Monthly Dose

[katleept]

Title: Monthly Dose
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: X-Men
Character/Pairing: Jubilee, Beast, Wolverine, Iceman
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: hc_bingo: Attacked by a Creature
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,673
Date Written: 20 September 2016
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to Marvel Comics and Disney, not the author, and are used without permission.




Jubilee's skating through the mansion when she hears the sharp slide of metal against metal and realizes that the Danger Room's doors are finally opening. She banks a sharp turn and skates back to the room in which she's still not allowed without "proper supervision". Wolveroonie's been working out for hours today, and she's ready to spring onto him when he finally trudges out of the room.

Instead of jumping on him, she freezes. Her gum pops and splatters across her face. She's barely able to wipe it off of her face through her shock. Her hero who can kick the ass of the entire world and keep going is barely moving. His uniform's ripped to shreds, and he's missing a claw -- or, at least, half of one any way.

For the first time, she thinks that maybe, just maybe, the Professor's onto something by not allowing her to train without supervision. "Wolvy?" she asks breathlessly, her heart pounding wildly for him.

"Not now, kid," he growls, but his motion is weak as he waves a hand at her. "Go bother somebody else."

She knows immediately he doesn't mean it. He just doesn't feel good at all. Something totally kicked his butt. She starts to peer into the room itself and is met by Iceman. His hands are still made of ice when he grabs her shoulders. She shudders and lets him back her up. "Get your cold mitts offa me, Drake."

"Easy, Jubilee. You just don't want to go in there right now."

She peers pass him and sees the yellow boots she knows Scott Summers wears. "What happened?" she asks worriedly, swallowing her gum in her shock. She barely even registers her own hiccup.

Bobby starts to answer him but instead, as the floor trembles, shouts, "MOVE!" He pins her against the wall, and Jubes watches through wide eyes underneath his arms as none other than Hank McCoy runs pass them, snarling and . . . drooling? Jubilee's eyes widen even more. Blue's nickname is the Beast for a good reason, but it's always been about his looks. His mind could rival Einstein's or any other dead genius', and she's pretty certain there's no man or woman alive who can truly match wits with him.

Jean Grey runs pass them and into the Danger Room. Its doors slide shut as she's kneeling beside Cyclops and checking her husband's vitals. Jubilee finally manages to speak again as Bobby releases her. "Was that . . . Hank?" she questions, looking at him through wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Yes." Bobby nods slowly, and she sees sorrow reflected in his brown eyes.

"What happened?!"

"Jubilee -- "

"Don't Jubilee me, damn it! I deserve to know! I'm a member of this time, of this family, as you guys keep calling it!"

"Jubilee -- "

"Tell me, Drake, or I swear I'll light your butt full of firecrackers!"

"I was going to tell you." His gentle voice lowers her hands. "I just . . . I'm not sure how to tell you."

"Just say it. Is he . . . Is he going to be okay?" She knows they're close, although she doesn't know just how close yet.

Bobby nods. "He'll be fine. This happens every month."

"What do you mean this happens every month?! What happens every month?! Does he . . . go into a berserker rage like Wolvy or something?"

"Or something. All of that," Bobby waves a hand toward the now closed doors of the Danger Room, "was simply Hank taking his medicine."

"Huh?" Jubilee stares at him. "Drake, what the Hell are you talking about?"

"Furry mutants have a problem, Jubilee, that we don't really talk about."

"What?"

"It's not polite to talk about it." Bobby waves a hand again. "Hank's embarrassed even to admit it's a problem. He'll be mortified to find out what happened this time."

"What did happen this time?! Bobby, stop playing around and tell me! You're my friends! I have a right to know! What the Hell did he do to Wolverine?!"

Bobby sighs and starts to walk, shaking his head as he goes. She quickly skates after him. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Drake."

"Fine," he says at long last, "but you have to promise me you won't say a word about this to Hank."

"About what?!" Jubilee cries, exasperated.

"About his monthly dose and how he acted taking it."

"His monthly dose for what?! What's wrong with him?!"

"He has fleas, Jubilee."

"WHAT?!" she exclaims, stopping and staring, point blank, at him.

With another sigh, Bobby stops walking and turns to face her. He runs a hand through his shaggy, brown hair, and for the first time, Jubilee sees the bloody gashes on his hands. "Did he . . . Did he do that?" she whispers.

"Yes," Bobby admits with a nod, "and more."

"I've been with you guys for months! Why am I just now hearing about all this?"

"Because the Professor has been dealing with it. Hank allows him to affect his mind enough that he's able to take his medicine without fighting."

"So why didn't you just get Jeannie to -- "

"He's too embarrassed to admit that, with all his great intellect and everything, he still loses control and becomes an animal when it comes to taking his monthly pill."

"So you didn't tell Jean or Rogue who could've probably kept you from getting clawed and decided Wolverine and you and Cyke could get it down him?"

Bobby nods again as her words light up his familiar, bashful grin. "Something like that," he admits.

"And instead, he knocked Cyke out, ripped your hands pretty bad -- "

He shrugs. "I'm used to it."

She stops mid-sentence and stares at him for another moment. Then she lets out a long, low whistle. "I so don't wanna know!"

"And Hank doesn't want you or anybody else to know about this, so don't tell him I told you, okay?"

"You really think you can keep keeping that a secret?"

"It's worked so far."

"So far, Prof hasn't been on vacation."

"He'll be back in time for next month's dose."

"He better be. If not, do yourselves and Big Blue a favor and let the women handle it, okay?! Geez," she mutters, skating off and shaking her head, "I don't even wanna know what would've happened if Wolvy had tried to do it by himself."

"He started it by himself!" Bobby calls after her.

"Figures," Jubilee mumbles. She finds a beer in the kitchen and finds Wolvy in the garage. His wounds have already began to heal. No one else would know he was sulking, but she knows, and would if she hadn't seen in the damage, with one look.

He quirks a brow at her as she pops the top. "Kid -- "

"I know, I know," she mutters. "I'm too young." She stoops as she hands him the beer. He tilts it in thanks, then takes a large gulp. "And you're too full of testosterone for your own good."

"Huh?"

"Don't," she says, shaking her head. "Don't even try to say you're the big, bad Wolvy and you can take on anything and anybody without any one's help."

To her surprise, Logan cracks a grin. "You heard, huh?"

"I saw, remember?"

"But you, huh, know -- ?"

"Yeah, I know. And I'm telling ya it better not happen again. We're a team, remember? Maybe I couldn't have been much help, but I could've lit his furry butt up."

"He didn't mean -- "

"I know. I know," she adds more gently. "He lost it like you do sometimes. But that's exactly why we need each other. We've gotta help each other find it when we lose it."

"Drake almost -- "

"Drake almost got his ass shaved, too. Look," she adds, flopping down to the floor beside him and removing her skates. "I know you guys meant well, but let us help, okay? Jean could've did whatever the Prof does to help Hank take his meds, and there would've been no problem. No bugging out. No fighting. He would've taken the pill, and that would've been that. But instead, you three with your big ass egos had to go try and pill the Beast by yourselves, and you pretty well got your asses hand to you, didn't you?"

"I don't need a lecture by some snot-nosed -- " Logan starts to growl, but Jubilee cuts him off.

"I'm more than a snot nosed brat, and you know it."

"I don't need a conscience either."

"I'm not your conscience, but I do have your back when you let me, Wolvy. We're supposed to be a team. We're supposed to be friends, and friends are here for each other."

Wolverine nods. "That's exactly why we were here for Hank," he says softly.

"I know," Jubilee acknowledges, surprising him, "but the Big, Blue Fuzz has got to grow up."

Logan snorts. "I'd like to hear you tell him that."

"Hang around, and you will when he's back to himself. What's today?" she asks after a moment.

"September 20. Why?"

"I'm marking it on my calendar. Bobby said Prof should be back in time for Blue's next dose, but if he isn't, I'm gonna get Jean to do it way before you boys get another dose of your own testosterone and decide to do it yourselves."

Logan chuckles and finally grins. He finishes his beer and crunches the can. "You got guts, kid. I'll give ya that."

"Of course I do. I saved your ass already in Australia, didn't I?"

Wolvy stands and offers her a hand. "Yeah," he admits. "You did." She takes his hand and lets him pull her to her feet. "Wanna go for a ride, pumpkin?"

She beams. "I thought you'd never ask." Soon, they're on the road with the sunset ahead of them, and as Jubilee snuggles into Wolverine's back, she once again feels like anything and everything is possible. He may have his flaws, but he'll always be her hero. He'll always be her Wolveroonie. She squeezes him. He looks down at her hands joined before his waist, smiles, guns the motor, and drives.

The End