^Devil May Care^ Scott Summers

^it should have been me.^

graveyard: halsey

i would've followed all the way,
no matter how far
i know when you go down all your darkest roads
———

We are all at war, at war with ourselves

It was pouring rain, the weather almost as dreary as everyone's mood. It was the day of Ravens funeral.

Peter had been burned bad during the fight and had to be taken into emergency care immediately.

Hank was destroyed by the death of the shapeshifter, probably more so than anyone, maybe beside Charles.

And Raven had been waging that war for most of her life.

Max hadn't spoken since, not saying a word to anyone, not even Scott. Her horns were out along with her tail that no longer swung back and forth but instead wrapped around her leg like an anchor.

They, what was left of the X-Men, had all gathered around where Raven had been buried, everyone dressed in black with black umbrellas over them to protect them from the rain.

Max underneath a umbrella with a Scott, her arm hooked on his as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the Professor continued talking.

I hope now she's found peace.

"Raven died doing what she did best...helping a friend, a friend in need. She is not gone. She lives on, through me, through us, and through the spirit of the X-Men."

***

Scott walked through the halls of the mourning school, trying to find Maxine, wherever she had gone. She had disappeared after the funeral, saying that she needed to be alone for a bit. But he figured where he would find her.

Hanging out on the staircase were some of the kids that were before, when they got back from the space mission. Ororo and Kurt were already there with solemn looks on there faces.

"Is it true? Jean killed her?" One of the male students asked them quietly as they all had the same question.

Ororo looked to the men on her right and waited for one of them to say something. With his head lowered, Scott stepped forward, knowing that Max would have wanted him to say something.

"She didn't know what she was doing. Jean lost control. But she-she's still Jean. She's still our friend." He said looking up at them but no ones facial expression changed at the news, "We can still help her. We can find her. And bring her home. That's...that's what we're gonna do, okay?"

"What about Max?" A little African American girl asked him, making his head snap to her. "She looked sad earlier."

"Where did she go?"

She pointed down the hallway, towards the music room. He nodded to them and starting walking that way, the two other X-Men following behind him. Soft piano music filled their ears as they neared the open door. Sitting at the grand piano was Maxine, not noticing them at the door.

Max had told him about the pressures and expectations she experienced as a child from her mother trying to make her marriage material. All the things she had forced her to learn by the time she was seven, one of which happened to be the piano.