Katie sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair. She had been sitting in her room ever since dinner ended and she was sure that her friend was getting worried about her. During breaks she spend more time calling Rogue or texting with John instead of actually talking to Melanie, forgetting about her friend. If she wasn't on the phone, she was easily found in the library, catching up with her school work and just making her homework instead of spending time with her friend.
Her cell phone was laying discarded on her lap as her distant eyes stared at the now blank screen. It was waiting to be picked up, or pocketed by it's owner, who seemed lost in her own world of thoughts. Katie bit her lip and started debating with her mind, should she call them and ask if she could come over? Or should she just keep a distance from the couple and stop calling them almost every day. It didn't do well for her phone bill, that was for sure. But she could afford it, at least, that's what she told herself. If it made her feel better about herself and her new-found loneliness, she wasn't going to save money.
Not hearing Melanie enter her room, Katie just kept staring at her cell phone just until her friend jumped on the bed and shook her out of her reverie. She wanted to debate more with her mind but she was sure that her friend would have at least several questions on why she had been so distant lately. Katie glared at Melanie for interrupting her moment of silence and then just crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for the other girl to start talking.
"So, why so question Katie-cat?"
"I've been busy."
"Yeah, calling that mysterious aunt and uncle of yours that I never even heard off before you started calling them every moment of the day."
"I just, need someone to talk to okay Melanie?"
"Why not talk to me then?"
"Because you don't know anything of my mother or father's past, I'm just curious about them."
"After all these years? Isn't that a little bit late?"
"No, they seem rather rejoiced about the fact that they can talk to their niece."
Melanie rolled her eyes and hit Katie in the arm playfully, once again waking her friend up from the upcoming reverie she seemed stuck in whenever she wasn't talked to.
"Seriously Katie, I'm getting worried about you, either you're on the phone with your family, doing homework in the library of all places or just staring off into blank space. It's not very healthy, even the teachers are starting to notice it."
"I'm fine, Melanie, thank you for your concern but I don't need it."
Katie stood up from her bed and grabbed her cell phone from between her legs before she disappeared to the balcony adjoined to the double room. She was happy about the balcony, knowing that not every student had one. It gave her a sense of privacy whenever she was on it, knowing that Melanie had a fear of heights and wouldn't even set a foot upon it if she was wasted.
Her thumb finally pressed the green button on top of the keyboard of her cell phone, letting the waiting tone ring in her ear. She held in her breath, a small part of her hoping that they wouldn't pick up because then she wouldn't have to talk to John or Rogue, asking if she could come over to their apartment. She had found out rather quickly that Rogue was a good listener and that John, despite everything, was actually really good at giving advice to people.
Every time she rejoiced about the fact that she could talk to John, just knowing that he was going to listen to her and then end up giving her some well needed advice that would actually help her or rest her thoughts about some things made her feel better. Even if he probably didn't mean to do that. It was just the way that he talked to her, acted around her (even if it was only through the phone) that made Katie feel like he had accepted her as a part of his small family and she felt so honoured to even think that.
"City morgue, where you die before you even enter," John's voice answered the phone sounding rather cheery for the position he was acting, "must be the smell of dead people hanging around here, people don't really like that," he muttered after it, almost inaudible to Katie who had to press her cell phone closer to her ear to even hear it. She giggled and then shook her head at John's disposition.
"Oh hello good sir, I was wondering if I could talk to either you or the present director."
"Katie-cat, what did I tell you about phone pranking us?" John scolded at her even though Katie knew that he was probably grinning on the other side of the line.
"To only do it when you answer for the city morgue?"
"Correct, I would give you a cookie but I've yet to figure out how to do that over the phone."
"Well I'm sure you'll find a way one day and then you can try it out with me, does that sound good?"
"Sure, just don' tbe mad when your phone explodes because of all the cookie dough."
"Suddenly the thought of actually volunteering for project 'cookie phone' doesn't seem that tasty anymore."
"See it this way, then your cell phone will smell of chocolate chip cookies every day and you can stop using that stupid spray you use."
"I don't use spray John," Katie rolled her eyes at him.
"Sure you don't," John didn't sound all too convinced but let it go anyway, knowing that he wouldn't be able to convince the girl to admit it over the phone anyway. Perhaps when he next saw her, he could tickle it out of her, "so why are you calling sunshine?"
"More like thundercloud."
"Blasphemy, now answer the question my pretty bitch."
"John what did I tell you about making first year students your bitch?"
"To make sure you can film it?" John yelled back at Rogue in the background, making Katie giggle and shake her head at the man's antics, sometimes she really wished he was her real father, just because then she could at least claim she had her mother's disposition of dealing with annoying men. But her parents had died in a car accident years before she even went to Xavier's Institute so she was pretty sure that she wasn't adopted.
"Hey sunshine, answer my question already," John pouted.
"I was wondering if I could come over tomorrow, to help you with project 'cookie phone'."
"Mmm, I don't know, I usually don't let people enter my secret lair of mischief."
"John, stop being mean to her," Rogue said once again on the background. Katie presumed that she was on speaker phone as this was the only reason that the older woman would be able to hear her questions. She laughed slightly at the sight of John laying down on his couch, his head thrown back as he tried to see the phone while he answered while Rogue stood on the other side of the room, her hands on her hips and looking disapproving at her husband.
"What's so funny?"
"You have a secret lair of mischief?"
"No, I have a publicly known lair of mischief, since, you now know about it."
"Of course you can come over honey, you have the address don't you?"
"I do Rogue darling," Katie nodded, flirting back with the woman and possibly pissing of John Allerdyce in the project.
"Stop flirting with my woman sunshine, now, I expect you to be here at 11 am sharp, otherwise we might deny your entrance in our now publicly known lair of mischief."
"Sure thing cupcake," Katie nodded, "thanks again, I shall bring you guys chocolate chip cookies as a reward for actually picking up the phone."
"We always do."
"If John isn't too lazy that is," Rogue shot back. Katie giggled at the mental image in her mind of Rogue smirking at John while he lay down on his couch, pouting.
Her eyes shot to her watch before sighing in relief to see that she still had 10 minutes to spare. She had walked over to the apartment before and so knew how far it was from the station. After a bus ride of half an hour, Katie was slightly annoyed and actually craving a good vanilla ice cream. She entered one of the ice cream shops, ordered her ice and then went back on her way, not forgetting to pick up a box of chocolate chip cookies for John as a peace offering.
She entered the hallway of the apartment block and was surprised by how classy it really looked. She hadn't expected it to look this classy on the inside as on the outside, it looked like every other apartment building. She assumed that the gold filigree in the handles and between the various buttons was fake but it still made the whole place look more expensive than it probably was.
Her index finger trailed over the various names until it reached the name 'D'Acanto' written in nice lettering, probably Rogue's handwriting as it couldn't be John's. He was way too energetic to have such nice handwriting. She pressed the button and leaned in towards the speaker, her eyelids fluttering as she repeated the prank speech she had practised on the way over.
"D'Acanto residence, where the man has better handwriting than the woman."
"Hi, I'm selling cookies for the blasphemy institute and I was wondering if you and your wife were interested in buying a box or two?" Katie asked in such a sweet voice that nobody would probably recognize through the speaker.
"What sort of cookies?"
"Chocolate chip cookies, surveys show that those are the most loved cookies with fire mutants."
"Katie-cat," John groaned in response, making Katie smirk, "just come on up woman, why do you torture me like that?"
"Oh I'm sorry John, were you laying on your comfortable couch again?"
"Yes, now hurry up and bring me those cookies woman, I'm starving."
John hung up and made Katie wait a good few minutes before he actually opened the door. Katie sighed at his attempt of annoying her as she stepped in the elevator and waited until she reached the right floor. She couldn't step a foot outside the elevator before she was tackled to the floor by a man straddling her and kissing her cheek, his arms on both sides of her head and a big grin playing on his lips.
"Damn it," Katie grumbled, "I was trying to be all elusive here."
"Don't use the elevator then, it makes a hell lot of noise."
"Apparently," Katie sighed as John helped her up from the floor, "also, you almost smashed your cookies, you mean bastard."
"I almost smashed the cookies?" John asked, looking wide eyes and shocked by the effect that his own actions could have.
"You're lucky I could save the poor things."
Katie entered the apartment, hearing John close the door behind them with the several locks installed. She knew that both mutants appreciated their privacy and didn't take the risk of their door being busted down by some random punks. The door was their first defense, their powers the last one. Katie looked around the hallway; on the wall were several frames with pictures of John and Rogue's wedding day, or just random pictures that they had taken of each other with their shared camera. On the other wall of the hallway were several nature pictures, probably taken by John as he found nature rather calming and peaceful (even though his power usually destroyed it).
What really pulled Katie's attention was the soft colors of the walls, a soft brown color with the white curtains in front of the open windows gave the entire apartment a sense of tranquility. She walked further into the living room, where at least two white leather couches were still in perfect state, separated from each other by a little glass table in the middle on a black carpet.
"Wow."
"Welcome to our secret layer of mischief."
"I don't want to know what you guys all do in here," Katie replied dryly, "I shall give you the cookies now if you promise to go and get your lovely wife who I shall hug until she can't breath anymore."
"Don't kill her and we have a deal."
"Deal," Katie nodded, giving the box of chocolate chip cookies to John who grabbed them from her hands within seconds and then raced to the kitchen to place them on a plate. Seconds later, he appeared again in the living room only to disappear in another hallway again.
"Hey untouchable wife, we got visitors and she brought cookies, now go and entertain her while I stuff my face!"
Katie sat down on the white leather couch and felt the fabric. Her mind was blown at how well kept it really was, knowing what a wild man John could be when he got finally hyped up on sugar or anything else like fire or even Rogue herself. She looked around, still amazed by the decoration skills that both people possessed. They had both added in things of their own personality but in the end and after adding it all together, it fit so well together that it wouldn't even be noticed that it was decorated by two different people.
"Hey Katie-cat," Rogue smiled, walking over to the girl and giving her a kiss on the forehead, "like the view?"
"A lot, man, I don't want to be the mutant walking in this apartment and trashing it."
"Yeah, he would get John really pissed then, most of the decorating is his."
"Who would think a fire guy like John could decorate an apartment so peacefully."
Rogue shrugged, "want something to drink darling?"
"So then, then I totally kicked his ass," John pointed, slurring his words slightly.
"John darling, I think you had enough cookies."
"No!" John quickly grabbed the plate of cookies and held it close to his chest, "they're mine, you can't have any, get your own."
Katie giggled at the interaction between the two people and stared at them with admiring eyes. She had been here almost the whole day now and it was already slowly turning dark. She just hoped that nobody at the institute was getting worried about her. She had told Logan that she was visiting some relatives but she just hoped that he would've told the rest of the people in charge.
"What's on your mind sunshine?"
"The sun went down almost an hour ago," Katie sighed, looking outside the window while she laid down on her stomach on one of the leather couches.
"Oh yeah, we have a nice view of the sundown from here don't we?" John grinned, "which is one of the reasons why I loved this apartment the moment we saw it."
"Do you think they'll be worried about me back at the institute?"
"Did you tell someone you were leaving?"
"Yes, but I don't think Logan expected me to stay away this long," Katie sighed, "I don't like getting in trouble."
"I did," John grinned, "I got in trouble all the time, it's funny to see Logan fuming."
Just when Katie started relaxing again, her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID but didn't recognize it immediately, biting her lip, she just hoped it wasn't a teacher calling. She looked hopeful at Rogue, silently asking if the woman wouldn't pick up for her but before Rogue could even respond, John had grabbed the cell phone and answered the call.
"Tootsy tasty cookies factory, with what can I help you?"
Katie and Rogue doubled over in giggles, hoping that the person on the other side of the line couldn't hear it. Just seeing John answer the phone with that line and a big grin on his face was just the highest form of entertainment a person could have. Especially when John had eaten too much cookies and he was rather hyper. It just meant for more random words being blurt out during the conversation.
"Oh Katie-cat! Yeah she's here old chap, we kidnapped her from the mansion and we demand a ransom of at least a 100 chocolate chip cookies. Tell Ororo Monroe to send it to 'you know who', also, Katie-cat is staying the night, give us those cookies or we won't bring her back at all."
"John," Rogue scolded before she took the phone away from her husband, "hey Logan, what? Yeah she's here alright, don't worry about those cookies, he was just messing with you. We'll bring her back tomorrow evening alright? I'm going to spend some time with her and John is showing her some of his new tricks, don't worry, she's fine. Yes Logan," Rogue rolled her eyes and then muttered something under her breath, making John giggle.
Rogue hung up the phone again and gave it back to Katie who looked in shock at Rogue even holding her phone. The woman had just talked back to Logan, something she had never dared to do. Either it was because Logan and the woman were close or she had just learned how to deal with him over the years of him being at the institute.
"I love you more now woman, you just stood up to Logan."
"He has a weak spot for my wife, I don't like it," John muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting.
"Aaw, you poor baby," Rogue petted his head before standing up and claiming she was going to show Katie the guest room. Katie, who was already dazzled by the whole apartment, was even more in shock when she saw the guest room. It was decorated just like she had dreamed it would be, but even more beautiful than she had hoped. If this was the guest room, she really wanted to know how their main bedroom looked. It had to be close to paradise.
"This will be your room for whenever you decide to visit us, if you want you can decorate it with posters and stuff," Rogue shrugged, showing the young girl around in the now bare guest room. It had a double bed and a single nightstand that fitted perfectly with the walk-in closet.
"Honestly, I have to know, where did John get all these decoration abilities?" Katie frowned, looking at Rogue who moved to sit on the bed.
"I don't know, we just moved in here and suddenly he started coming home with these little things to decorate the rooms with. In the end, I just accepted it because well, I love them myself. Either he knows me really well, or he just has this really good sense for decorating."
"Rogue! We ran out of cookies! Bake some for me!"
"Tomorrow John, you had enough."
"But I want cookies now!"
The two girls giggled at the man's impatience and left the room again, agreeing to go shopping together the next day and make sure that they got rid of all the sugar from the apartment beforehand. Just to be on the safe side.
You never knew when a hyper Pyrokenetic decided to just burn the curtains in search for a rush.
Disclaimer : Don't own, although I love me some Pyro
A/N : I might write another oneshot following up to this one so yeah, I mean, the girls taking John out for shopping is just a too good opportunity to let go don't you think? I might even turn this into a whole story of a few chapters. I'll see, tell me all what you think okay?