Title: Kibble and Kisses

Disclaimer: Insert babble about not owning anything here.

Author Notes: I'm getting faster at this. I actually want to get writing on this story again.I hope I can keep going.Please R&R. All you have to do is press the little purple button at the bottom left of the screen. It's that simple.

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When Bosco awoke, the cat was still cuddled to his side, but Maritza was gone. He lingered in bed for a few moments longer, then stretched his drowsy limbs and shuffled from the room. As he past through the living room, he grabbed his button down shirt from where he had flung it over the back of the couch the night before, and shrugged it on.

He found Maritza in the kitchen, standing over the stove.

"Morning," Bosco scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Morning," She flipped something over in a frying pan, "There wasn't much to choose from around here."

"I know," He leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek, but she turned to face him at the same moment, and he ended up kissing her lips.

Surprised was an understatement for what she was feeling. Bosco. Was. Kissing. Her. Bosco was kissing her. Two words came to her mind. Holy shit.

Bosco was having a similar reaction. Between the shock, there were bouts of confusion. A million thoughts raced through his mind at once. Should he back off, or stay close? Move in closer? Was he scaring her? Did she even want him to kiss her?

In the end, she made the decision for him, hauling him to her by his shirt. She held on. Kissed back. He relaxed and held her warmly.

When they broke apart, Bosco took a step back and a second to compose himself, "I'm sorry Ritz, I didn't…"

She cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips, "Don't be," She raked her eyes over his exposed chest and torso, "I'm not."

He breathed a sigh of relief, "Good."

Neither was completely at ease. Bosco stood, his behind braced against the counter, and Maritza seemed enthralled by the pops and hisses emanating from her cooking. The two stood in an uncomfortable silence.

"These are just about ready," Maritza finally broke the silence.

"I'll set the table," Bosco offered, grateful for something to do. In no time, two plates were dished up, and the two sat down to eat. Tang eventually waddled out to join them. He sat on the floor, his paws on Bosco's thigh, kneading them whenever he wanted bacon. Bosco slipped him several small pieces.

Maritza caught him at it, "Stop feeding that cat from the table."

He grinned, "Yes Mommy," He replied, feeling petulant.

She rolled her eyes, not only because he called her Mommy. But also because she thought he looked incredibly gorgeous doing it. She had always felt something for him, more than professional, more than friends, even after they broke up. As if they had actually been dating, she thought slyly. You had to go out for that. But she had never known if he had felt the same. Their fights that had grown more heated, then there was the time he had stuck a knife in the RMP tire to let her get some closure. He ran hot and cold. But she knew why. Now, with this kiss, her doubts were resurfacing, as was some of the hope she had held onto since when they were 'together'.

"Ritza?" Bosco laid a hand on her arm, rubbing it up and down, "Are you okay?"

Not wanting to let her thoughts out yet, not when they were so jumbled, she nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. You worry too much Boz."

"You were drifting again," He accused.

"Was not," She searched for something to divert his attention, " It's no wonder your cat is so fat, you keep feeding him so much."

"My cat is not fat," Bosco argued, "He's just fluffy."

Maritza snorted, "Very fluffy."

Both looked down at the "fluffy" cat on the floor that stared back at them.

While Maritza went back to his room to change, Bosco cleaned the table and piled the dishes in the sink. He leaned back against the counter, and rubbed both hands over his face. What had he done? Had he scared her back into her shell with that kiss? He had wanted to kiss her for the longest time. For a while, that feeling had been accompanied by guilt. He thought he owed loyalty to Faith. But after all that had happened, after all the water underneath the bridge, he still had still felt that twinge whenever he was around her. The same twinge that had presented itself when she pranced into the Anti-Crime office with six-inch heels and a handkerchief for a skirt. The twinge had intensified itself when he had come to her aid in the middle of the night. He shook himself when he remembered the sick feeling he had gotten in the pit of his stomach when he had heard her yell. It brought back the image of her curled into a ball on the floor, at the mercy of her fellow prisoners. That picture was burned into his mind, no matter how hard he tried to purge it.

Still, she had held onto him, she had kissed him back. That had to count for something, right? She had said she wasn't regretting the kiss. The usual cocky smile came over his face. Maybe there was hope for them after all. They just had to take it slow, let them both warm up to it.

"Boz?" He jumped slightly at Maritza's voice, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," He turned towards her and nodded, "I'm fine. You ready?"

But Maritza wasn't ready to drop the first subject, "You sure? You looked kind of out of it."

"I'm sure," He grinned to reassure her, then mimicked her from before, "You worry too much."

She didn't look convinced, but let it go, "Okay."

Shopping with Bosco. Maritza had to count it as one of the most interesting occurrences of her life. It was in no way what she expected.

First, he chose produce. He did so slowly, picking over the vegetables until he found the one he wanted. He then fairly sauntered from aisle to aisle, choosing items carefully off the shelves, occasionally comparing items and prices. Maritza scanned their cart. It contained fruits and vegetables, milk and bread, among other things. Most things were healthy. Compared to what she was used to seeing him eat. He caught her eyeing the cart, then glancing over at him.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Nothing," She shook her head, "Just not what I pictured you eating."

Inwardly happy she'd actually pictured it, he has to ask, "What did you picture me eating?"

She shrugged, "More junk, I guess. Like you eat at work."

"I get enough junk at work," It was his turn to shrug, " I just want to have something different when I get home."

There was something in his voice, a slightly wistful crack in his tone that made her think that there was more to the story. But, she let it go, he obviously wasn't ready to talk about it. Instead, she slipped her hand in his.

The best part of their shopping experience though, had to be when they were in the pet supplies aisle. Bosco pushed the cart to the bags of cat food that were piled on a shelf, and searched for the kind he wanted.

Maritza leaned on the cart handle, discreetly watching him from behind, "So now I get to see what you feed catzilla."

Bosco rolled his eyes, and then spotted the one he wanted. He bent again, and hefted a bag of cat kibble. Maritza nearly keeled over laughing when she saw the brand name.

"You do feed him Miracle Grow," She chortled and clutched the cart handle to remain upright. Bosco sighed resignedly and slid the bag of kibble onto the bottom rack of the cart.

"Don't hurt yourself," He warned. Secretly he was gloating that the smile was back on her face. She looked so beautiful when she smiled. A grin took over his features as he watched her.

They made their way to the checkout, Maritza occasionally chuckling to herself, and glancing from Bosco to the cat kibble. Back at the apartment, an indifferent ball of fur greeted them. After the groceries were tucked away, the two of them settled on the couch, on the premise of watching television. Bosco flicked on the TV, and began surfing through the channels, Maritza occasionally interjecting when the something looked interesting. They eventually decided on X-Men, which was the main feature on the movie channel.

While Maritza was busy ogling the main male character, who was now prancing around the screen shirtless, Bosco was thinking. About a way to inconspicuously put his arm around her. The kiss that morning had opened the floodgates, and now sitting next to her now, this close, was torture. What he really wanted was to kiss her again. But, it was his ass that was going to hit the floor if she wasn't receptive.

Maritza was getting impatient. She had always known that she had been missing the day they handed out patience, but this was pure torture. Bosco's arm had "inconspicuously" slipped around her, and was holding her close to him. But after they had kissed that morning, sitting cuddled up against him was driving her crazy. She inched closer to him, if that was possible, and nestled her head against his shoulder.

Bosco wasn't completely sure what she was doing. He wasn't completely sure what he was doing. The two of them were acting like teenagers, afraid to make a move lest it scare the other. He felt like a teenager right now, not knowing how to proceed, not knowing his next move. He wasn't like this around women. He always knew his next move, always knew what to do, how far to go. He didn't like not knowing. The woman made him soft in the head.

What is he waiting for? Maritza wondered. What does he need, an engraved invitation? It was time for her to take matters into her own hands.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer 2: I don't own X-Men.