Disclaimer: Marvel's not mine. Don't sue.
Notes: Look, it's short! Set after the Onslaught crossover, and before both Cable #37 and Uncanny #337. I don't have the whole arc, and for all I know there's something out there that screws this whole thing over. Honestly, I'm not caring much at this point. Bad author, I know. Archive with permission. Thanks go out to Lyss for the beta.
Aftermath
By Timesprite
"Oath, this place is a mess."
"I'd say that's a bit of an understatement."
Cable glanced backward though the dark at his partner as she picked her way down a crumbling pile of masonry. Rain was coming down steadily across the devastated estate. At least they wouldn't have to worry about fire, he thought grimly. "Was blowing the armory really necessary?"
"Would I have done it otherwise?" She countered, reaching his side. "Scott asked me to keep Onslaught from getting to the boy. I figured that extended to Sinister as well."
He nodded, eyes continuing to survey the devastated building. A few portions remained standing, and not all the underground levels were destroyed, but determination of what was fit for occupation and what would have to be torn down would have to wait. "His appearance here worries me."
"You aren't the only one," Domino murmured, kicking restlessly at debris on the ground.
He glanced sidelong at her. He could feel her agitation buzzing over the link despite the rather amazing headache that was busy trying to split his brain in two. Probably the least he should have expected, having nearly died twice since he'd last set foot on these grounds. And that was no doubt a huge part of that agitation he was feeling from her, but he wasn't ready to tackle that quite yet. "Problem?"
She shook her head, then swiped her wet hair back out of her face. "Just something he said. About it being ironic that I should stand against him. Cal jumped him before he could say anything else."
"Hrmp. Well, you know how he likes to boast about his role in my very existence. He was probably just goading you. You never can tell with him." Which is why, he reasoned, he'd kept the man's words to himself after their encounter in Genosha. Through the gloom, the boathouse windows glowed like beacons. It was buzzing with activity now, the kitchen converted to a makeshift first aid center for the time being. He'd come out here for some quiet--his shields still weren't back to full strength, and it had been a long day. He'd also been trying to put off the inevitable fussing Jean was going to do, and he felt a stab of guilt for that, but he wasn't ready for it just yet. Dom had been occupied with a fair amount of fussing of her own over the kids, but he'd let a whisper of his intent leak down the link before he'd slipped out. They hadn't had much of an opportunity to talk as of yet. He crouched down at the edge of one of the more impressive craters and winced as his whole body protested the movement. Dom caught the flinch--he felt the flash of anxiety like a hot spike through his brain--and kneeled down next to him.
"So," her voice was purposefully casual. "you feeling all right after all this excitement?"
He smiled wryly at her delicate phrasing. "Now that I'm not fighting the virus." He watched her face as she tried to school her features and failed, worry leaking through the cracks like the rain that was falling all around them. "Dom..." He touched the side of her face lightly.
She pulled away. "You scared the crap out of me, you bastard."
"Hey. I'm okay now."
"Yeah, now. But you almost weren't--and what's this about getting a building dropped on you?"
"Diner. It was just a diner."
"That's not funny, Nathan."
"And you've been talking to Ororo, I see," he replied, standing again.
"Yeah, well." Dom got to her feet as well, hugging herself as she turned away. "I think she wanted someone else to know that she'd had to fucking restart your heart so I could keep an eye on you."
"We've both faced death before, Dom."
She whirled on him then, and even in the darkness, her eyes shone with emotion. "It's different now, Nathan."
He reached out, hooking a finger under her chin so that she held his gaze. "Is it?"
"You don't think so?" He could feel her pride fraying under his hand, the emotions she was trying to keep bottled spilling out through the chinks in her armor. Her eyes slid away from his. "Storm kept her cool. I just got in the way," she murmured.
"Well, she's had an awful lot of practice," he replied, dropping his hand.
"Still." Her head dropped as she contemplated the mud and rubble at her feet. "I felt so goddamned useless there. You were dying and--hell, Sam kept his head better than I did."
"Sam also watched his father die by inches, Dom. You can't make comparisons. Oath, I know you're upset, but I think I'd have been a little offended if you hadn't felt anything."
Her face contorted at that--trying to fight off the laugh he could feel just below the surface of her thoughts. She really had been terrified, and as much as it hurt to know he'd caused that, it also made him feel inexplicably light inside. She cared. Hell, he was pretty damned sure it went a lot deeper than that, but it wasn't something either of them were quite ready to face just yet. He reached out and grasped her hand--it was shaking, just barely, and it could have been the cold or post-adrenaline jitters, sure. But then again, maybe it wasn't. And because it was dark, and the boathouse was far away, he leaned over and kissed her lightly. "I think Jean was fiddling with the coffee pot when I made my escape," he commented lightly when he pulled away.
"Suffering withdrawal, are we?" Her tone fell slightly short of bantering, but the smirk was classic Dom.
He gave her a lopsided grin and tightened his grip on her hand. "It's been a long day, all right?"
She snorted. "Fine. But I'm not above siccing Hank on you, you know. Maybe you can trade jokes about evil doppelgangers."
"I can hardly wait..."
"Hey, if you don't like my nagging, you're just going to have to stop trying to get yourself killed. I know that's a lot to ask, but if you could just try--"
"Glad you're feeling better, Dom."
"Oh, shut up."
-end-