For two days, Hank had been working feverishly on solving Bobby's ice problem. They'd tried several things, first focusing on several different fronts. Nothing seemed to work. Hank had even given up and tried Chimera's idea of using heat to attempt to melt Bobby. He'd only looked uncomfortable for a moment. Then the tub had frozen over. Bobby had simply stepped out of it as if it had not been solid ice. That alone still perplexed Hank. Contemplating the physics of how that worked was... Painful.
He sat pouring over his notes, hoping to see something he'd overlooked. Now looking at the whole picture, it seemed to tell him how futile his efforts were. Placing a hand to either side of the accursed paper, he laid his head down roughly. It had not been that long, three or four days, but Hank was going insane. He craved Bobby. At first, he'd been able to just release his physical need alone, but it didn't help at all now. He'd always thought that when someone said they were aching for another person it was a metaphorical ache. He knew now that it wasn't.
Hank was about to break down, only the third time today, when he heard the door behind him slide open. He cursed himself for not locking it. He'd been smarter than that before. He didn't want anyone to see him like this and he was in no mood to help anyone. Though he knew he would simply give in as he always did. Such was the curse of a friendly disposition. Unmoving he smelled the air. Lilac. He could hear the sounds of soft footfalls, those of soft leather. Rogue. Had it been anyone else he would have turned and roared, sending whomever chose to bother him running. But Rogue, and maybe Gambit were the only ones who really knew what he was going through. He'd tried talking to Gambit, who'd given him a few ideas, but could only tell him he would find a way. Hank was beginning to doubt that he'd ever solve the puzzle.
"Ya alright, hun?" She asked behind him in a heartfelt tone that came so naturally to her, made even more pleasing to the ear by her bright southern accent.
"Truthfully? No." Hank said, still unmoving. He felt as though he wanted to leap out of his fur. Bobby didn't even smell like he used to anymore. He smelled like ice. Hank's mind traveled back to memories of their first kiss, their first... He shook his head, commanding himself to concentrate on the moment.
"Ah shouldn't be here..." Rogue said, taking a nervous step toward the door. Hank could see that she was holding something behind her back, probably something that needed fixing. It was obvious she'd just come to the conclusion that whatever it was could wait until Hank solved his own problem. Though, Hank wondered, what would be important enough for her to come in here to ask him about, knowing he was trying to save his lover?
"Please. What can I help you with?" He asked her. He could tell that she wanted to say what was on her mind, but held back.
"Ah can wait, Hank, you find a cure for Bobby." She said still concealing whatever she carried. Hank gave her a quelling look. He really wasn't making any progress. A short diversion was needed. He just held his hand out. Slowly she revealed what she'd been hiding. Hank blinked. What on earth was Rogue of all people doing with an inhibitor collar? The red metal at one time had scared her so much that she'd completely broken down when they'd been held on Genoshia. Realization struck him suddenly. Of course. It suppressed mutant powers. Making her and Gambit able to be intimate with- Hank blinked again. Suppressed mutant powers!
The collars worked using an electromagnetic wave that counteracted one tied to the use of mutant power. Formulae and hypotheses roiled through Hank's mind. This idea had a chance. He looked up at Rogue. He could have kissed her. For the first time in nearly four days, he had hope in his heart.
"Rogue... You don't know what you've just given me!" Hank exclaimed. He saw confusion on her face, but he was soon lost in wave form mechanics, his guest having been completely forgotten.
Scott smashed a fist into the table of the war room. Professor Xavier, Jean, and Storm were all here.
"Why are we doing nothing professor?" Scott yelled. "We have been sitting here doing nothing for days. We must do something!"
Xavier sighed. "Scott. This is not a battle we can win. We cannot simply go out and fight public opinion as if it were a member of the Brotherhood. The Friends of Humanity have infiltrated nearly every aspect of people's lives now. Something must happen to show the world that we aren't a threat. At least any more of a threat than they themselves are to each other."
Scott still looked very angry. The kind of anger that still remains when you know you're wrong. As if by will alone you could argue your way past the truth. The Professor's words made sense. There wasn't anything they alone could do. He sat down heavily in one of the chairs.
"Well, what can we do, Professor? They're still abducting mutants all over the planet. I hate feeling helpless." Scott said, in a much more humbled tone.
"At the moment Scott, we can stay alive. We must concentrate on simply making it another day. I will do what I can. We must hope that it will be enough." Xavier said stoically.
Storm didn't like just sitting around either, but like Xavier, she realized that they couldn't simply go out and wage battle on a whole world. She'd thought that maybe they could leave. Maybe they could find another world they could just be. Perhaps some other culture would take them in and give them a head start. She shook her head. Thinking of such things served no real purpose other than to occupy time she didn't have. Storm sighed. Perhaps now she did have the time. The Professor had simply told them to expect another meeting sometime in the near future and left.
"I will focus my efforts on making the mansion more self sufficient. We still have several greenhouses. I will begin planting incase we are forced to move underground. The generators will give us power, but we will still require food. Contact me if you need anything, Cyclops." She said in her usual detached but still warm voice.
Hank finished. In his two hands, he held the key to making Bobby normal again. He couldn't believe he had not thought about this sooner. It was not guaranteed to work, but it was a chance. He'd repaired Rogue's collar in the process of duplicating it, surprising himself with his willpower to not simply fix and use her collar. He turned swiftly for the door. Just as it opened he remembered to grab something else. A small black pouch he now kept clipped to the band of his shorts. He bounded through the hallways, arriving in only seconds at his quarters. The door flew open and Hank burst into the room breathing heavy and looking for all the world like a starving tiger stalking prey. Bobby was gone. Hank growled and looked at the ceiling as if to ask 'Why?'. He ran back into the mass of hallways that would be a maze to anyone but a resident.
Bobby sat on the floor of the hangar. It seemed to be the one place he could actually be alone these days. The weight rooms were now always occupied as if his team mates were building up bulk for the winter. He shivered at the expression. He was beginning to hate snow. Anything cold in fact. He was surrounded by ice sculptures, once a way of passing the time. Before, he'd had to concentrate to give them form, and it had really felt like he was creating something. Now the images simply sprang into existence in moments. The fun of it was gone. Bobby longed to just be able to go home and burrow himself in Hank's thick fur. To feel the warmth of his body.
He found himself on the verge of tears, but fought them back. He'd already broken down several times today. He would have to resign himself to the fact that this was how he was going to be for the rest of his life and go from there. His thoughts began to darken as self loathing replaced sadness. If it wouldn't break Hank's heart, he would simply end it. He felt almost bitter at that. He didn't feel like he could go on like this, but at the same time, he now felt it would be selfish to try killing himself again. He looked upward and wondered why all of this was happening to him.
He looked around him at the dozens of melting forms scattered throughout the empty part of the hangar. Most of them were Hank. Bobby really wasn't thinking of much else these days. He kept telling himself that he should be worried over what had happened at the Olympic Games, but try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to really care. He'd lost everything when he'd lost the ability to turn back to a normal human. He knew it was selfish, but that was part of him. He had never been the most caring person, or the most empathetic. He so admired those qualities in Hank. He resigned himself to just wallowing in self pity for a few more hours before he would pull himself back together and return to his quarters.
Hank had looked nearly everywhere. Their room, the Danger Room, the Gym, the conference rooms... He was getting frustrated quickly. He'd even stopped Jean and asked her where he was but she'd been unable to locate him. It seemed that his mind no longer even registered to any of the telepaths in the group. Hank bounded past an environmental console. He skidded to a halt as an idea came to mind. He looked over all the rooms' temperatures. Most were fairly standard room temperature, but one was several degrees too low. The hangar. Hank was off almost before he finished reading the display. He blew past a few of his team mates, who gave him strange looks, but who didn't try to stop him.
He arrived at the elevator stepping in and dancing in agony as the doors slowly shut. He looked down and gasped. He'd just been running through the hallways with a huge erection. Normally he would have died of embarrassment right then and there. Today he was only frustrated that he'd have to wait even longer than the accursed contraption he rode in to reach the hangar's floor before getting out. He tried to concentrate on anything other than Bobby. Physics seemed to work most times. He tried to think of the calming formulae which had been his only bedfellow for so many years. It was working. Slowly. He placed a meaty hand on the wall. The doors slid open, the elevator having reached its destination. Standing in the doorway, shimmering tones of blue and white, was Bobby.
"Hey Hank." Bobby said softly, staring at the floor. He caught a glint of metal in Hank's hand. "What's that?" he asked, sounding only a minuscule bit hopeful.
"This," Hank said, "Is a modified Genoshian Collar. I only thought of it a few hours ago. Please, can we try it?" He asked, eyes pleading for Bobby to say yes.
Slowly, Bobby nodded, the object still causing him some fear. The last time one of these had been used on him, though it had looked different, he'd felt incredibly helpless. He'd felt naked and... Beaten.
Hank gently placed the collar around Bobby's neck, holding a breath. Bobby's eyes closed. The lights and hum of the device activated. Nothing happened. Bobby stood perfectly still. Hank's heart sank. He'd been so sure... This had been the last thing, the only thing that could have worked. He gently stroked Bobby's still frozen cheek feeling defeated.
"I'm so sorry Bobby." He said. He was going to lose it again. He could already feel the torrent of tears amassing behind his eyes. A small flake of ice fell from where Hank touched Bobby. He withdrew his hand sharply. Another flake, this one larger, fell. He heard a crackling sound. The ice began to chip away from Bobby, revealing underneath it... Skin. Hank's whole body shook.
Bobby looked shocked, staring at normal hands once more, tears in his eyes. Hank pulled him close and kissed him roughly. He took in his lover's scent, once again the one he remembered. Bobby's skin felt... Electric. Like a forbidden fruit. He had to get them back to their quarters. Now. He could sense that Bobby desperately wanted the same thing. Bobby kissed him ferociously and within seconds, found a nipple and sucked hard. Hank groaned and hurriedly pressed the button for his floor. Fingers intertwined in his's fur. Bobby was breathing heavy and attempting to work his way downward.
"Bobby... Not here..." Hank whimpered. He came to the realization that protesting would do no good as neither Bobby nor he himself would listen. Grinning, he pressed the stop button. The elevator halted. He pulled Bobby up and kissed him hungrily. It felt like... Hank stopped for a moment, mildly disturbed at the feeling. It felt like escaping from a cage. He smiled happily though and again went in for the kill.
Their tongues circled each others and Hank was lost. He reached a hand down, awkwardly pulling his shorts off, having to break their kiss to finish the task. Bobby grinned and placed a hand to the side of his own. He pulled a section of fabric back to reveal a zipper on his hip. With a flick of the wrist, they were off. Hank marveled at the wondrous idea. He would have to get a pair. Or six.
They crashed heavily to the elevator floor making it lurch downward. Hank looked worried for a moment but was quickly distracted. Something caught Bobby's eye. It was the black pouch Hank had clipped to his waistband. Bobby opened it to find a pair of condoms and a small bottle of lube. Hank suddenly felt a little guilty, like when Jean or Cyclops would catch him sneaking snacks in the middle of the night. He turned serious, though, when Bobby looked intently at him.
"Will you... Uh...?" Bobby stuttered. Something about how naïve the question sounded made Hank suddenly feel protective.
"Are you sure, Robert?" Hank asked softly, using Bobby's full name to emphasize how serious the question was. He might not be able to stop himself later. His whole body ached for him, but they'd held off this far for fear of hurting Bobby. Hank had done extensive research on the subject and was reasonably sure he knew the ideal way to go about it so as not to injure Bobby.
Hank reached for the condom, but Bobby pulled his hand away, grinning mischievously. He felt a soft hand give him a firm tug. It was like being shocked. His whole body tingled. Hank closed his eyes. He heard the package rip and felt Bobby deftly apply the condom. He felt a hand slide all over his member. He tried to concentrate. Tried to keep his mind engaged so that he could do this right. Bobby was on top. This was good. He could stop if he needed.
Hands on his chest. Then pressure against him. Hank opened his eyes. He heard Bobby grunt, and suddenly was enveloped with warmth, making Hank gasp. Hank had never before felt anything so wonderful in his entire life. He lay there for a moment letting Bobby have time to get used to him, but mainly just enjoying the feelings flooding his body. Every shift, every quiver, every breath, shot pleasure through him. His eyes rolled back. Bobby moved forward, taking Hank's breath with him. He moved backward and Hank had to stifle a moan. He was completely overwhelmed.
As Bobby began to move more, the sounds of pain and discomfort grew less in his breathing. Hank let go of his conscious mind, letting more primal needs take over. He sat up, holding Bobby close and kissed him passionately. Gently he rolled them over.
Bobby was surprised how much it hurt. At first, his whole body protested. His whole body locked up and he had to bite his tongue to keep from howling. He huddled there for a moment, thinking it wasn't such a good idea. He looked at Hank. The man was in a whole other place. Bobby smiled despite the pain. Hank moved slightly and hit something inside Bobby. It was like coming, but only the briefest taste of it. Bobby moved forward, feeling a sudden emptiness. He drove himself back and gasped as Hank hit that spot again. Lips suddenly on his, took his breath away as he was pulled into a tight embrace.
Bobby could feel Hank's pulse thundering through his body, each beat of his heart, every twitch making Bobby shudder. It still hurt but it hardly mattered. He felt a great movement under him and suddenly felt his back press to the elevator wall. Hank kissed him again and Bobby melted. Powerful hands gripped his hips and squeezed tightly. The sounds coming from Hank were low and... animal. Bobby had seen more and more of this side of Hank over the past few weeks. And he couldn't say he didn't like it. Hank drew back, dragging most of Bobby's insides with him. He came slamming back in and Bobby choked off a yell trying to be quiet. He'd die if anyone caught them. It was too much. Hank drove into him again, slamming him into the wall. This time Bobby couldn't keep it in and groaned loudly. Hank moved faster, in and out, his breath blasting into the side of Bobby's face like some kind of steam engine. Each time Bobby thought he was coming. It still hurt, but this was worth every bit of it.
Hank plowed into Bobby, all control lost. He moved faster and faster, amazed at and swallowed by the wondrous feeling. He fucked Bobby like a piston, hearing the sounds of pleasure roll out of both of their mouths. He could feel Bobby's breathing, his heartbeat, the low sounds he was making. Hank soon felt Bobby pushing back on him, matching him thrust for thrust. They crashed into the opposing wall, neither bothering to hide the sounds of their lovemaking anymore. Hank knew he couldn't hold back for long, but increased the pace anyway. Bobby's breathing halted for a second, then he bucked forward and cried out as he came. Hank came just after in a spasm of wild thrusts. He felt the stress of the past week flow out of him as he let himself fall backwards, making the elevator groan as he landed, Bobby still impaled by him.
After a few long moments of post-orgasmic silence, Hank pulled Bobby up to kiss him. He noticed first the shaking of Bobby's small frame. Then the tears rolling down his face. Hank's chest locked up.
"My god, Bobby, did I injure you?" Hank asked, fearing the worst. He knew that injuries in that particular area of the body were very difficult to heal and there was little that could be done to treat it. Bobby was silent for a moment, hugging Hank snugly.
"No, Hank. I... I just didn't expect to be able to touch you, much less..." Bobby said slowly, breaking down again in a series of wet sobs. Tears of joy. Thank god. Hank had been totally reckless. Something he would never have done consciously. He had to admit, he'd nearly given up on ever being able to feel Bobby's soft skin again, it was profoundly wonderful to even be able to lay here like this.
Elevator. They were in the elevator. Hank blinked as what they'd just done came into focus. He looked around him at the pieces of discarded clothing. He smelled the air and the smell of their sex hung thickly. Far beyond what would go undetected to anyone but Hank and Wolverine. He carefully pulled himself from Bobby, more carefully when he heard him whimper. He started to get up, but Bobby stopped him.
"Thank you." Bobby said simply. The two words conveyed more than simple gratitude. For Bobby, that would have been 'thanks'. The look in his eyes told Hank it was much, much more. Bobby looked like a man who'd been given his life back. And on some level he had. Hank would have to thank Rogue. Repeatedly. If he could walk the streets, he thought, he would also have to buy her something. He smiled at Bobby.
"You mean everything to me, Bobby. Aside from my own delight in taking advantage of you," Hank began with a toothy grin, "Seeing you like that was... painful. Hmm... Bobby?"
"Yeah?" Bobby asked, ears perking up.
"We seem to be in a bit of a predicament. While I must say the smell of our recent activities is not entirely unpleasant... We are in the elevator. Perhaps your powers could be of use?" Hank asked, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He couldn't quite rationalize why he couldn't have waited the extra minute it would have taken to be back in their quarters, but then again, many of the things he'd done and felt since 're-discovering' Bobby had made absolutely no sense to anyone with half a brain.
Bobby looked hesitant for a moment but unclasped the collar. His body quickly iced over, bringing a somewhat sad look to his crystalline face. Hank pulled on his shorts as Bobby froze the air around them. It was as if it was snowing in the confined area. Hank sniffed the air. The smell was definitely not gone, but it was much lighter now. Probably something only Wolverine would know. Hank smiled. Or the three telepaths in the mansion at the moment. He wondered briefly what that would be like. How could one sleep with the thoughts of others constantly whispering around you? Especially when those whispers were two people defiling the elevator in the throws of passion. It brought a chuckle to Hank, but only a brief one. The elevator resumed as Bobby zipped his shorts back on. The remaining lube and remaining garbage, Bobby froze within a small dark chunk of ice. Hank placed it in the black pouch.
The door opened and Hank was obscenely grateful for the hallway being empty. The two of them crept to the corner like a pair of thieves, both feeling silly for sneaking this way. They heard footsteps coming and froze, Bobby, literally. Gambit rounded the corner.
"Afternoon, Mon Ami." He said cheerfully. He stopped and regarded Hank with a particularly knowing grin. "Gambit glad to see you two work out dat problem." Hank was confused. How...
"How did you know?" Bobby asked. Gambit had already started to walk away. He turned without stopping.
"Gambit don't mind, but he think a shower be a good idea." He answered, chuckling. Hank looked down and gasped. The fur on his belly was plastered down, thanks to Bobby. He decided it may just be better to run it. He clasped the collar back around Bobby's neck, picked him up like a sack of potatoes and ran down the hall, finally reaching their room without encountering any of the other team mates.
It was Jubilee's first day back in the danger room. Well, more precisely her first night. She didn't want anyone there to see her. She didn't want to see the concerned half smiles, she didn't want to see the mild looks of approval and uncomfortable silences. What she wanted, though, more than anything was simply to forget it had ever happened. She knew that would never happen though. Revenge would have been good too, but Wolverine had already exacted it on several of the men who'd done this to her. She found herself despising him in a way for robbing her of her vengeance. Irrational as it was, she felt it anyway. What really irritated her was that if she was in a position where she could have gotten it herself, Jubilee didn't know how exactly she would have reacted. She didn't know whether or not she'd panic or stand her ground and that uncertainty cut her.
She ran her hands across the small control panel choosing a randomized program of only holographs. This way the computer could throw anyone in the database at her, but she knew she had some degree of safety. The last thing she needed was to end up in the infirmary over her first training session.
The lights dimmed and the program started. She saw movement come out of the shadows, a small disc spinning toward her. Her eyes narrowed and her ears perked up as old training returned in an instant. Her knuckles burned with crackling energy, a comforting feeling. Her hands thrust forward and power released sending a thousand screaming colors into the air obliterating the disc. Pleased with herself, she braced herself for the next wave. Two. No, six. With a sweeping movement of her hands, she destroyed four of the targets, dodging the remaining two. Turning, she finished them off.
"Warm-Up Complete." said the computer.
Now came the real targets. The lights dimmed further, something Jubilee idly wondered about for a moment before Toad came springing out of the darkness at her. A front handspring turned into an inhumanly high flip and a tongue lashed out at her. Jubilee's fireworks crashed into his chest sending him flying, the image disappearing as he hit the wall. She smiled, pleased again to be back using her powers. She waited for the next opponent. A few moments passed before she heard it. The soft, barely audible whine of servos. The sound of air hissing out of a sealed mask. Jubilee's chest constricted. She'd heard this sound before. The sound became louder, and two circular goggles gleamed at her from the darkness. 'HIM.' She thought. Panic and terror circled around her. Jubilee screamed, her hands jutting forward even though she somehow knew there was nothing she could do to stop him.
Raien set the bar back into its rack on the bench and sat up, idly feeling his muscles as they throbbed. He'd seen Jubilee go into the danger room a minute ago, though he didn't think she'd seen him. He leaned back for another set, placing his hands on the bar when he heard a scream. He nearly banged his head as he jumped up, running for the door. It slid open, revealing Jubilee screaming and wildly blasting at something Raien couldn't see. There were too many explosions, and the brilliant light made seeing anything difficult, but the look on her face was unmistakably horror. Raien pressed the emergency shut down and ran to her just as she slumped to the floor in exertion.
"Jubilee! What happened?" He asked, trying to pick her up off the floor. She just shook her head frantically and pointed at the wall, tears in her eyes, and skin pale. There were scorch marks running ten feet across and easily fifteen feet high, but no evidence of who she'd been fighting. 'Of course.' Raien thought. A hologram. It must have pulled something from the database that frightened her. He did his best to calm her down. But only when Raien offered to take her back to her quarters did she really react. She looked as though she'd suddenly regained her composure. Sort of.
"Raien... Don't tell anyone about that, ok?" She asked him, her eyes conveying the seriousness of her request.
"You got it. Gonna be alright on your own?" He asked her, still worried. She nodded and smiled a half smile, as if she wasn't quite sure if she would be. The door closed and Raien slowly walked back to his room wondering what had happened to make her snap like that. As he rounded a corner he had a strange sensation. Like someone was watching him, but the hallway was empty. Frowning, he shrugged and walked back to his quarters hoping he'd not disturbed Chimera when he'd left in the middle of the night to work out.