I had a very pancake-y day today (Friday, June 4). Four for brekkie, then in French class, we made crêpes. A very tasty learning experience, I must say :) J'aime les crêpes!

Okay, so as I'm writing this, I'm feeling it as a very mellow mood type story, not slow, but a calm pacing… and here I am listening to Rockstar by Nickelback…. Not very fitting, I must say. But I started getting bored/hyper towards the ends, so the pace/mood might have changed, and I'm not in a fit state to judge right now. If it needs to be fixed or it's just really, really bugging you, let me know so I can create a playlist on my iPod that'll be suitable for writing this type of story :)

Disclaimer: Do I really need to write one? As it is, please don't sue me

Pancakes

Jubilee couldn't sleep. Almost everyone in the mansion had a sleepless night at some point, and she was no exception. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face, imprinted on the back of her lids. Even staring at the ceiling, he was there, smiling and laughing, impossibly cute with his boyish charm and impish grin. She couldn't help the way her heart quickened every time he came near, how she just about died when he touched her, gave her that annoyingly addictive smirk. She wanted to kiss him blind and declare to the world that he was hers whenever she saw him, to be his girl and no one else's. She couldn't get him out of her head.

No, no, no. She thought, sitting up and putting her head in her hands. This can't be happening.

She couldn't help it, but… she was in love with her best friend.

And she knew it wasn't just some little crush – that had been when they were younger, several years ago. Glances that may or may not have meant anything, flirting in every other conversation, and it'd just never passed. It'd evolved into something more, and she hadn't even noticed. And she couldn't stand it.

Deciding that sleep was hopeless, she resolved to get an… 11:24 snack. Close enough to midnight. She rubbed her arms, the early November temperatures freezing her bare feet as she left the warm comfort of her blankets. She padded down to the kitchen, making as little noise as possible, even though some lights were shining from under doors.

What to eat, what to eat, she pondered, surveying the kitchen. She opened the fridge and stared at its contents for a second before closing it, only to reopen it a moment later and replay the process. Not leftovers… not cereal… cookies? Hmm, pancakes.

Not feeling motivated enough to make them from scratch, she grabbed a box of mix and proceed to occupy herself with the process of pancake making. She heard someone enter the kitchen, but didn't look up to see who it was. He or she opened the fridge, then closed it, then reopened it, much like she had. She felt the presence move closer and look over her shoulder.

"Pancakes?"

She had to resist flinching at his voice. For some inexplicable reason, she felt her cheeks heat up, and tugged self-consciously at her short shorts. With her long, faded T-shirt almost completely covering them, stopping just barely under her butt, it looked like she wasn't wearing anything underneath. She started wondering what on Earth had possessed her to wear this combination so late in the fall. He, on the other hand was wearing a white wife-beater that accentuated his muscles and boxer shorts. Typical at the mansion any other time of year, but being Iceman and all, it was fine and still, y'know… totally hot.

She looked at the shining linoleum and nodded, trying to keep distracting thoughts out of her head. Absently, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, subconsciously aware that it'd slide back out in a moment.

"Yeah, I couldn't… sleep…" she trailed off as she glanced upwards and got sidetracked by his handsome face. She turned back to her pancakes, biting her cheeks in an attempt to control her blush. "Want one?"

"Sure," Bobby replied nonchalantly. "I'll get the syrup."

"'Kay." Out of the corner of her eye she watched his muscles ripple under the light cotton as he reached up into the cabinet to retrieve the sweet topping. She was practically drooling. She turned the heat off before she could burn herself by not paying attention and grabbed two plates. She dished out the pancakes and set them both on the counter, hopping up besides them.

"OJ?" Bobby offered her a glass.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a small smile. She reached out to take the glass, but at the last second, he moved the glass a bit further back. Jubilee frowned and reached forward again, only to have it moved just out of reach. She was quite aware of Bobby's amused expression, but she chose to ignore it. Reaching out again, she overbalanced and tumbled from her perch, crashing headlong into Bobby.

She reflexively put her hands up to catch herself and found herself staring up into the laughing grey eyes that had been haunting her those past couple of nights, her breath turning shallow. He grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"So, was it for me or the orange juice?" He asked, sparking a furious blush on her cheeks. Suddenly very aware of her hands on his chest, she hastily moved to right herself, but he held her wrist in place, still smiling. There was a moment where they just stared at each other, Jubilee spellbound by the light dancing in his eyes. Slowly, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Entranced, she took her hand back, the blush burning her cheeks with a vengeance. Abruptly, the words that had left his mouth ages ago registered in her brain, and she started. "The orange juice."

She smirked at the flash of befuddlement that crossed his features for a moment, before settling in a mirror image of her own expression. She beckoned for the glass, and he passed it to her, his fingers lingering over hers for a split second longer than necessary. She ignored the tingling in her fingertips and covered her face with the glass as she raised it to her lips, surreptitiously watching Bobby leaning against the island over the rim. Before she knew it, she'd drained the cup and was holding an empty glass.

"More?"

"Please."

Bobby refilled her glass and she took a sip.

"Good pancakes, by the way." She hadn't even noticed him with a plate despite her 'observations'.

"They're just a mix," she said. He shrugged.

The sound of shuffling feet drew their attention, and they turned to see Kurt standing in the doorframe, bleary-eyed and looking quite confused. They stood in silence for a while, regarding one another.

"Pancake?" she proffered, holding her untouched plate of pancakes out. The fuzzy mutant nodded, quietly padding forward to receive it.

"Danke," he said, walking back out with his midnight snack.

Jubilee's attention left Kurt as soon as he left the room, sliding back to Bobby, who had an eyebrow raised in question.

"Not hungry," she shrugged in explanation. She swung her legs back and forth, mulling over her juice. "What brings you down here, anyway?" She asked suddenly.

"Couldn't sleep, same as you," he said, though he looked a bit too guilty for that to be the whole story. She gave him a look that was as accusing as could be without actually calling him a liar outright.

"Okay, well, I…" he fidgeted. Wait… was he blushing? Bobby, prankster extraordinaire, did not blush. "I heard you coming down here, and thought I'd… keep you company…."

Bobby's blush caught on, and Jubilee averted her gaze. How sweet. "Thanks," she said softly. A slightly awkward silence ensued, Jubilee rubbing her arms in an attempt to get warmer. Even though she could practically hear her comfy bed calling out to her, she was reluctant to leave Bobby's company, especially since he'd come down just for her.

"Cold?" It was more a statement than a question, though Jubilee could detect a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Yeah," she laughed humorlessly.

"I'd imagine, wearing that," he jibed, smirking.

"Shuddup," she grumbled, once again very conscious of what she was wearing. She made an effort to stop her outward displays of cold, though she'd already admitted to it. "'S fine."

"I dunno, you still look a bit chilled. Last time I checked, there was only one mutant who went by Iceman, and that's me," he pressed, his smirk growing.

"Okay, it's cold," she restated, hopping off the counter top and putting her glass down with a bit more force than absolutely necessary. "And I am going someplace warmer."

She stormed past him, but before she could even get two steps away, he'd grabbed her hand and pulled her back. They found themselves in the familiar position of being face to face, his hands over hers on his chest. She felt her breath stop altogether at their close quarters, and her heart rate accelerated past any possibly healthy BPM.

"Stay a little longer," he breathed. The urge to reach up and close the distance between their lips was incredibly strong now, and it took all the self-control she had not to. She blinked, vainly trying to break the spell he had over her and regain organization of her thoughts. It was infuriating, really, the way he could control and manipulate her, even though he didn't know it.

She slowly exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding and placed her head against his chest. His hands slid around her and pressed her even closer in a tight embrace.

"You know, for someone who's famed for being the king of cold, you're very warm," she mumbled into his shirt. He laughed, and she liked the feel of the deep vibrations travelling through his chest.

"And is that supposed to be a compliment or insult?" He queried.

"Neither," Jubilee answered. "Just an observation of the neutral variety."

He chuckled, though she didn't understand the reasoning behind it, but didn't voice her thoughts. She just enjoyed being in his arms, thinking how right this felt*. It was in this position that Jubilee drifted into a semi-conscious state and didn't notice that Bobby was talking until she abstractedly came to the conclusion he was purring. But of course, people don't purr, and upon realizing this, she finally recognized the rumbling in his chest as words.

Slowly, as the vibrations through his chest ceased, the words he'd been saying filtered through the haze fogging her mind. A lazy smile spread across her face, and before she could consciously register her actions, four words escaped her lips in a whisper:

"I love you, Bobby."

Then, realization dawned like the sun in the east and hit her like a boulder to the head. She jumped, trying to pry herself away from him, but found herself trapped in Bobby's iron grip. "But I love my bed more, so – " her stuttering was interrupted by a soft kiss to the lips, which effectively stunned her.

"I love the way you stutter when you slip up," Bobby said, and Jubilee remained frozen at the sound of his voice. "And the way you light up when you're excited, and the way you blush when someone compliments you." He tilted her chin up so she would be look at him. "And the way you dance to music no one else can hear, it makes me want to you hear it, too. It's like nothing can ever make you sad, and that's the way you make me feel when I'm around you. It's like I can take on the world and nothing can bring me down, except you.

"My heart skips a beat when you come near, and my breath stops when you so much as lay a finger on me. Everything about you makes me feel so alive, makes me want to protect you from every danger, to always be there for you. I want to know that you're mine and no one else's; that you're mine to love, and no one'll get your love the way I do. Jubilee, I love you, and I want you to be my girlfriend."

Their lips were barely an inch apart, and Bobby's voice had dropped to a whisper, his warm breath flowing over her skin and caressing her cheek tenderly.

"Every time I see you, I feel like a little girl again," Jubilee murmured softly. "I get the butterflies and so jumpy, but I feel like I've got wings and I can fly to heaven. You make me feel like I'm ten feet tall, but also smaller than anything that can ever be noticed. You make me so confused, even though I'm sure of myself. I feel so light, like anything can knock me over, but it's okay, 'cause you'll always be there to protect me. I've never felt so safe, so… loved.

"I love you, Bobby," she whispered. "And I'll always be yours."

* Is it just me, or does that line pop up in a ton of Fanfics? Ah, well, it's true, anyway :P

Has it occurred to you how many time's I've used the letter 'z' in this? A lot…. Freezing, fuzzy, realization, recognized, lazy, haze…. And the letter 'v'. Lots of 'v's….

Yes, I know there's no concluding kiss, but I couldn't figure out a way to incorporate one (plus I'm feeling kinda lazy right now… another Z!). If you want it, I just might fix it if I get enough reviews...

Okay, while I was writing Bobby's little confession, I had the randomest thought ever... ALTERNATE ENDING!:

"…It's like I can take on the world and nothing can bring me down, except you. You're my only weakness, Jubes," his voice became a whisper as the distance between their lips grew smaller. "And that's why… I have to kill you."

Mwa hahahaha! And now that I have thoroughly traumatized you, REVIEW! Or else I will write a fic similar to this alternate ending (or based off of it… this has potential), and I will do it, too! You know I have the capabilities…. Nyeh hehe! Anyway, good luck trying to restore the original ending in your head!

J. J. Bean