Chapter 19: "Ink"
Sadie was working in the studio again — which was wonderful for her during the summertime anyhow. No one was around to try and join her. No one was making a point to try to schedule in their own time — and it left the whole place to her to work. She'd just finished up a long program that she was planning to use on her next audition when Kaleb appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Impatient little Elf," she said, not stopping in her routine.
He grinned at her as he leaned against the wall, his ears perked up and his tail swaying. "I'm not that early. Just a few minutes or so."
"Uh-huh," she said, grinning his way.
He smiled and teleported a bit closer to her, though he didn't interrupt her dance — yet. "It's not as though anyone else is here," he pointed out. "And I wanted to see you in your element."
"This is true," she agreed. "And … now that you've seen the element? How does it look?"
"I think it looks amazing," Kaleb said, snagging her by the wrist to pull her into a kiss. "You're so graceful."
"Flatterer," she said, grinning wider before she returned the kiss. "What are we doing today?"
"Well, it's the last week of summer vacation, so I thought we could go somewhere," he said. "I've got a pretty good range on teleporting — and you have a car… so either way, we could go to the city or to the coast or someplace fun."
"Let me change into some jeans and we'll figure it out," she said before she kissed his nose.
He nodded at that but didn't exactly let her out of the half hug they were in with his hands around her waist. "Of course, we could always stay in. I'm flexible," he said with a smile.
"Well, that's entirely up to you," she said.
He nodded thoughtfully. "No, I think we should go out to the beach," he decided.
"Then I'll grab a bikini," Sadie said with a little wink. "I got a new pink one the other day and haven't gotten to use it yet."
He grinned at that. "I'm sure you'll look amazing," he said. "Let me take you to your room so you can get it."
She laughed and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck so she could give him another kiss. "Okay. Waiting on you."
"And I try not to keep a pretty girl waiting," he shot back before he teleported them both up to her room, though he didn't wait for the smoke to clear before he'd pulled her into another long kiss.
"If you want to keep that going, we'll need to go somewhere quieter," she laughed. "And private."
"I can't kiss you?" he teased, pulling her a little tighter. "Those are strict rules. And somehow, I doubt they exist."
"I just meant if you wanted to keep with the kisses and sweetness. One or two doesn't break anything."
He grinned at that and simply started to pepper her with kisses. "Is this working?" he asked between kisses. "Are we in trouble?"
"Not yet. I have to change, though - and that will break a rule or six."
He let out a breath and then nodded. "Oh, okay," he said, then kissed her one more time. "I'll go find my own suit."
"Meet you at the stairs," she promised, then immediately started to take off her shoes.
He waited and watched her with a smile for a second before he did teleport away, though she somehow wasn't surprised when he didn't teleport to the stairs but back to her room when he was changed, with his chin propped up in his hands and his tail swaying, just as she was putting on her top. "You're so slow," he teased.
She smiled at him and picked her hair up off of her neck. "Want to double knot it for me?"
He grinned at that and nodded, teleporting over to her in a moment to take the strings in his hand, though he kissed her shoulder blade while he was there. "What kind of knot did you want, again?"
"Trucker's hitch. Sheepshank. Water knot ...bow. Whatever works," she giggled.
He grinned at that and lightly tied the straps before he teleported them both to the garage. "So, are we taking … whose car? Or should we just 'port?" he asked, pulling his arms around her.
"Jeep is the stand by, but it always takes so long for you … and makes you miserable."
"You're so very considerate," he teased before he simply teleported off with her. It took a few ports, but they ended up at the beach anyway, where Kaleb simply put them in the waves right as a big one came crashing down.
"Testing your knotting skills already, are you?" Sadie laughed.
He grinned. "It held, didn't it?" he said. "Or did you want it to?"
"If I want it off, it'll come off," she laughed again before she pulled him into a kiss.
He grinned as he pulled her tighter into the kiss before another wave crashed around them and he teleported them onto the beach itself. "You are more trouble than people realize," he said. "And that's saying something."
"I guess it depends on who you ask," Sadie said. "Pretty sure my family knows exactly how much trouble I can cause."
"Then I should probably be worried," he said. "My mother was right - you are dangerous."
She loosened up her hold on him just a bit. "Well, if you're nervous …"
"That is not what I said," he said before he kissed her. "I said I should be worried."
"But you're not," she guessed. "What aren't you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid to follow my heart," he said. "And my heart says you're a risk worth taking." He leaned in to kiss her again.
"Heartbreaker," she said quietly.
"Not me," he said, shaking his head.
"I don't know about that," Sadie replied before she stole a quick kiss. "You're the charmer here."
He smiled at her. "Is it working?" he asked with an eyebrow raised as he snaked his tail around her leg.
She nodded at that. "Of course it is."
"Oh good," he said before he swept her up into a kiss and teleported them both to a more private part of the beach.
Daken came in a few days before the first wave of students was due to hit. He'd been running secret missions for K while she and Logan were continuing to keep close tabs on James, and his last run had been a bit rougher than the others. He'd gotten in and out without using his claws — but just barely. And the truth of it was that he was more than a little worn out, so when he arrived at the mansion early that morning, he simply made his way to the kitchen to whip up some green tea to start things off right.
He'd just sat down with a fresh cup and leaned forward to tent his fingers over his nose and lean over the cup so he could slowly inhale the fumes and try to relax. He was still half expecting Noh to rush in and fight — or for Billy to accuse him of something else that he simply hadn't done. But until then, he was going to relax. And he was going to try to talk with his father and stepmother.
He didn't have too long to wait before K and Logan came down with John, and K took a moment to squeeze his shoulder. "Have you waited long?"
"No, not long at all. The information is on Logan's desk," Daken replied.
"Then you're here for a little while because you want to be?" Logan had to ask, mildly surprised when Daken replied with a little shrug and a nod.
"Perfect. Stick around, I have someone for you to talk to," K told him. "Little girl with a healing ability that wants to know about tattoos."
He stopped, frowned deeply, and turned her way. "Not the ballerina."
"Not one of your sisters at all," Logan clarified.
"Are you sure?" Daken had to tease with a smartassed look on his face.
"Very," Logan deadpanned. "It's the girl that Sinister was livin' off of like a parasite."
"Oh, charming," Daken said slowly as he picked up his tea.
It was clear Logan was trying hard not to slap him one, and instead, he simply let out a long, slow breath and headed over to get his coffee. "Try being not horrible to her. She's had enough of that."
But Daken didn't respond more than to just take his tea and watch the flow of traffic — most of which tended to take one look at him and then scurry off. He took cup after cup until the girl showed up, and then, he simply watched her as she gathered up her breakfast and finally came to the table.
She raised an eyebrow his way and tipped her head to the side. "Did K ask you to come?" she asked, glancing between him and K for a moment.
"In a roundabout way, weeks ago," Daken replied. "We had other business."
"Well, if you have the time, I wanted to ask you about your tattoos," she said.
"It's a little more complicated to get done," he said.
"Of course it would be," she said. "But I can't tan, and I don't want to look like a pale creep for the rest of my life."
"Good to know that's how we're viewed. Pale creep. Hadn't thought of it that way."
"That's what everyone thinks when they think of Sinister. 'Pale creep.'"
"And you — were you always so fair-skinned?"
She shook her head. "No, I used to have freckles when I'd get out in the sun."
He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "He got rid of your freckles…"
"He got rid of anything girlish and turned me into a vampire," she said. "More or less." She poured herself a glass of orange juice as she spoke, her tone even and matter-of-fact. "I'm just trying to change that. Not just for me but for others."
He considered her for a long while. "And what … do you call this?" he asked with almost a sneer as he gestured to her clothes.
"Not a lab coat," she said without missing a beat.
"You can do so much better than trashy punk wannabe."
She looked up at him, and for a moment, she looked like she might let the comment pass. But then, she tipped her chin up to indicate him. "And what's your advice? 90s gangster?"
"You said you wanted to be more girlish. Start there. Something feminine that doesn't look like a Sex Pistols groupie."
She watched him for a long moment and then nodded. "Alright. I'll think about it."
"Well, when you figure that out, let me know, and if you still want freckles … or some decent ink, say the word."
"I do," she said. "I want the freckles back — and I was thinking about a rose vine from the wrist up. My best friend is Amazon, and I thought that would be a good girlish thing too."
The sneer very nearly resurfaced. "Yes. Very girlish."
"You're going to have to pick one. You can't suggest girlish clothes and look down your nose at a girlish tattoo."
"He's just like this," K said as she absently reached his way to pat his wrist.
Jana shook her head lightly. "Well, are you going to help me get a tattoo or not?"
Daken had taken another long drink of his tea as she spoke and simply nodded his head. "You'll have to leave the compound, of course."
Jana glanced over at K. "I can't go by myself," she said.
"We'll figure it out," K promised.
"Why don't you take Leslie Ann?" Logan asked without looking up from his paper.
Jana's head came up for a moment, and she smiled at Logan. "That's a good idea," she said.
He gave her a little smile, though he still didn't look up. "I'll clear it by Scott if you get her on board."
"Great." Jana nodded once and then looked over to Daken. "Well?"
He gestured openly. "Line up your babysitter and we can go to Osaka."
Jana couldn't help but smile as she rushed off to go find her best friend. It took her a surprisingly short amount of time to hone in on Leslie Ann, then break down what she had in mind — sounding much more like her younger, starry-eyed self who had thrived on the missions and travel that the junior X-Men's team had given her. And Leslie Ann thought that the whole idea was amazing, especially because the very idea had Jana acting more like herself than she had in a long, long time.
"We can go shopping afterward if you're up for it. Something to match the tattoo," Leslie Ann promised with her arm around Jana's shoulder as the two of them headed downstairs after they'd gushed about the possibilities of the two of them cavorting in Japan.
K was smiling sedately at Daken, both of them sipping from their mugs when they heard that the all clear was given. K even went so far as to give Daken a little kiss on the cheek, which he did his best to look properly miserable over. "Have fun. Kill lots of ninjas."
"Always," Leslie Ann sang out happily. "Take care of David while I'm gone. He'll probably hide away in his room programming, so someone should make sure he eats."
"We'll throw food at him," Logan said in a monotone, still reading.
"You're both going to need something better to wear," Daken insisted.
"He's a snob," Jana explained to Leslie Ann.
"I am," he agreed. "Your look is important."
"That I actually agree with," Jana said.
"I have a few nice dresses that Tony and Pepper gave me last Christmas," Leslie Ann said.
Daken did his best to rein in the little sound in the back of his throat. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
Oh, this'll be fun, Leslie Ann projected to her friend. "Or we could just wear flannel," she said aloud.
He looked for a moment as if she'd spit in his face. "What is wrong with you?"
Leslie Ann burst out laughing at that. "You are so easy," she said, waving her hand at him.
"That's the word on the street," K agreed before she shooed all of them. "Don't come back without some new ink."
In the tiny irezumi shop in Osaka, Japan, while Daken was busy talking in quiet, fast Japanese to the artist, Leslie Ann was lazily waving her hand as she pulled up a rose vine for reference for Jana's tattoo. "I mean, roses are nice, but you're not… really a rose person."
Jana frowned. "Well, what do you suggest?"
"Lotus," Leslie Ann said. "It represents rebirth and purity. Kind of perfect for someone who just got purged of evil and is starting over, right?"
Jana nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. That could be good too."
Leslie Ann smiled at that before she let the rose vine climb up her arm and into her hair. "Good choice."
Jana nodded and leaned back as she watched Leslie Ann grow a lotus for her to compare.
"I've cleared his schedule for the next few days," Daken told them once he was finished talking the the man. "With the healing, it's a matter of stubbornness. If you do the same thing long enough - and stacked on top of the same injury enough, it sticks." He gestured to the little old man gathering supplies. "And the old way works much better than the modern guns."
Jana nodded and stretched out her hands. "Alright."
"Tell me what you want, and I'll translate," Daken told her as he led her over to the artist.
"I'd like a lotus flower," she said and tapped the back of her neck. "Here."
Daken nodded and turned to the artist — and the two of them started to converse very quickly, mostly with the little old man nodding away. Finally, he gestured for Jana to settle in, and Daken directed her on what he was doing.
"This will take some time. But I think you'll be happy. He's very good."
"I'm sure I will be," she said.
Daken took a seat nearby and looked up at Leslie Ann. "We'll be here most of the day. You should get comfortable. Read a book."
Leslie Ann rolled her eyes. "I can speak a little of the language, but I can't read it," she said.
"That's a shame," he said as he cracked open a book.
Leslie Ann let out a little huff of breath, though it was only a moment later that Daken's book flew up and hit him in the face. Be nice to my friend, Jana projected his way.
He glared her way. This is nice.
Keeping you honest, she said.
Leslie Ann couldn't help but giggle as she watched the two of them. "It's been a long time since I've seen her tease anyone."
"I'd put you both to sleep, but I want this man to earn his keep," Daken replied.
"You can admit you're trying to play nice. No one will think any less of you."
He couldn't help but growl lightly at that, though all it really did was get his artist to pause for a moment, look up at him, and then dive back into his work.
Leslie Ann let out a sigh as she pulled out her phone to start texting her husband. "You are the total opposite of your dad."
"Thank you," he said.
At that, she rolled her eyes and simply opted to ignore him, though after a moment, she had to say, "At least tell me there will be ninjas, or besides the tattoo, this whole trip is a wash."
"There are always ninjas," Daken said distractedly. "Though for me, it's not so much attacks as it is them tripping over themselves to kiss up."
"That's not nearly as fun," Leslie Ann said.
"We'll see," he drawled out.
She simply shook her head at that as she made herself comfortable. And it was more or less that way for the remainder of their time while Jana was getting her tattoo — they didn't exactly have much in common, and Daken wasn't trying to be friendly.
But while Leslie Ann had little to say to Daken, Jana found herself with nothing to do but read the room. She peeked on Leslie Ann and was utterly unsurprised to find that she was absorbed in thinking about her husband and about ninjas. On the other hand, Daken was a blank to her, and she could only rely on her observations.
At first, she meant to watch his body language and mannerisms, but somewhere around the second day, she realized how well his suit was tailored to him. And how much nicer he looked when he was relaxed and reading.
He was hot, she realized all at once — and then realized not long after that Daken had noticed the shift in her scent. He glanced up, smirked in a far too knowing way, and then went right back to reading.
But eventually, far too soon for Jana's liking, Jana had the lotus on her neck and the freckles on her face, and she was pleased with the results as she looked them over in the mirror.
And while she admired her new ink, Daken took another moment to talk to the old man, and discreetly handed him a heavy envelope before he turned back to the girls. "Last night -—what would you like to do?"
"Well, we do still need to get Jana some new clothes, but we can do that anywhere," Leslie Ann said. "Ninjas are fun — unless you just can't deal with the idea of her picking out something that doesn't come with a label."
"I really can't; it's undignified," he replied with a little smirk.
"That's what I thought," Leslie Ann said. "So, I guess that's what we're doing."
"Finding more printed tees?" Jana asked, perfectly straight-faced, which got a little giggle out of Leslie Ann.
Daken looked as if he was in actual pain before he gestured for the girls to lead the way to the car. "Let me feed you before you make utter wrecks of yourselves."
Leslie Ann broke into a grin at that. "Sushi?"
"I swear on all that's holy, if I take you somewhere worthwhile and you try to order a California roll, I'll kill myself on the spot."
Leslie Ann rolled her eyes at him. "I used to come here with Logan and K when I was a teenager. Give me some credit here."
He gave her a dry look. "I wish I could take that as some kind of reasonable comparison."
"Why don't you order for us?" Jana suggested.
"Are the two of you old enough to drink?" he asked.
Jana and Leslie Ann glanced at each other and rolled their eyes almost in tandem. "Yes," Leslie Ann said. "We're in our thirties. I know it's hard to tell with my un-aging friend."
"You act like teenagers," he said, though he took them to a very quiet sushi bar not too far from where they were.
The two girls were chatting easily through the whole meal — and though Leslie Ann didn't say anything out loud, she was sure that the trip was doing Jana a world of good as she seemed to relax, especially with a bit of sake.
And during the course of their meal, Daken simply made sure that neither girl was anxious, gently keeping the pheromones in the air to a level that would simply take the edge off as he silently ate his dinner, leaving the girls to chat together.
When dinner wrapped up, the girls had made sure to send K a picture of the two of them - and of the tattoo on Jana's neck — before they got up to go. And Jana made it a point to stop Daken and nod his way.
"Thanks," she said simply. "I know this wasn't what you wanted to do with your time this week. You made that pretty clear."
"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking honestly confused by that. "If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have."
She raised an eyebrow at that. "Hmm." She shook her head. "You need to work on your … everything, then. Every signal you've put out so far has been a neon sign that you hate this. And since I can't read your mind… that's all I've got to work with."
"Learn then," he said with a wave.
"I am," she said. "Learning how to use my mind and my body after years of not doing so. Maybe you could learn a little people skills in the meantime."
He turned her way, blinking. "I've never had trouble getting my point across when I want to. You were spending a little time with your long lost girlfriend."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "So you were giving us privacy."
"I tried, yes."
"Huh." She tipped her head to the side and then smiled lightly. "Well then. Thank you."
He frowned at her and then jerked his head to the exit. "You need to go home."
Jana smirked at that. "Leslie Ann's wrong; you're a lot like your family."
He stopped and visibly bristled. "And now we're done."
"Alright," she said. "And now you're not enjoying yourself." She brushed past him to catch up with Leslie Ann, threading her arm through hers, though she almost couldn't help but project toward Daken, It's not a compliment or an insult. It's just an observation. I was trapped in a scientist for years; I know how to make those.
Make them toward someone else then.
And you call us teenagers.
He didn't know what to say to that, or how to explain how very wrong she was, so instead, he let out a little sound from the back of his throat, put his sunglasses on, and simply walked away with his nose in the air and his hands in his pockets.
Oh, very dramatic. When's the high school play?
"Get a life," he half drawled out.
"That's what I'm doing," Jana said, her tongue between her teeth and she genuinely enjoyed watching him walk away.
Leslie Ann shook her head at her friend as they headed out. "It's nice to have you back," she said.
"You know — it's nice to be back," Jana said with a small smile, letting her friend lead the way.
A/N: That's it for this volume! Watch Canucklehead Cowgirl's profile for the next one: "Young and In Love"