"Come on, Scott. Hold still for just a minute."

They were in the mansion's medical bay and the scent of antiseptics mingled unpleasantly with the rich odor of blood, making the air sickly sweet. Normally, it was the professor or Wolverine who dealt with any injuries, but Logan was nowhere to be found. So Jean was the next best candidate. The wound on Scott's foot had improved only slightly over the past two days. The remaining skin was ragged and had to be cut off, lest it fester, and of course, that mean even more skin was exposed. The acid had burned deeply into the tissue of the heel, but the most delicate nerves had somehow been unharmed, allowing every painful sensation to be transmitted to the brain with no problems whatsoever.

Scott huffed, crossing his arms as Jean tried again to wash his foot with the antiseptic-soaked cloth. Lighting pain lanced through his body as the cloth made contact, stealing his breath away. When he regained it, he let out a shrill cry, shouting angrily, "Ahh! That hurts! Take it easy!" He jerked his foot away from her, glaring angrily, tears of pain running down his cheeks as blood oozed down his heel, dripping onto the white cloth.

Jean stood up, rubbing her temples to prevent her headache from growing worse as she said with forced patience, "I'm trying, Scott, but you keep moving!"

"Well, what do you expect?! Touching me with that damn, worthless thing is just making it feel worse!" Scott shot back, giving her a death-stare. But then he saw how tired and hurt she was and instantly held his arms open, murmuring, "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry, Jean, I'm sorry…" She came and sat next to him, falling into his embrace as she relaxed a little. Scott sighed deeply, murmuring, "I'm just... I'm sorry."

She nodded, and said softly, "It's no wonder it hurts. That acid destroyed all the skin, so all your nerve endings are exposed. Maybe by using a neutral pH solution, it'll hurt less."

Scott sighed, knowing she was turning to medicine to keep herself from completely breaking down. He held her tighter, understanding. There was a knock on the door and both looked up to see Pietro standing there, asking softly, "Is he awake?"

Jean wiped her eyes and sat up, out of Scott's embrace, answering, "No. He's still sleeping." Pietro let out a visible sigh of relief, and came, sitting near them, hugging himself. Jean noticed red by his hairline and said, "You're hurt." Pietro looked at her in confusion, but didn't resist as she came over and lifted up his limp bangs, revealing a nasty cut from when he had fainted in the base.

She dabbed at it with antiseptic, and Pietro winced, his fingers clenching at his jeans as he hissed between his teeth, "That stings, I hope you know. Really badly."

"Welcome to my world." Scott huffed from the bed, crossing his arms and letting his foot rest on the table, where he watched a tiny trickle of blood drip down his skin to be soaked up by a cloth that had been placed there beforehand. After cleaning Pietro's cut, she put on some Neosporin on it and then a bandage, turning back to Scott.

Pietro fingered the bandage, and then sat down again in a chair, obviously not wanting to leave their presence. "I can't believe it..." Pietro mumbled softly, making them both look at him.

"Believe what?" Jean asked.

"Magneto was the second most powerful mutant alive and all it took was a couple chews. That's it." He hung his head, a shocked expression on his face as he repeated, "Just a few simple chews..."

Scott and Jean glanced at each other, not sure how to react. Jean started to reach for the speed demon's arm, but Pietro got up, saying while fingering his bandage, "I'm getting a drink." and walked away from them.

Pietro walked slowly down the hall, still trying to understand what had happened two days ago. It was all a blur to him. But the one thing he clearly remembered was how easily Kurt had killed Eric. How effortless it had been. This apparent ease made Pietro's insides watery every time he thought about it. He clutched himself around the waist as he walked, scared that he was going to fall apart, wincing. In the kitchen, he came upon Remy and John sitting at the table.

With no more base, the Acolytes had been offered rooms at the institute and had accepted. John and Remy weren't in uniform anymore. Remy wore a black t-shirt and blue jeans, while John wore a red shirt and a jacket with flames embroidered on it and khaki pants. John was staring at the chocolate milk in his hands blankly while Remy sat next to him, sipping calmly at a coffee, both looking exhausted. John was roomed with Remy and there was yet to be a night were John slept soundly.

Pietro shuddered, feeling completely sympathetic with the poor Australian's plight, but unsure of how to help. He still had nightmares himself! He sat at the table, looking at the two before crossing his arms on the table and putting his head down, letting out a moan. Remy gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder while John gave a brief giggle, shrill and disturbing, before staring at his chocolate again.

Suddenly, John whispered, "I thought I liked heat." Remy looked at him questioningly, though distantly he was glad. These were the first words that the fire-mutant had spoken for two days. Pyro giggled shrilly again, saying, "I-I loved fire. I loved how warm the flames were, how hot it was…" He suddenly withdrew his hands and shuddered as he tucked them close to his chest, murmuring, "It was so hot in that demon's maw. So hot…"

He burst out sobbing, and turned, lunging at Remy and clinging to him as he cried, his body shaking with terror. Remy sighed and gently patted the mutant's back. He then looked at Pietro, saying, "I think I'd better put him to bed. He didn't sleep a wink last night."

The speed demon nodded, lost in his own black thoughts.

Remy stood and helped John to stand, walking him all the way to his bedroom. He helped him into bed and then once Pyro was asleep, left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Gambit then carefully looked around him and silently walked until he came to Kurt's bedroom. He let himself in, shutting the door silently behind him as he observed the sleeping mutant. He then came and sat at Kurt's desk, cleaning his nails with a small pocket knife.

Kurt heard him and woke up, blinking in confusion.

Remy then smiled at him, saying, "I think you broke Johnny-boy's brain. He won't stop thinking about how you nearly ate him."

Kurt smiled back at Remy, slumping back onto the bed as he replied, "Well, I have to admit, he did tempt me." Kurt then sat up, stretching as he asked, "How long have I been sleeping? Feels like years."

Gambit brought out his deck of cards and began to shuffle them, setting them out for solitaire as he answered, "Two days, Bleu."

The blue teleporter looked surprised, but then shrugged, asking, "How are the others?"

Remy began to place the cards, saying, "Well, Pietro won't talk to nobody, Jean's playing doctor for Scott, John's having a mental breakdown, Piotr's been more quiet than usual and the others won't come into a room unless they know you ain't in it."

Kurt chuckled at the report, and then winced, fingering the wound in his side. Surprisingly, it was already partially healed, though no one had cared for it. He patted it gently, glad of his advanced body-functions, and then said bluntly, "I'm starving."

"Is that a threat?" Remy asked, grinning widely.

The elf gave him a genuine smile as he answered playfully, "Maybe. Anyway, was there any breakfast left?"

The Cajun shook his head, saying as he placed a red five of hearts on a black six, "There was none period. No one's hungry." Kurt scowled and Remy added, "But if you plan to head downstairs, let me go first and tell them. I think they'll have a heart attack if you pop up out of nowhere."

Kurt considered this, but then curled up in the covers again, crooning, "Nah. I'll go out for dinner tonight instead." He bared his fangs, eyes glinting.

Remy paused in his game and sighed, having an internal debate with himself. Kurt noticed and watched, wondering. But then Remy kept playing his game, saying hesitantly, "It… uh… It's…" He put his card down and then put his hand on his temple, rubbing as if he had a headache.

"What?" Kurt asked, curious at the Cajun's behavior.

Remy was silent, then suddenly turned, asking, "How did-" But then he froze, like he had done something terrible, and turned away, muttering quickly, "I mean… how… how…" He gave a grunt of frustration, muttering, "Aww merde…" as he scooped his cards up in one motion, and walked quickly to the door, opening it.

Kurt 'ported to his side, asking before he could leave, "What is it, Remy?"

Remy looked at him, mouth open to say something, but he snapped it shut, saying as he turned from Kurt's gaze, "Nothing. Just…" He then put on a mask of a stern teacher as he asked, "Just promise me you'll go out to a REAL restaurant, okay?"

"Ookaay…" Kurt said slowly and hesitantly, clearly confused. Remy gave him a very, very forced smile, and there was something wrong with his eyes.

But before Kurt could identify it, Remy had quickly walked off, his footsteps echoing. Kurt stared after him. Something was wrong with Gambit. Obviously, Remy had wanted to ask him something, but then had lost his nerve, bolting. He was upset and nervous, since that was the only time that his footfalls would actually make any sound. Usually, Remy was almost as silent as Kurt was, thanks to his years of thieving. Kurt watched him until he turned a corner, leaving the hallway empty. Kurt went back to his room, glancing again at the empty hallway before shutting the door.

Gambit turned the corner and then ran, panting hard as he finally reached the bathroom. He ran inside and locked it, not bothering to turn the light on, letting himself breathe loudly, his heart thudding in his chest. What was wrong with him?! Why had he nearly asked that, of all things?! Why?!

He ran cold water in the sink, soaking a washcloth, washing and cooling his face. He swore that the cold cloth became warm after touching his fevered face. He panted softer now, and though his heart beat slowly, the beats were thick and heavy, pounding hard against his ribs. He looked at himself in the mirror again, and nearly bolted to the toilet to be sick. But he controlled himself, saying sternly to his reflection, "Regarde-moi. Qu'es que tu fais? Qu'es que tu pence?! Il faut que tu arrêtes! Ne pence pas de cette type de chois! Tu ne vas PAS lui-demandes! Tu me comprends?! [Look at me. What are you doing? What are you thinking?! You need to stop! Don't think about things like that! You can't ask him! Do you understand?!]" He panted, staring at himself.

His reflection seemed to be smiling smugly at him. "Tu sais que tu veux essayes. [You know you want to try.]"

Remy bowed his head, panting hard against the flood of thoughts in his head, protesting, "Non… Non, ce n'est pas juste! [No... No, it's not right!]"

Remy put his hand to his forehead, feeling the hot skin, as he heard whispers in his mind: "Alors? Tu es Remy LeBeau, Le Prince des voleurs. Tu t'en fous des les lois est tous qu'est 'juste'. [So? You're Remy LeBeau, the Prince of Theives. You don't care about laws and what's 'right'.]"

"Tais-toi! [Shut up!]" Remy said sharply, looking sternly at the mirror, so cold and clear.

His reflection gave the hint of a sneer. "Pourquoi? Tu sais que j'ai raison… [Why? You know I'm right...]"

"Arrêtes! [Stop!]" Remy barked, now angrily reaching for his cards. He charged one up, glaring at his reflection. The purple-ish flames of the card lit his reflection in a disturbing glow, making the blood-colored eyes glitter. Remy then hissed, "Ecoute-moi bien. Je ne vais jamais lui-demande. Jamais! [Listen well. You will never ask him. Never.]"

The glowing red and black eyes mocked him. "Nous allons voir… [We'll see...]"

Remy was stunned by the sheer defiance he saw in those hellish eyes and felt his blood pounding as he withdrew the charge into his body, then bolted from the bathroom. And yet, as he ran down the hall, he couldn't help the feeling that his reflection was right.

Scott looked up as Gambit walked past the door of the medical wing, but then hissed in pain and glared at Jean, clenching his teeth as the burning grew. They were cleaning his hand now, and it hurt just as badly. She was sending him weak thoughts of being sorry, and he knew they were sincere, but that didn't help dull the pain. He leaned his head back against the rest of the seat, shutting his eyes in an attempt to ignore the shooting fiery numbness that was anything but numb.

Suddenly, Jean asked, "Scott… What are we going to do?"

Scott sighed deeply, eyes still shut tightly from the pain, answering stiffly, "What can we do? If we try to fight him…" He hissed his breath sharply as she cleaned an especially sensitive area, his other hand clenching the chair's arm so hard his knuckles popped. Panting, he added, "We don't stand a chance against him."

Jean finished cleaning his hand and carefully rewrapped it, saying, "There. All clean."

He grunted and swung his legs over the side of the chair, saying sarcastically, "Yippee. I'll just have to go through all that again in about six hours."

Jean put the materials to be sterilized into a special oven as she said, "I'm sorry it hurts, Scott, I really am, but it has to be done! That acid burned really deeply and I want to keep it clean so it can heal properly."

Scott grabbed at his crutches, muttering, "I know."

She turned back to him, asking gently, "But that's not why you're so angry, is it?"

The X-Men's leader's shoulder drooped and he was silent for a minute before turning, asking in a tone that was almost a plea, "How could he do that to us? To me? I'm his best friend…" He looked down at the thick bandage around his foot, the smaller one around his hand. He sighed.

Jean then said hesitantly, "Gambit says he was help-"

"Gambit, be damned!" Scott barked suddenly, making her jump. "We can't trust that Cajun! He's a thief by trade and a liar by nature!" He then sat down, muttering, "The only reason he's in the mansion is because John will probably loose his mind otherwise." He looked up at her, asking suspiciously, "Haven't you noticed that he's the least effected by all this?"

"I have." Jean said, sitting next to him, gently taking his uninjured hand.

"And?" Scott prompted.

Jean sighed, saying, "I've tried, but I can't read like the professor can. All I can gather is that he's okay with… with what Kurt did."

Scott huffed and stared at the floor, muttering viciously, "What Kurt did was so far from being 'okay'…"

"I know." She whispered, hugging him gently. Scott fell silent. After a time, Jean said, "Just one more cleaning, Scott." Scott nodded, scowling. This one was the worst, but he didn't resist as she carefully removed his visor.

Around his eyes, like a raccoon's mask, was red, irritated flesh. Scott had been the most in danger of the acid because he'd been exposed to it the longest, but his visor had saved his eyes. The one he had been wearing at the time had been thrown out after they had found scores of acid-holes in the crystal, pitted deeply into the ruby quartz. He sighed as she gently washed the area with more cleaning solution, careful not to get it into his eyes. She then took his glasses, quietly popping out the lenses to clean them, leaving the empty frames on the counter while Scott waited. After a time, she said, "Scott, I was wondering if you'd be interested in talking about this later, with the others."

She heard noise behind her Scott shifted in his seat, saying, "I am, but, Je-"

Suddenly he became silent, and Jean turned. She froze, nearly laughing at the sight of Scott wearing the empty frames. He had thought she was finished, and had grabbed them, putting them on out of sheer habit.

But what kept her from laughing was the sheer shock that he was looking right at her, eyes wide open…

and nothing was happening.

Slowly, Scott blinked, then blinked again. He reached up and took the glasses off, staring at them, then at Jean. He then bolted as best he could, running to the mirror, ignoring as he smacked his knee against the table in his frantic rush to put his face up close to the mirror's reflective surface.

For a full minute, he stared at himself, blinking in disbelief, trying to believe that those were his green eyes he was seeing. He prodded at the corner of his newly discovered eyes, and then turned to Jean, gasping, "How?"

She stared at him for a long time before coming forwards, gently touching his cheek as she said, "They're beautiful…"

Scott grabbed her hand, barking, "HOW?!"

Jean then said softly, "I think it was Kurt. When he shrunk us, our powers stopped. And then when he put us back to normal… Scott, I think he fixed whatever went wrong in that plane crash!"

Scott could feel that he could control his powers now. If he so wished, he could blast the wall away, but all he had to do was mentally think 'no' and he wouldn't. His power, for the first time in his life, obeyed him. He was no longer bound by his glasses, no longer had to fear accidentally blowing something up, no longer had to worry about it at night when he slept. He was free of it.

The joy of this overwhelmed him, but it mixed unpleasantly with all his other emotions, creating a violent cascade inside him, making his emerald eyes swim as he started to cry, clutching himself as relief, joy, hatred, fear, love, suspicion and an infinite other feelings swirled inside his head. Jean was helpless to assist him mentally, but instead kneeled with him, hugging him tightly, giving him a rock of safety in the roaring tide of his thought. He clung to her like a drowning swimmer, gasping as his tears made the acid burns sting viciously.

Later that afternoon, Kurt finally got out of bed, feeling refreshed and hungry. After a few stretches, he dressed in his normal clothes, shrugging his jacket on as he glanced at himself in the mirror. He hesitated, but then decided not to wear his watch.

He leaped and perched on his balcony, his tail beginning to flick back and forth in anticipation of his dinner. He grinned and teleported down to the grounds, running on all fours as he spirited and nimbly leapt up at the gate, then climbed over, his blue tail sliding smoothly over the edge of the gate. Once outside, he hesitated, spinning on the spot and sniffing the air. He glared back at the gate. He had a feeling someone was following him, but couldn't pick up a scent because of the wind. Kurt glared once more, then teleported, heading into town.

In the park, Kurt kept to the shadows, watching the humans around him silently. As soon as one loner wandered off, he grabbed and shrank him, tucking him securely into a pocket before resuming his hunt, grabbing another about half an hour later. He had to be careful who he picked, because he didn't want all the disappearances to become too suspicious.

Kurt used the deepening shadows and his teleporting to finally find safe refuge on a rooftop at the edge of town. He had a clear view of the park and the breeze that drifted to him didn't stink so much of car exhaust or other displeasing fumes. He lounged back and for a while, simply placed his hand on his jacket pocket, feeling the confused wriggles inside it, smiling hugely. He slid a finger into the pocket and poked at his prey, giggling as they tried to avoid his touch. He reached in the pocket and grabbed, getting a leg, and pulled one of the two teens out, surprised that he had grabbed a girl. He had thought it was a guy because of the short haircut. He then mused that he hadn't had a girl yet, and he grinned in anticipation. She wriggled, kicking at his fingers and shouting, and he watched, an amused grin on his face.

After a time, he lay flat on his back and dangled her over his mouth by her ankle, his eyes glinting at her now-terrified squeals. He dropped her into his mouth and played with her, noting how she tasted a little sweeter than boys did. Kurt puzzled over his for a while and then finally swallowed, gulping her down easily, delighting in the squirms and wriggles. He gulped down some air for her and spent the next fifteen minutes lost in the feelings of her moving around, tickling and delighting him.

Before her struggles died completely, Kurt quickly brought out the other teen, a guy, and before the kid even knew what was really going on, had shoved him deep into his mouth, hardly getting him into his throat before swallowing desperately, longing feverishly to feel him fight for his right to survive. Kurt's feet kicked the air as he giggled, hugging himself as the squirms intensified. Maybe she was shocked at having company? He giggled at that thought, and quickly swallowed more air, rolling back and forth as he purred thickly, not wanting the sensations to end.

This sensation, the sensation of sheer power, was so new for him, so recent in discovery. He had never really been in control before. All his life, he'd lived in the shadows, watching from the darkness, knowing he would never be accepted for what he was. But now, that didn't matter. He was tired of the night and longed for the day, and if the humans didn't want to share it willingly, well then, too bad for them! They would either learn, or be hunted down like the vermin they were!

"Nightcreeper!"

Kurt jerked upright to see Todd smiling broadly at him, perched easily on the edge of the building. Kurt smiled at him, and lay back down, rubbing his stomach as he said, "Hey, Toad."

Todd jumped down and walked to him, kicking his side lightly as he said with a grin, "I never got a chance to say it, but you are fucking awesome!"

"What?" Kurt asked, looking up at him.

Night was falling, but Kurt hardly noticed, his eyes adjusting automatically. Todd squatted down next to him, hesitantly laying his hand on Kurt's stomach. Kurt nodded and sighed as Todd rubbed gently, saying eagerly, "You took out Magneto, the world's worst son of a bitch, with just a couple bites! You rock!"

Kurt purred softly, "Thanks." while his head spun from the delicious struggles within his body.

When the rubbing suddenly stopped, he looked at Todd, who begged, "Say, uh… any chance you got spares?"

The teleporter couldn't help but grin as he purred, "Not this time. Sorry."

"Dammit…" Todd muttered, looking huffy as he sat down. He then asked a second later, "Well, can ya get some?"

"You're obsessed!" Kurt laughed, whipping at him lightly with his tail.

"Thanks to you!" Todd retaliated, snapping his tongue at the blue tail.

Kurt laughed as he stood up, saying as he walked to the edge of the roof, "All right, fine. Come on." Todd smiled broadly as he followed, hopping afterwards, giggling very softly.

They jumped down the fire escapes and landed on the street level, the coming night masking their motions. Todd suddenly quipped, "Hey! You're fuzzy!"

Kurt grinned at him, saying, "You just noticed this now?"

Todd shrugged as they huddled behind a dumpster, saying, "Well, ya usually wear that watch o' yours."

The blue mutant paused and stood tall, his golden eyes glowing softly as he said with a cold smile that bared his fangs, "I'm tired of hiding."

Todd looked shocked, but then he grinned hugely, his own yellow-green eyes glinting in the dim light. After a moment, he said, "You're different."

"What?" Kurt asked, looking confused.

The other mutant smiled crookedly at him. "Dunno… you're just… different now. Not like you used to be." He smiled wider. "I like this new you better." Kurt smiled, his fangs bared.

Suddenly, Kurt sniffed the air and crouched down, hissing, "Hide!"

Todd obeyed, leaping up and clinging to the wall a good 15 feet up. He remained motionless as he watched a group of teens wander past the edge of their alley, talking noisily. After they had passed by, Todd dropped, landing next to Kurt, asking, "And you didn't get them why?!"

Kurt grinned, saying, "We need loners. Don't want someone to notice the numerous missings, eh?" Todd looked like he was about to protest, but then nodded, realizing the truth.

They then waited for a good hour and a half, watching people pass by their hideout. Todd noticed that he couldn't see Kurt anymore. It was like the elf had melted into the shadows. Thus, when Kurt suddenly leapt out at a lone teenager, he jerked just as badly as the terrified kid. He jumped down as Kurt pounced, like a cat, his hands cupped over something small and wriggling.

Todd held his hand out eagerly, and giggled childishly as the blue teleporter placed the miniaturized teen into his slightly-slimy palm. Todd sat down, poking at his prey, giggling softly, muttering, "Look how tiny he is!" But as he was bringing his prey closer to his mouth, Kurt suddenly used his tail to snatch it out of his hand, tucking it into his jacket pocket. Todd swelled, asking angrily, "What the hell, yo?! Give h-"

Kurt's tail was clapped over his mouth, muffling his tone, and Kurt hissed, "Shut it. We're not alone." Todd instantly quieted, crouching down and ready to attack anyone who dared to interrupt his conquest of humanity. Kurt pushed Todd slightly, and Todd got the idea, jumping up to the wall out of the way. Kurt then crouched down and to all appearances, disappeared into thin air.

Todd squinted hard at where he had last seen Kurt, trying to see him, but his head jerked as he saw movement of a tail about ten feet from that spot. A second or two later, Todd saw what Kurt had sensed. A man was lingering in the shadows at the end of the alley, blending in perfectly with the darkness. He moved silently, stealthily, and if it weren't for Todd's slight night vision, he never would have seen him. He thought he caught a glimpse of red light reflected in the man's face, but it passed as the man moved smoothly into shadow after shadow, slowly working his way deeper into the alley, closer to them.

There was a sudden 'clink' of a can rolling, and the man froze, obviously trying to find his opponent. But it was like trying to catch smoke. The man hesitated, and then suddenly let out a cry as a blue-furred something landed on his head from above, making him go off balance just before a powerful kick propelled him into a wall, slightly stunning him as his head met the brick with a sickening 'thud' sound.

The man collapsed, moaning and holding his head as Kurt stood over him, growling, "You've got guts, following me around."

The man rolled over and red and black eyes gazed up at Kurt as the man quipped with a Cajun accent, "Well, I couldn't just call your name, could I, Bleu?"

Kurt stared, gasping, "Gambit?"

Remy sat up, rubbing his head as he said with forced humor, "Well, I must say; you've certainly mastered the art of getting the drop on people."

Kurt stood with his hands crossed over his chest peevishly as he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Gambit stood up, dusting himself as he muttered, "Wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Kurt snapped. "We're busy."

"We?" Remy repeated, looking confused.

Todd jumped down, landing next to Kurt and said irritably, "Hurry up and spill it, then scram."

Remy nodded, and said, "I… I wanted to ask you something."

"What?" Kurt barked, now seriously annoyed at being interrupted.

"Can I hold one?" Remy asked this very quickly, like he was trying to say it before he lost his nerve.

Kurt froze as Todd asked suspiciously, "One what?"

Remy rubbed the back of his neck, saying softly, "A mini-person."

"Why?" Kurt asked; not sounding angry, just curious.

Remy clenched his teeth, then relaxed, and then muttered, "I want to try it."

Todd glanced at Kurt, who shrugged and reached into his pocket, pulling out the shrunken human by the scruff of his shirt. Kurt then dropped him into Gambit's palm, watching the Cajun closely.

Remy cupped his hand, staring at the tiny person huddling in his palm, his eyes glittering. The teen got to his knees and shouted at Remy to be released, but Remy didn't hear him. All he could focus on was how fragile the kid felt. If he crushed his fingers, it would be the equivalent of putting the kid into a garbage compacter!

Tentatively, he closed his fingers over the small body, like a cage, and watched in fascination as the kid squirmed, kicking and pushing to try and regain room, making shrill cries.

Remy smiled and began to squeeze, very, very lightly, and chuckled as he squirms increased dramatically.

Suddenly a blue tail wrapped around his wrist. He looked up as Kurt took the small human way from him, his golden eyes glowing knowingly.

Remy felt his heart race as he backed up, sputtering, "N-No! I didn't mean like that!"

Todd and Kurt looked at each other, and then Todd said with a wide smile, "Suuuuurrrreee, ya didn't."

Remy got mad and considered charging a card, but then Kurt held the small body in front of his nose and he froze, staring at the small human. He then looked at Kurt, who purred, "If you want him, have him. I can get Todd another. It's not like they're hard to find." He chuckled, the sound dark and low.

Remy gulped hard, whispering, "But…" then went silent as Kurt gently grabbed his hand and once again, placed the human into his gloved palm. Remy stared at the shaking human, then at the two other mutants, looking a little hesitant.

The blue teleporter smiled at him, fangs bared as he crooned, "He's yours, Remy. Can you understand that? He's yours. As in you can do anything you want with him. And no one will ever know. You could keep him as a pet, and no one would ever know. You could crush him in your fist, or stomp him flat, and no one would be the wiser."

Remy glanced down at the human in his hand again. The kid had obviously heard everything. He was curled up now, shivering, and Remy could feel it. Kurt was on his other side all of a sudden, purring, "And if you wanted, Gambit, you could even eat him."

Remy snapped his head to look at Kurt, shocked.

Kurt smiled; pleased to see that disgust and rejection were nowhere to be found on the Cajun's face, just surprise. He then gestured to the shaking human, "It's really quite enjoyable. If you swallow them whole, they wriggle the whole way down, then for some time afterwards. But then, if you prefer chewing…"

He looked at Todd, who smiled, adding, "The blood's worth it. It's so damn tasty!"

Remy made a few sounds, but not of protest, as Todd gently forced him to sit down. Kurt took the kid and held him near the Cajun's mouth, crooning irresistibly, "Just try holding him. Just for a little while. And if you don't like it, we'll let him go and never speak of this ever again. I promise."

Remy gulped hard, then shut his eyes, opening his mouth. He wasn't sure what to expect, but when he felt the kid's wriggling upper half shoved into his mouth, he found himself thinking that it was very enjoyable! So cute and squirmy… He smiled and brought up his own hand, gently working the rest of the kid into his mouth, amazed at the sensations he was receiving. He leaned his head back, feeling the motions against the inside of his mouth, still finding it hard to imagine that it was a living creature trapped behind his teeth. He tipped his head further back and had to resist chuckling as he felt the little struggles tickle him right at the back of his mouth.

"Just think…" Remy looked up as Kurt spoke, his tail flicking back and forth as he grinned widely. "You have a human life in your grasp. One of the very same humans who threaten us mutants day after day. Tell the truth, have humans ever accepted you?"

A hardening of the bloody eyes answered Kurt's question.

"Then, why not get the ultimate revenge? You have his life at your command. A single, simple motion from you will end it, and will prove who the dominant species really is. All you have to do is swallow, Remy."

The Cajun looked a little uncomfortable, shifting his prey around uncertainly.

Kurt smiled gently, crooning, "I know it's a big step, Gambit, but can you really tell me that you want to let him go?"

For about a minute, Remy had no expression on his face. The only sound in that dark alley was the soft breathing of the mutants and the barest whispers of the human's pleading. He could feel that the human had stopped resisting. He was lying limply on his tongue, but a soft shudder now and again revealed that he was crying. Remy felt bad about that, but at the same time, his thoughts flew back to the south, where he had crouched, crying, in the rain because no one wanted a red-eyed demon in their house. He remembered how he had pleaded to everyone, be they Cajun or visitors, but had been rejected by all. The only one who hadn't feared him was Jean-Luc, but the man had only been after him for his powers.

Remy shifted the kid around again, testing his weight, amazed at how small he was. He then realized that it was true. He had the kid's life balanced on the blade of a knife. If Remy wanted, he could tip his head forwards, open his mouth, let the kid out and Kurt would keep his word.

But what if he didn't let the kid out? He could taste the kid and he had to admit that it intrigued him. But should he really kill him? Did the kid really deserve that?

Another flashback flitted through his reddening memory, reminding him what had happened the first time he had tried to join in a game with boys his own age, how they had mocked him, calling him awful names, throwing rocks to drive him off.

He remembered how good it had felt to watch their clothing explode.

Remy smiled, relishing in this newly discovered power. As Kurt and Todd grinned at him, he tilted his head back as far as it could go and gulped hard. He coughed briefly in surprise as the small body scratched at him a little bit as it went down, but then he quietly placed a hand on his stomach, his brain feeling numb as he felt motion from within.

He saw a blue hand in front of his face and saw Kurt purring, "Enjoy?"

Remy gave him a huge grin as he took the blue hand, replying smoothly, "I did. And I just can't wait for the next one."