“Yes, I have. One hundred eighteen days, 9 hours, and 53 minutes.”
“You’re shittin’ me.”
This time I nod, ducking my head and glancing down into the water between my knees, then looking up again from beneath my eyelashes with a small smile on my face. Yes, I suppose it is a rather feminine gesture, but Logan finds it appealing, so I do it. Super Macho Man I am not. I will leave that to him.
Finally, I laugh and admit, “Ja. I am shitting you. The days are correct, but I have made up the rest of it.”
During all this time, I have been painfully aware that the mere fact that he is here does not guarantee that it is permanent. When he left, he promised to return in order to let me know of his decision. So far, neither of us has touched upon that subject. Sooner or later, it must come up. But not just yet.
Sliding down so his body is fully submerged, he leans back far enough to duck his head under the water to get his hair wet, then surfaces again, scrubbing the water out of his eyes and pushing his hair back so that it lies plastered down to his head, which makes him look most unusual. He leans back once again. The tub is long enough that his legs can stretch almost straight out along the bottom, one on either side of where I still sit scrunched together. I am content simply to watch him, enjoying his naked body. I want to take hold of that tempting cock and —
“You don’t look real comfy down there, darlin’. Let’s see if we can’t find a better way to arrange ourselves. Here, try putting your back against me and lying sort of on top of me.”
“Vhat?” I ask playfully. “You are really asking me to be on top?”
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
Carefully, I turn and slide up between his legs, then lie back as he suggested, trying not to let my weight rest on his genitals. I have to bend my knees up and out of the water in order to fit, not to mention maneuvering my tail down between my legs
then curling the end at the foot of the tub. The end result is that I am resting essentially on the base of my tail, but the water buoys me up so much that it is not uncomfortable for either of us. Logan, of course, is so weighted down by the adamantium in his bones that he does not float at all, while the water level is much higher than in modern-style bathtubs, so I am not left high and dry by being on top of him.
“You figured that out ahead of time, didn’t ya?”
“Ja. As I told you, I have had plenty of time to lie around in this tub figuring out such things.”
“And I suppose that’s all ya did while you were in here?”
“Vell, not exactly.”
He gives a short laugh. “I can imagine.” Then his voice changes. “Uh – Elf, what’s this new design on the back of your neck?”
“I decided to cover the scar left from William Stryker’s drug with something better.”
“It’s not another sin, is it?”
“No. That’s a Moravian Star. It stands for hope and love and promises that have been fulfilled. Storm vas kind enough to do it for me, since it is in a place that vould be difficult for me to reach.”
“Storm, huh? OK. Speaking of scars, why the questions you asked me earlier on?”
“Not too long ago, Mystique came here impersonating you. It – uh – took me a vhile before I realized it vas her.”
“Oh. Oh!” The light dawns. “And you reacted the same way you did when you first saw me?”
“Ja. Pretty much.” I avert my eyes, but he lifts my chin.
“Darlin’, don’t worry about it. That bitch can fool damn near anyone. Did I ever tell ya about how she snuck into my tent pretending to be Jean, at Alkali Lake?”
I shook my head. “Vhat happened?”
“Well, let’s just say she didn’t get what she came for.”
“I am afraid that she did get vhat she came for from me. But that vas my choice. I vill tell you the whole story later on.”
“How’d you figure out it wasn’t me? Oh wait. Those questions you asked me about the scars. She didn’t know the answers, right?”
“Ja. Right.”
He laughs.
“So why was she here, other than to screw you over?”
“She vanted to tell me that I am her son, but she is not my mother. She is my father.”
He takes a moment to think that over. “You’re sayin’ she had shifted into a male body and fathered a child with a woman, who became your mother?”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll be damned! I knew she could appear to be a man, but I didn’t think the appearance was that – uh – complete.”
“Vell, assuming she vas not lying to me, I am living proof that she can.”
“You OK with that?”
“For now, I vill accept it as possibly true.”
He says nothing. I am not sure if it is because he has nothing more to say about Mystique, or if he could say more but does not want to. The silence lengthens. I wonder which of us will speak first. I decide to put off satisfying my curiosity about how well Mystique seemed to know him. Now is not the time for that, and besides, I do not really care even if they have been lovers at some time in his past. That is not important.
The water holds us both in its sensuous arms, and I feel more relaxed than I might otherwise have been. I hope he does also.
“You been takin’ care of yourself while I’ve been gone?”
“Oh, ja. I am fine.”
His hand circles my cock, moving slowly, beginning to arouse me. “I meant takin’ care of yourself in other ways, darlin’. Like this.”
“Of course.”
“And were you imaginin’ it was me while you were doin’ it?”
“Vell, a few times I vas, ja.”
“Only a few?!”
“All right,” I admit. “More than a few. I – uh – also had a little help from my friends.” I am not sure how he will react to this.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Lemme guess: Storm, right?”
“How did you know?”
“Hey, you figure I’m deaf and blind? I’ve seen how she looks at you sometimes, and the tenderness in her voice. Not to mention the way her scent changes when you’re around. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Vell, to tell you the truth –“
“Ah, Elf, you can be awful naïve. I guess you’d like me to blame it on your not having my excellent sense of smell, huh?”
“Ja. That vould be kind of you.”
He chuckles softly. “Ya gonna tell me about it?”
“Some day maybe,” I reply coyly, knowing perfectly well that I will, glad it is not going to be a problem between us. Yes, I know we have an open relationship, but such a thing can be difficult to maintain in the real world.
“I bet ya did it plenty of times here in this tub, huh?”
“Do you mean vith Storm, or vithout her?” I ask archly.
“Well, I meant without her, but it really doesn’t matter.” He continues to languidly work his hand up and down on my cock, which is beginning to react to his ministrations. I can feel his own erection poking against my back. I do not wish to try to figure out the logistics of sex in the tub just now, although I know we will try it eventually, probably when we are in the mood for something slow and peaceful. It would be all too easy to create a flood of water all over the floor if we were not careful, and careful is not a good description of what happens when the two of us get enthusiastic about what we are doing.
“Genug!” I say. “Enough of this. Let us get out of the tub before ve dissolve, ja?”
“Ja, darlin’. Definitely ja. I’m feelin’ pretty waterlogged myself. But this was great.”