Shiny
*****
Chapter 9
( Shout outs: Risty- Thank you so much as always. Your advice for this story is so extremely valuable to me!
Rahneman- Yeah, Anywhere I can put some Scott and Jean bashing. They're just so... bland. And hypocritical.
Fluffy Kitsune- *Happy dances along*
Junkyard- I really enjoyed your "Of Mud Masks, Gossip, and Control" story. Its great!"
****
Rogue opened her eyes slowly. There was a sound repeating dully, greatly annoying her. It took her a minute to escape the effects of sleepiness and realize that the sound was a knocking on her door. She got up drowsily and went to her door, absentmindedly smoothing her bedraggled hair. She opened the door half way to find Gambit smirking down on her. She yawned, staring at his eyes skeptically. "What do you want?"
He moved his right arm out from behind his back. It held a white paper bag. Rogue could smell the hamburger and fries wafting from the bag, and realized how hungry she really was. "Magneto has sent this up for you, Chere." He explain, shoving the bag into her hands. "Enjoy." He winked, and turned towards the stairs. Rogue went back into her room, shutting the door behind her, and began devouring her meal.
*
Gambit returned downstairs to find Magneto staring into the fire intensely. The light from the flames where playing across the older mutant's face, making it seem the more cold, and even more thoughtful. His fingers were drumming on the mantle, making a rhythmic sound, like a tiny drum. "You have a new plan?" Gambit asked, interpreting his leader's position. The Master of Magnetism nodded, and moved away from the fire, sinking down into his large arm chair.
"I've been thinking..." He started, slowly, putting his hand under his chin. "I want to finish the work I started back three weeks ago. No one double-crosses me. No one. Colossus obviously hasn't learned the lesson."
"You already killed his parents." Remy interjected. "You don't think that he has forgotten that, do you?"
"No. If he really had learned his lesson he would be here, begging me to spare his brother and sister, instead of hiding behind the X-men. They can't protect him for long."
"What do you have in mind?" The Cajun asked, leaning against the wall next to the fireplace. He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans, waiting for an answer.
Magneto smiled nastily.
*
Jean found Kurt hanging upside down over the window seat in the kitchen, by his tail, reading a newspaper. She sat down. He looked at her. "What?" He drew out the 'a' sound in the word.
"How are you doing?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Fine, fine." He breathed, dropping down to the seat, starting to walk away.
"Scott told me what happened with Rogue." Kurt stopped. "You blame yourself?"
Kurt, slight annoyed Jean had read his thoughts, sank down in the cushions of the window seats, breathing in deeply. "I don't really see why she left... Yeah, she was a little..." He searched for the right word, licking his teeth. "... detached from the rest of us, but I thought she was happy. If she had actually talked to me, I could have helped her fix whatever was wrong. Now she's out there all alone, and God knows what has happened to her since she left... Its so frustrating!" He clenched his fist.
There was a pause, lasting for a few minutes. Jean was tempted to break the silence, but it was against her better judgement, so she kept her mouth shut.
"She was my family. My true family... I don't have anything left." A single tear traveled slowly down his face, leaving a wet trail of fur, but he wiped it away.
*
Illyana was sprawled over the floor, gazing up at the television. Piotr was resting on the couch, his arms spread over the back, very comfortably. He was flipping through the channels, looking for something good for his sister to watch. So far, with the great number of stations that the mansion received, he wasn't having much luck.
Unbeknownst to him, Kitty had been standing in the doorway, amusement painted all over her face. She watched him flip from a violent movie, to a slightly risque sitcom and from the home shopping network to a news story of Michael Jackson's latest exploits. She finally decided to step in, and snatched the remote from his hand, switching it over to the Disney channel, where an episode of "PB&J Otter" was just starting. She sat down on the couch, next to Piotr.
"Thanks. I've been looking for a while for something that wouldn't taint her. From what I've seen, most American television isn't child-friendly."
Kitty smiled sweetly, stretching. She looked down at Illyana who was thoroughly entranced by the little colored otters. She couldn't get over how adorable that little girl was. She turned back to look at Piotr, only to find he was already staring at her. Their eyes met. Kitty's breath caught in her chest. She could feel herself leaning in slowly towards him, and vaguely realized that he was doing the same.
The giggling of Illyana brought them back out of their trance, and they turned away, blushing profusely. The little girl hadn't noticed this, but was still entranced by the antics of the rodents and their little woodland friends.
Kitty's eyes eventually wandered back over towards the larger Russian. This time, they landed on his chest and shirt. It was just an ordinary white t- shirt. On a normal person, it would hang loosely about the frame, but on the much more muscular mutant it was stretched tightly across his chest, flattering his muscles. After she had gazed on his muscles for what might have been a moment too long, as Piotr was starting to shift under her gaze, she posed a question.
"What is all over your shirt?"
"Huh?" Piotr stretched out the shirt, as so he could have a good look at it. It was splattered with all sorts of different colors. "Ah, paints. I'm not the cleanest of artists."
"Oh! You paint?" Kitty's eyes brightened.
"Oh yes. I've painted ever since I was a very small boy. I don't think I'll ever stop, either." He sopped, and a palpable silence swept between them.
Kitty bit her lower lip and looked away, slightly uncomfortable. "Can I see?" She asked suddenly.
Piotr snapped out of his thoughts. "What?"
"Can I see your paintings?" She repeated, tilting her head slightly.
He smiled. "Sure. Now?" He asked, pushing himself off of the couch.
"Yeah!" Kitty almost jumped off the couch.
Piotr paused, making sure his sister would stay there and keep out of trouble, then continued leading Kitty to his room. He opened the door for her, then followed her in, closing it behind them. Kitty was examining a painting that hung on the wall. She hovered her fingers above it, but didn't dare touch it, as she thought it was too beautiful to touch. And she said so.
"Thank you. That's one of the town that was near our farm. I painted that from memory a few months ago."
"Are you serious? From memory?! It's amazing!" She wandered over to an easel which had previously escaped her attention. It was covered with a white cloth, which she pulled off carefully. Two faces peered out from under neath it. Piotr's parents. While their lower bodies had not yet been introduced to color, Kitty could see they were working happily on their farm. It was a little shock for her to see this very happy couple, as the only other time she had seen the two, they were dead and drenched in their own blood.
"You miss them, don't you?" She asked, feeling Piotr walk up behind her.
He sighed. "More than you could possibly know." and hung his head slightly.
She lightly touched his arm. "I am so sorry. I know it's been a while now, but that pain must never go away. If you, like, ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." She whispered sincerely.
He smiled down at her. "Thank you. That means a lot to me, Katya."
Kitty's heart warmed when she heard the nickname he liked to call her. "I like it when you call me that, Peter." She blushed, and turned her head aside, embarrassed at what she had just said.
"I like saying it." He hesitated, then put his hand underneath her chin, tilting her face towards him. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest as he drew closer. And then, Piotr kissed Kitty softly. But almost instantly, he pulled back, almost... with shame. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I was inappropriate. It wont happen again."
"No..." Kitty whispered, and she moved her hands up his chest to his shoulders, and caught him in a kiss.
She could have died, when he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her back. And she came very well near close to. Her knees grew weak, and she felt like a weak little kitten. It took much of her strength just to stand up on her tippee toes. She was, simply in one word: elated.
Piotr drew her even closer, in his strong arms. She sighed and slowly pulled away, kissing his neck as she did so. He smiled down at her and rubbed her temple with his thumb, the other hand holding hers. They gazed into each other's eyes. Neither one spoke a word, but the looks they gave each other could have filled the room with pages.
The doorknob turned and Mikhail wandered into the room. Kitty and Piotr parted abruptly, blushing. Mikhail looked from one to the other, and almost instantly he knew. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's going on here?" He asked in a singsong tone. However, at the 'Shut-up' glare he was receiving from his younger brother, he didn't continue his slight inquisition. Kitty shifted her weight. "I think I should go..." She headed to the door, but before she left, she shot one more look towards Piotr.
"So what went on here, Piotr?" Mikhail asked, a smirk on his face, as he flopped down in a chair.
"That's really not any of your business, now is it?" Piotr said slyly, sitting down on his bed, leaning against the wall.
"Fine..." Mikhail put up his hands in defeat. "But I'll get it out of you later."
Piotr sighed, and put his hands behind his head. He looked up at the ceiling, happy.
On the other side of the door, Kitty was leaning against the wall of the hallway, a dreamy smile painted on her face.
(A/N: Do you know how much joy this chapter brought to me?! Oh man, it was slightly difficult to write, but it gave me all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings. Geez. I've been waiting to get to this chapter for some time now... and now I am really happy.
So, chapter titles. I use song title for the chapter titles. Only songs that I like and have some relevance to the chapter. The only difference is chapter one which is "Don't stop inspiring me." That I my favorite line from any song. Its from No Doubt's "Running."
So, happy times. I'm happy, but somewhat sad, but also happy. Does that make sense?
PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Do you realize for the past like... five chapters I've gotten about four reviews for each?! That doesn't make me want to continue this story very much... Hint hint.
OH! BTW! The Superbowl is crap! The NFL has gone to hell, and there is no way it is coming back. I mean, come ON! The Patriots and the Panthers?! They must've sold their souls to the devil for that! Ugh. So, I'm not watching the Superbowl this year. The first time in... six years that I wont watch it.)
*****
Chapter 9
( Shout outs: Risty- Thank you so much as always. Your advice for this story is so extremely valuable to me!
Rahneman- Yeah, Anywhere I can put some Scott and Jean bashing. They're just so... bland. And hypocritical.
Fluffy Kitsune- *Happy dances along*
Junkyard- I really enjoyed your "Of Mud Masks, Gossip, and Control" story. Its great!"
****
Rogue opened her eyes slowly. There was a sound repeating dully, greatly annoying her. It took her a minute to escape the effects of sleepiness and realize that the sound was a knocking on her door. She got up drowsily and went to her door, absentmindedly smoothing her bedraggled hair. She opened the door half way to find Gambit smirking down on her. She yawned, staring at his eyes skeptically. "What do you want?"
He moved his right arm out from behind his back. It held a white paper bag. Rogue could smell the hamburger and fries wafting from the bag, and realized how hungry she really was. "Magneto has sent this up for you, Chere." He explain, shoving the bag into her hands. "Enjoy." He winked, and turned towards the stairs. Rogue went back into her room, shutting the door behind her, and began devouring her meal.
*
Gambit returned downstairs to find Magneto staring into the fire intensely. The light from the flames where playing across the older mutant's face, making it seem the more cold, and even more thoughtful. His fingers were drumming on the mantle, making a rhythmic sound, like a tiny drum. "You have a new plan?" Gambit asked, interpreting his leader's position. The Master of Magnetism nodded, and moved away from the fire, sinking down into his large arm chair.
"I've been thinking..." He started, slowly, putting his hand under his chin. "I want to finish the work I started back three weeks ago. No one double-crosses me. No one. Colossus obviously hasn't learned the lesson."
"You already killed his parents." Remy interjected. "You don't think that he has forgotten that, do you?"
"No. If he really had learned his lesson he would be here, begging me to spare his brother and sister, instead of hiding behind the X-men. They can't protect him for long."
"What do you have in mind?" The Cajun asked, leaning against the wall next to the fireplace. He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans, waiting for an answer.
Magneto smiled nastily.
*
Jean found Kurt hanging upside down over the window seat in the kitchen, by his tail, reading a newspaper. She sat down. He looked at her. "What?" He drew out the 'a' sound in the word.
"How are you doing?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Fine, fine." He breathed, dropping down to the seat, starting to walk away.
"Scott told me what happened with Rogue." Kurt stopped. "You blame yourself?"
Kurt, slight annoyed Jean had read his thoughts, sank down in the cushions of the window seats, breathing in deeply. "I don't really see why she left... Yeah, she was a little..." He searched for the right word, licking his teeth. "... detached from the rest of us, but I thought she was happy. If she had actually talked to me, I could have helped her fix whatever was wrong. Now she's out there all alone, and God knows what has happened to her since she left... Its so frustrating!" He clenched his fist.
There was a pause, lasting for a few minutes. Jean was tempted to break the silence, but it was against her better judgement, so she kept her mouth shut.
"She was my family. My true family... I don't have anything left." A single tear traveled slowly down his face, leaving a wet trail of fur, but he wiped it away.
*
Illyana was sprawled over the floor, gazing up at the television. Piotr was resting on the couch, his arms spread over the back, very comfortably. He was flipping through the channels, looking for something good for his sister to watch. So far, with the great number of stations that the mansion received, he wasn't having much luck.
Unbeknownst to him, Kitty had been standing in the doorway, amusement painted all over her face. She watched him flip from a violent movie, to a slightly risque sitcom and from the home shopping network to a news story of Michael Jackson's latest exploits. She finally decided to step in, and snatched the remote from his hand, switching it over to the Disney channel, where an episode of "PB&J Otter" was just starting. She sat down on the couch, next to Piotr.
"Thanks. I've been looking for a while for something that wouldn't taint her. From what I've seen, most American television isn't child-friendly."
Kitty smiled sweetly, stretching. She looked down at Illyana who was thoroughly entranced by the little colored otters. She couldn't get over how adorable that little girl was. She turned back to look at Piotr, only to find he was already staring at her. Their eyes met. Kitty's breath caught in her chest. She could feel herself leaning in slowly towards him, and vaguely realized that he was doing the same.
The giggling of Illyana brought them back out of their trance, and they turned away, blushing profusely. The little girl hadn't noticed this, but was still entranced by the antics of the rodents and their little woodland friends.
Kitty's eyes eventually wandered back over towards the larger Russian. This time, they landed on his chest and shirt. It was just an ordinary white t- shirt. On a normal person, it would hang loosely about the frame, but on the much more muscular mutant it was stretched tightly across his chest, flattering his muscles. After she had gazed on his muscles for what might have been a moment too long, as Piotr was starting to shift under her gaze, she posed a question.
"What is all over your shirt?"
"Huh?" Piotr stretched out the shirt, as so he could have a good look at it. It was splattered with all sorts of different colors. "Ah, paints. I'm not the cleanest of artists."
"Oh! You paint?" Kitty's eyes brightened.
"Oh yes. I've painted ever since I was a very small boy. I don't think I'll ever stop, either." He sopped, and a palpable silence swept between them.
Kitty bit her lower lip and looked away, slightly uncomfortable. "Can I see?" She asked suddenly.
Piotr snapped out of his thoughts. "What?"
"Can I see your paintings?" She repeated, tilting her head slightly.
He smiled. "Sure. Now?" He asked, pushing himself off of the couch.
"Yeah!" Kitty almost jumped off the couch.
Piotr paused, making sure his sister would stay there and keep out of trouble, then continued leading Kitty to his room. He opened the door for her, then followed her in, closing it behind them. Kitty was examining a painting that hung on the wall. She hovered her fingers above it, but didn't dare touch it, as she thought it was too beautiful to touch. And she said so.
"Thank you. That's one of the town that was near our farm. I painted that from memory a few months ago."
"Are you serious? From memory?! It's amazing!" She wandered over to an easel which had previously escaped her attention. It was covered with a white cloth, which she pulled off carefully. Two faces peered out from under neath it. Piotr's parents. While their lower bodies had not yet been introduced to color, Kitty could see they were working happily on their farm. It was a little shock for her to see this very happy couple, as the only other time she had seen the two, they were dead and drenched in their own blood.
"You miss them, don't you?" She asked, feeling Piotr walk up behind her.
He sighed. "More than you could possibly know." and hung his head slightly.
She lightly touched his arm. "I am so sorry. I know it's been a while now, but that pain must never go away. If you, like, ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." She whispered sincerely.
He smiled down at her. "Thank you. That means a lot to me, Katya."
Kitty's heart warmed when she heard the nickname he liked to call her. "I like it when you call me that, Peter." She blushed, and turned her head aside, embarrassed at what she had just said.
"I like saying it." He hesitated, then put his hand underneath her chin, tilting her face towards him. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest as he drew closer. And then, Piotr kissed Kitty softly. But almost instantly, he pulled back, almost... with shame. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I was inappropriate. It wont happen again."
"No..." Kitty whispered, and she moved her hands up his chest to his shoulders, and caught him in a kiss.
She could have died, when he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her back. And she came very well near close to. Her knees grew weak, and she felt like a weak little kitten. It took much of her strength just to stand up on her tippee toes. She was, simply in one word: elated.
Piotr drew her even closer, in his strong arms. She sighed and slowly pulled away, kissing his neck as she did so. He smiled down at her and rubbed her temple with his thumb, the other hand holding hers. They gazed into each other's eyes. Neither one spoke a word, but the looks they gave each other could have filled the room with pages.
The doorknob turned and Mikhail wandered into the room. Kitty and Piotr parted abruptly, blushing. Mikhail looked from one to the other, and almost instantly he knew. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's going on here?" He asked in a singsong tone. However, at the 'Shut-up' glare he was receiving from his younger brother, he didn't continue his slight inquisition. Kitty shifted her weight. "I think I should go..." She headed to the door, but before she left, she shot one more look towards Piotr.
"So what went on here, Piotr?" Mikhail asked, a smirk on his face, as he flopped down in a chair.
"That's really not any of your business, now is it?" Piotr said slyly, sitting down on his bed, leaning against the wall.
"Fine..." Mikhail put up his hands in defeat. "But I'll get it out of you later."
Piotr sighed, and put his hands behind his head. He looked up at the ceiling, happy.
On the other side of the door, Kitty was leaning against the wall of the hallway, a dreamy smile painted on her face.
(A/N: Do you know how much joy this chapter brought to me?! Oh man, it was slightly difficult to write, but it gave me all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings. Geez. I've been waiting to get to this chapter for some time now... and now I am really happy.
So, chapter titles. I use song title for the chapter titles. Only songs that I like and have some relevance to the chapter. The only difference is chapter one which is "Don't stop inspiring me." That I my favorite line from any song. Its from No Doubt's "Running."
So, happy times. I'm happy, but somewhat sad, but also happy. Does that make sense?
PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Do you realize for the past like... five chapters I've gotten about four reviews for each?! That doesn't make me want to continue this story very much... Hint hint.
OH! BTW! The Superbowl is crap! The NFL has gone to hell, and there is no way it is coming back. I mean, come ON! The Patriots and the Panthers?! They must've sold their souls to the devil for that! Ugh. So, I'm not watching the Superbowl this year. The first time in... six years that I wont watch it.)