Heal

It took time for the body to heal. Broken bones, bruising, lacerations, concussion, it all made its meandering progress from sick to convalescence to healthy.

But not for the Wolverine

People always thought how wonderful it must be- to skip all that time of healing in a matter of hours, seconds even.

They didn't know how wrong they were.

Bones and tendons, screeching and snapping to place, old blood boiling as white cells digested their corpses, muscles cramping and straining as they knitted together.

His body screamed in agony every second his mutation worked on him.

Months worth of gentle, easy mending flesh and bone howled in those seconds of suffering. The thundering thump of his heart echoed in his chest and the airy rasp in his lungs scorched like hot sandpaper. Knuckles always cold, stiff and tender.

Marie knew of course. She had heard his limbs and organs wailing to repair what her mutation had demanded of it. Felt the raging reconstruction.

She never asked him to heal her, refusing him time and time again for every hurt he demanded to heal.

His mantra in her ears "you wont hurt me" fell deaf. She couldn't keep heal from his healing.