icedx & psylocked | TLC
WHO | Iceman & Psylocke
WORD COUNT | 4,541
WHEN: Day after THIS
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Betsy pulled her hair back into a loose bun as she walked through the halls of Xavier's before she trailed her fingers along the walls. Her feet were bare and she wore only a pair of shorts and a tank top. They were in one of those blissfully peaceful times in the school where the majority of kids were in classes, and the halls were empty and free of noise. Betsy had always struggled to find a subject she could teach comfortably, and often found herself just subbing for the other X-Men while they were away on missions, or just needed some time off.
Right now she didn't have to cover for either, and her only concern was checking on a certain teammate. She reached Bobby's room and knocked softly before she opened the door and entered. He was flopped out on his bed, and she couldn't help but smirk just a little. The last time she had been in this room there had been hot, sweaty, awesome drunken sex. She didn't remember much else of that night, but she definitely remembered the sex, and the morning after. It hadn't been as awkward as she thought it would be, this was just the first chance she'd had to look in on him.
"Hello, darling. Busy?"
Hank really had no choice in the end to let Bobby go back to his room. The constant sniping and growling at each other that he and Remy were indulging in just got too much even for the usually patient big blue doctor. Neither of them were resting in each other's presence, and nor would they. Some things just never changed. Bobby had no interest in the food Hank had brought, only succeeding in turning an interesting shade of green when presented with it. When this was highly amusing to the insufferable Gambit, Hank made the choice to let Bobby return to the privacy of his room to rest and recover from the head injury, but only after warning him that he would be checking on him regularly. Hank had kept his word, leaving Bobby to leave his bedroom door unlocked so he didn't actually have to move or get up when Hank came by.
That voice wasn't Hank, though. Hank didn't call anyone darling. Bobby was drawn out of a hazy sleep and he scrunched his face up a little to turn over for a better view of his doorway. "Betsy?" he mumbled, cracking his eyes open a little more while he yawned before he could stop it. It was a warm May day and his room had felt stuffy when he got back the evening before. He had stripped off to just his track pants before gingerly crawling into bed, thankful the rooms weren't in a noisy part of the school. Now even the trackpants felt warm.
"The one and only." She moved to his window to release the catch and let some air in before she sat down on the side of his bed and brushed her fingers over his dishevelled hair. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to wake you. I just thought you were relaxing. You should go back to sleep. I just wanted to see if you were alright. How's the bump? Hank release you on good behaviour, did he?"
"More like bad behaviour," Bobby admitted sheepishly, his voice scratchy from the fact he had been sleeping with his head as squished into the pillow as it could be without suffocating himself. He had rolled from his belly onto his side and started to rub his eyes slowly and lethargically but moved on to hesitantly touch the back of his head very lightly to try and analyse how it felt now. "Honestly? It hurts like a bitch. My whole head does. Everything spins when I sit up. But it was apparently an accident..." He stiffly reached for a now dry face cloth that was sitting on his bedside table. It had been damp when he had fallen asleep, so he must've been out for awhile. He felt constantly sleepy, no wonder Hank told him to keep resting. With a small touch, the cloth iced over in his hand and he reached back to place it over the injured part of his head with a small hiss of pain before it started to afford some relief.
Betsy stifled a laugh as she leaned down to kiss his temple. "My little rebel, hm? Who would have thought putting you and Remy together might have resulted in a little bad behaviour." She watched him apply the cloth to the back of his neck. "Is he giving you something for the pain? Is there anything I can do? You really do need to rest." She smoothed her fingers over his forehead. "As accidental as anything Remy does. He has no accidents."
"Some pills of some sort. But he said there isn't a lot he can do. It just needs to heal on its own, and that I'm lucky it wasn't more than concussion considering the force I would have been hit with. Must have a really hard head," Bobby said with a small, wry snort. He let the uninjured side of his head melt back down on the pillow as he held the cloth in place. "He apologised."
Betsy gently took his hand away as she held the cloth for him, and tucked her legs under herself. She looked at him with amusement. "Well, you are made of ice. It had to come in handy at some point. So some pills, yeah? Have you taken any? This is no time to be brave. You really did take quite the knock. Oh did he now? That was rather big of him. Did you forgive him?"
Bobby nodded against the pillow. "He made me swallow them in front of him. How can such a nice dude be so passively aggressively forceful?" he asked in bewilderment. "He even has Gambit placated most of the time. Or, at the very least, they have some sort of unspoken mutual understanding that Remy won't do Hank's head in. Just everyone else's." He scrunched his nose up, trying to think back on what had gone down in the med bay. "Well, I reflexively thanked him, even if he did still call me Ice Cock. Some things won't change. I just don't know why he apologised. I didn't think he apologised to anyone, and no one else was there, so he wasn't doing it for a show. I just... assume it was because it really was an accident. I mean, I can't be sure. It was a pretty intense training session, I probably let my guard down slightly because I'm rusty."
"I don't actually think you're as rusty as you think," she murmured. "It probably was an accident. We're so used to him being a loose canon it's not easy imagining that he really does make mistakes, or that he can hit his girlfriend's ex in the head and not have it mean something. Shit happens. I'm just sorry you have a bloody great lump to show for it. I think we all abide by Hank, especially Remy, because none of us truly realise what he's capable of. We see him in action as Beast, but to have it turned on us? No thank you. I'd rather face Sabretooth in a bikini. Do you still think you're not good enough for him?"
Bobby smirked. "No? You don't think the concussion says otherwise? I guess it was just assumed because I was a mutant, I could step back into the X-Men panties and just roll with it. The thing is, I ain't been thinking like an X-Man for years. I'm not even sure I still have the knack. It's not that I don't think I'm good enough for him. I was tanked that night, I was being all contemplative. It's just more of a fact that I feel different to everyone here now. Like I'm missing a vital screw or something. For want of a better word, and I realise how cliche it's gonna sound coming from me, but I... think I've chilled."
Betsy shifted and lay down beside him as she kept the cloth against the back of his neck. Her eyes searched his face. "X-Men panties, hm? Not even boxers... Although the other night you didn't have anything on at all. I always took you for the Calvins or commando sort. Are you admitting to preferring ladies underwear? No wonder you're having issues. The fact that you've chilled isn't a bad thing, you know. We could use that around here."
"I wasn't gonna go to that party thing. I took a shower, ready to lie around with the remote control for company, but Sage told me I should go, or I'd never feel in the loop. I'd always keep making excuses or reasons why not to be in it. I guess she's right, only I'm just yet to convince myself that's such a bad thing. I keep wondering if I made a mistake coming back here. Things were fine back home. It wasn't like I've shown up here to escape anything this time, not like most other people. That was my long-winded way of explaining why I didn't have underwear on that night. I didn't expect to stick around beyond one drink," Bobby admitted with a laugh.
"You really do like your long-winded explanations, don't you? I think they're cute. The way you ramble, and cover a lot of things while trying to explain one thing. Sage was right, even if I've probably not helped matters. I did sort of hog you once you had stayed past the first drink." She leaned in to kiss his cheek and smiled against his skin before she pulled back. "Then why have you shown up here? There has to be a reason. Maybe once you know, you'll feel more at home."
Bobby looked at her skeptically and then laughed. "You make me sound like a grandpa with war stories that no one really wants to listen to," he told her, pulling a face. "I'm still not actually sure why you wanted to bother with me the other night. I guess you had loads to drink too, right? I guess when I woke up with a bastard of a hangover, I assumed we'd had some fun. You see, I don't even know if there is a reason. Logan and Storm asked me to, and I didn't really have anything keeping me back home I guess I got curious, but you know what they say about curiosity."
Betsy smirked. "I say fuck curiosity. It won't keep you down. Not if you don't want it to. Still, maybe there's still time to actually enjoy your time here. You're not a grandpa, Bobby. You're not even close. You can keep the knitted sweaters in the cupboard a little longer. We definitely, definitely had some fun. I don't think I was as far gone as you so I have quite a few memories of that night. You were... spectacular."
Bobby's eyebrows shot up and he gave a laugh of disbelief. "Spectacular?" He just laughed more then, turning his head a little into the pillow to brace it so it didn't start throbbing again. "Are you sure it was me you slept with that night? I've never been described as spectactular before."
"Maybe you've just slept with the wrong women," she pointed out as she hooked a leg around his and pressed her body up against Bobby's. "Because you were. Just makes me wonder what you're capable of when sober."
"I never slept with Rogue!" Bobby soon found himself blurting out and then put his hand over his mouth, never meaning to actually reveal that piece of information... at least, not this soon. "Maybe I'm safer not to be sober," he said with a sheepish moan.
Betsy frowned a little as she tried to process the outburst before she just kissed his cheek again. "I never slept with Remy."
Bobby frowned too. "Why would I think you had?"
"Just putting it out there. I don't mind if you slept with Rogue, or not. She was your girlfriend. If you slept together it's fine. And if you haven't then... that's fine, too. I hadn't ever really thought about you and her," Betsy replied.
"I didn't know how to sleep with her," Bobby admitted quietly and then sighed, rubbing his finger across his forehead. "I wasn't scared, even if everyone thought I was chicken shit with her. I wasn't. I was just too young to really get it. We weren't ready for it. I guess it was better she experienced it with someone like LeBeau so I didn't leave her with a complex about being touched. Or a bigger complex, rather. I was worried I'd do it all wrong."
Betsy rubbed her foot up and down against the back of his leg as she smiled softly at him. "I didn't think you were chicken shit. I just think you were right to want to wait or not do it. If you can't work out how to get around it, or how make her feel comfortable - it was the right decision. First times aren't always great at the best of times. Imagine... you know, dying during one."
Bobby snorted softly as he thought over his past a little. "Everyone thinks Remy is the only one who has a knack to touch her, could pull it off in any way. It wasn't just all her. I wasn't ready for that sort of relationship yet, just like a billion other teenagers out there. But because it was Rogue, it was immediately assumed I was too much of naive git to be able to handle her powers, that I would be too weak to cope with them. People seemed to forget I might actually have insecurities about shit too. Maybe I wasn't sure she could make me feel comfortable. Just because her power is what it is, doesn't mean it wasn't a two-way street. But it was pointless, anyway. She loved him. I was just... I dunno, a pit stop. He wasn't reciprocating then. And don't even get me started on Polaris. I just... have an extreme hesitation about starting anything with another X-Man," he finally murmured, getting to his point.
"I'm sorry if I'm one of those people. I certainly never meant to assume it was all her." She sucked on her bottom lip as she looked at him, trying to work out how she felt when he did get to his point. "I can't really blame you for that... It's just a shame."
Bobby probably would've sat up by this point, if he believed he could do it without wanting to throw up again. That really wasn't the impression he wanted to make on her at all. He rested his hand on her leg and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I guess it's just the whole once bitten thing, you know?"
Betsy nodded as she murmured her agreement. "Yeah, it's okay. I get it. I know because it's me it's not really helping either. I mean, I was flirting with Warren just last week but you at the party... I don't know. It's not a sex thing. It was! But... I'm here."
Bobby pressed his lips together and then wet them. That wasn't actually something he was intending to bring up, but he had wondered about it. "It's okay. I'm mean, it's not like I own you, is it? We don't even really know each other that well. I'm not even sure what a 'sex thing' is, because I'm pretty confident I've never had one, so..." He trailed off with a small shrug.
Betsy could feel the ice on the cloth start to melt and took it off the back of his neck before she ran her fingers through his hair. "No, you don't. I don't own you either, but I have to admit I'm intrigued and I like what I've seen. I think we should get to know each other if you'll agree to it. We can take it as fast, or as slow as you like. And if you don't want anything to do with this X-Man once you do know me better there's no harm. A sex thing is just sex. Nothing deep."
"I'm just slightly worried and nervous, because the thing with Warren is very similar to Rogue and Polaris with Remy and Havok. Some sort of... something that was a lot more deep down than it seemed. I don't know. Warren's a really good guy, a cheeky shit sometimes, but has a heart of gold under all those feathers. I seriously wouldn't blame you to want that. Once I just... want to be someone's number one. I want to know what that feels like, because it looks pretty damn good," Bobby admitted quietly.
Betsy arched an eyebrow. "Well, thank you for giving me permission to want Warren, but I don't. Priorities can shift, you know. Especially when you find something you didn't even know you were looking for. Attraction is one thing, but a real connection... You can't fake those. I want to be someone's number one, too, but not as much as I know you deserve to be." She wet her lips as she shifted closer to him, her arm snaking around him as she brushed her mouth against his. "I really do want ice over feathers."
Bobby wasn't completely satisfied though, and he would probably blame the twice-jilted accountant in him if he had to explain himself. "What makes you know you want someone, though. I don't mean this to sound offensive in any way, I just want to understand it. What if Warren was reciprocating? I'd have no hope, or wouldn't be on the consideration list. I wouldn't be trying to perve on you, either, because you would be with someone else. What the hell makes someone a number one?" he asked with genuine bewilderment.
"If there was reciprocation and just now... fireworks then you would still be in with a chance. Sometimes there can be attraction but you just know somewhere inside that it's not right. There's still a feeling of something missing. Or like you're not quite happy and you're always questioning it. Think of how you felt with Rogue and Polaris, and you'll know that the time it doesn't feel like that - it makes someone a number one. You can't imagine life without them, you wake up thinking about them, go to bed thinking about them. They make your stomach flip when they smile, or when you catch glimpses of them."
"I felt like that about both Rogue and Polaris," Bobby had to tell her awkwardly. "I didn't realise they wanted other people until I was already stupidly too invested. It just wasn't reciprocated. The fireworks blow up in my face, it seems." He didn't mean to be so bitter, he was just unable to really completely shake that part of his past. He probably wouldn't want to, either. It all shaped who he was today, and even though he felt a little lost in life, he didn't dislike who he was.
Betsy fell quiet and averted her gaze as she brushed her fingers down his arm and just held his hand. She really wasn't sure what her argument was supposed to be. She was no great authority on what made anyone number one. Her longest stable relationship was with her favourite pair of jeans, closely followed by her team mates, and they were all just friends. Her dating record was sketchy at best. Now she regretted it. "Maybe we should just forget it. I don't even know what I'm doing besides flying blind. I do like you though, I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to sway you into anything."
It was ironic that Rogue's boyfriend had smacked him in the head and left him feeling much like he had done when their relationship ended, and now it was the prime topic of conversation here. He knew he was feeling sorry for himself, and even though Hank had told him he was entitled to that, it didn't mean he was proud of it. "I don't want to get hurt again," he told her in a small voice, in no way meaning to imply she would. It was just a far-reaching and honest admission from his heart. "It kinda really sucks."
"I don't want to hurt you," Betsy whispered back as she kissed his cheek before she rest her forehead against his. "I want to take care of you. I want to protect you, and I want to make sure you're okay, and that you're comfortable and all that other nurturing stuff, and I've never thought about that with anyone. And I can be patient. I'm capable of it. I'll wait for the moment if you ever decide maybe we're something worth exploring, until you know you can trust me."
Bobby drew in a small breath and then tugged on her arm, not giving her much choice but to drop down next to him. When she did, he just wrapped his arms around her with a small, tired - and frustrated - moan. He didn't like himself for being so nervous and uncertain about romance and love. Maybe he did need the time to find his feet with it again. He missed this, though. The cuddling and the company and the warmth. It had been a long time since he had it, and it felt even more better because he wasn't feeling the best. "I'm more screwed than I thought I was. I haven't ever really spoken about this to anyone..." He paused and closed his eyes with a soft sigh. "I think you might be able to help me, though."
"Help you how?" Betsy prodded. She made herself comfortable next to him again, and rubbed her hand against his back. The cuddling was definitely nice. She didn't remember any cuddling from the other night. In fact, this almost felt like the morning that should have followed the amazing sex rather than the morning that did. She couldn't remember much other than a pounding head and a tongue that tasted like she'd gone around and licked all the toilet bowls.
"I don't know. I have a fucked head. I didn't think of the ins and outs," Bobby replied honestly. It wasn't like any of this came with an instruction manual or cue cards on how he was supposed to handle it. It felt awkward having his comment turned back on him, too. Like he had to give a public speech and really did show up naked for it by accident. He just cleared his throat and fought the urge to hum the Mission Impossible theme.
Betsy gave a nod before she adjusted her position so she could cradle his head against her shoulder. She might not have been humming the Mission Impossible theme, but she did start humming. It took her a moment to get all her questions were annoying, and to just accept the tiny victories. He still wanted her here, he was talking to her about his fears. It was progress. "Then just stop thinking. We'll just focus on the lying here and recovering."
Bobby still felt a little awkward. It was probably a lot to do with the fact he really didn't know her that well. They had never really spent much time together in the past, so it was understandble. Plus, he wasn't lying when he said it had been a long time since he did anything like this, and he was feeling fragile from letting his guard down and landing Remy's staff in the back of his head. He had thought briefly that he could just come back to Xavier's and it feel like not much had changed, but everything had changed and ironically considering his powers, it felt like he was skating on slippery ice and couldn't find his footing while certain other people watched and waited for him to fall flat on his ass. "I don't think accountants know how to stop thinking," he joked.
"Oh, I don't know... I think they do under the right circumstances." She gave him another kiss, and her hand rubbed against his thigh. It was tempting to slip her hand inside his trackpants but she had no wish to molest Bobby while he wasn't up to it. She didn't want to break him. She genuinely couldn't remember the last time she'd tried to fight so hard to get a bloke to see she liked them. Warren was close, but she realised now it wasn't as deep as she thought. She liked him, sure. She was definitely attracted - wings and all, but with Bobby there was something that ran deeper. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was yet. "Just close your eyes, love. I'll leave you alone soon."
Bobby glanced up at her tiredly and tried to stifle a yawn, but failed. He covered his mouth and then rubbed at his nose briefly before he smirked at her. "Somewhere else pressing to be, Psylocke?" he murmured. He knew he had some reservations about relationships in general, but they weren't about her. Not really. It just happened that she was a mutant and an X-Man, and with two team members having broke his heart in the past, he was nervous and apprehensive. But he wasn't a complete relationship cripple. He figured he had the right tools in there somewhere, if he just wasn't so nervous about getting them out again. He really just wasn't why she wanted him.
Betsy stroked her fingers against his cheek. Truth was she wanted to stay more than anything. Her eyes were starting to grow droopy in the warm embrace, and the comfort of having their bodies pressed close together was something she didn't want to give up. "No, nowhere. Just didn't want to crowd you. Thought you might want to be left alone."
"You aren't crowding me. I just don't feel well. I didn't mean to be putting the alone vibes out. Seriously, who wants to be left alone when they feel like shit? No one. Not really," Bobby pointed out. He let his eyes finally close when they started to hurt along with the throbbing in his head. He didn't really want to take anymore pills, so this couldn't be a bad second option, right? He shifted so his head was resting against her shoulder again, his arm still draped loosely around her waist. He'd been alone far too long. He really was over it.
"Alright, so I'll just stay. But if it's too much..." Betsy stroked her fingers against his back as she held him close and rest her cheek against the top of his head with a soft sigh as she let her eyes slip closed. She couldn't help it if this was something she had been craving for a while. She just figured it was Bobby himself that was making her want it so bad. Sometimes there wasn't anything wrong with being patient.
WORD COUNT | 4,541
WHEN: Day after THIS
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Betsy pulled her hair back into a loose bun as she walked through the halls of Xavier's before she trailed her fingers along the walls. Her feet were bare and she wore only a pair of shorts and a tank top. They were in one of those blissfully peaceful times in the school where the majority of kids were in classes, and the halls were empty and free of noise. Betsy had always struggled to find a subject she could teach comfortably, and often found herself just subbing for the other X-Men while they were away on missions, or just needed some time off.
Right now she didn't have to cover for either, and her only concern was checking on a certain teammate. She reached Bobby's room and knocked softly before she opened the door and entered. He was flopped out on his bed, and she couldn't help but smirk just a little. The last time she had been in this room there had been hot, sweaty, awesome drunken sex. She didn't remember much else of that night, but she definitely remembered the sex, and the morning after. It hadn't been as awkward as she thought it would be, this was just the first chance she'd had to look in on him.
"Hello, darling. Busy?"
Hank really had no choice in the end to let Bobby go back to his room. The constant sniping and growling at each other that he and Remy were indulging in just got too much even for the usually patient big blue doctor. Neither of them were resting in each other's presence, and nor would they. Some things just never changed. Bobby had no interest in the food Hank had brought, only succeeding in turning an interesting shade of green when presented with it. When this was highly amusing to the insufferable Gambit, Hank made the choice to let Bobby return to the privacy of his room to rest and recover from the head injury, but only after warning him that he would be checking on him regularly. Hank had kept his word, leaving Bobby to leave his bedroom door unlocked so he didn't actually have to move or get up when Hank came by.
That voice wasn't Hank, though. Hank didn't call anyone darling. Bobby was drawn out of a hazy sleep and he scrunched his face up a little to turn over for a better view of his doorway. "Betsy?" he mumbled, cracking his eyes open a little more while he yawned before he could stop it. It was a warm May day and his room had felt stuffy when he got back the evening before. He had stripped off to just his track pants before gingerly crawling into bed, thankful the rooms weren't in a noisy part of the school. Now even the trackpants felt warm.
"The one and only." She moved to his window to release the catch and let some air in before she sat down on the side of his bed and brushed her fingers over his dishevelled hair. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to wake you. I just thought you were relaxing. You should go back to sleep. I just wanted to see if you were alright. How's the bump? Hank release you on good behaviour, did he?"
"More like bad behaviour," Bobby admitted sheepishly, his voice scratchy from the fact he had been sleeping with his head as squished into the pillow as it could be without suffocating himself. He had rolled from his belly onto his side and started to rub his eyes slowly and lethargically but moved on to hesitantly touch the back of his head very lightly to try and analyse how it felt now. "Honestly? It hurts like a bitch. My whole head does. Everything spins when I sit up. But it was apparently an accident..." He stiffly reached for a now dry face cloth that was sitting on his bedside table. It had been damp when he had fallen asleep, so he must've been out for awhile. He felt constantly sleepy, no wonder Hank told him to keep resting. With a small touch, the cloth iced over in his hand and he reached back to place it over the injured part of his head with a small hiss of pain before it started to afford some relief.
Betsy stifled a laugh as she leaned down to kiss his temple. "My little rebel, hm? Who would have thought putting you and Remy together might have resulted in a little bad behaviour." She watched him apply the cloth to the back of his neck. "Is he giving you something for the pain? Is there anything I can do? You really do need to rest." She smoothed her fingers over his forehead. "As accidental as anything Remy does. He has no accidents."
"Some pills of some sort. But he said there isn't a lot he can do. It just needs to heal on its own, and that I'm lucky it wasn't more than concussion considering the force I would have been hit with. Must have a really hard head," Bobby said with a small, wry snort. He let the uninjured side of his head melt back down on the pillow as he held the cloth in place. "He apologised."
Betsy gently took his hand away as she held the cloth for him, and tucked her legs under herself. She looked at him with amusement. "Well, you are made of ice. It had to come in handy at some point. So some pills, yeah? Have you taken any? This is no time to be brave. You really did take quite the knock. Oh did he now? That was rather big of him. Did you forgive him?"
Bobby nodded against the pillow. "He made me swallow them in front of him. How can such a nice dude be so passively aggressively forceful?" he asked in bewilderment. "He even has Gambit placated most of the time. Or, at the very least, they have some sort of unspoken mutual understanding that Remy won't do Hank's head in. Just everyone else's." He scrunched his nose up, trying to think back on what had gone down in the med bay. "Well, I reflexively thanked him, even if he did still call me Ice Cock. Some things won't change. I just don't know why he apologised. I didn't think he apologised to anyone, and no one else was there, so he wasn't doing it for a show. I just... assume it was because it really was an accident. I mean, I can't be sure. It was a pretty intense training session, I probably let my guard down slightly because I'm rusty."
"I don't actually think you're as rusty as you think," she murmured. "It probably was an accident. We're so used to him being a loose canon it's not easy imagining that he really does make mistakes, or that he can hit his girlfriend's ex in the head and not have it mean something. Shit happens. I'm just sorry you have a bloody great lump to show for it. I think we all abide by Hank, especially Remy, because none of us truly realise what he's capable of. We see him in action as Beast, but to have it turned on us? No thank you. I'd rather face Sabretooth in a bikini. Do you still think you're not good enough for him?"
Bobby smirked. "No? You don't think the concussion says otherwise? I guess it was just assumed because I was a mutant, I could step back into the X-Men panties and just roll with it. The thing is, I ain't been thinking like an X-Man for years. I'm not even sure I still have the knack. It's not that I don't think I'm good enough for him. I was tanked that night, I was being all contemplative. It's just more of a fact that I feel different to everyone here now. Like I'm missing a vital screw or something. For want of a better word, and I realise how cliche it's gonna sound coming from me, but I... think I've chilled."
Betsy shifted and lay down beside him as she kept the cloth against the back of his neck. Her eyes searched his face. "X-Men panties, hm? Not even boxers... Although the other night you didn't have anything on at all. I always took you for the Calvins or commando sort. Are you admitting to preferring ladies underwear? No wonder you're having issues. The fact that you've chilled isn't a bad thing, you know. We could use that around here."
"I wasn't gonna go to that party thing. I took a shower, ready to lie around with the remote control for company, but Sage told me I should go, or I'd never feel in the loop. I'd always keep making excuses or reasons why not to be in it. I guess she's right, only I'm just yet to convince myself that's such a bad thing. I keep wondering if I made a mistake coming back here. Things were fine back home. It wasn't like I've shown up here to escape anything this time, not like most other people. That was my long-winded way of explaining why I didn't have underwear on that night. I didn't expect to stick around beyond one drink," Bobby admitted with a laugh.
"You really do like your long-winded explanations, don't you? I think they're cute. The way you ramble, and cover a lot of things while trying to explain one thing. Sage was right, even if I've probably not helped matters. I did sort of hog you once you had stayed past the first drink." She leaned in to kiss his cheek and smiled against his skin before she pulled back. "Then why have you shown up here? There has to be a reason. Maybe once you know, you'll feel more at home."
Bobby looked at her skeptically and then laughed. "You make me sound like a grandpa with war stories that no one really wants to listen to," he told her, pulling a face. "I'm still not actually sure why you wanted to bother with me the other night. I guess you had loads to drink too, right? I guess when I woke up with a bastard of a hangover, I assumed we'd had some fun. You see, I don't even know if there is a reason. Logan and Storm asked me to, and I didn't really have anything keeping me back home I guess I got curious, but you know what they say about curiosity."
Betsy smirked. "I say fuck curiosity. It won't keep you down. Not if you don't want it to. Still, maybe there's still time to actually enjoy your time here. You're not a grandpa, Bobby. You're not even close. You can keep the knitted sweaters in the cupboard a little longer. We definitely, definitely had some fun. I don't think I was as far gone as you so I have quite a few memories of that night. You were... spectacular."
Bobby's eyebrows shot up and he gave a laugh of disbelief. "Spectacular?" He just laughed more then, turning his head a little into the pillow to brace it so it didn't start throbbing again. "Are you sure it was me you slept with that night? I've never been described as spectactular before."
"Maybe you've just slept with the wrong women," she pointed out as she hooked a leg around his and pressed her body up against Bobby's. "Because you were. Just makes me wonder what you're capable of when sober."
"I never slept with Rogue!" Bobby soon found himself blurting out and then put his hand over his mouth, never meaning to actually reveal that piece of information... at least, not this soon. "Maybe I'm safer not to be sober," he said with a sheepish moan.
Betsy frowned a little as she tried to process the outburst before she just kissed his cheek again. "I never slept with Remy."
Bobby frowned too. "Why would I think you had?"
"Just putting it out there. I don't mind if you slept with Rogue, or not. She was your girlfriend. If you slept together it's fine. And if you haven't then... that's fine, too. I hadn't ever really thought about you and her," Betsy replied.
"I didn't know how to sleep with her," Bobby admitted quietly and then sighed, rubbing his finger across his forehead. "I wasn't scared, even if everyone thought I was chicken shit with her. I wasn't. I was just too young to really get it. We weren't ready for it. I guess it was better she experienced it with someone like LeBeau so I didn't leave her with a complex about being touched. Or a bigger complex, rather. I was worried I'd do it all wrong."
Betsy rubbed her foot up and down against the back of his leg as she smiled softly at him. "I didn't think you were chicken shit. I just think you were right to want to wait or not do it. If you can't work out how to get around it, or how make her feel comfortable - it was the right decision. First times aren't always great at the best of times. Imagine... you know, dying during one."
Bobby snorted softly as he thought over his past a little. "Everyone thinks Remy is the only one who has a knack to touch her, could pull it off in any way. It wasn't just all her. I wasn't ready for that sort of relationship yet, just like a billion other teenagers out there. But because it was Rogue, it was immediately assumed I was too much of naive git to be able to handle her powers, that I would be too weak to cope with them. People seemed to forget I might actually have insecurities about shit too. Maybe I wasn't sure she could make me feel comfortable. Just because her power is what it is, doesn't mean it wasn't a two-way street. But it was pointless, anyway. She loved him. I was just... I dunno, a pit stop. He wasn't reciprocating then. And don't even get me started on Polaris. I just... have an extreme hesitation about starting anything with another X-Man," he finally murmured, getting to his point.
"I'm sorry if I'm one of those people. I certainly never meant to assume it was all her." She sucked on her bottom lip as she looked at him, trying to work out how she felt when he did get to his point. "I can't really blame you for that... It's just a shame."
Bobby probably would've sat up by this point, if he believed he could do it without wanting to throw up again. That really wasn't the impression he wanted to make on her at all. He rested his hand on her leg and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I guess it's just the whole once bitten thing, you know?"
Betsy nodded as she murmured her agreement. "Yeah, it's okay. I get it. I know because it's me it's not really helping either. I mean, I was flirting with Warren just last week but you at the party... I don't know. It's not a sex thing. It was! But... I'm here."
Bobby pressed his lips together and then wet them. That wasn't actually something he was intending to bring up, but he had wondered about it. "It's okay. I'm mean, it's not like I own you, is it? We don't even really know each other that well. I'm not even sure what a 'sex thing' is, because I'm pretty confident I've never had one, so..." He trailed off with a small shrug.
Betsy could feel the ice on the cloth start to melt and took it off the back of his neck before she ran her fingers through his hair. "No, you don't. I don't own you either, but I have to admit I'm intrigued and I like what I've seen. I think we should get to know each other if you'll agree to it. We can take it as fast, or as slow as you like. And if you don't want anything to do with this X-Man once you do know me better there's no harm. A sex thing is just sex. Nothing deep."
"I'm just slightly worried and nervous, because the thing with Warren is very similar to Rogue and Polaris with Remy and Havok. Some sort of... something that was a lot more deep down than it seemed. I don't know. Warren's a really good guy, a cheeky shit sometimes, but has a heart of gold under all those feathers. I seriously wouldn't blame you to want that. Once I just... want to be someone's number one. I want to know what that feels like, because it looks pretty damn good," Bobby admitted quietly.
Betsy arched an eyebrow. "Well, thank you for giving me permission to want Warren, but I don't. Priorities can shift, you know. Especially when you find something you didn't even know you were looking for. Attraction is one thing, but a real connection... You can't fake those. I want to be someone's number one, too, but not as much as I know you deserve to be." She wet her lips as she shifted closer to him, her arm snaking around him as she brushed her mouth against his. "I really do want ice over feathers."
Bobby wasn't completely satisfied though, and he would probably blame the twice-jilted accountant in him if he had to explain himself. "What makes you know you want someone, though. I don't mean this to sound offensive in any way, I just want to understand it. What if Warren was reciprocating? I'd have no hope, or wouldn't be on the consideration list. I wouldn't be trying to perve on you, either, because you would be with someone else. What the hell makes someone a number one?" he asked with genuine bewilderment.
"If there was reciprocation and just now... fireworks then you would still be in with a chance. Sometimes there can be attraction but you just know somewhere inside that it's not right. There's still a feeling of something missing. Or like you're not quite happy and you're always questioning it. Think of how you felt with Rogue and Polaris, and you'll know that the time it doesn't feel like that - it makes someone a number one. You can't imagine life without them, you wake up thinking about them, go to bed thinking about them. They make your stomach flip when they smile, or when you catch glimpses of them."
"I felt like that about both Rogue and Polaris," Bobby had to tell her awkwardly. "I didn't realise they wanted other people until I was already stupidly too invested. It just wasn't reciprocated. The fireworks blow up in my face, it seems." He didn't mean to be so bitter, he was just unable to really completely shake that part of his past. He probably wouldn't want to, either. It all shaped who he was today, and even though he felt a little lost in life, he didn't dislike who he was.
Betsy fell quiet and averted her gaze as she brushed her fingers down his arm and just held his hand. She really wasn't sure what her argument was supposed to be. She was no great authority on what made anyone number one. Her longest stable relationship was with her favourite pair of jeans, closely followed by her team mates, and they were all just friends. Her dating record was sketchy at best. Now she regretted it. "Maybe we should just forget it. I don't even know what I'm doing besides flying blind. I do like you though, I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to sway you into anything."
It was ironic that Rogue's boyfriend had smacked him in the head and left him feeling much like he had done when their relationship ended, and now it was the prime topic of conversation here. He knew he was feeling sorry for himself, and even though Hank had told him he was entitled to that, it didn't mean he was proud of it. "I don't want to get hurt again," he told her in a small voice, in no way meaning to imply she would. It was just a far-reaching and honest admission from his heart. "It kinda really sucks."
"I don't want to hurt you," Betsy whispered back as she kissed his cheek before she rest her forehead against his. "I want to take care of you. I want to protect you, and I want to make sure you're okay, and that you're comfortable and all that other nurturing stuff, and I've never thought about that with anyone. And I can be patient. I'm capable of it. I'll wait for the moment if you ever decide maybe we're something worth exploring, until you know you can trust me."
Bobby drew in a small breath and then tugged on her arm, not giving her much choice but to drop down next to him. When she did, he just wrapped his arms around her with a small, tired - and frustrated - moan. He didn't like himself for being so nervous and uncertain about romance and love. Maybe he did need the time to find his feet with it again. He missed this, though. The cuddling and the company and the warmth. It had been a long time since he had it, and it felt even more better because he wasn't feeling the best. "I'm more screwed than I thought I was. I haven't ever really spoken about this to anyone..." He paused and closed his eyes with a soft sigh. "I think you might be able to help me, though."
"Help you how?" Betsy prodded. She made herself comfortable next to him again, and rubbed her hand against his back. The cuddling was definitely nice. She didn't remember any cuddling from the other night. In fact, this almost felt like the morning that should have followed the amazing sex rather than the morning that did. She couldn't remember much other than a pounding head and a tongue that tasted like she'd gone around and licked all the toilet bowls.
"I don't know. I have a fucked head. I didn't think of the ins and outs," Bobby replied honestly. It wasn't like any of this came with an instruction manual or cue cards on how he was supposed to handle it. It felt awkward having his comment turned back on him, too. Like he had to give a public speech and really did show up naked for it by accident. He just cleared his throat and fought the urge to hum the Mission Impossible theme.
Betsy gave a nod before she adjusted her position so she could cradle his head against her shoulder. She might not have been humming the Mission Impossible theme, but she did start humming. It took her a moment to get all her questions were annoying, and to just accept the tiny victories. He still wanted her here, he was talking to her about his fears. It was progress. "Then just stop thinking. We'll just focus on the lying here and recovering."
Bobby still felt a little awkward. It was probably a lot to do with the fact he really didn't know her that well. They had never really spent much time together in the past, so it was understandble. Plus, he wasn't lying when he said it had been a long time since he did anything like this, and he was feeling fragile from letting his guard down and landing Remy's staff in the back of his head. He had thought briefly that he could just come back to Xavier's and it feel like not much had changed, but everything had changed and ironically considering his powers, it felt like he was skating on slippery ice and couldn't find his footing while certain other people watched and waited for him to fall flat on his ass. "I don't think accountants know how to stop thinking," he joked.
"Oh, I don't know... I think they do under the right circumstances." She gave him another kiss, and her hand rubbed against his thigh. It was tempting to slip her hand inside his trackpants but she had no wish to molest Bobby while he wasn't up to it. She didn't want to break him. She genuinely couldn't remember the last time she'd tried to fight so hard to get a bloke to see she liked them. Warren was close, but she realised now it wasn't as deep as she thought. She liked him, sure. She was definitely attracted - wings and all, but with Bobby there was something that ran deeper. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was yet. "Just close your eyes, love. I'll leave you alone soon."
Bobby glanced up at her tiredly and tried to stifle a yawn, but failed. He covered his mouth and then rubbed at his nose briefly before he smirked at her. "Somewhere else pressing to be, Psylocke?" he murmured. He knew he had some reservations about relationships in general, but they weren't about her. Not really. It just happened that she was a mutant and an X-Man, and with two team members having broke his heart in the past, he was nervous and apprehensive. But he wasn't a complete relationship cripple. He figured he had the right tools in there somewhere, if he just wasn't so nervous about getting them out again. He really just wasn't why she wanted him.
Betsy stroked her fingers against his cheek. Truth was she wanted to stay more than anything. Her eyes were starting to grow droopy in the warm embrace, and the comfort of having their bodies pressed close together was something she didn't want to give up. "No, nowhere. Just didn't want to crowd you. Thought you might want to be left alone."
"You aren't crowding me. I just don't feel well. I didn't mean to be putting the alone vibes out. Seriously, who wants to be left alone when they feel like shit? No one. Not really," Bobby pointed out. He let his eyes finally close when they started to hurt along with the throbbing in his head. He didn't really want to take anymore pills, so this couldn't be a bad second option, right? He shifted so his head was resting against her shoulder again, his arm still draped loosely around her waist. He'd been alone far too long. He really was over it.
"Alright, so I'll just stay. But if it's too much..." Betsy stroked her fingers against his back as she held him close and rest her cheek against the top of his head with a soft sigh as she let her eyes slip closed. She couldn't help it if this was something she had been craving for a while. She just figured it was Bobby himself that was making her want it so bad. Sometimes there wasn't anything wrong with being patient.