Chapter 11 (Nori)
When I wake up, Rachael's sitting by my bed. She looks down at me anxiously. "Hey, Kiki. How are you?" she asks.
I shrug. "Weird," I say. "But alive."
"You've always been that way," she says with a wry smile.
I sit up and smile back. She hands me a mug of green tea, and I sip it.
"You're so brave, Nori," She blurts.
"Aw, I didn't do shit," I say.
She shakes her head, but she knows to drop it. "Cece said you were going to use Cerebro today?"
"Well, I'm going to try."
She looks at me for a long moment before saying, "Um, what's Cerebro?"
I laugh. "I don't even really know. It's some kind of machine that Xavier built. It magnifies telepathy."
"But you magnify powers, too."
"Well—it doesn't work on myself, I guess. I don't know. I—have to look for Jean. The Phoenix. Whatever."
"How does it work?"
I shrug. "I, um, I've only seen him use it a couple times." I don't tell her how terrified I was when Xavier suggested teaching me how to use it. This is different. I have to do it, for all of us. Stryker's not here. I take deep, even breaths. "But, it can't be that hard, right?"
Her grassy green hair twitches slightly and she says, "I hope not, Kiki."
"Sing with me, Rae," I say.
"Of course," she says. "What song?"
I tilt my head and consider. Then I start singing:
Magpie comes a calling
Drops a marble from the sky
Tin roof sounds alarm
And wake up child
"Let this be a warning," says the magpie to the morning
"Don't let this fading summer pass you by"She joins me after the first line and harmonizes with me. Hank comes in halfway through the song and gently applauds when we finish.
"Very nice, ladies."
"Thanks, Hank."
"I take it you're feeling better?" he asks.
"Yeah," I say. The song had helped, too.
He gives me a faint smile. He checks my vitals and says, "You do seem to have made a remarkable recovery. I take it you've had no ill effects? No seizures?"
"Nope," I say. He glances at Rachael, and she nods.
"Excellent, excellent. I think I'll remove your IV drip. I'd like to keep you down here after I take it out for a little longer, for observation. But assuming all goes well, I see no reason why you cannot leave the medbay this morning."
"Oh, good. And then—can I use Cerebro?"
"We'll see," Hank says tersely. He takes out my IV and takes a blood sample. He goes next door to do whatever it is Hank does with blood samples. I eat my oatmeal. I reach out with my telepathy and gently search for Remy and Logan. I find Logan in our room, half-asleep. I assume that means Remy's in there, actually sleeping. It's good. They need their rest.
Rachael says, "Remy and Logan went upstairs to get some sleep."
"Good," I smile, politely pretending like I hadn't already found that out.
She hesitates. "So, the three of you are all… together?"
"Yes," I say. "I know it's unconventional, but… but it really works for us."
"I see it, Nori. They both love you so much."
"I'm a lucky woman," I say.
She smiles back. "No, they're two very lucky men. And I think they know it. And they… well, I think these are the two most self-assured people you've ever dated."
"They are probably two of the most self-assured people alive," I say with a quirk to my lips.
"Yeah. Well, good," she says. Rachael has long maintained that my main problem with relationships was dating people with low self-esteem, people who, in her words, were "afraid to let me shine." Logan and Remy certainly have no problem with that. "I'm happy for you, Kiki. Were… you ever going to tell me?"
"Ah, well, eventually. We've only been all together for like six months, I… wanted to be sure. And then, you never seemed crazy about Logan. Or Remy, for that matter."
"You have to admit. It takes a while for them to grow on a person."
"Not that long," I say, and I know I have a goofy smile on my face.
She rolls her eyes. Hank comes back into the medbay with his own goofy smile.
"Nori, I'm pleased to give you a clean bill of health."
"So… I can go upstairs?"
"You may," he says. "But, of course, do call or come back down if anything changes."
I stand up and strip the hospital bed of sheets. Hank smiles. "Thank you, Noriko."
"Welcome. Thanks for all the drugs, Hank," I say, and I put the sheets in the hamper on my way out.
Rachael laughs and follows me to the elevator. Upstairs, I find Remy still sleeping and Logan lying next to him with a magazine.
"Hey, darlin'," Logan says. "You all better?"
"Good as new," I say. I straddle him and kiss him. He gasps and puts his arms around my neck, pulling me down tightly.
Remy wakes up and says, "Hey, cher. What'd I miss?"
"Oh, not much," I say. I tilt my head toward him and he rolls on his side to kiss me. I open up our telepathic link. We communicate with something a little beyond words. Logan's missed us both. We haven't had sex since before Remy and I were kidnapped, and he's horny. But he doesn't want to do anything we—well, really, I—aren't up for. Too, he feels—possessive. He wants to lay claim to us. Remy's still a little hurt that I'd been afraid of him before and he wants to make sure I feel comfortable. But he always loves pleasing me—and being pleased.
And me? Physically, I feel fine. Mentally… a little shaken. But I want this... I want to cede control to them, for a moment. And, God, I'm horny too.
"You want to play, cher?"Remy croons.
"Mmm. I want to shower, first. And then I want to play."
Logan grunts. "Maybe you should just shower after. More efficient."
"I smell terrible," I say. I'd been drenched in sweat from my drug-and-Phoenix-induced fever. I feel gross, and I'm not sure even these two could make me feel sexy until I get it off of me.
"I think we'll be the judges of that," Logan says.
"Don't know, Logan, I wouldn't mind it if la belle femme wants a shower." He nuzzles my neck. "Long as we're allowed to come help."
"Mmm. No complaints here," I say. I'm grateful for how small I am because otherwise there is no way all three of us would fit in the shower. As is, only one and a half of us even get wet at a time. Remy lovingly washes my hair and soaps down my body. Logan stands and watches.
We trade places and I wash Logan. His coarse hair is softer when wet, and I run my hands up and down him. He gives an involuntary little sigh. We trade places again, and he washes Remy. I stand at the back of the shower and shiver out of reach of the hot water. Logan can, I guess, hear me shivering, and he pulls me in between him and Remy.
"Thanks," I say.
Logan gives me a possessive smile. "Course, pet, we'll look after you."
I lower my eyes and blush. I don't remember which one of them started it, but they call me "pet" in the bedroom and something about it turns me the fuck on. They know it, too. They've threatened to buy me a collar. I don't think I would mind.
Logan runs a hand up and down my back while I clean Remy. Finally we get out of the shower and towel each other off. I grab a bottle of almond oil from the bathroom shelf and guide my boys back to the bed.
"I know how uncomfortable those medbay chairs are," I say, and I give them each a massage. The oil smells wonderful, and I love feeling their muscular backs under my fingers. I love hearing Remy's little sounds of enjoyment. Logan's quiet, but I can tell he likes it too.
Finally, I finish and put the oil on the bedside table.
"All right, pet, give me your hands," Logan commands. I obey and he puts a faux leather cuff on each of my wrists. Then he pushes me down on the bed and snaps the cuffs to the bedposts. Involuntarily, I pull on the cuffs, testing them.
"Uh-uh, pet, you can't get out until we let you," he says.
"I know," I say, breathing faster.
"Good girl," he says, He holds my face tightly and kisses me. I kiss back. His beard scratches my face but I don't care. And if I did, it wouldn't matter. "So beautiful," he murmurs. "Missed you so much."
"Missed you too," I whisper.
"All right, pet?" Logan asks, stroking one of my wrists.
I nod.
"Good," he says. He fastens cuffs to my ankles and ties them to the bedpost, forcing my legs apart. I squirm and hitch my hips. I'm already wet, and I know Logan knows. Our link lets us share a lot, but Logan's nose can pick up a lot of information on its own. Combined, it makes him terribly good at getting me as close as possible to orgasm and then teasingly pulling away. I hate and love how good he is at it.
Remy's sitting on the bed watching. I know Logan's really the one who likes getting me into bondage, but Remy likes having me there.
Logan rubs a finger between my legs. It comes out glistening and he presses it between my lips. I suck it clean and Logan adds a second finger to my mouth. His eyes are glittering. He moves his hands down to my nipples and teases them.
He replaces his hands with his mouth and I whimper. He licks and kisses and nibbles down my torso. He raises a bruise just inside my hipbone, and then he kisses it. He reaches my pussy and puts his tongue inside me. I gasp.
Remy carefully comes over and straddles my face. I crane my head and lick the tip of his cock.
"Mm, so good, cher," he says. He carefully gives me more and I awkwardly try my best to keep up. I look up at Remy's glazed red eyes. It's hard to keep my head still while Logan's bringing me so close to the edge. It's hard to breathe, and Remy pulls himself out of my mouth for a moment. I pant.
"Please," I whimper. "Please."
"Please, what?" Remy asks.
"Please let me come," I ask.
"Hmm… no," Logan says, sitting up.
I make a frustrated sound, and Logan laughs. "Not yet," he amends. I lie back and wait. There's not much else I can do in my current position.
Remy unties my wrists from the bed and pushes me up into a sitting position. Logan frees my ankles and I look at them expectantly.
"Why don't you get on your hands and knees, pet?" Remy asks.
"Now," Logan adds.
I bite my lip and change positions. Logan comes alongside me and nips at the back of my neck. He licks my ear and I tremble, trying to stay in my position. Remy kneels in front of me and I suck his cock. It's easier from this angle, and it's easier without Logan distracting me. I can tell Remy is close to the edge, but he pulls out and quickly puts a condom on. He comes around to fuck me, while Logan plays with my tits.
I whimper. I love feeling their touches, and I know Logan and Remy feel it through my empathy.
"God, cher, y'make me feel so good," Remy says. He holds tight to my hips and shudders as he comes inside me. He sighs and lies on his side. He reaches out and pets me. Logan comes behind me and slips right in.
"Christ, you're wet," he says.
I shiver. "Please can I come?"
"Soon," Logan whispers. He folds himself forward and bites my shoulder.
"Ow!" I say. He licks the bite.
He starts thrusting faster and I know he's close. Usually he lets me come when he does, and I squirm with anticipation.
"Mm, you're ready, aren't'cha?" Logan asks.
"Yes," I say. "Please, Logan, please, can I come?"
"Talkin' too much, Nori," he says. I catch a thought from Logan and Remy puts a few of his fingers in my mouth and I suck them.
"Maybe we'll have to get a gag for you," Logan says, breathing heavily.
I whimper around Remy's fingers and Logan and Remy chuckle. Damn them. Remy's other hand wanders over my body and Logan keeps fucking me. I moan and shiver. Despite Remy's fingers still in my mouth, I can hear myself making wanton sounds.
"All right, pet, you can come… now," Logan says, thrusting hard and slipping a finger to my clit.
I gasp and arch up against him. I bite down on Remy's fingers, and Logan shudders. His grip on my waist is bruisingly hard, and he climbs off of me. I collapse onto the bed and sigh.
Logan chuckles and kisses my throat. "Missed you, pet. You'd better not leave me again."
I shake my head "no." He gets up and puts antibiotic ointment on the bite mark he's left on my shoulder, then covers it with a band-aid. He strokes the band-aid with his thumb and I shiver.
"Now, pet, one good turn deserves another, don't you think?" Remy asks.
"If you say so," I say demurely. Despite the link. I'm not sure what he has in mind. I really just want to lie here for a minute, but I know I'll do what Remy says.
"Good girl," Remy says. He smoothes my hair out of the way and pours oil on my back. He massages me and I sigh under his strong fingers. "Love you so much," he says.
"Love you too," I say. I feel completely relaxed. Logan lies propped up on one elbow, watching us.
I smile and say, "Love you, Logan." Our telepathic link is brimming with affection.
Remy finishes rubbing my back and unbuckles my wrist cuffs. I snuggle against him and look over at Logan. He comes over to me and rests his rough cheek on my back. We lie twined together for a few minutes.
Finally, I say, "I guess we should get up now." Logan grumbles and Remy pouts. "Maybe in like five minutes," I amend.
Eventually we untangle ourselves. I take a quick shower and put clothes on. "I should try Cerebro now," I say. They gaze at me with concern. "I'm super relaxed right now. Probably the best time."
"Let's tell Hank," Remy says. I close my eyes for a second and tell him telepathically. We meet him in the basement. I kneel and open Cerebro. A creepy female voice says, "Welcome, Noriko." I knew that Xavier had added me to the access list for Cerebro, but I'd never heard it greet me before. All three men follow me inside, which seems maybe superfluous, but whatever. I kneel and put the helmet on.
I take deep breaths and focus. The wall transforms into a map. I find the red lights of mutants. I float around. I decide to look for Scott, since I know his mind well. The lights blink out as I eliminate possibilities. I look up and realize all of North America is out. Hmm. I keep going, methodically. I keep going. He's not in South America. He's not in Europe. Where the fuck is he? I look up and stare at a black map.
"Maybe I don't know how to do this," I say. "Or… " I trail off. Or maybe Scott is unconscious, or dead, but I don't say that.
Hank says, "Remember, Xavier had trouble finding you when you were with Mesmero. It could be…" he trails off, not wanting to say he doesn't think I can do it. Which is fair.
"Hey, I didn't check Antarctica yet," I say, trying to keep the tone light. But then I actually do focus and Antarctica glows like a Christmas tree. "Holy shit," I say.
"Is that him?" Logan asks.
"It's Jean. It… they might be there too, I don't know." I try to focus harder and let out a little gasp of pain. It's like my brain is on fire.
Remy touches my shoulder. "Fine," I say. "I'm fine." I relax my mental outreach. Antarctica is still glowing.
"You're sure this is Jean?" Hank asks.
"Well, pretty sure. I mean, I've never done this before, but… I mean, she's so much more powerful than anyone else out there." I pull the helmet off and blink. "Whoa." I feel dizzy.
"All right, cher?"
"Yeah. Give it a minute." I sit down cross-legged and try to catch my breath. He sits next to me and puts an arm around my shoulder. Logan narrows his eyes. "I'm fine, really," I say. It doesn't sound super convincing, even to me, and he glares.
After a moment of deep breathing, I ask, "So, uh, are we going to Antarctica? And can we bring back a penguin?"
Remy laughs. "I'll get you a dozen penguins, cher."
"The mansion does not have a habitat that would properly sustain a penguin," Hank says.
"I know," I say contritely. "But they're so cute." I roll to my feet and say, "Let's get out of here."
Once we're outside Cerebro, I look up at the three of them. "Should I call a meeting?"
Hank sighs. "Let's wait until school is out. The students' classes have been so disrupted lately. But you did a great job, Nori. Why don't you take the afternoon off? Logan, Remy—can you train the students this afternoon? It's Thursday."
We all nod. I feel a selfish pang. I could have taught my class this morning instead of fucking. But, honestly, I'd lost track of what day it was. And, well, we'd all needed it. After Logan and Remy go down to the DR, I find Rachael and we play music together. I'm feeling happy and centered when Hank finds me and asks me to call everyone to the Sit Room. I send out a thought and apologetically leave Rachael in the living room.
I sit on a metal chair in the Sit Room and feel remarkably stable. I found Jean and Scott. The Phoenix is (maybe) finished with me. I'm not on any psychotropic medications. I might get to see a real wild penguin. Things are good, or at least, they could be worse.
NOTE: The song quoted is "Magpie to the Morning" by Neko Case.