From the Vaults, Catspaws: Lost Innocence Part 5 of 10
Author’s Note/Disclaimer:
I do not own Marvel, X-Men Evolution, the X-Men or the universe they live in. This is a work of adult fan fiction written solely for entertainment purposes. No disrespect or copyright infringement is intended by the author. I make no money from this work.
This story is set in the X-Men Evolution universe after the television series ended. Kurt and Kitty are about eighteen years old and about to start college.
Warnings: This is a dark fic. Bad things are going to happen to our beloved characters. For the story as a whole -- M/M and M/F nonconsensual sex. Anal sex, hand job, oral sex.
Chapter Five: Abandonment
The drugs Sabertooth had given him had been a small blessing. Without them he would never have slept at all. Even so, his dreams were restless and frightening, filled with images of Sabertooth, the sound of his voice, and the feel of his claws. Confusing, nightmarish dreams that mingled fear and pleasure. Kitty was there, too, and he had the sense that something was terribly wrong.
At last the dreams faded, and he slowly awakened. The room was dark and quiet. His sensitive eyes searched the unfamiliar shadows. He gradually became aware that he was much too warm, his fur damp with sweat. It didn’t help that Kitty had burrowed under the blankets beside him on the narrow cot and her arms were wrapped tightly around him.
He shifted, trying to shed some of the blankets. They had become a stifling weight, thick and heavy. He felt weak and battered and when he moved, Kitty clung to him even more tightly.
“Kitty….Kitty…Wake up.” He shifted again, suddenly aware that he was still naked under the blankets and she wore only the too large t-shirt from the day before. At least he thought it was the day before. He had no way of telling how much time had passed.
“No…Please…Don’t…” Her voice was muffled against his chest and she fought his attempt to gently push her away. “Please.”
“Kitty?” He spoke a little louder this time and gave her a careful shake.
“Kurt? What?” She woke with a jerk and her grip on him loosened a little. He pulled back the blankets, thankful for the rush of cooler air against his sweat dampened fur. She pulled away from him a little and pushed her hair back from her face. There was something in her expression, in the way she carefully didn’t meet his eyes that made his heart sink.
“Kitty? Are you all right?”
“Don’t worry about me…You…You’re like, all sweaty and stuff. How are you feeling?” She sat up quickly, turning away from him. “I should get you something to drink, right? Fluids and stuff.”
“Kitty?” She rose, tugging the t-shirt close to her body and began turning on lights. She looked startled to find the tray of sandwiches and juice had been replenished.
“He…I guess he came back…While we were asleep.” She looked around almost as if she expected to see Sabertooth lurking somewhere nearby. She crossed her arms tightly and stood awkwardly near Kurt’s cot.
“Kitty?” Kurt sat up slowly, hoping to avoid the fit of coughing he could feel building in his chest. Traces of his dreams flickered through his mind. Images of Sabertooth and Kitty…His eyes flickered to the other cot, his mind sorting through the jumble of images.
“Gott! It wasn’t a dream was it? Kitty? Did he hurt you?” He started to rise but the sudden motion triggered a fit of coughing that left his lungs aching and his eyes watering. Instantly, Kitty was by his side, pressing the bottle of pills Sabertooth had left into his hand.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” Kitty turned to pour a glass of juice from the pitcher. “You sound awful. Here.”
“I do not wish to be drugged. I…I woke last night and I saw, but I thought it was a dream. I was so groggy. I am so sorry, Kitty. I should have done something…”
“He didn’t hurt me Kurt. It wasn’t…It wasn’t like it was with you.” Her voice was anxious as she took the bottle of pills from him and shook out a few. She focused her eyes on the label rather than meeting his eyes. “He said he wouldn’t hurt me if I did what he said and he didn’t. Not really. O.K.?”
“I do not want the pills. I should have done something. I do not wish to be drugged when he returns. I…will not let him touch you.” Kurt set the juice down on the table with a scowl and sat up straighter.
“I know you want to do something, Kurt. But, you’re sick and hurt. If you try to fight him…I’m scared. Like, really scared.” She reached for his hand and dropped the pills into his palm. “If you fight him too hard, I think he’ll kill you.”
“We have to get out of here, Kitty.” He balled the pills in his fist and looked at her earnestly. “We can’t just let him…do this to us.”
“The others will be looking for us. They will find us. But, it won’t do any good if we’re dead.” Kitty pressed the glass of juice on him again. “But, if we were going to have any chance at all of fighting him, it would take both of us. And we’d need you healthy.”
“I do not trust these drugs.”
“It’s all we have, and you’re already starting to feel warm again.” Kitty pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. “Please, Kurt.”
“Fine. I will take them.” He swallowed the pills with the juice, and then rose stiffly to head to the bathroom. Kitty insisted on helping him and he stifled the embarrassment of his continued nakedness. After all, she had slept beside him all night; to be shy now was just foolishness.
He was far weaker than he realized and by the time he finished his shower, he was more than ready to return to his spot on the cot. Kitty had been busy while he was in the bathroom and had found a second t-shirt for him. She was currently fiddling with the television’s built in DVD player.
“There’s no outside reception, but there’s some movies in the top drawer. Ever seen ‘Once Bitten?’”
“Ja. I think so. But, it was a long time ago. Jim Carrey is in that, isn’t he?” He pulled on the t-shirt before returning to the cot and reaching for a sandwich. He should eat something before the drugs hit and he passed out again.
“Yeah. Not much to pick from here. Not sure this is actually his stuff. Doesn’t strike me as something he would watch.”
“No. I imagine not.”
Soon they were curled up together on the cot to watch the movie. It was somehow reassuring to do something so familiar and normal. They had watched many a movie together over the last few years. Despite the fact he’d only just awakened, he found himself nodding off by the time Jim Carrey’s character received his first bite. He was vaguely aware of Kitty pulling the blankets around him and settling back down beside him.
The rest of the day consisted of shorter and shorter periods of wakefulness, punctuated by fits of coughing and Kitty’s concerned looks. The same half dozen movies played over and over again. But he was too groggy to follow even the most familiar of them. Several times she pressed more juice and sandwiches on him. And when his fever rose, she gave him more pills.
By the time Kitty woke him the next “morning” there was nothing left to give him but water, both pills and food had been exhausted. The door remained stubbornly locked and Kitty’s shouting failed to summon their captor. As Kurt shivered with chills and fever, Kitty bathed his face with a cool cloth from the bathroom.
“Much as I hate to say it…I really wish Sabertooth would come back right about now.” Kitty muttered worriedly. Kurt could only nod in agreement.
Grr…
A simple fucking trip into town. That’s all it was supposed to be. Drop off the package for the runt. Grab some medical supplies and other shit. Then head back to the kids and wait for the Wolverine to come sniffing around. Simple.
Shit.
The damned rains had continued and the first town he’d tried had been hit hard. There wasn’t much left of the dock and once he found a place to moor the boat, he’d found the town underwater. Not even a drugstore dry enough to bother looting.
Cursing steadily, he searched the flooded buildings for fuel for the boat before returning and heading further up the river. He’d picked the wrong season for this caper that was clear now.
The sky continued to weep tiny droplets of rain off and on as he headed further away from his lair. It was late afternoon before he found a safe place to tie up his boat and head ashore. The town was small and unfamiliar, and people were occupied setting up relief efforts for their neighbors down river. They met his questions with suspicion and he was tempted to gut a few to teach them some manners.
He kept a tight hold on his temper as he tried to remember how many pills he had left for the kid. He didn’t need to start brawling in the streets here. It would draw too much attention. He wanted to meet the runt on ground of his own choosing. The package he’d brought should hold enough clues to lead him to Sabertooth’s bolt hole and anger him so much he’d come alone.
Finding the town too damned chaotic for use, he stole a car and headed up the road to someplace more civilized. By nightfall he’d found a likely town. A couple of hours later, he’d shipped his package and collected his supplies. The local doctor was easily bullied into providing him with something stronger than had been in the med kit. He’d gone to too much trouble already to let the kid die of pneumonia. At least that was what the doc said it probably was.
He drove back toward the little town where he left the boat. He abandoned the car outside of town and found an empty storage shed to bed down in for the night. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was dry and out of sight. He wasn’t terribly concerned about being found. The locals were plenty busy with their flood relief efforts and he’d be gone at first light.
By the time he got back to the kids, it was late afternoon. The river had been infested with rescue boats and he’d had to keep moving to avoid questions, several times being roped into helping the rescue efforts rather than raise questions.
As soon as he entered the building he knew something wasn’t right. He could smell the stench of sickness and the girl’s fear. He dropped most of his packages on the dull gray kitchen counter and grabbed the bag of medical supplies.
When he opened the door, the girl was sitting on the cot, pressing a wet cloth against the kid’s forehead. The boy’s yellow eyes were glazed over dully, and he was shivering. His breathing sounded harsh and shallow. Sabertooth scowled.
“He needs a doctor. We ran out of those pills and he’s burning up!” The girl looked up at him. “Please!”
“River’s still flooded. It’d take hours ta get him anywheres. Move.” He waved the girl away and sat the bag on the table next to the kid’s cot.
“Where have you been? I’ve been shouting for you off and on for hours!” The girl’s tone earned her a glare as he began to prepare a syringe from one of the vials from the bag.
“So now yer glad ta see me.” He carefully pulled up a dose into the syringe. “And before ya start askin’ questions, this is an antibiotic. Something stronger. Getting this shit’s where I been, and a pain in the ass it was too. Closest town’s under water.”
“You went to get that?”
The girl was hovering as close as she dared, watching him anxiously as he pulled back the blankets. The boy clutched at them and mumbled something. He couldn’t tell if it was English or German and the kid didn’t even flinch when he jabbed the needle into his hip.
“Ran a coupla errands. This was one of ‘em. Now quit askin’ so many questions. I ain’t in the mood.” He growled at her. As soon as he got near the boy he could feel the heat rolling off of him. He touched the boy’s forehead and scowled again.
“Gotta get this fever down.”
“Please. He needs a doctor. Maybe even a hospital.”
“Ain’t gonna get one. Deal with it. Ain’t like I can just call 911 out here.” He whirled around and advanced on her, making her flinch. “Now shut up and make yerself useful. Kitchen’s down the hall on the left.” He waved at the door that he hadn’t bothered to lock. These kids weren’t going anywhere.
“I…I’m not much of a cook, really.” She backed away toward the door.
“Don’t care. Just don’t burn the damned kitchen down. Enough fer all of us. I ain’t ate since sometime yesterday.”
She stopped with the door ajar and her hand on the handle. Her gaze flickered anxiously between Sabertooth and the boy. She opened her mouth as if to ask another question, then seemed to think better of it, and slipped out of the door.
Once she was gone, he headed into the bathroom, plugged the tub and turned on the tap. He left it running as he returned for the boy. The boy fought feebly as he pulled the blankets away from his shivering body. He ignored the kid’s struggles as he stripped off the t-shirt as well, and picked him up in his arms. The boy was a shivering mass of heated fur against his chest. His mumbled protests were an incoherent mix of German and English. His breathing was heavy and labored and he coughed weakly.
When he lowered the kid’s shaking body into the lukewarm water, the boy roused and began to thrash, splashing him. He held the kid in the water carefully, a heavy hand pressed against his chest and the other pressing against his knees.
“Relax, kid. Ain’t trying ta drown ya. Shh…” He held the kid firmly until the thrashing subsided. He was very weak and didn’t have much fight in him. As the boy quieted, he raised his hand from the kid’s chest and instead reached for a washrag, using it to bathe his face and neck. It was hard to tell under the fur and with the odd color of his skin, but he thought the boy’s color was paler than usual.
After a few minutes, he paused to strip off his own shirt, annoyed with its dampness. The boy’s eyes seemed to be focusing more and followed his movements. He crouched by the tub and took up the washrag again. He used it to brush the kid’s hair from his face, once again noting how he resembled his mother. It wasn’t just the blue coloring. It was in the set of his jaw and the shape of his features.
His expression must have struck the kid as odd, he thought. The boy looked at him as if he wanted to ask something. Sabertooth looked away for a moment, glancing at the through the door to see the girl gathering up the dirty plates and glasses and leaving again. He looked back at the boy and found the yellow eyes focused on him.
“Ya back in the real world now, kid?” He brought the washcloth up for another pass over the boy’s head. This time the boy flinched away from the touch. He grunted. “Jest tryin’ ta help ya. Relax.”
“I don’t understand why you would bother after what you have done.” The boy’s tone was more question than challenge and he held as still as his shivering would allow.
“I ain’t hurt ya’s none.” He set the rag down on the edge of the tub and laid his palm against one wet furry cheek. “Like I said, ain’t none o’ this personal.”
“You…you…raped me! And Kitty…I wasn’t asleep, I saw you.” There was a trace of anger in the kid’s tone. Sabertooth took that as a good sign. His energy was returning.
“Coulda done a lot worse. I’ve had lots worse done ta me.” The boy jerked away from his touch. He snorted. “Yer tough, both of ya. You’ll get over it.”
“You don’t even think you did anything wrong, do you?”
“Right an’ wrong’s fer thinking people. Not animals like me. That’s what yer dear old ‘Mama’ called me, leastways.” The boy’s gaze flickered back to his face. “Didn’t know we used ta be an item, eh? Long time ago. Before ya was born. Before she got in with Magneto.”
“Mystique may have given birth to me, but she has never been my mother!” The boy’s eyes sparked with anger. Sabertooth smirked a little.
“Things mighta been different if she hadn’t been such a cold bitch, that one. Likes ta pretend nothing ever happened. She was a wild one. Tough. Coulda been good together.” He sighed and reached for the rag again. “Mighta been yer papa.”
“You…” The boy seemed to be searching for a response while he began to bathe the boy’s face and neck again.
“I ain’t yer papa. Don’t know who he was. And I figure ya were better off without her highness, there.” He paused to smooth back a lock of black hair that had plastered itself to one cheek. “Ya look like her, got that spark in yer eyes.”
“I’m nothing like her!” The boy started to sit up in the tub and he pressed him firmly back down.
“No yer not. Don’t think she ever cared about anyone but herself. No matter what she said.” When the boy relaxed he touched his cheek again, resting his palm there. The boy was cooler and seemed quite lucid now. “I ain’t gonna say I’m sorry for nothing I done, or gonna do, boy. But, all the same, I’d rather ya two kids make it outta this in one piece.”
The look of confusion on the kid’s face was enough to make him smirk. In the next room he heard the girl returning with a tray of food. Smelled like scorched bread and cheese so she must have found the frozen pizzas in the freezer. Didn’t care much what it was, he was starving.
A quick glance through the door made him pause. The girl was slipping something beneath the mattress of the unused cot. He’d half expected her to try something. About time for it, he reckoned. He’d deal with it after they ate.
“Come on, kid. Grub’s ready.”
I do not own Marvel, X-Men Evolution, the X-Men or the universe they live in. This is a work of adult fan fiction written solely for entertainment purposes. No disrespect or copyright infringement is intended by the author. I make no money from this work.
This story is set in the X-Men Evolution universe after the television series ended. Kurt and Kitty are about eighteen years old and about to start college.
Warnings: This is a dark fic. Bad things are going to happen to our beloved characters. For the story as a whole -- M/M and M/F nonconsensual sex. Anal sex, hand job, oral sex.
Chapter Five: Abandonment
The drugs Sabertooth had given him had been a small blessing. Without them he would never have slept at all. Even so, his dreams were restless and frightening, filled with images of Sabertooth, the sound of his voice, and the feel of his claws. Confusing, nightmarish dreams that mingled fear and pleasure. Kitty was there, too, and he had the sense that something was terribly wrong.
At last the dreams faded, and he slowly awakened. The room was dark and quiet. His sensitive eyes searched the unfamiliar shadows. He gradually became aware that he was much too warm, his fur damp with sweat. It didn’t help that Kitty had burrowed under the blankets beside him on the narrow cot and her arms were wrapped tightly around him.
He shifted, trying to shed some of the blankets. They had become a stifling weight, thick and heavy. He felt weak and battered and when he moved, Kitty clung to him even more tightly.
“Kitty….Kitty…Wake up.” He shifted again, suddenly aware that he was still naked under the blankets and she wore only the too large t-shirt from the day before. At least he thought it was the day before. He had no way of telling how much time had passed.
“No…Please…Don’t…” Her voice was muffled against his chest and she fought his attempt to gently push her away. “Please.”
“Kitty?” He spoke a little louder this time and gave her a careful shake.
“Kurt? What?” She woke with a jerk and her grip on him loosened a little. He pulled back the blankets, thankful for the rush of cooler air against his sweat dampened fur. She pulled away from him a little and pushed her hair back from her face. There was something in her expression, in the way she carefully didn’t meet his eyes that made his heart sink.
“Kitty? Are you all right?”
“Don’t worry about me…You…You’re like, all sweaty and stuff. How are you feeling?” She sat up quickly, turning away from him. “I should get you something to drink, right? Fluids and stuff.”
“Kitty?” She rose, tugging the t-shirt close to her body and began turning on lights. She looked startled to find the tray of sandwiches and juice had been replenished.
“He…I guess he came back…While we were asleep.” She looked around almost as if she expected to see Sabertooth lurking somewhere nearby. She crossed her arms tightly and stood awkwardly near Kurt’s cot.
“Kitty?” Kurt sat up slowly, hoping to avoid the fit of coughing he could feel building in his chest. Traces of his dreams flickered through his mind. Images of Sabertooth and Kitty…His eyes flickered to the other cot, his mind sorting through the jumble of images.
“Gott! It wasn’t a dream was it? Kitty? Did he hurt you?” He started to rise but the sudden motion triggered a fit of coughing that left his lungs aching and his eyes watering. Instantly, Kitty was by his side, pressing the bottle of pills Sabertooth had left into his hand.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” Kitty turned to pour a glass of juice from the pitcher. “You sound awful. Here.”
“I do not wish to be drugged. I…I woke last night and I saw, but I thought it was a dream. I was so groggy. I am so sorry, Kitty. I should have done something…”
“He didn’t hurt me Kurt. It wasn’t…It wasn’t like it was with you.” Her voice was anxious as she took the bottle of pills from him and shook out a few. She focused her eyes on the label rather than meeting his eyes. “He said he wouldn’t hurt me if I did what he said and he didn’t. Not really. O.K.?”
“I do not want the pills. I should have done something. I do not wish to be drugged when he returns. I…will not let him touch you.” Kurt set the juice down on the table with a scowl and sat up straighter.
“I know you want to do something, Kurt. But, you’re sick and hurt. If you try to fight him…I’m scared. Like, really scared.” She reached for his hand and dropped the pills into his palm. “If you fight him too hard, I think he’ll kill you.”
“We have to get out of here, Kitty.” He balled the pills in his fist and looked at her earnestly. “We can’t just let him…do this to us.”
“The others will be looking for us. They will find us. But, it won’t do any good if we’re dead.” Kitty pressed the glass of juice on him again. “But, if we were going to have any chance at all of fighting him, it would take both of us. And we’d need you healthy.”
“I do not trust these drugs.”
“It’s all we have, and you’re already starting to feel warm again.” Kitty pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. “Please, Kurt.”
“Fine. I will take them.” He swallowed the pills with the juice, and then rose stiffly to head to the bathroom. Kitty insisted on helping him and he stifled the embarrassment of his continued nakedness. After all, she had slept beside him all night; to be shy now was just foolishness.
He was far weaker than he realized and by the time he finished his shower, he was more than ready to return to his spot on the cot. Kitty had been busy while he was in the bathroom and had found a second t-shirt for him. She was currently fiddling with the television’s built in DVD player.
“There’s no outside reception, but there’s some movies in the top drawer. Ever seen ‘Once Bitten?’”
“Ja. I think so. But, it was a long time ago. Jim Carrey is in that, isn’t he?” He pulled on the t-shirt before returning to the cot and reaching for a sandwich. He should eat something before the drugs hit and he passed out again.
“Yeah. Not much to pick from here. Not sure this is actually his stuff. Doesn’t strike me as something he would watch.”
“No. I imagine not.”
Soon they were curled up together on the cot to watch the movie. It was somehow reassuring to do something so familiar and normal. They had watched many a movie together over the last few years. Despite the fact he’d only just awakened, he found himself nodding off by the time Jim Carrey’s character received his first bite. He was vaguely aware of Kitty pulling the blankets around him and settling back down beside him.
The rest of the day consisted of shorter and shorter periods of wakefulness, punctuated by fits of coughing and Kitty’s concerned looks. The same half dozen movies played over and over again. But he was too groggy to follow even the most familiar of them. Several times she pressed more juice and sandwiches on him. And when his fever rose, she gave him more pills.
By the time Kitty woke him the next “morning” there was nothing left to give him but water, both pills and food had been exhausted. The door remained stubbornly locked and Kitty’s shouting failed to summon their captor. As Kurt shivered with chills and fever, Kitty bathed his face with a cool cloth from the bathroom.
“Much as I hate to say it…I really wish Sabertooth would come back right about now.” Kitty muttered worriedly. Kurt could only nod in agreement.
Grr…
A simple fucking trip into town. That’s all it was supposed to be. Drop off the package for the runt. Grab some medical supplies and other shit. Then head back to the kids and wait for the Wolverine to come sniffing around. Simple.
Shit.
The damned rains had continued and the first town he’d tried had been hit hard. There wasn’t much left of the dock and once he found a place to moor the boat, he’d found the town underwater. Not even a drugstore dry enough to bother looting.
Cursing steadily, he searched the flooded buildings for fuel for the boat before returning and heading further up the river. He’d picked the wrong season for this caper that was clear now.
The sky continued to weep tiny droplets of rain off and on as he headed further away from his lair. It was late afternoon before he found a safe place to tie up his boat and head ashore. The town was small and unfamiliar, and people were occupied setting up relief efforts for their neighbors down river. They met his questions with suspicion and he was tempted to gut a few to teach them some manners.
He kept a tight hold on his temper as he tried to remember how many pills he had left for the kid. He didn’t need to start brawling in the streets here. It would draw too much attention. He wanted to meet the runt on ground of his own choosing. The package he’d brought should hold enough clues to lead him to Sabertooth’s bolt hole and anger him so much he’d come alone.
Finding the town too damned chaotic for use, he stole a car and headed up the road to someplace more civilized. By nightfall he’d found a likely town. A couple of hours later, he’d shipped his package and collected his supplies. The local doctor was easily bullied into providing him with something stronger than had been in the med kit. He’d gone to too much trouble already to let the kid die of pneumonia. At least that was what the doc said it probably was.
He drove back toward the little town where he left the boat. He abandoned the car outside of town and found an empty storage shed to bed down in for the night. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was dry and out of sight. He wasn’t terribly concerned about being found. The locals were plenty busy with their flood relief efforts and he’d be gone at first light.
By the time he got back to the kids, it was late afternoon. The river had been infested with rescue boats and he’d had to keep moving to avoid questions, several times being roped into helping the rescue efforts rather than raise questions.
As soon as he entered the building he knew something wasn’t right. He could smell the stench of sickness and the girl’s fear. He dropped most of his packages on the dull gray kitchen counter and grabbed the bag of medical supplies.
When he opened the door, the girl was sitting on the cot, pressing a wet cloth against the kid’s forehead. The boy’s yellow eyes were glazed over dully, and he was shivering. His breathing sounded harsh and shallow. Sabertooth scowled.
“He needs a doctor. We ran out of those pills and he’s burning up!” The girl looked up at him. “Please!”
“River’s still flooded. It’d take hours ta get him anywheres. Move.” He waved the girl away and sat the bag on the table next to the kid’s cot.
“Where have you been? I’ve been shouting for you off and on for hours!” The girl’s tone earned her a glare as he began to prepare a syringe from one of the vials from the bag.
“So now yer glad ta see me.” He carefully pulled up a dose into the syringe. “And before ya start askin’ questions, this is an antibiotic. Something stronger. Getting this shit’s where I been, and a pain in the ass it was too. Closest town’s under water.”
“You went to get that?”
The girl was hovering as close as she dared, watching him anxiously as he pulled back the blankets. The boy clutched at them and mumbled something. He couldn’t tell if it was English or German and the kid didn’t even flinch when he jabbed the needle into his hip.
“Ran a coupla errands. This was one of ‘em. Now quit askin’ so many questions. I ain’t in the mood.” He growled at her. As soon as he got near the boy he could feel the heat rolling off of him. He touched the boy’s forehead and scowled again.
“Gotta get this fever down.”
“Please. He needs a doctor. Maybe even a hospital.”
“Ain’t gonna get one. Deal with it. Ain’t like I can just call 911 out here.” He whirled around and advanced on her, making her flinch. “Now shut up and make yerself useful. Kitchen’s down the hall on the left.” He waved at the door that he hadn’t bothered to lock. These kids weren’t going anywhere.
“I…I’m not much of a cook, really.” She backed away toward the door.
“Don’t care. Just don’t burn the damned kitchen down. Enough fer all of us. I ain’t ate since sometime yesterday.”
She stopped with the door ajar and her hand on the handle. Her gaze flickered anxiously between Sabertooth and the boy. She opened her mouth as if to ask another question, then seemed to think better of it, and slipped out of the door.
Once she was gone, he headed into the bathroom, plugged the tub and turned on the tap. He left it running as he returned for the boy. The boy fought feebly as he pulled the blankets away from his shivering body. He ignored the kid’s struggles as he stripped off the t-shirt as well, and picked him up in his arms. The boy was a shivering mass of heated fur against his chest. His mumbled protests were an incoherent mix of German and English. His breathing was heavy and labored and he coughed weakly.
When he lowered the kid’s shaking body into the lukewarm water, the boy roused and began to thrash, splashing him. He held the kid in the water carefully, a heavy hand pressed against his chest and the other pressing against his knees.
“Relax, kid. Ain’t trying ta drown ya. Shh…” He held the kid firmly until the thrashing subsided. He was very weak and didn’t have much fight in him. As the boy quieted, he raised his hand from the kid’s chest and instead reached for a washrag, using it to bathe his face and neck. It was hard to tell under the fur and with the odd color of his skin, but he thought the boy’s color was paler than usual.
After a few minutes, he paused to strip off his own shirt, annoyed with its dampness. The boy’s eyes seemed to be focusing more and followed his movements. He crouched by the tub and took up the washrag again. He used it to brush the kid’s hair from his face, once again noting how he resembled his mother. It wasn’t just the blue coloring. It was in the set of his jaw and the shape of his features.
His expression must have struck the kid as odd, he thought. The boy looked at him as if he wanted to ask something. Sabertooth looked away for a moment, glancing at the through the door to see the girl gathering up the dirty plates and glasses and leaving again. He looked back at the boy and found the yellow eyes focused on him.
“Ya back in the real world now, kid?” He brought the washcloth up for another pass over the boy’s head. This time the boy flinched away from the touch. He grunted. “Jest tryin’ ta help ya. Relax.”
“I don’t understand why you would bother after what you have done.” The boy’s tone was more question than challenge and he held as still as his shivering would allow.
“I ain’t hurt ya’s none.” He set the rag down on the edge of the tub and laid his palm against one wet furry cheek. “Like I said, ain’t none o’ this personal.”
“You…you…raped me! And Kitty…I wasn’t asleep, I saw you.” There was a trace of anger in the kid’s tone. Sabertooth took that as a good sign. His energy was returning.
“Coulda done a lot worse. I’ve had lots worse done ta me.” The boy jerked away from his touch. He snorted. “Yer tough, both of ya. You’ll get over it.”
“You don’t even think you did anything wrong, do you?”
“Right an’ wrong’s fer thinking people. Not animals like me. That’s what yer dear old ‘Mama’ called me, leastways.” The boy’s gaze flickered back to his face. “Didn’t know we used ta be an item, eh? Long time ago. Before ya was born. Before she got in with Magneto.”
“Mystique may have given birth to me, but she has never been my mother!” The boy’s eyes sparked with anger. Sabertooth smirked a little.
“Things mighta been different if she hadn’t been such a cold bitch, that one. Likes ta pretend nothing ever happened. She was a wild one. Tough. Coulda been good together.” He sighed and reached for the rag again. “Mighta been yer papa.”
“You…” The boy seemed to be searching for a response while he began to bathe the boy’s face and neck again.
“I ain’t yer papa. Don’t know who he was. And I figure ya were better off without her highness, there.” He paused to smooth back a lock of black hair that had plastered itself to one cheek. “Ya look like her, got that spark in yer eyes.”
“I’m nothing like her!” The boy started to sit up in the tub and he pressed him firmly back down.
“No yer not. Don’t think she ever cared about anyone but herself. No matter what she said.” When the boy relaxed he touched his cheek again, resting his palm there. The boy was cooler and seemed quite lucid now. “I ain’t gonna say I’m sorry for nothing I done, or gonna do, boy. But, all the same, I’d rather ya two kids make it outta this in one piece.”
The look of confusion on the kid’s face was enough to make him smirk. In the next room he heard the girl returning with a tray of food. Smelled like scorched bread and cheese so she must have found the frozen pizzas in the freezer. Didn’t care much what it was, he was starving.
A quick glance through the door made him pause. The girl was slipping something beneath the mattress of the unused cot. He’d half expected her to try something. About time for it, he reckoned. He’d deal with it after they ate.
“Come on, kid. Grub’s ready.”