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Asteroid
by Chi Shiro
It was widely accepted that Shi’ar pharmaceuticals made anything found on Earth resemble aspirin. This was why they were generally kept locked away in the Beast’s laboratory. The shiny vials full of various plants and minerals kept quite heavily under lock and key. Only trusted members of the team had unlimited access. People like Hank, Scott and, remarkably enough, Bobby.
As with any highly prized object, certain individuals would always find a way to gain access. For a member of the Thieves’ Guild, like Remy Lebeau, it was as simple as picking a few locks to obtain a vial as red as the aforementioned man’s eyes.
He carefully measured a few specks of the stolen powder into a cup of coffee. The migraines he suffered, as a side effect of his empathic abilities, required only the tiniest amount. He knew, in a roundabout way, that he really should just ask the good doctor for a prescription. It was a very mild derivative when compared to some of the things in the X-men’s arsenal. But he had never been good at asking for what he needed. In his mind it was simpler to help himself whenever Henry was out of the lab.
His head jerked up violently. Caution honed by years on the streets had alerted him to the sound of soft footfalls in the hallway adjoining the lab. Only one man in the Institute had such a unique sound to his step. Like a wild animal was loose and padding on its way toward him. Though he could not yet see them, he knew the feet attached to the sound would be blue and furry.
“Merde,” he muttered under his breath. Fumbling with both his cup and the vial, he quickly downed the concoction he’d prepared. The taste of plain coffee easily hid the bittersweet taste of the Shi’ar blood moon blossom. A plant so named after the bright red moon it was harvested from.
“Merde,” he hissed again as the vial began to slip from his grasp. A large dollop of the powdered plant slipped free of its incarceration. It shimmered in the air for a brief, beautiful moment before tumbling into a giant mug that had been sitting on the countertop. This left him with two options. He could dispose of the cup, wasting precious seconds and risking exposure. If Henry caught him stealing from the lab the likelihood of ever obtaining some through more legal means went down. On the other hand, he could throw the vial back in place and Doc McCoy would most likely be none the wiser.
Being the son of Jean Luc, he chose to stash the vial and run.
XxXxXx
Henry McCoy entered his lab with a skip in his step and a slight smile on his face. Life was complicated. Life was wonderful. His life was complicatedly wonderful. He was both stretched thin and had never felt so good in his life. Having a secret relationship with one of your coworkers often did that to you.
Others were starting to take notice of the changes in him. Jean had commented at breakfast that very morning. She had taken note of how tired he had looked lately. She had also added that he had never looked so happy in his life, so whatever was making him tired must be a good thing. One of the things he loved about their Jeanie, she would never pry unless she felt he was truly coming to some kind of harm. Not all telepaths could be counted as that trustworthy. Scott, never missing a chance to be leader, said that it didn’t matter as long as it didn’t affect his performance in the danger room or in the field.
He longed to tell them. He truly longed to tell the world. If he felt that it were at all possible, he would stand atop the tallest building and shout his adorations to the sky. He was a man in love. A man in the grips of a powerful possession. Love like a drug that burned in his veins, causing his body to practically vibrate with it. He was amazed that it was not emblazoned on his forehead for the entire world to see. It would be in bold letters that pulsed with every beat of his heart, “Henry McCoy is in Love with Robert Drake.” Even in his mind the “love” was capitalized.
Blue fur rustled as he reached for the picture that sat on his desk. Even in the stillness of a photograph his beloved’s eyes twinkled with barely contained mischief. “Thou hast bewitched me, body and soul. Would that I could announce my adorations for you to the world.”
He cursed the barriers that hampered his ability to make the announcement, hampering his happiness. The double prejudice that they would face from the world were truly cruel. To be a mutant was a hardship. But a man blessed with an x-gene in love with another man who possessed similar gifts? It was something unheard of. Even the openly flaunting member of Alpha Flight never dated from within his group. There was something almost incestuous about it. Your teammates were your pseudo-family. Dating Bobby was then akin to dating his younger brother. His very sweet, very attractive younger brother; but younger brother none the less.
Another cruelty added to the list. They would sit together tonight at the restaurant. It was as natural as breathing that friends as good as they would be seated side by side. They would be together, so very close together, and yet so far apart. They would wish Jean a happy birthday, watch the loving display between the birthday girl and her husband, and wonder if their turn would ever come.
He stared loving once more at the picture before returning it to its place of prestige. One day, he told himself, fully believing it, one day he would tell the world about his brunette angel. On that day they would most likely retire from their lives as public figures. Whether by choice or by force it was still to be seen. It didn’t matter. He would give up a thousand worthless accolades from the fickle masses in exchange for a lifetime of happiness with his one and only.
“So why, old man, do you not simply do so,” he questioned the empty room. As expected, the room could not tell him what he himself did not already know.
Hank took a swig of tea from the mug sitting on the counter top. The green brew was cold and had a bitter after taste which he attributed to being left out over the course of an afternoon. It would have to do, as he did not have the time to make more. All too soon it would be time to leave for Brio’s. They had decent tea at the establishment. More importantly, they had good wine.
XxXxXxXxXx
Hank was not feeling quite himself. Normally he enjoyed going to Brio’s for a long evening out with his surrogate family. One could make a meal simply out of the variety bread baskets. Not to mention the luscious, mouth watering chicken under brick that he never failed to order. And the ambiance left little wanting. The dark red carpeting blended beautifully with roman columns and deep tan chandeliers. Murals of Italian landscapes dotted the walls. It was little wonder that this establishment was a favorite among the X-men.
Jean, the center of attention for the evening, looked resplendent in her forest green dress. Seated next to her, in a suit bought for the occasion, Scott looked like the happiest man in the world. If only they knew that another couple’s happiness was threatening to rival their own. The second half of said rivalry grasped Hank’s hand underneath the table, giving it a loving squeeze.
Bobby glanced at the man he loved with some concern, his hand squeezing a little tighter. “Are you alright, Blue?”
“I am positively in the pink, my friend. Or shall I say in the royal blue?” He was thankful that his thick coat of fur hid the beads of perspiration that were beginning to form on his forehead. Something was certainly not at all right. Perhaps he ate something that didn’t agree with him? His pulse raced and, if he were being honest with himself, he began to feel a little manic.
His ears twitched as silver touched glass. Scott was calling them all to attention to make a toast. It was a hard task indeed with Bobby’s hand now on his thigh, still squeezing its little reassurances. Across the table another couple was lost to their own world. Logan whispered something into Ororo’s ear, causing the weather goddess to blush with pleasure and glance over at them discretely.
Once he was certain he finally had them all, the man in the ruby glasses raised his goblet. “We are here tonight to celebrate one of our own. On this day, not all that many years ago, an angel fell to Earth. Why she chooses to stay with me is anyone’s guess. No, don’t say it Logan.” The table erupted in good natured laughter. “But here she is and here is where I hope she’ll stay. So let’s all raise a glass to the sweetest, most good natured, beautiful, talented person I know.”
“To Jean,” the others raised their glasses in appreciation of the birthday girl.
“To Bobby,” he didn’t know what possessed him to just say those two little words. Two simple little words that were about to cause a great deal of commotion. The members of his family looked at him aghast. Bobby stopped rubbing his thigh under the table. All the younger man seemed able to do was to look at him slack jawed.
“Didja just say ‘ta Bobby’, doc,” Logan asked in a gruff and knowing manner.
He couldn’t seem to help himself. A bright sheen came over his blue eyes, giving him the appearance of a mad scientist. It was a very appropriate look indeed. He was a scientist and tonight he appeared to be mad as a hatter. “Why yes, I believe so Logan. Scott did say we were toasting an individual who was sweet, good natured, beautiful, and talented. My beloved fits all of those descriptions and more. No offense to the lovely Jean.”
“Whoo boy, I think you may have sampled a little heavily from the wine list, buddy. Time to get you home and into bed,” Bobby ignored that fact that Hank had just outted them. Something was wrong with the man that he loved and it would be best to get him out of here before he said something even more incriminating.
“Buddy,” the manic sheen had grown even brighter. Bobby noticed it a split second too late to avoid being yanked gracefully from his feet and into the other man’s lap. “Buddy indeed. That’s not the moniker you graced me with last night. I believe you insisted upon calling me your furry, blue sex god. If you wish to get me into bed, my love, all you have to do is ask.”
Scott sputtered in disbelief. He felt as though a very large asteroid had just hit him over the head. That was the only way to explain what he was now seeing and hearing, “You two… you two are together?”
Bobby blushed, wanting nothing more than to bury his head into the expanse of his lover’s chest. This was not how he had pictured their friends finding out. He was proud of Hank for taking the initiative but why did he have to pick Jean’s party?
“My stars and garters, together is such a weak word, oh fearless leader. I prefer to refer to a little piece of paper when I think of Bobby. The one we received from Massachusetts that calls him my husband. The same one that has been in our possession for over three months now,” he grinned wickedly, making sure to show a hint of fang, before bending to kiss his husband. Flashes emanated from a multitude of cell phones around the circumference of the restaurant. There went keeping things a secret. The kiss would be plastered over the internet in a matter of minutes.
XxXxXxXxXx
His head felt as though a rock had hurtled through outer space, broke through the Earth’s atmosphere and made a direct hit. He took note, as his eyes fluttered open in the dim light of his bedroom, that the clock glared in bright red letters that it was close to noon. He didn’t sleep till noon unless they had spent the night making the word a better place for man and mutant kind alike. Or he had an especially egregious hangover.
He didn’t feel hung over. There was always a certain nausea that accompanied the headaches that was missing from this morning. And he wasn’t sleeping in his uniform, a common occurrence after a hard night battling for the rights of all. In fact, he wasn’t sleeping in anything at all. And there was a warm, familiar body in the bed next to him.
“You’re awake,” Bobby gave him a lopsided grin. “I was starting to wonder if you had planned on sleeping through today after the performance you gave last night.”
“Last night,” his words were inflected with a questioning tone. “I remember preparing for an evening at Brio’s so we could celebrate Jean’s natal day in a proper fashion. I do not remember much after the bread basket and my first glass of chardonnay.”
Bobby chuffed in amusement, leaning over for a kiss. Hank met him willingly; eager for a taste of the perfection that was his husband. Whatever had happened the night before couldn’t be all bad. It was nearly noon and Bobby was still in his bed. Scratch that thought, it was apparently their bed now.
“We need to talk,” the younger man intoned. Perhaps something bad had happened the night previous. The look on the brunette’s face was contemplative yet something of love was still there. “We need to figure out what our next move is going to be. I know for a fact your publicist is having kittens over all of this. He’s called no less than half a dozen times this morning. And my mother wants to know why she had to find out from the front page of the gossip section. I’m kind of wondering that one myself.”
Hank put a hand over his eyes and began to laugh. “I outted us, didn’t I?”
“Oh, Hankster, outted is such a weak word compared to what you did. You blew poor Scotty’s little mind straight out of the atmosphere. You practically molested me in the restaurant. The wedding we’ve been trying to hide so desperately really is all they’re talking about on the front page of the society section. We were even the top story on ‘Showbiz Tonight’ last night. So, what are we going to do?”
“I haven’t the foggiest, my love, but I know one thing,” he leaned over for another kiss, “from now on we’ll do it together.”
-Chi