Chapter 20

Hangovers Are Not Fun

The first thing that Kitty was aware of was a sharp, throbbing pain deep within her skull. Desperately, she tried to burrow deep into the black abyss of blissful unconsciousness to escape the pain, but it was ultimately futile. No matter how hard she tried to make the hurting stop, the pain stubbornly persisted. And the longer that she was aware of it, the clearer her discomfort became. Beyond the overwhelming headache her stomach felt cramped and queasy, she felt weak, and she really had to pee. As the time ticked by the pressure in her bladder began to rival the pressure in her head. If she didn't find the energy to move soon she was going to wet the bed.

Finally she made the decision to get up and relieve herself. Slowly she opened her eyes and was confronted by a dimly lit ceiling. Slowly she sat up and clumsily slid down the ladder to the ground. The she slowly shuffled off to the bathroom like an old woman. She emptied her over-flowing bladder and brushed her scummy feeling teeth. Kitty then realized that she was very thirsty and drank several cups of water after downing a couple aspirin tablets. Next she began the arduous task of shuffling back to bed. She stumbled up the ladder and collapsed onto the cushy mattress. Exhaustion swiftly overcame her and she slipped into blessed unconsciousness within seconds.

Sometime later Kitty found herself awake again. Her headache had almost completely vanished, leaving only a faint, dull throbbing behind. She still felt faintly weak and queasy, but it was far more tolerable than before. She didn't feel one hundred percent yet so she decided to relax until she felt recovered. For some indeterminate stretch of time her buzzing brain was a complete blank. She thought of nothing and stared blankly up at the ceiling. The lights were still off leaving the room dark and quiet. The door was closed muffling the sounds of the TV. The overall effect of the quiet dark bedroom was a cocoon of soothing calm. But something began to bother her as she gazed silently up at the ceiling. Ceiling?

She shouldn't be able to see the ceiling from her bed. What she was supposed to see was the bottom of the top bunk. This wasn't her bed. Her bed had lilac sheets; this bed had some dark colored sheets. Her bed had two pillows, this bed had only one. Her bed smelled like her shampoo and body lotion, this bed did not. The scent that she detected was definitely masculine, pleasant, and vaguely familiar. She knew instantly that this wasn't Lance's bed. He always stunk of cigarette smoke and various club smells. And she knew that this wasn't Logan's bed either. For one thing he didn't have a bunk bed, and for another he always smelled like exhaust fumes, cigar smoke, and beer. Since the scent was familiar that left only one person. This was Kurt's bed.

Now the question was how on earth she had ended up in Kurt's bed. No matter how hard she tried to remember the events that led up to her present location all she came up with was a blank. She could recall waking up earlier in the day and she could remember most of the previous day, but there was a huge gap where her experience at the Blue Lotus was supposed to be. All she had of that time period were emotions and vague impressions. What had happened to make her forget? To this question she had no answer. Stiffly she sat up and massaged her temples in a futile attempt to stimulate brain activity. Somehow she had to remember what she did. Kitty took a deep breath and started over from the beginning.

She clearly remembered the fact that Amanda wasn't able to make it on account of visiting relatives. She left Kurt with the usual promise and hoped that she would remember it later. She had no desire to have a repeat of his panic attack. Then she hooked up with Lance and spent a few hours enjoying his company. Kitty blushed and smiled fondly at the memory of their time together. He was such a sweet guy. Sometimes he acted overly macho or immature, but for him she could easily over-look that. Last night he'd snuck up on her and scared her, but he'd been thoughtful enough to open her drink for her. Kitty's happiness suddenly turned to sharp brittle ice. She hadn't seen him open her can and he claimed that it was he, not some stranger, who had opened it. He brought it to the table already open, which meant he had time to put something in it without her knowledge. Now she understood her memory gap. Lance had spiked her drink.

"But why?" She whispered to herself in a trembling voice. Why had he done that? Why had he betrayed her trust like that? Why would he? Numb with horror and confusion she laid back down and rolled over burying her face into Kurt's pillow. The familiar scent of Kurt's fur flooded her sense with every breath and it slowly tamed the chaos of her whirling mind. Kurt was safe, trustworthy, and innocent. He would never hurt her; she was part of his team. He would never betray her; it went completely against all his military training. And he was the most innocent, naïve person she knew. While he was chronologically and biologically seventeen years old, emotionally he seemed to be frozen at age eight. He didn't act all big, bad, and macho like most boys his age that she knew, he didn't drink and he didn't chase after girls. In fact, she doubted that he had a complete understanding of sex or had any desire to have it with anyone of any gender.

Kitty paused her thoughts and mentally changed direction. Guys usually are into sex, they think about it and try to have it all the time. Lance, by virtue of his XY chromosomes, also had this drive and he made no secret of its existence. He constantly teased her for being a virgin and repeatedly offered to cure her of that particular condition. And other times he would joke around with her about having sex. Most of the time he'd been definitely joking around, but there were a few instances where he seemed to be serious. She always brushed him off and turned him down, she wanted to wait for the right guy and she hadn't been 100 sure that Lance was it. Now she was 100 sure that he wasn't. He'd spiked her drink to loosen her up and make her forget. He almost raped me. That thought chilled her to her core and she burrowed deep under the covers. She didn't want to get out of bed ever again.

Kurt glanced away from the television screen towards the bedroom door for the nth time. It was well past noon and Kitty had yet to emerge awake and alert. Early in the morning he'd seen her shuffle into the bathroom then back to bed in a sleepy fog. But that was hours ago, how much longer could she sleep? He looked back to the TV and for the nth time seriously debated whether or not he should go and check on her. And again for the nth time he failed to come to a decision so he stayed put and worried some more. But at exactly 2:00 PM, he couldn't take it anymore.

He stood up and marched over to the bedroom that he shared with Kitty. He managed to get his hand around the doorknob before he froze up. What did he think he was doing? She was probably fine and sleeping off her hangover. She was a big girl and cold take care of herself. She didn't need him popping in and bothering her. His courage failed him and he began to back away from the door. But if he didn't check on her he would be driven mad by curiosity and worry. This was the exact same debate he ran through every five minutes and it was starting to really give him a headache. Kurt was sick of thinking about this same endless argument over and over so he darted into the room before he thought anymore about it.

The room was dark and quiet just as Kurt expected it to be. What didn't expect was to see Kitty's arm dangling over the edge of his bed. What was she still doing up there? She'd already woken up once to visit the bathroom so she should be in her own bed now. He stood there and stared at her pale hand as he struggled to understand this odd situation. Why had she climbed back up into his bed? Why waste the energy climbing the ladder when her own bed was at ground level? He simply couldn't understand, couldn't figure it out. Kurt crept closer to Kitty's dangling limb and poked it experimentally with one finger. There was no reaction so he supposed that meant that she was still asleep. Now what was he supposed to do?

"Kitty?" Kurt asked softly.

"Go away." Came the muffled response. Kurt flinched, apparently she wasn't asleep.

"Kitty, please get out of my bed." He begged nervously.

"Go away." She repeated.

"Will you get out of my bed if I do?" He asked.

"Go away." She growled. Kurt frowned, this wasn't right, something was wrong.

"Nein, not until you get up." Kurt replied defiantly.

"Go. Away." She snapped.

"No, not until you get up." He declared tugging on her hand. Kitty phased her hand out of his grip and pulled it under the covers.

"Go. Away." She bit out. Kurt scampered up the ladder and crouched on an open patch of mattress. He grabbed the bed sheets and pulled them back to reveal Kitty's face.

"If you want me to go away you'll have to make me." Kurt replied calmly. She glared up at him with slitted eyes and growled.

"Leave me alone." She hissed.

"Get up on get on with the day and I will." He promised.

"No, go away." She growled furiously.

"Make me." He challenged nearly nose to nose with her now. She glared at him for a few minutes in silence before all the fight in her melted away.

"Please go away." She whispered.

"No." He said firmly. "It's well past noon; you can't spend all day in my bed."

"I'll get up later." She mumbled.

"No, you've been in bed long enough. Get up and do something." Kurt replied.

"Do what?" Kitty muttered.

"Keep me company." He suggested helpfully. Kitty gave him a blank look. "Please?" He begged.

"Why do you need company?" She asked.

"Because I get lonely." He answered.

"You never got lonely before." Kitty grumbled rolling away from him.

"Well I do now." He corrected.

"That's not a good enough reason for me. I want to sleep some more so go away." Kitty sighed tiredly.

"Can't you at least get in your own bed?" Kurt asked in an almost whine.

Kitty didn't answer; she just closed her eyes and feigned sleep. Kurt sighed in exasperation and ran one tri-dactyl hand through his hair. She refused to give up his bed, get on with day, and she wouldn't say why or what was wrong. It made him mad, but it worried him more. For the moment he decided to give up convincing Kitty to get out of his bed and take a nap. He squeezed himself between the wall and Kitty's back and began to relax. However, his actions made Kitty tense up in surprise. Kurt smiled at the irony of the situation.

Usually when Kitty sat near him he would be the one to tense up, but now the tables had turned. He snuggled closer to her back to see what she'd do about it. Suddenly it felt like he'd been hit by a mild electric shock. It wasn't painful, but it certainly got his attention. The odd sensation was brief and once it passed Kurt realized that Kitty was gone. He peered over the edge of his bed to find that Kitty was now curled up on her own bed.

"Thank you for giving my bed back to me." Kurt chirped.

"You're welcome." She muttered.

Kurt kept watching her hanging haphazardly half off his bed. He felt an odd sort of pride at his small victory. Ever since his first week here in America Kitty had bossed him around and always manipulated him into doing things her way. He had never been able to resist her, or get her to do something that he wanted. But his pride was tempered by a growing sense of worry. Kitty had abandoned his bed, but she wasn't up and about, she was simply in her own bed now. His tail swished from side to side as he pondered what to do about this. Should he try the same procedure as he had before? Or should he try something different this time? Kurt considered this dilemma long and hard as he studied Kitty pretending to be asleep. Then he spotted her bare feet and an odd little idea appeared in his head.

He slunk down silently from the top bunk and stealthily positioned himself at the end of her bed. He sat facing the door with his shoulder touching the footboard and he began to concentrate. He sent his devil tail slithering up onto the mattress twitching blindly around for its target. When the spaded tip brushed against a bare toe a purely evil, mischievous grin appeared on Kurt's face. After the first contact he commanded his tail to lightly brush against Kitty's bare feet. For a while there was no obvious reaction, but he was patient. It might take time' but no one had ever been able to hold out against his tickling. All he had to do was find the right spot. The sensitive tip of his tail gently traced the lines in the soles of her feet and he was beginning to feel her tremble against suppressed laughter. Finally it became too much for her and exploded into uncontrollable giggles.

"Kurt stop!" She wheezed after a few minutes.

"Not until you promise me something." Kurt replied, coiling his tail around her ankle so that he wouldn't lose contact with her foot.

"Please?" She gasped between giggles.

"Promise to get up and get on with the day." He commanded.

"Stop tickling!" She squealed.

"Not until you promise." He replied firmly.

"Fine, I promise!" She squeaked breathlessly.

"Good." He replied, released her ankle, retracted his tail, and ended the tickling. Kitty continued giggling and gasping for a few more minutes before growing quiet.

"You are evil." She growled tiredly and rolled out of her bed.

She strode over to her dresser and grabbed several articles of clothing before heading to the bathroom. Kurt rose and padded away from the foot of her bed and traveled back to the TV. He settled himself down on the couch and patiently waited for Kitty to finish showering. He aimlessly channel-surfed while he gloated. Victory was his! Not only had he pried her out of his bed, he'd managed to get her out of her own bed. He had turned the tables on her and succeeded. This time he'd bent her to his will. This time he'd been the one to wake her up. He couldn't help but grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Kitty grumbled, startling him.

Normally Kitty took over an hour in the bathroom when she showered. As far as he could tell, she spent half the time washing and the other half she used to dress, dry her hair, and apply make-up. This time she'd barely been gone fifteen minutes and he hadn't heard the hair-dryer running so he hadn't expected her back. His grin vanished and he nervously turned left to face the grumpy Kitty. She was dressed in gray sweatpants and a baggy black T-shirt. Her hair was still wet and it hung loose on her shoulders and back. She was leaning against the wall, looking angry, and nibbling on a strawberry pop tart. Kurt couldn't stop staring.

"What are you staring at?" She growled darkly.

"Your hair." He replied quickly looking away.

"What about my hair?" She demanded marching over to the couch.

"It's not tied up." He answered.

"So?" She asked looking a bit confused.

"I've never seen it down before." He replied.

"Whatever." She sighed giving him a weird look.

Kitty shook her head and laid down on the couch. She settled on her side facing the TV with her head resting in his lap. With minimal effort she snatched the remote from his blue-furred tri-dactyl hand and took over channel-surfing while still munching on her pop tart. Kurt once again found himself staring. This day was turning out to be completely backwards. She was doing to him what he had planned to do to her. With a resigned sigh he redirected his attention to the flickering TV screen. For nearly an hour they sat that way in silence with only the television set making any sound. Kurt rested one arm on the couch and his opposite hand lightly gripped Kitty's shoulder. His tail managed to coil snake-like around her waist and since she made no complaint about it he left it there.

"Did I do anything stupid last night?" Kitty finally asked in a quiet voice.

"You got drunk." He replied bluntly.

"I know that much, but what did I do?" She grumbled.

"Well, you danced like a crazy person and threw a temper tantrum when I made you leave. You got sick a few times and then crawled into bed with me." Kurt sighed.

"I got in bed with you?" Kitty squeaked.

"Ja." He mumbled.

"I stole your bed from you all night?" She whispered.

"And used me as a teddy bear." He snorted.

"I'm sorry." She managed after a minute.

"Don't worry about it." He murmured soothingly. "Just don't do it again."

"Oh I won't, I definitely won't." She groaned.

"Good." Kurt muttered, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Kitty didn't reply and the conversation died. Kurt turned back to the TV to ponder things. Kitty apparently had little or no memory of what she did while inebriated. Perhaps that was why she was so upset. She didn't know what she did and didn't do and that was dangerous, not to mention frightening. She could've leaked sensitive, secret information without realizing or remembering it. If the wrong people heard the wrong things they could get in serious trouble. This trouble could lead to mission failure and that was something he didn't want to ever think about, let alone experience. The very thought of what might happen to him if he was sent back to Germany a failure sent shivers racing down his spine.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Kitty asked. Kurt looked down to see her looking up at him with concern. He must've shaken enough for her to notice.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "Just some bad thoughts."

"Bad thoughts?" She murmured curiously.

"About failing." He sighed nervously.

"Oh," Kitty mumbled. "I see." She fell silent for a while and it was starting to make his tail tip twitch. "So were you having fun last night before you found me being a drunken idiot?" She asked.

"No, of course not. Your friend Amanda found me and bothered me all night." He grumbled.

"Amanda? Amanda Sefton?" Kitty asked in surprise, rolling over and sitting upright.

"Ja." He replied slowly.

"She called me and said that she wasn't going to make it!" Kitty protested.

"She told me that her relatives that were supposed to come didn't show up so she came to the club." Kurt explained. Kitty stared at him for a moment, blinked, then curled up against him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"She saw me drunk didn't she." Kitty sighed, her tone made it a statement rather than a question.

"Yes she did." He confirmed. His arm slid around her shoulders and his tail once again found its way around her waist.

"Great, just great." She muttered.

"It could be worse." Kurt replied.

"I suppose so." She sighed heavily. "I could've said something stupid, like that you're cute." She snorted. Kurt stiffened.

"But…" He whimpered.

"Wait, I said that to you didn't I." She squeaked, pulling back to look him in the eye. Kurt refused to look at her, but he nodded. "Oh geeze, I'm sorry." She whimpered.

Kurt removed his arm and tail from Kitty's person and curled up, hugging his knees to his chest. Kitty went silent and turned back to the TV, highly embarrassed at her mistake. At the edge of his vision he watched Kitty nervously glance at him from time to time, but she never said a word to him. It was almost like they had been warped back to the beginning of the mission when they weren't on speaking terms. That bothered him, and as time went on his discomfort at that thought grew. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, she'd simply spoken without thinking. She'd had a rough night, morning, and afternoon. He could cut her some slack this time. So after a few hours and some more internal debate, he uncurled and turned to face her. However, Kitty was no longer there.

A quick glance at the VCR proved that it was almost time to leave again for the Blue Lotus. Kurt sighed wearily and flopped over face-first onto the lump couch. He'd finally made up his mind to forgive her and she goes off to pretty herself up. After grumbling some colorful German curses into the worn out cushions he picked himself up and made his own simple preparations. He snagged his coat and ran his brush through his hair before returning to the TV. Kitty was probably going to take a good hour or so primping and debating over several different outfits before she would feel ready. She doesn't need to worry so much over her appearance. She looks pretty enough just the way she is.