Now that the adrenaline was wearing off exhaustion had began to creep in. The magnitude of the day had never been lost on Jean, but standing on the other side of it was almost scarier. There was no forced bravery or resolve that she had been trying to build. Jean had been brave because she had to be. The Phoenix needed a home and she was its best bet. Even if she didnât want to be consumed Jean had braced herself to burn so the world didnât have to. Oh, how she had failed. The Phoenix had found a new host and it wasnât her. Emma Frost ( the very same Emma who wanted to sacrifice jean to the phoenix ) now had its fire thrumming in her rib while all Jean felt was the startling cold. She had never realized before just at home she was with a sliver of cosmic power coursing through her veins. It didnât matter if she was using it or not. The Phoenix had set its gaze on Jean when she was a child and now it had abandoned her. Or, maybe, she had abandoned it. It was hard to say.
There were no words Jean could find to express the fact that she was embarrassed. Not because there had been all of that fuss and then sheâd balked â although that existed too â but because a part of her was disappointed. It was both the feeling of relief that she wasnât the Phoenix and shame that she hadnât followed through. Whether or not her tumultuous relationship with the Phoenix was over was hard to say, but in that moment alone with Jimmy she felt more startlingly human than she had in a long time.
âYeah, over me.â She parroted back. âAs in, over my bullshit. I know some people are. Telepath.â The word was redundantly tossed in at the last moment. Of course Jimmy knew what she was. He had been there more than almost anyone at this point. âI wouldnât blame you. I mean, look at me. Dead person to amnesiac to failure. Itâs all Jean Grey this and Jean Grey that and Iâm just⊠I donât know. Jeanâs great, but weâre different. The Phoenix chose her and it didnât choose me.â So how much of the same person could they be?
It would have been incredibly hard for Jean to just forget about the Phoenix Five. Her older self had been preoccupied as well but there didnât seem to be much they could do. Jean herself was still trying to find some kind of composure in the middle of the chaos and she had no idea where to start. At his motion she became aware of the blood and dabbed at it with one finger to confirm its existence before leaning in so that he could dab it away. She swallowed an apology for the millisecond of trouble before her head began to shake at his words.
âI have so much thinking to do. About me and Jean and the Phoenix and just everything.â And Scott. Where was he? Gone, running away to Krakoa with his older self. The sharp pain in her gut was a reminder that while Jean loved Scott he felt like a stranger. He had hung her out to dry and he wasnât there for her now. Jimmy was. Jimmy had been. Did she love Scott because she felt like she had to? Like that was how it always had been and should so forever? No. Jean knew it was real, but that didnât mean it was the only real thing in her life. âI donât want to talk.â Her hands rose to frame his face on either side so that he had no choice but to look into her eyes. âIâm sick of talking about everything and nothing happening. I didnât even know who I was and â You. Youâve been here, with me. That means a lot.â
For the third time since knowing him, Jean leaned in and kissed Jimmy. One hand fell to his arm, tugging it slightly to move with her as she eased back onto the bed. Body unfurling, Jean pulled away to look at him for a moment. If he didnât want to kiss her that was fine, but the door was closed and she was ready to let her walls dow.
Jean meant a lot to Jimmy. In fact, Jean was almost everything to him. Before she was in his life he was alone, scared, cold, and running around the Yukon like some wild beast. Hunting and scavenging and avoiding people as much as he could. He didnât know what he was or who he was and all he did know was how to survive, and so he did. Countless nights he felt the bitter cold. Whole limbs claimed by frostbite only for them to slowly and painfully regenerate. Sure, he was surviving but what he wasnât doing was living.
As far as Jimmy was concerned the day his life began, the day he started living, was when he met Jean Grey. Injured and enraged she found him. When others struck him not being sure what to make of him she humored him, gave him a chance, gave him an identity. Before that day he didnât know he had a name. He was just him, and there was no one to call him anything other than the cries the animals made, but because of Jean he was now Jimmy, and he was grateful for that.
Her generosity didnât end there. She even gave him a home. Despite what the guys had to say she brought him to the institute. Gave him a place to live and a team to work for. He went from spending countless says alone fighting for survival to working on a team, living in a mansion, and pining over a woman he was forced to watch be in the arms of a man he was regularly at odds with. He never was particularly fond of Scott but with his actions recently in regards to Jean he hated him. He let himself become a puppet and put Jean in danger at every corner, assisting in her death, helping keep her captive and then trying to sacrifice her life for his own purposes. It was bullshit and he was glad Jean was finally beginning to see it.
Jimmy was about to speak as he felt her soft hands cradle his face. Her touch was what he longed for. He was starved from affection and in this moment he felt wanted and supported. The warmth of her hands began to melt his stress away as he looked into her eyes. As she spoke he could hear his heart pound like drums. Then it happens. As their lips connected time nearly slowed for him. This time was different to him. This wasnât the sporadic actions of an amnesiac or the thankful adrenaline fueled kiss of someone who had just gone through a near death experience. She was in her right mind. This was her. She chose him.
As she guided him he followed suit. Holding himself over her with his one arm he stared down at her and admired her. Not for her figure or just her beauty but for who she was and the moment they were sharing. A nervous smile crossed his face as he looked into her eyes like pools of emerald. He felt the blood begin to rush to his cheeks as he felt the warming sensation of blushing like some school boy, but he didnât hid it. He wanted her to know how he was feeling, wanted to share this moment to their core.Â
Lowering himself over her he locked their lips together as he leaned into the kiss deeply. A pang of guilt began to creep into his chest. Did she really want to take things this far or was he just taking advantage of her vulnerable emotional state. Reluctantly, Jimmy pulled away from her, craving nothing but the taste of her lips. âJean.â His voice was shaky with excitement. Clearing his throat he continued. âAre you sure you want to do this?â