She was shocked to see what was on the other side of the doors. It was so nice and clean. A soft grey tile floor stretched across the huge room but gave way to an off-white on the walls. Monitors and computers flashed along one wall, a weird paneling along the wall across from it. A heavy almost thumping noise was coming from somewhere in the room, but it was a quiet, mumbled kind of repetitive sound that she figured must have been coming from one of the pieces of machinery.
All she really cared about was the sink in the little kitchen area to the right with actual soap and hand towels. She moved over to it against Wolverine’s growl of disapproval. The blessed sink was mounted into a counter but it came well up almost to her chest and her shoulder was just too throbbing to lift her body weight.
“Help me up, sugah?” She said over her shoulder. His eyebrows clenched together but he made his way over to her. Smiling up at him she patted the countertop with her hand. He grunted and shot her a long look. And an annoyed look if she was getting any kind of skill in reading him. But large hands closed around her waist and heaved her up, depositing her onto the counter.
“Thanks.” She reached for the cold water tap and jerked it on, sending water flying out and all over the place. “Excuse me,” she muttered as she pushed him back just far enough to be able to swing her legs around and promptly shove her blistered feet under the cold spray. The incessant thumping bothered her less and less as the relief rose starting at her toes and moved up her skin.
After taking just as second to do nothing but wallow in the enjoyment of it she looked back up at Wolverine standing stock still beside her. She frowned. “Hey,” she said instead of reaching out to touch him. He didn’t move, his eyes staring down at her feet under the mini-torrential waterfall. So she reached out and laid a hand on the torn and bloody shirt barely covering his chest. “You okay?”
He snorted again at her, his eyes coming up to hers though. “I heal.”
She smirked at the near mocking tone in his rough voice. “Yeah, ah know. What ah meant was after bein’ in there--- ah mean, ya weren’t exactly—uh--” She huffed and blew out air. “Fuckin’ hell, you okay?”
His mood visibly darkened in front of her. She was thrown off how quickly they went from him almost teasing her to look at her like she’d just offended him. She almost through out an ‘I’m sorry’ but she had no clue what she was suppose to be sorry for and he didn’t seem like he really wanted to hear it. The memories, the pain…she was just worried about him, it must have been hard for him to even step into that room. Maybe she had insult his manhood? Suggested he was emotional weak?
When his accusing eyes pulled away from hers and she looked down to his fists. They were clenched so tight she could see the small gleam of metal just poking from his knuckles. Something of him inside of her rumbled and it hit her like a tidal wave. She quickly reached out and grabbed a hand full of grimy shirt to keep him from getting any farther away.
“Ah didn’t mean--” He snarled at the hand wrapped around in his shirt. “Ah didn’t mean what ya think.” His hand came up and latched tightly around her wrist but she didn’t let go. “Ah know ya ain’t an animal. Ah know. Ah was neva scared of ya.”
His grip stopped gaining pressure on her wrist bone but his glare did not lessen. “Alright. Ah’m lying, ah was scared of ya but justa gettin’ in ya way. Ah wanna know if ya okay mentally.” His chest began rumbling again. “No, no, not like that. Damn it, sugah. Are ya okay as in upset, in pain, sad?” A heavy sigh escaped her. “Ah think maybe ya got it right with tha not talkin’. Ah’m jus’ makin’ things worse, aren’t ah?”
He pulled her hand away and she let him. He reached over her and turned the cold water knob, shutting off the flow. She frowned up at him not because of the water since the burning had pretty much stopped. But because she had somehow managed to kill the best mood she’d seen him in since she unwillingly joined the military.
“The gun.”
His voice snapped her out of internal muttering. “What?”
He grumbled but instead of explaining reached for the stolen weapon lying up against her back. She lifted her arms as he pulled it around her, the leather strap rubbing uncomfortably on her bare shoulder as it moved. Once it was settled in her lap he grabbed her hand and held it on top of it.
“For Creed,” he said.
She nodded. “Ah know. When we find him, ah’ll be sure to shoot him, but what has that got ta---”
“He’s here.”
Her eyes nearly left her skull. “What? Where?” She looked around, which was really actually stupid. Sabretooth was at least twice Wolverine’s size. There was no way she wouldn’t have seen him leaning nonchalantly against one of the walls. But if Wolverine said he was here then the nut-job was here. Somewhere. As in he could pop out of anywhere, without warning…
Wolverine pointed towards the end of the room at the paneling. She instantly knew what that incessant thumping sound was. But it wasn’t thrashing or jerking, and that didn’t match Sabretooth.
“Holding cells,” Wolverine seemed to read her mind and answered in grumbled up words. “Chain you to wall.”
“Oh.” Normally she’d be floored by the novel coming out of his mouth. But instead she only felt grief for Sabretooth. “Is…is he okay, ya think?”
One black eyebrow went up. “He heals,” he said not in a light mocking tone but like he was talking to a complete idiot.
She rolled her eyes. Maybe he was talking to a complete idiot. Conversations with him didn’t go smoothly and it all went wrong on her end. How long ago was it that he snatched her out of her cell? Seemed like they’d been slowly crawling around inside this base for days. Okay, so she wasn’t the biggest idiot here because, sure, it hasn’t been days but they’d still been loose for a while—hour or two. And for that matter hadn’t gotten real far. As far as she could tell they were two floors up. It wasn’t like a few people haven’t seen them.
“So what’s the plan, smarty?” She grinned at him, knowing he had no clue of her internal mumbling but wanted to raise his mood again. “We jus’ gonna go over, let ‘em out, ask him to join tha party?”
He shook his head. “You stay.”
‘Of course’ she huffed to herself.
“If he gets close,” he went on. “You shoot.”
“Isn’t that a bit much, if he---“
“No.” Wolverine stopped her, his eyes darkening. “If he gets close you shoot.”
She raised her hands in defeat. She didn’t want to argue with him or be all that near to Sabretooth anyway. And as he liked to point out- they heal. “Anything ya say, big guy.”
He left her and all but marched down to the far end of the room. His heavy foot fall actually echoed so he must have wanted Sabretooth to hear him coming because up till those ominous steps he’d been moving silently. She just hoped more soldiers out in the base somewhere didn’t hear them as well. When he stopped in front of one of the panels—which must be doors—his claws shot out. She flinched. One set embedded into the door, sending electronic sparks flying everywhere and that time Wolverine flinched before quickly pulling the claws back. He kept the claws out and she was surprised when the door inched open but no large, hairy man jumped out. A dark, slow growl emerged from the crack in the door, however, and she found herself gripping the gun in her lap.
Wolverine slid the tips of his claws into the small opening and with a flip of his wrist pushed it further open. He stepped in. A torrent of animal noises erupted and she found it hard to tell one man from the other- of if there where even any men in there. Clanking, more thumping, and she found herself wincing, just imagining what was going.
Suddenly a very distinctive roar sounded throughout the room and Wolverine came flying out head first. She screamed as he collided into a large monitor across the room, glass shattering and sparks flying. She was so preoccupied watching him trying to get up she didn’t notice Sabretooth until he had a hold of Wolverine’s arm, pulling him to his feet. For half a second she thought that meant that was the end of it. That was before Sabretooth sent a big, arching uppercut into Wolverine’s gut sending him flying up and landing hard onto the title floor.
It occurred to her then that she didn’t know how to shoot a gun. She knew to pull the trigger but the aiming worried her, she didn’t want to waste any shots knowing Sabretooth’s mutation. And heaven help her if she missed and hit Wolverine. But just as she tried to pull up someone’s memories to help Wolverine was on his feet with a animalistic battle cry of his own and metal claws were buried into Sabretooth’s chest. She just about cheered when Wolverine’s other hand came up and backhanded Sabretooth across the face, forcefully removing him off his claws.
Sabretooth was on all fours panting on the ground. Wolverine took the opportunity to put a heavy black boot to Sabretooth’s back sending the bigger man flying into the small wooden table. It absolutely scattered and crumbled under him. He immediately turned around with a snarling roar. Wolverine was standing claws ready breathing heavy but merely smirked at him.
Sabretooth jumped to his feet, taking a hunk of wood with him. A big swing of it knocked Wolverine back into the open panel door. Him and the door bounced but didn’t go down. This was not going well to say the least. By the time they finished killing each other the soldiers would arrive, probably having them surrounded. And all they’d have to do it grab her and scrap those two off the floor.
“Hey!” She yelled. Two head snapped around. She swallowed the nervous thump and reminded herself she had a gun. “Would ya two knock it off already? Let’s at least try an’ make it a little hard for ‘em, how about it, boys?”
Pointy, yellow teeth revealed themselves on Sabretooth’s face as a crooked grin cracked it. Before she could scream he was moving, blond hair flying around him. She managed to get her hands up in a pathetic attempt to protect herself when she saw the red streaks on his long black nails.
She didn’t know she closed her eyes until she had to open them to find out why no pain came. Wolverine and Sabretooth were rolling around on the ground. Claws and hair and barks flying everywhere, Wolverine had very little of his shirt still attached to his body. Despite the carnage of the room and the sharp weapons they were both eagerly using there was no blood anywhere to be seen.
The ongoing battle of the animalistic Titans in front of her was awesome and she’d nearly wet herself the last time she tried to step in. But she had to do something. They had to stop. This was wasting time and didn’t help any of them. Damn it, if only it was not their first instincts to attack but talk.
“Boys!” She yelled again, this time making sure Wolverine had Sabretooth pretty well pinned. “Can we please channel some of that energy towards those guys in green? Ya know the ones that locked y’all up in here, treated ya like less than human, THOSE guys. Please?”
Instead of another bout they seemed to settle. There was some rumbling; some growls coming from the pile of man flesh on the floor but again for the life of her she couldn’t tell what came from whom. She found herself breathing a heavy sigh of relief when Wolverine pushed off the bigger mutant. The claws stayed out but he closely backed away. Sabretooth all but jumped to his feet, although thankfully he didn’t attack either. They just stood there staring at each other; she could only assume continuing their fight with their eyes instead of their claws.
Willingly herself not to be such a coward she pushed off the counter. The sound of her wet bare feet connecting with the tile somehow was so loud in the room. Neither man looked away from the other to her, but she could feel the growing of Sabretooth’s frightening smirk in her gut as she moved forward. As soon as she got close to the duo Wolverine’s hand shot out and snatched a hold of her arm, pulling her flush against him. She gasped at the action and the sudden collision of so much of her skin with his very warm skin. But with the catlike man beast looming over them she was still immensely glad he did it.
“You first,” the big man sneered. His voice was nothing like Wolverine’s. Where Wolverine’s voice was deep and rough, like sand paper lined his throat, Sabretooth’s was just a bit lighter but edged with razors like they could come flying out at her any time. She found herself thinking it did little to add to his terrifying presences, those large, completely black eyes accomplished that.
Wolverine’s grip around her tightened and a distinctive growl came up from deep in his chest. “Just walk, Creed.”
Sabretooth’s eyes settle onto her and a slimy red tongue came out and dragged roughly across his bottom lip. Despite trying to keep her courage she found herself yelping at the sight and moving to get behind Wolverine. Neither man seemed to acknowledge her action. Sabretooth merely turned around and headed towards the doors at the end of the room. She released the breath she had been holding but got no time to enjoy his retreating back before Wolverine was pulling her forward after him.
Through the doors the décor went back to poorly lit dark walls and plain concrete floors. It was another hall way, both going right and left went on as far as she could see. She kept from smiling when both men began sniffing the air and the same time.
Sabretooth spoke first, pointing to the right. “This way. More scents.”
Wolverine nodded and pulled her to the left. It became quickly clear that they were splitting up. Of course, it was what she hoped for and she was glad they were going in the direction of less scents but she was slightly surprised since she didn’t hear them discuss it with each other. They didn’t make three steps before Sabretooth called out to them again with a “Hey, runt!” They both turned to glared at the blond.
Sabretooth’s eyes raked over her again. “Why do you get the female?”
“Ah’m goin’ with him,” she immediately answered leaning further into Wolverine having no problem finding her voice then. There was not going to be any confusion about that. The thought occurred to her that it wasn’t too late to shoot him. The blond grunted then winked at her. She had never been so happy to see anyone’s back as he turned and walked away.
Wolverine pulled at her again and she reluctantly followed, not really happy about Sabretooth at her back until there was more space separating them. But Wolverine’s hold on left little discussion about it so she found herself back to obediently following. She trusted him to protect her from soldiers she could trust him to keep an eye open for the other mutant as well.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000