Perfectly Normal
folder
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › FemSlash - Female/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
63
Views:
7,405
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › FemSlash - Female/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
63
Views:
7,405
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own X-Men Evolution, or any of the characters from it. I make no money from from the writing of this story.
22
PERFECTLY NORMAL CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… It might be the start of a new thing but it’s an awful slow start. Moof. InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink, Dracena and Greywolf are loverly and wondermous for archiving/hosting. ProPhile: Remind me to tell you what I saw. Morgan: *stalk stalk gloke* Readers/Reviewers: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing as you can!
The place did not smell weird, per se, just different. His senses felt heightened now; having his ephemeral companion back seemed to do that to him. He felt like a young man, like he was in the first blush of youth, rather than a man facing the great beyond with ill grace. He could identify the components of the smell—wood polish, cold metal, warm tea, old brandy, and the traces of fire place smoke underscored with soap and cologne. It was the organic scent of the room, marking it as Professor Xavier’s. As Charles’s, he corrected himself. Professor Xavier was his opponent. Charles was his friend. Magneto opened his eyes when one of the film crew dropped something heavy. “Please do not dint the floor. It’s quite old and it would be a shame to mar it. I really don’t think you can afford the repairs.” He did not move from his position at the desk, hands folded one over the other atop the large desk calendar covered in his old friend’s familiar scrawl. The crew did not respond to him but rather exchanged looks fraught with trepidation and some sort of amusement, the kind the truly brash feel at the words of the aged. He hated being thought of as old. Even if he was old to most ways of thinking, he hated being called such. Incubus stirred within him, reaching unseen hands through the ether towards the young men working just yards away. Let him feed, Magneto sighed inwardly. If he feeds, I live a bit better, a bit longer. “I understand there has been some deviation from the set schedule of interviews and filming,” he added after another silent minute.
Brian stood, face slightly red but whether it was from being bent over, arranging the cords, for so long or from embarrassment Magneto could not tell. “The film process is something that doesn’t do well with static rules and demands.” He offered a tightlipped smile and a look of pure condescension. “We like to let things flow naturally…”
“Filming doesn’t deal well with rules and schedules?” Magneto mused thoughtfully, his expression carefully bland. “I’m astounded the movie industry survives.” He leaned forward at the desk, his breath hitching as Incubus stretched out, grabbing now at the youths before him. “Just a caveat… I’m not Professor Xavier. I will not be able to answer the questions he can. Further, this is not my cup of tea. My own path leads parallel but away from this one. I will not suffer fools in any manner.” He leaned back, steepling his fingers on the desk. “Now, let’s begin.”
Jubilee stood at the head of the steps leading to the basement, Kitty directly behind her. “Jubes, I think we need to talk,” Kitty began quietly as they stood, staring down into the darkness. “About what happened before…”
“Kitty, either take the opportunity to shove me down the stairs now or wait and beat the shit out of me later.” She glanced over her shoulder, slightly nervous. “I just wanted someone with a cool head to come with me and you’re usually the one with that but…” she shrugged, only the faintest twinge of guilt working through her stomach. “I understand if you don’t want to be here.”
She was still angry at Jubilee and Kurt both but it was fading. She wondered if she would ever truly forgive them for what happened even while knowing that she had no right to be mad, not truly. She had asked Kurt for space and he had given it to her, reluctantly but because she had asked for it… Jubilee just didn’t see sex the same way, Kitty thought on a sigh. It was comfort to her, seeking something while adrift. Clearing her throat, she tugged on her ponytail and nodded. “Okay, I’ll kick your ass later. Let’s go.”
Jubilee let out a breath she did not know she had been holding and took the first step. She wished she was telepathic, wished she had some extra senses to feel in the darkness for others. “Jono’s not down here,” she whispered over her shoulder as they moved further down the stairs. “He’s upstairs, in the old library.” She caught Kitty’s nod out of the corner of her eye as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “It happened here,” she added, her stomach warm and roiling with nervousness. “It…he…whoever…just pushed past me and…”
Kitty yelped. “Hey!” Someone had scratched her arm. It was not so dark as to be pitch black in the basement; some light from the top of the stairs filtered down to them but it was not enough to see what was around them or who could possibly be behind her. “What was that for?” she demanded on reflex. The scratch burned like a cat’s claw had cut her, traveling from her elbow to her wrist.
“I didn’t do anything!” Jubilee retorted, defensive anger flaring. She felt something shift in the air around them, like someone walking past at a fast clip. “Whoa…”
“It wasn’t you, I know,” Kitty hissed. “Ow…I think I’m bleeding!” She took a step up the steps, moving into the light, and frowned at the scratch on her arm. “Yep. Bleeding…”
Jubilee was behind her then, crowding her, pushing at her. “Move Kitty. Move move move move…”
“What? Why? I thought you wanted to see…” she found herself hurrying up the steps as Jubilee all but carried her, slamming the door in their wake. “What’s going on, Jubilee? Someone scratched me, there was someone down there and if it wasn’t Jono…”
“Why would Jono scratch you and hurt me? Why would he act like that? No, it’s not Jono…” Jubilee was pale, her blue eyes wide and luminous as she stared at Kitty. “There’s someone down there. Beast doesn’t believe me and I can’t find Logan…”
Kitty laid a hand on Jubilee’s arm, the first time she had willingly touched her since the incident. “Logan will be at the hospital with the Professor today. We can see him when we go up later…” She frowned at the basement door. “In the meantime, let’s drag something in front of this thing. If nothing else, it’ll stop giving me the heebie jeebies.”
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… It might be the start of a new thing but it’s an awful slow start. Moof. InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink, Dracena and Greywolf are loverly and wondermous for archiving/hosting. ProPhile: Remind me to tell you what I saw. Morgan: *stalk stalk gloke* Readers/Reviewers: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing as you can!
The place did not smell weird, per se, just different. His senses felt heightened now; having his ephemeral companion back seemed to do that to him. He felt like a young man, like he was in the first blush of youth, rather than a man facing the great beyond with ill grace. He could identify the components of the smell—wood polish, cold metal, warm tea, old brandy, and the traces of fire place smoke underscored with soap and cologne. It was the organic scent of the room, marking it as Professor Xavier’s. As Charles’s, he corrected himself. Professor Xavier was his opponent. Charles was his friend. Magneto opened his eyes when one of the film crew dropped something heavy. “Please do not dint the floor. It’s quite old and it would be a shame to mar it. I really don’t think you can afford the repairs.” He did not move from his position at the desk, hands folded one over the other atop the large desk calendar covered in his old friend’s familiar scrawl. The crew did not respond to him but rather exchanged looks fraught with trepidation and some sort of amusement, the kind the truly brash feel at the words of the aged. He hated being thought of as old. Even if he was old to most ways of thinking, he hated being called such. Incubus stirred within him, reaching unseen hands through the ether towards the young men working just yards away. Let him feed, Magneto sighed inwardly. If he feeds, I live a bit better, a bit longer. “I understand there has been some deviation from the set schedule of interviews and filming,” he added after another silent minute.
Brian stood, face slightly red but whether it was from being bent over, arranging the cords, for so long or from embarrassment Magneto could not tell. “The film process is something that doesn’t do well with static rules and demands.” He offered a tightlipped smile and a look of pure condescension. “We like to let things flow naturally…”
“Filming doesn’t deal well with rules and schedules?” Magneto mused thoughtfully, his expression carefully bland. “I’m astounded the movie industry survives.” He leaned forward at the desk, his breath hitching as Incubus stretched out, grabbing now at the youths before him. “Just a caveat… I’m not Professor Xavier. I will not be able to answer the questions he can. Further, this is not my cup of tea. My own path leads parallel but away from this one. I will not suffer fools in any manner.” He leaned back, steepling his fingers on the desk. “Now, let’s begin.”
Jubilee stood at the head of the steps leading to the basement, Kitty directly behind her. “Jubes, I think we need to talk,” Kitty began quietly as they stood, staring down into the darkness. “About what happened before…”
“Kitty, either take the opportunity to shove me down the stairs now or wait and beat the shit out of me later.” She glanced over her shoulder, slightly nervous. “I just wanted someone with a cool head to come with me and you’re usually the one with that but…” she shrugged, only the faintest twinge of guilt working through her stomach. “I understand if you don’t want to be here.”
She was still angry at Jubilee and Kurt both but it was fading. She wondered if she would ever truly forgive them for what happened even while knowing that she had no right to be mad, not truly. She had asked Kurt for space and he had given it to her, reluctantly but because she had asked for it… Jubilee just didn’t see sex the same way, Kitty thought on a sigh. It was comfort to her, seeking something while adrift. Clearing her throat, she tugged on her ponytail and nodded. “Okay, I’ll kick your ass later. Let’s go.”
Jubilee let out a breath she did not know she had been holding and took the first step. She wished she was telepathic, wished she had some extra senses to feel in the darkness for others. “Jono’s not down here,” she whispered over her shoulder as they moved further down the stairs. “He’s upstairs, in the old library.” She caught Kitty’s nod out of the corner of her eye as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “It happened here,” she added, her stomach warm and roiling with nervousness. “It…he…whoever…just pushed past me and…”
Kitty yelped. “Hey!” Someone had scratched her arm. It was not so dark as to be pitch black in the basement; some light from the top of the stairs filtered down to them but it was not enough to see what was around them or who could possibly be behind her. “What was that for?” she demanded on reflex. The scratch burned like a cat’s claw had cut her, traveling from her elbow to her wrist.
“I didn’t do anything!” Jubilee retorted, defensive anger flaring. She felt something shift in the air around them, like someone walking past at a fast clip. “Whoa…”
“It wasn’t you, I know,” Kitty hissed. “Ow…I think I’m bleeding!” She took a step up the steps, moving into the light, and frowned at the scratch on her arm. “Yep. Bleeding…”
Jubilee was behind her then, crowding her, pushing at her. “Move Kitty. Move move move move…”
“What? Why? I thought you wanted to see…” she found herself hurrying up the steps as Jubilee all but carried her, slamming the door in their wake. “What’s going on, Jubilee? Someone scratched me, there was someone down there and if it wasn’t Jono…”
“Why would Jono scratch you and hurt me? Why would he act like that? No, it’s not Jono…” Jubilee was pale, her blue eyes wide and luminous as she stared at Kitty. “There’s someone down there. Beast doesn’t believe me and I can’t find Logan…”
Kitty laid a hand on Jubilee’s arm, the first time she had willingly touched her since the incident. “Logan will be at the hospital with the Professor today. We can see him when we go up later…” She frowned at the basement door. “In the meantime, let’s drag something in front of this thing. If nothing else, it’ll stop giving me the heebie jeebies.”