Chapter Nine: I Confess, I'm Obsessed


A/N: Hey everyone! I know not much has changed so far and I'm sorry it's going so slow...but I'll be getting there soon, don't you worry! Please do review if you can find the time.


Tobi stretched arms above her head and rolled her head around on her neck as she entered the kitchen. Her shirt hiked eyed up to expose some of her tanned stomach, which Sean eyed appreciatively while pretending to flip through the newspaper at the dining table.

Raven was already in the kitchen in slippers and a dressing gown, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail as she stirred at her simmering mug of coffee. She turned and smiled almost wickedly at Tobi.

"Morning. You want a tea or coffee while I'm here?"

Tobi nodded. "Tea, please. What sort have we got?"

Raven headed across to the cupboard, banging the mug of coffee down on the table as she went. After rummaging past the honey and jam, she managed to yank out several packets.

"It's only Earl Grey."

Tobi shrugged as she sat down across from Sean. "Yeah, that'll do."

Hank trudged into the kitchen and rummaged around in the fridge, slapping down some bacon and carefully placing a few eggs on the counter. Raven eyed him rather curiously.

"Morning, Hank. You want a tea or coffee?"

Hank looked flustered as he set the pan up over the stove. "Umm…n-no thank you. I'm making bacon and eggs, though. Would you like some?"

Raven offered Tobi a knowing look before she smiled flirtatiously at Hank, resting a hand on his shoulder and making him flush red and nearly drop the eggs he was cracking.

"Thank you, Hank. I'd love some."

Tobi rolled her eyes as Raven came to sit down beside her with a smug smile across her face. Hank continued to clatter around in the kitchen, making enough racket to wake the dead.

"What was all that about?" Tobi asked, nudging her best friend, "Hey?"

Raven just smiled enigmatically. "Nothing."

Tobi didn't think it was 'nothing'. She had seen the way Raven flirted with Hank and the reaction it had caused. Tobi never really used to understand flirting, but now that she'd seen the master at work, she thought she might give it a go sometime.

Raven pushed Tobi's Earl Grey across the table and as Tobi put the mug to her lips and took a sip, Alex padded in through the dining room and sat down next to Sean, snatching the newspaper away from him and flicking through to the sports section.

"Oi!" Sean sounded rather put out. "I was reading that."

"Relax, you'll get it back," Alex mumbled, his eyes scanning the paper, "I just want to see if Ireland beat Germany in the soccer."

After a few minutes – during which the only noises were Tobi slurping at her Earl Grey tea and Alex flipping the pages of the newspaper – Hank crossed through from the kitchen and set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Raven, who looked up at him with a dazzling smile as he sat down.

"This looks wonderful, Hank."

Alex slid the newspaper across the table to Sean, raising his eyebrows at a rather red-faced Hank.

"What's this, bozo? You trying to impress Raven?"

Raven sighed heavily and Tobi glowered across at Alex. Why did he always have to take jabs at Hank? The young scientist busied himself eating his breakfast, too embarrassed to answer.

"Alex, will you quit it?" Raven shot at the blond mutant, "It's like you don't know when to shut up."

Tobi drained the last remnants of her tea and went to set the mug over on the counter. She noticed that Alex was watching her out of the corner of his eye, perhaps trying to deduce where their rocky relationship was at now. Even after a steamy make-out session in the gym, things hadn't exactly changed much.

She walked off down the corridor, determined to get the first shower in to wake herself up fully before another hard day of training. Footsteps behind her alerted her to the fact that she was being followed and when she turned slowly on her heel, she wasn't a bit surprised to see Alex walking towards her.

"Problem?"

"No." Alex shook his head. "I just wanted to tell you that I call dibs on the first shower today. It's you every other morning."

Tobi planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, observing him critically with raised eyebrows.

"Really. You can race me, if you like. Super speed never fails."

Alex folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes. Tobi was annoyed at him insulting Hank in the kitchen for no good reason, so she decided that there was another way she could get back at Alex Summers without the need for violence. If it worked for Raven, why not her?

"By the way." Tobi lowered her voice meaningfully, looking up at Alex through her eyelashes and winding a strand of bronze hair around her finger. "I just wanted to let you know that…the other when you kissed me in the gym…I really did enjoy it."

Alex was falling right for her ploy. His eyes had widened slightly and at first he'd appeared confused, but then a somewhat smug look came over his face and Tobi had to refrain from sighing. Boys, honestly, they were all the same. Now Alex was going to act like a puffed-up peacock because she'd complimented him.

Tobi smiled almost coyly and averted her eyes as Alex took a few steps closer to her, slowly at first as if he was being dragged forward by an unseen force. Then he right in front of her, his blue eyes shining as he leaned down to kiss her, his lips inches from hers…

Tobi cracked up laughing and jumped back before Alex could kiss her. He looked astonished and then irritated as she eyed him rather disdainfully.

"Oh, come on. You didn't think I was serious, did you?"

Alex ground his teeth and clenched his hands into fists, humiliated at being manipulated by Tobi and made to look like a fool. Her laughter followed him all the way down the corridor. Jeez, she drove him crazy.


"Check."

Honestly, Tobi didn't even know why Alex would want to challenge Hank to a game of chess. Erik was watching with great interest, while Charles and Moira were talking in low voices in the corner. Sean, Raven and Tobi were playing a game of solitaire.

"How is that check?" Alex demanded in irritation, glowering across at Hank, "I don't see…"

Erik leaned over and pointed it out before Hank had the chance to explain.

"The bishop's right there. It's right in front of your king."

Alex scowled. "That's the same damn bishop that took my queen."

Tobi looked over Sean's head at the game progressing. Hank had considerably more pieces left on the board than Alex, and the blond was starting to look annoyed as he always did when he wasn't winning something.

"I'll leave you boys to it." Erik stood up and clapped Alex encouragingly on the shoulder. "I'm off."

Charles and Moira had already vacated the room and Tobi wondered if there was some uber-secret meeting going on between the three of them. Raven slapped a card down with a triumphant cry.

"Ha! That's two full decks. I think it's safe to say that I win."

"Checkmate." The offending bishop slid across the black-and-white squares to tap the king. Tobi could have laughed at the grudging look on Alex's face as he leaned back in his chair, rocking back on two legs.

"Whatever."

Tobi couldn't help herself. She reached out and kicked the chair, so that both Alex and the wooden piece of furniture went crashing to the ground. Sean and Raven cracked up, and even Hank managed an amused smile.

"Tut tut." Tobi shook her head as Alex climbed back to his feet, looking furious. "You better do something about your balance issues, Alex."

Alex muttered something that sounded a lot like 'bitch'. Tobi raised her eyebrows and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, tugging him close, green eyes narrowed and piercing as she tilted her head to the side.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that. Was that 'bitch'?"

Alex had been a dickhead practically all day, especially towards Hank, for reasons Tobi didn't think she'd ever understand. Could he possibly be jealous? Whatever his problem was, Tobi wasn't taking any of his shit.

"Let me go," Alex snapped, unwilling to make eye contact with any of the others.

Tobi shrugged and shoved him back. He landed rather unceremoniously on his butt and offered Tobi a glower before he stormed out.

"Wow, someone's in a cranky mood," Raven observed, shaking her blonde head.


"So what's up with you and Alex?" Raven asked as she worked a comb through her tangled hair. Tobi was sitting on the bed sifting through a magazine Raven had leant her. "He seemed pretty pissed off tonight. Have you two had a fight?"

Tobi shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know what's going on. Raven, it's not like we were ever really going out or anything. I mean…it's complicated."

Raven laughed and sat down on the bed beside Tobi, glancing over her shoulder at the magazine.

"Oh, you can say that again. Wait, leave it on that page, I want to try and braid your hair like that."

Tobi was a little taken aback. Hair braiding seemed to her something intimate, something that only best friends did, like sharing deep dark secrets…but weren't she and Raven best friends now? Tobi might not have told Raven all her secrets, but they were definitely close.

"Okay." Tobi tilted her head back and closed her eyes as Raven brushed her hair gently. Then her hands teased the hair at Tobi's scalp and it was soothing to Tobi as Raven's hand worked deftly at her bronze hair. "Hey, Raven. What's happening with you and Hank, then?"

"Not really sure." Raven sounded a little amused. "Hank's so shy that it's like…he doesn't even really read me, you know? I try and flirt with him and it's like he doesn't have a clue. It's cute."

Tobi had to agree. While Hank was very intelligent in many areas, when it came to girls, he was a complete amateur. Someone really had to wake him up and show him that Raven was totally hitting on him.

"Done." Raven sounded satisfied and Tobi ran a hand down the back of her hair. The braid was smooth and neat. Raven leaned forward and turned the page, where the magazine had an article about the benefits of oatmeal, milk and honey face masks.

"Oh, come on," Tobi groaned in response to Raven's thoughtful smile. "No way."

Raven jumped up off the bed and headed over towards the door.

"I'm going to check if we have any milk left," she called over her shoulder.


Further down the corridor, the guys in Sean's room were having a somewhat similar conversation – but they certainly weren't reading fashion magazines. In fact, Hank was toying with an old record player and trying to get it working.

"Dude, haven't you noticed how Raven flirts with you?" Sean drawled where he was lazing back on the bed, glancing across at Hank, who was straightening his glasses and pretending he couldn't hear them. "I'm jealous, man. I wish she'd hit on me…"

"Yeah, not gonna happen, Sean," Alex replied rather moodily, resulting in an exchange of glances behind his back.

"What's the matter with you?" Sean demanded, poking Alex in the shoulder, "You've been so grumpy today. You need more sleep or something."

In reality, Alex was deep in thought, trying to contemplate what to do with the impossibility that was Tobi Sutherland. It might have been alright if he could have just ignored her, but he couldn't get the girl out of his head. She haunted him. Ever since he'd impulsively kissed her in the gym, he'd wanted more.

"Sean's right," Alex called to Hank, determinedly trying to change the subject, "Don't you even see how much attention Raven gives you? Seriously, bozo, you blind or something?"

Hank flushed. "Well, I didn't really notice, to be honest. I thought…I thought she was just being nice."

Sean and Alex exchanged exasperated looks. It was so flipping obvious that even Erik had seen it! Raven wasn't exactly subtle when it came to flirting. Tobi on the other hand – Alex shook his head slowly, still cringing at his own actions. He'd nearly kissed her again in the corridor and she'd laughed in his face. No wonder he was annoyed at her. Was this only a game to her?