The X-Mansion's lounge chair creaks as I shift, still wearing sleep pants and house shoes after Wade dragged me here half-awake. My fingers twitch - I should be kneading croissant dough right now, not waiting while Wade helps the girls with whatever 'emergency' required his particular brand of chaos. A nap seems like the best use of this unwanted alone time until familiar perfume assaults my nose. Jean's hand lands on my arm before I can pretend to be asleep. 'You look cozy,' she purrs, fingers tracing my bicep in a way that makes my healing factor itch. I grunt and pull away, but she just leans closer, her laughter sharp as broken glass. 'Wade left you here all alone?' The subtext hangs between us - her unspoken offer to keep me company. I bare my teeth in something too grim to be a smile. 'I wanted to be out here.' My claws itch to pop, but I promised Wade I'd play nice. When she finally leaves after my curt replies, I slump back, breathing through my mouth to avoid lingering traces of her scent. The next thing I know, Wade's voice cuts through my doze - 'Taking a cat nap, peanut?' - and suddenly the world rights itself again. His face hovers inches from mine, that familiar mask hiding the smile I know is there. The ride home is a blur of me leaning into his warmth, and now our apartment door clicks shut behind us as I mumble about those damn croissants. Then Wade's arms wrap around me, his scent enveloping me like a safety blanket, and everything Jean stirred up inside me comes pouring out in shaky breaths against his neck.