A/N. I really, really have to thank all the reviewers who have commented so positively on this story. It is appreciated! I write in two other fandoms (Harry Potter, Baldur's Gate), and I must say the X-Men fandom (stories, readers and reviewers) is the best by far. The criticisms are constructive (and my fault for overlooking the small details that make a fic so worthwhile to read – thank you ), and that constructive comments are very applicable. Thanks again. Happy reading.
Chapter 4.
Logan walked down to the basement of the school to where Sabertooth was recovering. He paused at the entrance and saw the feral's long form stretched out on the examination table. The mutant was so large that his feet hung out over the edge of the table, and he looked like a normal human sleeping on a child's bed. But he knew that Victor was far from a normal human.
Silently, Logan walked over and stood beside Sabertooth, looking down at him. His long blond hair was pooled around his face, and a few strands hung down over the side of the table. Wolverine remembered the softness of that hair as it brushed against him earlier on in the day, and the way it smelled so clean. Not too sure why he remembered that, he dismissed the memory with a shake of his head. Wolverine moved his eyes down to look more carefully at the three gashes his claws had inflicted on the feral's face. They had been cleaned and the dried blood wiped away by Jean. They were deep, but they should heal without stitches. There will definitely be a few scars left there as a reminder of their encounter he realized. I guess I have left my mark on him, both figuratively and literally, he thought ironically.
Logan looked at his face again. It was large and angular, very masculine, but with strong bone structures. His fingers ended in thick, black-brown nails that were basically claws. He knew that these were not made of adamantium, but could still inflict serious damage on an opponent. He remembered the feral's long canine teeth that he bared when they were fighting. Those, too, were part of his mutation. Logan knew Sabertooth exhibited more animalistic traits than he himself did, and was wise enough not to assume his intelligence was lowered to that of an animal. In a way, Sabertooth had the best of all worlds – the strength, and increased agility of a feral animal, but the intelligence of a human. Unless of course you take into consideration working for Magneto – then that definitely qualifies as a decrease in intelligence, he thought with a smirk.
Because his mutation was quite visible to humans, Logan realized there was no way Sabertooth could live in the human world, passing as a 'normal human being'. If Victor were going to go on the run, he would have to hide outside of cities, living in the wilds like an animal. That was no way to live. Wolverine accepted that even he needed companionship every now and then, as much as he hated to admit it. He could imagine that Sabertooth was much the same. So why would Victor choose to leave the Brotherhood, only to have Magneto hunt him down? Why would he want to run the risk of living the rest of his life on the run? What was so important that made him decide to leave the Brotherhood?
Wolverine's gaze travelled further down the see the slow rise and fall of the feral's massive chest. It was perfect in it's rhythm. Too perfect, in fact.
"Hey Bub, I know you're awake," Logan said. "Open your eyes, we need to talk."
He watched as Victor's eyes opened and their gaze locked. Once more, Logan was filled with a sense of unease at not being able to see his pupils, as his irises were so dark, they seemed to swallow them up.
"I never said I was asleep, you just assumed that," Victor said, studying the man in front of him. "So? Have the X-Men decided to lynch me, and they are giving you first dibs?" he asked mockingly.
Wolverine gave him the sweetest artificial smile he could muster.
"Very funny. I didn't know ferals had a sense of humour."
Sabertooth slowly sat up and gave him a wry look. "Shows you how much you know about ferals." He reached for his head, which was still aching from the sedative he was given.
Point made, Wolverine thought to himself. A slightly uncomfortable silence followed in the room after that comment.
"So you will be happy to know that whatever lines you fed the Professor worked. Tomorrow we will go in and set Magneto up. We have a mutant that can withstand any radiation the machine will produce, and once Magneto is exhausted, we figure he will be easier to control. We plan to destroy the machine and any blueprints he has on file. The Professor thought we could stage an accident for you so that Magneto will think you were not involved, and can slink out the back door. Maybe Scotty can blast you outta there in front of Magneto or something. We don't have all of the details outlined yet."
Sabertooth ignored the barb about slinking away, and sat there thinking about the sketchy plan. It could work, as long as Mystique and Toad are not around.
"Check Mystique's lair. She was the one who updated the computers and kept copies of the machine plans. If they are anywhere, they would be with her, or in his main office."
Wolverine grunted, and stored that information away for later. "Anything else you can tell me that can help us?" he asked.
Sabertooth thought for a moment. "Who is going?"
"Storm, Jean, Scott, Kitty – the mutant I mentioned. You. Me."
"No," Sabertooth said with finality, cutting Logan off.
"Whadda ya mean, no?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in anger.
"You can't go," Victor replied quietly.
Rage filled Wolverine at this comment. Who the hell was he to say who went and who did not?
"Sorry Bub, but you are not in charge of this outfit. I am going whether you like it or not."
Wolverine saw the feral sigh in exasperation, as he sat up straight and looked down at Wolverine. Once more, Logan realized how large the man was. His next comment surprised the hell out of him.
"Give me your hand," Sabertooth said sincerely, holding out his large one, palm up.
Logan took a step back his hands raised in a defensive motion, unsure of what Victor meant.
"Hey – I don't know what you are implying buddy, but…"
He saw the look of annoyance cross Sabertooth's face. "Just do it, OK? As you dear Professor told me, if he is going to trust me, I will have to trust him. Now, I am asking you to trust me. My head is killing me, my limbs are weak from the drugs your friends shoved into me, and the scratches you gave me are burning. I am not in the best of shape at this moment, and if you wanted to overpower me, you probably could without too much trouble. Now, trust me, and give me your damn hand," he said tiredly, still holding his own out.
Taken back by this, and realizing the truth when he heard it, Logan was surprised to see himself take a hesitant step forward and slowly extend his right hand. He placed it into Sabertooth's, and was surprised at how soft it felt. He waited, and saw the feral slowly clasp his hand, bringing his other one up such that he was holding Wolverine's between his own. He started to slowly manipulate the knuckles, feeling around under the skin. For such large fingers, the man was very gentle and careful, Wolverine thought, as the feral felt around the wrist and lower arm of the shorter man. Sabertooth did not say a word while he did this; he just continued feeling around Logan's hand.
"I feel stupid, standing here," Logan said after a minute of this. What Victor was doing actually felt pretty nice, but he worried that Jean or worse – Scott – would walk in and see him there, holding hands with the mutant.
"So. Deal with it," was the preoccupied reply. Sabertooth let go one of his hands and turned Logan's hand around so that his fingers were out of the way.
"Your claws. Unsheathe them," he commanded. It came out not as a request, but more of a demand.
Wolverine froze in surprise. Nobody had ever asked him to do that before. Nobody had ever wanted to. It was such a personal, almost intimate thing to request, especially while holding his hand that he almost felt like telling Sabertooth to go to hell. Almost.
As slowly as possible, and unsure exactly why he was agreeing to do this, Wolverine unsheathed his claws. They slowly pierced the skin between his knuckles causing single drops of blood to appear where the blades sliced his skin, and grew inch-by-inch until they were fully extended. Sabertooth bent his head over Logan's hand in concentration, just as a stray strand of hair fell down to land on Logan's arms. It tickled, he thought, but not unpleasantly. With the claws fully extended, Victor turned the hand over to examine it on all sides. With a final subtle squeeze, he reluctantly let it go, his hand falling back into his lap.
"That is why," he said simply, looking down at Wolverine.
Wolverine was confused. "Why what?"
"Why you can't go," Sabertooth replied, as if it was obvious. Clearly Wolverine did not understand him, so Sabertooth made it extremely simple.
"Look, your claws are made out of metal, right? An incredible metal, but metal just the same. This same metal is graphed to your bones. I can feel by the weight of your hand and arm that there is more if it inside of you. I assume whoever put it there would not just stop at your arms, so it must run throughout your whole body. If this is so, then you will be a sitting duck for Magneto to manipulate. Even if he is drained and tired, just a fraction of his powers could root you to the spot. If Mystique and Toad should happen to return, you would not have a chance to fight back. Your X-Men friends would then have someone else to take care of, and you have just gone from an asset to a liability to the group. And believe me, nobody wants a liability on your side when working against Magneto."
Logan quickly retracted the claws and looked down at his hand as if it had betrayed him. For the first time since he became aware of his fantastic claws, he realized they could be used against him. So far he had never come across anyone who could defeat him because of his adamantium 'gifts'. Sabertooth could match him, but not outright beat him. Magneto, on the other hand, could rip the metal right off his bones, leaving him completely useless, and possibly dead, if he so chose to do so. The thought was a sobering one, and something he did not fully understand before Sabertooth pointed it out to him in no uncertain terms.
While Logan was preoccupied with his hand, Sabertooth took the opportunity to slowly swing his legs over the side of the examination table and stand. Suddenly his vision darkened, as blood rushed from his head to his feet after being prone for so long. His legs started to buckle, and Sabertooth reached out to the side of the table to brace himself so he would not crash to the floor.
Logan saw the mutant sway briefly before putting his hand out towards to table, which never connected. Reacting without thinking, Logan stepped forward and grasped the feral around the waist slamming him against the examination table, but keeping him upright. Logan held him there a moment while Sabertooth managed to steady himself. It was a few more moments before his vision stopped swimming, and he was able to regain his senses.
Sabertooth looked down at the other mutant, and realized what had happened. It warmed him to know that even after they had fought this morning, Logan would actually make the effort to help him when he needed it. In some way, it made what he felt in his heart a bit easier to bear. He realized that after Logan's reaction to letting him just hold his hand to examine it, there was no way Wolverine would let him kiss him, much less go further. Still, it was something, and he had to start from there.
"Head rush," Sabertooth said by way of brief explanation. "Thanks, Logan."
It was the first time Sabertooth had addressed him by his given name, and it sounded… odd to his ears. Wolverine realized he was still pressed tightly up against the feral. His body was so large and firm, but the skin along his arm where it was touching him felt as soft as a pelt. Uncomfortable with the close proximity, he quickly stepped away.
"Yeah. Sure. Think nothing of it," he said awkwardly. Why the hell did this guy make him feel so weird inside? Why was he noticing these things about him? His hair, his skin… Uncertainty was not an emotion he was used to feeling, and it threw him off.
"Well, are we supposed to go meet with Xavier, or what happens now?" Sabertooth asked, changing the subject.
Wolverine checked the clock on the wall. "Soon. They are probably not finished yet. I would give them another hour. They will come and get us if they have to."
Sabertooth grunted, and with nothing else to do, he started to walk around the examination room, trying to work the anaesthetic out of his limbs.
Wolverine watched as the mutant made his way slowly around the room. There was something else he wanted to ask him about regarding this morning. He was not sure how to bring this up, but Logan knew it was better to bring things out into the open than agonize about it. He should do this now rather than later, where others may be present. Taking a deep breath, and feeling painfully embarrassed asking this, he waited until he saw Sabertooth round the far corner of the room.
"Uh… I wanted to ask you something. About earlier on today," Logan started.
Sabertooth looked up, but kept walking. The exercise, as pitiful as it was, was doing him some good.
"What?"
"Logan looked down at his feet, then at the back wall. Anywhere except at the feral giant making his way slowly towards him.
"When… when we were fighting on the ground, and you had me pinned, I thought I felt something. I know I smelled something, and I thought maybe it was… sort of… excitement. I wanted to see if I was mistaken or not." He was disgusted with himself. He now doubted what he thought he had felt or perceived out there. He could be wrong, of course, which would make this line of questioning redundant, and he could get the hell out of there. But he wanted to know.
Sabertooth paused briefly in his pacing, before taking a deep breath and continuing on. He did not think Logan had the guts to broach this subject. Well, he was just proven wrong.
"You mean you scented lust on me, and felt my erection," he said looking at Wolverine with a non-apologetic grin. "You are a handsome man, Logan. Never underestimate that. You are one of the very few rivals I have ever encountered that can match me blow for blow, and you seem to enjoy it as much as I do. That is a rare thing. To find someone you consider worthy of your attention. Yes, I was excited. Yes, I was attracted to you, and yes, I still am."
Logan was completely unprepared for such brutal honesty laid bare to him. Denials and anger he could take, but admittance and acceptance? He had no idea how to react. In his confusion, he just watched as Sabertooth finished his lap around the room, and headed over to him. In the last few feet of his approach, their gazes were locked on each other. Victor's, hungry, honest and watching, while Logan's was uncertain, guarded and defensive.
Sabertooth walked up to stand close to Logan. Close enough to be in his personal space, but not close enough that Logan could claim he was being smothered. Victor slowly raised his hand; so slowly in order to give Logan time to back away if he wanted to. He did not. Victor traced his finger very gently along Wolverine's face, feeling the contours, and feeling the coarseness of his skin. His hand dropped to his side, and the two men stood there, daring the other to say something first.
"Well, that is not something I do with another guy," Logan said forcefully in response to the suggestion.
"I never said you had to," Victor replied. Being this close to him, and talking about the very thing that was on his mind at that moment made that statement very difficult to say. He wanted nothing more than to reach down and embrace Logan, showing him the depths of passion he was capable of giving. Instead, he reigned in those feelings, forcing himself to be rational.
"Relax, Logan. I may feel certain things towards you, but I would never force myself upon you. But let me ask you something. When was the last time you enjoyed the company of a woman? A soft, fragile woman with whom you could unleash the full potential of your passions, and not worry about breaking her bones, or hurting her." Victor paused, and he could see Logan thinking about what he had just said.
"The moment I met you, I realized I had found someone worthy of my attentions. Someone who I could reveal my true nature to; all the energy, rage, passion and lust I have suppressed within me for so long. Someone who could control me in a way that no one else has ever controlled me before. I saw within you the potential to be a mate. Not a sex partner, not a rival or just a friend, but a mate. Someone who I could share my life with – both the good and the ugly. I realize this may not be to your liking, but it made me realize that where I was – living and working for Magneto, was not getting me very far in life. It was a wake up call for me. It was one of the reasons I chose to leave the Brotherhood. Not because of you in particular, but because of what you represent. I want more out of life than what I am experiencing, and I am willing to sacrifice a lot to get that. I realize you may not be interested, and if that is the case, then I can accept that. But there may be someone out there like you, with the traits I am looking for in a mate."
Sabertooth had been patient, trying to make Logan understand what he was thinking and feeling. Somewhere between the "…but I would never force myself upon you." and the "and I am willing to sacrifice a lot to get that.", those pent-up emotions were released.
"As you can imagine, this was not something I planned to talk to you about at this particular point in time. However, now that it is out in the open, and standing this close to you, it brings up a lot of feelings for me. I suggest you either leave the room and run back to your precious X-Men, or stay here and let me prove my feelings to you."
Wolverine was shocked at what he had just heard. Most of him wanted to turn and run through the door, down the hall and keep running until he was as far away from this feral giant as he could get. However, another small part of him didn't. Victor had just voiced what he had been feeling for a while, but was far too set in his ways to change. He had always been with women – never a guy. It just wasn't right. But deep down Logan knew he had been deceiving himself. It didn't matter the sex of the person, but more who the person was. And to be honest, he was tired of holding himself back, always afraid he would inadvertently hurt the person he was with. That wouldn't be the case here.
It was his indecision to leave the room or stay that was his downfall. Sabertooth made the decision for him.
Very slowly, so to give Logan time to change his mind, Victor leaned down, placing his arms on either side of Logan and resting them on the examination table. He lowered his face towards the other mutant, and was surprised when Logan did not move, and allowed him to come so close. With his eyes open, Victor leaned in, placing his lips very gently against those of the man in front of him. The first kiss was mainly from Victor's end, slow and patient. He kissed him again, until he felt just the briefest of responses from Logan. Deepening the kiss, Victor once more felt his loins gather in excitement, pushing against the fabric of his pants. He brought his hands up and grasped Logan by the upper arm, squeezing them, conveying his need to the other man. He probed gently with his tongue, only to be surprised to find Logan's meeting him. A low growl of pure please escaped Sabertooth's throat before he heard the sound of footsteps come from the doorway.
Victor backed away, but Logan literally jumped from between Sabertooth's arms, creating a distance between them that could never suggest he was about to return the passions he felt from the larger feral. They separated just before they saw Scott enter the room, who addressed them both.
"Hey. Well, it looks like Kitty has agreed to our little plan. The Professor wants us to meet just after dinner, to discuss the details of how everything will happen. Sabertooth, if you want to follow me, I will show you where you can clean up before dinner. I am sure you are more than tired of Logan's company by now," he said, grinning as he baited Logan with the taunt.
Logan ignored Scott, turning his back on both of the mutants. He had to get his emotions under control before he could say anything.
"All right," Victor said. He turned to face Wolverine's back. "We can continue this, discussion, later," he said, not expecting a reply. He heard a grunt of response from Logan, and turned around to face Scott.
Scott indicated that Sabertooth lead on, and he followed the large feral out the door. Scott purposefully turned off the lights at the top of the stairs, leaving Logan alone in the dark.
Logan did not mind. He was still recovering from one of the most passionate, chaste, and unexpected kisses he had ever received in his life. He shook his head, still not completely comfortable with what had just happened. He had a lot of thinking to do in the next while…