NOTE: What's this? I'm actually updating within a week...someone call
Ripley's! hehe, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, you guys are so
awesome! The fact that I felt motivated to write is entirely due to your
encouragement! Thanks again and enjoy!
Kitty hung up the phone carefully, unable to stop a smile from lighting up her face. Pietro had apologized to her! If she hadn't been surrounded by a mansion full of nosy housemates she would have done a little victory dance right in the middle of the hallway. It was almost kind of endearing that Pietro had swallowed his enormous pride and been the first to call and apologize. A doubly good thing because after last night's fiasco, Kitty was dying to give Siren a taste of her own medicine. Kitty laughed softly under her breath. She had never figured herself for the 'thirsty for revenge' type, well, not until she had teamed up with Pietro. "It may actually be a good thing," Kitty murmured to herself.
"What could?" Pietro's voice called, directly behind her. Kitty whirled, her brown eyes on alert, narrowing as she saw him lean against the doorway, not a single silvery lock out of place.
"Nothing," Kitty said decidedly, hating to be caught off guard.
"If it's nothing, why are you blushing?" Pietro asked, his blue eyes keenly surveying her.
Why ~was~ she blushing? Kitty thought, annoyed. It couldn't possibly be because of.no, probably just the..whole.., Kitty gave up, refusing to think about it anymore. "It must be the lighting in here," Kitty said defiantly, and was silently relieved when Pietro merely smirked without a word. "Now give me a minute to get Rogue out of the room. You just stay put and try to hide if someone comes along," Kitty advised him, and slipped into her room with a deep breath.
Rogue was still on the bed, looking decidedly miserable. She looked up when Kitty came in. "Uh, hey Rogue. Are you okay?" Kitty asked cautiously, torn between wanting to comfort her friend and wondering how to delicately convince her to leave the room.
"Ah'm fine. Dandy. Couldn't be better," Rogue ground out, sitting up, her brown hair falling into her flashing green eyes. Uh oh, Kitty reflected, it was worse than she thought. Probably had something to do with Scott. Or maybe even the smooth new Cajun guy, Kitty mused, taking in her friend's flushed face and antagonistic expression. Fighting the urge to drill her friend, Kitty sighed, remembering she had a very impatient motor mouth waiting in the hallway.
"Uh.Rogue, I know this isn't exactly the best time.. but, I was wondering if I could ask you a big favor," Kitty said slowly.
"What is it?" Rogue asked cautiously. Kitty let out a nervous laugh.
"Relax, I'm not asking you to donate a kidney or something. I just..wanted to know if I could have the room to myself for a couple hours," Kitty said, trailing off as Rogue's vibrant green eyes sharpened with curiosity.
"Yeah, I guess it's no problem. Why do you need it anyway?" Rogue asked, getting up off of her bed.
Okay, this was the tricky part. "I need to study," Kitty said, stumbling over the lie. Rogue rolled her eyes, and Kitty knew her roommate wasn't buying it.
"Why do you really need it?" Rogue asked again, taking note of Kitty's uneasy expression.
At that very second, loud knocking interrupted their conversation. "Hey Pryde, are you planning on letting me in any time this century? Wolverine's coming and I think I'd like to live to see my 18th birthday," Pietro's voice called through the door.
Rogue's jaw dropped open. "Was that Pietro?"
Kitty sighed. "Yes,.but it's not what you think!" Kitty spluttered in outrage, as Rogue cocked an eyebrow. "It isn't!"
"If you say so," Rogue said, a smirk on her face.
"So please, can I have the room?" Kitty pleaded. "After all, you did ruin my clothes!"
Rogue's expression darkened as she glanced downwards at the revealing split of the denim skirt. "Oh.yeah. Speaking of which, ah need to change!"
Kitty desperately grabbed a red tank top and a pair of black jeans from Rogue's closet and stuffed them into her roommate's arms. "Here, you can change in the bathroom."
"But that's at the other end of the hallway!" Rogue protested.
"Walk fast," Kitty suggested, ushering her roommate to the door.
"Fine. But I want details," Rogue countered, turning to give Kitty a knowing look. Kitty swallowed.
"So much for secrets. Okay, I'll tell you everything later," Kitty conceded, and breathed a sigh of relief as Rogue opened the door to leave.
"Holy-, Rogue, are you wearing a skirt?!" Pietro exclaimed, his blue eyes widening.
"Shut up Maximoff or I'll tell Logan you're alone with Kitty in a room," Rogue said darkly, stalking past him. Pietro gulped and ducked into the room, slamming the door.
Pietro walked over and lounged comfortably on Jubilee's bed, looking ridiculously handsome. Kitty sat cross-legged on the floor, trying not to flush at the proximity. This was getting annoying. First last night when I began to have delusions about his finer character traits and now I can't seem to concentrate just because he's looking at me, Kitty thought, pursing her lips and knitting her brows. The best thing to do was focus on the business at hand, and then her and Pietro could go their separate ways.
"Okay, I've been thinking about last night a lot," Kitty began, playing with her shoelaces.
"Oh really? I didn't realize I'd made that big of an impression," Pietro teased, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
"Believe me, you didn't," Kitty retorted, trying not to smile, despite herself. "Anyway, as I was saying, I think we need to analyze what worked last night and what didn't. The next time we go out, it has to work," Kitty said determinedly.
"You said it. I can't wait to wipe that stupid smirk off of Alvers' face," Pietro said, his chiseled features darkening.
"The way I see it, if we're going to make them want us back, we have to act like we're totally.you know," Kitty broke off flustered.
"In love?" Pietro asked amused.
"Right," Kitty continued hurriedly, avoiding his eyes. "I mean, it can't be like last night, with us arguing constantly. We have to be totally in tune with each other we're going to make it believable."
At this, Pietro grimaced. "So what, we have to share a brain or something? Come on, Kitty. You and I can't agree on anything, haven't we established that?"
Kitty bristled. "And just whose fault is that?"
Pietro's mouth tightened. "Certainly not mine. I was just being my usual debonair self last night," Pietro countered, but something in his eyes told Kitty he was having fun baiting her. And it was working, Kitty thought furious, her own temper rising.
"Well, Mr. Debonair, if you would've just let Lance dance with me instead of acting like some possessive jerk than maybe we could have made some progress!" Kitty countered hotly. She noted with some satisfaction that the mirth in his eyes had died, giving way to a blazing anger that irritatingly enough, only made him even better looking. There was just no winning, Kitty thought fuming.
"I'm possessive?! That's not even funny, Pryde. I'm not like that jerk Alvers who asked if he could 'borrow' you..as if you were a.a. pencil or something!" Pietro exploded. Kitty felt oddly touched at his concern, remembering that Lance's remark last night had annoyed her as well. She'd never figured that Pietro would even notice, much less care. He ~doesn't~ care, Kitty reminded herself with a start, he's only doing it to get Siren back.
"Oh just admit it, this isn't even about Lance! It's just that you're so used treating girlfriends like property that you expect them to follow you around like lap dogs!" Kitty countered.
Pietro's face was eye-level with hers as he jumped to the floor in one fluid movement. "I've treated all my girlfriends well and none of them have complained!"
"That's because they don't have enough brain cells to formulate a complaint! Case in point: Siren," Kitty said derisively. Pietro eyes glimmered with a dangerous mixture of amusement and outrage.
"Boy, Lance really did a number on you, he's got you bitter towards every guy you meet," Pietro mused, studying her closely.
"I'm not bitter, I'm a realist," Kitty seethed, flushing under his gaze. "There's a difference."
"In your case, there isn't. What exactly did Lance tell you when he broke up with you?" Pietro asked, his blue eyes serious. Kitty felt her throat tighten at the memory. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the floor.
"Lance made me meet him after first period at his locker. Then he proceeded to tell me how Siren was more exciting, more fun, more everything than me. He told me that I hadn't kept him interested enough for him to stay in it for the long-term," Kitty finished, with a vulnerability that made Pietro's heart tighten strangely. "Well.aren't you going to laugh or something?" Kitty asked, her brown eyes glimmering at him with unshed tears.
Pietro stared at her, his blue eyes looking almost hurt. "I may be not be the most sensitive guy on earth, but I'm not the heartless jerk you seem to think I am. Siren didn't dump me much differently, either. She said that she was getting tired of me, and that Alvers had more of the whole package. The best part was when she said the only reason she dated me was to bolster her reputation. Isn't that precious?" Pietro bit off, his lips tightening.
Kitty stared at him, confused by his revelation. Siren had used him and then thrown him away, just as Lance had done with her, Kitty realized with a start. "Guess we're both pretty bitter, huh?" Kitty ventured, clearing her throat. Pietro looked down at her with a rare soft, heartrending smile that caused her anger to disappear.
"Guess so."
"So that's why you asked me instead of any other girl?" Kitty asked steadily, as Pietro shifted uncomfortably.
Pietro turned to give her the same sad smile, his blue eyes unreadable. "It's one of them, anyway. Figured you were just as heartbroken."
Kitty suddenly wanted nothing more than to chase that sadness from his face. Was his arrogance all an act? Kitty wondered, as they sat in silence. "Is that the only reason?" Kitty ventured, peeking a look up at him. Pietro smiled at her then, sending a wave of warmth down her body.
"Maybe I'll tell you later. Now we have to get to work," Pietro said firmly, and the spell was broken. Kitty sat up straighter, wondering why she was left with such an acute sense of regret and uncertainty.
"Right," Kitty said with forced cheer. The two set to work, with Kitty scribbling possible strategies on a scratch piece of paper, while Pietro joined in the brainstorming session. His admission about Siren had subdued him, revealing sensitivity and an understanding side of his personality that Kitty would never have guessed he had. To be fair, Kitty thought rolling her eyes, he was still charmingly confident, teasing her whenever he found the opportunity. But after an hour, Kitty was stunned to find that they had worked together in peace without either of them storming off in fury. A definite step up in their relationship, Kitty thought smiling, ...~pretend~ relationship, that is, she amended with a blush.
Whatever else could be said about Pietro, he was the only one who knew the details of her break-up with Lance, sensed her hurt, and had actually managed to keep her spirits up, if only for an hour. And if he weren't so arrogant and..ridiculously good-looking, he wouldn't be such a bad catch, Kitty mused absently. ~For another girl~ that is, Kitty amended, flushing as Pietro looked down at her suddenly, his blue eyes glinting with amusement. And it was at that second she wished it were any other girl but Siren.
Kitty hung up the phone carefully, unable to stop a smile from lighting up her face. Pietro had apologized to her! If she hadn't been surrounded by a mansion full of nosy housemates she would have done a little victory dance right in the middle of the hallway. It was almost kind of endearing that Pietro had swallowed his enormous pride and been the first to call and apologize. A doubly good thing because after last night's fiasco, Kitty was dying to give Siren a taste of her own medicine. Kitty laughed softly under her breath. She had never figured herself for the 'thirsty for revenge' type, well, not until she had teamed up with Pietro. "It may actually be a good thing," Kitty murmured to herself.
"What could?" Pietro's voice called, directly behind her. Kitty whirled, her brown eyes on alert, narrowing as she saw him lean against the doorway, not a single silvery lock out of place.
"Nothing," Kitty said decidedly, hating to be caught off guard.
"If it's nothing, why are you blushing?" Pietro asked, his blue eyes keenly surveying her.
Why ~was~ she blushing? Kitty thought, annoyed. It couldn't possibly be because of.no, probably just the..whole.., Kitty gave up, refusing to think about it anymore. "It must be the lighting in here," Kitty said defiantly, and was silently relieved when Pietro merely smirked without a word. "Now give me a minute to get Rogue out of the room. You just stay put and try to hide if someone comes along," Kitty advised him, and slipped into her room with a deep breath.
Rogue was still on the bed, looking decidedly miserable. She looked up when Kitty came in. "Uh, hey Rogue. Are you okay?" Kitty asked cautiously, torn between wanting to comfort her friend and wondering how to delicately convince her to leave the room.
"Ah'm fine. Dandy. Couldn't be better," Rogue ground out, sitting up, her brown hair falling into her flashing green eyes. Uh oh, Kitty reflected, it was worse than she thought. Probably had something to do with Scott. Or maybe even the smooth new Cajun guy, Kitty mused, taking in her friend's flushed face and antagonistic expression. Fighting the urge to drill her friend, Kitty sighed, remembering she had a very impatient motor mouth waiting in the hallway.
"Uh.Rogue, I know this isn't exactly the best time.. but, I was wondering if I could ask you a big favor," Kitty said slowly.
"What is it?" Rogue asked cautiously. Kitty let out a nervous laugh.
"Relax, I'm not asking you to donate a kidney or something. I just..wanted to know if I could have the room to myself for a couple hours," Kitty said, trailing off as Rogue's vibrant green eyes sharpened with curiosity.
"Yeah, I guess it's no problem. Why do you need it anyway?" Rogue asked, getting up off of her bed.
Okay, this was the tricky part. "I need to study," Kitty said, stumbling over the lie. Rogue rolled her eyes, and Kitty knew her roommate wasn't buying it.
"Why do you really need it?" Rogue asked again, taking note of Kitty's uneasy expression.
At that very second, loud knocking interrupted their conversation. "Hey Pryde, are you planning on letting me in any time this century? Wolverine's coming and I think I'd like to live to see my 18th birthday," Pietro's voice called through the door.
Rogue's jaw dropped open. "Was that Pietro?"
Kitty sighed. "Yes,.but it's not what you think!" Kitty spluttered in outrage, as Rogue cocked an eyebrow. "It isn't!"
"If you say so," Rogue said, a smirk on her face.
"So please, can I have the room?" Kitty pleaded. "After all, you did ruin my clothes!"
Rogue's expression darkened as she glanced downwards at the revealing split of the denim skirt. "Oh.yeah. Speaking of which, ah need to change!"
Kitty desperately grabbed a red tank top and a pair of black jeans from Rogue's closet and stuffed them into her roommate's arms. "Here, you can change in the bathroom."
"But that's at the other end of the hallway!" Rogue protested.
"Walk fast," Kitty suggested, ushering her roommate to the door.
"Fine. But I want details," Rogue countered, turning to give Kitty a knowing look. Kitty swallowed.
"So much for secrets. Okay, I'll tell you everything later," Kitty conceded, and breathed a sigh of relief as Rogue opened the door to leave.
"Holy-, Rogue, are you wearing a skirt?!" Pietro exclaimed, his blue eyes widening.
"Shut up Maximoff or I'll tell Logan you're alone with Kitty in a room," Rogue said darkly, stalking past him. Pietro gulped and ducked into the room, slamming the door.
Pietro walked over and lounged comfortably on Jubilee's bed, looking ridiculously handsome. Kitty sat cross-legged on the floor, trying not to flush at the proximity. This was getting annoying. First last night when I began to have delusions about his finer character traits and now I can't seem to concentrate just because he's looking at me, Kitty thought, pursing her lips and knitting her brows. The best thing to do was focus on the business at hand, and then her and Pietro could go their separate ways.
"Okay, I've been thinking about last night a lot," Kitty began, playing with her shoelaces.
"Oh really? I didn't realize I'd made that big of an impression," Pietro teased, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
"Believe me, you didn't," Kitty retorted, trying not to smile, despite herself. "Anyway, as I was saying, I think we need to analyze what worked last night and what didn't. The next time we go out, it has to work," Kitty said determinedly.
"You said it. I can't wait to wipe that stupid smirk off of Alvers' face," Pietro said, his chiseled features darkening.
"The way I see it, if we're going to make them want us back, we have to act like we're totally.you know," Kitty broke off flustered.
"In love?" Pietro asked amused.
"Right," Kitty continued hurriedly, avoiding his eyes. "I mean, it can't be like last night, with us arguing constantly. We have to be totally in tune with each other we're going to make it believable."
At this, Pietro grimaced. "So what, we have to share a brain or something? Come on, Kitty. You and I can't agree on anything, haven't we established that?"
Kitty bristled. "And just whose fault is that?"
Pietro's mouth tightened. "Certainly not mine. I was just being my usual debonair self last night," Pietro countered, but something in his eyes told Kitty he was having fun baiting her. And it was working, Kitty thought furious, her own temper rising.
"Well, Mr. Debonair, if you would've just let Lance dance with me instead of acting like some possessive jerk than maybe we could have made some progress!" Kitty countered hotly. She noted with some satisfaction that the mirth in his eyes had died, giving way to a blazing anger that irritatingly enough, only made him even better looking. There was just no winning, Kitty thought fuming.
"I'm possessive?! That's not even funny, Pryde. I'm not like that jerk Alvers who asked if he could 'borrow' you..as if you were a.a. pencil or something!" Pietro exploded. Kitty felt oddly touched at his concern, remembering that Lance's remark last night had annoyed her as well. She'd never figured that Pietro would even notice, much less care. He ~doesn't~ care, Kitty reminded herself with a start, he's only doing it to get Siren back.
"Oh just admit it, this isn't even about Lance! It's just that you're so used treating girlfriends like property that you expect them to follow you around like lap dogs!" Kitty countered.
Pietro's face was eye-level with hers as he jumped to the floor in one fluid movement. "I've treated all my girlfriends well and none of them have complained!"
"That's because they don't have enough brain cells to formulate a complaint! Case in point: Siren," Kitty said derisively. Pietro eyes glimmered with a dangerous mixture of amusement and outrage.
"Boy, Lance really did a number on you, he's got you bitter towards every guy you meet," Pietro mused, studying her closely.
"I'm not bitter, I'm a realist," Kitty seethed, flushing under his gaze. "There's a difference."
"In your case, there isn't. What exactly did Lance tell you when he broke up with you?" Pietro asked, his blue eyes serious. Kitty felt her throat tighten at the memory. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the floor.
"Lance made me meet him after first period at his locker. Then he proceeded to tell me how Siren was more exciting, more fun, more everything than me. He told me that I hadn't kept him interested enough for him to stay in it for the long-term," Kitty finished, with a vulnerability that made Pietro's heart tighten strangely. "Well.aren't you going to laugh or something?" Kitty asked, her brown eyes glimmering at him with unshed tears.
Pietro stared at her, his blue eyes looking almost hurt. "I may be not be the most sensitive guy on earth, but I'm not the heartless jerk you seem to think I am. Siren didn't dump me much differently, either. She said that she was getting tired of me, and that Alvers had more of the whole package. The best part was when she said the only reason she dated me was to bolster her reputation. Isn't that precious?" Pietro bit off, his lips tightening.
Kitty stared at him, confused by his revelation. Siren had used him and then thrown him away, just as Lance had done with her, Kitty realized with a start. "Guess we're both pretty bitter, huh?" Kitty ventured, clearing her throat. Pietro looked down at her with a rare soft, heartrending smile that caused her anger to disappear.
"Guess so."
"So that's why you asked me instead of any other girl?" Kitty asked steadily, as Pietro shifted uncomfortably.
Pietro turned to give her the same sad smile, his blue eyes unreadable. "It's one of them, anyway. Figured you were just as heartbroken."
Kitty suddenly wanted nothing more than to chase that sadness from his face. Was his arrogance all an act? Kitty wondered, as they sat in silence. "Is that the only reason?" Kitty ventured, peeking a look up at him. Pietro smiled at her then, sending a wave of warmth down her body.
"Maybe I'll tell you later. Now we have to get to work," Pietro said firmly, and the spell was broken. Kitty sat up straighter, wondering why she was left with such an acute sense of regret and uncertainty.
"Right," Kitty said with forced cheer. The two set to work, with Kitty scribbling possible strategies on a scratch piece of paper, while Pietro joined in the brainstorming session. His admission about Siren had subdued him, revealing sensitivity and an understanding side of his personality that Kitty would never have guessed he had. To be fair, Kitty thought rolling her eyes, he was still charmingly confident, teasing her whenever he found the opportunity. But after an hour, Kitty was stunned to find that they had worked together in peace without either of them storming off in fury. A definite step up in their relationship, Kitty thought smiling, ...~pretend~ relationship, that is, she amended with a blush.
Whatever else could be said about Pietro, he was the only one who knew the details of her break-up with Lance, sensed her hurt, and had actually managed to keep her spirits up, if only for an hour. And if he weren't so arrogant and..ridiculously good-looking, he wouldn't be such a bad catch, Kitty mused absently. ~For another girl~ that is, Kitty amended, flushing as Pietro looked down at her suddenly, his blue eyes glinting with amusement. And it was at that second she wished it were any other girl but Siren.