Combusting Hearts
Chapter 12
Weeks went by and the weather outside grew ever colder. It was about the second week of December now, and Christmas was just around the corner. The Professor had already relieved the students of class till the new year, and some students left for home, while others stayed behind at the school. Either they didn't have anywhere to go (like me), weren't welcome back home (like me) or they just didn't want to leave (like me). It didn't matter to me though, I just wanted to be left alone.
Most people didn't go outside right now given how cold it was, but I'm one of the weird one's that just doesn't care. I just wanted some time to myself as I thought about things.
It was going to be different this year. With a new home, new friends, new surroundings. This would my first Christmas with people that actually cared about me since my parents died. This all felt so strange to me, and at times, it still kind of scared me. It made me smile though at the prospect of actually receiving Christmas presents for once. I was kind of anxious to see what I would get.
When I brought the issue of Christmas shopping up with the Professor, he was actually very nice about it and even gave me some money. He had told me that the money was mine anyway, the money that a few of my previous caregivers had forgotten was supposed to be used for my well-being. He did suggest that I take Gambit with me though, so that I wouldn't be by myself. I didn't really mind so much, since he was good company most of the time.
I felt so out of place when we were at the mall, just walking around and staring into different shop windows. Seeing as my clothes were starting to become a bit too worn, I bought a couple shirts and another pair of pants. I also bought a few pairs of socks, especially since I had worn holes in all of my other ones.
When we walked by a game shop, I made Gambit wait outside.
I went in, looking around at the shelves. I found one section that had playing cards and grinned. I went and looked through the different assortments of playing cards, picking a few different decks. I think I had like 10 decks in my hands as I went up to the front desk. I was curious though when my eyes caught a set of cards inside the glass case.
A few of the cards had been pulled out of the box so that they were visible to costumers. Even though they looked a bit aged, they were elegant and beautiful.
"Excuse me Sir, could I see those cards for a moment?" I asked, pointing at the ones I wanted to look at.
"Certainly, Miss," he said, pulling them out from the case for me.
Once he sat them in front of me, I drew the remaining cards from the little box, looking over them. I made sure to count them, wanting to be certain that they were all there. Dispite their age, they were in rather good condition. The cards themselves were smooth against my fingertips, the corners well rounded. They were perfect. I was about ready to say something when I heard Gambit.
"You about done in d'ere cheri?" he asked, starting to walk in.
I quickly made my way over to him, pushing him out of the shop.
"I'll be done in a minute, just stay out here," I said, quickly walking back in.
I sighed as I stood before the man, running my fingers through my hair.
"How much are they?" I asked, looking down at the cards.
"20 dollars," he said.
I sighed, debating for a moment on whether they were worth it. I bit my bottom lip as I glanced back at the front of the store, seeing Gambit sitting on one of the benches with his eyes closed.
"I'm guessing these aren't for you?" he asked.
I nodded my head.
"My friend," I gestured to Gambit sitting outside, "has a thing for cards," I told him.
"Ah, I see. Hm…how about I let you have them for $15?" he proposed.
I smiled graciously.
"I think I can work with that," I said, standing there as he rang everything up.
Gambit was happy when I was finally done, walking back out of the shop. He jumped right to his feet, coming to stand in front of me.
"Where to next cheri?" he asked.
"I'm not really sure. I guess we can just walk around a bit more and see if we find anything," I said, moving forward.
I swear, I really should have thought things over before coming here. Maybe then, I'd actually know what to get. I mean, I already had Gambit out of the way, but there was still Logan, Kurt, Hank, the Professor, Ororo, and Scott. Although, I kind of already knew what I was going to get Scott, wax for his car(s). Now that I think about it, a book would probably work for Hank.
"Hey, Remy, let's find the bookstore," I said, switching the bags to my other hand.
"Alright cheri, but…" he came up beside me, quickly snatching the bags from my hand, "I'll carry these," he said.
I sighed for a moment, trying to grab them back, but he wouldn't let me.
"Ah, ah, ah cheri. You shouldn' strain your delicate hands," he chuckled, lifting the bags above his head so that I couldn't reach them.
I tried jumping for them, but I'm too short to reach them. So, I decided to go with plan B, and grabbed hold of his ear. He let out a yowl in pain as I pulled him down to my level.
"Come on, cheri, be nice ta Remy?" he pleaded, trying not to move his head too much.
Ignoring his plea, I got up close to his face, looking him in the eyes. He kept silent, waiting for me to speak.
"You even try to look through my stuff and you're a dead man," I warned, letting go of his ear.
He stood there rubbing his ear for a moment, a skeptical look on his face.
"I mean it Remy," I said, pressing my earlier comment.
"Alright, alright, Gambit won' look," he agreed.
"Thank you," I muttered, walking forward.
Gambit just came up beside me, throwing an arm around my shoulders, and pulling me close to him as we walked. I could feel my face heat up a bit as he did this, trying to hide my embarrassment.
T
Gambit stood there for a moment, rubbing his ear when Elaine finally decided to let go. He didn't know why she was so uptight about not wanting him to see the contence (sp?) of the bags, but he agreed not to look inside them. He didn't want his ear pulled again.
He watched as she started to walk off ahead of him, her hands hanging loosely at her sides. He'd known her for nearly two months now, and he still didn't understand her at times. Then again, she was usually fairly quiet when it came to people, and really didn't talk to anyone. In fact, the only ones that she ever talked to, were the Professor, Logan, Kurt, and himself. Occasionally, she'd talk to some of the other teachers and students, but it was rare. He had noticed though, that she seemed to favor Logan at time, and he wondered why. He admitted to himself that he was a bit jealous at this, wanting to spend more time with her. After all, that was the original reason for him coming to New York in the first place. He still had to remind himself though, that she was still scared, and still trying to get used to having a semi-normal life.
He sighed for a moment, coming to walk beside her before placing his arm around her shoulders. He could faintly feel her stiffen as he pulled her against him. She seemed embarrassed from this action.
He grinned for a moment, before speaking.
"Why don' we get somet'in ta eat cheri?" he suggested, glancing down at her.
"Will you let go of me?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I don' t'ink so cheri," he said, grinning at her.
She groaned in what he could only presume to be annoyance.
"Come on, cheri. Ya gotta be hungry," he pushed.
"Remy…" she started warily, "I just want to get done shopping, okay? My feet are killing me…" she muttered.
He looked down at her for a moment, before nodding his head, leading her toward one of the benches.
"D'en sit down, cheri," he said, pushing her gently onto the bench.
T
I just stared at him as he pushed me to sit on the bench, watching warily as he knelt down, undoing my shoes. I could feel a thin blush slowly creeping onto my cheeks as he did this.
"R-Remy…w-what are you doing?" I asked carefully, watching as he pulled my worn socks off of my feet.
"Don' worry cheri, I just helpin'," he reassured me.
My fingers curled when he started rubbing and massaging my feet, my breath catching tightly in my throat. I had to turn my head away so that I wouldn't have to look at him. I was so embarrassed!
"R-Remy," I stammered.
"Don' worry cheri, I just helpin'," he repeated again.
Out of the corner of my eyes, he had what looked to be a look of satisfaction on his face.
"You're so dead when we get back," I muttered.
"No, when we get back you can return the favor," he said slyly.
"Why you little sneak!" I exclaimed, shoving him a bit with my other foot.
He just laughed merrily, before reaching into one of my bags, and pulling out a pair of socks. Before I could say anything, he pulled them out and put them on my feet. He then slipped my shoes back on and pulled me to my feet.
"Now, let's get done wit' d'at shoppin' of yours so we can get outta here," he said.
"You just wanna get back so that you can have me rub your feet," I scowled.
"Never said it be my feet cheri," he said, "Gambit neck and back been mighty stiff lately. Wolverine ain't too gentle wit' me," he told me, trying to hold in a grin.
"Why you…" I smacked his arm lightly, walking away.
"Come on, cheri, wait up," he called, catching up to me and grabbing me by the waist.
"What!?" I growled faintly.
I had to stop though when he looked down at me with a serious look.
"Cheri…" he looked around carefully for a moment, "ya need ta slow down," he said, emphasizing on slow.
My eyes went wide when I realized what he meant. People were staring at us now, and it was starting to scare me.
"Let's just get outta here cheri," he said slowly, slowly moving toward the exit with me by his side.
Man I can't believe myself! I forgot to put this up the other day when I finished it. Bad Kitty, bad! Sorry everyone :) Well, there's chapter 12. To make it up to everyone, chapter 13 should be up today, maybe in a couple hours, maybe a bit less. Anyway, please remember to REVIEW. And Bite, if you're reading this, don't sick your rabid hamster on me yet? :) Lol.