Chapter 6
Nathan was seated, meeting Xavier’s steady gaze while Wade sat away to the side, a surprising amount of concern coming from him that Nathan could sense with his sensitive powers. Xavier nodded slowly after peeling through Nathan’s mind, getting a sense for his powers.
”I think it would be a good idea to begin by describing how to stem the flow of voices. You have great potential, Nathan. You are much more powerful than Jean, and she is one of my strongest X-Men. I wouldn't shy away from labeling you as an Omega-Level mutant.”
”Hah!” Wade muttered under his breath. ”Called it before the author of this shitty fanfic did.”
Xavier continued, ignoring Wade’s outburst naturally. ”Much like using your powers to restrict the TO virus, you need to force your telepathy to remain dormant. You were able to do this for a short time when we first tested the machine on you and you lifted the tables. You did it again for a slightly longer time after the surgery when you came to me. But these abilities are simple in their fundamentals; they have an ’on’ and ’off’ switch. You can force your telepathy to subside, and it usually happens with a simple thought. I just project to my own mind that I want to shut off all thoughts, and my telepathy obeys. Remember, you are the one in control, Nathan.”
Your powers do not control you.
Nathan took a deep breath, shutting his eyes gently as he reached into the recesses of his own mind, pleading for his mind to let him think in peace. As he did so, the buzz of the faint voices started to lower even more, finally disappearing entirely.
Charles smiled joyously. ”Yes, you did it! This is just the first step; prevention. Now, we can work on channeling your power wisely. Like shutting it off, it also requires focus. Over time, it will become easier to do. You seem to have had a better time with controlling your telekinesis; telepathy is the same. You channel the energy - the wavelength - of your mind to tune in to the wavelength of another person’s mind. I want you to practice with me.”
Nathan’s brow furrowed in concern. ”But... you said that my powers make me an Omega-Level mutant; how are you going to be able to protect yourself if things get... rocky?”
Charles smiled softly. ”I've already taught you how to shut off the telepathy; if you hear me telling you to stop, then you will. I have faith in you.”
Nathan took a shaky breath in, once again shutting his eyes as he slowly pulled out his telepathic power, imagining it as he did his telekinesis. From the sidelines, Wade watched, enraptured as Xavier’s head was surrounded with a faint blue light.
From sitting in the Professor’s office, Nathan found himself outside in the backyard of the X-Mansion, the yard empty and peaceful. A large tree stood in the middle of the yard that wasn't there before.
”My grandfather planted that tree,” Xavier said from behind Nathan, startling him. Charles slowly wheeled himself forward, moving next to Nathan. ”This is my mindscape; every person has one when you first enter their mind. Usually, there are gateways. Entering the mansion, for instance, will give you complete access to my memories and even allow you to control my body if you so desire. You are able to hear my thoughts in here.” Xavier looked forward, staring morosely at the large tree. ”Your father cut that tree down when he first came to us. I climbed up the tree and swung from it in my childhood.”
Nathan winced. ”... Sorry,” he said, unsure of why he felt the need to apologize for something that Scott had done.
Xavier gave an amused smile. ”You have your father's morals and dreams of peace. It's good to see that reflected in a person with your power. The real question is, how will you obtain that piece? Through extreme violence? Or perhaps a more diplomatic and demonstrative route?”
Nathan shook his head. ”I'm a soldier. I fight for people who have good intentions. If their methods are shifty or unclear, I don't do it.”
Xavier nodded as a soft and gentle breeze flee through the mindscape. ”It’s a multi-faceted war that we face every day. Mutants against our own kind and humans. Even if you try and live a neutral life, everyone gets pulled into the fight at some point in their life.” He sighed, sounding weary. ”I've always wanted this fight to end, but humans fear that which they do not understand, and we suffer for it. And fear sparks more fear, and then some mutants take it upon themselves to strike back, only adding fuel to the fire.” His eyes were sad and misty, seeming to recall events long ago.
Nathan hesitated, biting the inside of his cheek. ”I'm sorry, Xavier. I'm just not what you're looking for. I'm no messiah; I'm just a guy that only knows how to resolve problems by eliminating the said problem. And I'm not good with words, either.”
Xavier smiled softly, nodding in agreement. ”I suppose you are right. But don't discredit yourself so much; you have so much potential, Nathan. I'm sure that if Scott - if he was cognizant that he was your father - would be very proud of you and would wholeheartedly support your decisions.”
They stood there for a while longer, taking in the peaceful dream-like scene before Xavier voiced his request to leave, and Nathan withdrew himself from the Professor’s mind.
When Nathan found himself back in the office, he found himself scanning the room out of habit and saw Wade, who had fallen asleep. He was sitting in a wooden chair, head tilted back with his legs crossed and raised, resting on the edge of the Professor’s desk.
He met Xavier’s eyes, the man nodding in satisfaction. ”I have taught you everything I can for telepathy. It is how you use it that defines who you are as a mutant as well as a person. A tip I have for keeping your telekinesis steady is to think small; you put a great amount of concentration to lift that single desk, and this effort of channeling that power spread out to lift the others. You only need a small amount of energy to lift a table, so adjust yourself accordingly.”
Nathan nodded, leaning forward in his seat as Wade continued to snore lightly in the background. ”I - thank you, Professor. You took me in and helped me gain and wield my powers; I don't know how to thank you.”
Xavier smiled, a twinkle in his eye. ”Let us not be on opposite sides of the battle. I do not know who would emerge victorious in a telepathic battle.”
Nathan nodded seriously. ”I sincerely hope that it never comes to that.” He stood up, shaking Charles’ hand firmly and yet grasping it gently. ”Thank you.” Nathan turned his attention to Wade, finding it significantly easier to do anything without having to worry about the explosion of others’ thoughts in his head. He shook Wade’s shoulder gently, but the merc did not respond. Sighing and meeting Xavier’s amused face with an exasperated look of his own, Nathan lifted Wilson into a bridal-style fashion, moving to the door. Slyly, he opened the door with his TK power, the doorknob engulfed in a bright neon blue light as it rotated and the door swung open.
Nathan gave the Professor one last grateful smile before stepping outside, using his telekinesis again to shut the door behind him.
As Nathan walked up the stairs with Wade in his arms to the dormitories, Wade started to murmur in his sleep discontentedly. ”No... Not the chimichangas, you evil, evil man!” he said in a distressed voice.
Nathan snorted in amusement, reaching the upper floor as he transported Wade through the hallways. Wade continued to shift in Nathan’s hold, still in anxiety. Nathan quickly located Wade’s bedroom door, starting at the lock. He didn't know where Wade kept his key on his person, but he wasn't going to bother wasting time looking for it. A blue glow surrounding this doorknob as well as Nathan worked the insides of the lock mechanism, grinning slightly when he heard the small clicking sound that signified that the door had been unlocked.
Walking inside and making sure not to trip over any of the items scattered about on the floor, Nathan made his way through the minefield toward Wade’s bed, setting the merc down gently under the blanket. After seeing that Wade was content, Nathan started to move toward the door to leave when he heard Wade make a small keeping sound from the back of his throat. ”... Ness, don't go... Don't leave me, please.”
Nathan’s eyes softened as he looked down at Wade, moving his hand to rest lightly on the other’s forehead as Nathan peered inside to observe this nightmare. In Wade’s dream, he was sobbing as he clutched the broken and dead body of his lover, pawing desperately at her chest in a futile effort to stem the blood loss. Nathan wasn't a stranger to dreams like this one; he knew that at any moment, this Dream-Vanessa would rise up from death and talk to Wade, exposing and then exploiting his darkest fears and regrets. Nathan shut his eyes tight as he looked through Wade’s memories, searching for a good memory that he and Vanessa had shared when she was alive and well.
The haunting and depressing scene morphed before Nathan’s eyes, and he found himself in the same apartment flat, but with Wade and Vanessa lying on the bed, side-by-side as they stared into each other’s eyes, conveying their love for each other through their gazes. Nathan took this as his cue to leave, finding himself back in Wade’s room. Casting one last look-over to ensure that Wade was content, Nathan finally left, closing the door and working the lock with his TK again to lock it securely.
”Nathan?”
Schooling himself from decking the surprise speaker out or reflex, Nathan turned around to see Scott Summers himself in the hallway. ”It’s ten o’clock,” he said, fixing his special glasses as he fidgeted in his stance. ”The other X-Men and I were going to head out to the town and grab a couple of beers. Wanna come with?”
Nathan frowned in confusion, crossing his arms. ”Who’s coming?” he asked, pondering over his decision to accept the invitation.
”Jean, Ororo, Hank, Piotr, Remy, Logan, Kurt, Mystique, Warren and Alex are joining us,” Scott listed off. ”I think Magneto said he was coming to supervise and drink one.”
”Who’s Warren?” Nathan asked, his lip curling with distaste at the mention of Erik’s codename.
”He’s Angel,” Scott clarified. ”He’s got these wings. Don't worry, he's strapping them to his back so that we won't bring attention to ourselves; not that it should matter since we’ve rented out the bar for the night.”
Nathan nodded in understanding. ”And... Alex?” His voice caught on the utterance of his deceased friend, but luckily, Scott didn't seem to pick up on it.
”He’s my older brother,” Scott answered. ”His abilities are similar to mine, but he got the lucky end of the stick; he can channel his plasma energy into waves or rings of energy.”
Nathan hesitated before he decided to finally give in. ”Fine. Are we driving?”
Scott shook his head, starting to walk away. ”It's not too far from here; we'll be walking there.”
Nathan had paid a quick visit to his room, dressing up in a dark brown - almost black - leather jacket with a white cotton short-sleeved undershirt. His dark navy jeans were held with a simple black belt around his waist.
Nathan soon emerged from the mansion, meeting with the others outside the entrance at the bottom of the stone staircase. He was greeted with mixed emotions; some with friendly smiles, others with utter disregard, or complete disinterest. They were waiting for Logan to finish making his rounds in making sure that the kids were asleep and that no one would be sneaking out.
”If he doesn't hurry up, let's just ditch him,” a voice said that Nathan wasn't familiar with. He turned around, coming face-to-face with a taller man who slightly resembled Scott, carrying the same authority around him. ”I don't think we've met,” he said, extending his hand in greeting. ”I'm called Havok, but you can just call me Alex. I'm Scott’s older brother.”
Nathan nodded. ”Cable, but my name is Nathan. Scott’s told me about you.”
Alex quirked an eyebrow. ”Good things, I hope,” he joked lightly, stepping aside as another man stepped in from the side, nodding in greeting. ”I saw we were doing introductions here, so I thought I'd join. I'm Warren, nicknamed Angel.” Nathan introduced himself again, taking the man’s outstretched hand and shaking it firmly. Alex opened his mouth, about to say something when his gaze shifted to look past Nathan’s shoulder, and a grin split his face. ”Look, here comes the grumpy Canadian!”
Mocking cheers rang out as Logan descended the stairs, waving his hand sarcastically in response to the jeering. ”Took you long enough, old man!” Ororo called out playfully.
Logan grinned good-naturedly, baring his teeth. ”If you wanna take over the night rounds, be my guest.” He joined the group, removing a cigar from the confines of his jacket and lit it. ”Well, what are we waitin’ for? I intend to get fucking hammered; no classes tomorrow, it's the weekend.”
The group slowly dispersed into a single-file line, Scott taking the lead ahead through a forest trail as Nathan fell to the back, accompanied by Colossus. Nathan tilted his head to the side as he studied the metal behemoth. ”You look worse than I do, and that's saying something,” Nathan said, making sure his voice didn't carry to those ahead. ”What the hell happened?”
Piotr sighed, sounding guilt-ladden and remorseful. ” I was sent to retrieve young girl,” he started, his Russian accent especially thick with the emotions running through him. ”She fled from us; didn't know that we were trying to help. Ran right to mutant hunters; they shot as killed her before we could do anything.”
Nathan shook his head. Shit. ”It's not your fault, you know. You couldn't have done anything else, and we can't save everyone.”
Colossus took in a shaky breath; it was startling to see him in a flesh body. ”If I had been more careful in talking to her; if I had seen the signs...” He broke off, voice choked with emotion.
Nathan frowned. ”I felt that way, too. About the war and those who died. I felt that if I had fought a little more or put myself out there past the front line that I could have saved them or finished the mission. But I know now that there was nothing more I could do. What is in the past has to stay there; instead of moping forever over a child that has already died, focus on making sure that the next rescue op doesn't go the same way.”
Piotr didn't say anything the entire rest of the way, leaving Nathan with the awkward silence that he had become accustomed to whenever he was with the X-Men. Finally, the group broke through the tree line, a small but clean-looking bar at the bottom of a small hill.
”Thank you, friend,” Piotr spoke up finally, turning to give Nathan a grateful look. There was still a sad glint in his eyes, but he seemed to look better.
Nathan nodded, raising a hand slowly in hesitation until he patted the other man on the back in comfort. ”Of course.”
The mutants made their way down to the bar, stepping inside as their individual conversations we're wrapped up. Alex, Jean, and Mystique went to the bar to order drinks while the other went to the large oval table in the back corner of the place, shrouded in darkness save for a single lamp hung over the table. Nathan sat down in one of the seats, sandwiched between Colossus on his left and Logan on his right.
Raven and Alex made their way back to the group, beers in hand with Jean trailing behind them, using her powers to levitate the bottles in the air.
The drinks were set on the table, and Nathan grabbed for one after several others had retrieved theirs. ”Alright, alright. What should we drink to?” Warren said through a wide grin, silencing the others.
”Maybe we should leave that to the new guy,” Alex said, smiling expecting at Nathan, who raised an eyebrow at the number of looks cast his way.
Sighing, he set his bottle on the table, studying the side of it. ”To new friends and a new life,” he said, raising his bottle before taking a giant swig from it, the others echoing his statement happily as they copied his movements.
Logan snorted softly, whispering under his breath so that only Nathan could hear him, ”Read that off the label of the beer bottle, huh? Nice.”
Nathan shrugged an incremental amount. ”Now you know what to do the next time you do one of these.”
After getting into his third beer, Nathan had long tuned himself out of the conversation that the others were having, staring at his hands that nursed the bottle on the table drifting off in thought when the calling of his name snapped him out of his trance.
”I'm not repeating my life’s story again,” Nathan said stubbornly and grumpily hoping to deflect the conversation away from him.
Warren waved him off, cheeks flushed slightly red. ”Nah, dude. Scott filled us in on all that dark future shit. He said you had a family, right? What was that like?”
Nathan frowned, looking up and tearing his eyes away from his mismatched hands. ”Why’d you want to know?”
Alex winced, elbowing Warren, who squawked indignantly. ”Sorry; he's just curious. None of us have ever actually settled down with a person in marriage. Scott and Jean are getting close, though!” he said, winking in the couple’s direction.
Nathan sighed, leaning back slightly in his seat. ”I met my wife Aliya in a medical tent when I was stationed in a part of what used to be the Pacific Ocean. The water was all dried up; it was just pure desert. I had been shot and she was the doctor treating me. I met her a couple of times on the base after that, and then we went out for drinks and started dating after that. We got married just six months later.”
”Really?” Kurt asked, eyes wide as he was pulled into the narrative. ”Only six months?”
”In that time, you had no idea when you were going to live on to see the next day or die that night,” Nathan explained. ”We loved each other and wanted to make it official before it became too late and morphed into a regret. My daughter, Hope, was born a little over a year after our marriage. When Russell... killed her, she was seven. I came back in time to save them, and here I am.”
”It must have been difficult for you to let go,” Ororo murmured sympathetically. Nathan shook his head. ”I'm past that; I'm staying here to prevent that version of the future from ever existing,” he said determinedly.
Jean smiled softly. ”That’s a good reason to stick around. Maybe you could convince people to lower their carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions,” she suggested.
Nathan snorted. ”Easier said than done.” He went back to staring at his beer bottle, rotating it in his palm.
Jean spoke up again, eyes fixated on Nathan. ”How did your session go with Xavier?”
Logan turned in his seat as well suddenly, the others doing the same. ”I didn't know you spoke alone with Chuck,” Logan spoke aloud.
Hank brought himself into the conversation, ”I was working on a device to help suppress Nathan's TO virus from spreading so that he could fully access his powers. While the machine worked, the full force of his powers hit him hard; he wasn't slowly exposed to it like Jean or Charles. He went to Charles for help with controlling his abilities.”
Nathan nodded in confirmation. ”Yeah. And it went fine,” he said, answering Jean’s question. ”I can suppress the voices and read others’ minds with concentration. Xavier said that with more practice it'll come naturally.”
She nodded in response. ”That’s how it was for me. A little tip, use your powers as frequently as possible. Maybe not your telepathy, but your telekinesis. Use it to open doors, pour a cup of coffee in the kitchen from your bedroom.”
Remy, who had been getting into a heated argument with Logan earlier, studied Nathan through narrowed eyes. ”You're a mind-reader and a mover? Well, show us somethin’ already!”
Nathan flexed his arm nervously. ”I'm still new at this,” he warned, but acquiesced. His cybernetic eye flashed for a second as his blue aura engulfed Remy’s chair, dragging it backward across the floor on all four legs with a little force, jolting his beer and spilling some on his leg before Nathan pushed him back toward the table.
Remy scowled, grabbing a couple of napkins and wiping himself dry. ”Asshole,” he muttered under his breath as the others around him laughed.
As more and more alcohol was consumed, the others became more vocal and spoke brazenly, whilst Nathan started to slow down his intake, not wanting to deal with a big hangover the next day. Stories of embarrassing moments were exchanged freely, and Nathan would sometimes voice in a sarcastic or witty quip at the right moment, only serving to make the others roar harder in their raucous laughter.
All the while, Erik was on the far end of the table, expression stony and unreadable, showing no signs of emotion whatsoever. Nathan decided to take a chance, moving away from a slumping Logan and taking the empty seat next to the startled metal manipulator.
”What do you want?” Erik asked grumpily.
Nathan leaned back in his chair comfortably, looking out at the inebriated X-Men. ”Nothing. Just thought that I’d sit here from a less crowded position.”
Erik stared down at Nathan’s left metal arm, narrowing his eyes. ”Why can't I move your arm?”
Nathan looked down to his left arm as well, shifting his hand slightly. ”Psionic barrier,” he replied. ”I thought it’d be a good way to help channel my powers so that I don't get overwhelmed all the time.” As he said this, he used his TK to lift a pool ball from the game table and fling it at himself. The psionic barrier, which was at first invisible, turned blue in the area where the ball struck it, revealing the barrier before the color faded and it was invisible to the naked eye once more.
Erik fixed him with a thoughtful gaze. ”The Brotherhood could use a man like you,” he said slowly, ”We are fighting for mutant rights, just as Xavier is.”
”And yet,” Nathan interjected, ”you always seem to be on opposing sides. Probably because you are ultimately striving for mutant supremacy whilst Xavier is seeking equal rights. Don't try and fool me; I've read my history.”
Erik smiled out of the corner of his mouth that could have been mistaken as a grimace. ”You don't seem to be the pacifist activist. No, Nathan. You are a soldier, and soldiers fight.”
Nathan lifted his bottle, pausing before he took a drink. ”I know that I'm a soldier, but at the same time, I really don't want to force humans into a life of subjugation. No thanks,” he said, putting out the last remark with force as he got up and walked to the door to leave.
When he stepped outside, Nathan was hit with the sudden drop in temperature, exhaling in the cold and watching his breath materialize. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly strolled forward, walking up the hill and retreating into the forest on his way back to the X-Mansion.
As he walked on the path, the fallen leaves making a crisp crunching sound under his feet every time he took a step, Nathan reminisced about his family. Aliya would probably be worried sick about Nathan not coming home, although she wouldn't show it; she was a strong woman. And Hope’s birthday was in a month; Nathan felt a pang of sadness after realizing that he wouldn't be there to celebrate it with her.
Filled with this sense of melancholy, Nathan sighed heavily, trudging through the forest until he came to the other edge of the forest clearing, able to see the X-Mansion from his position. Nathan’s eyes narrowed, seeing a cloud of black moving across the ground from the gates of the school and toward the School. Eyes widening in realization, Nathan started to run toward the building, sending out a powerful telepathic message to everyone in the building in warning of the upcoming attack.
Nathan ran through the lawn, years of endurance training helping him as he closed the distance between himself and the School. Slowly, his feet began to lift off of the ground, and he stopped, realizing that he was hovering now, in the same manner as Jean, encased in his blue aura. He propelled himself further, slowly descending from a height the same size of the School to the soldiers initiating the attack.
Much to his dismay, about half of the enemy strike team had already breached the building, and he started to deal with those who hadn't gotten inside. He threw the nearest soldier backward with his mechanical arm, easily sending the guy sprawling to the ground. His cybernetic eye flashed threateningly as he lifted multiple soldiers in the air with his TK, smirking slightly as he threw them against the ground, effectively pinning them. He breached all their minds at once, their confusion making it easier to do so. Nathan forced them to sleep, and the soldiers passed out, incapacitated.
Looking up again, Nathan ran up the stairs and threw the doors open, seeing Wade wide awake in the lobby as he pummelled at the intruders brutally, using non-lethal force (a baseball bat) to knock them out. He looked up, catching sight of Nathan before he turned his attention back to the fray. ”Two of the assholes got past me,” he shouted over the sounds of violence. ”I think they're headed for the kids!”
”Got it,” Nathan shouted back in return. ”Are you sure you don't need help?”
Wade lifted another soldier’s gun, pointing it to the ceiling as it fired wildly before he slammed the point of the bat between the guy’s eyes. ”I've got this,” he said resolutely. ”Go!”
Nathan spun on his heel, taking off for the stairs as he quickly ran up, his mind scanning frantically for the minds and locations of the other two hostiles, kicking down the nearest bedroom door.
Behind it was a young boy - no more than six years old - and Charles Xavier who was by the child’s bedside. Nathan reasoned quickly that Charles had probably been here to comfort the boy when the attack happened. The soldiers each pointed a gun at different people, one at Charles and the other at the boy. The child sniffed, shaking in his bed with the covers drawn up to his chin, silent tears streaking down his face. Charles flashed Nathan a quick look of desperation, and Nathan knew that the Professor couldn't do anything without the boy potentially getting hurt.
”Drop to the ground, or we’ll shoot both of them!” one of the soldiers shouted antagonistically. Nathan studied the two threats in the room before he nodded, arms raised in the air in surrender, and bowed his head as he slowly got onto his knees...
Suddenly, his head snapped up as a protective blue psionic barrier surrounded both Xavier ad the child, and when the bullets bounced harmlessly to the floor after hitting the blue barrier, the Professor was quick to capitalize on the opportunity, and the soldiers slumped to the ground within seconds, passed out.
The boy was freely sobbing shakily, and Charles moved to hug and comfort him, sending Nathan a grateful look. ”Could you please secure these intruders somehow and come to my office? You can bring Deadpool, as well.”
Nathan nodded, turning around as he lifted the soldiers with his TK, carrying them out of the room as he walked down the stairs to join Wade in the lobby. Nathan dropped the soldiers none-too-gently on the pile of unconscious bodies that Wade had already formed, taking a moment to look Wade over. ”Are you alright? Nothing too bad?”
Wade shrugged, a manic grin on his face as his eyes sparkled. ”Just got clipped with a bullet to the side, but I'm good. I've been dying for some action like this. Of course, the No Killing Rule takes away from the fun, but it was fun. How ’bout you?”
Nathan tilted his head to the side, feeling and hearing a pop. ”I'm good. I got a chance to exercise my powers on some punching bags.”
Wade snorted. ”You have a funny bone? Who would've thunk?” He kicked the nearest unconscious intruder to him. ”What do you wanna do with them?”
”Xavier told me to round them up and secure them; he'll probably be questioning them later,” Nathan responded, eyes flicking outside as he brought the bodies he knocked out outside to the pile, making ten turn into twenty.
”Oh, it's a good day!” Wade squealed happily like a kid at Christmas. ”I need to get my duct tape first; isn't duct tape such a great word? Duct tape, duct tape, duct tape - I could go on forever saying that,” he rambled as be ran upstairs to retrieve said item.
Nathan’s eyes tracked the merc up the stairs before he disappeared from view, and then his eyes flew to the ceiling that was riddled with bullet holes, evidence of the men’s struggle with Wade. Nathan followed a particular stream of holes from one corner of the ceiling to the opposite corner, which then trailed down the wall and ended at the floor. He grimaced. Xavier is NOT going to be happy about that.
The sounds of Wade whistling joyously caused Nathan to move from his stationary position, grabbing some guys with his hands as others with his TK as he arranged them into a tight circle around a large pillar in a corner of the lobby. He carefully went through each soldier, making sure that no one had any additional weapons. After confiscating everything, Nathan nodded toward Wade, who then started skipping around in circles as he trailed the duct tape behind him, somehow effectively wrapping the enemies tightly and restrictively with his childish behavior. Finally, Wade was left with a bare cardboard base, which he tossed over his shoulder carelessly, both Nathan and himself observing his handiwork.
”That was fun while it lasted,” Wade said lightly as he raised his arm to rest it over Nathan’s shoulder, which Nathan took with stride. ”Professor wants us in his office,” Nathan spoke up, moving toward the office with Wade following him eagerly. Nathan opened the unlocked door, letting Wade walk in first before he followed.
”Where were you?” Wade asked curiously. ”You smell like cheap beer and came from outside. Did you go to a bar without inviting me?” he asked with faux hurt.
Nathan shrugged. ”X-Men invited me to get a couple of drinks with them. They got really drunk, and I left early. I got here just in time. And you were asleep,” Nathan added hurriedly, mistaking Wade’s hurt tone for being genuine, ”I didn't want to wake you.”
Wade nodded in understanding, suddenly frowning at a sudden realization. ”Did Logan strip and give someone a lap dance? He did that the last time we hung out for drinks, but he doesn't believe me.”
Nathan barked out a short laugh. ”No, but the odd thing is, I can see that happening.”
The door to the study opened, and Charles wheeled himself in. Nathan and Wade turned to greet the Professor, who seemed tired. ”Sorry for taking so long,” he said wearily, ”Trenton was having trouble settling down and going to sleep. I wanted to thank you both for keeping the children safe and for helping me out of that gnarly situation,” he said, directing the last part toward Nathan.
Wade waved his hand in dismissal. ”Anything for the children, Stewart! Although, I will accept a gratuitous donation in the form of a check - hmph!”
Nathan’s eye flashed blue as he placed a TK barrier over Wade’s mouth, effectively silencing him. ”Anything we could do to help,” he answered for the both of them, shooting Wade a warning side glance before letting go of the merc’s mouth.
Xavier let a grin settle on his face. ”Actually, I was particularly surprised that the X-Me didn't join the fight. Where are they?”
Nathan blinked in confusion. ”We went out to a local pub for drinks. Scott didn't tell you?”
Xavier’s facial expressions turned from bewildered to understanding to furious and then to a schooled mask. ”Really?” he asked in a low voice. ”No, I was not informed until now. Thank you both; you can retire to your dorms. I think I will wait for them to return.”
Nathan knew from the tone of Xavier’s voice that the others were in deep shit, but he was feeling exhausted and not willing to push his luck against an infuriated Professor. So, he and Wade walked up the stairs, Wade talking for the both of them as they said their farewells and retreated to their individual rooms.