Kiss and Tell
She gritted her teeth and held the book firmly in place so that her scowl was concealed. She had never felt so enraged before in her entire life. There she was in the library, minding her own business, reading up on her research paper for her chemistry class when who should come in but John the jerk Allerdyce and his girlfriend. The two of them had ignored her and settled themselves on the couch by the fireplace. Then, to her deep disgust, they had started making out.
The book covering her face prevented her, quite thankfully, from seeing what was going on but, unfortunately, she could still hear every single sickening sound. It was enough to make her pray to God that she would be stricken down with a sudden merciful deafness.
Soft breathy moans, moist smacking noises, excited giggles, and occasional cries of, "No, John! That tickles!" - all of it made Kitty Pryde want to throw up. In fact, she could already taste the bile in her throat.
Ever since school had started, John Allerdyce had become more unbearable than ever. It wasn't because he still kept teasing her or bullying the younger kids. No. That would have been completely normal. What had happened was a hundred times worse.
A new girl, Camille Foster, had arrived at the institute. From her very first day, she had been instantly popular. She was an incredibly pretty girl, blond and blue-eyed. She was also smart, funny and outgoing. The boys in school practically drooled every time she passed them by and the girls couldn't stop following her around like starstruck groupies. And, out of all the guys in the entire mansion, perfect beautiful Camille had picked John Allerdyce to be her boyfriend.
It was official, Kitty thought when the couple had first announced their relationship with a very public make out session in the dining hall one day, the world was about to end. When a girl who seemed to be otherwise perfectly sane ended up swapping spit with John Allerdyce on a regular basis, it was a definite portent of the apocalypse.
Because of his newly-established position as the consort to the academy's queen bee, John had become more affected than ever. He didn't tease or bully anyone anymore but he had developed a very smug, patronizing manner towards his schoolmates, and he now walked around with his chest all puffed up and his head held high that Kitty was sometimes tempted to trip him. This new John, with his airs of maturity and sophistication, was certainly not an improvement over the old one.
Her musing was interrupted when she heard Camille pull her mouth free from John's with an audible pop. "I gotta go, baby," she said. "I have a class. See you later."
"Let me walk you to class," he quickly offered in a gallant tone.
"Oh, you're sweet, but you don't have to," she told him. "Really. It's okay."
"Okay. If you're sure," he conceded.
"I'm sure." There were more smacking sounds and Kitty realized that they were kissing again, then a final goodbye.
"Hey, Kitty!" She was surprised when she heard Camille suddenly address her. She looked up from her book, careful to look neutral. "I didn't realize you were there," Camille said with an embarrassed little laugh. "Well, gotta go. See you around." Kitty returned her smile with a forced one of her own then the other girl left.
And she was alone with John Allerdyce.
She couldn't help herself. She was too annoyed to control her tongue. "This is a library, you know!" she blurted out.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "So?"
"So!" she huffed. "It's supposed to be a place for studying and reading, not a make-out spot!"
"Well, listen to Little Miss Innocent!" he retorted. "You certainly weren't studying or reading in here last Saturday."
"What are you talking about?" she scowled.
"I'm talking about you and Metallo going at it in the lit section during the weekend."
She blushed. "We were not going at anything!" she denied furiously.
"Really? He had you pressed against a bookshelf and both of you were breathing kinda hard – "
"Oh, shut up!" she cut in. "It wasn't what you think!"
"Sure it wasn't," he responded sarcastically.
It really wasn't. Sure, she and Peter had been in the library. She had been standing on the ladder, reaching for a book when she had lost her balance. She had fallen but Peter had caught her in time. He had set her back on her feet again and there had been a moment there when he had started to lean in closer but, suddenly shy, she had phased out of his arms. She hadn't even been aware that there had been someone around who had witnessed that little scene.
"I don't have to explain myself to you," she told him in her haughtiest tone then buried her head in her book again.
"Whatever you say. Or maybe you just don't wanna talk about it because your big lug of a boyfriend doesn't know how to do certain things right," he insinuated maliciously.
Kitty forgot the book then and glared at him. "For your information, Peter happens to be a very good kisser!"
He smirked. "Wow, Tinman. Quite a compliment, huh?" he said to someone over her shoulder.
Kitty turned her head slowly and looked up into the flushed face of Peter Rasputin. She gave a little gasp then snapped her gaze back towards John. If looks could kill, he would have been dead a thousand times over.
"Well," he leered at her, "I'll leave you two alone. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said as a parting shot.
Kitty gave Peter a crooked smile.
"Hi," she said weakly.
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During the previous term, before summer vacation, Kitty Pryde and Peter Rasputin had officially become a couple. It had happened right after the disastrous first prom ever held in the institute. When they had walked into the dining hall the next day, holding hands and both looking like happy puppies, John had almost choked.
The two of them made the unlikeliest, most ridiculous couple he had ever seen. Kitty was a nerd of the first degree while Peter was, well, dumb jock were the kindest words John could think of to describe him. And the thought of them making out with each other – ugh! Of course, his worst thoughts could never compare to the trauma of actually witnessing them kiss. He remembered it in awfully vivid detail.
Kitty had been her usual klutzy self during the prom, embarrassing herself and Peter by accidentally phasing them through the floor while dancing. She had then run out of the ballroom in tears. He had gone after her, just to make sure that she was okay and that she hadn't slit her wrists in depression or anything. He may be a jerk, yes, but contrary to popular opinion, he wasn't that big of a jerk. He found her by the fountain crying and he had still been seriously debating with himself whether to talk to her or not when he had heard Peter approaching. He had hidden himself, because he would have been humiliated beyond words if the two of them had found out that he was there, so he had seen and heard everything that happened between them.
The loser had actually asked first if he could kiss her. Fucking pathetic! And the silly girl had actually fallen for that, looking really charmed at the awkward advances of her walking tin can. Later that night, while he was taking a walk in the garden, he had spied Kitty headed back towards the fountain. His first thought was that she was sneaking out to meet up with Peter again.
Then he had done something really stupid.
He had intercepted her and, acting on a mad impulse, he had kissed her. Just to – he wasn't sure exactly, - piss her off, confuse her, know what it felt like to kiss Kitty Pryde. And, the really astonishing thing was, she had kissed him back.
She had kissed him back and, for a few dizzy moments, she was everything he could feel. Then the next morning she was a formal item with another guy and she just walked through him, literally, like he didn't even exist. Bitch.
Of course he cared nothing for Kitty Pryde though. He had a girlfriend now, and she just happened to be the hottest girl in school. Like any teenaged boy, he was damn proud of getting to make out with a girl whom other guys considered attractive. And Camille was a nice girl, too. Though she did have some pretty strong ideas about certain things. Strong, and more than a little disturbing, ideas.
"I don't see why mutants have to hide their powers from humans," she was saying to a bunch of kids who were hanging out in the pool room one lazy Saturday night. "What's to be ashamed of if you can control fire, like John here, or create ice like Bobby? Or, like me, why should I look like this when I can look like this?" Her skin rippled and a very famous actress was now sitting in her place. John chuckled at her transformation. He always got a kick out of it whenever Camille exhibited her shapeshifting abilities. "I mean, just imagine all the free stuff I could get for me and my friends if I pretended to be her." Even her voice was a perfect imitation.
"It's not about being ashamed," Rogue spoke up, her face looking flushed with something that might have been anger. "It's about being careful. Yes, both John and Bobby have very cool powers, but they can't just go around showing off those powers because they could hurt people."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Rogue." Camille shifted back to her own self. "I didn't mean it like that. Of course we shouldn't hurt innocent people. But wouldn't it be great if a mutant could go out in public and people wouldn't look at her like she's something unnatural and dangerous?"
"Yes, that would be great," Rogue agreed. "But not everyone has powers that they can bring to show and tell." She was clearly angry now. She looked to be on the verge of an outburst but she shut her mouth firmly then walked out of the room without saying another word.
John frowned at Camille. "It's different for Rogue, you know," he told her. "She can kill people with her skin and she can't control it. That's not a power anyone would be glad to have."
"Well, I didn't mean to offend her," she said repentantly. "I didn't," she repeated. "I know it's hard for her not to be able to touch anyone." She looked at Bobby when she said this.
Bobby's face became as flushed as Rogue's had been. "I better go check if she's okay," he murmured. "See you guys around. Goodnight." And he went off after his girlfriend.
Camille gave John an apologetic smile. The thought flashed through his mind that she had quickly and effectively gotten rid of the two people in the room who were not as receptive to her ideas as the other kids. Now she could go on talking without any dissenters.
He smiled back at her a bit uncertainly. For the briefest second, he thought he saw her eyes glow a sickly yellow.
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"Just a reminder to everyone," Miss Grey said before dismissing the class, "your papers are due on Tuesday, so I expect them all on my desk by that time. No excuses and no extensions. Now have a good weekend."
The students couldn't file out of the room quickly enough. Kitty, as usual, lagged behind the others, mainly because she had more stuff to put away in her bag. "Have a good weekend, Miss Grey," she said cheerfully as she finally got ready to leave.
Her teacher smiled. "Thanks, Kitty. You take care."
She was on her way out when she felt a tremor pass through her and the door suddenly slammed shut. Startled, Kitty saw that all the things inside the room had begun to shake. She turned to look at Miss Grey and she was even more startled when she saw that the older woman was gripping her desk in support while she looked to be having a seizure. Her face was ashen.
"Miss Grey, are you all right?" Kitty rushed to her side, very worried. With an obvious effort, the other mutant regained control of her powers and everything was still again. "What happened?" Kitty wondered.
"I'm sorry," the woman apologized. "It's just that – my powers have been a little off lately. It's even starting to rub off on the Professor. Whenever I try to use my telepathy, like a moment ago when I tried to contact Scott, I get this headache and my telekinesis acts up instead. I didn't mean to frighten you there."
"It's okay." Kitty patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Would you like me to take you to the med lab? We could have you checked out."
"Oh, there's no need. It's nothing a couple of aspirins won't fix. But, thank you, Kitty. You're a sweet girl."
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" she asked.
"Yes. I'm sure. Now go. Peter's waiting for you."
"Huh - ?"
Jean smiled. "He's over there." She nodded towards the door and Kitty saw that Peter was waiting for her outside the classroom.
"Oh. Well, I gotta go. Have a nice weekend again, Miss Grey."
"You too, dear."
Kitty went to join Peter. Giving the smiling Miss Grey an embarrassed look, he greeted Kitty with a quick kiss then took her bag and her books from her so he could carry them. They started walking together.
"Some of the other kids are planning to see a movie tonight," he told her. "I was wondering if you would like to go with them."
"Sure. What's the movie?"
"I'm not sure. A horror movie, I think."
She smiled at him. "You're not taking me to that movie because you're hoping that I get scared and make a grab for you, right?" she teased.
He immediately colored. "No! I just thought – I thought you'd like it!" He was almost stuttering.
"Peter," she stopped in front of him and placed a reassuring hand on his chest. "It's okay. I was just -," she chuckled, "I mean, I'd love to go to the movies with you tonight."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'll even buy the popcorn."
He grinned in relief then glanced down at the small hand she still had on his chest. Before she even thought about it, the two of them were kissing.
"For God's sake, it's a public hallway, people! Get a room!" A very cross voice made them spring apart guiltily.
John Allerdyce was scowling at the two of them. He was gripping his lighter very tightly. With a particularly scathing look aimed at Kitty, he stalked past them, muttering under his breath.
"What a jerk!" she exclaimed loudly enough so he was sure to have heard her. He didn't look back or break his stride though. She was quite surprised at that. The John she knew would have never walked away from such a blatant challenge to an argument.
However, Kitty realized that she might still get the chance to pick a fight with him later that night when they all met up at the mall. When he showed up with Camille on his arm; Sam and Jubilee, and Bobby and Rogue trailing behind them; the sneer on his face as he looked at her told her that he was also spoiling for a confrontation.
They all sat in one row, and when John took the seat on her right, she automatically tensed. Peter, though, didn't seem to notice anything amiss as he settled himself on her left side and Camille on John's right seemed to become really engrossed in the movie once it started. So there they were, seated next to each other, and fairly vibrating with the tension between them.
"What are you waiting for, Kittykat?" she heard him hiss in her ear about thirty minutes into the film. "Shouldn't you be making out with your boyfriend by now? I thought you liked public displays of affection!"
"Excuse me!" she hissed back. "You're one to talk! Who was it who was groping his girlfriend's ass in front of the Professor?"
"Well, at least my girlfriend has an ass that can be groped, Miss Shapeless!"
"Shapeless? Seen yourself in a mirror lately, Scarecrow?"
Even in the darkness of the movie house, she could see the bright gleam of anger in his eyes. "You're short! And nerdy!" For the first time in memory, he seemed to have run out of creative insults.
She scoffed. "Oh, real mature, Mr. Arsonist!"
Throughout all this, their voices had never risen above a furious whisper. Suddenly, John grabbed her hand that had been gripping the armrest between them in anger and he squeezed it painfully. Kitty didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her flinch at the hurtful contact.
"Let's get out of here," he said through gritted teeth. She jerked her hand free from his grasp. "Men's room," he said to Camille and he stood up and made his way outside. It took Kitty a second to react. "Gotta go to the ladies' room," she told Peter then hurried after John. Both of their partners turned to stare at them, confused by their abrupt behavior, then Peter glanced at Camille and shrugged and the two of them went back to watching the movie.
As soon as she stepped outside of the theatre, Kitty was dragged away by John. He steered her towards an elevator and, once the doors closed, he hit the stop button.
"What the hell is your problem?" she snarled. "What have I ever done to you for you to treat me like this? You are such an asshole, John Allerdyce!"
"And you are the silliest, most annoying little know-it-all that I've ever met!" he retorted.
"I hate you!" she spat out.
"I hate you, too!" he snapped back.
Then they were against the elevator wall, pressed very close to each other and kissing like there was no tomorrow.
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"Kitty, is something wrong?"
"No. I'm fine," Kitty smiled then turned her attention back to her lunch. Peter frowned at her.
"Are you sure?" he asked insistently. "You look unwell."
"Oh, I'm fine. Really," she assured him. Inside she was screaming. I kissed John Allerdyce last night while you were watching the movie! I kissed him before but I never thought that it would again happen, but last night I just did it again and I liked it! I'm a terrible, horrible person!
Just then John came into the dining hall. He gave her such a searing look that Kitty phased right through her chair and landed with a soft thud on the floor. Peter was by her side in an instant, helping her up.
"I'm taking you to the med lab," he said. "I think you must be having a fever. Your face is all red."
"No! I'm okay!" Ignoring her protests, he dragged her with him. They were passing a corner in the hallway when she felt another pair of hands grab her by the waist. She immediately phased free of Peter's arms, causing him to grunt in surprise, then she and the other person fell through the floor to the mansion's basement. She phased again through the air and rose up till she was standing in an empty classroom with John Allerdyce still holding on to her. He let her go, quickly locked the door then turned back to grin at her.
"Smooth getaway, Kitkat," he complimented, then he moved to kiss her.
"John, stop!" He fell right through her.
"Hey!" He frowned. "What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" She made a sound of disgust as she matched his frown with one of her own. "Well, for starters, I've gone absolutely insane! What am I doing letting you kiss me, for God's sake? Why didn't I stop you last night? I have a boyfriend and he's a great guy! I shouldn't be doing this! It's nuts!"
He rose to his feet and gave her a cool look. "A few kisses and you're freaking out like this? Get over it, Kitty. We were just fooling around."
"Fooling around?" she choked out. "So it's all just fun and games for you then? You really are an asshole!" She started to walk out.
He grabbed her arm to stop her. "Wait! What if -?" He seemed to struggle to get the words out, "What if – I break up with Camille? Would you give me a chance then?"
Kitty was stunned. Was John Allerdyce trying to tell her that he liked her?
"I – I don't know," she answered. "What happens if I give you a chance?"
He said nothing. He just let go of her arm.
She nodded. "It's just too complicated," she said softly. "Goodbye, John." And because it was going to be absolutely the last time, she kissed him.
They clung to each other for an endless moment.
Pain sliced through their heads and they broke apart with a cry.
"What the fuck was that?" John yelled.
They heard a scream then it was cut off abruptly. The sound of something smashing into a million pieces came next.
"Stay here!" John told her and he went out to investigate. His lighter was in his hand and he kept flicking it on and off, ready to use it at a second's notice.
Kitty scoffed at him. "Stay here? Yeah, right!"
"Damn it, Kitty!" he called out as he raced after her. "Wait up!"
She phased though the walls so she could travel more quickly, and he cursed as he lost sight of her. Phasing though the rooms and the hallways, she saw, to her horror, that her schoolmates were slumped on the floors or in their chairs, unconscious. She was even more horrified when she found the Professor in a similar condition, his wheelchair toppled over. He had something that looked like a dart sticking out of his neck.
She turned a corner and stopped in shock. Camille was standing over a fallen Rogue. She was holding a tranquilizer gun in her right hand. When she saw Kitty, she fired.
The dart passed right through her.
"Shit," Camille said calmly. An instant later, the tranquilizer gun was switched to her left hand and replaced by a real gun. "Phase again, and I'll shoot her." She aimed it right at Rogue's head.
Kitty's heart was pounding in fear. "Why are you doing this, Camille?" she asked.
The other girl smiled coldly. She began to transform into a tall blue-skinned woman with slick red hair and frightening yellow eyes. "It's a war, kitten. And we need soldiers, willing or not." She aimed the tranquilizer gun at Kitty. "Now, stay solid."
"Kitty!" John suddenly appeared at the scene, looking slightly out of breath from his mad dash after her.
"Hey, baby!" The blue woman looked like Camille again. "Be right with you in just a second."
"John!" Kitty turned frightened eyes to him. "She's hurt Rogue. The other kids and the Professor, too."
His face hardened and a dangerous glint came over his eyes. He began to move towards Camille, flicking his lighter open and wielding the flame into a fireball in his hand.
Camille fired the gun just a few inches away from Rogue's face. The sudden loud roar made Kitty jump. "No heroics from you, baby. Put the lighter down."
John stopped in his advance and looked uncertain for a few seconds. Then, he smirked. "Camille," he said, "I wanna break up."
"What?"
The shapeshifter was momentarily distracted by the complete inanity of that statement in their current standoff. It was enough. Kitty hit the floor and John hurled the fireball at her.
She screamed and the smell of scorched hair and flesh suddenly filled the hallway.
"Don't kill her!" Kitty yelled at John.
He willed the flames to go out then rushed to her side. "Are you okay?" His bravado of a minute before was gone.
"I'm fine," she told him. "Check on Rogue."
He went to have a look at their friend. He placed his fingers quite unthinkingly against Rogue's bare throat to feel for a pulse. He suddenly jerked back with a yelp. "She's very much fine," he said darkly. "Killer skin and all."
Kitty sighed in relief. She then looked for Camille's prone form in the corner. She was blue again and burned but, thankfully, she was still breathing. As she watched, a shimmering mist rose up from her body. It coalesced and a woman stood there. She looked just like Camille, but older. Her blue eyes were filled with icy hatred as she gazed at Kitty, then she vanished.
"Hey. You sure you're okay?" John helped her up. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Kitty began to shake and he took her into his arms comfortingly. "I think I just did," she whispered.
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"We found traces of a strange compound in our supply of drinking water," Miss Grey reported. "We're still running tests on it but it seems to have properties that inhibit or weaken telepathic powers. That explains the headaches the Professor and I have been having these past few weeks."
"I still don't understand why we're not pressing charges against that blue psycho!" John burst out. He was really upset about the fact that his girlfriend had turned out to be a criminal. And that she had scales. He shuddered every time he remembered making out with her.
He and Kitty had been invited to this meeting with the Professor because they were the ones who had taken down the dangerous shapeshifter and essentially saved the entire school. "We can't just let her go! Not after what she did!" he added.
"Though the mutant known as Mystique has committed crimes in the past, in this matter she was as much a victim as any of us," the Professor told them. "Her mind had been tampered with by another power, an extremely skilled telepath the likes of which I've rarely encountered. The true villain stripped her of her own will and created the personality of Camille to act as a sort of sleeper agent in our midst."
"She said it was war," Kitty remembered. "And soldiers were needed, whether they were willing or not. Kidnapping the students and brainwashing them like what was done to Camille or Mystique was probably the plan."
"Very true, Kitty," the Professor nodded. "I'm afraid then that the danger to this school is not yet over. We still have a dangerous adversary out there. That image you provided us with, that ghostly woman you saw, could prove to be very useful in tracking down this foe."
"I want to know something, though," John frowned thoughtfully. "What or who was it that caused that painful headache we felt before all the trouble started? It was like someone stabbed me in the head."
The Professor smiled apologetically. "I was the one who did that, I'm afraid. Just before I was rendered unconscious, I sensed the intent of the attacker and I broadcast a warning to the entire school telepathically. Of course, what with the damage the compound had done to my powers, though thankfully not permanent, the whole thing went rather awry."
"Oh. Well, please never do that again," he requested and the two older mutants laughed.
A few more minutes of conversation later, the Professor thanked them again and told them that they could go.
They walked side by side silently, feeling quite awkward with each other now.
"You know," John finally spoke, his hands jammed deep in the pockets of his jeans like he was bracing himself for something, "I broke up with my girlfriend."
She bit her lip. "I know," Kitty replied. "I still have a boyfriend though."
"Yeah." He shrugged and nodded.
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Do you really wanna try this?" she asked.
He met her gaze directly. "Do you?"
"Only if you're sure."
"Well, only if you're sure, too."
"Urgh!" She was exasperated. "John Allerdyce, could you for once just say something straight out?"
"Okay! Fine!" He was exasperated now, too. "Do you wanna be my girlfriend or not?"
"Yes! Happy now?" she snapped.
He suddenly grinned. "Actually, I am." He kissed her, and she thought it was the sweetest she had ever felt.
"Kitty! What are you doing?"
Peter stood there staring at the two of them in shock.
Kitty took a step backward and pushed John to the front. "Okay," she said. "You tell him."
The end
(Oh, Peter! Poor baby, I'll save you! I hated doing that to him, but I wanted a story where John and Kitty actually ended up together, so, some very painful sacrifices had to be made. My conscience is just killing me. Sob!)