I Missed You
by Starsinger
Kitty's returned and Peter and Ilyana have a "discussion" about her living arrangements. No, still don't own them.
"Well, Kitty, I think you're as well as I can make you," Hank pronounced. "You need to get out and about." He firmly ignored the young blonde and her older brother hovering behind him. "I think you might have a fight about your convalescence as Scott has firmly ruled out your getting a room to yourself again."
Kitty picked up the pajamas Emma had dropped off earlier that morning, stood up and carefully headed to the bathroom. "I have my preferences, Ilyana," she called over her shoulder. The three of them watched her reach the door and brace herself against the doorway and paused, catching her balance.
Peter turned to Ilyana. "Snowflake, I realize you're worried about her, but I can take care of her just as well as you can."
The rebellious look on her face returned as her mouth set into frown. Somehow, she had not connected Scott's ultimatum with Kitty becoming Peter's roommate, but many remembered that look well as Storm's well manicured hand landed on her shoulder. Ilyana turned and Ororo motioned with her head toward the corridor. The blonde's bottom lip went forward, "Pouting isn't going to help your cause." Storm looked at her a long moment, "Kitty and Peter are both teachers, so they wouldn't be sleeping in the student quarters anyway."
Ilyana's eyes took on a faraway look as she spoke, "I know, I had just hoped that things could go back to the way they had been…"
Ororo gave her an understanding look, and put her arm around her. "Let me tell you a little story. Hisako told me that those two had been dancing around each other, their feelings very obvious even if they wouldn't take the next step. Well, the night before they left for that whole disaster on Breakworld, two students witnessed Kitty running through the mansion wearing nothing but the afghan on the back of the couch in the TV Room." Ilyana's eyes widened as she pressed a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle. Ororo gave her a knowing look, "Turns out, Peter's room was just above the TV Room."
Defeated, Ilyana slumped against the wall, "Are they getting married?"
Ororo's mouth opened to answer her just as Peter reemerged from the Med Bay room Kitty was staying in, "Ororo, would you help Kitty up to the room, I'm going to turn down the bed."
"I bet that's not all he's going to do," Ilyana said quietly with a laugh. Ororo laughed too. Kitty's walk to her room was long and with frequent stops. Muscles stiff and weak with disuse would not allow for a quick and orderly trip, and Kitty refused a wheelchair in spite of Hank's wishes. Ilyana put her foot down when they got to the stairs and they made their way to the elevator. "If we took the stairs it would take an hour to get there," Ilyana stated emphatically.
Ilyana watched her best friend with worried eyes. The months she spent travelling on the bullet had left her weak. The weeks Hank had her physical therapy had helped but the process to recovery was long and slow. She hated seeing Kitty like this. When they finally made it up to the room, Peter had pulled back the covers on the bed and kicked off his shoes. Kitty let out her breath as she settled into bed with her back against the headboard. Ilyana landed next to her and hugged her, "Are you sure you'll be all right? I mean, my brother…"
Kitty laughed as she looked at Peter, "I'll be fine. Peter will take excellent care of me."
Peter laughed as something that sounded like "He'd better," issued from his mouth. He settled on the bed as Ororo called from the doorway, "I'll send someone up in an hour with dinner."
Ilyana turned around and opened her mouth. It snapped shut as she realized that Peter had pulled Kitty to him and was kissing her. Her whole face morphed from concern, to surprise, to joy as she turned to Ororo, "About time." Logan, passing her in the hallway, laughed at her unconscious appraisal of the situation that echoed his own comment before the disaster on Breakworld.
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"I'm not going to break!" Kitty exclaimed as she came up for air.
Peter looked into her eyes, everything that he felt in them, "I missed you so much. I was so lost, even Ilyana's return was just a bandage on an open wound. She was a really big bandage," he hastily added at her raised eyebrow. "But a part of my soul felt like it had been ripped away. The hardest part, aside from the empty bed, was not knowing if you were even alive." The last came out as a barely audible whisper.
Kitty reached up and smoothed his hair away from his eyes and cupped his cheek with the hand. She sighed as she snuggled deeper into his embrace. They remained that way until a knock was heard at the door. "Come in," Kitty responded. Instead of the expected Ilyana and Storm, Hisako and Logan walked through the door.
"Thought we'd give you a break from the Mother Hens," Logan replied with a grin. "Actually, it was Hisako's idea. Emma and Scott agreed."
"Hey, I didn't call them Mother Hens! That was Rachael, who, by the way, is being courteous and waiting until morning to invade your space," Hisako responded. "Just set the trays outside the door. They'll be picked up tonight." The two left quietly.
Kitty eyed the door thoughtfully before pushing Peter's shirt up, eager to touch the skin underneath. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly before his voice was muffled by the shirt.
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Ilyana quietly opened the door early the next morning. She peeked in and found a mess. Clothes had managed to land every which way. Peter's easel wound up on the lying on the floor, painting side up, fortunately. One of the students had commented that the trays hadn't been out when she'd passed by later that evening.
Kitty was curled up in the crook of Peter's arm. She quietly closed the door behind her and turned around to find Rachael behind her. She never noticed the tears streaming down her face. "Tears of joy?" the older woman asked with a knowing smile.
Ilyana nodded her head. Rachael threw a companionable arm around the younger girl's shoulders as they headed downstairs, "I love it when a good plan comes together!"