Work Text:
They flew through space, effortlessly gliding in orbit around a small, ordinary blue-green world, huge wings manifest of flame burning with heat beyond that of the sun.
Earth.
The word came to them. It was the name of the planet on which Jean Grey had lived in her time as a human. It was in her memory, and so it was too in theirs. They were not entirely sure where Jean ended and they began, they only knew that they were one now, merged to become something beyond the potential of either alone.
They felt… attachment to this planet now; their fusion had granted them with both the ability to feel and things that their feelings were now tied to, based on Jean’s experiences.
Eager to explore this new power -eagerness, yet another new feeling- they reached into her memories and immersed themselves in her life. They saw the places she had been and her emotions -so many emotions, it was truly a wonder to feel- , but by far what interested them the most was the people she had met. They had feelings too, about their experiences and journeys through life, but also -most astonishingly- about Jean Grey, about them. Some were dark and writhing with tendrils of hate, but most were warm and gentle, feelings of caring, of bringing them into something bigger than themselves, a group, a team, a-
Family.
Yes, Jean had had a family. This notion of belonging was shocking but not entirely unwelcome. The feelings that the others in her life had for her -for them- were pleasant to them. They searched for it on Earth, finding those who had cared for Jean Grey, looking for more of this emotion in its residents. They kept pushing, trying to find those who felt it more, felt it stronger, until they found a source. It was like the feeling from before, but multiplied by a thousandfold. This individual did not just care for Jean Grey; they had a deep affection for her, a longing, a-
Love. This feeling was love, and they immediately knew they desired it. They wanted to be loved. Who was this being? They focused their attention and found him.
Scott Summers. They located his mind on the planet below and quickly dove down, turning down the heat on their body while they descended. They didn’t want to atomize him by mistake, after all.