Chapter 4

[Warren]

I stared at Shae's sleeping form, her tail curled around her body as he hugged her knees in a finally peace full slumber. She'd been tossing and turning, but now she'd settled down and stopped moving. I watched in awe at how beautiful a mentally distressed person could be; her side moving up in down, to an unheard beat. Her lids fluttered in dream but stayed shut. I knew that I should leave and get a teacher but I couldn't tear myself away from her.

I had brought her to my room after she fell asleep in my arms. I really didn't feel that the cold unforgiving medical room was really the best place for her to wake in. There was a little warning bell that went off when it came to that.

She moved and I leaned forward a bit; my wings rustling and touching the bed in front of her. Shae moved a fraction of an inch in her doze and brushed her fur covered, long fingered hand against the feathers. I sucked in a sharp breath of air. I moved back abruptly and shot across the room. I cowered in the corner, like a 10 year old boy.

I wasn't afraid of the contact, no. It wasn't that. It was the feeling that accompanied the touch. People had touched my wings before –Bobby, Kitty, Rouge, hell even Kurt and Logan- but never had it been followed by arousal of any kind. When Kitty played with my wings or Logan tugged on them, it didn't so much as tickle but when Shae brushed up alongside the feathers it was… well… sexy.

But Shae didn't give me anytime to contemplate my situation because she opened on of her shining eyes and gave a confused look around the room. She sat up and rubbed her hand across her face. I watched from the safety of my corner as she stretched and yawned.

"Warren?" she whispered, looking perplexedly at me. I stepped out hesitantly, not trusting my male hormones.

"Hey, you, um, okay?" I asked and sat on the opposite bed from the one she was resting on.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is this your room?" she inspected the walls and my mirror that had picture of my friends.

"Uh, yeah," I answered stupidly.

"Cool, cool," she trailed off.

"Shae, are you okay?" I asked again and trying to put as much meaning as I could into the look I gave her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she gave the same answer and it really didn't please me.

"Shea," I said sternly and she looked down. I could see tears forming and I immediately regretted the harsh tone.

"God damn, my first day here and I screw it all up," she whispered, more to herself then to me.

"You didn't screw anything up," I reached over and placed my fingertips on her arm.

"I had a brake down when I wake up in a hospital, I think I did," I moved her arm out of my reach and scooted backwards so she was leaning on the wall.

"Shae, it's really okay."

She shook her head and I stood up. I closed the distance between us and sat down next to her. "When I was 10, my wings came in. My father was very anti Mutant rights, so I freaked out. I tried to grate them off on numerous occasions. I still wakeup at night, with the pain that I inflicted on myself. And for what? I father that I loved, that hated what I was," I cupped her cheek in my hand and tilted it up. She was crying.

"My father beat my brother and I," she barley whispered, her voice ruff and uneven.

"My brother, Jess, was a telekinetic. My mother died when I was 11 and my father took over the parenting. He was a drunk and he would hit us, every time putting us in the hospital, blaming everything on the grief of lousing a parent. I almost took my life a few times. I teetered on the edge but stopped myself because of Jess. When I was 16, Jess came home late and my father s-shot him," she fumbled on the unwanted memory. It was clear that this was the only time the story had been up in to words. "He was 10," her voice cracked and silent sobs raked through her body.

I shifted my weight and put my arm around Shae. I pulled her shivering body up to mine and she rested her head on my chest. I curled my wings around us; makeing a warm, soft cocoon. She curled her tail around my waist and I hugged her closer.

"It's okay," I murmured.

"Ug, I hate crying," she muttered and I laughed. She joined in after a few seconds.

After the laughter had died down I ask again, "Are you okay?"

"After talking to you? Yeah I am. I've never told another human -or animal- about my childhood, it feels good to get it off my chest," she snuggled deeper into me and rested her head on my shoulder.

I look down at her small round face and saw an angle. I know that it was tacky but in truth, my passion burned with the intensity of a 1000 suns and every of cheesy lines that you can come up with.

This girl had been through wars and still managed to stand up by herself. She didn't put her head down and let her neck show. She didn't bow to the pain; she hung on to the last piece of sunshine that she could see. She held it all in, the turmoil that tainted her growth. And most of all she didn't cringe away for who she was. Shea was who she was.

"You wanna stay here to night?" I asked and before I could kick myself she nodded. I was shocked but didn't say a word against it. Shae stood and moved to the bed across from mine.

She settled in and I flicked off the light. We lay in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "Jess and I use to share a room. I've been on my own and it's nice not to be alone. Thanks for letting me stay," I looked into the black hole that was the ceiling.

"Any time," I answered and I listen to her movements as she got comfortable. She stopped moving and a faint snoring started. She to the rhythm of her breathing, I drifted off to sleep.

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