The autumn night air had a sharp bite and the sky was crystal clear. The usual sounds of the city echoed off the buildings, falling upon sharp ears that both heard and didn't hear them; Ears that were so accustomed to the sound of the city that it had become mere white noise.
Those ears belonged to the dark, furry shadow perched on a rooftop across the street from a two story four-plex apartment building with a large balcony projecting out over the street from the second floor. It was the place the shadowy figure has sat perched every night for the last two weeks to watch the same building and its lone occupant.
His ear twitched at the sound of footsteps approaching, but he did not move or acknowledge the newcomer.
The visitor came without subterfuge or stealth and braced a hand on the ledge where the watcher crouched, to vault over and sit beside him. He sat silently for a long time. His nose tested the air and his ears too heard and ignored the sounds of the city.
"So," the visitor began. "Reduced from Ambassador to the United Nations to stalker in about a month, eh?"
Hank McCoy, the watcher, took in a deep breath but said nothing. Across the street a flicker of movement caught their attention and they turned to watch in silence. A woman appeared at the balcony doors. She wore a white muscle tee and baggy flannel pajama bottoms. Her hair was bound atop her head in a messy bun. From where the two sat, they could see the slack unhappiness in her face. She stepped out onto the balcony and wrapped her arms around herself.
McCoy's shoulders slumped eve more. "Still no music," he muttered sadly.
"What?"
"She hasn't been listening to any music for almost a month."
"So?"
Hank looked over at Logan as if he were missing the obvious. "She always has music playing, Logan." He looked back at the woman he'd been watching for weeks. "She likes to live her life to a soundtrack. Quiet bothers her. She is the most afraid when she surrounded with silence."
They watched as she sat on a bench with her back to them, staring inward silently.
Hank dropped his face into his hands miserably. "She's so unhappy, and it's my fault Logan. I did this to her. I'm the one that hurt her."
"Well, go apologize. Then you two can kiss and make up."
"We're just friends, Logan. She doesn't feel that way about me."
"But you feel "that way" about her, right?"
"Yes." He said firmly and without hesitation. "Though it took hurting her to make me realize it."
"And she's sitting over there in her P.J.s, in the freezing cold, and giving up something she loves dearly all because she doesn't have "That kind of feelings" for you. Right?"
Hank didn't answer. He instead refocused on Anna, frowning thoughtfully.
"So you're going to sit here where you've been every night for the past few weeks, miserable, while she sits over there letting herself freeze, just as miserable as you are?" He got up and shook his head. He slid off the ledge and walked over to the roof door.
"I never had a chance to be with Jean before…" He stopped and swallowed hard. "You're an idiot and asshole if you don't take advantage of this chance at being happy.
Logan stepped through the door and paused before closing it. "So you screwed up. How is pouting about it going to fix it? Go kiss and make up." He smirked and squinted at McCoy. "You won't regret it. She's a good kisser."
He closed the door behind him, leaving Hank alone once more. He stared over at Anna, worried that she was getting cold. He wanted to hake her in his arms so badly. He needed to see her happy again.
Kiss and Make Up.
His heart began to pound excitedly. He sighed and squared his shoulders. Alright. He thought. I'll go talk to her. I should have done that weeks ago. He stood and prepared to jump down to street level.
"Wait a moment," He said aloud. How the hell would Logan know she was a good kisser? A belligerent feeling began to well up in his chest. He almost went after him when Anna stood up and slowly moved back into the Apartment.
Anna. Aw hell, Logan could wait.
The hairs on her arms were standing up straight in the cold, but she had a hard time caring. Her mind swirled with thoughts, emotions and memories. She longed for the empty silence she had hated so much before…
She shook herself away from that thought. She was tired. She was always tired nowadays. Her spark had been extinguished and now she had to work at living. She just felt…deflated.
She laid her head back against the rim of the balcony railing behind her and sighed. Finally acknowledging her body's chill, she got up and shuffled dispiritedly toward the balcony doors.
"What light, through yonder window breaks?"
She froze with her hand on the doorknob at the sound of that painfully familiar voice. Her entire body tensed and tears threatened to well up and spill out of her overflowing eyes. The sound of his achingly beautiful and resonant voice sent that same old thrill through her body and her heart leapt at the thought of having him near again.
Yet the pain of the last month was still too fresh to ignore.
For what seemed an eternity she stood at the door, wanting to throw herself over the balcony and into his arms, and yet wanting to pretend that she hadn't heard.
"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon."
Dammit. She took a deep breath and turned back to the balcony. Too afraid to hope for a reunion and renewal of their friendship, she pulled a wall of indifference around her. She leaned over the railing and saw him gazing up at her from below. Her heart betrayed her and throbbed at the joy of seeing him again.
"Hey," she called in what she hoped was a neutral tone.
"Good evening, Anna. May I come in?"
"Yeah, I'll come open the door." She moved back toward the balcony doors. She heard a couple of grunts and turned in time to see him sail smoothly over the rail. She smiled in spite of herself. His physical prowess never ceased to amaze her and it was always a turn-on. She quickly stifled that physical twinge and her smile faded.
She led he way inside. Henry straightened his suit nervously and followed. She moved on into the kitchen. "May I offer you something to drink?" She glanced up and noticed that he was still standing just inside the balcony doors, staring at her like a puppy who'd just chewed up something valuable and was expecting a rolled up newspaper across the nose.
"No, thank you."
She gestured to one of the chairs at the breakfast bar. He thanked her again and settled into the chair closest to her. The silence stretched out uncomfortably between them. Unsure of how to start a conversation, she turned to the cabinets and gathered what she needed to make a hot chocolate. The familiar actions relaxed her enough to allow her brain to function properly.
"So what brings you all the way out here?" She asked, trying to break the awkward silence. Not, she told herself, because she loved the sound of his voice and so desperately needed to hear it again. Right, keep telling yourself that, woman.
"I wanted to see how you were doing, Anna."
She shrugged noncommittally. "I'm doing alright I guess. Been keeping busy and all."
She plunked a pot of milk on the stove and cranked up the heat.
"You don't listen to your music anymore."
She stared unseeing at the wall in front of her. "I guess I've not been in the mood lately." She refocused and snagged a spoon to stir the milk.
"You're working a lot more hours, too. You've been coming home late and exhausted for weeks. You hardly ever turn on the lights anymore, and tonight is the first time you've used the balcony in almost a month. That doesn't seem alright to me."
Her back and shoulders stiffened. She could feel the heat rise in her face. She rounded on him, and fixed him with a glare. "What the hell do you care?" She snapped bitterly. "Yes, I'm working a lot more and wearing myself out. I don't use the lights because I'm not home enough to need to. And I don't listen to music anymore because I don't want to!"
She turned her back on him and angrily dumped cocoa powder into her mug. She nearly burned herself with the hot milk as she splashed it, too into her cup. She took a deep breath to calm herself and turned back to him, stirring her cocoa. She stared angrily into her cup at the globs of soggy cocoa mix floating on top of the milk and silently cursed herself for letting her anger ruin a good cup of cocoa.
"Look, this whole situation has been really awful. It's taken weeks for me to get past it and try to move on. I can't take rehashing this again!" She plunked her mug down opposite him and glared. "So can we please get to the point of this visit? Why are you here?"
His face bore an unreadable expression as he struggled to find the words. "I'm here for the same reason that I have come here every night for the last two weeks. For the same reason that I have been miserable for the last month.
"I hurt my dearest friend.
"I foolishly made a decision for the both of us without first consulting you or considering your feelings on the matter. I suppose I just didn't realize how you really felt."
She slapped her spoon down on the counter, seething. "Then you're either blind, or an idiot!" She snapped
"Yes," he admitted, meeting her eyes. "And, I also failed to take into account my own feelings for you."
Hands balled into fists, Anna squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Her body began to shake and tears stubbornly refused her command to stay away and poured down her cheeks. Before she even realized it, she was enfolded in his arms and sobbing against his chest.
"Oh, Anna. Can you ever forgive me for being an inconsiderate ass?"
"I've m-m-m-missed y-you s-s-so m-m-much!" She sobbed.
"Lord woman, but I have missed you too." He breathed as he crushed her against him. "More than I could stand."
Anna struggled to regain control. It felt so damn good to be in his arms. His body was warm and firm, yet she felt comfortable pressed against him. His body conformed to hers, as if they were meant to be together like this. She wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the moment and enjoy this.
But bitterness over the last month welled up inside her like bile. This moment was what she'd been dreaming of, but what if it wasn't what she thought it was? Whether she liked it or not, she had to get a grip on herself. She had to make absolutely sure of his intent to stay. She would not go through another month of this.
With a titanic effort and a growl of frustration, she gripped his lapels in her fists and pushed herself roughly away from him. He stared at her in near panic, but kept his peace and gave her room to gather herself and speak her mind.
Inexplicably terrified, she took several deep breaths. Better to be straight forward. Get it over with quick…like a bandaid, right? Right
"Before this goes any further, you need to know that I'm in love with you." He blinked but said nothing. "I've worked for weeks to get over you, and I don't know if I can stand going through all that again. So if you don't feel the same, we need to part ways now."
He stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes softened and he smiled gently at her. He took a step forward with a hand extended. With tears streaming down her face, she took his hand and fell again into his arms. His fingers gently lifted her chin and his soft lips found hers. She sighed with relief. For so long she had looked forward to his kiss, and for the last month she'd thought it was a hopeless dream. Now, with his body pressed tightly to hers, she nearly swooned with delight.
The rest of the evening floated past on a cloud. They had moved to the couch and sat close to talk. As they chatted, Anna had touched the console on the coffee table and turned on the stereo. Soft music filled the background and she settled back into Hank's arms with a contented sigh.
Their soft conversation continued until well after midnight. They both spent half of the time yawning until Anna put an end to it.
She stood up and stretched, yawning hugely. A familiar song came on over the radio and Hank caught her hand. He stood up and laid his other hand on her waist. He pulled her close and danced with her, his lead flawless. She felt as if she could purr. It felt so good to be in his arms. Without realizing what she was doing, she began singing along with the song.
"Yes I know what's on your mind, when you say 'Stay with me tonight.'"
Right on que, Hank too sang along. She smiled wide, tickled because he would sing along in his beautiful, deep, male voice. As he twirled her, she closed her eyes and sang happily. When they harmonized, it gave her a rush of excitement. He dipped her and she let her head fall back as she giggled with delight. When he brought her slowly back up, he gazed into her eyes with such intensity that it caught her breath. They stood staring into one another's eyes for a long time before he started them moving again.
The song ended and a DJ came on with his spiel. They separated reluctantly and Anna turned off the stereo.
"It's really late. Why don't you stay? I picked up some PJs for you a while back. They're in the top drawer of your dresser."
He nodded and they walked hand-in-hand toward his bedroom. Regretfully letting her go, he stepped into the spare room. He slipped gratefully out of his suit and was pleased to find that along with the pajamas, she'd bought him a few tee shirts, some jeans, and some underwear. He laughed when he realized she'd bought him the muscle shirts and flannel print pajama bottoms she herself loved so much.
He came out of his room and noticed that she'd already gone in to bed. He sighed regretfully and went into the big bathroom. Minutes later, he emerged and almost collided with Anna as she came out of the kitchen with a stack of disposable cups for the bathroom dispenser. She giggled sleepily and took over.
He waited several minutes for her to come out. Her face was freshly washed and she glowed with happiness. He held his arms out to her and kissed her tenderly, holding her tightly against him.
Regretfully, he let her go when she pulled away from him. As she moved toward her own room, he held on to her hand. She turned and looked at him, surprised. He pulled her into his arms again.
His brow furrowed and he spoke as if he was afraid to.
"Stay with me." He murmured softly.
Caught off guard, her jaw dropped and she blinked. Her wonderfully expressive face flickered through several emotions in the space of a few heartbeats. She obviously wanted to, but he could see her reluctance.
"We don't have to make love." He pleaded softly "I've been away from you for too long, and I can't bear the thought of sleeping without you in my arms."
She wanted to. Heaven knew how much she wanted to. To be perfectly honest with herself, she wanted to do much more than just sleep with him. However she knew she'd regret it later.
"I promise to be a perfect gentleman," he promised.
"It's not you we need to worry about, Hank."
"Please, Anna. I need you close tonight." He whispered.
Her heart pounded. She knew she shouldn't, but she ached to be held again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Alright," she agreed quietly.
His smile made her decision all the more sweet. She gasped with surprise when he swept her up and carried her into his room. She began to tremble when he laid her gently on the bed.
"Oh, dear. Oh, dear, this was such a bad idea." She muttered under her breath. Hank chuckled low in his throat and climbed into bed next to her. "Such a bad idea." He lay down beside her and shifted so that her head came to rest on his chest and his arm curled around her shoulders.
The warmth of him was so comforting. His heavily muscled body was firm, but not uncomfortable against her. He looked even better in that "wife-beater" tee than she'd thought he would. Despite the thick fur, his muscles were clearly outlined by the tight material of the tee. The flannel PJ's were a little tight, though apparently not uncomfortable, and showed off his strong thighs very nicely. Hoo boy. Definitely a BAD idea. She groaned and buried her face in his chest.
He chuckled drowsily and patted her shoulder consolingly. She laughed and settled in, already too sleepy to keep her eyes open. All in all, the day hadn't been such bad day after all.
The morning sun shone through the gauzy curtains to fall warmly across the couple sleeping contentedly in Hank's bedroom. Anna woke first. At first she wasn't sure where she was, and when she noticed the hot body curled up around her, she almost panicked.
Then memory of the previous night calmed and comforted her before she screamed. Carefully she rolled within the circle of his arms to face him. He stirred slightly, but quickly fell back into the slow, even breathing of sleep. She touched his face gently, tracing the line of his jaw. He was beautiful, even in his sleep. It made her heart ache to know that he was here with her.
Gently, she kissed his soft lips, her nose lightly brushing his. He stirred again, this time coming gradually awake. Before long, his lips were responding sleepily to her kisses. She sat back and watched him through half-lidded eyes.
His eyes opened languidly. He smiled drowsily for her. "Good morning my Lady Love."
She drew in a sharp breath, closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure. "Say that again." She pleaded.
He propped himself up on one elbow and slid his other hand around the back of her neck. He kissed her tenderly. "My love," he said, and kissed her again. "My love." Another kiss. "My love."
Overwhelmed, she threw herself onto her back, flailed about excitedly, and gave a great whoop of joy.
"JOYGASM! Woo, hoo!"
She jumped on him, kissing him soundly, then bounced out of the bed. She hit a button on the night stand and filled the room with music.
Hank was taken aback. He lay there, surprised by her youthful exuberance. The obvious joy she felt never ceased to amaze him. He'd never really been loved like this before. A flickering memory of Trish tried to intrude, but he quashed it. That was another time and another woman. More importantly, it was in the past. Resolute, he put it firmly behind him and focused on the present.
Anna had danced out of the bedroom and now the music was playing throughout the rest of the house. When he emerged from the bedroom, a song with a Latin beat floated on the air. His lady danced through the kitchen as she prepared to make breakfast. She was so beautiful in her happiness that his heart ached, and he felt a familiar twinge elsewhere in his body.
He sniffed the air tentatively, but couldn't detect a hint of what she referred to as her "stink." He thought about it and realized that it was his own natural attraction to her. He smiled broadly, knowing it would make her happy to finally know for sure that his affection for her did not stem from her overactive pheromones.
Spotting the bottle of inhibitor, he snuck up behind her. She started slightly when his arms slid around her, then she settled back into his arms. He buried his nose in the spot where her neck and shoulder met and inhaled deeply. She smelled faintly of soap and the lotion she put the inhibitor in, but nothing else.
"Hmmm," he rumbled in her ear. "You smell good." Feeling her shiver against him, he planted soft kisses down her neck and over her shoulder.
She reached over and turned the inhibitor bottle around to double check the label. He reached out and gently turned it back around. "I'm sorry my Love, but that only works against the excess pheromones you put out," he moved her gently, rocking their hips from side to side. Careful not to hurt her, he nibbled on her neck, letting his fangs drag against her skin. Her breath caught and she melted into him. "It won't protect you from a man's natural animal attraction to you."
Giggling naughtily she turned in his arms and slid her arms around his neck. She squinted at him with mild suspicion. "You mean, you don't smell…anything?" She left the question hanging for several seconds.
He gazed directly into her eyes. "Nothing."
She bit her bottom lip dubiously. "And you're still…"
He shifted and pushed her gently against the oven so he was hard against her. "VERY attracted to you." He said firmly and kissed her.
She giggled shyly against his lips and slid her hands up against his chest. Feeling playful, he resisted the pressure of her hands against his chest and wrapped her in a bear hug. She laughed merrily and squealed when he tried to nip at her neck. He lifted her off the floor and flipped her over his shoulder.
"AACK! Hank! What are you doing?" She laughed. "Put me down! What're you…Henry Phillip McCoy! Don't you dare take me back into the bedroom!" She screamed, howling with laughter.
Hank McCoy, Secretary of Mutant Affairs, Ambassador to the United Nations and X-Man, grunted like a caveman and carried his captive off to his cave. She kicked and screamed with helpless glee.
He kicked the door to his bedroom open and marched right up to the bed. With one smooth movement, he had her flopped beneath him on the bed.
Still laughing, but a little concerned, she held him back with her hands against his shoulders. "Hold on there Captain Caveman. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here!"
He grinned innocently down at her. "No to worry my dear. I'm just going to give you a little taste of what you do to me."
The next half-hour was one of the most pleasant thirty minutes of his life, and when it was over, it was she who wanted to drag him back into the bedroom.