Feral Family Affairs

What Comfort Zone ?

The flight back to the Institute from the helicarrier was uneventful aside from the fact that K had started to shiver uncontrollably once they were airborne and away from the heating devices that had warmed her up initially. Logan didn't bother to ask if she was alright before pulling her onto his lap on the floor and wrapping blankets around the both of them. But it still took well over an hour for her to warm up enough to stop. That on its own had left her incredibly sore.

When they finally made it back to Westchester, Kitty and Charles met them with the little ones, who of course mobbed their parents on sight. The ferals didn't stick around before they got themselves settled in at the boathouse, though Logan was almost laughing at his three little troublemakers when he couldn't get them to go to bed. Naturally, they insisted on joining their parents instead. It had been a hard few days for them, after all. K didn't mind one bit, and even tickled them as she snuggled up with them half piled between Logan and herself, all of them covered up and cozy.

Once she'd gotten in bed, K had pulled the blanket up to her ears and had passed out almost as soon as she'd stopped teasing them and gotten comfortable. Rose was nearest to her with her hand on K's cheek as she slept. K was still smiling lightly as she drifted off to sleep with Logan watching her and relaxing with them, even with James yanking on his sideburns. When the little ones were soundly asleep, he carefully picked each one up and put them to bed before climbing back in with his wife. He pulled her over to him as tightly as he could, burying his nose in her hair and letting the relief finally wash over him. Sleepily, K rolled in his arms to face him, sliding her hand onto his neck as he kissed her. It was clear the two of them just needed the time, and for the moment, he was perfectly happy just to not let her out of his reach.

For the first few weeks back, anytime K would get a chill it would take her hours to warm up. There wasn't enough hot coffee or tea in the western hemisphere to heat her up when she got cold, and she found that for her, the only real remedy was a scorching hot shower then wrapping herself up with a blanket and Logan, not that he was complaining in the least. When Hank opined that having Logan in the equation was probably a bit over the top, Scott was the one to shock most of them when he defended her insistence. "If she says she needs him, she needs him," Scott said, which honestly only had Jean smiling at him and curling into him more comfortably herself.

Initially, seeing K shiver made Logan's stomach flip as he remembered her violent shaking on the jet home, but by the time it began to ebb, he almost looked forward to seeing her scrunched up on herself as she rushed across the lawn to him, trying to make herself smaller as she hurried, only to slip her arms around him and snuggle into his chest 'for warmth.' Then of course, once she was warm, she always made a point of thanking him thoroughly and creatively.

No one was pushing her to come back to practice, and she was cuddling James, having tea with Charles and Jean while Abbey tried to keep Rachel and Rose from biting each other when Scott came in asking K to join him on a quick pick up.

"Ah – isn't Logan back yet?" K asked, which was precisely when Charles realized that she hadn't done one mission since her return nearly six weeks ago.

"No, he's still with the Avengers. Come on, we have to rush this one," Scott said as he stepped toward the door.

"I don't think so," K said quietly.

Scott turned around slowly, frowning to himself as he watched her for a moment. "Why not?"

"I just - can't." K shrugged up one shoulder and tipped her head toward James, who was snuggled in with his head on her chest and half asleep.

"Come on, K. Quit screwing around and suit up. I need your help." He looked torn between trying to be motivational and irritated.

"Scott, maybe you should get Laura," Charles said evenly, which only sealed it for Scott. He looked over to K and James just long enough to make it clear that he couldn't believe that she wasn't interested in working with him for a simple mission.