Who: Wolverine & Storm; Zap When: Friday, June 13th, 2008 Where: Xavier's; the stables What: giving in Status: complete Rating: PG-13
"Logan?" The surprisingly elegant lights above each stall in the stables were dim, but daylight streamed in the open doors and lifts. The stalls were kept nearly spotless, and the hay given to the horses was fresh, daily. Having been a school, and with plenty of help at hand to keep things up, Xavier made sure the animals on property were treated nearly as well as the students within the mansion's walls.
The earthy scent that ran through the center aisle had sent Ororo's mind temporarily adrift, but when she saw a pitchfork stab through the air, setting free a thick spray of yellow straw, she became more focused again. There he was. She stepped easily up to the gate of the empty stall he was working from, and leaned her arms on the closed gate. She was smirking, an expression that had originally been a nervous smile, but had changed to one of amusement when she realized, "You look straight out of a romance novel," the Wolverine was topless. The smirk morphed into a teasing grin and she took a step back - maybe to keep from the reach of flinging hay.
"I like it out here, I think the animals like me more than the humans around here." He responded without glancing to Ororo. He'd smelled a hundred feet away, even over the stables pungent aroma. Logan shoved the pitch fork into the nearest pile of hay and wiped the sweat that had formed on his brow. He took a few steps toward the weather witch, "I talked to Jean today." He said in a matter of fact way. "Was like talkin' to a ghost."
Storm's eyes shifted away from Logan's at the mention of Jean. When he spoke next, her gaze slowly came back to look upon his face. He was sincerely irked, it seemed. Of course it was strange to speak to someone you had seen die - more than once. However, that light that Logan always had in his eyes when he spoke of her, or to her, was doused. "It's strange." She finally responded, her eyes locking onto his. "I know." Storm's arms moved to cross in front of her chest. She had been completely unnerved in the first words exchanged between them. This hadn't gone according to plan.
Logan moved to the gate the crossed over into the area she had occupied alone. "Hey..." He brought his hand up to her face and touched her chin. He wasn't the best with social interactions, but she was about the only person that would understand his feelings about Jean. "So you dropping me that hint to work out here today wasn't just a coincidence, huh?" Earlier at breakfast she had made so mentions of the stable. In his weeks of following Storm around her, he learned to read between the lines.
"The boys have been taking care of the grounds for weeks," she began an excuse, but surrendered to the truth part way through, "so I told them to work on the laundry." It was hard to find a fair playing field that wasn't filled with prying eyes. Storm preferred her private feelings to be out of the public eye. His hand was still touching her chin, and she reached up to take it into both of hers. Despite his near-immortality, Logan wasn't a patient man. He had displayed patience and loyalty and quiet, hard work over the past few months, and she had come to him today to tell him that she appreciated him. She wanted to tell him she loved him. When he mentioned her friend and colleague, however, she'd been scared that he hadn't changed, and never would. But in his eyes, the difference was there. The undying love he had carried for Jean Grey was dead, unlike the woman herself. "Logan - this work you've been doing, it's very kind and admirable, but I want you to know," her grip tightened, "I didn't want to make you pay for your feelings. I just needed time to know if they had changed. I needed to know I could trust you with mine." He was her equal, and she had always seen him as such. Sometimes she worried that a partnership that worked so well in all other aspects might fail if it tested the waters of romance. But at the moment, she felt that those fears were nonsense. "I trust you."
"I know, Ro." He hadn't been doing all these things to prove his feelings. He'd mostly been biding his time. Waiting for Storm to make a decision. His infatuation for Jean was gone and wasn't ever coming back. It had blinded him to the stronger, more ground emotions he'd carried for Ororo.
His hand moved from her chin to her soft cheek. He took this as the sign he was waiting for. If he was wrong he'd take the chance of a lightening bolt. Logan slowly brought his face close to hers and closed his eyes. A moment later he touched his lips to hers as he moved his free arm to her side and gently griped at her waist. Whatever she did in response didn't matter, he'd already felt lightening. Between the two of them, when their lips meet. He loved her.
THANK. THE. GODDESS. Storm watched Logan's face, even after he had closed his eyes. When he inched forward to kiss her, she met him halfway and in the pit of her stomach was a knot that came undone. All of her inhibitions fell. She poured herself into the kiss and when she felt his hand and arm against her side, she moved forward into him and felt the heat coming from his body. Her white hair began to ruffle in the breeze that had suddenly begun to move through the aisle of the open stable, and she placed his hand she'd been holding on her other side, while both of hers seized his face. She held his jaw firmly and lovingly and when she finally relented, only with the need to draw a breath, it seemed as though her exhale added to the windstorm. The horses began to stir, and she sighed heavily to gather herself. She watched his hazel eyes with her milky-white ones and let her hands fall to his neck. "I love you, too." Hay slid around their feet in the breeze, and her hair still fluttered, but the smile in the corner of her lips said that the wind had been a kind one.
He noted the effects she had had on the stable and cocked an eyebrow. Logan wondered what she did when... Huh. He tried not to let his mind get too far ahead of himself; a small smirk had formed on his face. One she could probably read perfectly. It didn't matter. He held her tightly and kissed her once again. He'd been waiting along time for this.
Storm smiled with her eyes and moved with him so they were pressed close, and when he kissed her again, she concentrated more on enjoying the feeling and tried to control what was going on around them more properly. Her hands tangled themselves in his hair and she returned his kiss and then some, and after what seemed like an eternity, she moved her mouth from his and kissed down his throat until she reached where her lips were naturally even with him - his collar bone, and rested her face there, allowing her hands to rove over his shoulders and arms. "Logan..."
Zap hadn't been standing there long, but she'd noticed the flurry of air through the place, and she was halfway to her horse of choice when she noticed the couple embracing at the other end of the stable. Her eyes went wide when she realized who it was. Oh dear. And Logan without his shirt. Oh god. Uh. She cleared her throat, which seemed the natural, polite thing to do, only afterwards did she realize she didn't really want her presence known. It was probably unavoidable, considering their three mutations. It was a public place, when all was said and done, and Bobby had mentioned that they were going to be doing chores indoors today - so she took the opportunity to look in on the livestock in the pastures. She had a feeling she might've stumbled into a well-planned rendezvous, and she only hoped it wasn't spoiled completely.
Her hands felt amazing and her lips weren't half bad either. God, he was so happy to hold her... to kiss her... that he'd nearly forgotten where they were. Out open in a public place, which is probably why he didn't notice until the last second that they weren't alone. Whatever Storm was about to say would have to wait, he thought as Zap made her presence known. Could have been worse. He felt reluctant to let Ororo go, so he wouldn't unless she pulled away.
"Zap," Storm said, finally. The darker woman looked down the line at the electrokine and drew in a breath that was sighed out. She moved her arms back down to her sides, and placed her hands over Logan's, then slowly slid them from her waist.
"I'm so sorry," Zap said, her eyebrows furrowed with self annoyance.
"It's okay, honey," Ororo responded, a blush in her cheeks and a tone of amusement in her voice. She cracked a smile, then dared to look up at Logan, who looked more sheepish than she'd seen him in a while. "Go ahead with what you were doing," Storm gave Logan's hand a squeeze as she moved out of his grasp, and headed back down toward Zap and where she'd originally come from. When Storm passed behind Zalika, she touched the girl's shoulder and offered her a smile of forgiveness. No harm, no foul.
Zap still offered an apologetic frown, which turned into a reluctant smile as Storm passed out of view. When the brunette turned back, she looked upon Wolverine and her face broke out into a toothy grin. She was staring at him like a younger sister might look at her hopeless older brother, having just caught him with the head cheerleader. The smile clearly read 'way to go!'.
Still in a fog from his interactions with Storm, Logan took a few moments to come to his senses. When he did, Zap was staring at him with a goofy grin. He met the girl's eyes, snorted an empty threat, and returned to his pitchfork, "Shut up," he called, before any words were uttered.
Zap slid into the stall with her horse and coaxed him out, all the while grinning and petting her ride's face soothingly, mostly to keep herself from breaking out in proud giggles. It had been quite a sight. She wished she could've coaxed Mars outside to ride with her.