Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 01:02:54 +0100 (BST) From: goldenknight Subject: Dreams of an Angel - 24 (gay/boybands) Hi all!! Here's the next part of Dreams of an Angel. Hope you all enjoy it! Any comments or suggestions, well, you know how to contact me. My Yahoo ID is Goldenknightuk if you wish to send me an instant message. Sorry for any bad grammars boys and girl. C'mon! Nobody's perfect!! :) Before the show, onwards to the boring part! Legal matters! Hehehe. You can press 'fast-forward' now. Well, first of all, this story, as you will certainly find out soon, is TOTALLY fictional. So! If any of you truly believe in it... dude, I'm worried about you. Secondly! None of the guys in the Backstreet Boys are gay! (No matter how hard I wished it :P). But nobody say we couldn't dream it, heh heh. Thirdly, Warren Worthington is actually a character from Marvel Comics, X-men known as Angel or recently Archangel. Okay fine, I admit it. I'm bored and I am making a pathetic attempt to make life a lil' bit interesting. Its not like I'm gonna publish it or something. What else to talk about hmm? Oh, there may be some adult gay scenes in this story. Unlike my brother, I don't mind writing naughty stuff ;) so! If you're underage, naughty, naughty! I can only ask you to go away, but I cannot do anything else to stop you from reading on anyway. Hell! I've been sneaking into the internet to watch gay porns since I was 13! So, if your parents or whoever responsible for you catch you, don't say I didn't warned you. However, if you're homophobic... well maybe I can seduce you enough to turn you around heh heh. I do so love a challenge ;) Anyway, enough talk. Any comments or boos or suggestion or whatever, just sent it to the same address as in NNTs, goldenknightuk@yahoo.co.uk . Yeah, we shared the same address. Don't ask. Long story. Okay then! On to the show. Now, don't be shy now. If you got any comments or suggestions, just drop me a note. You do the request, and I'll do the show. Andy ***************************** "Nick?" Nick turned to glance at the clock as he carefully styled his hair. It's almost eleven. "Come on in Scott." He answered. The door opened and Nick glanced up and smile in greetings at the, well admittedly, gorgeous male specimen entering his room. Okay, maybe his sudden realization that he is not as straight as he once thought has finally activated the part of his brain that is responsible for his attraction to men or something. Whatever it is, he couldn't help but admire the man before him. Why does he have to wear that uniform now anyway? And that red-tinted glass... Nick would have given a great deal to see the eyes behind those glasses. How does it feels like to see the world around you in nothing more than shades of red and black? "Forget it, Nick. It's too late. Jean already got me." Scott smiled (a *very* rare occurrence, by the way) as he noticed Nick scrutinizing his body appreciatively (Curse those red-tinted glasses. He can watch what you're doing without you even realizing that you're being watched!). Nick only coughed slightly in response as he blushed and shifted his eyes away quickly. Scott chuckled softly before sitting on the bed. His face became serious again in minutes though. God! Does this man ever loosen up? "Warren?" he asked quietly. "Shower." Nick nodded at the sound of shower in the bathroom. "Jean told you?" Scott nodded quietly. "How is he?" he asked again. Nick sighed as he thinks quickly on how best to answer the question. "He's... handling his emotions well so far..." Nick answered slowly. "But he's still... fragile." He turned to look Scott worriedly. "The dark brooding emotions are still there. I've banished the suicidal feelings but it can emerge again. I'm not sure about suicidal *thoughts* though. I can only read emotions, not thoughts." He continues. "I can't make him let go of the past, Scott, no matter how hard I try. I've also tried to make him let Bobby and the others reach out to him, but he refuses. At the moment, he is totally dependent on me to make him feels better. There may be a way to convince him to let Jean and Bobby help him... but as for the rest..." Scott looked at him expressionlessly. Wow. A stone shows more expression than him! "You were one of his close friends, as I recall." Said Nick, slowly. "You, Jean, Bobby and Hank... why didn't you notice this earlier?" Aha! This time, Nick could detect a wisp of guilt rolling off from Scott's mind. "I'm still trying to find an answer that question." Scott answered reluctantly at last. "I guess... I guess we were all too caught up with our own problems..." Nick stood up and proceeds to put on his socks and sneakers. "No offense, Scott... but I don't think that qualifies as a good excuse. You are his friend. You've been with him practically since the very beginning, as I recall. Kevin and the rest of my bandmates have problems of their own too but we were always there for each other. That's what being a team is all about." Yup. There is definitely guilt in Scott's mind. There's no mistake about that now. Guilt, regret... and a desire for... atonement? "You're an empath, Nick. You're also his... boyfriend." Scott stumbled on the word slightly, causing Nick to smile slightly. "As embarrassing as it sounds, compared to all of us, it seems that you understand him better than any of us. What do you think I... no, *we*... should do to help him?" Nick eyes widened at the question and he stared at the man in shock for a moment or two before catching himself. Scott Summers, fearless leader of the X-men, a man with less expression on his face compared to a stone, is asking *him* for an advice? A barely-trained empath who just realized his ability a couple of days ago and even now, still struggling to gain control of his ability? Ho-ho-ho! The end of the world is nigh! Thinking carefully, Nick glanced at the blue-and-white Archangel costume on the bed beside Scott. "Talk to him, Scott, alone and face-to-face. Talk to him as a friend, not as a team leader, not as a teammate. I'm sure in the earlier days of the X-men, you did this before - being a supporting friend, encouraging him to keep on practicing, helping him with his homework, hell, maybe even go out double-dating with him or something... you know, all those friendship stuff. Well try to recall that friendship, instead of communicating with him through that formal team-leader mantle on your shoulder. Ask Jean, Hank and Bobby to do the same. Convince him to open up to all of you. He feels like he should suffer alone, Scott. He feels like he deserve to suffer alone." "It's not that hard to do, to be honest," Nick continues as he put on his cologne before hiding it in one of the drawers. Warren seems to like the smell of his cologne and somehow, for some weird retarded reason; Nick seems to draw small pleasures in keeping him guessing again and again. Hey! Everyone needs to enjoy small victories every now and then. "I did it myself to comfort Howie when his sister died. The problem is that sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between being a friend and being a teammate. Trust me, Scott, there *is* a difference. Being a friend is more personal and closer. Being a teammate is more... formal. Warren needs help in a more... personal level. God! Look at me. I sound like some Goddamn high-school counsellor." He was surprised when Scott slapped his back and when his turned around, he blushed as his gaze fell upon Scott's smiling face. "A Goddamn high-school counsellor maybe, but a good advice is a good advice." Scott replied mildly. "Hank, Jean and even the professor could not have given a better advice than that. You sure you don't want to join the team? We could use a good counsellor around here." Nick chuckled softly. "Me?? A counselor?? Hahaha! No thanks. I started my life singing and performing, and that is just what I'm gonna do till I get sick of it. Maybe by that time, I'll consider the offer... though it's hard to imagine myself as a lowly counsellor." "Well, you know you're always welcomed here. Once you connected yourself with this place, you'll always be part of the family, whether you join the team or not." Said Scott. They looked up when the shower was suddenly turned off and a moment later, the bathroom door opened and Warren strode out wearing only a towel. Nick coughed as he tried to hide his blush but Scott chuckled slightly as he noticed the slightly growing bulge on Nick's crotch. "How the hell did this happen, Warren?" Scott said mildly as Warren picked up his uniform. "There's gonna be a whole lot of mourning within the female community for the loss of your heterosexuality." Nick watched Warren quietly as Warren responded with a smile. Yup, the arrogant playboy mask is back on alright. Judging from Scott's expression, Scott must have noticed it too. "Well, Slim, I was walking down Queer Street the other day when suddenly *BLAM!* I'm a raging homosexual." Warren smirked as he put on his uniform. "Whatever, man. Just don't get into the habit of staring at my ass too often like Bobby." Scott answered back just as smugly. "Anyway, I guess I don't need my stick to beat you away from Jean anymore. No, wait... there is still Logan." Warren laughed. Scott stood up and began walking to the door. "Danger Room session at 12, Warren. Think you can make it today?" said Scott, fully back in his Fearless Leader mode. "Can Nick come along and watch?" said Warren. "I don't see why not. The professor'll not be back till four today, so there's nothing for him to do till then." Said Scott. "Nick?" asked Warren. "I'd love to. Thanks." Said Nick. "I'll see y'all later." Said Scott as he walks out of the door. But he stopped again before turning around uncertainly. "Umm... another thing, Warren. Can ask you a favor?" "Sure, Slim. Ask away." Said Warren as he combed his hair. "I'm thinking of buying a gift for Jean... well it was supposed to be an anniversary gift but I'm having problem in deciding what I'm going to buy and... well...," Scott smiled as he continues on, "considering how talented you are in buying gifts for women, think you can help me out later today?" Warren looked at him in surprise. "Are you serious, Slim?" He asked in disbelief before staring at him suspiciously. "Who are you and what the hell have you done to our sour-faced Scott Summers??" Miraculously, Scott responded with a laugh so bright that he suddenly looks like a beautiful little boy. Warren did mention that Scott grew up in an orphanage. Nick wondered how many times Scott actually laugh like that when he was a little kid. "C'mon, Warren. We did this all the time in the past when we first came here, and Jean always like your gift better than mine. Please? I'll buy you your favorite pizza." Warren smiled and nodded. "Fine, but remember, you're buying the pizza. Nick, you wanna come along?" Scott looked at Nick quietly but Nick has already got the message. Warren needs to talk with his friends about his problem and it is going to start with Scott. "No thanks, Warren. You may be the gorgeous multi-billionaire and all, but I'm still the world-famous teenage-heartthrob boyband singer. Remember what happen the last time you went to the mall with me?" Nick smiled. "Go ahead with Scott. Just try not to seduce him too much and if you do, don't forget to share him with me." Nick was clearly enjoying the blush creeping up on Scott's face. "Share me? What am I? Chopped liver?" Scott grumbled grumpily before moving off. "First Bobby, then Warren, and then Nick... This place'll be included in the international gay guide leaflets if we're not careful. I'll see you both at the training session." ****************************** "GAAAAAAHHH!! It's burning! The damn, fuckin' thing is burning!! Get the hose!! Fire extinguisher!! Call the fire-brigade!!" Warren was bended over, laughing his head off as Nick rushes all over the kitchen with the burning frying pan in his hand, screaming in panic. The situation was crudely solved when Nick finally deposited the pan into the sink and poured water into it, only to give rise to another problem as smoke gushes up from it to fill the whole kitchen. The laughter quickly degenerates into choking coughs. "Window, Nick!!" Warren gasped out through the smoke. "Open the window!!" Nick quickly threw the window and door open, letting the smoke out and the fresh air in. "I guess when we agreed to cook breakfast together, I'm the one who is to take the cooking part seriously?" Nick grumbled in the face of Warren's laughter. "How in the world did you survive your touring life on the road after all these time?" Warren laughed on. "On the road, we *buy* our meals! We don't cook them!" Nick retorted. "Now quit laughing and start shoveling. You have about 30 minutes before your training session starts. Be thankful I was able to save some of these bacons before it got burnt like the rest. Next time, Richie-Rich, you do the cooking and I'll make the coffee." "As you wish, O Great Master." Warren smirked as he pushes a cup of coffee towards Nick. "Would you like me to dance for you afterward?" "Don't toy with me, Bird-Boy." Nick replied, sitting beside Warren as he took a sip of his coffee. "Tell me about you sleep last night, Warren. Any... *AHEM*... interesting dreams? Or more specifically... wet dreams?" Warren choked on the bacon he was chewing; causing Nick to laugh and rub a hand behind his back. "What are you... talking about," Warren replied uneasily. Nick grinned and purposely leaned over slowly to kiss the other man lightly on the cheek before whispering to Warren what happened earlier in bed that morning. He laughed softly as Warren blushed fiercely like sunset and his body stiffened. "Oh, dear God!" Warren let out a strangled gasp as he stares wide-eyed at Nick. "So, c'mon baby. Don't you wanna share the dream with me?" Nick winked as he grinned. "Was it me? Or was it someone else? Should I be jealous?" "Umm..." Warren could only stare at Nick stupidly as he blushed even fiercer. "It was me, wasn't it? Hmm?" Nick grinned, silently enjoying his lover's unease. Wow, he has never seen such fierce blush before. Not even Brian blushed this hard when Nick accidentally stumbled into him having sex with Leigh Ann in the limo. "Umm..." Never breaking his smiling gaze from those electric blue eyes, Nick slowly and seductively traced a finger on from Warren's chest down to his waist, causing the other man to gasp. "Was I good?" Nick laughed softly as Warren jumped at the question. "Aw, c'mon, Nick!" Warren grinned at last, "That's not a fair question." "I was good, wasn't I?" Nick continued laughing. "Judging from that silly smile after it was all over, I must have been awesome." "Alright. Two can play this game. You were UNBELIEVABLE." Warren laughed at last. "You were a stallion. You were a sex god." Ooops. The table has turned. This time it is Nick's turn to blush. "You were a devil in a sack who doesn't know the meaning of backing down. You wanna know everything? Even the dirtiest details? Well, okay. It's your call. It began when I was having my shower alone after one of my training session in the Danger Room. Then you came into the stall, naked..." Nick's eyes widened at the image. "WHOA THERE!! Okay! Okay! You win! You win!" Nick cried out in panic in the face of Warren's laughter. "I guess I brought this upon myself." "Well, you started this." Warren laughed on. "If I have a wet dream tonight, I blame you!" Nick grumbled grumpily. "Argh! I cannot erase that image from my mind!" "So you... *ahem!*... experience the whole thing? Even when... even when I... umm... you know..." Warren said carefully, avoiding his eyes from Nick as he did. "Of course I did. What choice do I have? Our minds are linked, remember? And boy, what an orgasm that was!" Nick laughed. "You came all over my tummy and my bed-sheet. And man! You should have seen yourself after you came. You were *glowing!*" Poor Warren, who was wishing fervently that he could melt and sink into the floor at that very instant. Before this, Nick though it was impossible for the man to blush even fiercer, but here it is. The man was blushing so hard, that, combined with his blue skin, his face was actually dark-purplish in color. "Ooookay. Enough torturing." Warren said at last. Nick got up and quickly sat on Warren's thighs, pulling the other man into a hug, laughing as he did. "I'm sorry, Warren. I didn't mean to rub it on your face too hard." Warren smiled as he returned the hug. "I deserved it. Sorry for holding you captive in bed like night." He said before laughing. "Well I didn't say that I didn't enjoyed it." Nick answered with a wink. "The only time I felt nervous was after I realized that... well..." He pointed a finger towards Warren's crotch and pressed it once, causing Warren to jumped again. "You're *big*." Nick laughed at the poor man before him and hugged him again. "Nick, you really know how to embarrass a guy!" Warren smiled at last. "I can't help it! You look so cute when you blush. Blame yourself for being so cute if you wanna blame anyone." Nick replied, gently pulling Warren towards him. "Nearly scares you straight, didn't I?" Warren smiled shyly. "Yup. But then I decided that I need to get used to it because I don't wanna leave you." Nick answered. "What scares me was... well... umm..." "What?" Warren murmured as he kiss Nick's nose lightly. He rests his forehead against Nick's even as he slipped his fingers behind Nick's head to stroke the hairs there. "Well... it's big... and..." Nick mumbled nervously. "And... when... when we finally... you know... decided to... to do it... well... I don't know if... if I can... you know... take it..." Warren smiled and placed a light kiss on Nick's lips before gazing lovingly into Nick's eyes. "Nick, let's not worry about that now." Warren said softly. "I don't know about you but for me... if and when we finally... do it... it will not be sex. It will be all about love. Making love. And... when that time comes... I want it to be special, for myself... as well as for you. And if you don't want to... to be the... you know... the one to receive it, it's okay. I don't mind. I love you enough right now to make sure that you will always be happy and a simple matter like our sexual activities preferences or whatever is not going to be a problem for me." "But what I do care is the fact that when the time come when we decided to... make love... it will be when we're both ready for it." Warren continued quietly. "I don't know about you but I don't think I'm... ready... for it. And I suspect you are not too. Both of us never have any experience in this sort of things and at the moment, both of us are still trying to get used to the fact that we're attracted to each other. Let's take this one step at a time. Let's not base this whole thing on sex. I love you, Nick. Perhaps more than anyone I ever loved in the past. I want our first time to be special; one that... somewhere in the future, we'd sit together and cherish the memory of that one special time when we shared a truly beautiful moment for both of us. I want to take this slow. I would like us to take our own time to explore this new kind of relationship together, and built our own memories from it. I don't care about anything else right now except for the fact that I'm with you." "We'll find out together what we'd like and what we wouldn't like to do. We'll fool around a little bit, if you like, and explore the road together. I don't care if you don't want to be the... umm... bottom, Nick. As long as you're happy." Nick simply sat there, resting his forehead against Warren's, gazing into those electric blue eyes ceaselessly as he listened to the speech in silence. His eyes flickered once or twice and he couldn't think of anything to say. Warren's voice was filled with so much love and affection and warmth that... it was simply stunning. Is this what love do to everyone? Bringing out your deepest and strongest feeling from your heart and soul? Making you see your lover's true self? His heart? His soul? His mind? Making you be more than willing to do anything for your lover? Steal for him? Kill for him? Die for him? Even that little speech alone is enough to bring out feelings he didn't even know existed. "Warren... I... I don't know what to say..." Nick whispered at last. "I... Well, you're right. I am not ready for... for *that* step just yet. I'm still struggling to get used to the fact that... I'm in love with you... a guy! Hell! I almost freaked out when you... touched me... last night. You're right, Warren. I need to take the time to come into terms with... with this whole gay thing. And yeah, I don't want this to be only sex. I love you too and I want this to be special. When we make love, it'll be special for both of us. It doesn't have to be all fireworks and flashing lights... but... special enough for both of us in its own way. And as for the... you know... top or bottom thingy... well... who knows what the future brings. The reason I was nervous was because... well... (chuckle)... you cannot deny it... it *is* big. At first, I thought you put a baseball bat in there or something (chuckle). But we'll explore the road together. Things always appear scary at first, but once you got used to the whole thing, it always turn out for the better." Warren smiled at him lovingly even as one of his fingers trailed forward and began stroking those cheeks gently. Silence rules as the two souls inches closer and their lips touched. Gentle touch became more and more passionate. Moments passed before Nick parted his lips and snaked out his tongue, caressing Warren's lips gently, seeking entry. Warren exhaled heavily as he allowed his lips to be pried open and his own tongue greeted the intrusion with as much passion as he could muster. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into the moment. His hands gently stroking the back of Nick's head, stroking the soft locks and kneading the back muscle of the neck even as their tongues dueled each other's lazily. When Nick pulled back, Warren's eyes are still closed. He leaned against the gentle strokes of Nick's finger on his cheek; silently wishing the magical moment could go on forever. Various emotions rages through the link that they shared, mostly love and passion and the warmth it produce send tingles all over his body and caused his heart to beats faster. The dark thoughts and emotions that he experienced that morning are still there, skulking in the darkest recesses of his mind... brooding. It will not go away. It always stays there; ready to pounce at a moment of weakness. And when it does, he became a totally new person: Cold, merciless, and full of hatred and fury. It happened this morning and it will happen again. It never ends. Nightmares, hallucinations, depressions, sudden outburst of temper in the past... it were all part of the mess he caused in his life in the past when he allowed Apocalypse to change him. Apocalypse has changed him in more ways than one. More than once, he contemplated of ending it once and for all. Wrist cut in the bathtub, putting a gun into his mouth and pulling the trigger, seeking out Sinister alone and try to kill him, flying himself into a cliff or something, or even flying up into the sky so high that he couldn't breathe anymore... He opened his eyes and saw Nick looking at him seriously. The shift in Nick's emotion told Warren that Nick has detected the darkening of his own emotion and guessed what he is thinking. "Warren, do this one thing for me, if you really love me." Nick said quietly. Warren simply looked at him expressionlessly and Nick continues on. "Promise me you won't kill yourself." "Nick..." Warren began softly but Nick plowed on. "I'm serious, Warren. I may not be a fully experienced empath or a telepath, but I know a suicidal feeling and tendency when I feel one. I swore this morning that I will not allow you kill yourself, and God help me, I won't! I *won't!*. You're going to live on whether you want to or not! You have *no* choice in this matter, mister! I will not go into the bathroom someday only to find you dead in the bathtub with your wrists slashed open or something. Promise me you will not do such a thing and if you have such thoughts in your mind again, promise me that you'll talk about it with me. Promise me! If you truly love me, promise me or so help me God, I'll march straight to Jean or the professor or Scott and let *them* deal with you." Warren actually shrank back against his seat, his wings quivering in agitation, at the intensity of Nick's words and emotions. The link now pulsates with fear and... and anger... distilled to daggers. He hesitantly raised his eyes to meet Nick's and almost recoiled at the burning intensity of it. This is not hate-related anger that Nick is throwing at him right now. This anger came solely from love. Not knowing what else to do, Warren nodded once under Nick's intense glare. The anger dissipated immediately and Warren immediately found himself pulled into a fierce hug. With his thought filled with various mixtures of gratitude, sadness, happiness and relief, he returned the hug just as fiercely, no so much as to return the favor, but more for the sake of making sure that this is not just some sort of a hopeful dream. Nick looked up at him after some moments; his eyes filled with unshed tears. "You feeling okay now, baby?" Nick whispered softly as he released Warren from the hug. He got off from Warren's thighs and sat back on the chair next to the man. Warren drank his coffee silently for a moment, leaning with his hands rested on the table, eyes downcast. "A little bit." He whispered. He slipped his hand over the table and grasped Nick's wrist, his grip is firm and hard as if he is making sure Nick doesn't leave him. "I'll be fine as long as you're with me." "I will not leave you, Warren." Nick said softly. "You shouldn't feel so insecure." Warren smiled as he took another bite of his bacon. "You know... I haven't smiled and laughed this much since... ever. How did you do it, Nick?" "Just doing what comes naturally, I guess." Nick answered as he gently caresses Warren's hand. "In the band, I was considered a pain in everyone's ass." "You must think I'm some sort of a mental case," Warren murmured softly. "I'd laugh at one instant, then I fall into bouts of depression, then I start seeing my former monster self in the mirror and start crying, and then comes the nightmares... I love you, Nick... but at the same time, some parts of my mind keeps on telling me that it isn't fair to put you through all these." "Warren," Nick said firmly, "you're not a mental case and I don't mind helping you through all this. You've been through a lot in your past and from the bits and pieces that I gathered so far... I can tell that it's no joke. So you have every right to feel the way you do right now but let me tell you this: You *will* get through this. The only reason it took you so long was because you've been carrying the burden alone. Well, I'm going to change all that. We'll face this together." "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Nick." Said Warren as he took another bite. "Wrong answer, Blondie." Nick smiled before leaning over and kissed Warren gently on the lips. "I'm an empath remember? I've experience what you're going through. I know what I'm getting into and it ain't gonna be pretty. But I'm up for the challenge. Consider it my first mission, heh heh." Warren raised an eyebrow as he looked at Nick and his lips formed a small smile. "And you said you don't want to join the X-men. You may not want to be part of the team, but you're already thinking like us." "Thanks..." Nick replied, looking at Warren smirking face suspiciously, his mind spinning to determine weather that little speech was meant as a compliment or an insult. "I think." The smile became a grin. Well, at least Warren's mood has improved. The dark brooding emotions are still there, slithering away within the dark recesses of his mind. But so far, his emotions are stable and well controlled. His love and affection flow ceaselessly through the link, thank God for that. If anything has changed in *that*, it is for the better. His affection has been increasing rather than otherwise. Inwardly, Nick shook his head in wonder. Before this, he has never thought that it is possible for two men to be this deeply in love, but well... here it is. "Stop thinking too much." Warren laughed softly. "You're giving me a headache. Bacon?" Nick smiled as he opened his mouth and accept the offering. His hands traveled unconsciously to one of the wings and started stroking it gently. "It's one thing to comb your hair, Warren, but you really need to take care of these feathers too. You're a mess, Bird-boy." Nick smiled as he began straightening each feathers gently. "Now, spread it mister!" He laughed when Warren groaned like some lazy schoolboy who doesn't want to comb his hair. But Warren did spread those wings and Nick started fiddling with the rest of the feathers. "Awww... ain't that sweet!" They both looked up as saw Rogue, Remy and Jean grinning from the door. "A whole lot of femme out dere are goin' to be heartbroken when dey learn 'bout this, chere." Remy smirked. "Most of dem goin' to be teenage girls but den, our Ange here has his own female followers... Ah! It's goin' to be a sad chapter in women's history." "But aren't they look sooo cute together??" said Rogue. "Ah wish ah have mah camera wit' me!" "Don't worry, Rogue. I got it." Jean grinned as she shows the camcorder in her hands. "Sacre! Jean! We can make a lot of money selling this to de tabloids!" Remy exclaimed. Warren rolled his eyes before fixing it to Nick lazily. "Well Nick," He said loudly. "In case you're wondering, *this* is what the X-men generally do when they are not out saving the world - clucking around the mansion like hens following a rooster." "Hope you don't tire out easily, honey," Rogue winked at Nick. "Ah heard that most of the girls he spent the night with in the past couldn't even talk coherently by morning." "Or even walk straight, mon ami," Said Remy. "Can I take a picture of you two kissing?" Jean asked from behind them. "Try doggie style..." "Need some leather stuff, mon ami? Remy can get some excellent original ones straight from de Thieves Guild torture chamber..." "... make an picture album of you two..." "... sex in Jacuzzi..." "... sex in his Porsche once..." "... one woman claimed Warren a total stallion..." "... ever think of threesome? A picture of you two and Bobby..." "... what about threesome with Scott...?" "... over my dead body! But it's a kinky image though, with Scotty being stern and giving out orders all the time and all..." Warren only laughed as Nick continues to blush uncontrollably. They call themselves X-men? Hah! More like the Brady Bunch. "Alright, everyone. Scott's already hammering in my head, asking me to let you all know that you all have 5 minutes to assemble in the Danger Room." Jean smiled. Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yuh wanna know why Scott is being sooo tight in the ass, Jeannie? It's because yuh haven't given him enough of the good stuff in bed! Why don't yuh spent the whole day in bed with him one day. He'll be nicely satiated and happy while the rest of us'll get a full free day." Remy laughed as Jean glared at the other woman darkly. "C'mon now, chere. As much as Remy love t'watch some erotic mud-slinging catfight, dis is not de time and de place. Not wit' Cyke fuming downstairs in de Danger Room waiting for us. Coming, mon Ange?" Warren smiled as he gave Nick a gentle kiss on the lips before running off to join Remy and Rogue. Nick stood up and joined Jean at the door. "You heard everything?" Nick asked softly. "That and more, Nick. I took the liberty of taking a brief peek into his mind." Jean answered just as softly. "I wished I hadn't." Nick looked at her worriedly as he saw a single tear leaked out from her eye. "That bad?" he asked worriedly. Jean nodded quietly as she wiped away her tear. "You did the right thing, Nick, in forcing that promise on him. He'll keep it. You also did the right thing for being there for him. Keep close to him and watch him at all time. He needs you now more than ever... more than you realized." "Rogue and Remy... did they heard it all too?" asked Nick. Jean shook her head. "They arrived at the very same time they called out on you. They didn't hear a thing. Keep on being there for him, Nick. I only peeked into his mind briefly, out of respect on his own privacy. Warren always hated people peeking into his mind without permission. But I suspect there's more to this problem then meets the eye. But without Warren's cooperation, there's nothing we can do." *******************************