The XXX-Gene Ch. 70 (Marvel)

A/N: Missed opportunities :P

-x-X-x-

There’s a moment where Thaddeus thinks Storm might do something… rash. The longer she stares at the photos, the more deathly afraid the beautiful woman becomes until he’s wondering if she’s going to do something truly reckless. It’s not a look that Thaddeus has ever seen on the African woman before. She’s always seemed so composed and confident, so poised and put-together.

But then he watches as she slowly reins herself in. She doesn’t let her impulsive thoughts, whatever they might be, get the better of her. Instead, Storm takes in a deep breath and then slowly lets it out before eyeing him carefully.

“… I assume you know who this looks like, seeing as you’re showing me these pictures.”

Smiling slightly, Thaddeus inclines his head in acknowledgment.

“It was actually Emma Frost who recognized the familiar face that Madelyne Pryor wears. We thought you and your team might want to know.”

Alas, maybe it would have been better if she HAD gone and done something foolish. At least for his and Emma’s plans. As things stand, Storm gets a knowing look in her eye, even as she gazes at him for a long moment.

“Purely out of the kindness of your hearts, I’m sure.”

Her incredibly dry tone makes it clear she knows better and probably recognizes this for what it is… a distraction. Even still, Thaddeus sees the way that Storm can’t help but glance back down at the photos a couple times more, even as she reluctantly hands his phone back to him. Just because the target knew they were being distracted didn’t always make the distraction any less… distracting.

Rather than answer her implied accusation, Thaddeus just smiles and tucks his phone away.

“If you need my help investigating Professor Pryor, I would be happy to assist. Though I find myself curious… one would think you would be more excited at the possibility of a comrade seemingly coming back from the dead. Instead you seem almost… afraid.”

Storm’s eyes flash a little bit at that, her smile dropping as she rises from behind her chair.

“I suppose if Frost is your source of knowledge, you wouldn’t know the details of Jean’s death, would you? We kept it under wraps for good reason.”

Thaddeus just inclines his head wordlessly, letting her continue.

“… You need to stay away from ‘Madelyne Pryor’, Thaddeus. If she is Jean, then the X-Men can handle it. If she’s anything else, then obviously it’s some sort of trap or scheme.”

Seriously? She really thinks he’ll just listen to her without more information?

“Obviously it’s a trap of some sorts. I don’t really believe in coincidences this strong. Three of my Professors were replaced on Monday. Now, I know where you came from and who’s interests you represent.”

Storm opens her mouth to protest such mercenary terms, but Thaddeus cuts her off.

“But I have no clue who the fuck ‘Shu Wong’ is or who sent her. And obviously I don’t know anything about Madelyne Pryor either except for that she’s wearing your dead friend’s face and the possibility of Jean Grey’s survival scares you more than it excites you. On top of that though, she’s literally my Biology Professor. I couldn’t stay away from her even if I wanted to listen to you.”

Admittedly, it was interesting how all four of the women who had clearly come to ESU for him and him personally had wound up taking over four of his classes back to back all on the same day. But Thaddeus honestly chalked that up to his super-charged Luck Power. It had to find some way of tilting the odds in his favor and… well, he’d certainly figured out something was going on far quicker this way.

Storm winces and Thaddeus knows he’s made a pretty damn good point at the end there. She’s asking him to stay away from the Professor in charge of one of his courses. Something he can’t exactly do unless he’s going to skip class for who knows how long.

Rather than continue trying to convince him, however, Storm begins to gather up her things as she speaks.

“… Just don’t let her get you alone, Thaddeus. And whatever you do, definitely don’t have sex with her.”

 Draping her coat over her arm, the statuesque African Goddess of a woman begins making her way towards the door.

“I’m serious. Jean Grey wasn’t just a telepath. I can’t tell you anything more than that, not without risking your safety further… but you don’t want access to her powers. You just don’t.”

And then the female mutant is out the door, heading lord knows where. To investigate further, maybe? Still, it seems she really wanted to get away from this conversation fast, because she’s even left him alone in her office. Not that there seems to be anything to snoop, she’s only been at the University for a few days after all.

As Thaddeus looks around in consternation for a moment, he feels a liquid-like sensation against his skin. Then, out from under his clothes, Cessily Kincaid flows and forms herself up into a humanoid body that starts out metallic and silvery but slowly gains the appearance of proper human skin. Soon enough, Cessily stands before him looking completely normal as she eyes the office briefly too.

“Well… that was weird.”

Grimacing, Thaddeus nods.

“Yeah.”

Grinning at him, Cessily’s eyes twinkle in amusement.

“Ya know, for a second there I thought she was going to demand you fuck her right then and there.”

Wait, what? Thaddeus brow furrows in confusion as he lets out a small bark of disbelieving laughter.

“Hah! What’re you talking about, Cessily?”

Shrugging, Cessily steps over to Storm’s desk, running her fingers across the wood.

“Well, what do you do when your fight or flight instincts are triggered by something you know you aren’t strong enough to fight? Maybe most will react with flight, but some… would seek to get stronger. And you kind of are a walking, talking power boost aren’t you?”

Huh… okay, he could kind of see it.

“Alas, cooler heads prevailed there didn’t they? Unfortunate, but we’ll get her eventually.”

That gets Thaddeus to give his companion a look.

“I’m not going to try to trick Storm into having sex with me just because she rejected my initial offer, Cessily. I have more than enough willing women jumping into bed with me already.”

Grinning, Cessily hops up onto Storm’s desk, kicking her legs back and forth.

“Yeah but… it’s Storm. She’s kind of drop dead gorgeous. I definitely think you want to fuck her. Hell, I want to see you fuck her. Frankly, it was a little exhilarating just watching her stoic attitude drop out of fear today. It would be so much hotter to see that face of hers contort in pleasure instead though.”

That was… Cessily wasn’t wrong, but at the same time…

“Well I’m not going to try to push the issue. If it happens, then it’ll come from her end. Honestly, at this point I just want to know more about Jean Grey. What happened that led to her death in the first place?”

Cessily just shrugs.

“I dunno. Before my time. Buuut… I could look into it for you maybe. Go back to the Institute, try and ask around a little bit. Oh! I could recruit Laura and we could go interrogate Logan together!”

Thaddeus gives her a curious look at that, causing Cessily to grin.

“It’ll work, just trust me.”

Unlike Storm, who Thaddeus thought was a good person but wasn’t about to trust unconditionally… he did just trust Cessily. She’d had ample opportunity to betray him by now. Of course, rather than just hop off of the desk and head off to do precisely what she’d just said, Cessily gives him a coy grin and shows him why she REALLY decided to take back up her humanoid form as she spreads her legs wide and melds away her fake clothing to reveal her naked form beneath.

“First though… wanna fuck on the Professor’s desk while she’s off doing who knows what and unknowingly missing out? Heh, how often do you get a chance like this?”

… This would literally be the third time he’d fucked someone on or over a desk in the past three days. But Thaddeus doesn’t say that. Nor does he decline the invitation. Instead he just chuckles and steps forward, already freeing his cock from its confines. Cessily was still right after all. Fucking her atop Professor Munroe’s desk after the other woman just sidelined them DID sound quite fun~

-x-X-x-

“I appreciate you agreeing to this meeting, Ms. Frost.”

Seated behind her desk, Emma doesn’t rise to shake She-Hulk’s hand. A slight snub maybe, but she’s not about to put herself within physical distance of such a woman, even if she could switch to her Diamond Form in a split second. She does offer the other woman an icy smile though, even as she gestures to the reinforced chair across from her.

“Of course Ms. Walters. It was my… pleasure.”

And yet, to her mild surprise… it doesn’t seem like She-Hulk acknowledges the snub in any way. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, she would say the other woman seemed somewhat distracted by something. The large, beautiful, green-skinned heroine kept glancing off to the side every so often and when she caught herself doing it and forced herself to stop, her eyes kept flicking over anyways involuntarily.

Nothing was over there that Emma could see or sense. And the room had been swept for bugs multiple times today, even more than normal. Silence reigns for a long moment, before Emma clears her throat.

“You were the one who asked for this meeting, Ms. Walters.”

At the slight note of reproach in her voice, She-Hulk jolts and straightens up. Her tailored pantsuit looks amazing on her large body, Emma has to admit. Mm, what she wouldn’t give to have the other woman on her knees before her.

“Right, sorry… I’ve just been a little distracted since Monday. Something… I’m not sure how to describe it, but I think it’s something to do with Thaddeus.”

Emma raises an eyebrow, distinctly unimpressed. She’d been expecting more confidence from the other woman. More… forcefulness. This was…

“Yes. I imagine that’s why we’re both here. To discuss young Thaddeus between the two of us, woman to woman.”

Well, not just that. Also the Hellfire Club, if they got to it. But needless to say, Emma would prefer they didn’t get to it. If she could keep this conversation focused solely on her newly minted White Knight and away from the Hellfire Club and it’s illicit dealings, all the better.

“No… I mean yes, but it’s not just that. Do you ever think… about how the world seems to revolve around Thaddeus?”

… What? Emma blinks owlishly, even as She-Hulk gives her a serious, probing gaze. What was she talking about? Revolved around… Thaddeus? Finally, Emma just shakes her head and chuckles.

“I don’t quite know what you mean to say. He’s a good young man with a bright future ahead of him. But the world certainly does not revolve around him.”

“Doesn’t it though? Isn’t it strange how we’re here right now, two powerful women in our own right… and we’re discussing him of all people?”

Emma really didn’t know where She-Hulk was going with this. But she certainly wasn’t going to change the subject on her end.

“Well, he is the bridge that brings us together, is he not? You and I would have no reason to interact without Thaddeus’ involvement.”

She-Hulk just frowns at that though.

“That’s not entirely true. There are a number of reasons we might interact. I’m a lawyer, you’re a businesswoman. I’m an Avenger, you’re part of a shifty and shady club that might have criminal leanings. And yet… what brings us together is a young man who we’re both having sexual relations with. That doesn’t strike you as odd? It’s not… strange to you in any way?”

Emma just shakes her head, growing increasingly bewildered by the trajectory of this conversation.

“No? It’s a big world. Connections happen for many reasons all the time. Just because Thaddeus happens to be what brings us together in this moment doesn’t mean anything more. Are you… alright Ms. Walters?”

She asks that last question because She-Hulk had started looking off to the side again. Jolting, she turns back to Emma with a blank look on her face for a brief moment before she finally smiles.

“… I’m fine. You’re right, of course. Besides, it’s probably just a byproduct of Thaddeus’ Luck Powers more than anything right? When Lady Luck is on your side, anything is possible.”

… Yes, that made sense. Emma still peers at She-Hulk curiously. She wishes she could go a step further and peer into the other woman’s mind, but she’s confident that she would be caught and that would not go well for her. For the same reason, Emma is avoiding just going with the easy option of mentally dominating the green-skinned heroine.

Sure, she might get away with it for a time, and under different circumstances she might have tried it… but right now it was better to hold off on anything as drastic as that. Especially when She-Hulk could still prove to be an ally in the battles ahead. Ah well, as much as Emma would have liked to just keep talking about Thaddeus until they ran out of time, she supposed she would have to be the one to push the conversation along.

“Tell me, Ms. Walters… what do you want from me exactly?”

Straightening up and squaring her shoulders, She-Hulk suddenly looks far more imposing than she did a moment ago. Emma has to hold back the urge to blush a little bit, even as the taller, impressively built woman leans forward.

“Right. What I want from you… it’s simple Ms. Frost. I want you to flip on the Hellfire Club. Turn on your peers, help me take them down, and let me save you from yourself.”

W-Well now. Emma raises an eyebrow, affecting an amused look. She hides the true effect that She-Hulk’s words have on her behind a shake of her head.

“Save me from myself, hm? That’s… quite admirable of you.”

She says admirable, but really she means adorable. And yet, She-Hulk isn’t backing down.

“I’m serious. Thaddeus is a good man, but he’s loyal to you, I can see that much. And for him to be loyal to you… it means you aren’t such a bad person either. The Hellfire Club is like a pit of quicksand. You already pulled Thaddeus in with you. But I’m offering you both the chance to grab my hands and let me pull you out right here, right now.”

This… this was more what Emma expected from agreeing to sit down with a hero. An Avenger at that. With all that strangeness from the beginning behind them, now she feels like she’s finally on a battlefield she understands. She-Hulk’s straightforwardness is rather enviable in its own way though… Emma will have to be far more circumspect if she wants to come out of this exchange the victor.

-x-X-x-

A/N: For those of you who didn't pick up on it, I'm toying with the idea of She-Hulk breaking the 4th Wall a little bit in this chapter. But not entirely sure whether it's a good idea or not, so I'm crowd sourcing the decision.

To be clear, I've already decided that even if She-Hulk starts to 4th Wall Break more often, Thaddeus will not ever develop the ability.

I repeat, the MC is NOT going to start breaking the Fourth Wall, because frankly I don't trust myself to handle an MC doing it in the same way I feel like I can handle a side character doing it.