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halfamoonTitle: College Blues
Fandom: Generation X (X-Men)
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Jubilee, Husk
Rating: G/K
Summary: Jubilee respects her roommate's prayer time.
Word Count: 1,297
Written For: Half A Moon Day 7: Family, 100FandomHell Fandom #48, and Fannish 50 #20
Warnings: Mild Christian Themes
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Jubilee doesn't question the quiet noises Paige makes as she slips out of bed, or the whispered words she so hurriedly says, as though she's afraid someone is going to catch her and reprimand her, in this semi-public place, for praying. It did take weeks for the poor thing to live down Monet's snide comments when she'd thought her praying, even suggesting that she go back to "growing corn or whatever it was she did back in Kansas".
Jubilee had blasted into the prying snob that night, especially when she'd said that belief in a Higher Power was simply for those who lacked knowledge of science, faith in themselves and their own capabilities, or both. Jubilee was no longer the praying type, she hadn't been since she'd been a little girl and her parents had been killed, but she knew plenty of people who did believe in the power of prayer -- and she'd witnessed the prayers of those individuals bring about actual miracles before. Storm, Jean, Rogue -- all of them had believed in prayer, although Rogue had not had as great of faith in God as the other two, and Ororo certainly hadn't prayed to the traditional, Christian God. Like her own self, Rogue had been through too much to be able to have blind faith in any omnipotent being, but she'd still prayed.
Jubilee had once even heard the older woman pray for her adopted mother, Mystique, after everything the evil mutant had done to her, and she'd prayed for the folks she'd left behind back in Mississippi. Jubilee knew that Paige's family was always top of her list, and if she prayed that the crop was good, well, that, too, did make sense even if she hadn't been a farmer. Jubilee was pretty certain she had more farming blood in her than she liked to admit, but she never called her out on it. Besides, farming was important. She knew that, too, from Storm and Rogue and from Wolveroonie too. Even he admitted that prayer was important and had once called her the answer to his unspoken prayers.
As Jubilee listened to Paige's hurried words of prayer, knowing she was praying for her family back home, Jubilee pulled the covers higher up beneath her chin and thought of her own family. She had still been so young when her parents had been killed. She had thought, once, that she was making a new family in that California mall, but it had only been a stepping stone to her true family. She missed them all, even Big B, who had always been so aggravated with her youthful enjoyment of simple fun, like roller blading through the mansion, but at least she could talk to them every day. At least, too, she knew, that there was no threat the X-Men couldn't handle and they'd always come through any foe or madness in the end.
She'd noticed Paige's calls and letters were getting ever fewer. She still named each of her siblings by name and asked for specific things for them, from Lizzie's new doll to patience for the sister she'd left to fill her rather sizeable shoes, taking care of their siblings while her mother worked. She prayed that Joshua's wings wouldn't be discovered and that her mother wouldn't die early from shock and would somehow, by some miracle, -- Paige's words, not Jubilee's -- find some time for herself.
Underneath her blankets, Jubilee scooted Wolveroonie's favorite, dusty cowboy hat closer to her. At least she'd see him again before the week was out. She could easily visit her folks, but Paige, she'd come to quietly realize, was trying to put as much distance between herself and her family not because she was ashamed of them or because of any problems that might arise between them because of her mutation. Despite being the biggest family Jubilee had ever been around, the Guthries didn't seem to have a prejudiced bone in any of their bodies. They embraced everyone for who they were -- mutant and human, black and white, Christian and non --, but they were amongst the very definite minority in that respect.
Jubilee knew why Paige was trying to distance herself from her family, and not just because her whispered, nightly prayers always included requests to help Josh keep his wings hidden but also because she always asked that the townspeople not judge her family by the X-Men's actions, or mutantkinds' actions, and that they not use her own mutations or her brothers' against her family. Jubilee could understand that, too, for she had unfortunately borne witness far too many times to how prejudiced and cruel humanity could be. She had seen mutants beaten to within inches of their lives, even outright killed, for their differences, and had witnessed whole towns hunt down children who happened to be colored differently or wield abilities the townspeople's small minds could not comprehend. She wasn't trying to distance herself from her family for her own sake -- she was trying to do it so hard for theirs.
Jubilee clutched Wolvy's hat and swallowed hard as she thought of the one person who had accepted her powers before the X-Men, the one friend she'd had left after her parents' murders, CynJen, who had also been cut down far too early in life. She had always feared her powers would bring harm to someone she loved too, but in the end, her parents had been killed by mere thieves who had also struck down her only friend. She watched the dark, shadowy ceiling of their room through tears filling her blue eyes. It was kind of nice to think that her parents and CynJen might still be waiting for her one day.
"An' Lord," she was surprised to suddenly clearly hear Paige's voice in the stillness of their room, "bless Jubilee an' her family too, an' thank You for her bein' such a good friend an' for th' X-Men doin' all they do to help mutants. Thank you for keepin' them an' mah brothah safe, Lord, an', Father, please give Mistah Cassidy patience with Miss Frost an' all us teenagers. An' give me patience an' understandin' with Monet, Lord. An' Jono. Father, please help Jono an' Angie." She gulped, and Jubes wondered if she had just realized that she could hear her or if she was fighting tears where Jono was concerned. She suspected it was the latter as Paige quickly finished with a hurried "Amen" and climbed back into her bed.
"Lord," Jubilee spoke to clear the silence between them and let her friend know it was all okay, "please give us all patience with M. She's such a snob!" The silence still continued to crawl between them until she quietly spoke again, "Thank you."
Paige's nervous voice whispered back across the room, "Fer what?"
"For includin' me," Jubilee said simply for she knew that that was a sure sign that the other girl genuinely cared for her.
"Of course." There was a pause as Paige turned over and shuffled her covers for a moment. Jubilee wondered what memento she was clinging to underneath her blankets. "Good night, Jubes." Her words were punctuated with a long, loud yawn.
Jubie couldn't help smiling. "Good night, Hayseed. You're gonna ace that test tomorrow." She'd pass, she knew, but probably just barely.
"Thanks," Paige murmured and was soon fast asleep, leaving Jubilee staring at the darkness on the ceiling, remembering happier times with her X-family until she, too, finally drifted off to sleep. She'd be back with her family soon, she assured herself, and maybe Paige could come with her since she'd always loved the idea of being an X-Man and probably wasn't going to feel safe going back home any time soon. "College" couldn't last forever.
The End
Fandom: Generation X (X-Men)
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Jubilee, Husk
Rating: G/K
Summary: Jubilee respects her roommate's prayer time.
Word Count: 1,297
Written For: Half A Moon Day 7: Family, 100FandomHell Fandom #48, and Fannish 50 #20
Warnings: Mild Christian Themes
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Jubilee doesn't question the quiet noises Paige makes as she slips out of bed, or the whispered words she so hurriedly says, as though she's afraid someone is going to catch her and reprimand her, in this semi-public place, for praying. It did take weeks for the poor thing to live down Monet's snide comments when she'd thought her praying, even suggesting that she go back to "growing corn or whatever it was she did back in Kansas".
Jubilee had blasted into the prying snob that night, especially when she'd said that belief in a Higher Power was simply for those who lacked knowledge of science, faith in themselves and their own capabilities, or both. Jubilee was no longer the praying type, she hadn't been since she'd been a little girl and her parents had been killed, but she knew plenty of people who did believe in the power of prayer -- and she'd witnessed the prayers of those individuals bring about actual miracles before. Storm, Jean, Rogue -- all of them had believed in prayer, although Rogue had not had as great of faith in God as the other two, and Ororo certainly hadn't prayed to the traditional, Christian God. Like her own self, Rogue had been through too much to be able to have blind faith in any omnipotent being, but she'd still prayed.
Jubilee had once even heard the older woman pray for her adopted mother, Mystique, after everything the evil mutant had done to her, and she'd prayed for the folks she'd left behind back in Mississippi. Jubilee knew that Paige's family was always top of her list, and if she prayed that the crop was good, well, that, too, did make sense even if she hadn't been a farmer. Jubilee was pretty certain she had more farming blood in her than she liked to admit, but she never called her out on it. Besides, farming was important. She knew that, too, from Storm and Rogue and from Wolveroonie too. Even he admitted that prayer was important and had once called her the answer to his unspoken prayers.
As Jubilee listened to Paige's hurried words of prayer, knowing she was praying for her family back home, Jubilee pulled the covers higher up beneath her chin and thought of her own family. She had still been so young when her parents had been killed. She had thought, once, that she was making a new family in that California mall, but it had only been a stepping stone to her true family. She missed them all, even Big B, who had always been so aggravated with her youthful enjoyment of simple fun, like roller blading through the mansion, but at least she could talk to them every day. At least, too, she knew, that there was no threat the X-Men couldn't handle and they'd always come through any foe or madness in the end.
She'd noticed Paige's calls and letters were getting ever fewer. She still named each of her siblings by name and asked for specific things for them, from Lizzie's new doll to patience for the sister she'd left to fill her rather sizeable shoes, taking care of their siblings while her mother worked. She prayed that Joshua's wings wouldn't be discovered and that her mother wouldn't die early from shock and would somehow, by some miracle, -- Paige's words, not Jubilee's -- find some time for herself.
Underneath her blankets, Jubilee scooted Wolveroonie's favorite, dusty cowboy hat closer to her. At least she'd see him again before the week was out. She could easily visit her folks, but Paige, she'd come to quietly realize, was trying to put as much distance between herself and her family not because she was ashamed of them or because of any problems that might arise between them because of her mutation. Despite being the biggest family Jubilee had ever been around, the Guthries didn't seem to have a prejudiced bone in any of their bodies. They embraced everyone for who they were -- mutant and human, black and white, Christian and non --, but they were amongst the very definite minority in that respect.
Jubilee knew why Paige was trying to distance herself from her family, and not just because her whispered, nightly prayers always included requests to help Josh keep his wings hidden but also because she always asked that the townspeople not judge her family by the X-Men's actions, or mutantkinds' actions, and that they not use her own mutations or her brothers' against her family. Jubilee could understand that, too, for she had unfortunately borne witness far too many times to how prejudiced and cruel humanity could be. She had seen mutants beaten to within inches of their lives, even outright killed, for their differences, and had witnessed whole towns hunt down children who happened to be colored differently or wield abilities the townspeople's small minds could not comprehend. She wasn't trying to distance herself from her family for her own sake -- she was trying to do it so hard for theirs.
Jubilee clutched Wolvy's hat and swallowed hard as she thought of the one person who had accepted her powers before the X-Men, the one friend she'd had left after her parents' murders, CynJen, who had also been cut down far too early in life. She had always feared her powers would bring harm to someone she loved too, but in the end, her parents had been killed by mere thieves who had also struck down her only friend. She watched the dark, shadowy ceiling of their room through tears filling her blue eyes. It was kind of nice to think that her parents and CynJen might still be waiting for her one day.
"An' Lord," she was surprised to suddenly clearly hear Paige's voice in the stillness of their room, "bless Jubilee an' her family too, an' thank You for her bein' such a good friend an' for th' X-Men doin' all they do to help mutants. Thank you for keepin' them an' mah brothah safe, Lord, an', Father, please give Mistah Cassidy patience with Miss Frost an' all us teenagers. An' give me patience an' understandin' with Monet, Lord. An' Jono. Father, please help Jono an' Angie." She gulped, and Jubes wondered if she had just realized that she could hear her or if she was fighting tears where Jono was concerned. She suspected it was the latter as Paige quickly finished with a hurried "Amen" and climbed back into her bed.
"Lord," Jubilee spoke to clear the silence between them and let her friend know it was all okay, "please give us all patience with M. She's such a snob!" The silence still continued to crawl between them until she quietly spoke again, "Thank you."
Paige's nervous voice whispered back across the room, "Fer what?"
"For includin' me," Jubilee said simply for she knew that that was a sure sign that the other girl genuinely cared for her.
"Of course." There was a pause as Paige turned over and shuffled her covers for a moment. Jubilee wondered what memento she was clinging to underneath her blankets. "Good night, Jubes." Her words were punctuated with a long, loud yawn.
Jubie couldn't help smiling. "Good night, Hayseed. You're gonna ace that test tomorrow." She'd pass, she knew, but probably just barely.
"Thanks," Paige murmured and was soon fast asleep, leaving Jubilee staring at the darkness on the ceiling, remembering happier times with her X-family until she, too, finally drifted off to sleep. She'd be back with her family soon, she assured herself, and maybe Paige could come with her since she'd always loved the idea of being an X-Man and probably wasn't going to feel safe going back home any time soon. "College" couldn't last forever.
The End
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Date: 2023-02-08 12:27 pm (UTC)Thank you for sharing these lovely creations!
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Date: 2023-02-09 07:01 pm (UTC)