om_main | Simon and River, Backdated to February 20th

Simon goes to check on River after the incident with Illyana and Nico.

Simon pulled his coat closer around him as he stepped outside, suppressing a shiver. It had been a long night, what with dealing with Illyana and Nico and keeping an eye on the situation through the morning. He'd ended up catching a nap once he'd gotten back to the room, but upon waking, had immediately thought of River.

Fortunately, she was easy to find.

He crossed the lawn quietly, a cup of coffee warming one hand, and stopped nearby enough to watch her.

"This isn't a spectator sport," River pointed out from where she was lying in the snow, waving her arms and legs to make an angel.

"Well you're kidding yourself if you think I'm joining you," Simon smiled wryly.

"Then I will have to stop," River retorted as she sat up. She craned her neck around to look at what she had achieved, then stood, careful not to disturb her work. A long stride brought her to Simon's side, and she looked up at him curiously.

Simon admired the angel for a moment, but recognized his sister's questioning gaze and soon acknowledged it with a soft look. "How are you doing?"

"Better now," River answered honestly. "Yesterday was bad. Doug helped."

He frowned and held out an arm in invitation. "I should have brought donuts. I'm sorry I wasn't there."

River moved in against him, but shook her head slightly. "I'm not. You were where you were supposed to be. Helping them. I wouldn't have wanted to take you from that."

"It's alright, you know," Simon told her, hugging her close through the layers of his wool jacket and leather gloves. "They were recovered. They were healed. They may be frightened or angry over what happened - undoubtably, Xavier will have them in therapy - but it was nothing like what you went through."

"I know," River confirmed. "I didn't get to be angry." She paused, then, "I want to help them, too." If she could. She wasn't sure, but she wanted to try.

Simon frowned down at her as he squeezed her close. "Are you sure about that? It could be difficult."

"A lot of things really worth doing are," River replied, feeling his worry on the edges of her consciousness. She looked up at him. "I can try, at least."

He took a step back to meet her gaze, trying to gauge her feelings on the matter. "Are you doing this because you want to, or because you think you should?"

"B can be included in A," River pointed out. "You should know better than to ask me. Brat kid sisters only ever do what they want to."

He made a face. "And if I ask if you want my help?"

"I'll always welcome your help," River replied, and stepped back closer to him to lean against him again.

He stroked her hair for a moment with a smile. "Alright. If you need anything at all, you know where to find me."

"Zǒngshì," she told him, both very serious and very affectionate.

Simon grinned at her, winking, then glanced over at her snow angel. "Why are you out here alone? Where's your translator?"

"Translating," she replied, but couldn't even bother to make a face, not after he had been there for her. He got a pass, for now.

"Clearly," Simon offered dryly. "Apparently, you're inexplicably drawn to men who like to bury themselves in their work."

"You made it clear you didn't wanna marry me," River reminded him, eyes twinkling. "I had to find another one."

Her brother snorted softly. "Trust me, incest aside, I would make a terrible husband."

"I disagree," River replied, honestly now. For a moment. "You make a wonderful idiot."

"Oh, thank you for that," he sighed at her.

"Zǒngshì," she told him again, with a smile that was more affectionate than it was bratty. She meant it in the sense of 'any time' more than 'always', but the repetitive pattern worked.

He smirked but squeezed her. "Brat," he replied, then steered her toward the house. "What are your plans for school? Have you settled on anything yet?"

"Jeanne-Marie's textbooks are very fallible," she replied with a frown, which was an answer in itself, but one she wasn't certain she wanted to pursue.

His eyebrows went up and he carefully parted them to meet her gaze. "You've been going through Jeanne-Marie's textbooks?"

River looked up at him as they walked. "The ones that looked promising."

"Do you think you'd like to go into counseling?" Simon asked curiously.

"I'm in a unique position to help people," she answered, honestly not sure of the answer to that question. "If I can..." She paused, sucking her lips in as she thought, then looked up at Simon and told him the truth, not a yes, but not a no either. "I don't know."

"Hey," he crouched down in front of her, looking up into her eyes. "I think you should at least pursue learning about it. Whether or not you find that you want to do it. It could help you, and you're right. If you can help others, then you should try."

"I like the idea of it," she admitted. "Full circle, from me to me, and me and you." She didn't know if she would like it in practice, but she ought to find out, at least. Simon was right.

"We can get you in online courses," Simon suggested.

"At first," River agreed, but they both knew that she would have to step out of the school to learn what she needed to, if she did intend to follow that path. A discussion for another time.

"Do you want me to get you an application?" he smiled, eyes shining with second-hand enthusiasm.

For a second, River was quiet, letting her smile stretch with Simon's eagerness. "Yes," she finally agreed, because it would make him happy, and that always made her happy. "Please."

"Any particular school? Or are you interested in Sarah Lawrence too?" Simon asked, trying not to let his happiness get out of control.

"I don't know yet," River admitted. She hadn't truly entertained the possibility, until Simon's reaction pushed her to make a decision, and there were pros and cons. Jeanne-Marie would be there - but Jeanne-Marie would already be there. River could steal her notes and cover what they taught her while studying with another university. Round her university out. "I'll look into it," she told Simon, smiling up at him a little, letting his happiness smooth away her fears for now.

He leaned forward, kissing her cheek briefly - just a whisper of a touch so as not to overwhelm either of them. "I'm proud of you, mei-mei."

"Be proud of me when I've achieved something," she told him, and her smile stretched. "Happiness is enough, right now. Warm in our hearts."

"Hey," Simon frowned, meeting her gaze. "Listen to me. You have achieved something."

"That's in the eye of the beholder, too," River told him fondly, and looked back where they were coming from. "My snow angel is pretty shiny."

He reached up and tugged at one long piece of her hair. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to be an admonishment. "Come on, brat," he said, standing. "Let's get inside before we both freeze."