a/n: why do i feel like i was interrupting something between these two WHEN I WROTE IT

"Scott, come on! We can grab the bags later!"

"Alright, calm down, Lyla."

"Come on!" I groaned, grabbing his hand and dragged him up the steps. "I spent three days trapped with you in a car. I'm aching to stretch my legs."

"You're fine and we made several stops." Scott scoffed and I showed one of my claws to scratch on the wood until the spare key fell out. "Really?"

"Dad had some scares when I was a baby because of my uncle. He made the cabin extra secure after that."

"Do I even want to know?"

"It was before my mutation kicked in and he never fully wanted to say what happened." I shrugged and opened the door. "What the hell happened here!? Last time, Alex and I even cleaned the place!"

The furniture was completely destroyed, picture frames that were once hanging on the wall were shattered on the floor and my old toys scattered around the living room, some of them broken. Scratch marks adorned the walls and boxes were scattered on the hallway leading up to the kitchen.

"This wasn't here last time?"

"No! This place wasn't touched for seven years and I triple locked the place last time." I frowned and picked up one of the frames.

"Was it Logan?" Scott asked, gesturing to one of the scratch marks and I shook my head.

"That one was mine when I was seven. I was playing with Dad because I didn't want to go to bed and I literally dug my claws to that wall until he dragged me away." I smiled and walked up to one of the archways. "And here he used to scratch the wood to track my growth and my claws as well."

"Your claws?"

"They were made of bone and tiny. My favorite thing to do was comparing them to Dad's in hopes that someday I'll have claws as big as his."

"I'd pay good money to see you with tiny bone claws." He chuckled and I shoved the picture in his hands. "Well I'll be damned... You look so adorable!"

"Yeah, yeah, I was a cute kid... We need to head to the town to get food, water and flashlights. There's a lake nearby we can use to wash up."

"A lake!?"

"First time, bub?" I teased and pinched his cheeks. "You can get a motel and sleep there if you want, but I'm staying here for the entirety of the trip."

"How far is the town?"

"About an hour, I think."

"You're driving. I'm tired of driving after 2000 miles."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"Okay, so fire's burning, it's raining cats and dogs, we're somewhat clean and not freezing and I dragged your dad's mattress down here which surprisingly is the only thing that's not destroyed in this place."

"And I found an insane amount of blankets, plus the ones we had in the car." I grinned and set the blankets down on the mattress. "Y'know, I used to do this a lot with Dad and Kayla."

"Kayla?" Scott raised an eyebrow.

"Closest thing I had to an actual mom since mine bailed when she saw that Dad was a mutant... She used to tell me all kinds of stories too! And then Dad would repeat them so much that they just stuck with me."

"What stories?"

"Did you know the sun and moon are soulmates?" I asked, sitting next to him on the mattress and he scoffed.

"Those were your bedtime stories growing up? Nothing about the spider climbing up the water spout?" He was smirked and I pushed him down. "Okay, okay! The sun and moon are soulmates! Tell me about that."

"They longed to be together, but destiny kept them apart. But, despite their separation, their love never faded. Every dawn and dusk, they would meet and whisper secret confessions to each other and share fleeting moments together. The Sun would rise with a brilliant display of power and colors, a testament to his love... And the moon would shine her brightest, reflecting the Sun's light with all her heart."

"But they could never be together." Scott pointed out and I smiled, running my fingers through his hair.

"They sought the help of the stars." I continued as he held my other hand. "Moved by their love, the stars devised a plan... They created a special time called an eclipse, where the Sun and the Moon could unite in the sky. During an eclipse, the Sun and the Moon would embrace, their light merging into a beautiful display for all to see. Though these moments were rare, they cherished each one, knowing that their love could transcend even the greatest obstacles."

"That's a beautiful story." Scott hummed as I slowly removed his visor. "What are you-"

"Just close your eyes and keep them shut. I don't want a hole in the ceiling when it's raining outside." I chuckled and placed a hand over his eyes. "In four years of knowing you, I don't think I've ever seen your full face, Scottie boy... You have a nice face."

"You're dancing on a dangerous line, Lyla."

"I like danger."

"Funny."

"As a matter of fact, I thrive on dangerous situations."

"Lyla..."

"What?"

"You're tempting fate right now." He whispered as I leaned down slightly.

"Am I?" I teased and put on his visor again. "The most dangerous part of you was being hidden by the most dangerous part of me... The ironies, no?"

"My turn." Scott grinned and gently tackled me back to the mattress. "The most dangerous thing about you isn't your hands, it's your attitude."

"Part of my charm."

"Defense mechanism." He corrected and I rolled my eyes. "Show them."

"Now who's the one tempting fate?"

"I'll take my chances."

"I don't want to hurt you, Scott."

"That won't happen." Scott promised and held one of my hands when the claws started to grow on the other. "They're not scary."

"Tell that to the bloodshed that follows whenever they come out."

"Do they hurt without the gloves?"

"A lot." I admitted and felt him run his thumb over the knuckles of the hand he was holding. "They move against bone and break tissue whenever they come out. On the bad days, I can actually feel when the bone moves and I have to be careful and position my arm correctly or else they might come out through my wrist... It happened once to Dad before the adamantium and that still haunts me."

"So the gloves help?"

"They help guide the claws to where they should be and it helps with the pain."

"And the adamantium?" He asked, reaching out to run a finger through the claws but I immediately retracted them. "Don't hide them, Lyla... It's okay."

"I don't want to hurt you, Summers." I pressed.

"You won't."

"You don't know that."

"Then we'll risk it."

"Scott..."

"Please." He begged and I slowly showed them. "They're not weapons, Lyla. Despite what they made you think years ago."

"I know. It's just... I can't control when they come out at times, y'know? I have to constantly struggle to keep calm when you know that my life is full of chaos."

"I think it's because you don't have an anchor, someone or something to keep you sane."

"I don't have that."

"I know, sweetheart." He smiled softly and I blinked back the tears that threatened to form. "Did I cross a line?"

"No..."

"Then what is it?"

"No one's ever looked at me like that." I confessed and Scott tilted his head. "Everyone deep down is scared of me, even the Professor. I have to hide when I have an episode because I don't want to hurt anybody... I don't like hiding but I don't really have a choice."

"What episodes, Lyla?"

"I tend to lose my temper quickly and my atavism kicks in. I don't remember them, but I remember the looks of everyone around me." I whispered and retracted my claws. "I don't know why they happen, Scott. It just does."

"I'm not scared of you, Lyla." Scott admitted as I sat up and held my face in his hands. "I never was."

"Why?"

"Because you were the first person to treat me with kindness my first night in the Mansion... Plus, I literally see you carry the kids to bed when they fall asleep in the library. A monster doesn't do that."

"That's-"

"You're not a monster, Lyla. You never truly were... You were just a kid when they did all that to you."

"Then why do these episodes keep happening to me? It's been years, Scott." I cried and he wiped my tears. "My dad was right... the world is cruel to people like us."

"People fear what they don't understand." He said, removing his visor and placed one of my hands over his eyes. "See? They're not so scary, are they?"

"You're so stupid sometimes, Scott Summers." I laughed and placed both of my hands over his eyes. "Your eyes are not so scary either."

"They're not?" Scott smirked and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. "What are they then?"

"I imagine they look kind... just like the rest of you."

"You really think that?"

"I do."