Reviews greatly appreciated guys, hope someone's enjoying this.

Rogue
—
"You know, I haven't known you more than a couple of minutes, but I could tell that," she teased. Rogue smiled, looking down as Kurt threw in his two cents. "Damn, she's good. She's got you figured out already." Shrugging, she conceded, "I'm transparent."

But back to the lake. She tossed the question in Mariko's direction, wondering if the girl had even been told about the lake day yet. Well, she knew now. Not like they weren't going to invite her and just hope that she didn't notice them. "I can't," she said after a moment, "when I was trying to cram everything I need into a rucksack, my bikini didn't seem that important. I could come down there in my underwear, but hey, who'd want to see that?" She swatted Kurt's hand down moments after it started to raise. No one needed that. Setting her hand gently back on his chest, she continued her stroking. "I guess I can still come down anyway, shorts, t-shirt, just hang out."

She nodded. That's what she was planning to do. Well, except for the shorts and t-shirt part. "Let's just pretend that wasn't a rhetorical question, shall we? And speaking for all the teenage boys in residence I think I can say that would be a very long line." She snorted, thumping him somewhat gently on the stomach. "Actually, some of the girls, too." She nodded, tapping her head with her free hand. Yup, some of the girls. Of course, she'd probably never tell anyone which of the girls, but that was beside the point.

"Seriously, though, you can probably borrow something from someone, and if not I'd be more than happy to introduce you to the wonders of beautiful downtown Bayville tomorrow, including a stop somewhere that sells bathing suits." She nodded again. People were pretty good about borrowing things around the mansion. Someone was bound to have a suit that Mariko could borrow. "I'm sure someone will have an extra. And then you'll be saved from having to shop with Kurt."

She smiled down at the elf again as she traced the muscles of his stomach with her finger. Pausing for a second, she looked at Mariko, grinning. Without warning, she twisted in her seat and ran her fingers along Kurt's sides, tickling him. His fault, after all. First rule of the jungle was never to leave your underbelly exposed. He should have known.

Mariko
—
"I'm transparent."

Narrowing her eyes, Mariko cantered her head to one side as she studied Rogue, "Not yet," she said, using her finger to draw a slow, lazy circle around Rogue's face, "but a little longer without sun and I reckon you could get there."

Mariko was about smack Kurt's hand back down, but Rogue took care of it for her. Despite herself, Mariko grinned. Sure, it wasn't quite her demographic, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant to hear. "Let's just pretend that wasn't a rhetorical question, shall we? And speaking for all the teenage boys in residence I think I can say that would be a very long line."

"Actually, some of the girls, too."

Mariko's eyes widened and she quickly did her best to hide it. That was interesting. As far as she could tell, there wasn't a subtle way of asking who Rogue was talking about. Unless the head tap was some kind of clue? Surreptitiously, Mariko stole a glance at Rogue, trying to see if the older girl was checking her out at all.

"Seriously, though, you can probably borrow something from someone, and if not I'd be more than happy to introduce you to the wonders of beautiful downtown Bayville tomorrow, including a stop somewhere that sells bathing suits."

"Right," Mariko replied, dragging the word out, "because you know, after what you just said, that doesn't make you sound like a perv at all."

"I'm sure someone will have an extra. And then you'll be saved from having to shop with Kurt."

Mariko grinned. Borrowing definitely sounded like a better idea. She shot an appreciative glance at Rogue, only to pause as she saw the other girl grinning at her. It definitely seemed possible that there was something going on here. Not that she was sure she was interested, but options were nice. Those thoughts were soon dismissed as Rogue attacked Kurt and Mariko nipped in to save the popcorn being tossed onto the floor.

Kurt
—
"Actually, some of the girls, too." Rogue commented, tapping her head by way of 'evidence' and Kurt's expression went speculative. Now that made some interesting food for thought...though Tabby was obviously on the list he wasn't entirely sure who else - if anyone - Rogue might have in mind.

Amazingly enough, he did manage to keep up his end of the conversation, even with that extremely distracting information to dwell on. His full attention was back on the matter at hand, though, with Mariko and Rogue's next comments.

"Right," Mariko replied, dragging the word out, "because you know, after what you just said, that doesn't make you sound like a perv at all."

"I'm a seventeen year old boy, it's a definitional thing," he shot back with a grin, completely unfazed. "We're all pervs, I'm just a nice one - ask her," and he jerked a thumb up at Rogue, still smiling...and still not dwelling on the fact that she was now running one finger along the hollows of his abs in a particularly maddening way. Because that was a degree of pervyness he simply didn't need to publicly advertise, thanks. If she kept it up, though, he was going to end up really hoping that his baggy cargoes were baggy enough...

"I'm sure someone will have an extra. And then you'll be saved from having to shop with Kurt." Rogue added, and he scrunched his face and smacked her with his tail in response.

"Saved from shopping with me?" he asked indignantly, sticking his tongue out at her yet again. "Just ask Kaetzchen. I'm plenty of fun to...GAH!" his defense of his appeal as a shopping buddy ceased abruptly as Rogue suddenly changed her tactics and he almost fell off the couch as he rolled himself into a ball, choking with laughter as he tried to protect his sides from her assault. This was, obviously, war.

Still gasping and choking he squirmed like a cat, twisting in place until he could get on his knees and launch himself at her. "You're going down!" he crowed as he pushed her back on the couch cushions, grabbing a safely covered wrist in each hand and pinning them to the couch on either side of her head as he settled his weight over her hips and let his tail loose on her belly at the same time.

She should so have known better than to pick a tickle fight with him by now. The tail was just too much of an advantage and he didn't feel even remotely bad about using it.

Rogue
—
Rogue nodded at Mariko's comment about her transparency. That was her goal for the next year. Avoid the sun to the point where she could just be seen through. Heh, yeah right. As they moved on to talking about who exactly might enjoy seeing Mariko walk around in her skivvies, Rogue tried not to give anything away. It was tough. But Mariko moved on thankfully, and Kurt followed. "Right," Mariko replied, dragging the word out, "because you know, after what you just said, that doesn't make you sound like a perv at all." She was going to make a "Kurt's a pervert" joke, but Kurt spoke up first.

"I'm a seventeen year old boy, it's a definitional thing," he shot back with a grin, completely unfazed. "We're all pervs, I'm just a nice one - ask her."

She shrugged. As far as perverts went, Kurt was pretty cool. "He's nice enough. But still a pervert."

She let Mariko know that someone in the mansion was bound to have a bathing suit she could borrow, thus saving the girl the trouble of shopping with the elf. Of course, Kurt felt that that was his cue to smack her with his tail and make a bad attempt at defending himself. Grinning at Mariko, she decided she'd heard enough and went in for the kill.

He was an easy target, one of the most ticklish people she'd ever known. Of course, she didn't exactly go around tickling people so it was entirely possible that he was one of the least ticklish people that she knew, but she just didn't know it. Something like that. Either way, he was easy. She didn't stop tickling him until he was curled up in the fetal position, laughing like a maniac. Even then, it was only enough for him to catch his breath. Unfortunately, that's all the time he needed to get his bearings and throw himself back at her. "You're going down!"

Before she knew what was happening, he'd pushed her back and pinned her down, straddling her hips and attacking her stomach with his tail. That goddamned tail. She really needed to start wearing shirts that covered her stomach better. Then things like that wouldn't happen. Taking as deep a breath as she could between the spastic laughing, she rocked herself off the couch, landing on top of him on the floor and pulling her arms free.

She sat on top of him for a moment, wiping the tears and running makeup out of her eyes. Finally, she looked down at him, resting her hands on his chest. "You know, this isn't helping your anti-pervyness argument at all. And you cheat. No one likes a pervy cheater, Kurt."

Mariko
—
"I'm a seventeen year old boy, it's a definitional thing. We're all pervs, I'm just a nice one - ask her."

"He's nice enough. But still a pervert."

Mariko nodded and gave Kurt a reassuring grin. "I guess it would be a bit too much to hope for more," she teased.

From afar, Mariko watched as the pair tussled and struggled, doing her level best to protect her popcorn. When, exactly, it had become her popcorn, she wasn't exactly sure, but it still was. More than once, she had to struggle to keep her balance as the pair's tickle fight rocked the couch.

"You know, this isn't helping your anti-pervyness argument at all. And you cheat. No one likes a pervy cheater, Kurt."

Mariko glanced upward, as she shrugged. "He is a nice enough pervert," she said, echoing Rogue's previous comment. Brow furrowing, she glanced at the pair on the floor. "Should I take off? Because me and the popcorn don't mind if you'd like some alone time." Gripping the bowl by the rim, she lowered it down to Kurt and Rogue. "You want some? It could be the last chance you get."

Kurt
—
"He's nice enough. But still a pervert." Rogue agreed, and he smiled in response.

Mariko nodded and gave Kurt a reassuring grin. "I guess it would be a bit too much to hope for more," she teased.

"Definitely," he shot back. "You'd be deluding yourself otherwise." After that he sort of lost interest in the conversation as he was forced to defend himself from Rogue's vicious tickle attack. He really should have known better than to get comfortable with his bare belly right here, possibly screaming at her killer instincts to take advantage of his weakness. It didn't take him all that long to get the upper hand on her ...or tail, as the case might be, but it was a short-lived victory.

She squirmed and rocked beneath him and he caught his breath in a short gasp as his tail stilled and he decided that maybe pinning her hadn't been the best tactic in the universe. That was all the opening she needed and then he was falling sideways off the couch, grabbing for Rogue as she twisted out of his grip and landed on top of him hard enough to drive the breath out of him for a moment.

He ended lying absolutely still, one hand on her hip and the other on her shoulder as he gasped for breath. He watched, wide-eyed and blinking a bit dazedly, as she wiped tears of laughter from her face and tried with limited success not to think of exactly where she was sitting. An effort that wasn't really helped by the view up her shirt his current position afforded him.

Finally, she looked down at him, resting her hands on his chest. "You know, this isn't helping your anti-pervyness argument at all. And you cheat. No one likes a pervy cheater, Kurt."

Her voice snapped him back to something resembling sense and Mariko's next words brought home just how bad this had to look. He dropped his hands to the floor next to him and looked anywhere but directly up...since all he could really see that way was straight up Rogue's loose shirt to her - oh mein Gott, not looking at it - black bra.

"He is a nice enough pervert," she said, echoing Rogue's previous comment. Brow furrowing, she glanced at the pair on the floor. "Should I take off? Because me and the popcorn don't mind if you'd like some alone time." Gripping the bowl by the rim, she lowered it down to Kurt and Rogue. "You want some? It could be the last chance you get."

Maybe Rogue hadn't noticed, though...she wasn't acting like she'd noticed. Verfluckt, this was one of those times he was amazingly grateful for how hard it was to tell he was blushing beneath all the fur.

"Um, no, you and your popcorn are good," he answered, still a bit breathless, though not necessarily from laughter now, and very still other than the hand that reached out to grab a handful of popcorn from the bowl that Mariko had offered. If he didn't move around she probably wouldn't notice, right? And if she did...Gott knew she'd absorbed enough teenage guys over the last couple of years to realize that all it took sometimes was a stiff breeze. She wouldn't get pissed off or avoid him or kill him...he hoped...

"Popcorn?" he asked Rogue with a damned good approximation of his normal carefree grin, if he did say so himself.

Rogue
—
Rogue laughed as Mariko echoed her earlier words, trying not to notice what she knew was right underneath her. Of course, when Mariko pointed it out, it got much harder to pretend it wasn't there. "Should I take off? Because me and the popcorn don't mind if you'd like some alone time." Gripping the bowl by the rim, she lowered it down to Kurt and Rogue. "You want some? It could be the last chance you get."

She leaned back, looking at Mariko upside-down and immediately regretting moving so much because now something was pressing against her and she was pretty damn sure it wasn't Kurt's tail. She wouldn't say anything. He wouldn't know she felt it. Right. It would have been funny if it weren't for the fact that she knew that sitting as she was right then was probably going to be about the closest she was ever going to get to anyone.

Sitting up again (and once more smacking herself mentally for moving), she shook her head as Kurt responded, "Um, no, you and your popcorn are good." Thank God. As long as Mariko was still in the room, it was safe. Well, safe enough. She reached for the offered popcorn and took a handful, still sitting atop Kurt. When she thought about it, it probably was not so safe for Kurt. Okay, that would be funny, seeing him try to cover it up like nothing happened. Somewhat cheered by that idea, she added, "Yeah, stay. We like a crowd."

What the fuck? She blinked a few times, looking down at Kurt and then quickly away. Had she actually said that aloud? It was time to blame one of the psyches. Definitely. And why was she still sitting on him? Not only on him, but on him. She scrambled to her feet, scooting back to her spot on the couch and glancing down at Kurt's... area. She wasn't an expert, but there was definitely something happening there. Looking away, she blushed and hoped that enough of her makeup was still firmly in place that Mariko and Kurt couldn't tell. Would it be a bad time to excuse herself to the bathroom?

Mariko
—
"Um, no, you and your popcorn are good."

Mariko started to smile, but the expression fell a little short. She was fairly sure that at least a teeny tiny part of Kurt really wanted some privacy with Rogue right now. Well, maybe not a 'teeny' part; it was unfair to judge without seeing. Not that she had any interest in that, of course.

"Yeah, stay. We like a crowd."

Mariko grinned in amusement, before pulling the popcorn back into her lap, trying to avoid thoughts about the possibilities if Kurt weren't there. Inexperienced as she was, she reckoned she could work around the no skin to skin contact situation. "You guys are making a terrible impression," she sighed melodramatically, "I'm young, impressionable, far from home and chaste and innocent. Whatever will I think?" She grinned, before helping herself to another handful of popcorn and sliding off the arm of the couch to lie along it and claim it for herself.

Kurt
—
Oh Gott, this would be so much easier if Rogue would stop moving around like that.

"Yeah, stay. We like a crowd."

Okay, that didn't help so much either. But she probably wouldn't say stuff like that if she'd noticed, right? Right. Definitely. It was all good, he decided as she scrambled to her feet and headed for the corner of the couch. Yup, there was the old 'oh my God I'm close to someone!' paranoia kicking in, right on schedule.

And things on his side were settling down enough that he didn't have to spazz too much about pulling his knees up, which was cool. All was right with the world again, since Mariko was grinning and everything, and not leaving or acting grossed out. Talk about dodging a bullet, and he grinned for no particular reason other than, hell, no harm done and it had been pretty fun there for a bit. Rogue had totally lightened up and had some fun, so no harm no foul just because his hormones had gone and kicked in.

"You guys are making a terrible impression," Mariko announced with a melodramatic sigh and his grin just got wider as he decided it was safe to get to his feet now. Yay baggy pants! "I'm young, impressionable, far from home and chaste and innocent. Whatever will I think?" She grinned, before helping herself to another handful of popcorn and sliding off the arm of the couch to lie along it and claim it for herself.

"That it's a bad idea to tickle attack the dude with the tail?" he asked with a grin, reaching down to grab another handful of popcorn as he flopped down on the couch between Mariko's feet and where Rogue was perched in her corner. "And you totally don't get to do the 'Oh mah Gawd, don't touch me!' thing," he added, leaning over to bump her shoulder with his and smile cheekily at her. "Because look at all that touching," and, yeah, his face heated a bit more at that, but they couldn't tell so it was all good, "and not a single soul sucked dry."

Yup, bullet dodged yet again...Jesus, sometimes the whole being a teenage male thing sucked, though.

Rogue
—
She shot Kurt an apologetic look, half hoping that he didn't catch it. She'd have sat there all day if it wasn't for the fact that it was driving her mentally insane, just knowing right where she was. Still, she hated to leave him with no cover. Especially since it was her fault in the first place. Sort of. Maybe. She couldn't really back that one up, but from what she remembered of the last time she absorbed him, it was a distinct possibility. "You guys are making a terrible impression," she sighed melodramatically, "I'm young, impressionable, far from home and chaste and innocent. Whatever will I think?"

She looked over at Mariko, forcing a smile and sitting back on her end of the couch rather uncomfortably. Using the arm of the couch, she tried to get herself into a position that wouldn't be so... no, it just wasn't happening. Well, she learned her lesson. "That it's a bad idea to tickle attack the dude with the tail?"

She fidgeted some more, finally giving up and covering her lap with a pillow. Not that there was anything to see there, but it was more of a security blanket kind of thing. Her mind was officially in places that it shouldn't have been, and Kurt bringing up his tail didn't help at all. She really needed to excuse herself from the room. Of course, that would probably make Kurt think that she was mad at him or scared of him or... something. And that simply wouldn't do. She dug around for the glove she'd taken off before, pulling it on and crossing her arms as Kurt plopped his fuzzy ass (which she was not going to think about) down next to her.

"And you totally don't get to do the 'Oh mah Gawd, don't touch me!' thing. Because look at all that touching, and not a single soul sucked dry." She took a deep breath. Talking about touching and sucking was probably not the best idea. He'd moved on, though. Good. She could move on too.

Smacking him on the back of his head, she nodded to herself. Moving on. "Next time, it's to the death, Fuzzy."

Death, naked wrestling... really, it was all the same. No, not naked wrestling. Moving on.