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Night Swimming

Summary : When swimming alone, always make sure that you *are* alone..
Rating : PG
Pairing : Bobby Drake / Jean-Paul Beaubier
Disclaimer : Do you actually think these guys are mine? Seriously? Oh dear.

Jean-Paul Beaubier

Jean-Paul knew that the swimming pool would not be in use at this time of evening. He was training most of the day with Scott Summers, who decided that, although Jean-Paul was only going to be teaching at the Institute, he would still need regular training session. Jean-Paul was fairly convinced that Scott only suggested this to annoy him. It had been his first training session since he left Alpha Flight, and it was tough. He would never inform Scott how difficult he found it, but he admitted it to himself. He was out of shape - the training had left him stiff and aching. In the old days, he had used the pool to help relax his body, so he decided to try the same thing here.

With a towel slung over his shoulder, he made his way to the lower levels. He glanced at a clock on his way - 11:30pm. Hopefully all the students would be tucked up in bed by now.

Sure enough, the lights were out in the changing room and pool. He quickly removed his X-Men costume, wondering, not for the first time, why superheroes all felt the need to wear skintight lycra. He was sure that there was something more comfortable and less ... sticky. He did allow the concession though that the outfits successfully withstood his top speeds - something that his earliest costumes occasionally had problems with.

Slipping on his swimming trunks, he headed out to the pool. Standing on the side, he stretched and performed a near-perfect dive into the deep end. Relishing the feel of the water pulling at his muscles, he began swimming, much faster than most people could, thanks, in part to his mutation. He was, of course, an exceptionally good swimmer in any case. Jean-Paul prided himself on being exceptionally good at anything he did.

Bobby Drake

Bobby spent an hour tossing and turning in his bed. He was tired, but was having trouble sleeping. His mouth was dry and he was fidgety and irritable. He'd lived with his mutation long enough to understand the symptoms - he was dehydrated. It happened far too easily since his secondary mutation had begun. No matter how much water he drank, he still wouldn't feel any better. He needed to absorb more moisture. And there was only one place in the mansion that he could do that. Luckily the swimming pool would be deserted at this time of night.

He crept down towards the pool, appreciating the fact that Scott had deemed 10pm bedtime for the students. It was not the first time that this had happened to him, and he knew that simply sitting near the water would rehydrate him enough to allow him to relax.

But when he got down to the pool, he realised that the lights were on and someone was already using it.

"Damn," he thought to himself. He hoped for some peace and quiet - he certainly didn't want to have to explain what he was doing there. He thought about it for a few moments and decided that rather than sitting by the side of the pool, as usual, he would head up to the observation seating area. He could sit up there and still absorb the atmospheric water molecules without being seen.

The seating area was still in the dark, which was how he preferred it. He settled himself down, feeling better already. Leaning forward slightly, he looked over the barrier at the pool, watching whoever was down there. The figure, slim and obviously male, was swimming faster than anyone he'd ever seen. Almost as fast as he could move in water himself. Mentally he ran through the options, but other than Quicksilver, he couldn't think of anyone it could be. There were no speedsters at the Institute, as far as he knew.

Intrigued, he continued watching, enjoying the sight of the well-toned body gliding through the water, the paleness of the skin contrasting against the darkness of the evening. He felt like a voyeur, but relished the feeling, rather than being ashamed of it. After twenty or so laps, the swimmer decided that he'd had enough and slowed down, edging his way to the steps. He reached them and climbed out, grabbing for a towel that was folded up neatly and left against the wall.

Now able to see the profile of the swimmer, Bobby suppressed a gasp as he realised who it was. Jean-Paul had only been with them at the mansion a few days, and Bobby had only spoken to him a couple of times in passing. He certainly never realised how beautiful the other man's body was. Eyes transfixed, he watched as Jean-Paul rubbed his body down with the towel and then wrapped it around his slim waist. He reached up under the towel and removed his swimming trunks, wringing the excess water out of them. Bobby tried to stop watching, he would swear that he had tried, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Jean-Paul stretched up, his arms reaching over his head, his back arching like a kitten's. He rolled his shoulders a few times and then headed back to the changing room, turning out the lights to the pool as he went.

Left in the darkness, Bobby knew he needed to stand up and head back to the normalcy of his own room as soon as possible. However, the tightness in his pants precluded any attempt of standing, let alone walking. Slumping back in the seat, he let out a sigh, wondering how on earth a man as gorgeous as Jean-Paul could have escaped his notice for so long.