Coming Back

[metal_justice]

A soft hiss echoed across the room as the entrance to X's appartment opened, letting him in. Soft sounds of footsteps followed, blue ceramic boots hitting the floor as the appartment's owner walked in, and then the hiss repeated itself, the door closing behind him. It didn't seem to bother him, though - calmly, almost mechanically, the blue-armored

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[metal_justice]

Perhaps it was the depression and the short silence that dulled his senses, but a new voice in the room almost seemed to loud - and X winced, before slightly shifting in his chair as he tried to pull himself together.

The depression didn't let go - but it never let go of X very easily. However, he could hide it. Gulp it down, force it somewhere deep inside where noone would notice it and continue going. He did that before - in fact, by now, he was an expert at doing that. It was a part of the image he was known for.

"Nah, thanks. I prefer to keep my head clear after a mission." - He answered, pushing away from the chair's back and shifting himself into a sitting position. In a way, he was truthful - there was the fear of losing those memories, no matter how painful, to the oblivion of alcohol. But of course, he'd never admit it.

"So, how are things going in the Emma land? Nothing too bad happened while I was gone, I hope." - X asked in a fake casual voice, trying to shift the topic before she could push it - the last thing he wanted was to give people even more problems with his depression.

[icy_bitch]

Bright eyes intensely watching him, noting every movement, every thing he tried to hide. And she wasn't subtle about what she did next. Extending her mind to his, trying to find a way in. Brushing gently at his psyche, across his mind even as she continued to speak.

"The bastard that hurt me came here. He went to Adam and shot him. Melinda wants me to kill, maim or at the very least mentally scar a small child. I tried escaping my troubles, turned myself into my former lover and partially dealing with guilt over a friendship who knows what with a man that loves another. Oh.. and not even mentioning that I missed you, yet worried that I shouldn't..."

Letting the words trail as she rolls her shoulders, smirking.

"Purely typical in the life of Emma Frost. How did your trip go? Miss me? Thank you for my lightsaber.'

Babbling slightly, apparently still caught up in the events of the last few days.

[metal_justice]

The years hardened X's mind from outside influence - enough to keep him safe when he was on guard. But right now, he wasn't - and the only obstacle for Emma was trying to shape the digital form of his mind into something that resembled a human one. But even now, while it was still taking shape, one thing was already obvious - dull, lasting pain caused by something that was still fresh on one's mind.

"Sounds like you had one hell of a time." - A small smirk appeared on his face, even if it was lost in the room's darkness - a usual fake expression that came together with his current act.

"The trip went... Alright. We killed the bad guy, saved the day, all the good stuff." - Yes, and the bad stuff along with it - but admitting that would make him a nuisance that he didn't want to be. - "It's good to be back, though. I missed you."

[icy_bitch]

It wasn't a realm she was used to. Minds should be sharp, crisp, easy to manipulate... but this was... All 0's and 1's and codes that made Emma's mind hurt. More so than the events of the past few days.

'Alright seems a little... light. I mean, things don't turn so... hot for nothing.' With that word hot, her mind prods, pushing at that sore spot, tinkering with the pain. Not to change it, merely seeking to find the cause.

Pushing away from the wall, closing that gap between them until she is standing over him, staring down at the man sitting before her. 'You were missed... Especially when I was collapsing at Nadez's place. Apparently I talk in my sleep and said some rather embarassing things before Nate and Adam.' Smiling as she reaches down, brushing an errant strand back from his eyes.

"Talk to me? I don't want to invade. Doesn't mean I won't.'

[metal_justice]

As she tries to push further at the pain in his mind, the image becomes clearer and easier to recognize. The gunfire, screams, explosions and jolts of electricity all melt together into a single surge that leads to an image of a winged bird-like reploid, before being shredded apart into a vision of Grim Reaper himself.

Death. The image Emma could see was the fresh one, but there was more if she'd try to look - much, much more than one could imagine.

X himself frowned slightly, trying to keep his fake smirk in place - doing it more out of habit than anything, not realizing that it did nothing in the darkness of the room.

"What's there to talk about?" - He asked calmly, his eyes averting for a moment as her hand brushed past his eyes. - "We finished the mission, killed the bad guy, stopped the bomb and... And..."

And one of them stayed back - blew up himself with the bomb, since there was no way they could disarm it normally in time. The memory sweeped through X's mind quite clearly, but he couldn't force himself to speak it - it was still fresh. Too fresh to make it easy for him to talk about it.

[icy_bitch]

Moving easily, dropping to her knees before his figure draped over that chair. Her smile soft, half distant as her mind was not completely within her own body. Settling easily, leaning forward so that her hands can gently cup his face.

'You've seen me at my worst, X... You don't have to put on a front for me.' Not adding that, in the end, without a serious force of will on his part, he couldn't keep things from her. Telepathy leaving him an open book.

Yet she doesn't flinch, not with anything that she sees. Merely staring into his face, her eyes half hooded and glimmering in the dim light.

'What do you need? Me to leave you be? A stiff drink? I'll give you one hit if you think that might help. But I can't promise I won't shift to diamond.'

[metal_justice]

The way Emma moved and talked, and the distant expression on her face... She was reading his mind, he could guess that much. A little voice in the back of his head adviced him to fight it - try to shut off the contact, push her away, give a snappy remark...

...All the ideas that X didn't like. Sure, leaving his mind open was dangerous - but somehow, X wanted to trust her right now. Maybe he grew too soft and trusting over the years, maybe he didn't realize the danger this could put him into in the long run... But he wanted to trust the woman in front of him. Friendship was built on trust, after all.

And as she asked him, he tried to look away as a fake smirk on his face was replaced by a sad smile. A tiny change - but already an improvement over the fake act he tried to put up in front of her, before he tried to figure out an answer to her question.

A peaceful world to live in, without blood, killing or the Grim Reaper following him like a shadow... His friends living a happy life... He wanted many things, and no matter how hard he chased most of them, he couldn't achieve. Once in a while - like today - the fate gave him a warning, trying to hint that no matter how hard he tried, it was useless in the long run... And then he was left with nothing but another death on his hands and a cold, dull pain gripping his soul and trying to stop him from moving on.

But even with this pain trying to stop him, he wanted to move on - try another time, make the world a safer place and keep his friends safe... At least as safe as he could make it. Yes, perhaps that's what he needed right now - to get rid of this pain that was holding him back and move on, back to his path of trying to deal with as many things as he could.

"...I think I need some sense beaten back into me. Either that, or some other way to deal with how I feel right now." - His gaze shifted back to her as he finally answered his question. - "Just no drinking. Grey hated alcohol... He'd come back from the dead and skin me alive if I'd try to drink in his memory."

[icy_bitch]

Part of her hated herself for using her mutation to get her way. Part of her, that side that was gaining morals, disliked violating X as she was. But there was a line and Emma was long past it.

A line where she couldn't merely sit back, act human, pretend she couldn't know the truth and let them handle things on their own. Too much had happened in the time X had been gone, in a few scant days, for Emma to keep sitting back and acting normal and sweet and moral.

Ethics were not her fucking friend.

Fighting within her own mind, controlling her own thoughts so that she didn't add to his burden, her desire not to make things worse but rather to help if he would let her. And he was.

Using her light hold on his face, she drew him closer. But rather than kissing him as she had in the past, her lips delicately brush to his brow. A soothing gesture of comfort to match the gentle swipe of her mind over his pain.

"Let me do this for you,' she murmurs softly, letting her lips rest there. 'I'm not taking anything. Just smoothing. Nothing is being changed.'

Whispering against his skin, words as soft as a butterfly's wing and just as gossamer. 'As many are fond of telling me these days, you're stronger than this, Darling.'

[metal_justice]

X closed his eyes for a moment as he felt her lips brushing against his skin... And at the same moment, a soft wave swept over his mind - making all the pain and depression fall back for a while. It was as if someone turned over the page for him - forcing him into the new day, with a fresh start that had no regret stopping him.

A small sigh escaped the reploid's lips, and he raised his hands to gently hold her wrists.

"Thanks, Emma. I needed this." - He spoke, raising his eyes to look at her. The frown finally let go of him, and his smile became a little more reassuring than before. - "...I'd give you a hug, but with my armor being straight out of a combat situation, I'm afraid you wouldn't appreciate it."

[icy_bitch]

A fine shiver running through her, a slight whimper. Yet it all was quickly forced down as she smiled, a lingering sadness about her eyes as she winked at him.

"So go clean up. I may have left some hot water for you and everything. If not.. You're a guy. Suck it up.'

Forcing her tones light, jovial, trying to make things normal.

"But I'm not coming in and washing your back. I'm just crashing here, not your servant.' Tones mocking, teasing, fun loving. But her eyes didn't come close to reflecting the same.

[metal_justice]

He chuckled slightly, as the optimistic impression slowly returned to his face - giving back the image of the good, old X that Emma met in the Sanctuary a few weeks ago.

"If you would, you'd spoil me completely... And we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?" - The reploid spoke as he rose from the chair to stand in front of her, his hands still holding her wrists gently and his eyes focused on hers. He frowned slightly as he caught the sadness in her eyes... And then leaned toward her slightly, planting a soft, grateful kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you, Emma... I don't know what I'd do without you." - He said quietly, before pulling away from her and smiling slightly, squeezing her wrists slightly as he tried to bring back the smile to her eyes. - "Come to think of it, I never got to cook for you... How about I fix you something once I get myself back in shape?"

[icy_bitch]

Using his hold on her wrists, she pulled him close. The hug impulsive, tight before she leaned back, smiling.

"It's what friends do, X. Isn't that what you kept telling me? And you'd go on, Darling. Everyone does."

A moment of sadness once more flashing through her eyes, blinked away with a crooked grin.

"And I will let you cook for me on one condition... You make it low fat. People keep making me bacon and eggs and... I'm going to lose my figure, dammit.'