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Chapter 6 - Finally Aflame

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“’Ro?” Logan’s surprisingly soft voice echoed from the doorway of the small room that served as the television area.

Sprawled out on the couch, Ororo looked up from the thick book she was reading and graced him with a warm smile, “Hello, Logan.”

Stepping into the room, Logan moved to arrange the pillow that her arm was resting on to make her more comfortable.

“Feeling any better?”

His outward concern caused her cheeks to color just a tint and she nodded, hoping he didn’t notice. She moved her legs that were splayed on the sofa so he could sit next to her and placed the book she had been reading on the coffee table. It was not terribly late at night, from what Ororo could tell. In fact, she had lost track of time while reading her book and watching the news that was still flickering on the television.

“How’s your arm?” Logan asked, nodding his head to the bandaged arm that was propped on the pillow.

“Better…just a little sore,” Ororo answered tentatively. She wasn’t so used to all the attention she had been getting the past week. Although, the fact that no one so much had let her lift a finger, namely Hank and Logan, was comforting, Ororo had started to become restless from not doing work.

Shoulder-to-shoulder, Ororo and Logan sat there in comfortable silence, watching the news that was on, but not really paying any attention. She was next to him. He was next to her. Nothing special about that, right? Just two adults, enjoying a little moment of solitude, away from all the hustle-bustle that was the mansion. It was late. No one was up. That seemed to be the only time either Ororo and Logan had some good quality silence.

Nothing special, really.

Or was it?

Although neither one would dare to admit it, the two had come to revel in each others presence. Logan, upon dubbing himself Ororo’s secret guardian - a secret to everyone besides Ororo, that is - he had come to enjoy her presence. The way she moved around her office, pulling out necessary large books from the shelf for whatever reason, he was entranced by her movements. He loved to watch the way her facial expressions would change from disgusted to pure frustrated during a phone conversation with some stuck-up contractor for the new student’s dorm wing.

“The attitude with these people,” she would say when put on hold, and he would just shrug, smile, then go back to watching her. She was cute when she was pissed, Logan mused, not even bothering to chastise himself for the thought. It wasn’t as if--

-- Suddenly, he felt something soft, something warm, rest against the crook of his shoulder. Slowly, Logan looked down to see Ororo’s sleepy content smile adorned upon her lovely glowing features as her fingers wrapped around his muscular arm. If she wasn‘t asleep, he thought, he probably would have frozen up quicker than one of Bobby’s Danger Room victim drones. He glanced down at her again.

Well, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if she wasn’t asleep, eith--Logan shook his head quickly, not daring to finish his thought.

She sighed, unconsciously nuzzling her cheek into the cotton-y texture of his black shirt‘s sleeve. He continued his analysis of the woman.

Ororo’s smile is what secretly killed him inside. In a heartbeat, Logan would do anything to see the adorable upturn of her lips, anything to make her happy.

Anything.

The wayward thought of making her smile was too difficult to ignore. Using his other free arm, Logan reached around himself to brush Ororo’s white bangs from covering her eyes, skimming a calloused thumb over her nose and he got exactly what he had planned to invoke.

A smile.

Soon enough, the man, too, found himself surrendering to the dark and quiet of sleep, and his eyes gradually drooped closed. Burying his stubble adorned cheek into her snowy white tresses, Logan drifted off, but it was not the late hour that had dragged him into dreamland. Instead, it was the soft body leaning on his shoulder that had her hands curled around his arm, making staying awake seem damn near impossible.

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Head half-phased in the doorway of the television room, Kitty suppressed an excited squeal as she spied her two instructors sleeping on the couch. Together. Ororo stirred just barely in her sleep, but then nuzzled her face into Logan’s shoulder and sighed quietly, causing the young girl to keep back another yelp by pure force of will. Quickly “ghosting” from the room, the brunette teenager bounded down the hall in search of Jubilee.

She was right!

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I gotta prove it to them somehow… Jubilee thought as she tapped her pencil on what was supposed to be her Geometry homework. It had been a quick week since Ororo had finally come down from her room to join everyone for breakfast since her attack. None of the students really understood what had happened that fateful night, but Jubilee had been clued in one day after some gentle persuasion and a series of bribing of Beast, who had been informed by Logan. Mostly everyone, except Ororo of course, in the mansion by now noticed how the Wolverine stealthily hovered over their headmistress. Constantly.

I swear I saw him staring at her in the kitchen…Jubilee furrowed her eyebrows in thought as to how to prove her friends that there was just more to it than Logan’s sudden overprotective nature.

Of course, it was common knowledge that Rogue had a special place in Logan’s heart and always would. Jubilee’s prying of both the mutants led her to a story of Rogue hitch-hiking in the back of Logan’s pick-up, Storm and Cyclops rescuing them from a deadly mutant called Sabretooth, then something vaguely about saving upstate New York from the potential death of all humans…and Marie. That much everyone knew.

But, the way he looks at Rogue is totally different from the way he looked at Miss Munroe…

Rogue was more of a daughter, cousin and sometimes even a little sister to Logan. It depended on the occasion, really, but it was sweet to see the Wolverine tied down by such an innocent teenager. But, Ororo…

…Miss Munroe is something completely different to Logan in that sweet sort of confusing way that no one really understa--

“--Jubes!” Kitty squeaked as she suddenly phased through the door. Jubilee tumbled off her bed in shock, cussing under her breath when she landed hard on her backside.

“Geez! What’s going on?!” The young Asian fire-cracker sat back down on her bed with Kitty.

“You were right!”

“Aren’t I always?” Kitty rolled her eyes.

Jubilee grinned, “But seriously, what is it?”

The brunette took a moment to catch her breath before relaying what she saw in the television room to Jubilee, “…and it was an innocent enough of a position, but still!”

The yellow jacket clad mutant was grinning ear-to-ear, and the mischievous look in her eyes matched the phrase, “Told ya so.” She said in a sing-song voice.

“I know, I know! Don’t rub it in,” Kitty deadpanned before her friend could begin. “I still can’t believe it though…” She rambled, “I mean, Logan and Ororo? Who woulda thought, y’know?”

“But it’s cute, right?”

“Yes!”

“Did you tell Rogue or Bobby, yet?” Jubilee asked.

Kitty scoffed, “Yeah, like they would believe me.”

“True,” she sighed. Suddenly, the Asian’s face lit up in something that resembled a very, very mischievous idea.

“What are you thinking?” The other girl asked carefully, almost fearfully.

“Okay, so Rogue and Bobby don’t believe us, we agree on that much, right?” Jubilee began enthusiastically.

“Right…but how will that prove that Mr. Lo--”

“--What if we, and I’m just spit-ballin’ here, hook up Mr. Logan and Ororo?”

“Ha-ha, and then set up our death wish? You’re crazy! Imagine the trouble we’ll--”

“--But, they’ll thank us in the end.”

Kitty shook her head in complete protest, “Uh-uh. No way. Not in a million years…”

“Pleeease?” Jubilee puppy pouted.

Shadowcat chewed on her lower lip, “I don’t…think we should meddle in other people’s relationsh…” Her shoulder’s slumped, “Fine,” she sighed. Jubes’ idea does sound pretty fun.

Jubilee squealed, “Perfect! So this is what we‘re gonna do…”

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“So, I presume you’ve acquired the files?” The deadly sneer from the other side of the mahogany desk just held a twinge of venom, almost enough to make even her shiver.

Almost.

She rolled her eyes, “The first aim was to weaken the defenses. With the Institute’s Headmistress…detained…that should give me enough cover to slip in unnoticed.”

His nostrils flared. She took pride in that.

“When I called, I gave you specific orders to--”

“--Hm. Must’ve been busy, didn‘t get that call…”

“Dammit, Raven!”

Her eyes narrowed into slits, “Don’t ever call me that, you know who I go by.”

“Well, as far as the government is concer--”

“The government can kiss my ass, as far as I‘m concerned, Trask,” poison seeped from her lips.

Secretary Bolivar Trask expelled an angry breath, “Well, since you didn’t get my call, Mystique, I expect to see Cerebro’s files on every member of the X-men at my front desk by next week. Am I clear?”

She glared at him, “Crystal.”

For some odd reason, Mystique felt as though she were being chastised by a teacher. Why was she doing this again? She thought idly as she got up, transforming into her “human form” which consisted of black raven hair, pale skin, and piercing, icy blue eyes.





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