2012-12-27 Only Human

The directions were vague, but the villager knew just which way to take him.
A white jeep sloshes through an old trail that is part dirt, part mud, and part water.
"Dis is where eets at," the young driver can be no older than 16. He was the only one the tourist could convince to take him out here. To face the beast that lurks in the jungle.
"Pick me up on this road in two days," the man with the ruby glasses said. "Two days exactly." And almost as an afterthought, "I hate mosquitoes."
The jeep pulls to a stop in a small clearing that leads to a dense patch of forest. "This is good."
Scott hops down out of the jeep and gives the young man a wad of cash. "Two days."
"Two days."
Scott begins the trek into the jungle.
Poor Scott. While Henry has been back and forth to New York since his change, he was out of the country when Scott went looking for him. In Scott's benefit, that trek isn't an impossible one. And it's easy enough to find mention and even signs of Beast's activity in the various villages. He's been doing his best to make life better for the people here, whether it's as a doctor or as a mechanic. Of course, he's had to watch out for anyone who might consider his pelt worthy of hunting the most dangerous game.
Scott's trek into the jungle pays off quickly enough. First tufts of blue fur and oversized footprints, and then the camoflauged one-seater X-Jet. It all leads Scott to a fairly comfortable treehouse that's almost right out of Star Wars, either Wookiee or Ewok in it's design. There's a quick flash of blue fur in the tree tops as Scott nears the treehouse. And then a voice. It's obviously Hank, though the voice is more animalistic. They haven't really had a good chance to get reaquainted since Hank turned all blueberry bigfoot. "You should have stayed downwind. You're getting careless in your old age."
"Maybe I wanted you to sniff me before someone or something else did." The glint from the sun bounces off his glasses as he looks upward. He gives a deep sigh, looking sweaty and out of place. He grimaces a bit, looking back down through the jungle. "What are we doing out here, Hank?"
"The animals arn't that bad. There's a lovely lady Gorilla who gives giving me the come hither eyes." Of course Hank's joking, but given his current form... it's a positive sign that he's no longer as angst about being a mutant anymore. Or that being an obvious one doesn't bother him. "Just a moment, and I'll join you on the patio." Hank leaps from the balcony of his treehouse, landing on a branch and sliding down it like a modern day Tarzan. Finally leaping off to land in a crouch infront of Scott. He's just in a speedo at the moment, though it's accented by a African beaded neckles and bracelet. And a few beads in braids in his mane of blue hair. "This is my sanctuary. I always loved Africa, always wanted to pay an extended visit. Figured after my change... I could use somewhere to come to terms with the new me."
"Nice place you've made for yourself, here," Scott says with a smile. "I think your outfit is better for the weather than mine." Scott tilts his head towards his old friend. "And how's that going?...coming to terms I mean."
Beast returns the smile, and then leaps forward to grab Scott into a massive hug. It's Hank's usual M.O., especially with members of the Original Five. "Thanks. I thought it was better if I avoided living in the villages. I took long enough for most of them to trust me looking like this. But I have my ways of making friends." Hank puts Scott down and gestures towards a couple simple log seats. "Maybe. But you also don't have fur to deal with." Hank notes with a wink. "I'm still dealing with a serious aversion to clothing since my change." Hank sits down, running his fingers through his hair and toying with the braids. "Good. I've been back and forth to New York and Metropolis since. I just like spending my downtime helping people here."
Scott nods and takes a seat on the logs and kicks back with a smile. "No, I guess you and Logan now have the market cornered on fur." He nods at the mention of New York and Metropolis. "So...how long until we talk about the elephant in the room?"
"Well, he's more hairy than furry... but we are kinda stepping on each others toes in a number of other ways." Especially since before the change, Hank's feral side was kinda trying to challenge Logan for dominance. "Is that Elephant back again? I shot him in my pajamas... what he was doing in my pajamas, I'll never know." Beast offers with a laugh, before getting serious. "The 'You Told Me So'? Or about how I wanted to be "Normal" (Hank does do the finger quotes) so turned myself into more of a 'Beast'?"
"Nope," Scott says flatly. "You haven't ever been one to tell me that you told me so. And I'm not even sure if I'd have the right to say it anyhow. I'm talking about the other question. The question being when you are coming back. To the X-men."
Beast glances down at his oversized feet... wriggling his clawed toes just a bit. "Technically, I never officially left... I just took another vacation from active duty." Hank notes, before leaning back and looking up at the sky. "I'm never far away if you need me. But the secrecy of the school has to be maintained. And given my appearance...." Hank offers, gesturing to himself. "I want more than just to hide in the mansion like some sort of shut-in. I may have thrust this new form upon myself, but I don't want to go back to hiding who I am again Scott. For better or worse... this has given me a mutation that I can't hide with an oversized pair of shoes."
Scott nods, "Well that's just the thing, Hank. We need you. Magneto's brotherhood is getting stronger. New threats face mutankind everyday." He leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees, "I'm coming to you, asking you to come back. Fulltime. Between Latveria and everything going on in the world, the X-men need you. I need you."
Beast reaches over and gives Scott's shoulder a warm squeeze. "You know that you're like the Brother I never had. All of the Original X-Men are precious to me. And I would never deny you anything you asked." Hank pauses for a moment, trying to decide how to answer such a request. "Well... almost anything. I do have ethics." Hank offers with a wink. "I have some commitments in Metropolis... so I'm not sure I would be available in a teaching capacity for the school. And any official connection between Dr. Henry McCoy and the Xavier Instititue would have remain off the books...." He doesn't commit as of yet, waiting to hear Scott's reaction to those specifics.
"How is Emma?" Scott asks with a raised eyebrow. "You hear all sorts of things about her, but I don't know what's true and what isn't." Scott nods. "It's a deal. I know you have a life. Wish I could say the same."
Beast blushes a bit, thankful for the fur now covering his face. But Scott may detect it, as he's pretty good at reading body language... especially on one of his oldest friends. "She's rather interesting. With some fresh new ideas. And she's made some generous offers to me. But you know me, I'm a workaholic. My work at Stark's never kept me from being there when the school or X-men needed me." Hank laughs and claps Scott on the back warmly once more. "You've done better than me. My life is all science and technology. At least you can get a date."
"I haven't had a date since Jean ditched me, Hank," Scott says plainly. "For the better, I suppose. I'm not sure I'm cut out for relationships anyhow. There's too many things to do and not enough hours." Scott goes back to the Frost topic. "New ideas? You trust her?"
"We should hit a single's bar sometime. The ole 'Han Solo and Chewbacca' manuever. I can take the blind girls, and you can have the rest." Hank flashes Scott a wide fanged smile, waggling his brows just a little bit. "Tell me about it." He offers, in regard to Scott's comment about not enough hours. "Well... I know my judgement since turning myself into a Muppet is highly suspect. But she doesn't seem to have an ulterior motives that I could suss out."
"I'll trust your judgement on Frost. I'd like to meet her someday if possible. Maybe get a tour of the Academy," Scott says while playing with the bark on the treehouse. "As far as the Solo/Chewbacca strategy, I'm not sure it'd work. We'd be two wingmen. Don't suppose we could do much worse than we currently do."
"I'll see what I can do. She's a hard woman to catch." Hank stretches and then gets up. "Well, if I'm coming home with you I better pack. You sure the rest of the X-Men will mind you bringing home a stray?" Hank questions as he offers his hand to Scott. "And no... I don't think we could. You're going to have to do me a favor though if I'm returning to active duty. I'm going to need a new costume of some kind. I can't do the full body uniforms anymore. So maybe you can come up with something."
"I'll look forward to meeting her. You can catch her. You got that nose of yours." Scott would probably wink if you could see his eyes. "Have I ever really cared what anyone 'minded' or hasn't minded?" He nods vigorously at the comment about the new uniforms. "I'll show you a few sketches and you can tell me what you think."
"Scott Summers, Fashion Designer. We'll have to get you on next season's project runway." Hank flashes Scott a wide fanged smile, and claps him on the back. "Did you fly commerical here? I'm sure there's room in the mini X-Jet for the two of us if you want a ride back?" Hank gestures back down the trail where Scott had seen it camoflauged.
"Nah, brought the Blackbird," Scott says giving a nod towards the south. "Hiked to the village and hired a car to bring me out. I think we could stow the jet in the bottom of the bird. That is assuming you remember how to fly the Blackbird."
Beast laughs and crosses his arms, perking a brow at Scott. "Probably better than you. Given you crashed the last model." Hank flashed Scott a fanged smile. "After all, I did have a large hand in her design and construction. As well as modification." Hank pauses for a moment and makes a mental note to check on the next version of her that's still in mothballs. "Sounds like you weren't planning to leave without me."
"Well, I always have plans," Scott grins. "But I wasn't planning on needing them." Scott chuckles and nods, "I'll have you know that it was technically a mutant that tore the last one apart. There was very little I could have done, Hank."
Hank throws his head back with a laugh, which echos through the jungle. "Blaming a mutant? Now you're starting to sound like 'Them'." Hank grins once more, before offering a quick and playful addition. "Dun-Dun-Dun!"
"Well," Scott says plainly. "It cost us a grip of cash. Darn mutants. They mess everything up, right?"
"I've missed you Scott. Though I miss the old days more." Hank pats Scott's shoulder once more and thhen turns to climb the tree to his treehouse to start gathering his things. "Things were so much simpler when we were kids."
"They sure were," Scott says with a nod. "Things won't ever be the same. But considering I've been gone for 4 months and you've been out in...How long have you been out here?" He pauses. "It's time for us both to go home and get back to helping out our people."
A couple oversized duffle bags drop from the treehouse, as Hank's not really unpacked from his last arrival. "A while. I'd have to doublecheck my calender." A couple more duffles drop out at Scott's feet. "I'm up for helping everyone... even if we start with our people."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Scott lifts one of the bags, checking it for weight. "We're going to need to stop by the village. Don't want that kid to think I got eaten by the blue beast."
Hank throws the rest of his things in a bag, and locks up his home away from home. Leaping down now dressed, with duffles hung off his large form. "I wouldn't eat you. You're far too scrawny. Wouldn't even offer up a halfway satisfying meal. Speak of which, when we get home I'm grabbing some fast food."
"I've been working out and everything. I'm hurt that you didn't notice," Scott says with a smile. "Fast food? What kind? You know how finnicky I am about diet." Kind of worrisome about everything, really, when you get down to it. "Girlish figure and all that."
"You're not my type. Sorry my friend." Hank ends up managing most of the bags due to his enhanced strength, though he leaves a couple of the lighter ones for Scott. "Oh, I know... I'm going to have to work hard to get ready by next year's bikini season. Can you imagine the waxing?" Hank flashed Scott another grin. He certainly seems to be in better spirits than he used to be.
Scott takes up the lighter bags and makes his way for the exit downward. "You tell me you'd rather wax than Bic it? You're a brave man. I've heard things about wax. Unfavorable things. I thank the stars that I'm a man. Daily."
"Same. Can you imagine if I had to deal with not only this shoe size and this fur as a lady? There goes the sexy shoes and the short flirty skirts. At least as a guy being hairy isn't such a terrible thing. Of course, I think I'm kind overdoing it just a bit."
"I prefer to think of it as you being someone who when they want to do something, they go all the way. No inbetween with Hank McCoy," Scott chuckles as he descends the ladder slowly and carefully. "Now make sure you have a tight grip up there. I don't think my nose would like a Hank falling down onto it."
Hank just pulls the same manuever as before, sliding down part of the tree and leaping to the ground. "Thanks for tracking me down and showing that you care. I appreciate that... especially since my stubborn refusal to fully accept what I was led me here. You and Charles have every right to tell me 'You Told Me So'." Hank notes with a sheepish smile.
"Even if I believed that," Scott begins. "You now outweight me in fur alone. Plus, those teeth. I'm not sure it's a good idea to mess with you anymore." Scott looks back at him with the fading sun visible in his glasses. "Of course I care. You're a teammate. And a brother."
Hank pauses and looks at Scott. "Sometimes I can use a good kick in the pants. I probably needed them a lot more often than I got them. Maybe I wouldn't have ventured down a self destructive path. So don't hold back on my account." Hank notes with a light bob of his head.
"I'm not going to blame you for trying to change. That's the easy way out. When you think about it, these glasses are an adaptation for me. A way for me to 'be normal.' It's real easy for me to tell you how to live your life behind my, literally, rose tinted glasses," Scott says as he begins walking.
"Yeah... but in your case they're also keeping you from hurting the people you love. And they didn't stop you from trying to have a life." Hank notes as he falls in step next to Scott. "But we always see our lives differently than others do. You're worried about hurting others, I was worried about being hurt."
"Perhaps. But the longer I keep at this sort of work, the more I realize how easy it is to point fingers. And how useless. What you did or tried to do is no one's business but your own. Kicking sand in your face over it...what was a personal decision and yours alone...isn't really my thing." Scott grins, "Besides, I'd rather tease you about other things. Like clogging the drain."
Beast rolls his eyes just a bit and offers a gruff of annoyance. "Just no fleas jokes. There's things we don't stoop to... deal?" Hank does smile though, as it's clear he wouldn't take such jokes seriously. "There's a lot of bright sides to my new form. So I've come to accept it. At least now I have the total package for Bigfoot, and not just the big feet."
"Fleas are the Rubicon. Got it," Scott chuckes and shifts the bags on his back. "We should really play jokes on some of the students if possible. Take pictures of something out in the forest outside the school grounds. You know, have fun with it."
"Well have plenty of time to plan monkeyshines when we get back home." Hank notes, shaking his head just a bit at Scott. "You're starting to sound like Bobby now. Clearly you do need my influence in your life. We couldn't handle having two Popsicles running around."
"That was the turning point. I got back from my trip and realized that if I was anything like Bobby, something would need to change quick. I knew you'd snap me out of it," Scott says.
"I'll do my best. After all, I'm only human." Hank smirks.
"Yeah," Scott nods. "Me too."
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