Sorry this chapter was so long in coming guys (school, you know...heh-heh), but I wanted to make it twice as long as the last one. Yay! My plot is moving! I must go rejoice! Enjoy the chapter. :D
Disclaimer: Their characters, my Alternate Universe.
***
It was a wet day, cold and dreary, and the air in the cafeteria was laden with moisture. Yes, today was the day, all right. Kitty stood up, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and stretched. Her five minutes of waiting were up. As innocently as she could, she requested a pass to the bathroom, knowing full well she wouldn't be coming back that period. Barely opening the door, Kitty slipped quietly out into the halls of Bayville High. She knew from her experiences with Lance (ugh. Best not to think about him) that Pietro's third period class was Geometry, room 322. Heart pounding in her chest, she strode through the hallways until she reached her destination. She regarded the very idea that she was doing this with disbelief, but nevertheless, she darted a glance both ways down the hall to make sure it was clear, then phased into room 322's teacher's closet.
"Oof," she said softly. She hadn't realized it would be *this* cramped. Luckily, though, there was only *one* layer of books covering the back of the closet, and with her slight figure, she could *just* squeeze herself enough to crouch in front of the circular peephole. There! The back of Pietro's head, there was no mistaking it. From her vantage point, she could see nearly everything going on in the classroom. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. It seemed that an exam was underway, and already Kitty was getting uncomfortable with her feet twisted that way. She let out a barely audible sigh and settled herself in. There she stayed, pondering the whole time whether she had left her sanity back home with her Mom and Dad.
_All right! Movement!_ thought Kitty triumphantly. One half-hour with minimal activity from neither her or the class had her figuring that if she wasn't insane already, she would be soon. Squinting a bit, she watched the boy behind Pietro stand up and follow a messenger from the office out into the hall. Pietro was watching the kid stand up, too, and for one agonizing moment Kitty thought that Pietro's eyes had met her one and she was caught - but, no, his face continued to follow his classmate's movement.
Class continued without further interruption, and the bell soon rang. That was when Kitty became aware that she would soon be late for her next class. She decided she had just better wait until everybody exited the classroom...but, wait, what about the teacher? She was just about to start panicking, but, suddenly, she was interrupted by Pietro's movements. He had spent a little extra time talking to the teacher about problem number fourteen b, and now the peeping tom in the closet witnessed something peculiar. Office-Boy had left his notebook and book on his desk when he had been called away from his test, and now Pietro had picked up the materials. Not thinking, Kitty phased out of the closet to follow him...directly into the busy hall! Luckily, no one was watching the bare wall between the bubbler and the door to the classroom, so she immediately turned and continued her game of spy.
Dodge left, dodge right. She moved silently through the crowd, barely able to keep up with Pietro. He wasn't called "Speedy" for nothing, after all. Finally, she saw him reach his destination, just after the bell rang and the halls began to clear out again. Acting quickly, Kitty jumped into an adjacent empty classroom and phased into the air ventilation system just three feet from her stalkee's back. From there, she could hear every word said. Not that there was much to hear.
"Here, Jason. You left these in Geometry."
"Pietro?" It was a peculiar tone of surprise. "Oh, uh - thanks, I guess."
"Here." There was a sound of mild shuffling, supposedly Pietro handing over the supplies. "Bye, Jason." Kitty moved herself forward in the cramped air shaft just enough to see Jason watching Pietro's back with that very same look of surprise Kitty herself had worn one strange morning...
***
It continued all through that week: during Cafeteria studies Kitty watched Pietro form several other random acts of kindness, and by Friday she had decided to do something about it. By this time she had acquired more interest in the situation than ever. In fact, if you were watching her carefully, you might notice those small signs of a crush - a slight blush here and there, the restraint of a nervous giggle when his name was spoken. Rogue, actually, was becoming increasingly suspicious, since Kitty's actions had recently become - well - very Un-Kitty-like. Finally, Rogue confronted her that Saturday in the room the two shared.
"Admit it," she said to a figure brushing its hair.
That hair was soon tossed over a shoulder with a sharp turn of the head. "Admit what?" Kitty said quickly turning instantly nervous.
"You like him."
"I don't like anybody! I mean - uh - what, who?"
Rogue rolled her eyes and shifted her weight on the bed. "Oh, come on. You don't expect me to believe that after all that spying you don't like him?"
"I wasn't spying!" Kitty proclaimed waveringly.
The goth ignored this. "I mean, you must have been dedicated to do it *all* week..."
Katherine Pryde flomped down face first onto her bed.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'."
"Mmmmph," was the reply.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
"Mmmph dummmph nmmmph."
"Don't lie."
"Mmmph-mmmph, mmph-mmmph, mmph tmmell you." A face emerged from the depths of the pillows. (Note: To all those who can't follow that, that was 'Okay, okay, I'll tell you.' The other one shall remain a mystery. ::mysterious face::) "I was gonna, um, let him know what I knew in gym class," she admitted reluctantly. Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not gonna tell him I was spying on him!"
"I thought you weren't spying on him."
"Well, I was, okay!" It was a bit of a relief to have it out, now. She sighed. "And I was trying to think of a way to slow him down enough to - y'know - talk to me! But I can't, and now I'm stuck." She sighed again, heavily. Looking up at Rogue, she asked, "What do you think I should do?"
This question was certainly startling to Rogue, who had always thought she would be the last person to come to for romantic advice. "What're you askin' me for? I don't know anything about this stuff," she voiced her thoughts.
"I dunno," shrugged Kitty innocently. "I always thought you were the best at thinking things through." Here, her gaze intensified. "*Especially* at this kind of stuff. Not that it's that important or anything," she finished lamely.
"Kitty, I think at this point it's pretty pointless to be tryin' to hide it." Kitty was defeated, and listened to Rogue speak frankly. "But I think that it might be a good idea for you to..." Rogue waved Kitty closer, and proceeded to explain her idea quietly.
***
(Note: I cut off my AU characters' conversations and thoughts quite a bit, don't I? If I haven't yet, you can be assured that I will. It's a favorite tactic of mine.)
***
Any and all people in the girls' locker room that day made a point of not going *anywhere* near Kitty Pryde. The determined set of her jaw could show anyone watching that she was in no mood for idle chit-chat (or active chit-chat, for that matter). At present, she was straightening up from tying her sneakers - *forcefully* tying her sneakers, that is. Whatever she was thinking about, she was resolute about it, that was for sure. Interested classmates' stares followed her as she strode out into the gymnasium - then, halfway to the bleachers, changed her posture entirely for a more normal stance, though at this point, students knew better than to bother her on her obvious mission: to sit next to Pietro Maximoff.
Brittany Dinning watched the scene from the opposite side of the gym. She was automatically compiling a list of details about it for the steady stream of gossip she liked to keep flowing throughout the schoolday. Fluffing the sleeves of her pretty baby-pink peasant blouse, she listened to Stephanie blather about common knowledge around the school with a fraction of an ear, diverting most of her attention to the task at hand. Hmm. He seemed surprised to see her sitting next to him.
Brittany filed this away.
Ah. She didn't seem quite as confident as she had coming out of the locker room.
Interesting...
He was looking a little uncomfortable now, while she was looking triumphant.
Noted and logged.
The gym teachers calling for everyone to stop lounging on the bleachers and get their asses in the game? Why should Brittany Dinning have to bother with that? She had a forged note, anyway. It was her third "time of the month" this month. Stephanie continued blabbering in her ear.
What's this? The pair was being sent back to wait out one of the two teams in the center was sent out. Their conversation continued. He was getting obnoxious now, but she persisted with whatever-it-was.
Brittany almost imperceptibly raised an eyebrow.
He was getting flustered now. Almost ready to say something, but - the people on the bleachers had been called in. The freshman girl was staring at him from the back of their team's side. She didn't see that player coming straight up to the goal, and -
Oh. That must've hurt.
Brittany turned to Stephanie abruptly. "Oh, I, like, know Steph, Duncan Matthew's is a *total* hottie...but have you, like, heard about this new thing between Kitty Pryde and Pietro Maximoff?"
***
Pietro had seen the whole thing happen. And, as bothered as he was by what she had said - well, bothered wasn't quite the right word, but it had gotten to him, all right - he felt bad that he had caused the whole accident. Trotting over to join the gathering circle around the injured teammate, Pietro found himself directly next to the gym teacher, who had been surrounded by students rubbing their ears at the sound of his whistle.
"You!" the teacher selected randomly from the crowd, jabbing a finger at Pietro. "Take her to the nurse, will ya? We want to get this game moving."
Kitty was hunched protectively over her ankle at the center of the group, biting her lip in pain. Almost totally letting his reflexes take over, Pietro stepped forward and squatted down beside her, getting close enough to be heard over the echo of voices in the gym. "Are you okay?" She nodded.
Carefully, Pietro put a hand on Kitty's back and helped her shift her weight enough to get up. Soon she had her arm around his shoulders and most of her balance was reliant on him. Fighting a blush down, he helped her hobble out of the large room, which was already beginning to fill up with that usual sound of squeaking sneakers.
"Why...did you do that?" Pietro asked as soon as they had cleared the double doors.
"Do what?" she said evasively.
"Hurt yourself. You were looking at me - don't try to deny it!" Pietro was letting his arrogant-act slip, but he was too absorbed in the situation to notice that his emotions were public knowledge.
"Okay! So I, like, got a little distracted. So what?"
"So why did you say that to me?"
"What?"
"How did you know?"
"I'm very observant." She was being evasive again. They cleared another set of double doors, making steady progress to the nurse's office.
"You've been spying on me, haven't you?" Jumped right to the quick.
"I..." Pietro saw her falter, and grabbed his opportunity.
"Ha! I knew I heard a noise by my locker!"
"Damn squeaky tennis shoes," muttered Kitty.
"If I may ask, *why* were you -" They opened the door to their destination.
"Lemme guess," said the nurse drolly. "Twisted your ankle playing soccer."
"Uh - well, sort of."
"Come with me, please." Kitty shifted her weight to the nurse's shoulder. Just before she was led away, though, she whispered something in Pietro's ear, something that he later could almost *swear* that he...might have imagined...
"I like you."
And then it was Pietro's turn to wear that open-mouthed look as Kitty disappeared into the inner office.
***
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...I'm starting to really like this story. In the next chapter we will see what Pietro is thinking about all this. If you have any suggestions, please suggest them *nicely*, and I will do my best to include them.
Sidenote: I *know* I avoided writing what Kitty said to him. You think I'm that good of an author? *I* have no idea what she said to him. :D
Review, people, and you shall not be dissatisfied (I hope). :o)
Disclaimer: Their characters, my Alternate Universe.
***
It was a wet day, cold and dreary, and the air in the cafeteria was laden with moisture. Yes, today was the day, all right. Kitty stood up, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and stretched. Her five minutes of waiting were up. As innocently as she could, she requested a pass to the bathroom, knowing full well she wouldn't be coming back that period. Barely opening the door, Kitty slipped quietly out into the halls of Bayville High. She knew from her experiences with Lance (ugh. Best not to think about him) that Pietro's third period class was Geometry, room 322. Heart pounding in her chest, she strode through the hallways until she reached her destination. She regarded the very idea that she was doing this with disbelief, but nevertheless, she darted a glance both ways down the hall to make sure it was clear, then phased into room 322's teacher's closet.
"Oof," she said softly. She hadn't realized it would be *this* cramped. Luckily, though, there was only *one* layer of books covering the back of the closet, and with her slight figure, she could *just* squeeze herself enough to crouch in front of the circular peephole. There! The back of Pietro's head, there was no mistaking it. From her vantage point, she could see nearly everything going on in the classroom. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. It seemed that an exam was underway, and already Kitty was getting uncomfortable with her feet twisted that way. She let out a barely audible sigh and settled herself in. There she stayed, pondering the whole time whether she had left her sanity back home with her Mom and Dad.
_All right! Movement!_ thought Kitty triumphantly. One half-hour with minimal activity from neither her or the class had her figuring that if she wasn't insane already, she would be soon. Squinting a bit, she watched the boy behind Pietro stand up and follow a messenger from the office out into the hall. Pietro was watching the kid stand up, too, and for one agonizing moment Kitty thought that Pietro's eyes had met her one and she was caught - but, no, his face continued to follow his classmate's movement.
Class continued without further interruption, and the bell soon rang. That was when Kitty became aware that she would soon be late for her next class. She decided she had just better wait until everybody exited the classroom...but, wait, what about the teacher? She was just about to start panicking, but, suddenly, she was interrupted by Pietro's movements. He had spent a little extra time talking to the teacher about problem number fourteen b, and now the peeping tom in the closet witnessed something peculiar. Office-Boy had left his notebook and book on his desk when he had been called away from his test, and now Pietro had picked up the materials. Not thinking, Kitty phased out of the closet to follow him...directly into the busy hall! Luckily, no one was watching the bare wall between the bubbler and the door to the classroom, so she immediately turned and continued her game of spy.
Dodge left, dodge right. She moved silently through the crowd, barely able to keep up with Pietro. He wasn't called "Speedy" for nothing, after all. Finally, she saw him reach his destination, just after the bell rang and the halls began to clear out again. Acting quickly, Kitty jumped into an adjacent empty classroom and phased into the air ventilation system just three feet from her stalkee's back. From there, she could hear every word said. Not that there was much to hear.
"Here, Jason. You left these in Geometry."
"Pietro?" It was a peculiar tone of surprise. "Oh, uh - thanks, I guess."
"Here." There was a sound of mild shuffling, supposedly Pietro handing over the supplies. "Bye, Jason." Kitty moved herself forward in the cramped air shaft just enough to see Jason watching Pietro's back with that very same look of surprise Kitty herself had worn one strange morning...
***
It continued all through that week: during Cafeteria studies Kitty watched Pietro form several other random acts of kindness, and by Friday she had decided to do something about it. By this time she had acquired more interest in the situation than ever. In fact, if you were watching her carefully, you might notice those small signs of a crush - a slight blush here and there, the restraint of a nervous giggle when his name was spoken. Rogue, actually, was becoming increasingly suspicious, since Kitty's actions had recently become - well - very Un-Kitty-like. Finally, Rogue confronted her that Saturday in the room the two shared.
"Admit it," she said to a figure brushing its hair.
That hair was soon tossed over a shoulder with a sharp turn of the head. "Admit what?" Kitty said quickly turning instantly nervous.
"You like him."
"I don't like anybody! I mean - uh - what, who?"
Rogue rolled her eyes and shifted her weight on the bed. "Oh, come on. You don't expect me to believe that after all that spying you don't like him?"
"I wasn't spying!" Kitty proclaimed waveringly.
The goth ignored this. "I mean, you must have been dedicated to do it *all* week..."
Katherine Pryde flomped down face first onto her bed.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'."
"Mmmmph," was the reply.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
"Mmmph dummmph nmmmph."
"Don't lie."
"Mmmph-mmmph, mmph-mmmph, mmph tmmell you." A face emerged from the depths of the pillows. (Note: To all those who can't follow that, that was 'Okay, okay, I'll tell you.' The other one shall remain a mystery. ::mysterious face::) "I was gonna, um, let him know what I knew in gym class," she admitted reluctantly. Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not gonna tell him I was spying on him!"
"I thought you weren't spying on him."
"Well, I was, okay!" It was a bit of a relief to have it out, now. She sighed. "And I was trying to think of a way to slow him down enough to - y'know - talk to me! But I can't, and now I'm stuck." She sighed again, heavily. Looking up at Rogue, she asked, "What do you think I should do?"
This question was certainly startling to Rogue, who had always thought she would be the last person to come to for romantic advice. "What're you askin' me for? I don't know anything about this stuff," she voiced her thoughts.
"I dunno," shrugged Kitty innocently. "I always thought you were the best at thinking things through." Here, her gaze intensified. "*Especially* at this kind of stuff. Not that it's that important or anything," she finished lamely.
"Kitty, I think at this point it's pretty pointless to be tryin' to hide it." Kitty was defeated, and listened to Rogue speak frankly. "But I think that it might be a good idea for you to..." Rogue waved Kitty closer, and proceeded to explain her idea quietly.
***
(Note: I cut off my AU characters' conversations and thoughts quite a bit, don't I? If I haven't yet, you can be assured that I will. It's a favorite tactic of mine.)
***
Any and all people in the girls' locker room that day made a point of not going *anywhere* near Kitty Pryde. The determined set of her jaw could show anyone watching that she was in no mood for idle chit-chat (or active chit-chat, for that matter). At present, she was straightening up from tying her sneakers - *forcefully* tying her sneakers, that is. Whatever she was thinking about, she was resolute about it, that was for sure. Interested classmates' stares followed her as she strode out into the gymnasium - then, halfway to the bleachers, changed her posture entirely for a more normal stance, though at this point, students knew better than to bother her on her obvious mission: to sit next to Pietro Maximoff.
Brittany Dinning watched the scene from the opposite side of the gym. She was automatically compiling a list of details about it for the steady stream of gossip she liked to keep flowing throughout the schoolday. Fluffing the sleeves of her pretty baby-pink peasant blouse, she listened to Stephanie blather about common knowledge around the school with a fraction of an ear, diverting most of her attention to the task at hand. Hmm. He seemed surprised to see her sitting next to him.
Brittany filed this away.
Ah. She didn't seem quite as confident as she had coming out of the locker room.
Interesting...
He was looking a little uncomfortable now, while she was looking triumphant.
Noted and logged.
The gym teachers calling for everyone to stop lounging on the bleachers and get their asses in the game? Why should Brittany Dinning have to bother with that? She had a forged note, anyway. It was her third "time of the month" this month. Stephanie continued blabbering in her ear.
What's this? The pair was being sent back to wait out one of the two teams in the center was sent out. Their conversation continued. He was getting obnoxious now, but she persisted with whatever-it-was.
Brittany almost imperceptibly raised an eyebrow.
He was getting flustered now. Almost ready to say something, but - the people on the bleachers had been called in. The freshman girl was staring at him from the back of their team's side. She didn't see that player coming straight up to the goal, and -
Oh. That must've hurt.
Brittany turned to Stephanie abruptly. "Oh, I, like, know Steph, Duncan Matthew's is a *total* hottie...but have you, like, heard about this new thing between Kitty Pryde and Pietro Maximoff?"
***
Pietro had seen the whole thing happen. And, as bothered as he was by what she had said - well, bothered wasn't quite the right word, but it had gotten to him, all right - he felt bad that he had caused the whole accident. Trotting over to join the gathering circle around the injured teammate, Pietro found himself directly next to the gym teacher, who had been surrounded by students rubbing their ears at the sound of his whistle.
"You!" the teacher selected randomly from the crowd, jabbing a finger at Pietro. "Take her to the nurse, will ya? We want to get this game moving."
Kitty was hunched protectively over her ankle at the center of the group, biting her lip in pain. Almost totally letting his reflexes take over, Pietro stepped forward and squatted down beside her, getting close enough to be heard over the echo of voices in the gym. "Are you okay?" She nodded.
Carefully, Pietro put a hand on Kitty's back and helped her shift her weight enough to get up. Soon she had her arm around his shoulders and most of her balance was reliant on him. Fighting a blush down, he helped her hobble out of the large room, which was already beginning to fill up with that usual sound of squeaking sneakers.
"Why...did you do that?" Pietro asked as soon as they had cleared the double doors.
"Do what?" she said evasively.
"Hurt yourself. You were looking at me - don't try to deny it!" Pietro was letting his arrogant-act slip, but he was too absorbed in the situation to notice that his emotions were public knowledge.
"Okay! So I, like, got a little distracted. So what?"
"So why did you say that to me?"
"What?"
"How did you know?"
"I'm very observant." She was being evasive again. They cleared another set of double doors, making steady progress to the nurse's office.
"You've been spying on me, haven't you?" Jumped right to the quick.
"I..." Pietro saw her falter, and grabbed his opportunity.
"Ha! I knew I heard a noise by my locker!"
"Damn squeaky tennis shoes," muttered Kitty.
"If I may ask, *why* were you -" They opened the door to their destination.
"Lemme guess," said the nurse drolly. "Twisted your ankle playing soccer."
"Uh - well, sort of."
"Come with me, please." Kitty shifted her weight to the nurse's shoulder. Just before she was led away, though, she whispered something in Pietro's ear, something that he later could almost *swear* that he...might have imagined...
"I like you."
And then it was Pietro's turn to wear that open-mouthed look as Kitty disappeared into the inner office.
***
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...I'm starting to really like this story. In the next chapter we will see what Pietro is thinking about all this. If you have any suggestions, please suggest them *nicely*, and I will do my best to include them.
Sidenote: I *know* I avoided writing what Kitty said to him. You think I'm that good of an author? *I* have no idea what she said to him. :D
Review, people, and you shall not be dissatisfied (I hope). :o)