They call it 'X' [Kurt, Maddie]

[maddy]

They walked briskly through the cool night air, Madelyne leading her blue companion toward a slightly more dangerous part of the city. Less well populated, so there were less people to see you - but there were also less people to see if something happened. Thankfully she'd never had to worry about that kind of thing.

She knew when they were approaching for a couple of reasons - the area was utterly familiar to her, for one, and she started to hear the whispers of thoughts from a good number of people gathered in one place. Taking Kurt's arm, she guided him across the road and down a set of rather badly lit stairs. There was no sign that there was anything beneath the street, not even an 'X' scratched over the doorway.

Eventually, they reached the bottom, and the corridor stretched out in both directions, darkness disturbed only by a few dim lights coming out from beneath the doorways that broke the rough stone walls.

"That one." She pointed, oddly enough, to the one that wasn't lit up, still holding onto his arm and she reached out to push it open with her powers. A tiny little thing, purple-skinned and looking like the worst bouncer in the world, appeared in the doorway, her skin glowing as if lit from within.

"Madelyne." The redhead gave her a smile and a nod as the woman opened the door more fully.

"And a friend. He looks like fun." The bouncer smiled, showing incredibly straight, white teeth.

"He is fun. Kurt, this is Dinah, Dinah, Kurt." Now that the introductions were done, the tiny mutant nodded and pointed into the darkness, revealing a doorway that none of them could find without help. Maddie thought that the bouncers were all illusionists, but she could never be entirely sure. Either way, there were few people that could access the bar without first speaking to the person on the door, and as they walked toward the final doorway, they could hear the sound of music growing louder.

"Welcome to X," was all she said as she pushed open the door and led Kurt inside.

Kurt glanced around as Maddie led the way. He wasn't exactly surprised by the location of the bar, or club, or whatever it was... if you were going somewhere all sorts of mutants would be congregating, it was bound to somewhere with as few people to see as possible.

As his readheaded companion led him down the stairs, though, he looked at her skeptically even as he faded in and out with the shadows. There was nothing to distinguish this from any other stairwell in New York.

He was about to ask if she was sure when the door opened by itself - Telekinesis, he thought with a slight chuckle - and someone small, purple and luminescent walked out.

"Guten Abend, Dinah," Kurt said confusedly as Maddie urged him onward. When they had passed slightly, he turned to her, one eyebrow up. "What did she mean, he looks like fun?"

He words were drowned out, though, as she pushed the door open and sound washed over him from inside. Everything was dark in color; the leather couches that lined the outsides of the room, the burnished brass that topped poles and edged bars, the heavy-colored wood that made up everything else.

His eyes darted around, taking in the appearance of the patrons. Nearly every single one of them had some sort of extreme physical mutation, from skin color to number of limbs to body shape.

A moment later he realized what some of those patrons were doing in dark corners. And other not-so-dark areas.

Blinking, he turned to Maddie. "Madelyne... those people in the corner..."

A small, amused smile was Madelyne's only reaction to Kurt's question about Dinah, and the smile only grew when Kurt took in exactly what was going on between some of the patrons.

"Not all of them have anywhere private that they can go, Kurt." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Try not to stare." Her hand slipped down his arm to twine her fingers between his and she led him past a group of people, who appeared to be cutting into a mutant with a healing factor and watching her heal up again, towards the bar.

"I told you that it was... full of people who are different. Just stay close, and be polite if you need to decline any offers." The man behind the bar, who was as white as chalk all over and had ears reminiscent of Kurt's, gave the pair of them an interested look before asking what they wanted.

"I'll have a wine - red, whatever's open - and... a beer for you?" Maddie looked to her companion for confirmation, though she doubted he'd be having anything else. He was German, after all.

Kurt was dumbstruck, and it was a few seconds before he could avert his wide eyes, focusing instead on her hand as it twined with his. He followed her obligingly as she led to the bar, his eyes darting from side to side, no matter how much he willed them to stay forward.

All around him mutants were using their powers for personal pleasure. He found it strangely fascinating, if a bit bizarre. He was used to the idea of using one's abilities - he'd heard far too many stories about the contortionist from the circus to think otherwise - but some of the more blantantly deviant behavior was surprising to him.

Judging from the noises coming from the corners, though, some of the mutants knew exactly what they were doing.

He nodded at Maddie, eyes still wide. "Ja, I think a beer would be an excellent idea."

Clearing his throat, he glanced over his shoulder. He had just opened his mouth to ask about what exactly was going on a few tables over when some of her words hit him.

"Wait, what do you mean, decline offers?" He was becoming more and more confused.

She couldn't help it. She actually laughed.

"I'm sorry, I should have been more clear about some of the patrons before I brought you here." Dipping into her purse, Madelyne held a couple of bills out to their bartender, who gave her a smile and handed over their drinks before turning to the next customer. She'd never found out what his power was, but she'd always been oddly fascinated by his blank, white eyes. One of these days she'd get him on a break and find out a bit more about just what he could do.

"Just don't be surprised if someone approaches you, Kurt - you're a very attractive man, and I'm certain that a lot of them will find your scars fascinating." She was still gripping his hand, looking quite possessive actually, as she motioned to a free couch with her glass of wine with a questioning look. Sitting seemed like a good idea to her.

"They may not actually come and speak to you, since you're with me - but then some of them might because of that." Madelyne's tastes were well known down here, although as she looked around the room she realised that she didn't know as many people as she might have had she come in a year ago.

"Whatever happens, just be polite. You may not think it, from what you can see, but everyone down here has a lot of respect for people's limits. If all you want to do is have a drink, you simply have to make that clear and no-one will bother you." She gave him another smile. "If you want to leave, just say so, we can go anytime." Of course, that wouldn't be much fun.

Picking up his beer with his free hand, Kurt took a long drink, feeling himself flush at her compliment. Many people found his scars fascinating, but no one had ever felt the need to approach him about them before. But on the other hand, he had never been in quite the situation he was in now.

Following her to the dark leather couch, his thick fingers still wrapped with hers - which in many situations he might have considered odd, but at the present time he found strangely comforting - he sat down next to her, drink in hand. "And you are a frequent visitor here?" he asked, raising his glass to his lips.

Setting his beer down on the coffee table in front of the couch, he glanced around. "It would be unwise for me to pass judgement on a place so quickly... and I have a beer to finish."

[maddy]

"I used to come here a lot more. I haven't had the chance to get here too often since moving back to the city, but I've found that not many of the people I used to know still come here." She took her hand back now that they were sitting, concentrating on her wine for a moment.

Tilting her head slightly to one side, Madelyne smiled. It would have looked completely random - but there was someone asking her a rather explicit telepathic question, to which she shook her head slightly and shifted on the couch, crossing her legs and facing more toward Kurt. Her foot rested lightly on his shin - another protective sort of gesture. She could leave him to his own devices the next time they came down there, because as amusing as it would have been to watch, she did actually want to take him there again.

"But there are still plenty of interesting people - and it has been nice, making new acquaintances." Well, that was one way of putting it.

"Though not many of the staff have changed. I don't suppose there are many other places where so many obvious mutants can be employed."

"At least, not obvious mutants with such... proclivities?" Kurt said, his cheeks darkening slightly as blood rushed to his face; he could practically feel the gaze from other patrons of the bar, though whether that was because of Madelyne or himself he wasn't entirely sure anymore. In any normal situation he would have instantly assumed any attention could be attributed to the redhead sitting next to him, but down here, it was obviously anything but normal.

Licking his dry lips nervously as her foot rested against his leg, he took a drink of his beer, glancing around. He was seeing the occasional wave out of the corner of his eyes, and at least once he thought he felt something akin to a finger brushing against his consciousness.

It was the most attention he'd ever received. He had no idea what to do.

Focusing back on Maddie, his tail curled around his ankle in nervousness. "I think I can see why you would change before coming here."

All Madelyne could do was grin at all the attention Kurt was getting - although there was a small part of her that felt just a little jealous. Whether it was because she wasn't the one getting all the attention or whether it was because she was no longer alone in recognising his looks, she couldn't tell. Whatever it was, she didn't like it.

But she had been the one to mention the place, so she couldn't very well drag him away too quickly.

"You have no idea," she murmured into her wine, green eyes surveying the room before returning to settle on her companion. Of everyone in the room, he was the one that she wanted the most. But she'd been trying to behave herself, trying to do that 'spending time together' thing that he seemed to be insisting upon before he'd even consider her. Settling back into the corner of the couch, Madelyne kept her foot resting lightly on Kurt's shin and gave him a small smile.

"You can see how I'd feel out of place sometimes, yes? But there is something about the place that I love." Perhaps it was that everyone was so accepting - but a lot of them weren't so friendly toward humans, having been mistreated for many years. Perhaps it was just that they were all quite happy to use their powers for whatever they wanted, without any pressure to be doing the right thing or using them for the greater good. How many models used their looks for the greater good? How many athletes blessed with good genes? No, so many of them were only ever in it for their own advancement that Madelyne wondered how anyone could expect mutants to use their good genes less selfishly.

"Perhaps it is not having to hide who I am." It wasn't a perfect world, but sometimes when she was down there she could imagine one. Other times, it reminded her of just how far they still had to go.

As soon as the girl with the row of spines running down the middle of her head licked her lips at him, Kurt turned his eyes down to the table in front of him in embarrassment. Kurt, what have you gotten yourself into?

Looking up at Maddie (he assumed it was safe in that direction, at least - and praise the Lord, it was), he gave the hint of a smile in return. "It certainly is unique," he said.

Which was true. There was something oddly welcoming about the place to him; at first glance, it looked as though Maddie could very well be the only normal-looking patron in the whole place. It was vaguely thrilling, oddly exciting. It was the first time he wasn't worried about what people would say.

Well... maybe he didn't dismiss that worry altogether, but he was certain it wasn't going to be about how he was so strange.

And there were mutant powers being used all around. No one was ashamed to show what they could do. There was even a woman crouched sideways on the wall talking to others; Kurt was sorely tempted to join her.

"It is nice to be able to be yourself for a change."

"And are you being yourself, Kurt?" The look she gave him was searching, but she replaced it rather quickly with an amused smile. Her gaze followed his tail down to where it was wrapped around his ankle, and Madelyne shifted a little so that she could nudge it gently with her toes.

"Surely if there is anywhere that you could let it have a... freer reign, here is the place." God how she wished that his tail would be wrapped around her ankle instead, snaking its way up toward her thigh and...

The smile was growing rather suggestive when she hid it behind another sip of wine.

Behave, Madelyne.

"It is a part of who you are, too." Her voice was a low purr as the wine glass floated down to the table without a physical hand to help it, the redhead leaning in toward her companion to take off her jacket.

It was getting rather warm. There was no helping the suggestive smile this time as she leaned back into the corner of the couch, the top two buttons of her blouse silently popping open.

Kurt shivered as her toes brushed his tail, running against the fur. Keep your head, Kurt! he thought forcefully as the tip of his spearhead tail twitched slightly.

Taking a drink of his beer shakily, he set the glass down on the coffee table. "I am afraid it would be... highly improper," he said in a quiet voice, feeling slightly foolish for saying the words in such a place. He licked his lips nervously and watched the wine glass float to the table. "Some parts of oneself should remain hidden. Surely you can appreciate the neccesity for self control with a power such as y..." Kurt's sentence trailed off as she leaned back, the top buttons of her blouse popping open. He felt all the nervousness settle in the bottom of his stomach again and he swallowed loudly.

"So... eh... Madelyne," he stuttered, trying to pry his eyes away from the open buttons, "now that you are back in New York, what do you plan on doing?"

"I'm reasonably sure that your tail isn't going to be de-molecularising anyone if you let yourself relax for a little while, Kurt." Not to mention that there really was no such thing as highly improper in this bar. One elbow rested on the back of the couch, long fingers playing with strands of red hair as she spoke to him.

But she should really address his question. As invisible fingers gently unbuttoned a third, Madelyne nodded to herself.

"Well, there is work, of course. As boring as it has become, I find myself compelled to stay." Because Kyle knew about her mutation. She knew that he thought her dangerous, knew that he wanted to keep her around to save her 'going to the other side' or some such nonsense (as if Maddie would ever pick a side) - and knew that there was very little about his morals to keep him from betraying her secret.

She didn't blame him. She couldn't claim that she was any better - Maddie's alliances were temporary at best, and she felt no compulsion to keep anything back if it could help her to speak.

"I don't usually like to plan too far ahead, though. Anything can change in an instant - so for the moment all I'm doing is making sure to enjoy myself," there was a pause in which she smiled at him again, "catch up with old friends, that kind of thing."

Kurt ran a hand through his hair, feeling warm under his collar as golden eyes followed the opening trail of buttons. His tail slowly unwound from around his ankle, the broad tip sweeping along the floor. "I... suppose you are right."

Taking a deep breath and forcing his eyes back up to her face, Kurt focused instead on the words coming from her mouth, watching her lips as they moved. "Do you ever worry about how momentary planning can lead to difficulty in the future?"

"There's no point in worrying about the future. Worrying does nothing to help - all it does is hold you back because of what might happen. If there are any problems, I will deal with them then." The redhead shrugged. She was more than confident that she could manage most problems that arose, and she really didn't see a point in worrying about something that might never happen. Worrying just gave you stomach ulcers for the ifs and the maybes, when you could be enjoying yourself in what was actually happening.

Holding out her hand, Madelyne kept her eyes focused on Kurt as she called the wine glass back, green eyes examining him over the rim as she took a sip.

"Why? Is there something you've been thinking about doing that leaves you worried about the future?" She drained the last of her wine and let the glass return to the table, but she didn't look away from him to get herself another drink. Not yet - Madelyne was more than a little interested in hearing his thoughts. Not necessarily in the 'listening in telepathically' kind of way, either.

Kurt blinked in surprise. He was used to dodging around subjects, leaving things carefully unsaid; causing people to squirm was rarely practical in his eyes, and as a German, Kurt enjoyed a certain amount of practicality.

Maddie, however, seemed content to push through to the underlying subject, and now that Kurt was faced with it, he had no idea what to do.

Come now, Kurt! The least you can do is say something. Stall!

"Er..."

Ach, so very eloquent.

Coughing once, Kurt looked at Maddie with wide eyes. "Er... perhaps I am a worrier myself. I see that my actions have consquences that may be better to avoid."

Perhaps it was because he was German that Madelyne expected a certain amount of forthrightness, so she could only find it amusing to watch him try to dance around the subject with a smile. Then again, perhaps it was just because of their previous conversations - he had once told her rather frankly that he was not in the habit of bedding women quickly, after all.

He really wasn't very good at stalling. Not when his words could lead right back to the subject at hand.

"And just what consequences are you trying to avoid, Kurt? I'm sure that they can be avoided, as long as you're clear about exactly what you want..."

She gave him a rather suggestive smile.

[maddy]

Kurt's mind whirled, his eyes looking down at his hands as he rubbed them together slowly. There had to be something he could say, something to lead away from himself.

"But how many of us know what we want exactly?" he said in a flurry, glancing up at her through long eyelashes. "It seems that most people have no idea." And perhaps I am no different, he thought.

Because when it came down to it, did he really know? His mind was divided, his body was fighting, and he was beginning to suspect that he had less control than he had thought.

Sitting up, her eyes still on his, Madelyne leaned over toward Kurt. God, he was so beautiful, and she wanted him so much... Green eyes flicked down to his lips and then back up, her own - deep red, thanks to her lipstick - parting slightly as she sucked in a breath. Her face was only inches from his when she spoke, her voice a quiet purr.

"I think most people just don't like to admit what they truly want... In case they do not get it." Obviously, that was not a fear she held herself. Her mouth curled into a smile and her eyes left his face for a moment, glancing beyond him. Though she raised one hand slightly to give a small wave, the telekinetic made no move to change the way she was sitting.

"Yes, can I get another glass of red, please?" Maddie's smile increased as she spoke to the passing waitress, who was covered in bright green scales from head to toe. And not a stitch of clothing, either.

"I don't like to let fear hold me back."

Kurt felt his entire body tense as she leaned in close, and he inhaled sharply. He could feel the heat from her skin, her breath across his fur as she spoke; she was close enough for him to smell her, and he struggled to concentrate, her sultry voice resonating in his ears.

He wasnt even able to move as she spoke to the waitress, his eyes focusing on her lips as they moved. He blinked in surprise as she spoke into his mind, his hands gripping his knees firmly.

He could feel the eyes of other patrons on his back, no doubt enjoying the scene playing out before them even if they couldn't hear it, and he drew a shuddering breath. Avoidance wasn't working, and now Kurt was having more trouble thinking clearly than ever. "And..." He swallowed before continuing in a low, quiet voice, "What is it that you want?"

"You know what I want, Kurt." Her eyes returned to his, and she made no attempt at playing innocent as she reached out to trace one fingertip along the edge of his ear. Everything about him was so exotic, so intoxicating... And she had no shyness to stop her from letting him know that.

With the skin contact, Madelyne let a flash of red and blue and pale flesh go from her mind to his, though there was no coherence to it, no imagery beyond the impression of the colours. She was quite curious, actually, to see what happened this time, about exactly what thoughts had been his the last time she had done that - though the last time she'd let him have a glimpse of her thoughts, it had been entirely unintentional.

Not so this time. As soon as it had come, the thought was gone, both her mind and her body drawing away from him. Reclining back into the corner of the couch again, even the redhead's foot left its resting place on his shin - but her eyes stayed locked on his.

"I want you."

Kurt's mouth hung open slightly, the nerves along the edge of his ear suddenly on fire; as the colors slipped into his mind, his breath slipped out in a low, almost imperceptible moan.

Impressions raced through his mind, thoughts of fur pressed against skin, dark hands trailing over smooth curves, friction - glorious, dangerous friction. Kurt shut his eyes, hands clenching the cloth of his pants at the knees, and desperately tried to breath evenly, feeling his heartbeat in every inch of his body.

Then the colors were gone, and Kurt slowly opened his eyes to watch her lean back, watching her green eyes watch him. Exhaling slowly, he watched her carefully, his tail lashing around behind him. "But why?"

Not the response she'd been expecting. Madelyne's eyes left him for a moment as the waitress returned with her wine, which she paid for quickly, taking a sip while she thought about just what to say.

"I don't really know myself," she admitted, looking down into the dark liquid and seeing herself reflected in the glass. She looked different, as different as she was ever going to look - at the end of the day, as much as she was a mutant just like him, Madelyne would never truly understand what it was like for him and everyone else in this bar.

"I think... Because you're beautiful - not just beautiful to look at, but a beautiful person. You're a rare man, Kurt Wagner."

Her eyes raised back up to meet his once more, and she gave him a tentative smile. He was a rare man - he'd denied her, every time, but he was still charming and lovely and still came to see her even though he knew that she was just going to keep tempting him. And he had a tail. She did love the tail.

"You can't wait your whole life for someone who can't see that." The only reason Maddie could think of for his repeated rejections was another woman. She simply couldn't think that it was anything she was doing.

[maddy]

Kurt sighed, his hands slowly releasing the cloth at his knees. Sitting back, he took a deep, calming breath and looked at her levelly, retuning her smile a bit shyly. "Would that everyone could see what you see, Madelyne," he said a bit sadly. "The world would be a better place."

Sitting up straighter, he ran a hand across his eyes. She was right, of course. The only thing that was holding him back was Ororo, and she didn't seem to see past his furry exterior.

"Perhaps it is time for my life to move on, even if my heart cannot," he said before taking a long drink from his glass.

She didn't exactly know what he meant by that, but since she'd been being honest with him Madelyne could only hope that he'd return the favour. It wasn't as though he was unresponsive to her advances, just held back by his heart or his morals or whatever else.

"Is that what you want to do?" Perhaps it was easier for him to wait for a woman that would never see how wonderful he was. It was certainly easier for her to move onto someone new every time there was a danger of getting attached - it was much easier to get yourself into a position where you had no reason to fear rejection than it was to open yourself up to it. Of course, knowing this and doing something about it were two entirely different things.

Life was dangerous. People got hurt. She took another sip of her wine and let her foot rest gently against his shin once more.

Kurt blinked as her foot rubbed against his leg again, and he bit his lower lip. She was not helping him think clearly; a certain part of his anatomy was using blood that needed to travel to his head for him to think.

His tail was moving on instinct before he knew exactly what was happening; he wasn't sure if it was the swiftness with which he'd been drinking or the fact that his body wanted to act up on its own, but he inhaled sharply as he felt his tail twist around her ankle.

He bit down on his lip sharply, the pain bringing a small amount of clarity back, even though he didn't move. "Honestly, I am not sure what I want to do, Madelyne. I am conflicted."

He wasn't the only one to inhale sharply when his tail curled around her ankle. Madelyne's sharp intake of breath was accompanied by her eyes fluttering shut, opening again as she exhaled slowly. She really did love the tail.

What she wanted to do was climb into his lap, take the kind of kiss that she'd gotten as they'd been attempting to leave the Statue of Liberty, and only stop long enough to ask him to teleport them back to her apartment. Or maybe not stop at all, and ask him telepathically.

What she actually did was take another sip of her wine and nod slowly.

"I can see that." Her eyes slid down in the general direction of his tail around her ankle. Taking another sip of her wine, she sat up and gently placed it on the table. She didn't settle back into her place, regarding Kurt with great interest for a moment before giving him a small smile. "Well you know what I want. That isn't going to change."

Kurt licked his dry lips, his eyes flickering to her open blouse as she leaned forward to put her glass on the table. Digging his thick nails into his palm, he forced his eyes back up to her face quickly. Cursing the buttons mentally and berating himself for not being sure which way he wanted the widening gap in the blouse edges to go, he ran a hand through his hair.

Biting his lower lip as his tail tightened slightly around her ankle and $snaked slightly higher towards her thigh, he looked up at her with a crooked brow. "Well... I am not ready to sleep with you, but... you interest me."

Well, that was certainly encouraging. Of course, what his mouth was saying and what his tail was saying were two entirely different things, but she was encouraged by the fact that he seemed to be coming toward some sort of agreement within himself.

As tempting as it was to act all innocent and shocked that he'd think all the wanted from him was a tumble, Madelyne knew that she'd never get away with it anyway - he already knew that she was far from innocent. So she just gave him one of her wicked grins and nodded.

"Yes, you're not in the habit of bedding women so soon, I know." She leaned in closer, close enough that their noses were almost touching, and there was a smile dancing on her lips and in her eyes.

"I don't suppose you'd make an exception if there was no bed involved?"

Kurt held his breath as she leaned in closer, his hands folded in his lap. He willed his body to relax, but it was a losing battle; his muscles were tensed as though preparing for a night at the circus, and he wondered absently if there was a masseuse that was comfortable with mutants.

Biting his lip as his head twitched forward out of instint, he breathed out through his nose calmingly, his golden eyes fixed on hers. "It is not the location, but the action that gives pause.

"Still," he said, angling his head and moving closer, his heart beating in his chest, "there are other activities that can be enjoyed without resorting to that particular one..."

"Well, Mr. Wagner," Madelyne raised her eyebrows slightly, glad that her little joke hadn't completely derailed things - though she was fairly certain that she knew how to get him back on track if that had been the result, "perhaps you should show me exactly what you had in mind."

He had no idea how difficult it was for her to sit there and leave things in his hands. But for a woman used to getting her own way, used to being in control, she was doing quite well at restraining herself so far. Particularly with the warmth of his tail wrapped around her and his golden eyes filling her vision.

For a moment, Madelyne wondered just how many items of clothing they'd have to keep on so that Kurt's moral sensibilities weren't offended. Because, by god, she wanted to feel that silky soft fur of his against her bare skin. She had a feeling, though, that no matter what was going on in dark - and not-so-dark - corners of the bar, he wouldn't be comfortable giving quite that much of a show. She was already hearing a few little whispers of encouragement in the back of her mind, though - apparently she wasn't the only one who wanted to know just how much of his body Kurt had covered with scars.

Kurt hung there for a moment, his face inches from hers, feeling her breath as it ruffled the fur on his face. What did he have in mind exactly? He had quite a few things in mind, some of which he wasn't ready to do with Maddie and some of which weren't appropriate in public.

So instead of those, he ignored the tendrils of thought pressing at his mind from bar patrons and, his hands still on his knees, leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

Holding herself back had certainly been worth it. As sweet as the kiss was, Madelyne could somehow imagine a still sweeter reward, but that certainly wasn't going to happen here - or now. Unfortunately. Having morals made life much less fun, really.

Leaning on one hand, the other came up to rest on the back of his neck, her fingers running through short indigo hair. God, she wanted him, wanted to be somewhere less public so that he wouldn't have an excuse to stop, wanted to peel off his shirt with her powers and really hold him close.

She reached out with her powers almost unconciously, running telepathic fingers through the silky soft fur on his back, feeling the tone of his muscles as if she actually had her hands inside his shirt. It wasn't anywhere near as satisfying as doing it with her actual fingers, though, and she wondered just how long he intended on making her wait until she could get what she wanted.

Kurt let his eyes close, shivering as her fingers brushed against his neck, and he reached out to put a hand on her waist. He was about to pull back and attempt to say something witty and clever when he felt the telekinetic touch on his back, and he moaned against her red lips in surprise, his fingers closing on the fabric of her blouse.

Images and possibilities slipped through his mind in flashes, most of them involving less clothing, although he wasn't sure if that was completely his own thinking or suggestions from people in the bar. His tail snaked itself farther up her leg in that moment of lost concentration, its point resting against the side of her knee, and he opened his eyes to look at her.

It was Madelyne's turn to moan as his tail slid higher, but it turned into a sigh of disappointment as he pulled away to look at her. Teeth scraped over her bottom lip as her eyes fluttered open, pupils contracting only slightly as they adjusted to the dimly lit underground bar.

"Sometimes I wonder if you make things difficult intentionally, Kurt." Her voice was low and throaty as she regarded him with obvious desire. "I don't suppose I can convince you that I can actually behave, if we go somewhere with a few less people." In all honesty, though, having the other patrons egging her on wasn't making things any easier.

They were doing nothing in comparison to the tail, though. She could have sworn that it had a mind of its own, sometimes, and that it would be more than happy for her to take its owner home.

Kurt arched an eyebrow, a small smile slipping across his face. "Madelyne, if there were no boundaries to overcome, where would the fun be?"

Thinking carefully about her next words, he unclenched his fist, releasing her blouse and rest his hand against the curve of her waist. "It would all depend on your definition of behaving. Is it the same as mine?" His smile grew and his eyes narrowed slyly. "Somehow I do not think it is."

Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed more than a few pairs of eyes looking over at them. "However, I will admit some apprehension about doing anything of this sort in a crowded bar. Perhaps somewhere with a few less people would be preferable."

Oh, there was plenty of fun to be had without making her wait, but she didn't bother to say that. Madelyne was reasonably sure that Kurt already knew just what potential for fun there was from the rather debauched thought that had slipped through the other night.

Nor could she say anything in response to his comment about her definition of behaving. Maddie just gave him a smirk and shrugged lightly.

Her fingers brushed over the back of his neck again as she drew away from him reluctantly, her wine glass floating off the table and landing gently in her fingers. Her green eyes stayed locked on his as she drained the last of the deep red liquid and let the glass return to its place with a soft clink. The hand she'd been leaning on groped about behind her for her handbag, and once she'd found it, the telekinetic smiled.

"Well..." There was a soft glow about her eyes as Madelyne lifted slightly off the leather couch to settle gently on Kurt's lap (she didn't want him to uncurl his tail so that they could leave, or, indeed, ever), "I'll leave it in your capable hands to take us somewhere more... private."

But she didn't give him time to do anything before her arm was sliding around his neck again, fingers twining into his hair as she pulled him close for another kiss.

Kurt looked vaguely amused as she simply shrugged, watching her pull back gracefully and down the rest of her wine. He was perfectly aware of what she would consider to be fun, although he really was curious about what she meant by behaving. Somehow he could imagine that it was still going to be an adventure.

Well, he had always wanted to be an adventurer.

His eyes widened as she settled down on his lap, wishing he'd had time to cross his legs so that her effect on him wasn't quite as obvious. Opening his mouth to apologize, he moaned in surprise as she kissed him, sharp teeth running lightly over her lower lip. He pulled back slightly. "Concentration, Madelyne," he said with a barely concealed chuckle.

Focusing for a moment, he formed the picture in his mind, and with a bamf! they were sitting in her apartment on the same couch Kurt had occupied before.


[Continued in 'Come into my parlour']