Eyelash Wishes
A Mutant X fanfic.
Jesse Kilmartin's first days in Stormking Mountain.
"You’re not a prisoner here."
"I can go?"
"Anywhere you want to, though I’d prefer it, if you stayed out of the lab."
Tears streamed down his face.
"Hey, hey it’s okay. You’re safe here; no one is going to hurt you." Adam reached for him but he turned and ran.
"Well, that could have gone better. Want me to go after him?" Shalimar asked.
"No, Shal it’s better if we just let him settle in and get used to being here. Don’t chase the poor kid; I get the feeling he’s had more than enough of that."
~^~
After a week of living with the ‘ghost’ as she had taken to calling him, Shalimar was getting impatient.
"I just wanna talk to him; carry on a conversation you know." She complained to Adam one afternoon.
"He’ll come to us when he’s ready, you can’t rush him Shalimar."
She frowned, "I’m not gonna hurt him I just miss having someone else here." Her voice was sad.
"I know you’re lonely but he needs time." Adam’s watch beeped, "My samples are finished cycling. We’ll have lunch okay?"
"Dinner, lunch was three hours ago."
"Oh, sorry. Dinner then, I promise."
~^~
Shalimar’s eyes flashed yellow as she picked up the boy’s scent. She’d been covertly tracking him around the complex all week, in the last couple of days he seemed to be more aware of what she had been doing - his trail had frequently disappeared through walls and floors. She sniffed, he was close.
"I’m not going to hurt you." She held her hands out, palms up to show him she was empty handed.
He snorted derisively. "I’m not afraid of you."
"I just want to be friends, aren’t you lonely?"
He took a step back as she approached and she stopped as he eyed her nervously.
"Can I touch you?" She asked.
He frowned.
"I’ll let you touch me." she offered
His cheeks dimpled with a mischievous grin.
"Hey now." she laughed, "keep it clean."
He stared at her for a moment kissed his index finger and pressed it to her cheek.
Shalimar smiled, "My first kiss from you." she raised her hand and he flinched back, closing his eyes and turning his head.
"I won’t hurt you, I promise."
"Sorry." He said, opening his eyes and turning back to her.
"It’s okay, I understand."
He shivered, staring at her with wide eyes. His teeth clenched and his breaths were quick and shallow. She reached out slowly, his eyes following her movement. Shalimar’s hand was warm on his cheek.
"I’d never hurt you, and I’ll never let anyone hurt you, I swear."
His eyes closed again but this time he leaned into her touch with a weary sigh. "I’m tired."
"Think you wanna try sleeping in your bedroom?" She asked with a smile, "instead of the hanger."
"How..."
She tapped the side of her nose, "Feral."
"Oh yeah. Can we watch movie?"
"I though you were tired."
"I don’t ... like to sleep."
~^~
When Adam came in from the lab he found them both asleep on the couch. Jesse was curled against Shalimar; her arms were around him and her chin rested on his head.
Adam smiled, quietly he returned to the lab just long enough to grab a camera.
Shalimar stirred a little at the sound of the shutter but he took a couple more shots anyway.
His family was growing, one at time.