(Sigh... depressed.

Okay. I'm over it! I thought I'd try something a bit... naughty.)

No Comment

"You like me, don't you?"

John Allerdyce spat out the beer he had just swallowed in complete shock at Kitty Pryde's question.

"What?!" he exclaimed. His voice sounded squeaky. "Are you drunk?"

She pouted. "Oh, come on, Pyro." She said his codename flirtatiously. She even leaned in closer till he could smell the vanilla scent on her skin. "It's a simple question, with a yes or no answer. Even you can manage it."

He licked his lips quite unconsciously as he gazed at her cherry-tinted mouth. She didn't miss that action, and she smirked at him. He scowled. "Hell, no!" He backed off from her a bit unsteadily. "You're fucking deluded, Pryde! You're not my type."

She tossed her hair back in a huff. "Oh, really? And what is your type?"

He seemed to think about it for a few seconds. "Taller girls," he finally said. "Definitely taller girls."

"Taller girls?" she echoed in disbelief. "Is that so? Then how come you've spent the entire night watching a certain petite girl? Namely me?"

He laughed derisively. "Pryde, would you listen to yourself? Just listen to this crazy talk! I don't like hobbits!"

She crossed her arms and regarded him with deep skepticism. "Deny it all you want, John," she said in a patient, know-it-all tone. "But you do like me. You act like a twelve-year old with a crush whenever I'm around. It's actually quite cute."

"Oh, God!" He was completely disgusted. "I cannot believe your total and utter conceit! Would you please just fuck off and find some other loser to humor your schizophrenia?"

"All right," she nodded. "But only after you admit that you like me," she insisted stubbornly.

He growled in absolute annoyance. "That's it! I've heard all the insanity that I can take! I'm gonna go now, and throw up!"

He couldn't get away from her fast enough.

That encounter was a little too uncomfortable for his liking. He gulped when he remembered how she had looked up at him with that pout. Like she was just daring him to admit that he liked her. Daring him to kiss her. And, damn it, he had almost made a complete ass of himself and succumbed. It was probably all the beer he had drunk. It had turned his brain into mush. There simply was no other conceivable explanation for the sudden unexpected desire he had to kiss Kitty Pryde.

He had been perfectly fine when the evening had started. Together with most of the older kids in the institute, they had decided to crash a party in town and have some fun on a Saturday night. Sitting in the car with Bobby Drake and Sam Guthrie, waiting for the girls to join them, he had looked forward to getting smashed and, maybe, getting some sweetness from a hopefully very friendly cheerleader or pretty much anyone who had the right working parts. Then she had showed up.

Katherine 'Kitty' Pryde, the little kitten he always got a kick out of pissing off. Looking all girly and sexy in a short skirt with slits, for fuck's sake, and was she wearing a bra under that top or what? Her hair was loose and tousled stylishly and she was using make-up and, shit, he had to close his mouth and stop staring at her like an idiot before he totally humiliated himself by actually complimenting her on her stunning transformation. Then he had to endure sitting pressed close to her during the drive to town, tantalized by the way her skirt rode up her thighs every time she shifted uncomfortably since the backseat was too crowded with four teenagers packed in.

Once they had arrived at the party, he had grabbed a beer and some random girl then tried to ignore Kitty. Except that she seemed to be making it really hard for him to ignore her. She kept flirting with every stupid guy in the place, dancing with them a little too close for her own good, since the assholes took that as permission to drool all over her and to paw every bit of exposed flesh they could reach. Then she would phase through them with a silvery little laugh, and the morons' muddled brains couldn't even process that strange phenomenon properly. It was absolutely sickening.

He couldn't even concentrate on what Chrissy or Missy or whoever was doing to him. Finally, he just made his excuses to what's-her-face and proceeded to get drunk. Then Kitty had come up to him and made that little scene, trying to get him to say that he liked her and had a crush on her, ugh. She had probably become mentally unhinged from all the secondhand smoke she was snorting.

His stomach suddenly felt queasy. He made his way to the bathroom and prepared to puke, but nothing came out. He splashed some water on his face and, still feeling weird, he got into the tub and rested his head against the cool marble. He heard the bathroom door open and close, and a babble of laughing voices assaulted his ears. Grimacing angrily, he settled himself on the bottom of the large tub, not up to leaving his odd little sanctuary and hoping that the bitches would be quick about their business and then get the fuck out.

"So, spill! What happened? What did he say?"

His eyes suddenly narrowed. He recognized that voice.

"Yeah." It was Rogue. It was definitely Rogue. The first girl who had spoken sounded like Jubilee. "Come on. Tell."

"You guys know that I had my doubts about the whole thing." Kitty. That was Kitty. "I feel like such a total skank, looking and acting like this, but I think now that it's all been worth it, including getting mauled by those losers. You really should have seen the look on his face when I asked him if he liked me. It was priceless!"

"See? Told you!" Jubilee squealed.

"He can dish it out, but he can't take it," Kitty said with a laugh. "The next time he teases me and makes those sleazy comments of his, I'll be so ready for him!"

The girls stayed in the bathroom for several more minutes, talking and giggling at his expense. By the time they finally left, John was seething.

"Oh, kitten. You are so going to pay for this," he swore. He got out of the tub, suddenly feeling a whole lot better. He had thought of a brilliant plan for payback.

He found her hanging out with Rogue and Bobby in the kitchen.

"Hey, Kitty," he greeted her in a casual tone. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She and Rogue exchanged a wary look. After a second's hesitation, she nodded. "Sure."

"Come on then." To her surprise, he took her by the hand as he led the way upstairs. Her surprise turned to nervousness when he ushered her quite solicitously into an empty bedroom.

"What are we doing here?" she asked. She began to fidget.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I want us to talk." He sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside him. "Sit. Don't worry. I don't bite."

She looked at him suspiciously but she sat down anyway. She thought that if he tried anything, she could always phase and make her escape.

"You asked me a while ago if I liked you," he began.

"Yeah?"

"You really wanna know if I like you, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You really, really wanna know?"

"Yeah! Tell me already!" The intense look in his eyes was starting to deeply unsettle her.

He nodded. "Okay."

He pulled her closer to him and his mouth claimed hers. Kitty froze in shock, but then he gently bit her lower lip and sucked on it, and she felt heat rush though every part of her.

His mouth was very hot and it tasted lightly of salt. And his tongue – oh, my. She purred. They were now lying on the bed and his warm hand had slipped under her top. Her skin burned wherever he touched her. She felt like her entire body was on fire.

When he stopped kissing her, she tried to grab his head and reclaim his mouth but he pinned her hands easily and chuckled.

"Kitty?" he said huskily.

"Hmm?" She couldn't think or form coherent words at the moment. She seemed to have melted into a brainless puddle in his arms.

He smiled at her slumberous expression. "No comment."

"Huh?"

It took her about five minutes to shake off the haze and to realize that he had left her alone on the bed. And another minute to figure out what he had meant by that remark.

"John Allerdyce!" she suddenly shouted out in frustration. "You're a jerk!" Then she covered her face with a pillow and groaned.

The End