Project X [18+] [Fanfiction]

Chapter XV: Social Acceptance

By the time morning had come after my long, rough night with Shifter, my entire body was spent and weary. Because of my healing factor I never really felt sore, but the psychological effects of fatigue and mental exhaustion were still something very familiar to me. My body could shrug off a fall from thirty stories given enough time, but I'd still need an evening to get over the trauma of the drop itself, and the pain that went along with it.

Not that my rough night with him was akin to falling off of a building, but there were certainly things about it that I knew would stick with me. Good things to be sure, though some of them were a bit more difficult for me to process, even if I enjoyed them. It had been a night of utter submission, and I had given myself to him more fully and honestly than I ever had. Under his suggestion, I had revealed our relationship through social media. If that wasn't enough, before the evening was over he had relieved himself on me, and a dark, feral part of me relished it.

The memory made my lower region moisten, even as I laid in his bed in the morning, staring up at the ceiling. Shifter had already gone to classes that morning, leaving me with a kiss on the cheek and the promise that we would spend the night together again. I nodded in acceptance but I took cautioned care to not be overly eager; it was something I consciously tried to prevent. Somehow, it was easier to let him mark me with his feral scent than it was for me to openly behave like a normal girl would. Things inside me that were disconnected from how typical people behaved seemed more noticeable now that Shifter and I were dating, and though I had been worried about those things for weeks now, the past night had brought much of them to the surface.

Absently, I sat up in the bed, my body still naked and exposed from the past evening of delight. The sheet was still over my lap, and nearby my cell phone sat with whatever charge was left after, as Jubliee would put it, "my Facebook blew up" last night. I reached out for it and turned it on, scowling slightly as I saw a long list of notifications pop up. Seventy-nine "likes" of my status. Curious, seeing as how I did not think there were seventy-nine people that I even knew.

Well, that were still living, at least.

Most of the comments in my status were celebrating my announcement that I was in a relationship, and the majority of them were from people I had absently accepted friend requests from. The phrase "lucky guy" came up often; usually in passive aggressive terms from men I did not know. Another dozen or so were simply emoticons grinning at me with stupid expressions on their faces, and a few more still expressed their enthusiasm in the silliest fashion possible.

"Congo rats." I read one of the comments aloud, my brow furrowing in confusion. An unusual way to convey congratulations, but I was not one to criticize how others networked. As I looked over more of the comments my cheeks darkened; some of them were downright insulting in the most complimentary, yet foul way possible. "'Some guy get to fuck that? Life fucking unfair man seriously.'" I read the words as they were typed, without any element of proper sentence structure.

"Well yes, he does get to fuck that. Er...this." I sighed, and rolled my eyes as I continued through the lines of idiocy that littered my Facebook profile. Every now and again I stopped when I saw a familiar face; my classmates at the mansion, or even members of the faculty that worked with me as an X-Man.

"Holy snap, Laurels!" My eyes glazed over the first part of Pixie's comment, but I didn't read it aloud. There was only so far I could stretch my desire to verbalize the comments. "Can't believe you didn't tell us first! Good on you, we're gonna talk soon, bet your butt on that!" Shortly after came Jubilee's comment, likely posted shortly before she called me. The memory of the phone ringing sent my cheeks red once more; and I tingled at the sensation.

Idly I drew my phone up and sniffed it, before a smile spread on my face, and I looked down again to read Jubilee's comment.

"What. What. What. What. What?!" I could not help but smile at Jubilee's initial reaction, and I could easily envision her expression when she found out. "You and him? Since when?! You have to call me RIGHT NOW!!!!111!1"

I blinked in confusion at her typing by the very end, but chuckled nonetheless. If nothing else, it
seemed like my friends were happy for me. The only other member of the mansion that had commented on my status was Dr. McCoy, who openly wondered if my account security had been compromised, and it was all an elaborate prank.

I put my phone down and laid back in the bed once more, tucking my hands behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling of Shifter's bedroom. Though I did not have the energy to call Jubliee and explain to her just what all was going on, I still felt strangely good. It was pleasant to have the nature of our relationship out in the open, and to no longer feel as if it was something that needed to be hidden. I smiled wide, and took a slow, deep breath, my bare chest rising and falling as I took the early minutes of the morning to relish in what had happened.

I felt...normal. Even though the night had been rough by any truly normal person's standards, it was as close as I could get to a night of endlessly romantic intimacy. At least for now. Perhaps in the future I would find a more comfortable place in my sexuality, or even in my heart, but for the moment the intensely heated night between Shifter and I was the very height of our passions.

With memories of last night still fresh in my mind, I finally rose to my feet, ready to take on the day.

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"Do you have free time?" I finally asked quietly, a bit of curiosity to my voice. "My duties for the day are complete. I would like to spend the evening with you, if that is acceptable."

"Of course, Laura." Shifter smiled and looked to me, before dashing water across his face. As he did so, I let my mind wander a bit further, wondering how far I could push my luck, how far I could live the life of a "normal" girl.

"...Jubilee and Pixie will want to speak with you." I finally spoke up again, my voice sounding thoughtful and focused, but in my heart I was struggling to achieve something other women often did; seeking the approval of her friends for the man they had chosen. "Is it also acceptable if I were to invite them to dinner with us? I suspect they will interrogate you since you do not know either of them well." I paused for a moment, before adding to my words as a soft promise of consolation. "I do not require their approval. But it would be pleasant."

Shifter turned from the bathroom sink and looked at me with his usual smile, and it helped to ease a bit of my uncomfortable tension at the prospect. Fully cleaned, my lover stepped up to my and pressed his hands to my shoulders, giving me a small squeeze before he leaned forward to kiss me. Our lips moved together slowly and sweetly, and though the topic at hand remained in the air, it was momentarily suspended for us to enjoy it. .

"It'll be fine, Laura." He assured me, and brought one hand up to gently lift my chin. "Let them know we'll get dinner tonight. Just promise me you won't worry too much about it, all right?"

My eyes flickered to his, and I studied him for a moment as some of my dark black locks hung lazily before one of my eyes. Finally I gave a small nod of acceptance, and as he started to move to the door I followed him with my gaze. He looked back once more at me, and we shared a tender glance before he slipped outside to return to his responsibilities at the mansion.

Once again, I was left alone in my room, a normal girl expected to have a normal evening. And once again, I was at a loss. What did a normal girl do in her free time? I let the question linger in my mind for a long moment, before I spoke my decision aloud to myself.

"...I should go shopping."

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End of Chapter 15.