NOTE: Kietro is finally continued...! wooh...review please!
Splat. Oh god.was that ~another~ egg? Kitty groaned as she snuck a peak at the floor. Slimy egg yolk dripped from the cupboard, mixing with the thick layer of flour covering the once-clean tile. How was she to know cooking would be so..complex? The only thing she'd learned in the last two hours from her futile attempts to cook was that she just couldn't do it. Kitty rubbed her eyes with irritation; her neck ached, her arms were covered in flour and miscellaneous ingredients, and at this point she was seriously considering robbing the downtown bakery. It was nearly 6:00 p.m., the carnival was the next morning, and she was growing desperate. Kitty shuddered when she imagined the look on Jean's face when she saw the non- existent pies.
Who could she ask for help? She might have revealed her predicament to Rogue, but lately her friend had been acting weirder than usual. And Jubilee had been looking so miserable the past few weeks that Kitty didn't have the heart to force her to help in a mess she had been responsible for. Well.partly responsible anyway. The other guilty party was probably already done baking and mockingly standing next to the phone, fully expecting her to beg him for help.
"Well, he can just forget about THAT!" Kitty muttered, as she looked in the cabinets for more flour. "Where is it?" Could she really have wasted all six bags of flour on the misshapen, inedible pies sitting on the window sills, evidence of her failure as a cook? "There has to be one here somewhere?" Kitty mumbled to herself, getting on her knees to peek into the last cupboard. She blinked in confusion as a bag of flour dangled in front of her face.
"Looking for this?" an amused voice sounded from just above her head. Kitty nearly collided with the bag of flour being waved gently in front of her.
"I would've found it if you'd given me a few more minutes," Kitty mumbled, getting to her feet quickly. Her heart beat sped up as Pietro stepped closer. Why did he have this effect on her? She waited for him to speak, but he continued to look at her with a curious expression of amusement mixed with .concern? Kitty bit her lip, and set her jaw. Pietro obviously was here to rub her lack of cooking ability in her face. "Why are you here? To laugh because you're done first?" Kitty said irritably, lifting her chin proudly. Pietro didn't respond at first, his blue eyes resting on her face, making Kitty painfully aware that she must look terrible, with flour streaked all over her. Great, and naturally he's looking GQ perfect, Kitty thought sourly. She waited for the obligatory disparaging remark about her appearance, but to her surprise Pietro gently extended a long finger and wiped the flour off her cheek. Kitty gaped at him, unconsciously putting her hand to her now burning cheeks.
"No, I'd say from the looks of it you'd doing alright," Pietro said smoothly, glancing around at the row of pies on the windowsill. Kitty gulped. She recovered quickly and cleared her throat confidently.
"Yes, well I am. In fact I'm doing better than alright. This is a cinch," Kitty said quickly, straightening her apron. But the disastrous state of the kitchen belied her words, causing Pietro to give her a one sided smile that sent her heart pounding dangerously again.
"You don't mind then, if I try a piece? I'm starved," Pietro told her. Uh oh. Kitty nearly tripped over a chair in her haste to stop him, but Pietro had already crossed over to one of the innocently resting pies and cut a slice.
"You don't really want to try that!" Kitty sputtered helplessly, as Pietro popped a large bite of the pie into his mouth. She watched humiliated as he chewed quietly for a few minutes, the expression on his face changing from confusion to a barely concealed grimace. Wordlessly she handed him a glass of water which he gulped down gratefully. Pietro put down the fork and Kitty stared at the floor in a mortified silence. This was the final straw. Why was Pietro always there to witness her when she was looking her worst and feeling her worst? Frustrated tears, the result of a long and fruitless day cooking, blinded her vision.
"Hey, it wasn't that bad. See?" Pietro said gently, and he bravely cut another piece and ate it without so much as a wince, although Kitty knew the pie had been one of her worst attempts yet. After staring at him in astonishment, Kitty impulsively threw her arms around him. Pietro straightened in surprise but then folded his arms around her tightly. They stayed like that for a long time, the moment suspended by the fact that neither one wanted to pull away. Kitty felt a tear trickle down her cheek, wondering why she was more confused than ever. This felt so right, and yet it was the wrong boy for her..wasn't it? Lance..
With a long shuddering breath, Kitty pulled back, and Pietro reluctantly withdrew his arms. Still warm from the embrace, she lowered her eyes. He was comforting her because they were .friends. Pietro seemed as uncomfortable as she did, and it was strange seeing the smooth silver- tongued mutant silent. "So, you want a hand?" Pietro asked after a moment.
Only the remaining shreds of pride kept her from immediately accepting his offer. Luckily, Pietro seemed to understand. "I mean, I have nothing else to do and you'd be doing me a huge favor," Pietro rephrased, cocking his head at her with a smirk. Kitty sniffed and snickered reluctantly.
"Well, I suppose I could let you do it, if you really want to that is," Kitty said smiling, her eyes communicating her gratitude.
"Oh, I insist," Pietro quipped, and rolled up his sleeves. Kitty watched him almost tenderly as he went to work instantly, mixing the ingredients together, and making it all look effortless. Under his direction, Kitty managed to mimic his actions and finished an entire batch without any further mishap. The hours flew by as the pair worked and talked easily, the conversation carefully steered away from their respective exes as if by some silent contract between them. That was just fine with Kitty, because the less she thought of Lance, the less she had to think of why she was having so much fun with someone else. Glancing over at Pietro, Kitty wondered if he was thinking of Siren. The thought made her slightly sick. He really deserves better, Kitty thought defiantly. She smiled inwardly at her thoughts, musing over how much had changed in her views of Pietro from the first day they had, in a sense, become partners in crime.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Pietro's silky voice broke through her thoughts. Kitty blushed despite herself.
"Um, just thinking about the prom," Kitty responded quickly, unwilling to admit the true direction of her thoughts. Pietro nodded and gave her an unreadable look.
"Guess you only have a couple days to ask Lance, hmm?"
Kitty flushed again. Why did he have to say it like that? As if she was betraying him? It was what they wanted..what they had created the whole plan for! "Yeah, and I guess you only have a couple days to accept Siren as your date, right?" Kitty asked him in turn, trying to go for a lighthearted tone and failing.
Pietro quirked his lips and gave her a curious glance. "Why do you say that? She hasn't even asked me yet."
"Yeah, but you looked pretty close yesterday. I'm sure it's bound to happen," Kitty said with forced cheer, but she was choking on the words. He couldn't go with Siren...anyone else would be better, Kitty thought fiercely.
"Well.a lot can happen between now and the prom," Pietro said cryptically. Kitty searched his face for his meaning, but his blazing blue eyes held no answer for her. Wordlessly, Pietro removed the last batch of pies from the oven and placed them to cool on the table. When he was done, his gaze returned to Kitty, the moment strung with tension and longing.
"That's the last of it, so I guess I should take off," Pietro said softly, looking at her. He turned to go, and Kitty's mouth grew mysteriously parched. She was stunned with the realization that she didn't want him to leave.
"Wait, um," Kitty stammered as Pietro paused at the doorway, "you can stay ..um, if.if you want to, that is," Kitty finished, her cheeks flaming as she felt his blue eyes on her face again.
Pietro paused, and when he answered his voice was low. "I want to, but I shouldn't." He didn't have to explain because Kitty understood his meaning perfectly. But it didn't make it hurt any less.
Splat. Oh god.was that ~another~ egg? Kitty groaned as she snuck a peak at the floor. Slimy egg yolk dripped from the cupboard, mixing with the thick layer of flour covering the once-clean tile. How was she to know cooking would be so..complex? The only thing she'd learned in the last two hours from her futile attempts to cook was that she just couldn't do it. Kitty rubbed her eyes with irritation; her neck ached, her arms were covered in flour and miscellaneous ingredients, and at this point she was seriously considering robbing the downtown bakery. It was nearly 6:00 p.m., the carnival was the next morning, and she was growing desperate. Kitty shuddered when she imagined the look on Jean's face when she saw the non- existent pies.
Who could she ask for help? She might have revealed her predicament to Rogue, but lately her friend had been acting weirder than usual. And Jubilee had been looking so miserable the past few weeks that Kitty didn't have the heart to force her to help in a mess she had been responsible for. Well.partly responsible anyway. The other guilty party was probably already done baking and mockingly standing next to the phone, fully expecting her to beg him for help.
"Well, he can just forget about THAT!" Kitty muttered, as she looked in the cabinets for more flour. "Where is it?" Could she really have wasted all six bags of flour on the misshapen, inedible pies sitting on the window sills, evidence of her failure as a cook? "There has to be one here somewhere?" Kitty mumbled to herself, getting on her knees to peek into the last cupboard. She blinked in confusion as a bag of flour dangled in front of her face.
"Looking for this?" an amused voice sounded from just above her head. Kitty nearly collided with the bag of flour being waved gently in front of her.
"I would've found it if you'd given me a few more minutes," Kitty mumbled, getting to her feet quickly. Her heart beat sped up as Pietro stepped closer. Why did he have this effect on her? She waited for him to speak, but he continued to look at her with a curious expression of amusement mixed with .concern? Kitty bit her lip, and set her jaw. Pietro obviously was here to rub her lack of cooking ability in her face. "Why are you here? To laugh because you're done first?" Kitty said irritably, lifting her chin proudly. Pietro didn't respond at first, his blue eyes resting on her face, making Kitty painfully aware that she must look terrible, with flour streaked all over her. Great, and naturally he's looking GQ perfect, Kitty thought sourly. She waited for the obligatory disparaging remark about her appearance, but to her surprise Pietro gently extended a long finger and wiped the flour off her cheek. Kitty gaped at him, unconsciously putting her hand to her now burning cheeks.
"No, I'd say from the looks of it you'd doing alright," Pietro said smoothly, glancing around at the row of pies on the windowsill. Kitty gulped. She recovered quickly and cleared her throat confidently.
"Yes, well I am. In fact I'm doing better than alright. This is a cinch," Kitty said quickly, straightening her apron. But the disastrous state of the kitchen belied her words, causing Pietro to give her a one sided smile that sent her heart pounding dangerously again.
"You don't mind then, if I try a piece? I'm starved," Pietro told her. Uh oh. Kitty nearly tripped over a chair in her haste to stop him, but Pietro had already crossed over to one of the innocently resting pies and cut a slice.
"You don't really want to try that!" Kitty sputtered helplessly, as Pietro popped a large bite of the pie into his mouth. She watched humiliated as he chewed quietly for a few minutes, the expression on his face changing from confusion to a barely concealed grimace. Wordlessly she handed him a glass of water which he gulped down gratefully. Pietro put down the fork and Kitty stared at the floor in a mortified silence. This was the final straw. Why was Pietro always there to witness her when she was looking her worst and feeling her worst? Frustrated tears, the result of a long and fruitless day cooking, blinded her vision.
"Hey, it wasn't that bad. See?" Pietro said gently, and he bravely cut another piece and ate it without so much as a wince, although Kitty knew the pie had been one of her worst attempts yet. After staring at him in astonishment, Kitty impulsively threw her arms around him. Pietro straightened in surprise but then folded his arms around her tightly. They stayed like that for a long time, the moment suspended by the fact that neither one wanted to pull away. Kitty felt a tear trickle down her cheek, wondering why she was more confused than ever. This felt so right, and yet it was the wrong boy for her..wasn't it? Lance..
With a long shuddering breath, Kitty pulled back, and Pietro reluctantly withdrew his arms. Still warm from the embrace, she lowered her eyes. He was comforting her because they were .friends. Pietro seemed as uncomfortable as she did, and it was strange seeing the smooth silver- tongued mutant silent. "So, you want a hand?" Pietro asked after a moment.
Only the remaining shreds of pride kept her from immediately accepting his offer. Luckily, Pietro seemed to understand. "I mean, I have nothing else to do and you'd be doing me a huge favor," Pietro rephrased, cocking his head at her with a smirk. Kitty sniffed and snickered reluctantly.
"Well, I suppose I could let you do it, if you really want to that is," Kitty said smiling, her eyes communicating her gratitude.
"Oh, I insist," Pietro quipped, and rolled up his sleeves. Kitty watched him almost tenderly as he went to work instantly, mixing the ingredients together, and making it all look effortless. Under his direction, Kitty managed to mimic his actions and finished an entire batch without any further mishap. The hours flew by as the pair worked and talked easily, the conversation carefully steered away from their respective exes as if by some silent contract between them. That was just fine with Kitty, because the less she thought of Lance, the less she had to think of why she was having so much fun with someone else. Glancing over at Pietro, Kitty wondered if he was thinking of Siren. The thought made her slightly sick. He really deserves better, Kitty thought defiantly. She smiled inwardly at her thoughts, musing over how much had changed in her views of Pietro from the first day they had, in a sense, become partners in crime.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Pietro's silky voice broke through her thoughts. Kitty blushed despite herself.
"Um, just thinking about the prom," Kitty responded quickly, unwilling to admit the true direction of her thoughts. Pietro nodded and gave her an unreadable look.
"Guess you only have a couple days to ask Lance, hmm?"
Kitty flushed again. Why did he have to say it like that? As if she was betraying him? It was what they wanted..what they had created the whole plan for! "Yeah, and I guess you only have a couple days to accept Siren as your date, right?" Kitty asked him in turn, trying to go for a lighthearted tone and failing.
Pietro quirked his lips and gave her a curious glance. "Why do you say that? She hasn't even asked me yet."
"Yeah, but you looked pretty close yesterday. I'm sure it's bound to happen," Kitty said with forced cheer, but she was choking on the words. He couldn't go with Siren...anyone else would be better, Kitty thought fiercely.
"Well.a lot can happen between now and the prom," Pietro said cryptically. Kitty searched his face for his meaning, but his blazing blue eyes held no answer for her. Wordlessly, Pietro removed the last batch of pies from the oven and placed them to cool on the table. When he was done, his gaze returned to Kitty, the moment strung with tension and longing.
"That's the last of it, so I guess I should take off," Pietro said softly, looking at her. He turned to go, and Kitty's mouth grew mysteriously parched. She was stunned with the realization that she didn't want him to leave.
"Wait, um," Kitty stammered as Pietro paused at the doorway, "you can stay ..um, if.if you want to, that is," Kitty finished, her cheeks flaming as she felt his blue eyes on her face again.
Pietro paused, and when he answered his voice was low. "I want to, but I shouldn't." He didn't have to explain because Kitty understood his meaning perfectly. But it didn't make it hurt any less.