[Third Person Pov]
After Gwen finished extracting the bullet, she placed her hands back over Logan's body and slowly withdrew her power. A soft glow faded from her palms as she returned his regeneration speed to its normal, ferocious rate.
"Get ready," Gwen warned Jean, stepping back to observe Logan's condition closely. "All of his suppressed memories are going to start rushing in once that section of his brain officially heals."
Jean was already positioned right beside Logan, gently holding his hands in hers. She nodded with focused resolve, mentally steeling herself for what was coming.
Inside Logan's mind, the damaged part of his brain began to regenerate and rebuild itself at an astonishing pace. Suddenly, he started to growl low in his throat, his jaw clenching tightly as violent flashes of long-buried memories began flooding back in.
…
Memories of his skeleton being forcibly injected with molten adamantium surged through his consciousness.
…
On the operating table, Logan began twitching violently from the phantom pain. The sound of his teeth grinding harshly against each other was audible throughout the room, sending an uneasy chill through everyone watching.
"Ahhh!" Jean cried out suddenly, her empathic abilities forcing her to experience the agonizing pain Logan had endured all those years ago right alongside him.
"Jean!" Scott exclaimed from the viewing platform, his voice sharp with concern. He spun around, ready to rush down and intervene.
However, before he could take more than a few steps, Charles reached out and firmly took hold of his arm. "Allow Jean her time to shine, Scott. I know you're protective of her, but she won't grow if you're constantly coddling her."
Jean winced as she felt Logan's grip on her hands growing increasingly stronger, nearly crushing. A face kept repeatedly flashing through his memories—one that Jean could clearly detect along with the name attached to it: *William Stryker*.
"Not to mention she isn't alone down there right now," Charles added calmly, continuing to reassure the worried Cyclops about Jean's safety.
Jean could feel her hand on the verge of shattering under Logan's powerful grip, but the crisis never fully materialized. Peter acted with lightning speed, delivering a fast and precise strike to a pressure point in Logan's arm. The mutant's hand immediately went limp.
"Ughh…" Jean groaned, flicking her hands to shake off the lingering pain. Despite what had just happened, she didn't look deterred in the slightest. Her face was hardened with fierce determination to help Logan sort through the chaos in his mind.
She reached forward and pressed her fingers gently against his temples, using her telepathy to soothe the overwhelming agony he was experiencing. With careful mental guidance, she began helping him organize the torrent of returning memories.
She caught brief but vivid flashes of Logan's time during the war: moments standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Steve Rogers as explosions and gunfire thundered around them. Steve reaching out to him through the smoke, protecting the team with his shield. Logan quietly shielding his comrades with his own body without them ever knowing. Then, the iconic image of the Howling Commandos lined up together, proudly taking a photograph.
Logan's eyes suddenly snapped open with a deafening, beastly roar as his feral instincts completely took over. His bone claws burst out from between his knuckles with a sharp *snikt* and slashed wildly at the closest person—Jean.
Peter managed to grab Jean's shoulder and yank her out of harm's way just in time, while simultaneously blocking the attack with his own bone claws in a shower of sparks.
Gwen instantly shot a thick strand of webbing toward Logan, yanking him hard across the operating table. He toppled over and landed on all fours like a wild animal. With a furious snarl, he sliced through the web with his claws and lunged at Gwen with a series of savage, blindingly fast swipes.
Gwen bobbed and weaved effortlessly between each deadly claw strike, her movements fluid and precise. She ducked low at the perfect moment and swept his legs right out from underneath him with a swift, practiced maneuver.
Peter leapt over the operating table with incredible athleticism and struck several key pressure points across Logan's body in the blink of an eye. "You have to act quickly!" he called out to Jean. "His healing actually counterattacks my hits on his pressure points!"
Jean immediately slid across the floor and appeared behind Logan as he lay momentarily stunned on the ground. With Gwen and Peter firmly holding down his powerful arms, Jean placed both hands over his forehead and channeled her telepathy, forcing him to fall into a deep, calming sleep.
His growling and violent thrashing slowly subsided as the induced sleep took full effect. The intense tension in his muscles gradually softened, leaving him lying still and peaceful once more on the floor.
"Short people and their short tempers, am I right guys?" Peter quipped, lifting his hand for a celebratory high-five. Both Gwen and Jean simply stared at him with flat, unimpressed expressions, leaving his hand hanging awkwardly in the air.
Peter and Gwen carefully lifted Logan between them and gently set him back onto the operating table. Once he was settled, Peter dramatically raised his bone claws upward. "Now we neuter him for good measure—"
The comment earned him a loud snort from Gwen, which clearly pleased him to no end.
…
Logan slowly opened his eyes, letting out a deep, gruff groan filled with lingering sleep and weariness. His head felt strangely clearer, though his body still ached from the ordeal.
The first thing he saw were both Spider-Man and Ghost-Spider leaning over him, examining him closely with far too much amusement.
Peter was obviously grinning behind his mask. "Congratulations, Ms. Howlett! The operation was a complete success. You should feel a bit uncomfortable after we successfully removed something that's been with you for the majority of your life, but we are here to help and support you as you journey through this exciting new stage of your life."
"Ms. Who?" Logan muttered, still groggy, before the memory of Peter's final words right before he went under hit him like a freight train.
He scrambled upright in a panic and immediately started frantically checking between his legs. After a thorough, relieved pat-down, he let out a massive sigh of deep, genuine relief when he confirmed everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.
Jean and Gwen both burst into snickering, trying—and failing—to hold back their laughter. Peter didn't even bother hiding his own loud cackling.
"That's not funny!" Logan growled, looking ready to lunge at the source of the prank.
"It really is though," Peter giggled, still laughing—right up until Logan was suddenly upon him, bone claws extended, grabbing him roughly by the collar of his suit.
"Why don't I be the one to turn *you* into Ms. Spider-Woman and see how funny it is?" Logan snarled, bringing his gleaming claws dangerously close to Peter's masked face. "And don't worry, bub—I've got the tools right here to do it."
Peter just continued smiling brightly underneath his mask, clearly delighted by the strong reaction he had successfully provoked.
The doors to the Danger Room suddenly slid open, and Charles wheeled in accompanied by the rest of the X-Men. "Logan, please stop it," Charles said in clear exasperation. "You haven't even thanked them yet for what they've done for you."
Logan scoffed and shoved Peter away, though the younger hero continued giggling like a mischievous child who had gotten exactly what he wanted.
He didn't get the chance to properly express his gratitude. The X-Men who had entered slowly parted, revealing Steve Rogers trailing quietly behind them.
"Finally remember me, ol' pal?" Steve asked with a wide, warm grin spreading across his face.
"Rogers…" Logan slowly broke into a matching grin, his expression softening with genuine emotion.
The two old friends clasped hands firmly and pulled each other into a heartfelt embrace, laughing merrily together. The sight brought warm, affectionate smiles to everyone around them.
Jean started fanning her eyes, visibly trying not to cry at the touching reunion between the two men.
Meanwhile, Peter was looking off to the side, covering his mouth with his hands. Gwen glanced at him in confusion and teased, "Are you also trying not to cry?"
"No, I'm trying not to laugh and ruin the moment…" Peter struggled to say, his voice muffled behind his hands.
"Huh? Laugh at what?" Gwen asked, tilting her head in genuine confusion.
"It's hard for me to get emotional at this when his butt is showing," Peter whispered to her, subtly motioning toward Logan.
Gwen looked over and realized that Logan's hospital gown had ridden up completely, leaving his very hairy backside on full display for the entire room.
"Ughhh," she groaned, immediately turning back toward Peter, looking away from the sight and trying desperately to erase the disturbing image from her mind. She started punching him repeatedly in the arm. "You. Are. Such. A. Manchild!"
************************************************
+5 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3