By: Cmdr. Gabe E.
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .
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Thanks for the review, SKETTY24 =D!!! Lol. As for BEATLE!'s review, it actually made it LOL when I read it! Lmao! Yeah...the Logan/Yuriko pairing is GOOD, but the Yuriko/Stryker pairing really is rather DISTURBING. LMAO!!! Aaahh...well, it's not that bad if you think of his younger version (I think x.x). oh well, chapter 49's up =D!
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Chapter 49 : I'm still here
He gently placed the empty slice of bread over the heavily layered one and carefully pressed down on it. He could see a small amount of its fillings oozing out from its sides. "I bet no sandwich in the world is exactly like this." He said proudly.
"I actually agree with you on that one." She nodded with a forced smile on her lips. She had seen a wide variety of foods back when she was Stryker's personal 'assistant'. They've gone to different countries and have eaten with different kinds of people. But never had she encountered a peanut butter and strawberry and cheese and mayonnaise sandwich. Well, at least she was going to be the first person to try one.
Stryker took the knife and diagonally sliced through his thick sandwich, splitting it into two triangular halves. He was very careful not to displace any of the fillings as he did. Then he put the knife down and pushed the plate towards Yuriko. He excitedly sat down on the chair right next to him and crossed his arms on the table. His face was filled with so much anticipation as he smiled and looked at her.
"Well?" He asked. The huge smile on his face showed how truly excited he was. "Go on. Dig in." He motioned his hand towards his sandwich. He looked like he couldn't wait to see Yuriko bite into the food he had made for her.
Yuriko raised her eyebrows and forcedly smiled as she looked at the food in front of her. It did look appetizing, but looks can be deceiving. "Wow." She said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "That really does look good." She slightly nodded her head. She tried to hide her dislike behind the fake smile on her face and the look of enthusiasm in her widened eyes. She really didn't want to tell him that she preferred to eat something else...something more 'normal'. It's just that he looked so excited while he was making it, and she didn't want to break his spirit.
The forced smile on her face lingered as she slowly turned the plate around, looking at the sandwich from every angle. She nodded her head and smiled at him, as if she was in full approval of the food he had 'created'. Then she picked up one of the two triangular pieces. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. She knew she had to eat it, and that was exactly what she was going to do.
But before that... "William... Do you want to share?" She asked as she looked at him with inviting eyes and an even more inviting smile.
A humble grin curled up Stryker's lips as he shook his head from side to side. "Nah. I'm all right. I've eaten already, and, well, I did make that for you, and I want you to eat it. I want you to enjoy it." He emphasized the word 'you' every time he referred to her.
"Oh come on." She chuckled. "I want you and me to enjoy it together." And before Stryker could refuse, she pushed the plate towards him. It had the other half of the sandwich on it. "You go eat that half. And I'll eat this half." She smiled and held up her half of the sandwich.
"If you say so." Stryker said as he nodded his head, and then he moved the plate closer to him. He actually liked the thought of sharing it with her.
He wanted to do everything with her. He wanted to know what it felt like to be in her company and to do the things that she wanted to do. He wanted to be better than Logan...He wanted to make her smile more than Logan did. He yearned to give her the things that Logan could not give. He had felt that way ever since he first saw Yuriko and Logan together, and that feeling was still very much imminent.
Until now, he still couldn't understand why he felt that way whenever he saw them together. In fact, the feeling felt so familiar, like he had been competing with Logan for a very long time. Yes...he was competing with him...competing for Yuriko's affection. He was an old, battered man competing against a young warrior for the attention of a beautiful, young lady. How pathetic of him to think that he even had a chance. Then he looked at her and saw her smiling as she looked at him. She was holding on to the sandwich that he had made for her. The ball was now on his court and he would do anything and give everything to make it stay there for as long as he could.
"But if you want my piece," He pointed at the plate. "Then don't be afraid to ask." He said with a smile on his face. "After all, I did make this for you. And with how hungry you are right now, I know you'll finish the entire thing anyway."
Yuriko shrugged and looked at her half of the sandwich. "We'll see." She chuckled. Then she looked at the sandwich again, her eyes filled with determination. "Well, here we go." She was planning on eating it as fast as she could.
Stryker watched with so much excitement as Yuriko took her first big bite out of the sandwich that he had made for her. Then Yuriko's eyes opened wide as the taste filled her mouth. She was definitely right about two things. First of all, Stryker can't make good food. Second, the sandwich was bad...really bad.
The blandness and sourness of the mayonnaise went against the sweetness of the peanut butter and jelly, and the tanginess of the cheese just upped the ante of how terrible it tasted. She felt her jaw tighten as she forcefully chewed and swallowed it down her throat. She had the urge to grimace and drink it all down with a big glass of water, but she didn't want to give him the impression that she hated it...a lot.
Stryker raised his eyebrows in anticipation and gleefully smiled as he looked at her. "So...How is it?" He asked, rubbing his hands together "You like it?" He nodded his head as if he wanted her to say 'yes'.
Yuriko sharply exhaled from her nose in an effort to clear some of the taste from her mouth, then she forced a big smile on her face. "Mmm...hmm..." She nodded her head in fake agreement. Then she looked at her hand and she saw the remaining piece of uneaten sandwich. If the mansion had a dog, she would have given it to the dog already. She did appreciate Stryker's efforts, but it just tasted so bad, that even she, a woman who hadn't eaten a real meal for the past decade, found it utterly distasteful.
Stryker laughed in delight as he saw her nod in approval of his sandwich. "Oh wow." He said with a big smile. "See? I told you! I told you it was going to taste great!" He said jovially as he motioned his hand towards her. He looked like he was about to stand up from his seat and just jump for joy. He couldn't hide the happiness that he was feeling at the moment. She loved it. She loved what he had made for her.
Then his eyes wandered at the uneaten piece on her hand. "Go on...Eat it. Don't be shy. Just...just eat as much as you want." He said with an excited tone in his voice. "I can make you another one if you're still hungry. Take my piece too! You want a glass of water? You want more peanut butter on that?" He couldn't seem to stop talking. He was just so excited and so happy, that he just wanted to keep on going.
Yuriko just smiled and nodded as she looked at him. "I'm fine." She said abruptly. She could still feel the aftertaste on her tongue. Then she looked at the uneaten sandwich in her hand and braced herself as she shoved it all in her mouth. She just wanted to get it all over with. She tried to hide her grimace behind her fake smile as she forced herself to chew and swallow it all. She would do anything for a big glass of water, but it was too late for that now. She was now at the mercy of her dinner.
She continued to smile and nod at him as she chewed and swallow it. Stryker on the other hand, watched in delight as he saw her enjoying her food. Yuriko finally felt the last bit of sandwich go down her throat and she quickly gasped for air. Then she immediately gave out a small, fake laugh in an attempt to hide her gasp.
"Wow! That...that was filling." She said with a huge smile on her face. Then her eyes darted at the water dispenser. "Um...excuse me, William. I'll just, um...get a glass of water." And she wanted a big one at that. She smiled at him and slowly stood up.
"How about this piece?" He asked as he pointed at his sandwich. His eyes followed her as she walked to the water dispenser. "I know you want it." He said teasingly as he held the plate up, a big wide smile spread across his lips.
Yuriko took a clean drinking glass from the kitchen counter and then she turned to look at him. "I would love to, but I'm already pretty full." She said as she patted her stomach. She lied. She was actually still very hungry. She could still feel the empty, grumbling pit in her stomach. But she didn't want to tell him, because if she did, he would happily offer her his half and she wouldn't be able to refuse. Well, she could refuse, but she knew that it would break him in two if she did.
"Your loss." He shrugged. He placed the plate back on the table and picked up his half of the sandwich. "Huh. I wonder what this really tastes like." He mumbled to himself.
Yuriko laughed silently as she filled her glass with cold water. She filled it up to the rim, and then pulled it out of the water dispenser. She couldn't wait to see his reaction. She drank the entire glass and sighed with relief as it washed the aftertaste from her mouth. She placed it on the kitchen counter beside her and watched as Stryker brought the sandwich closer to him.
He grinned, and then took a big bite out of his half. He looked at her and smiled as he chewed on it. After a few seconds of chewing, his eyes suddenly opened wide as the taste sank in his mouth. He closed his eyes shut and tightly pursed his lips as he cringed in disgust. Then he gave out a small whimper and his chewing went to a complete stop. He placed a hand over his mouth and looked at the water dispenser. Yuriko couldn't help but snicker as she saw the repulsed look on his face. He looked like he was going to throw up any time soon.
He suddenly stood up from his chair and quickly walked to where Yuriko was standing. His hand was still over his mouth as he grabbed Yuriko's drinking glass from the kitchen counter. He didn't even look at her or made any gestures that he was going to use it. He just grabbed it and entirely filled it in the water dispenser. Yuriko just stood there beside him, giggling to herself as she watched his every move.
When she was Lady Deathstrike, she never thought that she would ever find the two of them in such a 'humorous' situation. She didn't even think that she'd have the chance to smile and laugh at her own accord. But now, there she was, laughing playfully at Stryker, as if he had never caused her the pain she had gone through for what felt like the entirety of her life. In fact, she was laughing at him as if they've never left those forgotten days when him and her were once very good friends.
He quickly brought the glass to his lips gulped down all the water right down to the last drop. As soon as he had finished drinking, he gasped for his breath and placed the glass back on the kitchen counter. Then he coughed and shook his head from side to side in an effort to forget the horrid taste that just filled his mouth.
"Oh god, that tasted horrible!" He exclaimed with a disgusted look on his face. He winced as the taste continued to linger on his tongue. Then he noticed Yuriko snickering to herself as she looked at him. "How could you have eaten that?!" He asked with an inquisitive look on his face while he motioned his hand towards his plate on the table. "That..." He said as he waved a finger at his remaining sandwich "...that sandwich could kill an entire species!" He said firmly with a joking tone in his voice. "I mean, seriously...how could you have eaten it?! This I have to know."
Yuriko immediately suppressed her laughter and forced a friendly, humble smile on her lips, though her wide, cheerful eyes still expressed how funny she found the current situation. She gently patted him on his upper arm in a comforting manner.
"Well I thought it wasn't that bad." She shrugged and smiled encouragingly. So she was lying to him again. His food tasted horrid and she knew it. But she really didn't want to make him feel bad about such a small, petty thing.
Stryker rolled his eyes and smirked. "Oh come on. It tasted bad and you know it." He said, looking at her with questioning eyes. "Even 'I' found it disgusting!"
"William, seriously...it wasn't that bad." She said as she looked at him with affirming eyes, her head slightly shaking from side to side. "I actually think it was...it was...rather unique." She furrowed her eyebrows and nodded. It was rather unique indeed.
He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you." He said firmly. "I know you hated it." He muttered. "Admit it, Yuriko...you thought it tasted really, really bad..." He looked at her like he could read her mind, as if he knew what she was thinking. "...really terrible...like something died in your mouth." Then he gave out a small chuckle. He knew he was already exaggerating things.
"William...it's just a sandwich." She said imposingly.
"Ha!" He suddenly shouted as he pointed her, like he had just caught her in the scene of the crime. Yuriko almost jumped back in surprise with her eyes opened wide as she looked back at him. "So you did think it was terrible!" He shouted, still pointing at her. "Admit it! You did!" His eyes stared firmly into hers.
Yuriko knew it was time to come clean. No use in denying what was pretty much obvious. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Fine, fine...Okay, you got me." She sighed. Then she looked deeply into his eyes and gently placed a hand over his chest. "Look, William...I know you put a lot of effort into that sandwich, and that you made it especially for me..." She wanted to break it to him gently. "But...but it...it really was awful...it didn't taste good at all. And you're right. It could kill an entire species." She said with a dismayed smile as she nodded at him.
Stryker's shoulder's drooped down and his arms fell limply on his sides. Yuriko could clearly see the disappointed expression on his face. "Ooooh. I knew it!" He groaned. "I already saw it in your face when you were chewing on that first bite."
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously. "I thought I looked pretty convincing." She said with a devious smile.
He smirked and nodded at her. "Well, you did. In fact, I was almost convinced that you really liked it." Then his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "But then I saw your right eye..." He said suspiciously. "It was twitching like this." He purposely twitched his right eye in the way Yuriko's eye was twitching while she was eating his sandwich. "It's like you wanted to put on a disgusted look on your face, but you couldn't." He said as he continued to twitch his eye on purpose.
She couldn't help but laugh as she saw his imitation of her. "My right eye wasn't twitching like that!" She said as she pointed at him. "It wasn't!"
He stopped his imitation of her and tilted an eyebrow. "Oh yes it was." He said with a smile as he nodded. Then he sighed and shrugged. "Well, you could have at least told me that you didn't like it right from the start. It could have saved you from the mouthful of pain that you just went through!" He said with a joking tone in his voice. "I mean, you finished your entire half! And me...I don't even have the guts to finish mine." He said, shaking his head with a rather embarrassed smile.
Yuriko smiled and clasped her hands together as she looked at him, as she stared at him. She couldn't deny how young and boyish his blue eyes looked whenever he smiled and laughed with her. And it just wasn't his eyes...everything about him seemed so young to her, so fresh and new, as if she hadn't seen his face for a very long time.
"It's just that...I didn't want to hurt your feelings." She said with a smile as she looked at him. "You looked so happy and so excited while you were making it for me and --- and I didn't want you to feel bad about it." She raised her eyebrows and grinned from ear to ear as she looked at him, waiting for his reaction.
Stryker shook his head from side to side and then he looked at her and heartily laughed. "Yuriko. It's me! It's William! Will!" He said with a huge smile on his face as he patted his chest. "Your best friend! You know you can tell me everything! You always tell me everything!" He laughed and talked and looked at her as if he knew everything about her...like he'd been with her since the beginning.
"You always tell me whenever you like something, or you hate something. Heck, sometimes I could even see what you're thinking just by looking at you. And now you're talking to me like I wasn't the closest friend you've ever had. Well, next to James of course." He said with a smile.
Yuriko just stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face. She couldn't even find the will to move or say a single word. There was something so different and yet so inexplicably familiar with the Stryker who was standing in front of her right now. His voice, his words, the way he talked, the look in his eyes, looked so much like the Stryker in her vision. She felt as if she was standing in front of that exact same young man. She felt like she was standing within her own vision, looking into the eyes of the young Stryker from her past. But she wasn't in her vision now. Everything was real, and so was the man in front of her. What was he talking about? What was going on?
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