CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
A Little Shaving Accident…..that caused an ALMOST apocalypse
AN: I'm sorry this one took so long to get out, guys. It started out very easily, but then my muses togas must have gotten caught on some hypothetical nails or something, because Victor and Logans fight got harder. But, here you go.
The hot water pouring down on her was sheer bliss, the shampoo a luxury, the soap a blessing.
It took three washes till her hair even began to feel clean and for the water pouring off of her to turn clear instead of brown. Being in the rain had helped the cleanliness factor, but not by much.
As she washed she thought, planned, and just generally tried to make sense of things. `Okay, I'm here in a huge school for mutants, a feral mutant thinks I'm his mate, said feral mutant has a brother with amnesia and metal claws that come out of his knuckles…..` she squeezed some more shampoo into one hand, intent on using up the whole bottle. If that bald guy was going to keep her here, she was darn well going to take advantage of the amenities. `So the question is; what am I gonna do about it?`
"Are you drowning in there, kid!?" Logans voice growled into the shower-rooms, echoing off the tiles.
She growled right back. "I'm WASHING! Give a girl a break!" she began scrubbing the dirt out from under her fingernails.
`Well, I could try to leave here, I guess...` she thought, leaning over to wash her feet. `Find a payphone and call someone…..but who?` There weren't too many people to call to be honest. Her parents were gone-
(-she winced at that thought. Come on, Cassie, you can say it, dead, they're dead.-)
-and she had never been the type who socialized easily. As for her siblings (she snorted) yeah right, like that would ever happen.
`Okay, so that leaves me with what option?` she finished shaving one leg then moved to the other. Then it hit her like a cartoon anvil on Wiley Coyotes head. `Of course! Steve!`
She was so excited by finally thinking of someone that her hand slipped and she winced as she gave herself a long, but shallow cut that instantly started to bleed out.
"Dagnabit!"
"KID, YOU HAVE TILL THE COUNT OF FIVE TILL I COME IN THERE!" Logans voice roared into the showers. "ONE—"
She gaped. He wouldn't seriously do that, would he?
"TWO"
Better not take the chance. "I'm FINE!" she yelled back. "Don't get your tightie whities in a twist! I just cut myself shaving!" and of course it WOULD decide to bleed as though she had cut an artery…..well, slight exaggeration, but not by much.
"YOU'D BETTER GET DRESSED FAST, KID!" Logan yelled to her and she blinked, confused.
"WHY?!"
"BECAUSE THE FLEABAG'S GONNA BE HERE FAST ONCE HE SMELLS YOUR BLOOD!"
She cursed and turned the water off, frantically reaching for a towel.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000
CAFETERIA
Sabretooth growled menacingly to the young mutant cub he had ahold of by the back of his neck. The kid stank of fear…..good. He needed to learn he couldn't talk aback. "If I make a decision, you damned well better follow it, cub."
"A-And how do YOU know what's better for us?"
The kid had spunk, speaking to him when he had him by the neck.
"`Cause I'm over a hundred years your senior, that's why." Victor growled the answer. "I've been fighting wars long before your great-great grandfather was even THOUGHT of! So when I tell you to do something, you do it!" he let go of the cub, dropping him to the floor and catching him by the shoulder when he almost fell forward, steadying him. This action was so at odds from when he had him up in the air that the kid didn't know WHAT to think.
Then Victor turned to address the whole cafeteria. "ALRIGHT!" he yelled with a voice that echoed clear across the cafeteria. "EVERYONE LINE UP! BRING YOUR TRAYS! WHAT'S JUNK GOES IN THE TRASH! IF YOU'RE NOT CERTAIN WHAT QUALIFIES AS JUNK, I'LL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU FIGURE IT OUT! NOW MOVE!"
There was the sound of hundreds of chairs scraping against the linoleum floors as the kids pushed away from the long cafeteria tables and began forming a haphazard line.
Victor grabbed each trashcan from the four corners of the room and lined them up then began moving through the cafeteria, jostling the kids into better lines; four long lines to each trash can. Finally, he moved to the trash-cans, supervising each cubs tray. As he had figured out from the buffet, almost all the trays consisted of desserts, which he promptly had them toss then go back to the buffet for healthier food.
It was a long, daunting process. Some of the kids had tried to (unsuccessfully) hide their desserts (a cookie in the pants pocket, a chocolate bar up one sleeve) one kid even had a mushed piece of key-lime pie in his pants!
But that was when a scent came wafting into his nose; …..blood…her blood; his mates blood.
Letting out a loud roar, Sabretooth bounded from the cafeteria, leaving the stunned cubs behind. He went to all fours, increasing his speed, growling loudly. If one of those X-geeks had hurt her—Jimmy was supposed to be WATCHING her!
He ignored anyone in his path, either leaping over them or shoving them to the side. He HAD to get to his frail! The scent lead him to a door, where Logan stood, both hands up in a 'surrender' position. "Whoa there, Fleabag! She's FINE!" with one hand he slammed Logan aside and into the closest wall, leaving a crater, and he ran into the showers.
There she was, half dressed, with her long red-brown hair still soaking wet, hanging down her back, drenching the grey hoodie she wore. She had just pulled on her underwear when he saw the long, bleeding cut on her leg.
Immediately, he slammed to a stop, picking her up bridal style in his arms, then sitting down, completely ignoring the pool of water, and putting her in his lap. His growls quickly turned into purring once he realized that the cut wasn't all that deep. Gently, taking hold of her ankle in one hand and placing the other ontop of her knee, he bent down and began to run his tongue up the cut.
Letting out a small huff, Cassie did what felt right and entangled one hand in his long, tangled blonde hair, trying to sooth him. "Heah, I'm okay. I was shaving my legs and my hand slipped. That's all."
The warm feeling spread from her heart through her whole body, and she felt what she could only describe as "warm fuzzies" in her chest. The fact that her captor…er, former captor…was licking her leg, didn't frighten her as much as other things had. She had already accepted that this guy was…well, more animal than man. Okay, she was on her way to accepting it. And this was what cats did to a fellow cat who had hurt themselves. Also, no matter how unhygienic it may be, it WAS taking the sting away.
When he finally stopped, the long cut was completely healed over. Again, the words came out of her mouth before her mind could censor them. "Whoa…..You have Super Spit."
The feral mutant decided not even to grace that statement with a comment, instead reaching for a pair of grey sweat-pants on a near-by chair and carefully sliding them over her legs. "You need to be careful frail." He growled low, trying to master himself.
His instincts were screaming at him to secrete her away in a cave, safe from any harm, quiet and resting while he guarded the entrance or hunted.
"I told you before, I'm a klutz." She said softly. "This kind of stuff happens."
Okay, forget civilization; he was going to follow his instincts and secrete her away in a cave…..a padded cave…..with no sharp objects… Gently, he rose with her in his arms and sat her down carefully on the chair where the grey sweat-pants had lain. "Stay here, frail."
She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Why? What are you going to do."
"Stay HERE!" he growled making her jerk back a little.
"Okay, okay, got it! Staying here." Still her eyes followed him suspiciously as he left. She waited about five seconds. "Okay, I stayed" she reasoned to herself and stood up "and now I'm going."
Very cautiously, she peeked her head around the entrance to the womans showers to see Logan/Jimmy pick himself out of a Logan-sized hole-in-the-wall.
"I TOLD you to WATCH her!" Sabretooth growled, claws flexing, muscles rippling.
Jimmy/Logan actually rolled his eyes and she felt the insane urge to giggle. "What, did you expect me to watch her shower!? I'm not a pervert, fleabag!"
Apparently there was no right answer to this problem because Sabretooth launched himself at his younger brother, claws extended.
The younger Wolverine dodged the swipe and countered with a quick upper-cut, his own adamantium blades extended. His blow, however was knocked aside so that he only nicked Sabretooths cheek.
*Both of you, that is ENOUGH!* both combatants suddenly froze as their bodys' were put under control. It was the Professor again (of course) and he sounded about at his wits end. *Victor, it was only a shallow cut, and you healed it, Logan, attacking your brother isn't the proper way to handle things like this.*
They both growled in unison, still otherwise frozen.
*Now, once the two of you calm down, I will release you…..again. And then all three of you will come join me in my office. We have much to discuss.*