amazing.”

Kevin had a place in mind for food, and Lee agreed as it was close by. All things considered, the “meeting” at the school hadn’t taken very long and Tarin had to admit he was a bit hungry even if they hadn’t finished their run.

As it turned out they were close and as they got to the restaurant and slid into the booth next to Lee since Kevin had taken the other side.

Lee was chattering about the menu, and Kevin looked like a death row inmate who’d just gotten pardoned and released all in the same day. Tarin couldn’t blame Kevin here, Lee had only really been angry at Tarin once for a few moments and it had been enough to convince him to do pretty much anything to avoid a repeat.

The diner was one of those places that only did breakfast and brunch and Tarin scanned the menu. They had lots of options, and Lee had made her suggestion but Tarin didn’t really like crepes. Waffles were okay. Pancakes were good…

The waitress arrived for drinks and Tarin just got water then went back to the menu. ”How are the omelettes?’

It only took Lee a couple moments to glance over the menu to see that there really wasn't anything new since the last time Kevin and herself had been there. If that was the case, Lee knew what she was ordering. Kevin hadn’t even reached for a menu. Not a surprise to Lee as he always ordered the same thing when they came here.

When the waitress came over, Lee ordered a coffee out of habit rather than need, and Kevin ordered a chocolate milk.

”The last time I got an omelette here, it was good,” Lee told him.

”Yeah, but you can get an omelette anywhere, Tarin,” Kevin pointed out. Which part of Lee did have to agree with him.

”True, but if that’s what Tarin’s thinking of getting, he can,” Lee pointed out. And now that she was thinking about it, Tarin’s apparent choice did make sense with what she’d gotten to know about him. Though he did still eat pizza and take-out with her and Kevin regularly, Tarin did seem to lean far closer to ‘eating healthy’ than she did.

And the crepes and waffles on this menu were definitely not on the healthier end of the menu.

”Though, if that’s your argument, Kev, I guess we won’t need to come here anymore because technically I can make your hazelnut waffles at home.”

Lee said the omelets were good, but Kevin countered that you could have an omelette anywhere.

It was a fair point and some of the pancakes did look really good. They had some with strawberries and bananas and whipped cream. They had très leches pancakes with caramel, vanilla, and cream sauce. It was the kind of thing he’d never make for himself and the kind of thing you came to a restaurant to eat.

”I have been influenced.” Tarin said and shut the menu just in time for the waitress to return with their drinks and to get their order.

”I’ll have the très leche pancakes, bacon on the side.”

”But mum,” Kevin said, his voice sounding completely exasperated with Lee. ”We all know they wouldn’t be even close to as good as they are here.”

”What?? Are you saying I can’t cook?” Lee asked her son in faux-shock. Kevin just rolled his eyes as the waitress returned with their drinks. And Lee nodded with a small smile as she heard Tarin’s choice. Those were good, she remembered.

Lee took a sip of her coffee once it was set down as she waited for Kevin to order his chocolate hazelnut waffles. ”With extra whipped cream, please.” he added.

Of course, couldn’t forget that. ”I’ll have the chocolate strawberry crepes, please,” Lee said.

Once the waitress had walked away, Lee looked at Tarin and Kevin. ”I was thinking that, since Kevin’s going to be out of school for a couple days, this might be a good time to go take a look at the mansion.”

Tarin wasn’t going to touch that one with a ten foot pole and he thought that Kevin was awfully brave considering the fact that his Mom had just had to come and get him from school.

Lee took it well though and Kevin, it appeared, was going to get his hazelnut waffles. Lee opted for crepes.

As the waitress went to turn their order in, Lee suggested that maybe it was time for that trip to visit The Mansion.

“Let me know when and where.” Tarin said.

Lee nodded when Tarin spoke. But before she could say anything, Kevin interjected.

”The mansion?” He asked, a little confused at first. But then realization dawned in his eyes. ”Are you talking about the mutant school? Can we go today? That’s where the X-Men live, isn’t it mum?”

Lee took a deep breath, but there was a smile on her face. ”Yes, no, and yes,” Lee answered her son’s questions. Then she looked at Tarin. ”Let me know what some good times in your schedule would be. I’ll give Shin a call and see if we can get an actual tour scheduled when you don’t have appointments. That way you two aren’t stuck with me trying to give the tour.”

Oh, Kevin was excited now. Lee had mentioned The Mansion and as soon as her son had caught on to what exactly his Mom was suggesting, Kevin had launched into a stream of questions.

A stream of questions that Lee handled expertly if Tarin did say so himself.

Lee gave him instructions and Tarin nodded, ”I can do that this afternoon. I don’t have any big gaps today, but I should have time between appointments to look at the rest of the week.”

Despite the fact that Lee had told him the X-Men she knew were just people and friends to her, it was wild to Tarin that she could just call them up and chat. Just request a meeting to go and see the place.

Tarin was still curious what exactly had happened to get Kevin in the kind of trouble that resulted in a vacation from school, but his gut told him that with as angry as Lee had been bringing it up was a bad idea.