Chapter Six
"Ororo, wake up!" a voice called from behind her door.
Grudgingly Ororo pulled herself to full consciousness. She was going to kill whoever was on the other side of that door; she had been having a *very* interesting dream. "What do you want, Jean?" she asked crossly.
"Ororo, it's ten o'clock!" Jean said impatiently.
"Thank you, Charlie Robinson," Ororo said sarcastically, "Can I go back to bed now?"
"Ororo, your *date*!!!" Jean said, exasperated at her friend's morning attitude.
Ororo racked her brain, "A date, what date?" She pushed the thoughts back. "I just want to go back to my dream about Kurt!" She stopped, quickly sitting up. "Wait, Kurt?" "My date with Kurt!" "Oh my gosh, I should have been up hours ago!" Ororo said through the door. "Why didn't you guys wake me sooner?" She jumped out of bed, opened the door for Jean, and frantically began rummaging around, trying to find something to wear.
"Don't worry, `Ro," Jean told the frenzied weather goddess, "you have two hours." "I already have some idea about what you should wear today," Jean said comfortably.
Ororo finally stopped rushing around the room and turned to her friend. "Yes, but I didn't tell you that Kurt and I decided that we would meet in the park and have a picnic." "This changes everything, I need to make the Four Layer Dessert still!"
"It changes it for the better!" Jean said happily. Her eyes became unfocused for a second. "Ok, I've just asked Kitty to get out the ingredients for your cake thing." "Now, since it's casual you can use this opportunity to show yourself off in ways that just aren't possible when you're dressing up!" "Where are those shorts I bought you for your birthday last year?"
"Those are too short to go out in public in!" Storm protested.
"Don't be such a prick, `Ro," Jean told her. "You wear the shortest shorts you own and a tight, low-cut white shirt that is thin enough to almost see through, then you see how he reacts." "I used to do it Scott all the time; at first it was a test to see if he could control himself, but eventually it was just fun to see how he blushed whenever I put it on."
"That is cruel; I can't believe you did that to him!" Ororo said, a bit scandalized at how devious her friend was. She had never thought of Jean as the kind of person who would flaunt her body to get a reaction; she just seemed too wholesome for that. Ororo wondered if Kurt would blush when she wore that outfit. "Wait, am I actually considering this?" she asked herself. She was surprised to find that she had, in fact, already agreed.
Jean waited while her friend took a quick shower and then searched for her clothing. Ororo quickly found the shorts and shirt that she wanted. The top stretched tight across her front and showed a bit of her midsection, it was also barely opaque. She grinned and went to find some shoes while her and Jean's conversation moved on. "So where is Rogue today?" Ororo asked.
"I don't know," Jean replied, rejecting a pair of clogs that Ororo showed her. "She came home late last night and her emotions woke me up from all the way in Scott's room." "Before I could put my shields up I heard some really inventive cursing, most of it aimed at Logan."
"I know they got into an argument," Ororo said, sitting down to put a small amount of skin toned make-up on. "When they went outside I knew they were going to yell at each other, but I don't know what set them off."
"I guess she was still upset over it," Jean said thoughtfully. "He does seem exceptionally good at getting under her skin," she paused, "and vise versa." "You know, Logan didn't come home last night at all." "He didn't get back in until around six today, probably stayed in a motel."
"You don't think they could, I don't know, have a thing for each other?" Ororo asked, slipping on a pair of tall sandals.
Jean's eyes narrowed, "You know, I think that is a distinct possibility," she said. "Why didn't I see it before?" "Maybe we should help them along?"
Ororo looked worried, "No, don't you dare, Jean!" "Let them do it alone!"
"Ororo this is too good an opportunity to pass up," Jean told her excitedly. She switched tactics. "Rogue is always messing with our love lives, now is our chance to not only get her back but see her happy with a steady guy!"
"Well, it would be nice to see her in a normal relationship," Ororo said, wavering.
"Of course it would," Jean said, moving on as if Ororo had agreed instantly. "Now give me today to think on it and I'll have a plan by tonight," Jean told her. "And now we should go make that pie thing you want to bring with you," she said. With a smile they headed to the kitchen.
It didn't take long to finish the dessert, luckily only the crust had to be baked and it took only ten minutes. While she worked, Ororo gave Jean all of the details of her date. When she admitted to almost mauling the blue German in his car Jean's eyes had almost popped out. "I cannot believe *you* did that," she said.
"Why not?" Ororo asked, a little confused.
"It's just that usually you have complete control over every single event in your life," Jean said. "I didn't think you'd ever let it go like you apparently did back in that car."
"I am not *that* uptight," Ororo protested.
"You are a total control freak, `Ro, but don't worry, we love you anyway." Jean grinned when her friend stuck her tongue out at her. Suddenly Marie walked into the room, stalked to a cabinet, and roughly pulled out a pop tart.
"Hi," she said, sitting down at the counter next to Jean and across from where Ororo was cooking.
"Morning, Rogue," Storm said quietly. "How was yesterday."
"I do not want to talk about it," Rogue said a bit stiffly.
"I heard you and Logan might have had a falling out," Jean said softly, honestly concerned for her friend. Revenge forgotten, she gave Ororo a worried look, obviously not liking what she was sensing from the young woman. "You know he didn't come home last night," Jean said, hoping to encourage a response.
Rogue flinched trying not to imagine in who's arms Wolverine had sought comfort. "The bestial wanderings of our resident canis-sapien are of no interest to me, Jean," Rogue said frostily.
Jean raised an eyebrow, "Rogue, I don't know what happened between you, but I'm sure anything that Logan said he didn't mean."
"Look, I really don't want to talk about it, Jean, just drop it," Rogue almost growled. She was sounding more like Logan everyday.
"All right, fine," Ororo said. "We won't talk about it."
There was a pause. "So, how was your date with Kurt?" Rogue asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
After adding two bottles of soda, Ororo packed the plates and utensils into a small basket and put a small cloth over them. Lifting up her dessert she carefully set it inside and then placed the entire basket in the refrigerator. "My date was fabulous, and he is picking me up again in about an hour," she told her, turning with a satisfied look on her face.
"Yeah, I suspected when I saw you in 'the outfit'," she told her, giving Jean a secret smile.
"You know about it too?" Ororo said with a questioning expression.
"Who do you think gave her the idea?" Rogue asked, sounding smug. Suddenly she stopped smiling, her face turning into a mask of ice as Logan stepped into the kitchen.
Ororo watched the man carefully as he studiously avoided Marie's gaze in a way that looked almost natural. Almost. He was obviously trying to ignore the suddenly frigid temperature in the room and the two teacher's frank curiosity. He picked up an apple and turned to the counter, seeming to almost hesitate when he saw Rogue's expression. Glancing at Jean and Ororo, Logan's face turned slightly mournful and he left the room without speaking of any of the things he had seemed so ready to talk about.
Ororo cleared her throat, "Um, Marie-,"
"You know what, I just remembered I have an essay due for one of my Professors," she stood up. "I'd better get working on it." She departed the room quickly, leaving her unfinished breakfast on the counter.
"I hope he apologizes soon," Ororo said, getting out the waffles, " or it's going to be chilly every time they get in a room together."
"They definitely have a thing for each other," Jean told her. "I'm positive of it, there is no way they could have offended each other so much in such a short time if they didn't." Ororo continued to make breakfast while Jean talked.
"If only we could get them together some place where they'd be forced to talk out their problems."
"If I know Marie, that will be hard." Ororo told her friend. "She'll avoid him like the plague; he's going to have a hard time tracking her down even if he *is* trying to apologize."
"And you know how bad Logan is at acts of contrition," Jean stated. "He'll probably screw it up and then they'll never get together." She sighed, taking the plate Ororo gave her and beginning to eat. "It'll bear some thinking."
"If you come up with anything, I'll help," Ororo told her, "but if you get caught I never heard anything about it, understand?"
"No problem, `Ro," Jean said with some smugness. "Leave everything to me." "Now, go brush your teeth, you don't want syrup breath when you go to meet Kurt."
"Speaking of which, I'd better leave in about twenty minutes if I want to get there in time," she said, picking up her plate and putting it in the sink. Then she headed to the bathroom. What would she do with herself for a whole twenty minutes?
Ororo wound up leaving ten minutes later. She figured she could always be early and hanging around the school was riding on her last nerve. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so worked up over a man. She carried the basket out the front door and her eyes clouded over. With a smile she took off into the air, mindful of keeping her package level. Exactly four minutes later she arrived in the park, landing in a secluded section behind a gazebo. She immediately set off for the entrance where she was to meet Kurt. A few minutes after she arrived she heard the characteristic "bamf" of Kurt's teleporting and saw him walk around the corner of the fence. He carried a basket and had a blanket over his arm.
"Kurt!" she said, quickly walking over to him.
Kurt turned his head, smiling broadly. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her his eyes almost immediately traveled the length of her body and back. His eyes widened and he almost blushed, "Ororo, you are a feast for the eyes." Did his face seem a bit more purple than it had a second ago?
Ororo carefully concealed a grin and mentally reminded herself to thank her friends for their advice. It seems Kurt was every bit as susceptible to 'the outfit' as any other man would be. She linked her arm with his and motioned to the basket she had over one arm. "I brought everything, and I made the dessert personally so I expect you to heap praise upon it," Ororo said, mock-imperiously.
"I will do my best," Kurt said with a laugh.
"So where is this spot?" Ororo asked.
"Ah, you cannot wait to be alone with me," Kurt said with a overacted friendly leer.
Ororo grinned, "Well, I was really wanting to be alone with the lasagna," she said, grinning. "But I suppose you will make an adequate substitute." Then she laughed and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
They made their way to the right corner of the park, talking and joking as the walked. Kurt moved confidently the entire time. Finally when it looked like they had reached a dead end Kurt stopped and pulled aside a bush to reveal a beautiful creek overhung with branches. Kurt spread the blanket down beside one of the trees and motioned Ororo to have a seat. Then he broke open his basket and pulled out pan, divvying up the portions with surprising speed. Ororo gave him the plates and handed him a drink. He handed Ororo's plate back to her with a flourish and took his own. He then sat down, leaning against the tree and they ate.
"Mmm, Jean was right, this stuff is fabulous," Ororo said, licking her finger and putting her empty plate down.
"Myron will be glad to hear you enjoyed it," Kurt told her, picking up her plate and places it on top of his own. He put them both inside the pan and then on top of his basket. They talked awhile longer before Ororo decided that she was ready for dessert. She picked up another plate and carved out slices of her famous Four Layer Dessert.
"Now, try this," Ororo said, deftly scooping it onto the plate. She advanced on the blue German who gave her an exaggerated look of concern.
"I do not know, Ororo," he said, his accent distorting the words slightly, "it looks very rich." "What if it disagrees with me."
Ororo knelt down, balancing the plate and fork. "Oh no you don't, Kurt," she said determinedly. "You are not getting out of trying my cooking."
"How do I know you are not trying to poison me?" he asked with a grin.
Ororo raised an eyebrow at him, then calmly took a bite of the pie-like confection. Kurt's eyes widened as Ororo leaned forward and captured his lips. She felt his tongue gently run along her lips and she opened her mouth, allowing him to taste sweetness that lingered from the dessert. After almost a minute the kiss ended and Ororo was aware of a sudden change in their positions. Kurt was almost lying atop her, one arm wrapped around her in a very comfortable manner and the other cushioning her head. They were both breathing heavily and Ororo was very much aware that it would take very little movement on her part to set loose a chain of events that could not be stopped. She drew all of her will power together and stopped herself from making that move.
Kurt gently disentangled his tail from her ankle and stood up, pulling her with him. "Ororo, perhaps we should talk about us?" he asked softly.
Ororo gazed up into his golden eyes and nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."
Kurt sat down again against the tree and pulled her to him. She leaned back against his chest and he took a deep breath. Then he began to talk. "From the moment I saw you, Ororo, I have felt a connection to you." "I am not even sure how it is possible to feel so much for someone whom I have known for such a short while." "But I do know that I do not want to mess this up." "I am not certain what your views on intimacy are, but I do know that I would not take a relationship to that level unless I was certain that they are the one."
Ororo smiled at Kurt's careful wording. "You want to wait until marriage to have sex with someone?" Kurt nodded, looking down into her eyes for a sign of censure. "If that's what you want Kurt, then I respect that." "I'm not going to pressure you to sleep with me." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "We can still touch, though, right?" she asked.
"Ja," Kurt said, an amused expression on his face at her obvious concern. "We can touch." He ran his hand gently down the side of her leg. Ororo smiled.
"Good," she said. She pulled his head down and kissed him again. They spent the rest of the evening talking and kissing and touching. By the time they began to pack up they discovered they had been there for almost six hours. Kurt handed her the basket she had brought and picked up his blanket. Ororo abruptly realized she was not ready for him to leave. "Kurt, you know it is almost dinner time, why don't you come back to the school and have dinner with us?" she asked.
"I would not want to impose on the others," Kurt began.
"Kurt, I firmly believe you are incapable of imposition," Ororo said.
"Well, if you are certain no one would mind," Kurt said, wavering.
"I am positive," Ororo told him. "In fact, most of them want to get to know you better."
"Then I would love to go," Kurt said.
"Good," Ororo said with a smile. She held out her hand to him. "Would you like to fly with me?"
Kurt returned her smile, his fangs flashing brightly against his blue skin. "I would be honored." And then they left.
"Ororo, wake up!" a voice called from behind her door.
Grudgingly Ororo pulled herself to full consciousness. She was going to kill whoever was on the other side of that door; she had been having a *very* interesting dream. "What do you want, Jean?" she asked crossly.
"Ororo, it's ten o'clock!" Jean said impatiently.
"Thank you, Charlie Robinson," Ororo said sarcastically, "Can I go back to bed now?"
"Ororo, your *date*!!!" Jean said, exasperated at her friend's morning attitude.
Ororo racked her brain, "A date, what date?" She pushed the thoughts back. "I just want to go back to my dream about Kurt!" She stopped, quickly sitting up. "Wait, Kurt?" "My date with Kurt!" "Oh my gosh, I should have been up hours ago!" Ororo said through the door. "Why didn't you guys wake me sooner?" She jumped out of bed, opened the door for Jean, and frantically began rummaging around, trying to find something to wear.
"Don't worry, `Ro," Jean told the frenzied weather goddess, "you have two hours." "I already have some idea about what you should wear today," Jean said comfortably.
Ororo finally stopped rushing around the room and turned to her friend. "Yes, but I didn't tell you that Kurt and I decided that we would meet in the park and have a picnic." "This changes everything, I need to make the Four Layer Dessert still!"
"It changes it for the better!" Jean said happily. Her eyes became unfocused for a second. "Ok, I've just asked Kitty to get out the ingredients for your cake thing." "Now, since it's casual you can use this opportunity to show yourself off in ways that just aren't possible when you're dressing up!" "Where are those shorts I bought you for your birthday last year?"
"Those are too short to go out in public in!" Storm protested.
"Don't be such a prick, `Ro," Jean told her. "You wear the shortest shorts you own and a tight, low-cut white shirt that is thin enough to almost see through, then you see how he reacts." "I used to do it Scott all the time; at first it was a test to see if he could control himself, but eventually it was just fun to see how he blushed whenever I put it on."
"That is cruel; I can't believe you did that to him!" Ororo said, a bit scandalized at how devious her friend was. She had never thought of Jean as the kind of person who would flaunt her body to get a reaction; she just seemed too wholesome for that. Ororo wondered if Kurt would blush when she wore that outfit. "Wait, am I actually considering this?" she asked herself. She was surprised to find that she had, in fact, already agreed.
Jean waited while her friend took a quick shower and then searched for her clothing. Ororo quickly found the shorts and shirt that she wanted. The top stretched tight across her front and showed a bit of her midsection, it was also barely opaque. She grinned and went to find some shoes while her and Jean's conversation moved on. "So where is Rogue today?" Ororo asked.
"I don't know," Jean replied, rejecting a pair of clogs that Ororo showed her. "She came home late last night and her emotions woke me up from all the way in Scott's room." "Before I could put my shields up I heard some really inventive cursing, most of it aimed at Logan."
"I know they got into an argument," Ororo said, sitting down to put a small amount of skin toned make-up on. "When they went outside I knew they were going to yell at each other, but I don't know what set them off."
"I guess she was still upset over it," Jean said thoughtfully. "He does seem exceptionally good at getting under her skin," she paused, "and vise versa." "You know, Logan didn't come home last night at all." "He didn't get back in until around six today, probably stayed in a motel."
"You don't think they could, I don't know, have a thing for each other?" Ororo asked, slipping on a pair of tall sandals.
Jean's eyes narrowed, "You know, I think that is a distinct possibility," she said. "Why didn't I see it before?" "Maybe we should help them along?"
Ororo looked worried, "No, don't you dare, Jean!" "Let them do it alone!"
"Ororo this is too good an opportunity to pass up," Jean told her excitedly. She switched tactics. "Rogue is always messing with our love lives, now is our chance to not only get her back but see her happy with a steady guy!"
"Well, it would be nice to see her in a normal relationship," Ororo said, wavering.
"Of course it would," Jean said, moving on as if Ororo had agreed instantly. "Now give me today to think on it and I'll have a plan by tonight," Jean told her. "And now we should go make that pie thing you want to bring with you," she said. With a smile they headed to the kitchen.
It didn't take long to finish the dessert, luckily only the crust had to be baked and it took only ten minutes. While she worked, Ororo gave Jean all of the details of her date. When she admitted to almost mauling the blue German in his car Jean's eyes had almost popped out. "I cannot believe *you* did that," she said.
"Why not?" Ororo asked, a little confused.
"It's just that usually you have complete control over every single event in your life," Jean said. "I didn't think you'd ever let it go like you apparently did back in that car."
"I am not *that* uptight," Ororo protested.
"You are a total control freak, `Ro, but don't worry, we love you anyway." Jean grinned when her friend stuck her tongue out at her. Suddenly Marie walked into the room, stalked to a cabinet, and roughly pulled out a pop tart.
"Hi," she said, sitting down at the counter next to Jean and across from where Ororo was cooking.
"Morning, Rogue," Storm said quietly. "How was yesterday."
"I do not want to talk about it," Rogue said a bit stiffly.
"I heard you and Logan might have had a falling out," Jean said softly, honestly concerned for her friend. Revenge forgotten, she gave Ororo a worried look, obviously not liking what she was sensing from the young woman. "You know he didn't come home last night," Jean said, hoping to encourage a response.
Rogue flinched trying not to imagine in who's arms Wolverine had sought comfort. "The bestial wanderings of our resident canis-sapien are of no interest to me, Jean," Rogue said frostily.
Jean raised an eyebrow, "Rogue, I don't know what happened between you, but I'm sure anything that Logan said he didn't mean."
"Look, I really don't want to talk about it, Jean, just drop it," Rogue almost growled. She was sounding more like Logan everyday.
"All right, fine," Ororo said. "We won't talk about it."
There was a pause. "So, how was your date with Kurt?" Rogue asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
After adding two bottles of soda, Ororo packed the plates and utensils into a small basket and put a small cloth over them. Lifting up her dessert she carefully set it inside and then placed the entire basket in the refrigerator. "My date was fabulous, and he is picking me up again in about an hour," she told her, turning with a satisfied look on her face.
"Yeah, I suspected when I saw you in 'the outfit'," she told her, giving Jean a secret smile.
"You know about it too?" Ororo said with a questioning expression.
"Who do you think gave her the idea?" Rogue asked, sounding smug. Suddenly she stopped smiling, her face turning into a mask of ice as Logan stepped into the kitchen.
Ororo watched the man carefully as he studiously avoided Marie's gaze in a way that looked almost natural. Almost. He was obviously trying to ignore the suddenly frigid temperature in the room and the two teacher's frank curiosity. He picked up an apple and turned to the counter, seeming to almost hesitate when he saw Rogue's expression. Glancing at Jean and Ororo, Logan's face turned slightly mournful and he left the room without speaking of any of the things he had seemed so ready to talk about.
Ororo cleared her throat, "Um, Marie-,"
"You know what, I just remembered I have an essay due for one of my Professors," she stood up. "I'd better get working on it." She departed the room quickly, leaving her unfinished breakfast on the counter.
"I hope he apologizes soon," Ororo said, getting out the waffles, " or it's going to be chilly every time they get in a room together."
"They definitely have a thing for each other," Jean told her. "I'm positive of it, there is no way they could have offended each other so much in such a short time if they didn't." Ororo continued to make breakfast while Jean talked.
"If only we could get them together some place where they'd be forced to talk out their problems."
"If I know Marie, that will be hard." Ororo told her friend. "She'll avoid him like the plague; he's going to have a hard time tracking her down even if he *is* trying to apologize."
"And you know how bad Logan is at acts of contrition," Jean stated. "He'll probably screw it up and then they'll never get together." She sighed, taking the plate Ororo gave her and beginning to eat. "It'll bear some thinking."
"If you come up with anything, I'll help," Ororo told her, "but if you get caught I never heard anything about it, understand?"
"No problem, `Ro," Jean said with some smugness. "Leave everything to me." "Now, go brush your teeth, you don't want syrup breath when you go to meet Kurt."
"Speaking of which, I'd better leave in about twenty minutes if I want to get there in time," she said, picking up her plate and putting it in the sink. Then she headed to the bathroom. What would she do with herself for a whole twenty minutes?
Ororo wound up leaving ten minutes later. She figured she could always be early and hanging around the school was riding on her last nerve. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so worked up over a man. She carried the basket out the front door and her eyes clouded over. With a smile she took off into the air, mindful of keeping her package level. Exactly four minutes later she arrived in the park, landing in a secluded section behind a gazebo. She immediately set off for the entrance where she was to meet Kurt. A few minutes after she arrived she heard the characteristic "bamf" of Kurt's teleporting and saw him walk around the corner of the fence. He carried a basket and had a blanket over his arm.
"Kurt!" she said, quickly walking over to him.
Kurt turned his head, smiling broadly. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her his eyes almost immediately traveled the length of her body and back. His eyes widened and he almost blushed, "Ororo, you are a feast for the eyes." Did his face seem a bit more purple than it had a second ago?
Ororo carefully concealed a grin and mentally reminded herself to thank her friends for their advice. It seems Kurt was every bit as susceptible to 'the outfit' as any other man would be. She linked her arm with his and motioned to the basket she had over one arm. "I brought everything, and I made the dessert personally so I expect you to heap praise upon it," Ororo said, mock-imperiously.
"I will do my best," Kurt said with a laugh.
"So where is this spot?" Ororo asked.
"Ah, you cannot wait to be alone with me," Kurt said with a overacted friendly leer.
Ororo grinned, "Well, I was really wanting to be alone with the lasagna," she said, grinning. "But I suppose you will make an adequate substitute." Then she laughed and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
They made their way to the right corner of the park, talking and joking as the walked. Kurt moved confidently the entire time. Finally when it looked like they had reached a dead end Kurt stopped and pulled aside a bush to reveal a beautiful creek overhung with branches. Kurt spread the blanket down beside one of the trees and motioned Ororo to have a seat. Then he broke open his basket and pulled out pan, divvying up the portions with surprising speed. Ororo gave him the plates and handed him a drink. He handed Ororo's plate back to her with a flourish and took his own. He then sat down, leaning against the tree and they ate.
"Mmm, Jean was right, this stuff is fabulous," Ororo said, licking her finger and putting her empty plate down.
"Myron will be glad to hear you enjoyed it," Kurt told her, picking up her plate and places it on top of his own. He put them both inside the pan and then on top of his basket. They talked awhile longer before Ororo decided that she was ready for dessert. She picked up another plate and carved out slices of her famous Four Layer Dessert.
"Now, try this," Ororo said, deftly scooping it onto the plate. She advanced on the blue German who gave her an exaggerated look of concern.
"I do not know, Ororo," he said, his accent distorting the words slightly, "it looks very rich." "What if it disagrees with me."
Ororo knelt down, balancing the plate and fork. "Oh no you don't, Kurt," she said determinedly. "You are not getting out of trying my cooking."
"How do I know you are not trying to poison me?" he asked with a grin.
Ororo raised an eyebrow at him, then calmly took a bite of the pie-like confection. Kurt's eyes widened as Ororo leaned forward and captured his lips. She felt his tongue gently run along her lips and she opened her mouth, allowing him to taste sweetness that lingered from the dessert. After almost a minute the kiss ended and Ororo was aware of a sudden change in their positions. Kurt was almost lying atop her, one arm wrapped around her in a very comfortable manner and the other cushioning her head. They were both breathing heavily and Ororo was very much aware that it would take very little movement on her part to set loose a chain of events that could not be stopped. She drew all of her will power together and stopped herself from making that move.
Kurt gently disentangled his tail from her ankle and stood up, pulling her with him. "Ororo, perhaps we should talk about us?" he asked softly.
Ororo gazed up into his golden eyes and nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."
Kurt sat down again against the tree and pulled her to him. She leaned back against his chest and he took a deep breath. Then he began to talk. "From the moment I saw you, Ororo, I have felt a connection to you." "I am not even sure how it is possible to feel so much for someone whom I have known for such a short while." "But I do know that I do not want to mess this up." "I am not certain what your views on intimacy are, but I do know that I would not take a relationship to that level unless I was certain that they are the one."
Ororo smiled at Kurt's careful wording. "You want to wait until marriage to have sex with someone?" Kurt nodded, looking down into her eyes for a sign of censure. "If that's what you want Kurt, then I respect that." "I'm not going to pressure you to sleep with me." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "We can still touch, though, right?" she asked.
"Ja," Kurt said, an amused expression on his face at her obvious concern. "We can touch." He ran his hand gently down the side of her leg. Ororo smiled.
"Good," she said. She pulled his head down and kissed him again. They spent the rest of the evening talking and kissing and touching. By the time they began to pack up they discovered they had been there for almost six hours. Kurt handed her the basket she had brought and picked up his blanket. Ororo abruptly realized she was not ready for him to leave. "Kurt, you know it is almost dinner time, why don't you come back to the school and have dinner with us?" she asked.
"I would not want to impose on the others," Kurt began.
"Kurt, I firmly believe you are incapable of imposition," Ororo said.
"Well, if you are certain no one would mind," Kurt said, wavering.
"I am positive," Ororo told him. "In fact, most of them want to get to know you better."
"Then I would love to go," Kurt said.
"Good," Ororo said with a smile. She held out her hand to him. "Would you like to fly with me?"
Kurt returned her smile, his fangs flashing brightly against his blue skin. "I would be honored." And then they left.