Author's Notes
My take on Kurtty is that it is one of those pairings which I "tentatively accept," not because I don't like Kitty (she's "like, totally awesome"), but because I'm an insanely jealous psycho. Kitty is just the only one I've found who he fits with enough to write a romantic story about (my second choice would actually be Toad--does that scare you?).
There is a teensy-weensy spoiler for the book of short stories Different Seasons by Stephen King, just so you're warned...
You'll see a few episode references here and there. They're pretty subtle, so see if you can spot them.
The little numbers you see throughout the story are tidbits (somewhat behind-the-scenes-ish) that will inform you of this and that about the story. You can ignore them if you'd like, but if not, they are found at the bottom with the corresponding number. They'll start out somewhat numerous and then die down, and hopefully will not annoy anyone.
On with the story!
Chapter Two
"Have a holly, jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year... Come, on, Kitty! Sing with me! You have an awesome voice!" Two weeks past the first snow and finally into Winter Break, Kitty had but entered the recreation room of the mansion when she was swept into an impromptu dance to the famous Christmas song [4], and couldn't help but laugh even as she shoved Kurt away, a devilish grin marking his blue features.
"Like, no way!" Kitty giggled a bit more and reached out to give a gentle yank on her friend's wildly whipping blue tail. Around her, their housemates lounged about, waiting for someone to start the movie. Tonight's feature was Stand By Me, Storm's choice. It was one of Kitty's favorites, but she knew Kurt wasn't wild about it, and that meant he was likely to act up out of boredom.
"Hey, are you two gonna sit down, or what?" Scott motioned towards the far end of the couch, where he sat next to Jean, arm nearly draped over her, but not quite.
"Yeah, like you left us any room," Kitty teased, winking and pointing to the tiny amount of couch space left. She watched Scott turn bright red as Jean scooted nearly into his lap, and chuckling to herself, Kitty took a seat in the still-small amount of space beside Jean left for her and Kurt. Said elf BAMFed to his spot on the other side of her.
"Hey, fuzzball, you're totally squishing me!" Kitty couldn't keep the smile out of her voice, and was surprised when Kurt put a hand behind his head in a sheepish gesture.
"Ach, sorry Kitty," his eyes glimmered, "but you just take up too much space!"
"Oh, you elf!" Kitty couldn't help herself-she laughed loudly, and then did what any self-respecting slim girl would have done. She whacked him a good one.
"Ow, Kitty!" Kurt showed his canines and whapped his tail around like a wounded animal, then laughed with her.
Meanwhile, this interaction was being ignored by the rest of the group as they chatted aimlessly. Evan was sprawled out on a bean-bag, rolling his skateboard back and forth with his foot. Ororo was in one easy chair, and Logan in another, looking ticked off and probably at least half so. Rogue lay by herself on the loveseat, staring at the ceiling, and apparently deep in thought.
"Hey, Red-get the tape started for us?" Logan grunted and leaned back in his chair. He threw a distasteful glance at the stereo, which was spewing out a cheery rendition of "Deck the Halls." He grunted again, "And kill the music."
Jean smiled briefly and placed a light finger to her temple-much more out of habit than need. The stereo dial turned and emitted a soft click, and the music stopped mid-"fa la." The tape poking out of the VCR was gobbled up and settled into place noisily.
"You may need to rewind it," Storm prompted. Jean squinted a bit, and a faint whirring sound ensued.
"If I'm too big to sit next to, you could always share a seat with Rogue," Kitty taunted while shifting--jostling Kurt some-and they both glanced over to Rogue, who upon hearing her name sent uninviting glare as well as a cocky smirk their way.
"Ahhh…I think I'll stay right here," Kurt cuddled closer to Kitty's side, blinking owlishly, "You can protect me from Rogue."
Kitty smirked and pinched him, ignoring her racing heart. She found it bitterly amusing that even after nearly a year, she still had to watch herself, lest she begin to stutter or blush or some such give-away as that. In return for the pinch, Kurt slapped her gently with his tail and they both laughed again. It was a common exchange, and none of the others thought twice-or even once-about it. Kurt flirted with Kitty because he was a goof, and because from her, he could elicit the most amusing responses. Kitty flirted back because it was easy to do, and she almost enjoyed the attention. And maybe it was because… Kitty bit her lip, a frown replacing her jubilant smile.
"Lights?" Scott arched an eyebrow at Jean, who raised her own in return, and the room went dark.
Jean sighed with good nature, "I have to do all the work around here." The room laughed, Kitty included, as she temporarily set aside-as she had been doing for too long now-her heart.
Kurt studied the ornament in his hand intently, shifting it around to catch the light on each section. It was heart-shaped-but a deep green instead of red-and covered with many-pointed stars made from a cheap glass. It reflected tiny rainbow spots onto his face as he held it up over his head. For some reason, this ornament--and the pieces of rainbow it had scattered all over him-caused his thoughts to turn to Kitty.
Kurt wasn't sure he was lock-stock-and-barrel in love with the young phaser, but even at seventeen, he knew he cared for her beyond the boundaries of friendship. It was something he had carried for some time now. After testing the waters those first few weeks and finding them teeming with piranha, Kurt had stopped taking his flirting seriously-as Kitty had-and had fallen into habit.
He supposed that if forced to ponder on it for awhile, he would realize that his feelings ran quite deep, but since he had already come to the conclusion that Kitty did not feel the same, he preferred not to meditate on it. He had expected that after a while, his attraction to her would fade. But it hadn't, and every now and then, he'd catch a look in her eyes or see something in the shape of her smile that kept him wondering.
Most of the time, Kurt was content to enjoy her company. But Christmas time had always been a somewhat sentimental time for him, and he had to admit that this one-the first since her introduction into his life-was affecting him quite deeply. Something in the way the lights reflected off her hair? Something about the heartening effect Christmas music seemed to have upon her voice? Something new?
Kurt wasn't sure, but his affections had more than once needed to be checked. Kitty hadn't seemed bothered, however, and that particular quality he had recognized within her had been often present as well. Perhaps…maybe-
He was startled when a hand brushed his shoulder, and he turned to see the very object of his thoughts by his side, looking from him to his ornament with clear eyes. "That's a pretty one." Kitty ran a finger over the mock diamonds.
"Ja," was his soft reply.
"What's this?" She pointed to a tiny golden hinge on the left side of the ornament, and when Kurt turned it further, they spotted a clasp on the opposite side. Kitty took it from him.
"It's like a locket," she murmured, and opened it up. Inside, it was a scarlet red. One on half--the left-a small picture of mistletoe was engraved. On the other side, in shimmery gold cursive, "Friends make Christmas magic," was inscribed [5].
"Hmmm," Kurt mused, "I thought that mistletoe would be symbolic of lovers, not friends."
"Well, some people are friends before they get together, you know? Maybe that's what it means." Kitty closed the locket with a tight snap. "It's still a pretty ornament. Where are you going to hang it?" She placed it back into his hands, lingering for a few seconds as skin touched fur. Kurt thought that odd, but…
"Right here, I guess," he hung the locket-ornament on a nearby bare branch by the loop attached to the top, and admired it with a small smile. Kitty, still by him, was sporting much the same expression.
Around them, the other students milled about, decorating the mansion's Christmas tree with their own flair. The group had gone down to the tree lot that morning and chose the largest tree available. It now stood in the front room, and could be easily seen from the outside, even as far as the front gate. It was tall enough to just scrape the ceiling, and Jean had been hitting most of the higher branches so no one would have an accident involving a ladder. Storm was assisting.
Each of the students (sans Evan, who had returned home two days ago) [6] had rummaged through the Institute's attic, and each had pulled aside several boxes of ornaments to hang, most of which were now scattered throughout the tree's branches. It had been within one of Kurt's odd mix-and-match ornament boxes that he had found the strange decoration. Along with the boxes came garland, tinsel, lights, and a star for the tree. The simple, shimmery sliver-white star was the last item to grace the tree-courtesy of Jean-and the group began to naturally step back as one. Scott flipped the mansion's overhead lights off, and from the darkness called, "Everyone ready?"
"Yeah."
"Yep."
"Ready."
"As Ah'll ever be."
"Ja."
"For something new?" Kitty's voice was hardly a whisper, and unheard over the chorus of affirmatives her housemates expressed. She threw a glance to her left with no thought at all, and when the lights of the tree set the room ablaze, it was Kurt's face, dark and multi-colored, which she took in, and admired. His pale eyes were alight with their own awe, and before her personal voice of reason (which sometimes could sound strikingly like Jean) could protest, she had taken his hand and wrapped it up in hers.
Kurt turned to her in surprise, and the moment their eyes locked, they both experienced a pang of longing, combined with the sensation of being suspended…floating just above the place they wanted to be. Kurt himself half-smiled, suddenly realizing that this moment would be ideal for what he had been trying to talk himself into doing all week. It took a few more seconds of courage gathering, but then he took a deep breath and spoke.
"Kitty," he began, and she became aware then just how much she loved hearing her name in its Kurt-ized form-"Keety"-coming from his lips. "Would you go to the Christmas Ball with me tomorrow?" He applied soft, warm pressure to her hand, swallowing hard.
The Christmas Ball-really just an informal get-together in the rec room scheduled for the following night-had been thought up by the professor as something of a Christmas treat for the kids. Each of the five students (as well as Ororo, Logan, or the professor themselves) were welcome to invite several friends from outside of the Institute. As a result, many of the party-goes would be Bayville High's regulars.
Kurt shifted a bit nervously. He knew Kitty wasn't going with someone else-she had told him that herself-but that didn't mean she would accept his invitation. She pulled her hand away, a distant, wistful look in her eyes. She had been half-hoping for this very moment for most of the week, and now that it was a reality, she found herself uncertain. She had kept herself in line-kept herself from making rash decisions-for...how long had it been?
She glanced out the window, where semi-deep drifts of snow had piled up. The way the winter sun glinted off of the sharp crests…it dawned on Kitty that the familiar window scene subtly but undeniably gave her her answer. Almost a year had passed her by since she had entered the Institute, unsure of her abilities, her surroundings, and herself. Kurt would probably never know it, but after her initial shock, she had grown quite fond of him, and as his quirky charm continued to sweep her off her feet, Kitty struggled to adapt to the life she had found herself flung into. So she had wisely decided to put her foot down on any kind of romantic involvement with anyone, let alone a furry blue teleporter. Kitty had assumed that by doing this, her relationship with Kurt would dissipate, but Kurt was a persistent elf-boy, and the two had continued on with their odd friendship.
Kitty turned her eyes back to Kurt, who was half-smiling at her, his hands behind his back, looking every inch boy-asking-girl-out. The shy, hopeful expression on his face melted her heart, and it was a moment in which she desperately wrestled with herself, wanting to go on being resistant. She tried to make her tongue spit out a derisive joke or at least a haughty giggle, but it refused, probably because it would have seemed both strange-and rude-after she had taken his hand. She found she could not utter one word.
Kurt watched Kitty's facial expression (which had hardly changed) and her eyes (which were cycling through emotions he could hardly begin to guess at), and at the same time that he was thinking she had never looked so beautiful, he also thought that his care for her should extend far enough to give her an out. "No worries, Kitty. We can go as friends." He sent a smiled tinged with sadness down at her, and Kitty knew that he had given something up for her. She found herself caught between relief and disappointment, and still had room to feel quite touched at his thoughtfulness.
"Yeah, all right. Why don't you stop by my room a few minutes before seven? We'll walk down together." Kitty patted his upper arm in a friendly fashion, and Kurt caught that look in her eyes-a certain disguised wanting that could have been nothing more than his imagination. He nodded, bowing his head.
Kitty put on a carefree grin, and tugged on his elbow, pointing, "Doesn't the tree look great?" It was actually her first glimpse of it, and it was gorgeous-everything Christmas was meant to be wrapped around and within the tall evergreen before them. Kurt tilted his head, giving a familiar, faint answer, "Ja, it does."
[4]This may be an odd place to address it, but I have to put out that I know that Kitty is Jewish, and I'm choosing to overlook it for the story. It's just safe to say that here she enjoys Christmas and celebrating it just as much as a Christian would, I guess. I need her to be one with the Christmas spirit here.
[5]I actually have a tiny pillow with those words sewn into it. Like you care.
[6]It may not make sense, but my mansion only has the original six students, and this is their first Christmas in the mansion, so the ages and such may seem a bit off. Also, I know more of them should be gone, I just needed them too enhance the plot, so you'll have to make up your own excuses as to why they stayed (especially Storm, who did not go with Evan for whatever reason...what was I on when I wrote this?).
