Savor the Taste

It had been four days since her last visit. The only people he saw were Storm and Wolverine, usually to being him food. Sometimes, Beast would come in and administer some kind of sedative. They never said anything to him, and he never tried to make conversation. All he did all day was think of her. The way she smelled like strawberries, the smoothness of her finger tips. He started to lose hope that she would ever return. All that kept him going were her words, "I'll do what I can for you."

He felt disgusting and dirty and it annoyed him. He may have been a bad guy, but that doesn't mean he rejected hygiene. By this time, he had managed to get his boots off and they laid in a pile next to his crouched body.

Somewhere in the distance, outside of the room, John could hear the sound of a door opening and closing. Whenever this happened, he tried not to get too excited, since it usually ended up being Beast walking around the cells. He absentmindedly wondered who else they had locked up down here. His thoughts were interrupted when Kitty walked through the wall he was facing. John jumped a bit out of surprise and this made Kitty smile a bit.

"Hi John." She said with an innocent smile on her face. Seeing that smile made John suddenly forget about all the troubles floating around in his head. All he saw was this girl. He nodded back at her, as his own greeting. He noticed she was holding a small bowl full of water and small white rag in her hands. She walked towards him and crouched so that she was eye level. It was just like the first time they met. She set the bowl down next to his legs.

"Sorry that I couldn't come sooner, kinda hard when everyone is watching your every move all day long. Thankfully, everyone is out for the night so I thought I might keep you company for a while." She said with happiness. He didn't know why, but he felt happy along with her. He silently watched her as she dipped the rag into the cool water ad rung it out. She then looked up into his darkened blue eyes and spoke softly.

"Let me see your wrists." She said, holding out her free hand. He extended his right hand, making his chains rattle together. The moment her fingers touched his skin; he felt alive again. He watched her as she moved the hard metal of his chains and gently started to clean his raw, bloody wrists. He winced at first from the biting pain and she quickly apologized. For a few long minutes, she cleaned his wounds, until the water in the bowl was red. When she was done, she continued to sit in front of him.

"Do you know what they are going to do with me?" He asked her, almost in a whisper. She shrugged her shoulders.

"They seem pretty torn. They wanted to hand you over to the authorities but since you used to be a student here, I think they feel obligated to keep you." Kitty said. John found that oddly comforting, at least they weren't as merciless as Magneto.

They continued to sit with each other for a few moments. John clutched his stomach, out of hunger. Sure, they were feeding him, but only one meal once a day. He tried to make it look inconspicuous, but Kitty noticed. Suddenly, she stood. Scared that she was going to leave for the day, John took her hand.

"I'm coming back." She said, with a smirk on her face. He let go of her hand and she walked through the wall. John had started to become very envious of her powers. What he wouldn't have given to have those powers while he was stuck in his tiny cell. While he waited, he found his mind wandering to Kitty. At first, her unusual kindness towards him left an unnerving feeling. Now, she seemed like a beacon of light in his dark prison. He thought of how soft her hands were and how smooth her voice sounded. He had let his mind wander over her features until she came back through the wall; with her hands behind her back.

She stood in front of him with a silly grin on her face while he watched her expectantly. She waited for a few seconds, for the anticipation; until she couldn't contain herself any longer. She pulled her hands to display her surprise. A wide grin appeared on John's face. Strawberries.

Kitty giggled a bit and she skipped over to John, sitting down next to him. Se leaned against the cool metal of the wall and set down the strawberries in between her and John. This small gesture insured his hope that there was at least one person who cared about him. He picked up a strawberry and bit into it slowly; savoring the taste in case he didn't ever get a chance like this again.

For a few moments, they were content with being silent and taking their time eating. Neither of them knew when it happened, but their fingers became intertwined. It felt good; he felt good. He felt safe with her.

After at least twenty minutes, all the strawberries were gone. Kitty stood but John didn't let go on her hand; he, in fact, held it tighter. She turned back to look at him in surprise.

"You're coming back right?" John asked, letting his lonely desperation show once more. Kitty gave him a small smile and a reassuring squeeze from her hand to his.

"As soon as I'm able." She said, then she let go of his hand and he watched her disappear through the wall. He leaned his head back against the metal of his prison and closed his eyes; trying to savor the taste of strawberries.