Work Text:
Two years ago, Victor would have laughed at himself if he found out where he was now. Therapy, stupid and unneeded, right? Well, turns out the shrink had some points, actually getting him to talk about his past, process how bad what happened to him as a kid actually was. It had been a while since he talked about his feelings with someone genuinely like this. It definitely made him think about a lot of things, processing that maybe what he had done over the many years he'd been about was a little fucked up. It was in the past, unchangeable, and he wouldn't know how to go about it any other way anyway. He still turned up to throw Logan about a little, but the once brutal fights had actually died down into basic brawls that left nothing more than scratches and fading bruises on the two instead of a bloodbath and new holes to sew up in clothes.
Victor had begun to make a whole new life for himself.
Some things wouldn't change, he still enjoyed a lot of what he did, and nothing could really change that, but he was focusing on not mauling everyone who got near him now. Today he was going to do something that most people could only dream of. He'd been driven out to a pretty big animal rehab, specifically for exotic or potentially dangerous critters, ones rescued from illegal pet trades and such. There were snakes, bears, monkeys, all strange critters that definitely should not have been sat in people's homes, all either extremely aggressive or uncannily docile. He knew what it was like to be chained down somewhere you shouldn't be, for someone to take your claws or your teeth. It made his skin crawl, a feeling of rage forming a pit in his middle. One of the caretakers led him into what seemed to be the inner part of an enclosure, where he was handed a bottle of milk and prepped on what to do as one door was closed and the door to the inner area was opened.
"We have no idea how they got her over here," The Keeper explained, pointing at a small shape currently crouched behind some toys placed around, "But with no mother, or other cubs like her, there's not a chance for her to be released." Lips pressed into a line, and a worried look crossed their face before they turned back to the towering mutant. "That's where you come in. Just come in, help us raise her. With what we've heard of your mutation, you may be best fit to teach her how to hunt and play correctly with others. You are her only shot at returning to the wild."
Victor nodded and ducked through the door and into the enclosure, putting the bottle down momentarily as he tried to see what he was dealing with. At first, all he could see were two rounded, fuzzy ears, and then the little thing's face was revealed. A lion cub, not even weaned from milk, all alone so far from her home, all because some selfish prick thought a lion of all things would make a good pet. She was afraid, and he honestly didn't blame the little cub. He was big, and a stranger, and she was small and alone. His clawed hand reached back down for the bottle of formula, and Victor got down, looking much smaller for her, less intimidating. A soft noise akin to a purr leaves him. Honestly, he had no idea how lions showed how friendly they were, so he just had to hope his intentions to help translated in his body language. The cub just stared at him, the scent of fear strong on her. It was going to be a rocky road for this poor thing. Creed didn't give in, holding the bottle of formula out and purring again, and this time, it seemed to work. The little thing's ears perked slightly, her eyes on the bottle rather than on him, and she slowly trudged forward, little limbs ready to run if he so much as twitched wrong. Eventually she got close and latched, all threats forgotten for the meal. A feeling bloomed in him, and for some reason, he did not want to leave this baby alone. such a tiny, scared thing left in the world. Away from home, surrounded by all sorts of smells and sounds, he understood why she'd be afraid. He'd be damned if he left this cub now.
--
The first few nights were rough. A lot of distrust from the little one, and she refused to sleep near him in the beginning. He didn't sleep well those nights, worried for her well-being, and worried that he wasn't doing this right. On night four, however, it changed. Half asleep on the floor, Victor felt something nudge him and sniff at him. The cub had been a pain to feed today. She'd tried to bat the formula from his hands, so he was pretty tired from trying to calm her. One yellow eye opened to the fuzzy head of the tiny lioness nudging at him, testing the waters before suddenly, she dropped down pretty much on top of him, her little paws around his arm. His cub had finally decided that he was safe enough to sleep next to. His heart swelled as a purr started from her. That is how his night was spent, and most nights after that.
Once she was on a solid food diet, he began to teach her to hunt, he could play fight with her in a way the keepers couldn't. This was his cub, and he intended to see to it that she would survive the wilds. Each day she grew bigger and more confident. He made sure she could take care of herself and that when the day eventually came, she could take on the world.