Disclaimer: I don't own HP or Marvel.
AN-1: I have a P*T*R*N, where you can read the NEXT THREE CHAPTERS right now by signing up, and receive several other benefits at the same time.
AN-2: Edits this time were done by Lordlexx, and yours truly.
"Wait," Harry said as they exited the house, a cool sea breeze blowing against their faces, "What happened to your boyfriend? Duncan, wasn't it?"
"I dumped him three or four days ago," Jean frowned, "Which had been a long time coming to be honest. I knew he was an entitled, bullying asshole, but I had kind of hoped he'd grow out of it. But then I found him sucking faces with one of the ballet girls, and… well, you can guess the rest."
"Mhm," he nodded, snorting with a roll of his eyes. "Considering you blasted Charles' office into rubble today, I can imagine what you did to that boy."
Her cheeks pinked at that, and she groaned in embarrassment as she buried her face in her palms. "Oh God, what are the children going to think about me now? All those lectures about mental and emotional control… uggh!"
"We will worry about that later," Harry chuckled, lowering her hands and looking into her eyes. "For now, I suggest you hole up in your room and go through your mind once more. While I don't know what the bond between you and the Phoenix Force entails in its entirety, no doubt it will draw and prod at your emotions… which considering your skillset, means that you must have a handle on them at all times."
"Yeah," she nodded, yawning as she leaned against him. "I will get to that… right after I have a long, deep sleep."
"You do that," he smiled, and sighed happily as Jean grinned and burrowed her face into his chest, her arms winding tight around his neck. "All right Miss Phoenix, don't hold on to me when we are about to go to your bedroom, especially not before the first date."
"Shut up," she mumbled, pinching his side as she looked up at him. "Get me to my bed, then you can pick me up at 7 for our date."
"I trust that Jean is well… and relatively calm?" Charles called to him right as he entered the kitchen, the man sitting in his usual place, with Logan and Ororo sitting beside him. The former of the two was predictably nursing yet another beer, while the latter was calmly looking between the Professor and him.
"Depends," he shrugged, opening the refrigerator and looking through the items present. "If well and calm means that she isn't going to tear you and your mind apart in a fit of rage, then I would say yes, she is calm."
"That's better than I had thought," Logan muttered, rolling his eyes as he glanced at the telepath, "I was betting on her screaming her head off at you the moment he brought her back."
"Grow up Logan," Ororo shook her head at the man, and then turned towards him, "How is she? Charles told us about what happened… about how Jean is a host for some cosmic deity much more powerful than what was inside Cain."
"Much more is an understatement," Harry snorted in response, deciding on just joining Logan with a beer as he pulled out a bottle and turned around. "I felt the psionic energy she was emitting despite the fact that I have zero talent for manipulating it or really detecting it at all. I think that should tell you about how powerful she is going to be in a few months… to say nothing of what her growth will be in a few years with the backing of the source of all psionic energy."
"That is…" Charles trailed off, but the wide and stunned eyes said it all. Besides him, Logan snorted and raised his bottle towards Harry, who mirrored the motion, both of them snickering at the shock and disbelief on the Professor's face.
"The source of all psionic energy," Ororo murmured after a few moments, her voice quiet, awed, and grave all in one as she looked down at her hands, "No wonder she has grown so powerful in such a short amount of time. She could barely lift two semi-trucks at once before the battle of New York… but now she can easily lift as many as ten or twelve. Maybe even more."
"The Phoenix Force first bonds to its hosts or avatar's baser emotions," Harry said as he sat down before the three, looking into Charles' eyes, "When he closed off that connection years ago, he also buried Jean's own deep emotional spectrum at the same time. With the sudden loosening of the bond between them after the battle of New York, those emotions surged up with more frequency and intensity… and well, I would say Jean went through most if not all of her adolescent emotional growth and experiences in the last months."
"No wonder she was all over you," Logan snorted again, shaking his head with a smirk on his face, "Must have been the years worth of horniness coming back."
"Repressed emotions and Jean's growing powers aside… how is she at the moment?" Charles interrupted, his eyes turning sad and hopeful at the same time, "Has the reemergence of the bond harmed her in any way? Or is the Phoenix harmful to her health in any form?"
"No physical effects that I know of," he shook his head, sighing as he gazed at the bottle in his hand. "But no doubt it will be taxing on her mind. While I have never seen a connection like the one that she shares with the Phoenix… I do have experience in bonds connecting one to another's life. And when mine was active, it drew upon my anger and frustration to bolster its strength, and in turn, fed back more of them into my mind."
"Sounds… fucked up."
"It is," Harry nodded, eyes dimming a little as he remembered the days when Voldemort's Horcrux had wreaked havoc in his psyche. "However, the Phoenix doesn't seem like a malevolent entity to me, which is definitely a big plus for Jean as compared to what Cain and even I had to deal with."
"You were bonded to something like Cyttorak?" Ororo asked, surprised and horrified at the same time—which, considering Cain's recent attack and even his… actions during the Chitauri invasion, was understandable.
"Voldemort was an ant compared to the power that was backing Cain," he chuckled, "But the ego, the need to make others submit, was all there. Although, I would say Cyttorak is much eviler than Voldemort, considering he wants to destroy for destruction's sake only, Voldemort wanted to rule. Though from what I gathered… Cyttorak was less than dust compared to the Phoenix Force, so you weren't entirely wrong in your assumptions of the potential danger, Charles. You just let your past experiences cloud your mind and judgement. Which, fortunately for the rest of us, just makes you human, not a monster. Look around you Charles, in this room alone you have people with intelligence, wild instinct and past experience with the unknown to consult with on matters. Don't make the same mistake again."
"Hmm," Charles nodded, closing his eyes he leaned back and sighed heavily. His shoulders seemed to slouch as he looked at the ceiling, and Harry felt a wave of shame, regret, and sadness permeate the astral plane as Charles momentarily lost control over his mind. "I must talk to her in the evening… after she has rested and had a bit of time to herself."
"Your talk will have to wait for tomorrow," Harry shook his head, and drained the last of the beer in his hand as he stood up, a small smile on his face, "Jean will be… unavailable this evening."
"And why would that be?" Ororo asked him, a knowing smile on her face as she winked at him.
"Because she is going on a date with me."
Barely an eyeblink after that, Harry disapparated from the room, leaving two stunned mutants staring dumbly at where he had stood, and one grinning one, as his words sunk in. After a few seconds, Logan broke the silence as he snorted and walked away, taking the whole crate with him as he chuckled at the shocked face of Charles and the amused one of Ororo.
"Pay up Charles," she grinned as turned towards the telepath, her eyes gleaming with mirth and smugness as she raised her palm. "Told you they were going to end up together before the month was out."
Groaning as he moved away from the weather mutant, Charles nonetheless smiled as the shock of Harry's words wore off. Jean and Harry had been dancing around each other for weeks, and several times he had seen them flirt with their eyes alone… to say nothing of just how much they smiled and laughed in each other's presence.
He was happy for his ward, especially considering how hard it had been for her to make friends and relate to people in the past—something which was his fault, he realized with shame once again. And while some would have balked at the fact that Harry was a killer millions of times over and a twice widower…Charles knew that he would be good for Jean, and she for him.
"You have blood on your shoes," Mystique remarked as Magneto walked inside the house, but her smirk vanished instantly as she found him carrying three unconscious children behind him. Jumping up from the couch, she changed her appearance to that of a blond woman as she ran towards him, "What happened?! You were supposed to meet Hoffma-"
"Hoffman and his band of mutant refugees was nothing but a lie," he growled, gently lowering the metal platform behind him on the floor as he crossed his arms across his chest. With nary a gesture from him, the flecks of blood on his cape and boots floated off into the basin, and Magneto walked towards the couch.
"It was the fucking Friends of Humanity of once again! He snarled hatefully, dropping down into his seat as he watched Mystique pick up the children and take them to the medical table, "I went there in hopes of striking an accord with a mutant group, and instead I faced those insolent insects as they came at me with pitchforks and guns! I would have probably flown away after giving them a trashing, but then the leader brought out these kids with bats to their heads and demanded that I submit myself to the Inquisition. Fools didn't realize it was the Master of Magnetism they were trying to shoot at."
"Bruised muscles, badly healed bones, malnourished state, bent wings on this girl, burnt scalp too…" Mystique muttered as the table scanned the three children Magneto had rescued, her eyes flicking through the rapidly forming words on the projection, "These kids were tortured Erik, for a long time if the amount of incorrectly mended fractures is any indication, and if my eyes are seeing things right… then these children underwent a secondary mutation of sorts, purely forced upon them by their own bodies in a bid to survive the horrors. All three of them have enhanced regeneration… and it evolved just a few weeks ago."
Silence descended in the room after that, as Magneto stared at the glowing letters on the hologram, and Mystique busied herself with the necessary treatments for the young mutants. However, she was not foolish enough to consider that Erik was going to be silent for much longer—not when she had known him for years at this point, and even now, she could feel his control slipping.
"Call back the team," he snarled as he stood up and walked to the window, "Tell Pietro and others to round up as many mutants as they can find, and convince them to come to the safe house. Give each of them a copy of the medical report, so that the others know what tortures and psychopathic things we are being forced to endure at the hands of humanity."
"And where are you going?" She asked, her fingers moving over the keyboard as she sent out the directions to the Brotherhood.
"To meet some friends."
"Are you going somewhere Harry?"
"Huh?" Harry stopped and turned around to look and Kitty and Leon, the two teenagers looking at him curiously as they peeked out of the living room. "What?"
"Where are you going?" She asked impatiently, waving her hand at his clothes, "You are wearing a jacket, and you tried to comb your hair… you never, ever do that. Which means that you are going somewhere."
"Ororo didn't tell you guys?" He asked in turn, actually surprised that the white-haired woman had not spilled the beans to the students by now. Especially considering how happy Ororo had been since he had told them about his and Jean's date… evidently, the usually stoic and closed-off woman was a romantic at heart.
"No?" Leon tilted his head, regarding him for a few moments before a grin came over his face, "Are you going out with Jean?"
"What?!" Kitty cried, her neck snapping towards Leon with a sharp crack, and the girl winced at the sudden jolt of pain, before she turned towards him with her eyes wide and unblinking, "Is this true? Are you really taking Jean on a date?"
"I am," he chuckled at the excitement in her voice, and healed her neck as he ruffled her hair, "Now, don't tell the whole mansion about it, or no one will leave both of us alone, and Leon, I got the medicines you and Hank were asking for. I have left them on the table right at the entrance, and don't forget the painkillers, Kitty. "
"Got it, Harry," he nodded, before grabbing Kitty's shoulders and steering her away, "I will take this one to the kitchen now, before she starts to eat your brains about it. Good luck Harry!"
Snorting at the way Kitty was comically hitting Leon's shoulder as she denied his words, Harry shook his head and turned around, sighing as he felt the anticipation and happiness course through him. How long had it been, since he had last done something even remotely romantic?
Probably when Gabrielle had been assigned to Neville's unit, and he had come across the young Veela drunk off her ass in Paris after they had taken over the city. He grinned stupidly at the thought of the day, or more importantly at the night. As Gabrielle had taken him to her home for a drunk, a rough night of sex, they had come across her mother lounging in the main hall of Delacour Manor… and evidently, Veelas had no problem with incest.
Morgana's tits, that night, and the following three, had been amongst the best of his life.
Of course, that particular expletive brought the black-haired sorceress of this world to his mind. It had been months since he and the legendary witch had crossed dimensions to take her familiar back from Annihilus. Since then, he had wondered about the differences between this world's Arthurian period and his own… of course, said thoughts were also accompanied by the beautiful, regal features of Morgan Le Fay as she smiled at him with her Kitsune pup in her hands, or the darkness in her eyes as she smirked at him.
Shaking his head to banish the thoughts best left forgotten tonight, Harry ran a hand through his hair as he arrived at Jean's room, and he patted the pocket of his jacket to check once again whether his gift for her was there or not. Knocking on her door, he took a deep breath as it opened instantly—having telepathy was so unfair… especially when it came with a powerful empathy like in Jean's cas- Morgan's tits!
It was only thanks to his occlumency that his jaw didn't drop open at the sight before him, but if the smug smirk Jean gave him meant anything, then the empath had picked up on his thoughts. And she had every reason to be smug. With a white crop top that left her midriff bare and a tight pair of blue jeans…Jean had completely redefined the phrase 'Redheads are hot'. With her fiery crimson hair falling down in a straight curtain to her mid-back and her jade eyes sparkling with delight, her pink, plump lips spread into a beautiful smile as she giggled at him. Placing one hand on her hips and leaning against the door, she grinned as his eyes momentarily dipped down to the bit of cleavage she was showing, and with a sinful slowness, she ran a finger down her neck.
"My My Harry, cat got your tongue?" She asked, winking at him as she cocked her hips and arched an eyebrow, "I do hope I didn't break your mind."
"You look gorgeous," he murmured, his hand rising to cup her cheek, and he shivered slightly as she leaned into his palm, her lips pressing against his skin for a moment before she pulled back with a grin. Shaking his head at her actions, Harry chuckled and extended his hand toward her. She snuggled into his side as her left hand wrapped around his hip, and in return, Harry laid his right on her shoulder, as they started to walk towards the main gates. "How are you feeling now?"
"Quite good," she beamed, her eyes sparkling as she tapped her fingers at the side of her head. "After the bond was established between the Phoenix and I, my memories once again went through a rehaul on their own while I slept… and I just feel a whole lot better than ever before. Jesus, who knew having repressed bonds and emotions would do this to someone, and it was apparently even worse for me because of my empathic abilities."
"Well, now that your bond with the Phoenix is complete, I am sure there won't be any more problems," he said, before a thoughtful look came over his face. "You know, I think the fact your hair color and the Phoenix's choice of host aren't simply a coincidence."
"What?" She snorted, and ran a hand through her crimson-orange tresses while batting her eyes at him, "You think I am a hot redhead and that is why the Phoenix bonded with me?"
"I think that out of all the people on this planet, a mutant with telepathy and telekinesis, the two applications of psionic energy are rare enough," he nodded his head at her, and touched her fiery mane as it dropped down from between her own fingers, "But for the Phoenix's host to be a redhead as well… that screams of the fact that you were meant to have a connection with that primordial force."
"I didn't know you believed in destiny," she commented, tilting her head, "You always gave Geralt of Rivia vibes with your quiet words and all those swords and hand gestures."
"Yet even he had to believe in destiny after he found Cirilla after the Battle of Sodden," Harry said, "Besides, after the life I have had… I started to believe in destiny, if only so that I could curse someone. Honestly, who makes a twelve-year-old fight a seventy-foot snake!"
"You know, someday I am going to make you sit and tell me about every dangerous and foolish thing you have done," she laughed, and Harry felt her amusement radiate out in the astral plane as the pulse of happiness touched his mind's edges. "Seventy-foot snakes and large dragons, I hope that your plans for our date are equally as magical Mr. Potter."
"Of that, you can be sure of," he smirked at her, and before Jean even realized it, they were standing in a completely different place. A cool draft of wind passed her by, Jean shuddered as the goosebumps sprang up on her arm. The earth beneath her feet was soft, and Harry's hands over her eyes prevented her from seeing where he had brought her.
"Welcome, to the Atacama Desert," he whispered softly as he removed his hand from her eyes, and Jean gasped at the sight that greeted her. Countless stars littered the dark canvas of the night sky above her, and in the absence of the skyscrapers and clouds, she could see the Milky Way in all of its awe-inspiring glory. Dunes and sparse cacti surrounded them, the landscape looking more beautiful than anything Jean had ever seen as the sands silhouetted against the bright stars. Pushing her hair out of her face as she turned around to take in the literally heavenly view, her eyes widened even more as she saw a candlelit dinner set up upon a small table.
"So," Harry grinned at her as he walked back to the table, his arms spread out as cocked his head, "This magical enough for our first date?"
"Bold of you to assume there will be a second one," she shot back, crossing her arms beneath her breasts and delighting in the way his eyes momentarily dipped down. "For all you know, this will be the first and last one."
"Your grin says otherwise," he pointed out, a smug smirk on her face before he walked forwards and ran a finger down her cheek, and Jean shuddered at the feeling of his rough skin moving over her own. "Besides, you do need to complete your seduction attempts, don't you? And trust me, that will take more than a single date."
"Uggh, why do you have to bring that up again?" She groaned, burying her face in her hands, before she looked up at him and frowned, "And don't say that as if you are not at fault! You take every chance you get to go shirtless in front of me!"
"I do not," he laughed at her accusation and steered to the table, pulling out a chair for her and making her sit before he sat down himself. "You are the one who has barged into the Danger Room and my room every time I am shirtless. You don't want to know how many clothes Logan has shredded with his claws before I just decided to go shirtless… and I like to sleep without a shirt."
At those words, her mind instantly conjured up an image of a shirtless Harry sleeping in his bed… with her face over his chest and her body draped all over him, her shirt nowhere to be seen either as she snuggled… Jean blinked the images away, a fierce blush rising up on her pale cheeks as she ducked her head down and forced the images deep inside her mind.
"So, uh," she cleared her throat and waved at their surroundings, "How did you get the idea of the Atacama Desert of all places?"
"Going out into the city seemed… normal to me," Harry said, removing the lid from the plate and revealing the roasted fish beneath to her eyes, "Therefore I decided to go somewhere far away from any civilization, where no one and nothing could disturb us."
"Mhm, and I am certain the no disturbance part was the one that was the most prominent in your decision," she smiled at him teasingly, spearing a piece of fish with her fork. "I have never seen you cook fish before."
"Not something we used to eat much," he shrugged, revealing the steak and the salad in the other plates. "But we eat chicken and pork every time, so I wanted to make something different."
"Mmmn," she moaned, her eyes closed in a blissful expression as her lips closed around the fish. Swallowing the spicy, honeyed, and utterly divine morsel, she moaned once again as she felt the sweet and spicy aftertaste explode across her taste buds "This is..mmhm, so fucking good!"
"Glad I got your approval," Harry grinned at her, eating a bite himself as he watched her almost rush through the next few forkfulls. "You know, I think I have got that second date now."
"Keep, um, cooking...like this—and you will definitely have it." She said, her words broken by the little noises of appreciation she made as she licked the sauce off her fork, "But you have set the bar pretty high Harry, I don't know how you will top this."
"Why, by flying even higher," he snorted, and with a swirl of his hands, two glasses appeared on the table. "Now, would you like wine or vodka?"