Waiting
It happened one morning, early in spring. Jubilee was the one who first saw him.
Hank had a bench taken from the mansion and sat down on it facing a birch tree that was opposite the girls' dormitory. There he sat until Jubilee got tired of looking at him and she went to have a bath. When she was done bathing, she combed and dressed. She nearly forgot about Hank as she passed by the window and Hank was still sitting there silently.
Her watch told her it had been a good 15 minutes since she first saw him. But the thought disappeared when she heard her stomach rumbled and Hank was forgotten.
Next was Ororo. Last night she had noticed that her sapling had grown into a miniature of an oak and happily she had told everyone about it. Today she'd plant it in the backyard just outside the girls' dormitory so that she could look at it everyday as it grew. But the spot where she had planned to plant it was currently being occupied by Hank. Patiently she waited for him to move, thinking that maybe Hank was planning for some sort of new technology for the Danger Room.
Hank seemed oblivious to her shuffling, whistling and even an occasional 'ahem' from Ororo. When all polite attempts to move him from the spot had failed, Ororo began to say, "By the Powers of Nature Awakening, I summon the El Nino!"...
... instead she found Hank's hands covering her mouth and all she could say was, "mmmmph mmmpt mmmmmmppph!" After satisfied that Ororo wouldn't attempt the same thing, Hank slowly removed his hands from her. "What in the world was that for?" Ororo demanded.
"Don't disturb me." That was all Ororo was given to. Ororo walked angrily away cursing.
Hank resumed his seat. He sat there and watched again. Patiently.
Gambit and Bobby agreed to play a one-on-one basketball that morning right after their morning exercise. They had to use the court next to the girls' dormitory because the rest - which were in front of the mansion - was used by trainees. As they walked over to the court none noticed Hank's blue figure sitting with his back towards the court.
"I'll fry your ass, Cajun," Bobby said after he won the coin-flipping. They immediately set for the game. Gambit, naturally flexible and lithe, in no time gained the ball and shot his first goal.
"Looks like Cajun's gonna shot de hoops today, Iceman," Gambit replied as Bobby took the ball away.
Squeaking shoes and loud shouts, sometimes mingled with obscenities rang throughout the court right into the girls' dormitory. It woke Kitty up, her staying up late for the Letterman's show to see Hugh Jackman in person took its toll. Groggily she stood up through her blanket - she is always going through things when she's still sleepy - and only when she tried to lean on the windowpane without success did she turn off her phasing ability.
Kitty's sharp eyes saw two men playing at the basketball court. Too many men in her dreams last night made her mind went a little haywire this morning. Slowly she recognized Gambit's tall form and Bobby's slender body. Then she noticed a big blue man sitting on a bench unmoving.
Oh, it's Dr McCoy, she thought to herself. What the hell he's doing sitting there so early... meditating?... and he... he's staring at me, isn't he? What's the matter with him?
Kitty never saw the look in Hank's eyes except when he was looking at a very interesting specimen under a microscope or a previously undiscovered species. Then Kitty saw that one of the men slipped his hold on the ball and it bounced towards Hank. Like a flash the ball was there and then the next second it was gone.
Kitty saw Hank's right hand was holding an apparatus that resembled a gun, its tip smoking.
Down at the ground, Gambit watched with despair as his basketball disappeared when Hank's disintegrative ray found its mark on it. "Oy, Mr Blue, waddya tryin' to do 'ere? We play basketball, we don't disturb you!"
"Get as far as possible from here," Hank said to them. "Something's going to happen."
"Hank, you blew up our best ball! What crawled up your ass this morning, huh?" Bobby asked as he walked closer to Hank, ready to brawl with the guy though Hank was twice his size. Suddenly a patch of grass at the tip of his shoe disappeared and Bobby stepped back. "Alright, alright! We'll go away from here! Geez."
"Gambit t'ink we better get de Professor here." The two immediately ran back to fetch Xavier that was in his study as usual. After they told him what had happened the three went out.
By now there was quite a crowd at the court, courtesy of Kitty who saw it through her window just now. Logan, Piotr, Warren, Scott and Jean were standing a meter or so away from Hank as they whispered among themselves. They gave Xavier a wide berth as he moved towards Hank.
"Hank," Xavier said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "what's the matter? What's going to happen?"
One hand went up, the easily recognized silence sign. Everyone, except Logan, went quiet. He said aloud, "What the hell's wrong with you, Hank?" Everyone shushed him.
"It's almost here," Hank whispered almost to himself, rubbing his hands together. Xavier would have tried to read his mind, but it wouldn't be ethical.
Hank's excited whispers alerted the rest. "It's here, it's here! It's finally happening!"
At first they didn't see what it was. Then it became clear.
On a branch of the birch tree, a yellowed leaf started to fall off its old stem, slowly falling with the morning breeze, and when it touched the ground Hank shouted with the intensity of a scientist having found the secrets of the universe.
"I KNEW IT! I HAD IT TIMED PERFECTLY! YES! YEEEEHAAA! I WAS RIGHT! THAT LEAF FALLS AT THE DESIGNATED TIME, JUST AS I HAD EXPECTED!"
If sudden silences were caused as an angel passed by, then a host of them had passed over the mansion. Albeit Hank's jubilated shouts.
Rogue was agape. Logan briefly considered whether anyone would want a blue mutant as their shish-kebab on his claws as a main course that day. Jean shook her head while Scott slapped his forehead. Gambit touched the fallen leaf gently from a distance, as if it would bite him. Bobby waited for Xavier's reaction, his own was slow in coming. But Xavier's face showed no feelings. Later when Hank was tired but still exultant, Xavier said:
"Let us all kick Hank's butt and spray paint on his fur, shall we?"
THE END
I know this is crappy, but I was bored. Anyway, reviews or flames are welcome, napalm or otherwise. Just remember to dust off after you're done frying me.