A/N: Sorry for the delay. The OTP of my primary fandom just reunited so I've been having a lot of trouble writing anything that isn't mushy and involving them. Hopefully some people are still interested in what happens next.
SPLASH!
Kitty hadn't thought her life could get any worse after Monday's demotion. But just a few days later in her new early morning self-defense class, she realized that thought had apparently just been a challenge to some higher being to prove how wrong she could be.
Like right now. The rumors hadn't stopped, Professor Xavier was still dead, Bobby was still avoiding her, she was still demoted to this miserable self-defense class and on top of it all, Kitty Pryde was soaking wet.
"I'm so sorry, Kitty, really, I am," the girl in front of her spouted words pretty much the same way she spouted water . . . gushing without much sense of aim or restraint.
Mr. Logan walked over to where the girls stood. Jessica, the would-be water nymph, hovering around trying to help while Kitty stood there seething about the situation and the unfairness of it all.
"What's going on here?" he growled and a short fountain shot from Jess's clenched fists as she jumped in fear. He took one look at the dripping palms of one girl and the other's soaked form and figured it out.
"What happened to 'no powers?'" he asked roughly as the terrified girl tried not to spray more water unintentionally. "Half-pint, you can go change up. I'll find a new sparring partner for Sprinkler here."
All around her was more of the same. Despite being in her age group, the teenage mutants surrounding her had little control over their powers when stimulated. Kitty was years ahead in both control of her powers and defensive maneuvering without them. And it was frustrating beyond belief to spend an hour in this room each morning patiently waiting for whoever she was paired up with to make a move that didn't involve almost dissecting, burning or drowning her. She had phased through the first two accidental water missiles, but the third had caught her unaware. 'Silly, Kat, thinking that Jess would have stopped after two consecutive errors,' she mentally chided herself.
Mr. Logan was still fixing her with his trademark glare but Kitty refused to back down. She glared right back at him.
"I'll be fine," she said attempting to match his gruff air.
Mr. Logan looked dubious, but Kitty ignored him instead crouching into the ready position. He finally gave up, giving her a look of grudging respect before walking to the other side of the gym to give Jubilee a few pointers. Turning back to Jess, Kitty phased just in time to avoid another turrent of water.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Kitty shouted frustrated holding up her hands.
Jessica jumped back, but the water stopped, which Kitty took as an invitation to continue. "Look, you draw the moisture from the air to form water right?" she asked her partner.
Jess nodded, seemingly perplexed at where Kitty was going with this. "I don't consciously think about it on that level usually, but that's what Ms. Monroe has said in Chemistry."
Kitty smiled. "Well, that's part of your problem. To get your powers to work really well you have to think about them. Later they will become reflex, but for now, concentrate on what you do and you can stop yourself from doing it."
Jessica seemed dubious. "I don't know. Maybe it's different for you with your phasing?"
Kitty shook her head. "I have a . . ." Kitty stumbled over the words to try and describe Bobby, "friend who does the same thing only with ice, not water. It worked for him; it'll work for you."
"Yeah, I've heard all about how you helped Bobby Drake," Jess snorted, her face changing dramatically from embarrassed to vindictive. "Helped Marie D'Ancanto, too, didn't you. Right into a cure clinic!"
Kitty stood for a moment, her jaw surely resting somewhere around her knees. She had known of the rumors sure and hadn't Jubilee mentioned she was a bit unpopular at the moment? But no one had said anything to her face until now.
The nerve of that girl – Kitty was trying to help the simpleton and instead she gets insulted? Shock wore off quickly and Kitty had crossed the distance between the two girls in half a second too angry to think about what she was doing.
Fortunately for Jessica, Mr. Logan's mutant ability included enhanced hearing. He had heard most of the exchange and correctly judging Kitty's temperament had started toward the pair.
He stepped between the two girls just as Kitty had reached out to grab onto anything of Jessica she could reach, shouting "HALT!" Jessica had responded the only way she knew how, a waterfall of water that Kitty phased through easily, but nailed her recently arrived teacher.
Despite her anger, Kitty had to admit that the "Drowned Wolverine" look was not Mr. Logan at his best.
"Miss Devereaux, I will see you in here at 4 o'clock sharp for a lesson on individual control. Miss Pryde, same time, but tomorrow," Mr. Logan snarled.
How was that fair? Kitty had been trying to help, had been insulted and now she had detention? Last time I try and help out these losers, she thought, biting her lower lip to keep from screaming.
"Now both of you, go to your rooms and cool off!" he barked.
Jessica scurried off, although others would say later it was hard to tell whether she was running from Kitty or Logan. Kitty paused for a moment, staring him down, before leaving the room with her head held high.
Well, one more person to avoid, she thought with a wry smile. That brought the total to . . . 4. She was avoiding John and Marie since the incident in the hallway on Tuesday. She didn't trust John and was scared at how far she had let her defenses slip around him that day before Marie had interrupted. As for Marie, it was obvious that she no longer wanted a friendship with Kitty and if she believed one tenth of the rumors circulating Kitty couldn't say she blamed her. Which led to person number four, Mr. Robert Drake himself.
While Bobby may have started the avoidance game, since running into Marie with John, Kitty had definitely done her part as a player. She didn't want to think about what his reaction would be if or when Marie told him that she had been with John. He may come lecture her again or start a fight with John that would only land them both in more trouble. Or . . . or maybe he would do nothing. Maybe whatever she had done between Alcatraz and now that had him avoiding her was so bad that he didn't care that she was hanging out with his would be murderer. Despite her anger at Bobby, it was that last possibility that scared Kitty the most.
Sighing, Kitty pressed the button for the elevator that would take her up to the girls' floor where she could change for her next class. The doors opened and Kitty shivered in her wet clothes. Maybe she would have a chance to sneak in a hot shower, she thought with a slight smile.
Looking up, she realized the elevator was not empty. And right there was standing the number one person on her avoidance list.
His blue eyes widened at her wet form and Kitty couldn't help but think what an appearance she made soaked to the core in her workout pants and T-shirt. Fortunately her sports bra was purple as the T-shirt she was wearing was not only sticking close to her skin, but painfully transparent.
"I'll take the next one," she mumbled turning, but the doors had already closed. She made a move to phase through them anyway, to be anywhere but here, when Bobby stopped her.
"Kit, wait!" he shouted, putting a hand on her elbow to try and delay her.
The nickname stung after over a week of Bobby's acting like he didn't know her and she stopped mid-step, although she refused to turn around.
"That could have been so unsafe, phasing while the elevator's between floors. What are you thinking?" Bobby continued.
"I was thinking that I could avoid another lecture, Dad," Kitty spat out before she could stop herself. She heard a sharp intake of breath behind her and felt more than a little remorseful. She turned, slowly to face him. "Sorry. It's been a long day already and it's not even eight."
Bobby seemed to consider this, looking down at his watch thoughtfully. "Actually, it's 8:02 am."
Kitty smiled in spite of herself. "Well, in that case, the day has been quite the appropriate length I suppose."
"What happened to you anyway?" he asked, lifting her wet sleeve between two fingers as if disgusted.
Kitty playfully swatted his hand away. "It's water, thanks. And Jessica Devereaux happened to me."
Bobby raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Now why do I always miss the hot girl-on-girl action?"
Despite her relief at having a normal, lighthearted conversation with Bobby for the first time in forever, Kitty couldn't help but feel a tinge of humiliation admitting why she and Jessica spent time together in the first place. Pete or someone would have filled him in by now about her demotion, but to have to admit it out loud . . .
Then there was the fight afterwards. Her cheeks started coloring just thinking about the horrible things Jessica had said about her and Bobby. She wondered if he felt the same way about the rumors or if he, being Bobby – wonderfully oblivious – had even noticed. She wanted to ask him and oh, about a million things while they were talking. But right now she couldn't stop thinking about what Jessica would say if she knew that Kitty and Bobby were alone in an elevator and her top was completely see through.
"Look at you, Miss Pryde, you're positively blushing," Bobby smirked, walking around her slightly. "I knew it was something dirty!"
Why was this elevator taking so long to go one floor? Why hadn't she taken the stairs?
"Sort of," Kitty finally admitted sucking up her pride. She didn't want to let this moment with Bobby escape, even if it was painfully embarrassing. "Self-defense with mutants that are still learning to control their powers can be a bit hazardous. I miss actually training training, not babysitting for just teething mutants. I never thought I'd say it, but I'd kill for a Danger Room run."
Kitty glanced over to see Bobby's reaction to that admission but the earlier levity was gone, his face suddenly impassive. "What?" She asked, suddenly defensive. "Don't tell me that you approve of me moving down to the X-Babies!"
"Logan and Ororo know what's best," Bobby replied without a hint of wavering. "I'm sure the extra training won't hurt you any."
"Won't hurt me? It's only completely humiliating." Kitty looked at him in disgust. "I can't believe you didn't stick up for me!" She exploded before fixing him with her gaze, eyes cold. "You're right. Extra training won't hurt me. You're doing a bang up job of that all by yourself."
Fortunately for Kitty, the elevator doors opened at that moment, because she knew, a dangerous time to phase or not, she would not have spent another minute on that elevator with him.
Unfortunately, John was standing right there as if waiting for her to emerge. It didn't take him long to notice what she was wearing.
"You know, I don't say this to most felines, but the wet look works for you," he leered, taking advantage of her white T-shirt to look her up and down.
Kitty stalked off down the hallway before Bobby could jump in and order her to - like the child he seemed to think she was. To her surprise and perhaps relief, John matched her stride for stride.
"What do you want?" she snapped at him.
"Wow, hostile, much?" John replied, still matching her every step.
Kitty was rapidly running out of hallway before the bathroom. She came to the disturbing conclusion that he may very well follow her into the shower if she didn't stop and talk to him.
"Fine." Kitty abruptly stopped and John crashed into her not so softly. "Ouch!"
For a moment, she thought he would apologize, but it was gone before she could say for sure. "That's what you get for starting and stopping!"
Kitty clenched her teeth and forced her voice to come out evenly. "Okay, then, I'm sorry for making you follow me and crash into me rudely from behind. Now what do you want?"
"Eat lunch with me," he answered simply.
"What? No!" She scoffed. "Why would I do that?"
"Why not?" he asked. "It doesn't look like the Iceman is chasing down after you asking to hang out and your other 'friends' seem conspicuously absent."
"They're in class," Kitty mumbled, trying not to show how much the Bobby comments were getting to her. It was getting harder to defend him to herself; let alone to John. Why was she even still trying?
"Whatever," John shook off her excuses. "Pry- Kitty. Don't make me beg. Seriously, I feel like I have some disease, no one will talk to me. I need a little shield in that lunchroom."
"I didn't think you cared what us do-gooder types thought of you," Kitty responded.
"I didn't. I mean, I don't," John hastily corrected. "Look, I'm stuck here for the next two years at least or so says my probation officer. I may hate those I'm surrounded with, but I can't spend every moment of those two years alone."
Kitty looked into his eyes as if searching for some hidden agenda, but was surprised to see what looked like actual emotion. If she admitted it to herself, she'd realize it was even an emotion she had become all too familiar with in the mirror the past few days. He looked lonely.
Of course, then he had to open his big fat mouth. "And I suppose as do-gooders go, you're not completely disgusting." He trailed his eyes down her shirt one more time, not that the shirt was doing much to hide anything. "In fact, I'd say you're more sinfully delicious."
"Pervert!" Kitty shoved him away and resumed walking down the hall.
"So I'll see you at lunch hour then?" he called after her, thankfully not following this time.
Despite the rather rude gesture that Kitty threw over her shoulder at him, she knew that she would probably sit with him at lunch, insufferable do-gooder that she was. She just hoped this time at least, she knew what she was doing.