Disclaimer: Still don't own the X-Men. Still claim responsibility for
Catrina and Lara.
I tried to get French and German words to show up italicized, but that's
not happening online for some reason... I would appreciate any advice in
this area. Some French and German words can be mistaken for English!
Heads up, Kurt says Was?, meaning What?
Thank you to Celia, my first reviewer!
Remy abruptly turned and walked out of the hallway. Apparently standing around and waiting was not for him. I didn't say anything to him as he left, my thoughts going back to Catrina. I slid down the wall into a crouch and stared at a spot on the floor a few feet in front of me.
Then I began to pray. I prayed that Catrina would survive. I prayed that she would live a long and healthy life. I prayed that Lara would not grow up without a mother.
I became so absorbed in my prayers that I did not hear Logan approach. I didn't realize he was in the hall with me until a movement across the hall caught my attention. I looked up and saw my friend leaning against the wall, watching me.
"Logan," I greeted him as I stood. He nodded in reply. I was both surprised and glad that he came. He did not deal well with hard situations. Ororo had told me that Logan had taken over the Danger Room, choosing to fight his troubles away.
"How ya doin', Kurt?" His gruff voice was uncharacteristically soft. I could not answer, choosing to look at the door instead. "Right." He cleared his throat. "I'm here for you, if you need anything."
I looked back to my friend, knowing how heartfelt his offer was. "Thank you." He nodded, and we both looked to the door.
Someone was knocking on the door. Kurt groaned and sat up long enough to look at the clock. He briefly wondered who would wake him at eight o'clock on a Saturday before flopping back down. He pulled the covers up over his head to block the light and the sound, and quickly fell back asleep.
Next thing he knew, someone was stroking his nose. He blinked his eyes open at this revelation, and stared at a blue-eyed Catrina, who was indeed stroking his nose. "What are you doing?" he asked, voice blurred with sleep.
She looked at him in confusion. "Uh...je ne parle pas Deutsch."
It took him a moment to realize that she was answering in a mixture of French and German because he had spoken in German. "Deutsch is German," he told her.
"I know. Isn't that what you were speaking?"
Kurt decided to let it slide. He repeated his question in English. She gave his nose one final stroke before withdrawing her hand.
"Petting your nose."
"Was? Why?"
"To wake you up. Besides, you have a very soft nose."
"Danke," he said wryly. "Why do I need to be woken up?"
She grinned and leaned close. "It snowed," she whispered. He wondered why he should care, but her tone suggested that he should. He made a noncommittal noise. "It's perfect for getting back at Remy."
Kurt wondered why they needed to get back at Remy before remembering. Remy decided that Catrina's spaghetti would taste better covered with cayenne. She disagreed, and chased him out of the dining hall, vowing revenge. "And you want my help?"
"If you would be so kind. I'll make you breakfast. Pancakes?" Kurt groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Bitte, mein Engel?"
"Ja," he said wearily, thinking that he was going to regret his decision later.
"Danke schön," she said happily as she stood. "Would you like coffee?"
"Ja, strong."
She left, shutting the door behind her. Kurt wondered how she had gotten in; he looked his door every night. Then he remembered that Remy had taught her how to pick locks. Even though they squabbled often and delighted in pulling pranks on each other, the two of them were very close friends. Kurt had a feeling that it would eventually become more.
With a sigh, he started to think about getting out of bed. He sat up and stared at the floor. He decided to take the easy route, bamfing to the bathroom. He gazed at his reflection, and realized that it made sense that Catrina would choose Remy. Remy could pass as normal with sunglasses on. Kurt needed the latest technology to look normal. Even then, he was still covered in blue fur, had three thick fingers on each hand, two toes, pointed ears, glowing yellow eyes, and a spaded tail.
He would never be more to Catrina than a friend to pull pranks with. Sighing, he turned from the mirror.
After a quick shower and the long process of removing tangles from his fur, he took the long route to the kitchen. He arrived to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes. Scott, Jean, and Ororo were seated around the table, already eating. Apparently, Catrina had been roped into making breakfast for all of the early risers.
"Hey, Kurt," she greeted him. "Help yourself." She flipped a pancake. "Would you believe they didn't have mix? I had to make these from scratch. Never done that before."
Kurt paused momentarily before pouring himself a mug of coffee. Glancing at the three eating the pancakes, he saw that they seemed healthy enough. He took the empty chair next to Ororo. "Are they safe?" he whispered.
"Yes, Kurt," she said with a smile. "They're actually quite good. If snow during the night means pancakes in the morning, I may have to manipulate the weather occasionally."
"I'm glad you like them," Catrina said as she brought another plate of pancakes to the table.
"So, Kurt," Scott started, "what did you do to deserve such treatment?"
Kurt started. "Was?"
"Catrina told us that she was making breakfast for you. It took some wheedling on our part before she agreed to make enough for us, too," Jean supplied.
Kurt glanced over a Catrina, who was staring resolutely at the griddle, the back of her neck turning red. It would be up to him to explain since she was obviously too embarrassed by something to reply. Kurt forced his mind away from self-depreciating thoughts. "I told her I'd go outside with her and, uh, make a snowman." Lame, but they seemed satisfied.
Then Remy walked in, throwing Catrina's plans out the window. "Bon matin, mon Yeux de l'Arc-En-Ciel. I thought I smelled pancakes."
Catrina whirled, eyes wide and yellow. "You're supposed to be asleep! You went to Harry's with Logan last night." After a night at Harry's Logan and Remy usually slept 'til noon. It wasn't even nine yet.
"Came back early. What, aren't you happy to see me?"
She hesitated and then smiled. "Of course." She turned back to the stove.
Remy ignored the pause before her answer. He reached for a freshly made pancake on the plate next to Catrina and got slapped on the hand with the spatula. "No. Go sit and have one at the table."
Remy held his struck hand and looked at Catrina with a hurt expression. "You didn't have to hit Remy, petite."
"Oh, stop, you big baby."
Kurt watched the playful bantering with slightly narrowed eyes that glowed brighter than usual. He ignored Jean, who was watching him with a thoughtful expression. It was impossible to hide anything from a telepath; he had stopped trying long ago.
Eventually, both Remy and Catrina sat down at the table, the latter bringing the last round of pancakes. Everyone was sitting and talking, even though most of them had finished eating. Kurt did his best to ignore Remy and Catrina, who were sitting next to each other and joking around.
Finally, Catrina stood, lifting her plate. "Ready, Kurt?"
"Ja." They carried their dishes to the sink. Catrina started to straighten up the kitchen, but Ororo called to her that they would take care of clean-up since she had cooked.
After leaving the kitchen, Kurt glanced to Catrina. "What exactly did you have planned?"
She shrugged. "Something involving snowballs. I thought I'd improvise." They reached the front door, and bundled up before going outside. "It's so beautiful," Catrina whispered in awe. "I've never seen country snow before. Only city snow."
"There's a difference?"
"Yeah. City snow doesn't stay white very long," she laughed before trudging down the steps. There was about a foot of snow on the ground. "I've never really made snowballs before, either. My mother wouldn't let us play in dirty snow for some reason I still don't understand." She tried to pack together a snowball, but it immediately crumbled.
Kurt laughed. "Like this, liebling," he instructed as he showed her. She grinned brightly at him when it worked.
"This is going to be fun."
They worked on making a pile of snowballs. "How are we going to lure him out here?"
"I dunno. Promise free beer or something."
Kurt laughed and concentrated on making a new snowball. Next thing he knew, he was struck from the side. He glanced down at the snow still clinging to his jacket, and then up at Catrina, who was looking at him innocently, blue eyes twinkling.
"Did I do it right?"
"Almost. Let me show you how," Kurt said as he threw the snowball he was holding at her. He had an excellent throwing arm, and hit her in the middle of her torso. She shrieked and laughed, picking up another snowball from the pile, and chucked it. He bamfed behind her, where he hit her again.
"No fair!" she cried as she picked up another one.
"You struck first. You should be prepared to take what you deal." This time he hit her leg. She ran, laughing, to the trees. He tried to teleport in front of her, but found that she was using her powers to prevent him from using his. He ran after her, tossing snowballs as he went. She occasionally turned to throw a snowball, missing most of the time.
She reached the edge of the trees, where the snow wasn't as deep, making it easier to run. She hadn't counted on Kurt climbing the trees and leaping through the branches, faster than she could run. He dropped in front of her, and she tossed the snowball she held at him, hitting his chest.
"That was not wise," he told her, stepping forward.
She backed up a few steps, bumping into the trunk of a tree. He took the snowball his tail had held while he traveled through the trees, and looked at her. She eyed the snowball, face flushed, trying to stifle a grin. "What are you going to do?" she asked, voice ringing with suppressed laughter.
He looked down at her, tossing the snowball from hand to hand. She looked up at him, eyes twinkling and flashing from blue to green. He was trying to remember what green eyes meant. It wasn't a color that commonly showed.
On an impulse, he stopped tossing the snowball, and leaned close to her. She didn't pull away or ask him what he was doing. Her eyes continued to flash from a light blue to a deep green. He slowly leaned closer and kissed her lightly.
When he pulled back, she said, "It's about time, Wagner." His eyes opened wide and she pulled him close, kissing him again. He dropped the snowball and wrapped his arms around her, his tail lightly stroking her leg.
Translations:
German:
Deutsch—German
Was?—What?
Danke—Thank you
Bitte, mein Engel?—Please, my angel?
Ja—Yes
Danke schon—Thank you
Liebling—dear
French:
Je ne parle pas—I don't speak
Bon matin, mon Yeux de l'Arc-En-Ciel—Good morning, my Rainbow Eyes
Remy abruptly turned and walked out of the hallway. Apparently standing around and waiting was not for him. I didn't say anything to him as he left, my thoughts going back to Catrina. I slid down the wall into a crouch and stared at a spot on the floor a few feet in front of me.
Then I began to pray. I prayed that Catrina would survive. I prayed that she would live a long and healthy life. I prayed that Lara would not grow up without a mother.
I became so absorbed in my prayers that I did not hear Logan approach. I didn't realize he was in the hall with me until a movement across the hall caught my attention. I looked up and saw my friend leaning against the wall, watching me.
"Logan," I greeted him as I stood. He nodded in reply. I was both surprised and glad that he came. He did not deal well with hard situations. Ororo had told me that Logan had taken over the Danger Room, choosing to fight his troubles away.
"How ya doin', Kurt?" His gruff voice was uncharacteristically soft. I could not answer, choosing to look at the door instead. "Right." He cleared his throat. "I'm here for you, if you need anything."
I looked back to my friend, knowing how heartfelt his offer was. "Thank you." He nodded, and we both looked to the door.
Someone was knocking on the door. Kurt groaned and sat up long enough to look at the clock. He briefly wondered who would wake him at eight o'clock on a Saturday before flopping back down. He pulled the covers up over his head to block the light and the sound, and quickly fell back asleep.
Next thing he knew, someone was stroking his nose. He blinked his eyes open at this revelation, and stared at a blue-eyed Catrina, who was indeed stroking his nose. "What are you doing?" he asked, voice blurred with sleep.
She looked at him in confusion. "Uh...je ne parle pas Deutsch."
It took him a moment to realize that she was answering in a mixture of French and German because he had spoken in German. "Deutsch is German," he told her.
"I know. Isn't that what you were speaking?"
Kurt decided to let it slide. He repeated his question in English. She gave his nose one final stroke before withdrawing her hand.
"Petting your nose."
"Was? Why?"
"To wake you up. Besides, you have a very soft nose."
"Danke," he said wryly. "Why do I need to be woken up?"
She grinned and leaned close. "It snowed," she whispered. He wondered why he should care, but her tone suggested that he should. He made a noncommittal noise. "It's perfect for getting back at Remy."
Kurt wondered why they needed to get back at Remy before remembering. Remy decided that Catrina's spaghetti would taste better covered with cayenne. She disagreed, and chased him out of the dining hall, vowing revenge. "And you want my help?"
"If you would be so kind. I'll make you breakfast. Pancakes?" Kurt groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Bitte, mein Engel?"
"Ja," he said wearily, thinking that he was going to regret his decision later.
"Danke schön," she said happily as she stood. "Would you like coffee?"
"Ja, strong."
She left, shutting the door behind her. Kurt wondered how she had gotten in; he looked his door every night. Then he remembered that Remy had taught her how to pick locks. Even though they squabbled often and delighted in pulling pranks on each other, the two of them were very close friends. Kurt had a feeling that it would eventually become more.
With a sigh, he started to think about getting out of bed. He sat up and stared at the floor. He decided to take the easy route, bamfing to the bathroom. He gazed at his reflection, and realized that it made sense that Catrina would choose Remy. Remy could pass as normal with sunglasses on. Kurt needed the latest technology to look normal. Even then, he was still covered in blue fur, had three thick fingers on each hand, two toes, pointed ears, glowing yellow eyes, and a spaded tail.
He would never be more to Catrina than a friend to pull pranks with. Sighing, he turned from the mirror.
After a quick shower and the long process of removing tangles from his fur, he took the long route to the kitchen. He arrived to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes. Scott, Jean, and Ororo were seated around the table, already eating. Apparently, Catrina had been roped into making breakfast for all of the early risers.
"Hey, Kurt," she greeted him. "Help yourself." She flipped a pancake. "Would you believe they didn't have mix? I had to make these from scratch. Never done that before."
Kurt paused momentarily before pouring himself a mug of coffee. Glancing at the three eating the pancakes, he saw that they seemed healthy enough. He took the empty chair next to Ororo. "Are they safe?" he whispered.
"Yes, Kurt," she said with a smile. "They're actually quite good. If snow during the night means pancakes in the morning, I may have to manipulate the weather occasionally."
"I'm glad you like them," Catrina said as she brought another plate of pancakes to the table.
"So, Kurt," Scott started, "what did you do to deserve such treatment?"
Kurt started. "Was?"
"Catrina told us that she was making breakfast for you. It took some wheedling on our part before she agreed to make enough for us, too," Jean supplied.
Kurt glanced over a Catrina, who was staring resolutely at the griddle, the back of her neck turning red. It would be up to him to explain since she was obviously too embarrassed by something to reply. Kurt forced his mind away from self-depreciating thoughts. "I told her I'd go outside with her and, uh, make a snowman." Lame, but they seemed satisfied.
Then Remy walked in, throwing Catrina's plans out the window. "Bon matin, mon Yeux de l'Arc-En-Ciel. I thought I smelled pancakes."
Catrina whirled, eyes wide and yellow. "You're supposed to be asleep! You went to Harry's with Logan last night." After a night at Harry's Logan and Remy usually slept 'til noon. It wasn't even nine yet.
"Came back early. What, aren't you happy to see me?"
She hesitated and then smiled. "Of course." She turned back to the stove.
Remy ignored the pause before her answer. He reached for a freshly made pancake on the plate next to Catrina and got slapped on the hand with the spatula. "No. Go sit and have one at the table."
Remy held his struck hand and looked at Catrina with a hurt expression. "You didn't have to hit Remy, petite."
"Oh, stop, you big baby."
Kurt watched the playful bantering with slightly narrowed eyes that glowed brighter than usual. He ignored Jean, who was watching him with a thoughtful expression. It was impossible to hide anything from a telepath; he had stopped trying long ago.
Eventually, both Remy and Catrina sat down at the table, the latter bringing the last round of pancakes. Everyone was sitting and talking, even though most of them had finished eating. Kurt did his best to ignore Remy and Catrina, who were sitting next to each other and joking around.
Finally, Catrina stood, lifting her plate. "Ready, Kurt?"
"Ja." They carried their dishes to the sink. Catrina started to straighten up the kitchen, but Ororo called to her that they would take care of clean-up since she had cooked.
After leaving the kitchen, Kurt glanced to Catrina. "What exactly did you have planned?"
She shrugged. "Something involving snowballs. I thought I'd improvise." They reached the front door, and bundled up before going outside. "It's so beautiful," Catrina whispered in awe. "I've never seen country snow before. Only city snow."
"There's a difference?"
"Yeah. City snow doesn't stay white very long," she laughed before trudging down the steps. There was about a foot of snow on the ground. "I've never really made snowballs before, either. My mother wouldn't let us play in dirty snow for some reason I still don't understand." She tried to pack together a snowball, but it immediately crumbled.
Kurt laughed. "Like this, liebling," he instructed as he showed her. She grinned brightly at him when it worked.
"This is going to be fun."
They worked on making a pile of snowballs. "How are we going to lure him out here?"
"I dunno. Promise free beer or something."
Kurt laughed and concentrated on making a new snowball. Next thing he knew, he was struck from the side. He glanced down at the snow still clinging to his jacket, and then up at Catrina, who was looking at him innocently, blue eyes twinkling.
"Did I do it right?"
"Almost. Let me show you how," Kurt said as he threw the snowball he was holding at her. He had an excellent throwing arm, and hit her in the middle of her torso. She shrieked and laughed, picking up another snowball from the pile, and chucked it. He bamfed behind her, where he hit her again.
"No fair!" she cried as she picked up another one.
"You struck first. You should be prepared to take what you deal." This time he hit her leg. She ran, laughing, to the trees. He tried to teleport in front of her, but found that she was using her powers to prevent him from using his. He ran after her, tossing snowballs as he went. She occasionally turned to throw a snowball, missing most of the time.
She reached the edge of the trees, where the snow wasn't as deep, making it easier to run. She hadn't counted on Kurt climbing the trees and leaping through the branches, faster than she could run. He dropped in front of her, and she tossed the snowball she held at him, hitting his chest.
"That was not wise," he told her, stepping forward.
She backed up a few steps, bumping into the trunk of a tree. He took the snowball his tail had held while he traveled through the trees, and looked at her. She eyed the snowball, face flushed, trying to stifle a grin. "What are you going to do?" she asked, voice ringing with suppressed laughter.
He looked down at her, tossing the snowball from hand to hand. She looked up at him, eyes twinkling and flashing from blue to green. He was trying to remember what green eyes meant. It wasn't a color that commonly showed.
On an impulse, he stopped tossing the snowball, and leaned close to her. She didn't pull away or ask him what he was doing. Her eyes continued to flash from a light blue to a deep green. He slowly leaned closer and kissed her lightly.
When he pulled back, she said, "It's about time, Wagner." His eyes opened wide and she pulled him close, kissing him again. He dropped the snowball and wrapped his arms around her, his tail lightly stroking her leg.
Translations:
German:
Deutsch—German
Was?—What?
Danke—Thank you
Bitte, mein Engel?—Please, my angel?
Ja—Yes
Danke schon—Thank you
Liebling—dear
French:
Je ne parle pas—I don't speak
Bon matin, mon Yeux de l'Arc-En-Ciel—Good morning, my Rainbow Eyes