It was a long travel back to New York for Ian. The moment he arrived at his apartment, he felt the weight of it all hit him, from the time he entered the building all the way to when he was standing in front of his apartment door.
What was he going to say? How was he going to act? What should he do? All these questions plagued Ian's thoughts. How would he explain to Noriko what exactly he had been doing without telling her the truth?
" Better pull the Band-Aid off. And whatever comes next, I have earned it." Ian took a deep breath and opened the door to the apartment.
Inside, sleeping on the couch with an ice bag on her head and a blanket pulled up to her neck, was Noriko. She looked sick. She was really bad.
" Alright, Nori. I have your... Soup." Ian's mother, Sarah, came into the living room from the kitchen area carrying a bowl of hot soup in her hands. However, when she spotted Ian, she stopped and stared at the boy. " Hey son. I see your back." Sarah was not happy with Ian. She looked at the boy in utter shame.
And Ian knew he deserved it.
" Is she doing, okay?" Ian asked the woman.
" She'll be fine. She was walking home from work in the cold rain the last week." Sarah told the boy.
" She found a job?" Ian asked.
" Yeah, I put in some words to a friend of mine that owns the small cafe down the street, and she was more than happy to give Nori some help." Sarah explained.
" Thank you, mom." Ian spoke.
" I didn't do it for you. I did it for Nori." Sarah told the boy. " I'm doing this! For you." She stated. She handed Ian the bowl of soup and took off her apron. " Call me later." Sarah gave Ian a kiss on the cheek and then quickly left the room, leaving Ian alone to face his girlfriend.
Ian walked over to Noriko, and as he stood there looking down at her face, twisted in agony, he started tearing up. Ian used one of his hands to wipe his eyes, and that only succeeded in making him cry more.
" God. I'm sorry." Ian muttered.
The sound of his sobbing woke Noriko from her slumber. Groggily she opened her eyes.
" Sarah, what's wrong?" Noriko asked. She mistakenly believed the sobbing to be that of Sarah, but when she sat up, she saw Ian standing in front of her crying. Noriko glared at Ian. She was mad, but slowly her look of anger turned to concern. " Ian, what's wrong?" Noriko asked the man.
Ian placed the bowl down in front of Noriko and collapsed on his knees. He threw his head into her lap and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could.
" I'm so sorry, Noriko." Ian told the girl.
Noriko placed one of her hands on Ian's head and rubbed it, softly, gently.
" Ian, what happened?" Noriko asked.
Ian was told from the beginning that nothing he did with X-Force.
" I'm sorry Nori." Ian repeated it once more.
" What are you sorry for. What did you do?" Noriko asked the man once more.
Ian sat up and looked Noriko in her soft gentle, brown eyes.
" I... I wasn't supposed to tell you. I'm not supposed to tell you. I was gonna come up with something... A lie. But." Ian started.
" But what?"
" But I love you so much... And... I think you deserve the truth." Ian muttered.
" Ian, what did you do?" Noriko asked the man.
" A week ago, Cyclops came to our home in the middle of the night. He was calling a team into action to deal with... To deal with the Purifiers." The look on Noriko's face soured and her eyes began to burn with anger, but for a moment, she left it be. " It was supposed to be a small covert team. Me, Logan, Laura, Warpath, and Wolfsbane."
....
Ian continued to inform Noriko on almost everything that had transpired within the recent days. And when he had finally finished, he looked upon Noriko in shame.
Noriko was silent, and would be for some time, she was angry and upset. No, she was livid. But.
" Is that everything?" Noriko eventually spoke up and asked.
" Yes. It is." Ian replied.
" Look at me, Ian." Noriko grabbed Ian's cheek and slowly guided his gaze back to her eyes. And when she could see into them, when she could see the guilt and shame, she slapped him as hard as she could. And then, when he looked back at her, she hugged him. " You damn fool. You could have died. What would I have done then?" Noriko asked the man.
Ian was shocked. He had expected the slap, in truth he knew he deserved it. But he had not expected her to... Well console him.
" Nori? You're not mad?" Ian asked the woman.
" Of course, I am. I'm absolutely furious with you. You lied to me, you didn't call me for an entire week, and not to mention everything else you've done. I'll be honest, for a moment... I thought about walking out of here. And I would have. But... I understand it. Ian, I understand, I do. I know why you didn't want me involved. When I found out where the Purifiers were before, I took my team out and went after them carelessly, and I nearly got you and everyone else killed. And yet you forgave me. You forgave me without hesitation, because you understood how I felt. So, I'm forgiving you. Just promise me, from now, that you'll tell me the truth. That you won't treat me like I'm so kind of damsel in distress. I'm not just your girlfriend. I'm your partner. And you can trust me to keep your secrets. Okay?"
Ian felt the weight that had been holding him down, suddenly lifted off of him.
" I give you, my word." Ian told the woman. Ian leaned in and planted a kiss right on Noriko's lips. And at first, she was okay, but then she suddenly pushed Ian away.
" Hold on, Ian. I'm still sick. You'll catch the flu." Noriko told the man.
Ian leaned in and planted another kiss on Noriko's lips.
" I don't care." Ian kissed Noriko long and hard. " I've missed you." Ian grabbed Noriko's pants and quickly stripped them from her body, while Noriko frantically removed her shirt and bra. Once she was completely naked, Ian quickly removed his own clothing, simply tearing them off without care.
" Mhm! I've missed you too. Now get inside me." Noriko pulled Ian down with her.
.....
A few hours later, Noriko and Ian were both basking in the afterglow of their passionate reunion.
" That was amazing. Oh god, I can't feel my legs." Noriko moaned. She pressed her body against Ian's and purred.
" God, I've missed you so much." Ian muttered. He was breathless. Even being sick, Noriko was like a wildcat in bed. The way she moved and grinded on his pelvis felt amazing. The way her body vibrated when she used her powers, made the experience even more pleasurable.
" I'm glad you're back. I've really missed you, Ian. But what are we going to do now?" Noriko asked. " Are we going to go back to trying to look for jobs... Or can I expect you to be out more?"
" I'm sorry, Noriko. But-"
Noriko and Ian, suddenly both grabbed their heads as they felt a growing migraine.
" This message is reaching every known mutant in the world. Good, bad, friend, foe.... Whoever you are. Wherever you are. We want every mutant left to know this: The X-Men are very much alive. And San Francisco is now Mutant Sanctuary. Any of you-- and your families or loved ones-- are invited to join us here. And know safety and protection our kind had never known."
Cyclops message rang out across the planet, Curtesy of Miss Frost.
Ian and Noriko looked at each other blankly for a moment.
" Well?" He asked.
" I've always wanted to see the golden gate." Noriko replied.
Ian smirked and kissed Noriko on her nose.
" We'll get ready first thing in the morning. Today. I wanna make up for lost time." Ian got back ontop of Noriko and spread her legs again.
The excitement sent shivers down her back and the moment Ian's penis penetrated her vagina, Noriko collapsed, and her body began squirming. In the heat of the moment, she let out a loud yell.
" KYAAAAAAAAAH!"