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….
"I hope you haven't accidentally started a war somewhere or taken over the world?" the professor tried to joke, smiling gently.
"We-e-ell..." I put on a highly convincing show of looking guilty.
"Oh," the telepath sighed, pressing the fingers of his free hand to his forehead.
"It's not all bad," I reassured him. "Jotunheim's ambitions will now be directed away from normal worlds and will end up coming back to bite other freaks who love conquering peaceful planets and subjugating civilizations. My foolish older brother is back in Asgard and has even wised up a little... well, so I'd like to believe. Odin, unfortunately, hasn't woken up yet, but Gungnir, as it turns out, has a sense of humor and understands my jokes." Twirling the cane between my fingers, I demonstrated exactly where said Gungnir currently was.
"In short, minus the fact that in about a year I'll have to lead an army of bloodthirsty monsters into battle, each capable of slaughtering an Earth infantry division without heavy support, everything ended up quite well, although it's a shame about the interrupted road trip."
"It remains to be seen how your companions are involved in all this," Xavier said, proving once again that he lacked the habit of poking around in other people's heads without dire need.
"They aren't. I was just giving them a ride here when all this chaos started," I shrugged. "After that incident with Erik, I took a little stroll through the Pentagon, found a whole mountain of top-tier, foul-smelling piles of crap, among which I discovered a couple of projects involving the use of mutants. In one of them, I found threads leading back to the adamantium from our friend Logan's claws. After that, William Stryker retired, leaving Yuriko in my care. I then visited a couple of secret bunkers, took a bucket of adamantium from one, and Laura with Dr. Kinney from the other. Next on the agenda was a leisurely tourist trip across the country to soothe our nerves, but then Mom found me, and all hell broke loose."
"Should I return Mjolnir now?" the telepath nodded understandingly at my words, moving to the next important topic.
"No," I even recoiled a little 'in shock.' "Thor has certainly shown glimmers of reason, but a relapse is still very possible. Besides..." I grimaced slightly, shifting to a serious tone, "I simply don't have the authority to override Odin's decree stripping him of his powers. I already walked a fine line just to bring him back from exile, and it's unknown how the Allfather will react to that when he wakes up. Again, it will be good for Thor to learn what it's like to rule a Kingdom without the ability to personally defeat all its enemies. He was starting to forget how ordinary Aesir feel, let alone the simple mortals Asgard protects. In short, everything is fine, everything is wonderful, nothing needs to be changed! And I need cooki... yes! Give me cookies!"
And I abruptly bolted from my spot, striding purposefully toward the corridor that led to the elevator and, ultimately, the kitchen.
"Hey!" Scott's indignant voice hit my back; the others were more polite.
"What?" I held my horses. "I just got back from Asgard, and not only are there no cookies there, but there isn't even any cocoa! I haven't eaten a coo... Wait a minute..." a sudden thought interrupted my inspired speech.
"Did I actually eat anything at all during my stay in Asgard?" The question was difficult; I couldn't remember the answer. "Combat Hamster, you were watching me, you must know!" I turned to the girl for help.
"…" followed a complex pantomime.
"Right, things are very bad," I realized. "Anyway," I returned my gaze to the group, "I'm off to the kitchen to cook, and you guys are on your own. Chat, get to know each other; I have matters of state importance!"
And I fled, managing to catch Scott's question out in the corridor:
"Can't he create copies of himself to communicate from a distance?"
"He just ran away," Jean's smiling voice answered. "Men do that sometimes."
"I don't do that!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
Further on, even Aesir hearing couldn't pick it up, and I had almost reached the elevator anyway.
On the other side of it, meaning, on the first floor of the mansion, a hunting party of young ninjas was already waiting for me. It included Iceman, Rogue, Pyro, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, and Pyotr Rasputin.
The latter was desperately trying to play the voice of reason in this kindergarten, in other words, persuading the folks not to mess around and to bail before they got hit with the consequences of their curiosity.
However, the "ambush regiment" of brave American kids, closing ranks in unison, valiantly fought off the vile "infidel" and his "treacherous promises," defending their right to go looking for trouble.
It looked very funny from the outside, but touching. Nevertheless, I really wanted to eat, and therefore, without dropping the illusion of my own absence in the corridor, headed for the kitchen, leaving the kids to be torn apart by the other mentors.
In the kitchen, cleanliness, order, three bags of frozen french fries, two packs of chocolate chip cookies, and a jar of cocoa awaited me.
Soon the frying pan was merrily hissing with oil, the mug in my hands exuded a sweet aroma, and life was actively getting better.
However, it got even better a couple of dozen minutes later, when a certain beautiful person decided to appear in my humble abode of gluttony.
"Am I interrupting?" Ororo asked, peeking through the door.
"What kind of question is that? Your presence could never interrupt me," I smiled, finishing plating the fried potatoes. "Want some?" Pointing the spatula at the dish, I made it clear what exactly I was offering her.
"Maybe a little later," she smiled back somewhat uncertainly, stepping into the room.
"So, as much as I might dream that your visit is connected to your admiration for a certain humble God, to my deep regret, that's unlikely to be the case. Therefore, I must ask, has something happened?"
"No," she shook her head, stepping closer to the table. "I really am glad to see you. Plus, you were right about something else too."
"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow.
"The Professor really has been like a father to me," Storm pursed her lips slightly, her gaze sliding over the salt shaker on the table by the stove. "And the fact that he is no longer an invalid... thank you, Loki."
"You're very welcome. Though don't think too highly of me, I did it by combining a good deed with selfish interest."
"I know," the beautiful mulatto with the appearance of a twenty-five-year-old Halle Berry gave a patronizing twitch of her lips in a new smile. "But that doesn't stop me from being grateful. And... regarding that conversation we had in the restaurant..."
"Mmm-hmm?"
"I've been thinking..." Storm stepped closer, "and... you know... No, not like that..." the girl rolled her eyes, searching for words.
"You really are serious about all this... but... I am mortal," catching my gaze, she removed any hint of amusement from her voice.
"In ten or fifteen years my beauty will fade, and in thirty I'll be an old woman, while you'll still be exactly the same... Are you sure you want this?"
"My Lady," I hugged the girl and, to my joy, didn't get punched in the face or even meet any rejection, "I am forced to admit that I am a womanizer, a jester, and a rake. But I have never backed down from my decisions. And I am ready to repeat it once more. I like you, but everything will be exactly as you want it. As for the other problems... they are quite solvable."
"Alright," she closed her eyes, "just... don't break my heart."
….
If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters from here you can visit my Patre-on.
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