Now seems like a good time to remind everyone of this story's rating. Everyone here is comfortable with PG-13 material, right? Just making sure…
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The Conservatory of the Xavier Institute…
Dressed in regular casual attire, several of the New Mutants gathered anxiously in the corner of the room. Roberto and Amara were leaning on the back of a couch conversing quietly with each other, Jamie was standing next to Roberto, trying to listen in, and Samuel was leaning against a wall flipping disinterestedly through a magazine. The hush dragged on. At the sound of approaching footsteps, all four students looked up.
"Good day," greeted Bobby in a hushed tone. He entered the room solemnly, and glanced at each of the four students in turn. Finding them all in attendance, he nodded to himself. Behind him, Jubilee and Ray followed wearing similar expressions.
Roberto pursed his lips, noting the other kids' expressions. "Uh, hi. You guys said you wanted to see us?"
Taking up a position in the center of the room, Bobby nodded. "We did. My friends, we have a problem. We must do something about that problem, and we must do it now."
Frowning, Samuel put down the magazine. "Is this about Rahne?"
"Yeah," commented Amara, with a touch of concern in her voice. "She's been acting kind of strange lately."
"Real growly," Jamie added, nodding. "An' she's been looking at us all funny, too."
"Yes," affirmed Bobby. "This is about Rahne. Her actions as of late have been unsociable, disruptive and—"
"Borderline freaky," finished Ray.
Bobby cocked his head to the side. "Yes, exactly. Anyways, Jubilee and I have been carefully observing Rahne for several days now. We've discussed this at length, and we believe we have isolated the cause of her restlessness."
"Really?"
"Yes, Jamie. We're afraid there is only one passable explanation." Jubilee paused and gave a serious glance to the four students in front of her. "Rahne is in heat."
The students looked on in silence. Samuel shifted uncomfortably.
"We even called a vet," Bobby gravely continued. "He agreed that Rahne is exhibiting all the classic signs of a dog in heat."
Samuel stuttered for a moment. "Rahne is a human."
"Yes," replied Jubilee. "But she's also a mutant, who turns into a dog. And she still shows all the signs. I hate to say it, but she's definitely in heat."
Jamie bit his lip. "So… What are we supposed to do about it?"
"The only thing we can do, I'm afraid." Bobby closed his eyes. "Jamie, Sam, Roberto, Ray; the five of us will draw straws. Whoever draws the short straw—"
"Wait a minute," cut in Roberto. "Five of us? There are seven of us here." Roberto made an offhand gesture towards Amara. "There's no reason to be sexist about this. The girls are just as capable of anything as we are!"
The room stared at Roberto after his outburst. Amara's cheeks reddened.
"…Roberto…" Jubilee eventually exclaimed. "As much as we all appreciate your innocent naiveté… Rahne is in heat."
"Yeah?" Roberto meekly held up his hands.
The room continued to stare at Roberto. Amara's cheeks turned a deep crimson.
"…And one of us has to help her out of it," finished Bobby. "One of us guys has to help her get it out of her system."
"Yeah, but why does it have to be—" Roberto cut himself off mid sentence. "Oh." He glanced over at Amara, who was red as a beet. "Oh," he finished meekly.
"Right," Bobby exhaled in relief. "Well, there's no point in delaying this. Ray, if you would…" Bobby stepped aside and gestured for Ray to move forward.
Ray stepped forward, tightly gripping five straws in his right hand. Walking over to the couch, he grimly offered out his hand. Jamie, being the closest, bit his lip and reached out. After a moment's hesitation, he picked out a straw.
"Whoa," muttered Ray. "Talk about anti-climatic."
Still biting his lip, Jamie held up the bent, inch-long straw. The boy slowly turned the straw, examining it in shocked disbelief.
"Aw man," offered Samuel. "I'm sorry, bro."
"Jamie," Bobby asserted, stepping forward. "This task has fallen to you. We know it is a difficult one, and we do not envy you for it. But you must do, what you must do."
Jamie gulped, nervously.
Bobby placed his hands on Jamie's shoulders, as if in some sort of ceremony. "Be strong, Jamie. We all know that you can do this."
Jamie looked at Bobby and smiled weakly. "Okay," he squeaked. "I guess…" Clenching the straw in his hand, Jamie slowly made his way out of the room. The other students solemnly watched him leave.
"Well," began Ray, after a moment of respectable silence. "I guess that's that." Walking over to the nearest trashcan, he threw the remaining straws away. Four stubby inch-long straws fell from his grasp.
Roberto's eyes widened. "You set him up!" He exclaimed.
Ray looked over at Roberto and shrugged. "Well… Yeah."
Astonished, Roberto looked around at the others.
"Look," began Jubilee, "if this were Jean, we'd give you all a equal chance. But with Rahne?" Jubilee shuddered.
Smirking, Bobby hopped back and took a seat on a recliner. "Besides, Jamie and Rahne? They were meant for each other! All we're doing is helping them along."
Roberto blinked in silence.
"They do make a cute couple," Samuel offered up.
"Yeah," agreed Amara. "I guess they do, sorta…"
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The locker rooms…
After a long solo session in the Danger Room, Scott let out a relaxed sigh as the hot water splashed down his chest. "Mmmmhhh…" He said as he watched droplets of water roll off the lenses of his glasses. "Shower…" Laughing to himself, Scott closed his eyes and continued to let the hot water run.
His relaxation was cut short when he heard the sound of someone running through the main locker room. Scott frowned. "Hey! No running out there…"
There was no response, and Scott closed his eyes again.
Someone else scampered across the floor. Scott heard someone yipe, and the sound of something banging into some lockers. Groaning in frustration, Scott turned off the water, and reached around for his towel.
Half clad and still dripping, Scott walked out into the locker room proper. "Okay, who—" From behind a row of lockers, Scott heard something fall over, and then the hard slamming of a door. "Whoever's there, you should know the rules by now. No clowning around inside, and especially not—"
Rounding the corner, Scott cut himself off abruptly. At the end of the room, Rahne, in werewolf form and dressed in her combat uniform, was untangling herself from an overturned cartful of towels. "Rahne!" Scott burst out. "This is the guys' locker room! What are you doing in here?"
At the sound of the new voice, Rahne looked up, startled.
"You know what," continued Scott, shaking his head. "I don't care. Whatever it is can wait until later. For now you just—" Scott tried to push open the looker room door, and found that it wouldn't budge. "What the?" Scott turned the handle, and shouldered the door a couple times. "Someone locked us in," he muttered. "Rahne, what were you… Rahne?"
Crouched in the pile of towels, Rahne was staring intently at Scott. Her nostrils were flaring, and she looked the boy over several times. A low growl escaped her throat, and her muscles tensed.
Suddenly apprehensive, Scott took a defensive step backwards. "Rahne?"
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Outside the locker room…
"Hurry!" Encouraged Jamie as he held onto the chair he had propped against the door. "Hurry—hurry—hurry—hurry!" The young boy received no answer except for renewed grunts of exertion. "C'mon, you're almost there!"
"Move the chair!" Commanded another Jamie. This one, along with two others, were bent over trying to carry a low bookcase in from the study. Out of breath, the three multiples set the bookcase on the ground.
A muffled voice came through the door . "Rahne, I really don't think that—"
"Okay," agreed the boy by the chair after a moment. Positioning himself to the side, he readied his grip on the chair. "Go!"
"—Ey, don't touch that towel!"
Three Jamie's heaved and lifted the bookcase. The lone Jamie quickly yanked the chair to the side. The three boys shuffled towards the door, dropping the bookcase as soon as they could go no further. They spent the next moment panting, while the lone Jamie peeked between the bookcase and the wall.
"Rahne, please listen—"
"Good job!" Jamie congratulated. "It's leaning on the knob."
Sounds of a struggle echoed through the wall.
"Now lets go get that couch," added one of the panting boys. "Just to be sure."
Nodding, all four boys ran down the hall.
The door shuddered twice, but didn't give.
Moving much quicker than before, the four Jamies shuffled back down the hall and wedged the couch next to the bookshelf.
Something tumbled against the towel cart.
"Well boys," began one of the boys. "Mission completed!"
"Yeah…"
"Aw-right…"
"—Regret this in the morning!"
Nervously, the forth boy glanced at the blockaded door. "…But, I think we'd better stay out of Scott's way for a while…."
One of the Jamies bit his lip. "Your probably right."
"We should avoid both of them," added another Jamie.
"Maybe a week?"
"I'm serious! Whatever you're thinking, this'll still considered statutory—Mhugh!"
"Maybe longer," concluded Jamie, as his multiples nodded. "Lets go."
The four boys quickly ran off, leaving only the muffled sounds of a one sided struggle and an occasional contented growl to echo through the walls.
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