Confessions and comfort
"Isabelle, I've got something to tell you…" Hank glared at his reflection, "no. Isabelle, my dear,you might want toosit down – definitly not. Belle,babe– no!" Hank leant his forehead against the mirror, "Why can you give lectures to scores of hormonal teenagers but you can't tell you lover that you're…" He sighed heavily, leaning back from the mirror and jumped at her reflection looking back at him, she blinked slowly, lifting her hands to settle on his shoulders. She was standing on a chair behind him, he knew, she had too to be able to reach,
"I know" She murmured softly with a heavy sigh, resting her cheek against his shoulder,
"You…you do?" He asked just as gently, turning around to hold her. It was a little awkward with the bump of her pregnancy between them but fortunately they'd found a way around it…it helped that Hanks arms were so long of course,
"Mmm. Ororo kind of didn't tell me" She replied, burying her face in his neck, nuzzling a little,
"Didn't tell you?" He smiled a little but rolled his at his excellent contribution to the conversation so far,
"Mmm, I was in the kitchen when she very loudly informed the room at large that you had told her not to tell me that you were going on a mission"
"Oh? And how did she justify actually telling you?" Hank asked, irritation running up the back of his neck. Ororo had promised damn it,
"Apparently she wasn't telling me, she was telling the microwave" She replied, tangling her fingers in his hair,
"So…?" He pressed gently, looking down at her with a worried frown,
"Just…don't die or anything silly like that, ok?"
"One shall try ones best" He smiled into the top of her hair. She sighed and pulled away, he helped her step down off the chair,
"Where is it you're going?" She asked, hoping he didn't see the wince as she sat down one of the sofa's,
"Over to New Orleans so Gambit – Remy Lebeau, remember him?"
"The one with the eyes, yes" She replied ruefully, pondering the first time she had met the grand theif...she'd ended up spilling chocolate milk all down his front out of sheer nerves,
"He'll be coming along, Kurt too, ah, and Ororo's trying to get Warren in on it too" He closed his eyes, moving to put his book back on the shelf as she took the deep breath behind him,
"So it's something serious then?" She asked, "you just read out the list for the heavy squad Hank. They don't take Gambit along unless it's a real emergency"
"The young man is good at blowing…charm and detonation will get you everywhere" He heard her laugh a little and turned to face her, "they're aware I've been out of action, thatI haven't been on a mission ina while -that's why everyone's going. They want to cover all eventualities" She huffed a little at him,
"I don't believe you but I'm not going to yell" She pulled a face, "despite the urge…it's Christmas after all and you want to do it" He sat beside her, tensing a little as the sofa creaked ominously, he expected it to give out nearly every time he sat down, "you're good at it Hank" She said ruefully, making an effort to be supportive, "and you like doing it which is fine by me…it's all the other morons that I worry about" She frowned up at him a little, leaning awkwardly into him as his arm went around her shoulders, "I suppose it helps that you'll be getting away from your hippo of a girlfriend" Hank kissed the top of her head, smiling a little,
"I've told you before, you're beautiful with or without the distended belly" She pulled back and looked up at him incredulously, one eyebrow raised. He couldn't help grinning, "besides, you'll only be a hippo for a few more days" He laughed and ran away as she promptly flung pillows at him.
