Waking up is a fucking experience for Illyana Rasputin. First comes the aching all throughout her body as she struggles to get her eyes open. Then comes the soreness. But that's also followed by a deep, deep sense of satisfaction. Satisfaction that, even before the memories fully come spilling back in, can only mean one thing in her hazy thoughts.
She just got fucked.
No doubt about it. No sugarcoating it. It wasn't 'making love', it wasn't just 'having sex'. No, that was… that was amazing. Thaddeus was amazing. Illyana had no idea it could be like that… mostly because despite the act she'd put on, she'd never actually had sex before. Was it always like that? Or was Thaddeus in particular just plain specia-
Thaddeus!
Eyes snapping fully open, Illyana sits up in bed as it fully dawns on her what just happened. She'd woken up from a medically induced coma on Earth, talked to Thaddeus and that woman Emma Frost, and then kidnapped Thaddeus back to Limbo.
From there, she'd wound up killing S'ym (bastard demon was plotting against her, she just knew it!) and then offered Thaddeus a roll in the hay. To be fair, it had felt like a good idea at the time. She was riding high on the powerful feeling welling up inside of her after she'd returned to HER realm and rid herself of a traitorous worm.
… But the last thing Illyana had expected was for Thaddeus to fuck her so fucking good she passed out on him. Passed out on him… in Limbo. A place filled with the worst sort of creatures. She'd left him all alone here and now he was nowhere in sight and she-
Illyana's catastrophizing is brought to a screeching halt when Thaddeus steps back into the bedroom. He pauses at seeing that she's up.
"Ah, finally awake I see. Sorry, had to step out and find a bathroom. At least, I think it was a bathroom…"
He looks back the way he came for a moment with a concerned frown, before looking back at her and shrugging helplessly.
"Anyways, I-mmph!"
She teleports herself across the room and into his arms before he can blink… and before Illyana can second guess herself as well. Wrapping her arms and legs around his torso, she smashes her lips into his own and kisses him deeply with plenty of tongue.
It makes her so damn happy when he returns the favor, his hands going to grip her ass and his own tongue joining the fun. They 'dance' like that for a moment until finally, he pulls away and gives her an amused look.
"Glad I could leave you with some fond memories, O' Mistress of Hell."
Illyana blinks before blushing and realizing she's completely letting down the façade here. Fuck, she's letting down the façade HERE. Quickly climbing out of his arms, she huffs and tries to get back her composure. She wasn't… she couldn't allow herself to feel this way. Not about anyone. She was back where she belonged now technically. Back in Limbo even if she'd rather be anywhere else.
She needs to get ahold of herself. She needs to get back control. That starts with playing her part.
"Hmph. Well… you were halfway decent, I suppose."
Far from getting offended, Thaddeus just grins a toothy, confident grin that sends a shiver down Illyana's spine.
"Oh, I was more than halfway decent, Princess."
Illyana has to fight back the urge to blush, half-expecting him to take her again right then and there by how he's leaning towards her. But then just as quickly as it starts, he pulls back… and she realizes he was doing it on purpose. To mess with her. She should be mad, but instead she's just… something.
"Unfortunately, while it's been fun, it's time for me to go back to Earth. You can come as well if you want so we can confirm my theory about the multiverse and the X-Men you remember coming from a different dimension. But either way, I need to check in. To make sure Emma doesn't try to launch a rescue mission if nothing else."
He says it all so lightly. Like it's already guaranteed that he's going back to Earth. Or that his 'Emma' will really be able to somehow find a way to Limbo. Then again, they apparently knew the X-Men and Cat and Storm had somehow gotten to Limbo… as had Illyana. So she supposed she couldn't necessarily put anything past the people of Earth…
All the same, she can't help crossing her arms over her chest with a frown.
"What if I don't want to let you go? What if I want to keep you here… with me?"
She tries to sound imperious. Foreboding. She's going for real 'evil empress' vibes, or at least aiming for them. Unfortunately, even to Illyana's ears her words sound a little… petulant.
Thaddeus just tilts his head to the side with a crooked smile.
"I don't think you would do that to someone, Illyana. I don't think you want anyone to suffer like you did."
Illyana stiffens at that. He… how dare he talk like he knows her. J-Just because he rocked her world and broke her brain with that magical fucking cock of his doesn't mean a thing!
"You don't know me. I'm no hero."
Thaddeus' smile becomes wicked and suddenly he's closer to her than before, looming over her.
"Neither am I, Princess."
His attitude is so different now. He really thinks he has her measure, doesn't he? But then again… doesn't he? Illyana tries to ignore the small voice that whispers that in the back of her mind, even as she narrows her eyes.
"You're doing a hell of a job in asking me nicely to take you back to Earth."
Pausing, Thaddeus seems to consider something for a moment. Illyana almost wonders if he's about to switch up his attitude and start being all nice and cute with her. She hopes not, that would be a blow to this newfound respect she has for him.
Of course, what actually happens… completely catches her off guard.
"I wasn't asking, Illyana. Because I don't need to ask. You aren't the only ride home around here."
Before she can even fully process his words let alone ask what the fuck he means, Thaddeus holds up his hand… and snaps his fingers. Illyana's eyes immediately drop to the ground where a stepping disc, aka one of HER fucking portals, opens up beneath their feet.
A moment later and they arrive back in the same room she'd taken Thaddeus from, except Illyana is naked (Thaddeus isn't, he'd gotten dressed while she was asleep much to her disappointment). Oh, and the other blonde is still there. Emma Frost.
Illyana squeaks and immediately summons her armor, covering her body in black spikes and leather straps in an instant. She summons her sword too for good measure, though she doesn't point it at anyone. Even if she's really, really tempted.
"… You work as fast as ever, Thaddeus."
Emma's drawled tone makes Illyana go bright red in a way even Thaddeus' teasing hadn't quite managed. Thaddeus, meanwhile, just laughs and shrugs sheepishly.
"How long were we gone, exactly?"
"… Just a moment, really. Three blinks of my eyes at most."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Thaddeus nods.
"Good to know. Glad you didn't have time to worry."
Humming, Emma looks Illyana up and down and Illyana can immediately tell the other blonde now dislikes her immensely. She scowls in response, causing Emma to smirk right back.
"I suppose if it had been enough time to worry, it might have also been enough time for me to rationalize that there was no need for it. After all, we both know you would have found your way back… one way or another."
Okay, that was officially enough. Illyana tries not to look the part of a particularly startled, fluffed up cat even as she lets out a snarl and finally points her sword at Thaddeus.
"What the fuck was that?! Explain, now!"
Looking unfairly unbothered by her implied threat, Thaddeus just smiles.
"That? My mutation, what else. I'm sure your Storm and Cat taught you all about mutants, right?"
Illyana swallows but slowly nods. She herself is a mutant apparently. On top of also being a sorceress. But the stepping discs… that's supposedly her mutation at work. But wait that meant…
"My mutation is that I share power with anyone I fuck. It goes both ways really… I get a copy of your power, you get a boost in return. I suppose you just didn't notice it because you passed out in the middle of it all."
Illyana squawks. Thaddeus did NOT need to say that in front of the supremely frosty blonde bitch currently watching them both like a hawk!
Still… that was a hell of a mutation. What did it mean that she'd gotten a boost? Could her stepping discs go farther? Last longer? Take more with them? Fuck, she sort of wanted to find out… but she wanted more answers first. Especially about one thing in particular. Looking over at Emma Frost, Illyana scowls and crosses her arms over her chest.
"What the fuck did you mean that he would find a way back 'one way or another'?"
Was she seriously implying… Thaddeus coughs into his fist, causing Illyana to blink and look back over to him.
"She was likely talking about another power of mine that I picked up a while back. I don't necessarily have to fuck someone anymore to get a copy of their power. I can actually drain such things with a touch at this point… it just also drains the person and endangers their life if I'm not careful."
Glancing over at Emma, Thaddeus nods.
"That's what Emma means, I'm sure. If you'd proven to truly be evil, I might have had no choice but to use such a thing to escape."
Oh. Illyana looks back at Emma… but the other blonde just shrugs, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Whatever it took."
That sounded… but before Illyana can focus on it too much more, Thaddeus clears his throat.
"So… do you want to go see this universe's version of Kitty and Storm? We don't have to talk to them, I can just show you them from afar so you know what's up and that they really are alive in this universe."
Illyana opens her mouth to reply even as Emma shoots Thaddeus a curious glance. In the end though, the words won't come so ultimately all she can do is sheepishly nod. Thaddeus grins and offers her his arm, which she tentatively grabs onto. Technically Illyana can also handle the travel, but he's the one who knows where they're going so…
"Talk to you soon, Emma."
"… Very well, Thaddeus."
You know, she's pretty sure that those two have a really weird relationship. But before Illyana can make a cutting comment, they're teleporting again. It feels so fucking weird to be teleported by her power, but not herself. So weird to have her power take her places because someone else decided.
… But maybe not a bad weird? At least, not when it's Thaddeus anyways…
He shows her just as he promised he would. He shows her Storm and he shows her Cat… or rather, he shows her Ororo Munroe and Kitty Pryde, the Storm and Shadowcat of this dimension. Illyana recognizes them of course, even from a distance… but at the same time, she doesn't.
They aren't her Storm and Cat. They didn't suffer under Belasco and his demons like hers had, like she had. They're other people. But… they're alive and they seem happy. And somehow, that loosens something in Illyana's chest that she hadn't even really known was there.
Once they're done, Thaddeus takes her out for coffee of all things next. They're seated at a table outside of a little café before Illyana even fully registers it all, a warm cup held in her hands. She's been going through the motions, following Thaddeus' lead ever since he showed her his versions of Storm and Cat.
"Hey. Tell me about them?"
Blinking, Illyana looks up. At first she expects him to just be throwing her a bone. Asking because it's what he's supposed to do. But… he's actually looking at her with interest. Like he really wants to hear her out.
Haltingly, slowly… Illyana begins to talk. About what happened to her. About Belasco. And about Storm and Cat. The only two in the entirety of Limbo who had been there for her over the years… the decades, really.
She talks about how Storm trained her, how Cat helped her. She talks about how Cat suffered, transformed by Belasco. She talks about how she was forced to sacrifice them, first Cat to save Storm… and then Storm to save her soul from Belasco.
The mask falls away at some point. The tears stream down Illyana's cheeks. And still Thaddeus listens quietly, silently supporting her all the while.
When she's finally done, they sit in silence for a moment. But it's a surprisingly comfortable silence for Illyana, not least of all because Thaddeus has one of her hands in his and is rubbing a thumb in soothing circles over her knuckles.
Finally though, he breaks the quiet with a simple question.
"What will you do now?"
A simple question… but not nearly as simple of an answer. What WAS she going to do now?
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