O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O Disclaimer O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
X-Men Evolution and its Characters do not belong to me. I'm writing this for pure fun and selfish reasons; those being that I want to see all my crack ships do very very naughty things ;)
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O AN O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Hey you guys! Hope you're having an amazing summer so far! I'm here with the next chapter ;)
Many thanks to the wonderful Clamchick (Romy is always very Squee lol Aww thank you so much! I was very nervous about the drug use part so I'm glad you thought I did well. I really appreciate it! I'm so glad to be your go to for a pick me up! That makes me feel so awesome! Haha, Remy likes his wings ;) Thanks again!), Metalgodess, Guest (I'm not sure if there's two different guests but Yes, Anna's Ex is Cody lol. I wouldn't say Anna is insecure about how she may feel about Remy because of his past relationship with Fans. The plan is for this story to go up to 30 chapters :) we're almost there which is funny cause it seems like so much is going on lol Thanks for reading and enjoying!), Desireesamonie and RogueQuee69.
Thanks very much for your continued support and patience! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O Chapter 20 O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Pietro looked from one sister to the other looking a mixture of surprise and awe. Anna did it, she actually somehow convinced his twin to get on the stage after a year hiatus. "It's a sure thing right? You're not going to back out last minute? I won't have time to find you guys a replacement or to have you and Gambit find something to do if you don't go through with it?"
Anna shook her head but it was Wanda who gave a verbal response, "No, we're not going to fucken back out of it. Do we still get a say on the time slots or did you already arrange everyone?"
"I have to arrange things a certain way to give Remy a rest every so often since he's doing so many performances but let me go over it and I'll let you know what times I have available."
His twin nodded and he took a bite of his French toast as he continued to still look surprised by the turn of events. Luna sat beside him watching cartoons on her iPad and kept missing putting food in her mouth half the time. Luckily because she had been so preoccupied she had missed the curse her aunt had said causing her to lose out on a dollar. After a bit Pietro finally shook the shock off and changed the subject as he looked at the blonde haired girl, "Hey, now that we're all together, wasn't there something you wanted to ask Auntie Wand Wand and Annie?" Pietro asked, nudging the little girl.
"Hmm…" her little face didn't look away from the iPad while her dad looked at her expectantly. After a few seconds he gave her another nudge, making her perk up. "Daddy's taking me to the zoo this weekend! Will you go with us?"
"Uh…"
"Pleeeeeassseeee…"
Anna shook her head amusedly at the plea , "Yeah alright Moon Moon, I don't have any big plans this weekend so you can count me in."
Wanda shrugged, "I'm closing that day so I guess I can go…"
"Yay!" her little yell echoed in the kitchen almost drowning out Pietro's, "Great cause I have to promote Nocturnal Madness for a little bit and you guys can watch her while I do that…"
He smirked before looking away at the glares being directed at him.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Ray took a spoonful of cereal into his mouth each bite making a loud crunch sound emit from him. His eyes stayed on the screen as Stranger Things played, the spider-like man on the screen keeping his attention. He was so preoccupied with the show that he failed to notice the approaching footsteps until she had already been standing in the doorway watching him for a while.
"Where is everyone?"
The question made the spoon in his hand shake, causing him to miss his mouth and for cereal and milk to get onto his gray tank top. "Shit, don't do that…" he remarked, pulling his eyes away from the TV to look at her.
"Talk?" She asked as her eyebrow arched up.
"Sneak up on me."
"Maybe it would be less easy to scare you if you weren't watching scary stuff in the dark," she countered, her brown eyes going to the tv too.
"I wasn't scared, just surprised," he answered and took another bite. In between chews he added, "Berto and Laura are at the gym. They work full shifts when they're off from Scarlet."
"Oh, that makes sense," she remarked and took a few steps to sit on the opposite side of the couch where he was.
"What do you do on your days off?"
"I'd usually hang out with Amara. We'd go to the gym and then just watch movies, go to the mall or whatever…just hang out. You?"
He shrugged, "Logan's, or do things around here. Sometimes I have odd jobs."
"Odd jobs?"
"Handyman type of stuff. Sometimes elderly people will put ads needing help around their homes, things like that and that keeps me pretty busy because then they tell their friends and so on and so on… apparently they say I'm good with my hands…"
Jubilee pursed her lips together, her thoughts momentarily going to the way those hands had handled her the previous day. Well...she wasn't going to argue with that statement, "Oh, so you're going to be busy with side work today?"
He shook his head, "No, since it's summer and Scarlet Ink is busier I take a break from it. Today I was going to head to the gym for a bit and afterwards head to Bobby's. He sent an SOS message this morning asking for help with his air conditioner unit, we'll see how that goes...Then later tonight I have to head to the Lounge for rehearsal."
"Ah, sounds like a full day."
He nodded and took another spoonful of cereal. When he was done, his eyes returned to her, "Do you want to come?"
Jubilee was sure that the way he had said it had no meaning behind them but she couldn't help but swallow hard at the intensity of his gray blue eyes. After getting a hold of herself she found the strength to give a slight shrug, "I don't have any other plans."
"Alright." He dropped his spoon in his bowl before tipping it and drinking the rest of the milk left. He then put it on the coffee table before him and got up. "I'll start getting ready for the gym and we can leave in a few."
She nodded and watched him look down, finally noticing the mess he had made on himself. His hand went to the base of his tank top and pulled upwards taking the soiled garment off.
Her brown orbs eyed the hard curves slowly and carefully as she tried to memorize every defined muscle. It was an odd thing to know how that body felt but never have taken a good look at it especially in this type of lighting of day.
He bent to pick up the bowl, apparently deciding to drop it off at the kitchen before heading to his room to get ready. As his body angled she was able to see the hint of ink. He then started walking away towards the hallway, his back facing her making her eyes widened as he went.
Before she had a chance to say anything his voice broke through the sound of the TVs, "this answers your question on whether I have other tattoos right?" He threw her a smile over his shoulder but didn't give her a chance to respond as he went down the hall towards the kitchen leaving her alone to think about the multiple tattoo's at his back.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Jubilee rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for Ray to finish changing before they headed to their next destination.
Their car drive to Logan's Training Room had been filled with small talk, none of it in regard to the tattoos he had shared with her by exposing his back. By this time she had known him long enough that she knew if he didn't want to give up the information he wouldn't but she hoped with time she would be able to figure out the significance of the crow at his upper right shoulder and the tree at the center of his back along with the smaller ones that littered his alabaster skin.
"Earlier, why did you say that you'll see how it goes at Bobby's? He's expecting you if he asked for help right?"
"The message was sent to the X-men chat, I'm the first one who answered and it makes sense that I'm the one going since, like I told you earlier I take odd jobs like this but...I'm not sure how safe it is to be around with his new roommate. Haven't seen her since she left."
As he said the words they made a turn bringing two blondes into view. Jubilee felt her body tense at the sudden realization of the position she had put herself in.
Ray must have felt the shift in the air because she heard him give an amused 'hmm' followed by, "Just be cool, she's more annoyed with me and takes it out with everyone in my vicinity but she's actually a lot of fun when she's not in a mood. You guys would probably get along really well, all things considered."
As he finished the words they stopped in the driveway of the apartment complex. Bobby smirked his eyes going from one to the other making Ray roll his eyes at him. Tabitha did a similar movement with her eyes, she was not smirking or smiling, instead her mouth was too busy chewing on a piece of gum and blowing a big bubble out.
As the car doors closed the pop of her gum echoed around them before Bobby greeted them. "What's up, we were expecting you alone," Bobby remarked and threw his smirk to Jubilee.
"The joy of being our roommate, you eventually get dragged along somewhere," Ray answered good naturedly, ignoring the suggestion in his tone. "You guys remember Jubilee yeah?"
"Yup, hi nice to see you," Bobby answered in a friendly manner while Tabitha nodded in response.
"So…" Ray started after a moment of silence, "show me the problem." At the words both young adults got into gear and turned to lead them to the apartment.
"It just stopped working…"
As soon as they walked inside Jubilee knew what wasn't working. The first room they entered was a sauna. Beads of sweat started forming on her brow immediately and she found herself moving her hand up to wipe it off only for more beads to form.
"Holy shit, what did you do?"
"Kept having a temperature war, someone, I won't name any names…" Bobby threw Tabitha a look, "kept changing it to 78 and you know I like my shit at 60."
"60!" Jubilee yelled, surprised.
"Right? How is anyone supposed to live in that!"
"Wear sweats and a sweater," Bobby answered before turning to Jubilee, "she knew what she was getting into! Anyway," he turned to Ray. "I think it broke from the constant change in temperature…"
"You think?" Ray answered. Before Bobby could answer the tall boy walked away from all three of them towards the AC panel. "Fuck It's hot…" he Ray looked at the temputure reading. 103.
"Why do you think we were waiting outside?" Tabitha asked and walked over to a small electrical fan, moving it toward him.
"If we can't fix it through here we're going to have to go up and look at the unit…" he told Bobby while taking the ac panel face off and moving wires around.
"Fuck, I was hoping we didn't have to go that avenue. If it's this hot out here, how hot do you think it'll be up there?" Bobby didn't get an answer and the three watched the taller boy go to work on colored wires and small mechanics.
After a few minutes Tabitha caught Bobby wiping his head with an arm as sweat started dripping on his forehead. "Here I'll go get you something to drink." She spared Jubilee a glance, "do you want to come?"
"Uh…yeah sure," she answered awkwardly, making the blonde girl nod and walk away making her follow. As they left neither girl noticed that two pairs of blue eyes watching them go.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Jubilee watched Tabitha put the lemonade powder into a litter of water. She then watched her drop ice cubes and frozen blueberries into the mix. She closed the bender and moved it around, mixing the contents a bit before placing the bender in its place and pressing the button that would mix it all together. It was a surprisingly quiet blender making the kitchen stay in a weird silence.
"So, you ended up taking my room?"
Jubilee was happy that the quiet had been broken but she couldn't say she liked the topic. She quickly became flustered and answered, "It's temporary. I just needed somewhere to stay for a few weeks and Roberto was nice enough to offer…"
"Hmm, so it was Roberto who invited you over. Sounds right, he's ok with people in his space…Ray doesn't seem like he's minding the company too much though…"
Jubilee closed her mouth not knowing how to answer that. Luckily she didn't have to as Tabitha added, "I was so sure they would make my room a game room too."
"They still might, I mean I'm only staying two weeks…"
"Hmm, how are you liking it?"
"So far I've only been there the weekend but, I mean everyone's made me feel at home so…"
She nodded, "That's good, though I would think it's probably hard on at least one person…"
Deciding that she wasn't going to play the pussyfooting game she squared her body and answered, "I know some of them may like to play it safe and private but they all agreed to let me in so I'm sure it's fine."
Jubilee expected the blonde to become sour at her response but was surprised when instead she smirked. "I didn't mean it in that way. Yes, Ray likes to be private, especially in his safe place which would be what he considers home but I meant that it will be difficult because of the temptation."
"…"
"He has a type…he'll never admit it to anyone but I was his girlfriend for quite a while. I guess the real question is if he's willing to give into it and if he does...are you?"
"..." Jubilee stayed quiet as Tabitha looked her up and down. After inspecting her she moved away and went into a cabinet bringing out four glasses. She then turned the blender off and poured the lemonade into four different glasses.
"If you do, as someone with experience in that department at least with him...I'd have to say to be careful. He's cute...and when he lets you in…" she paused her eyes, seeming to look far away, "He's so charming and it feels so...wow," she blinked and her eyes came back to focus. "It fucks with your mind…the thing Ray is greatest at is shutting people out…" she handed her two of the drinks. "So if you decide to play a game, don't make it real. I learned that the hard way."
"Why are you telling me this?" Jubilee asked, her voice coming out a little louder than a whisper.
Tabitha smiled at her, "Because he has a type...and the few times I've seen you around, you're already closer than what he let me be the first month we were dating. If I were a betting woman I'd say he might just give into the temptation. I guess, I wished someone might have been there to warn me about the heart break it would lead to."
She walked away then leaving Jubilee with the two glasses. She stayed there frozen in place letting the words repeat in her head for a minute or so, when she eventually made it to the room Ray looked at her with a perked brow and outstretched his arm to take the blue lemonade. "Heard about your interesting conversation."
Jubilee's eyes widened and she almost dropped the glass of lemonade as she passed it over to him. She turned to Tabitha who was smiling mischievously. "You did?"
"Yeah, so what song are you singing for karaoke tomorrow?"
Jubilee's jaw dropped as Tabitha tried to hide a chuckle which she disguised as a cough, "Let's talk about that later. You guys need to fix this shit cause it feels hotter than before," she remarked changing the subject.
Both Bobby and Ray took a big sip of their drinks before handing them back to the girls and paying attention back to the AC panel. As their attention focused on that, Jubilee turned to Tabitha who shrugged and mouthed 'He asked where you were and what we were talking about. It's what came to mind.' She shook her head and mouthed the words 'NO' making Tabitha give a genuine smile and wink.
Her pink lips opened to word, 'It'll be fine'.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Laura watched Pietro give Luna a push on the swing with a slight smile on her face. After a few regular swings he did one at an angle making the little girl giggle and yell out "daddy!" in a faux reprimanding tone.
After a few more pushes she watched him move to the side of her and tell her something before walking over to her leaving the little girl to swing on her own. While he walked over to her she stayed attentive to the smaller human making sure that she didn't falter or need help as her father let her manage on her own.
When he sat down his sapphire orbs immediately went back to Luna. "Sorry this date is so tame."
Laura looked away from Luna to look at him with a perked brow, "What the hell were you thinking of us doing on a first date?"
He smirked at the insinuation in her voice, "I was just thinking bungee jumping or skydiving. What were you thinking?" he threw the question back at her, his eyes never leaving Luna. Good thing too because Laura wasn't sure she would have been able to hide the sudden fluster she felt.
After a few seconds she rolled her eyes and looked away mumbling, 'whatever.'
"After we're done here I was thinking we can go get food, then we'll drop Luna off and if you want, go watch a movie in theaters or something."
"Yeah that sounds alright, for the movie we can go back to the apartment though if that's ok with you…"
This finally made him look away from Luna to give her a curious look. She didn't know why she suddenly felt herself getting hot, "We've done the theater movie before and though it's nice I think it would be better to watch something where we're able to talk and stuff…" she answered lamely.
He smirked and looked back to Luna to make sure she hadn't gotten herself in trouble in those few seconds, "We did do the theater movie thing before but that wasn't an official date…but yeah sure, you can pick the specifics for tonight."
She nodded and they stayed in silence for a few seconds before he added, "Should I ask what changed your mind about going out with me?"
"Can't you just be happy that I did?"
"It was that kiss huh? I knew I was a good kisser!"
"Oh my god shut up!"
"It's ok, I get it. Irresistible lips, it's a curse."
The comment made her push him away playfully from her and he laughed. "Whatever lets you sleep at night," she answered. After a few minutes of comfortable silence her lips parted and she responded, "I just got some advice that pretty much summed up that I'm a grown ass woman and I should do what I want and I'll never know what can happen if I don't open up to it."
He turned to her, sapphire eyes studying her facial expression, going back and forth between her eyes and her lips. As his lips parted to respond, whatever he wanted to say stayed stuck in his throat as the small pitter patter of feet made its way to them.
In a bold move Luna threw her arms around the petite girl's thighs letting her upper body rest on Laura's legs.
"Will you go into the tunnel with me?" Laura's eyes widened in surprise at the question and looked away from the little girl for a brief moment to look at the playground tunnel she was talking about.
"Sure," Laura found herself answering, getting up straight and moving Luna's body along with her.
"Hey! Can I go?" Pietro asked with a faux frown.
"No daddy, girls only…" with those words she took Laura's hand and started dragging her away. As they got further away he was able to hear, "he's too tall to fit anyway."
"Sorry I have tall people problems!" He yelled out after them. Neither girl turned to look at him but he found himself smiling as Laura brought a hand behind her back, allowing one finger to rise up towards him.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
"What the hell happened to you?" Roberto asked while watching Ray and Jubilee walk into the living room. Jubilee smirked at the words and her almond shaped eyes shifted to look at the tall boy next to her.
Ray's gray short sleeved shirt had patches of black spots. His bangs which had been styled after their outing at the gym were flat blending in with his blond faze and noticeable smudges of dirt were on his face. "Don't ask."
Roberto shifted his gaze to the Asian female. "We were at Bobby and Tabitha's. Ac problems."
"With a stage name like Iceman I'm not surprised. But why are you the one that looks like that?"
"They played Rock Paper Scissors…he lost."
Roberto grinned and nodded understanding the explanation. "Was it worth it?"
"Well we got it working so I guess the end result was what we wanted."
"We'll see how long it'll be before they break it again," Roberto joked.
Ray groaned at the comment making Jubilee giggle, "He promised her a new winter wardrobe so hopefully not for a while."
Roberto shrugged, "Sounds like your guys' visit was good for Tabitha."
"For Jubilee too, apparently she's ready to go for karaoke tomorrow."
"Really? That's cool! Should be a fun night then."
"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" Jubilee argued loudly.
"Then why did you tell Tabby that you would?"
"That…was a miscommunication! I said maybe, that didn't mean this week!" She lied.
Roberto shook his head making Ray shrug, "See I don't get girls."
Roberto nodded agreeing, "Sometimes I get why you don't keep one." The remark won him a glare from Jubilee, making him raise his hands up in defense, "but on the other hand, girls are cute and awesome and I definitely like having them around."
Ray rolled his eyes and shook his head as Jubilee answered with 'I'm telling Amara you said that'. "Speaking about how scary girls are, where's Laura?"
"She got off before me and told me she probably wasn't going to be home for a while but didn't say where she was going."
"Hmm, I was thinking we could all go out to eat together before we head out to do rehearsal."
"Oh that's right, I forgot we were doing that, but yeah I'm down."
"Oh that's right, you guys have rehearsal today." Jubilee remarked.
"Yeah, we need to start getting ready for Nocturnal Madness. It'll just be the band tonight, no vocalist. Why? You nervous to be all alone?" Ray teased.
"Shut-up, No! I was just asking."
Roberto smiled at the small banter, "Oh yeah, you actually haven't been home alone yet huh? Damn, you know I was just kidding about a ghost that first day."
"You guys! I'm not scared to be alone! And I was alone that first day...I mean sure it was just an hour or so but I was!"
"It's fine Jubilee, if you really want to come you can," Ray remarked, shaking his head in faux disappointment.
"I SAID…"
"If she goes to rehearsal, will that technically make her our groupie?" Robert asked, interrupting her.
"Yeah, I think so," Ray responded, nodding. Jubilee opened her mouth to retort but was once again interrupted, "Alright I'm going to go shower and we can go…"
Jubilee opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. After a few seconds she shook her head somewhat amused and somewhat annoyed. Apparently she was now going with them to dinner and band rehearsal so playing into the decision she remarked, " I'm going to change too, I showered at the gym but it was actually really gross over at their place…" Jubilee grabbed her shirt and slightly pulled it upwards towards her nose to see if she smelled as bad as she thought.
"Well it was over 100 degrees," Ray remarked and added, "And you smell fine," before walking towards the hallway that led to the bathroom and bedrooms.
Jubilee watched him disappear before turning to Roberto who waved them off, "alright, I'll be here for when you guys are ready to go."
Jubilee nodded at the words and soon went in the same direction. She thought that Ray had had a big enough lead to the point where she wasn't going to be able to see him but she caught him going into the bathroom. She expected to see the door closing as she approached but to her surprise it stayed open.
Her steps slowed as she neared and stopped completely at the open doorway. She found him looking in the mirror, his shirt off bringing a sense of dejavú from the morning. He was rubbing the cloth on his neck and shoulder removing the top layer of grime and sweat.
"Care to join me?" His voice was husky yet low enough not to travel past the small room.
Her eyes roamed his bare chest, before going to the thunderstorm on his muscular arm. "Would that be a smart idea?" She asked after a pause.
"No," he responded and dropped the shirt into the sink before taking a few steps towards her, stopping in front of the doorway much like she had. "But…"
Her eyes went wide in surprise as his hands went to her waist and they would have popped out of her head all together with his next move. His hands moved from her waist sliding towards her backside into the waistbands of her yellow shorts. They slid down her rump until his fingertips reached the curve where her cheeks met her thighs.
He squeezed her ass while at the same time pulling her towards him, letting their bodies meet so that she could feel his growing erection, "it would be fun…"
He squeezed again, this time letting his hand give a pull outwards stretching her opening and making her give a small whimper. His eyes stayed on hers, in a fast blink her pupils had grown twice their size as she stared back. Her pink lips parted but before any words could make it out he stuck his tongue down her throat.
When he pulled away to let her breath, his hands had made their way out of her clothes. "But I guess you're right, not a smart move since we're not alone. Maybe some time soon…" he lowered his head into the crook of her neck and licked from her collar bone up to her ear. "Thanks for hanging out with me today. Go get ready and I'll meet both of you soon," with that he moved back and closed the door.
Jubilee's lips were still open from the bruising kiss and stayed open as she looked at the closed door. She wasn't sure which emotion was stronger, annoyance or arousal but after a few seconds of debating she concluded that it was arousal because there was nothing more she wanted than to open the door, get naked and be fucked into tomorrow against the shower tiles.
After staring at the closed door for another minute she finally made her way back into her room and started getting undressed to change. As her body bent down to let her shorts down she caught a glimpse of black at the curve of her butt making her move closer to the mirror.
Rays fingertips. She grinned but the mischievous smile didn't stay long as Tabitha's words came to mind. After a bit she shrugged them off, it seemed that her warning had been too late because Ray had already given into the temptation of her and she wasn't going to complain about it.
Trying not to think about it anymore she hopped onto her bed and took a quick look at the time, trying to decide if she had time to finger herself before Ray finished his shower. Considering how hard he had felt against her, she could only assume he was planning to take his time so she closed her eyes and imagined what he looked like under the shower head stroking himself as he thought about her.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Laura dropped the bag of sweets at the center of her bed. She spread them out and after being happy with her setup she turned around to see Pietro hovering by the open door of her room.
"What are you waiting for?" She asked, "Come in."
"Should I leave the door open?"
The question made her smile, "No, you can close it. Don't worry I don't have a daddy who's going to barrage in and run you off."
He rolled his eyes at the comment but did as she said. Once the door was closed he looked around her room in awe. Almost every wall was covered by posters. Some of her favorite artists, some of tattoo designs, some flyers promoting X-men show dates and the one that caught his attention the most was one of the Brotherhood when they were featured in a local magazine. He was at the center of the picture not smiling as they stayed in their bad boy personas.
"Guess since I've seen two of your rooms it's only fair that you see mine," she remarked as she watched him looking around. She tried to ignore the heat at her cheeks as he found the one picture she had of him but decided that if he wanted to tease her she could always bite back with the dvds that he had in his room of her performances.
Thankfully he didn't say anything. Instead, after taking another glance around he took a seat on a chair by her desk at the corner of the room and started swaying it side to side.
"Don't be stupid. Get in the bed…" He stopped at the direction and turned to her. She pointed at the tv in answer, the way her room was set up had her 40 inch tv on the wall directly in front of her bed, "This is the best place to watch from."
He nodded and reluctantly sat on the bed opposite of where she was. "So after thinking about it the movie I choose is…The Mummy."
"The Mummy?"
"Yeah, have you watched it?"
"Yeah but I'm a little surprised that's what you chose. How come?"
She shrugged, "There's humor, action, romance and a dead guy. How can we go wrong?"
"Guess that's true," he remarked and laid back on a pillow while keeping his feet dangling at the side of the bed. She got comfortable, taking her shoes off and sitting with her legs crossed.
While the movie was starting her hand blindly went for a sweet at the center. He watched her hand and then moved his gaze to her face, she was completely immersed in the movie. "Hey…"
"Hmm…" she murmured while popping a chocolate ball into her mouth.
"I'm sorry about Crystal earlier. Maybe it was a bad idea for me to take you along to drop Luna off."
"Stop worrying about it, I know I'm not."
"Why aren't you?"
"We already had the conversation establishing that your ex still wants you. Why would I let how she looks or talks to me upset me? She's ruining her own day more than mine so don't worry, nothing she said is making me regret this date or the next."
"So there's going to be a next?"
"I was thinking yeah but now that you've talked during my favorite parts of this movie I'm not sure," she remarked reaching for another candy.
He smiled and watched her for a bit, finally looking away when she felt the gaze and turned to him. The rest of the movie played with minimal interruptions. At some point they both reached for something sweet and accidentally touched hands leading into awkward pull away movements. After a bit though they both reached out again and this time when their pinky's touched they just let it be and by the end of the movie their pinkies were entwined as if making some kind of promise.
When the movie finished they let the credits play. Laura eventually turned her head to look at him. Throughout the movie he had made himself more comfortable, taking his shoes off and letting his feet lay with the rest of his body.
"It's been so long since I've watched that one but It's still a really good movie to watch."
"Right? I have good taste! Want to watch the second one?"
Pietro looked at the watch on his wrist, "Actually, I should probably get going soon. I have work with my dad tomorrow and then the Lounge…"
"Oh right…We're adults and we work tomorrow."
He laughed, "Yeah, so no time for a movie but we can just keep hanging out."
"And do what?"
"Talk."
"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"
His shoulder gave a slight shrug, "Let's go for first impressions. I think it's safe to say we've known each other long enough and run in the same circles that we know a lot about each other now but what about that initial look."
"Ok…" she closed and pursed her lips as she went back in time in her mind. After a bit her lips parted again and she said, "In a most unoriginal answer, I'm going to say what most girls probably think of you at first sight. You were cute and tall and well, all girls like cute and tall."
"Wow, cute and tall at first sight. I like it," she nodded and then waited for him. "Ok so my initial thoughts when I saw you were…" he paused as he watched her face carefully, "I thought…the X-men finally did it. They completed their little circus with this midget…" he watched her blink a few times, her neutral eyes narrowing with every blink.
He felt her hands before he saw them, "And then I actually met you and realized you were a conceited ass!" She growled, making him laugh as his hands grabbed onto hers as she tried pushing him off the bed.
Their hands played a tug of war for a few minutes and eventually he managed to tire her out to the point where her hands were crossed in front of her chest pressed against his own. Her lips pouted and Pietro's grin evaporated as he looked at the defined lines. His eyes left them to look into the blazing hazel brown, "Can I kiss you?"
The question threw her off and the fire in them disappeared, "You didn't ask the last two times, why are you asking now?"
"I wasn't supposed to kiss you those times, so I apologized for them…I don't want to apologize for this one…"
The intensity in the sapphire eyes made her heart skip a beat and she found her eyes closing and her face tilted to angle towards his own giving him his answer. He closed his own eyes and met her half way, his arms losing their grip on hers allowing them to slide up his chest and around his neck.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Ray breathed out the vapor of his mint flavored juice. There was something so satisfying about this flavor. The mint caused a cool and refreshing reaction down his throat, when combined with water it heightened it and when he breathed it out his small circle just happened to hold its shape longer.
He was so busy trying to make a circle go into another that he didn't hear the footsteps getting closer to him until he felt the weight on the opposite side of the couch. He couldn't say he was too surprised that she snuck up on him. She was good like that, had been ever since they were in the home together and it was something he really liked about her then because they were able to sneak out a lot smoother than when he tried with others.
"Who is she?" Laura asked, making him perk a brow in question. "It's 4am, the only thing that ever has you awake at this time is a girl. I'm not saying it's always a good thing…I do believe the last time you did it you were debating on how to tell Tabitha it's over. So, I'll ask again, who's the girl?"
Ray moved his head back until he felt his head touch the cushions of the sofa they were on. His steel eyes stayed on the ceiling and he could easily imagine chocolate almond eyes peering down at him from the white canvas.
"There's no girl," he finally answered, making her let out a disbelieving scoff. "There isn't!" He defended, "All I've done lately is work, the gym, Nocturnal and home. Where do you think I'd be able to squeeze a girl?" He asked incredulously, making himself think about Jubilee pressed against a tree.
Laura looked at him suspiciously but then shrugged, "I guess you're right…that's all you've been doing…and making Jubilee feel welcome. Thanks for that by the way, I thought this was going to be a hard shift for you but It's actually been pretty smooth. I know you're iffy about new people around."
He shrugged, "Lucky for us she's not really new new is she? She's been at the shop for a while now. She's fun…and well at least we know she's leaving from the start right? It won't be a shocker when she has to go…"
Laura's lips went into a soft pout, but not finding any words that would help her friend's inner demons she remained quiet.
"How was your date? Or are we not calling it that?"
"No, it was a date," Laura answered and after a few seconds added, "it was really good."
"You sound kind of surprised, but maybe that's not too surprising because honestly I'm kind of surprised."
"That it went well?"
"No, that You're calling it a date. You resisted for so long."
"I guess that's why you should never say never."
"Dare I ask what changed? I thought it was all too complicated."
"It was…and I guess it still is but…I guess now I'm part of the complication."
"…I knew you thought he was cute even though you'd deny it but I thought you really didn't want to be a factor between the family."
"So far everyone including himself has told me it's not a factor. I guess I just have to see if it's true."
Ray nodded, took a hit of his vape and released it towards the ceiling. They both stayed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until she broke it again with an unexpected statement.
"Luna is the cutest thing." He looked towards her and found her looking at a wall intensely. "…she's funny and sweet and she has a character all on her own. You know, other than the ex factor, another factor was just that he's the bad boy in a rock band. He's popular with girls, said to be cocky and conceited, which I can say is true…" she remarked with a soft smile as she remembered their first impressions earlier. "But when he's with her…there's this whole softer side to him, it's adorable to watch."
Ray nodded so that she knew he was listening.
"…I've had this idea in the back of my head this year and watching them…it's kind of made me want to go forward with it." She paused and finally turned to look at him, her mouth opening and closing a few times hesitating to get the words out. "I want to find out who my father was…"
This caught him completely by surprise, "What?"
"I want to find my father," She repeated.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just...have an urge to know where I come from."
"You know where you come from," Ray answered.
"Bayville's group home doesn't count. I mean it does but...I want to know more. Why didn't he stay with her, why didn't he come looking for me…it's hard for me to explain ok, especially cause I know you don't feel this way but I just…I have so many questions and he could be the only one with answers…"
Ray watched her with an intense look. After a few seconds he broke eye contact and took a hit from his vape. Once he exhaled he asked, "How are you going to find him?"
Laura looked away from him too and shrugged, "I don't know…"
The room was filled with silence for a few minutes. After the sound of the vape hit he surprised her with, "I would think that you can probably hire a private investigator or something." The statement made her turn to him with an expression of disbelief. Feeling the gaze he turned to her with a wolfish smile, "just because I don't like it or think it's necessary doesn't mean I'm not with you…" he stuck a closed fist towards her making her smile and put her own fist towards him until they connected.
After the small tap Ray got up, "I'm going to try and get some sleep…" he stopped when he reached the doorway, "why are you up anyway?"
She shrugged, "I still have a lot of butterflies about my date…"
"Wow, then it was a really good date," he teased.
She shook her head, "You never mentioned why you're up. If it's not a girl…"
"It's insomnia. Goodnight Laura."
Laura didn't argue with the excuse and nodded, "Night…"
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O Tuesday O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Amara thanked the heavens that her mom had agreed to let her go to the gym. She supposed the only good thing about her regime was her mothers fierce will to have her win the pageant.
She has been messaging Jubilee frequently and though it was nice to have her family over to catch up she found that her cousins weren't a good replacement for her best friend. Messages were nice but there was something about listening to the excitement in her voice as she told her a story that made the conversation so much more enjoyable, and apparently she had a lot to tell her the next time they'd meet.
She shook the thoughts of her friend's potential steamy encounters now that she was living with Ray as she entered the Danger Room. She immediately caught someone's eyes and she smiled as they made their way to her.
"Hi! How much groveling did he have to do to get you back in here?" Rahne asked, going as far as giving her a small hug.
Amara shook her head, "Not too much."
"That's a shame, though I have to say that I'm very happy you're here."
"You are?" She asked somewhat surprised.
"Definitely, we're friends now right? Plus he was a nightmare last week when you weren't here. So moody…I'm guessing he knew you were coming today?"
Amara nodded, making Rahne give a wolfish smile, "Yup that explains why he's in such high spirits today, and he was blaming it on how nice and sunny it was outside…"
"It is a nice sunny day outside…"
Both girls did a small startled jump not having expected the voice. They both turned to the side to see Roberto looking at Amara with a huge smile on his face.
"Hey…"
"Hi," She answered, her cheeks turning a flush colored.
Rahne looked from one to the other before rolling her eyes, and grabbing Amara by the elbow, "Alright kids let's do this after class shall we, I came to work out coach," she stuck her tongue out at the brown skinned boy and dragged the brown haired girl away.
When they were far away from him Rahne giggled and interlocked her arm into Amara's, "Seriously though, thanks for coming. He really looks happy…"
Before Amara could answer Roberto grabbed everyone's attention by clapping. His '123 all eyes on me' made Amara give a small smile. Their eyes connected and even though she could hear his voice echo in the otherwise quiet room she knew she was going to have to ask Rahne for help with the workout because she wasn't really listening. All she could pay attention to at the moment was that her pulse was racing and her chest fluttered every time he turned to her.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Pietro nodded, "Yeah, yeah…I see it…and I like it." His eyes drifted over the stage to the multiple places Remy had pointed to seeing the vision he was describing. After a bit he put a hand up, cupping his chin deep in thought.
"Now the thing to figure out is what time we want to do it."
"I would think first would be the way to go, no?" John asked.
"Yeah, especially because let's be honest a lot of people will be coming for you guys, so it's smart to put you up and center but…I'm worried that it's going to be too good and it'll be hard for everyone else to follow."
John smirked and crossed his hands across his chest. The action made the flames on his arms get bigger as his arm muscles tensed, "aren't we cocky?"
"It's not that I'm being cocky, Remy's vision is really that good. I mean we're going to have flames, a trampoline and parts of the stage moving. It's going to be a huge performance. Not only will we need to set it up but it'll take time to break it down for others to follow…"
"So it'll probably be better to do this one last. Have everyone else go, give ourselves an intermission to set things up and finish it off with a bang," Remy remarked tilting his head as his eyes roamed the space in front of them.
"Save the best for last, makes sense."
"Who sounds cocky now?" Pietro asked John, making the orange haired male laugh.
"Yeah, that'll work. We need to start coming into practice. I have the song written out so I need everyone on instruments to get it down. Also, what's the lineup look like with the rest of the performances?"
"I have yours stretched out enough to give you a break in between."
Remy nodded, "I still need to speak to Rogue about what we're doing."
"About that… change in plans, she Uh…got Scarlet Witch to agree to perform with her and the upper heads didn't mind the change. I spoke to them earlier about it and they approved it. I was going to tell you now, which I technically just did."
Remy stayed quiet at the information, making John look away from the stage to stare at his friend. He wore an unreadable expression that Pietro didn't pick up on making him continue by saying it was a blessing in disguise so that he wouldn't have to do so many performances after all.
After a pause John found himself agreeing and saying, "It'll definitely free you up to plan this. It seems like it's going to need a lot of your attention if we want it to happen the way you're explaining it."
Pietro nodded, agreeing, "Plus you needed to free up some of your time with the promotional shit we're going to have to do in the next few weeks. You'll both be at the zoo on Saturday right?" Both older males nodded. "Cool, someone else to watch Luna," he gloated.
"You're taking her?" John asked.
"It's the Zoo, I might as well."
"Don't we all have to be in the PR shoot? What are you going to do with her then?"
"I got it covered," he answered and perked an eyebrow suggestively at the Aussie of the group, making him get a curious look before realization sunk in. "Anyway, you guys can get started on measuring things to see if we have enough room to make all the special effects happen. I'll be back…"
"Where are you going?" John asked as he walked away.
"I'll be back," he repeated without giving any new information.
John watched him disappear before turning to Remy who was on his phone tapping away. "Disappointed?"
"About?"
"You know what about," Remy glanced at him before looking back down at his phone to finish his message. "I'm sure she has her reasons…maybe she's looking out for you, you were doing a shit load of performances."
Remy made a raspberry sort of noise, "Our sets on tour are just as long. Probably more grueling either way since I'm singing the whole time. Nocturnal Madness is different."
"True, but you have to take into account that you're working with different artists. It's going to be more complex then you're giving it credit, especially if you have ideas similar to the one with the brotherhood for all of them."
"Hmm."
"I'm just trying to save you the grief of dealing with an attitude. She's a lot like Wanda in that aspect that they don't like to be questioned."
Remy thought about the words, pursed his lips and then put his phone away letting a sigh out. "So you're bringing it up now?" He questioned and walked towards the stage stairs. "You getting brownie points for giving intel?" He joked.
"If I wanted those brownie points I would have snitched on you months ago. Guess it's easy to talk about now that I am not the only one who knows about the skeletons in your closet. I tried to steer them away from your room but like I said, stubborn attitudes."
Remy shrugged, "Secrets don't stay secret forever."
"So what happens now? Does the appeal go away now that some people know?"
Remy smirked at the question, "Who said the appeal was about it being secretive?"
John shook his head, "You're just a masochist I guess."
"Said the kettle to the pot."
John opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly a few times before finally shrugging, "Alright, you got me. Moving on, where is my fire coming from?" He asked excitedly looking around at the corners of the stage.
Remy shook his head but looked around, mentally putting in place all the members of the brotherhood, John, himself and their special guest.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Wanda eyes were looking intently down at the sketch she was designing. She was so focused on it that she didn't realize she had an audience until Laura spoke over her shoulder.
"Do we have someone specific in mind as we do this?"
The remark startled her enough that her pencil line went overboard and soon the younger girl had a pair of sapphire eyes glaring at her.
"No, I'm just making stuff to add to the portfolio," she answered while erasing the line. "I just realized that we don't have too many custom designs for writers…" she added quietly.
Laura nodded as she looked over the ink feather, the edges looking more like flames then points. Before either could say anything else they both heard footsteps coming from the hall but neither glanced up believing it was Jubilee coming back from her break.
It wasn't until the individual cleared his throat that they both looked up surprised. The surprised look didn't stay long, as one of the female's lips pursed. "I told Anna to go over the song details with you. She chose the song and she wants…"
"Yeah she already sent me an email with details."
"Oh…then what do you want?"
"Aren't you the sweetest sister ever?" Before she could answer, Pietro added, "But who said I was coming for you?"
Wanda looked up with a perked brow before looking over her shoulder at Laura. She turned back to her silver haired twin who was suddenly smiling sweetly. "By any chance did I leave…"
"Yeah," she interrupted and went towards her workstation to open a drawer and take out a slim silver object. As Wanda watched the exchange she suddenly remembered a comment made earlier that day when Kurt was asking for the Lounge's company card to make an order for the brunch menu.
Pietro had stated that he wasn't sure where it was because he misplaced his card clip and he had said it in his cheeriest 'don't have a care in the world' tone. Another interesting thing she noticed that morning was that Laura was in one of the best moods she had been in the last few months.
She looked from one to the other repeatedly.
"Are you still hanging around after work for karaoke?"
"Yeah, I'll be there."
"Great, I'll uh…see you later than." Laura nodded and watched the silver haired male until he disappeared into the hallway.
When he was gone Wanda looked at Laura and blinked a few times before her mouth parted, "Holy shit! You were together last night?" Laura turned to her and managed to stop the heat from rising to her cheeks at the tone Wanda had used. "No wonder you're both so fucken chipper this morning."
That comment did make her blush, "Nothing like that happened!"
"Then what happened? You know what, no, I don't think I want to know."
"It was just a date...and there was some kissing!"
"Nuh Uh, his cheerfulness this morning was not 'made out with a hot chick' type of happiness. It was second base type shit! And he mentioned going on a date yesterday but I thought he was talking about Luna."
"Well she was there too."
"While he felt you up!"
"No! During the first part of the date. Then we went back to my place for a movie."
Wanda gawked, "You Netflix and chilled with my brother."
"It was barely a chill!"
Wanda shook her head but smiled, "How did these turn of events happen? I thought you were on the 'forever no' train."
"I got told to just go for it…and a few prior incidents made me think that maybe I should."
Wanda rolled her eyes, "I told you to go for it before and you didn't listen to me, what was so special about this other person telling you to do it?"
Laura shrugged and avoided eye contact, "I guess she's kind of doing it herself so it's easier to listen to."
"… who is it?" Laura glanced at her and looked away making the answer obvious without words. Wanda shook her head and looked away, "Hoes." She muttered under her breath, but afterwards added, "but I'm glad you're finally putting him out of his misery. We'll see how long before he pisses you off."
"Oh he already did," she remarked thinking about his midget comment the night before.
"And he's still alive? Wow, maybe you really do like him."
"Maybe…" Laura answered before looking up as footsteps approached again from the hallway. Her eyes lost some of their spark as Jubilee walked over.
Noticing the look Jubilee perked a brow, "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face? I was just eating…"
Whatever she was going to say was interrupted as Laura looked away, "No you don't have anything on your face. I just thought you might be someone else."
"Oh…" Jubilee looked over Wanda who was grinning but shook her head telling her to dismiss it.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Amara dropped onto the floor exhausted with sweat dripping down her forehead. Roberto chuckled as he watched her and took a seat beside her choosing to sit cross legged . His hand outstretched towards her offering her water.
She took it and managed to lift herself up on an elbow to take a sip. When she was done she laid back down and placed the water beside her. "Those are some tough dance moves," she remarked after she had caught her breath.
"They are, but I think we also have to take into account that you did an hour of kickboxing before that, so you being tired is understandable."
"You did too and I don't see you dying."
He shrugged, "I'm used to it," and mentally he added to himself 'and I eat enough protein', but deciding he had had enough of the silent treatment before, he kept that to himself. "So how are things going with your reunion?"
Her hands went into the air above her and she made small twirls with her hands as if summoning something, or she could have just been rotating out her wrist but Roberto preferred the idea of her suddenly conjuring fire. "They're ok. Normal, I guess. We've been doing these sacred reunions since I was little so it's kind of the same old thing."
"You miss Jubilee?"
"You have no idea! I can't wait to hear about Ray…" she stopped herself from talking, making his head tilt to look at her due to the sudden pause. "Ray-nbows."
"Rainbows?" He questioned with a perked eyebrow.
"Yea...yeah! Rainbows! She's...becoming quite obsessed with them! She messages me a new fact every day."
Roberto slowly nodded, "Ok...that's…weird but I guess it explains why she finished the box of lucky charms so soon."
Amara felt herself get hot, "Yeah well…anyway! How has it been having her over there?"
He shrugged, "Pretty regular actually. I think because we work together we all just get along really well so it doesn't feel weird or anything. I thought Ray would be the one having the hardest adjustment but he's actually pretty chill."
"Why would he be having a hard time?"
"He's just weird about people being in his space. Unless he gets to know you but even when you do he still leaves a lot hidden."
"Even with you?"
Roberto opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to figure out his answer. "Honestly? Yeah…I think so. I think the one that probably knows him the best is Laura. Guess that's the perk of being best friends and growing up in a foster home together."
"Ah…" Amara answered and mentally thought to herself that she knew a secret that Laura didn't know. Or wait a minute, maybe he had told her? That would be an interesting thing to ask her bestie.
"Mhmm, but yeah no, everything's good. You want to go see her? We can walk over and pop in."
"No, I better not. I'm already going to be late just from hanging out here."
"You want to do that practice dance one more time and call it a day?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Let's just relax a little longer before we run through it."
He nodded at her suggestion and they sat in silence for a moment. His fingers started moving and drawing patterns on the matted floor and from where she was watching she could make out the circle and lines coming from it.
"Hey...can I ask you something?" The question made him glance at her and though he didn't answer verbally the silence itself made it feel like a yes as his soft brown eyes watched her. "How are you the way that you are?"
His confused expression made her realize that she didn't phrase the question well and she felt herself get warm again making her wish she hadn't asked the question to begin with. The way he was watching her though told her that he wanted her to continue.
"I mean...with your past. You're probably one of the happiest people I've met and it just seems a little weird with... you know…"
"Mmm…" the hum was soft and she heard some shifting. A few seconds later he was laying next to her. Though his body was laying opposite of hers he had arranged it so that their heads were aligned together. "It wasn't always like that. The first few months were really hard...actually all I remember for the first three months was just being high out of my mind. That's pretty much when my parents decided to bring me back here. The X-men took me back as if I had never left, by then Logan's Training Room was up and with the help of him and Professor Xavier everything just...settled in. Ray was doing his apprenticeship for his tattooist certificate and after seeing some of my drawings suggested I go for it."
There was silence for a minute before he spoke again, this time turning his head to look at her, "So pretty much keeping busy and a good support system. It wasn't easy but I knew that I didn't want to feel that low again so now...I just try and focus on the good, you know?"
She turned to share his gaze and gave a slight nod. Before either could say anything a noticeable rumble was heard from her stomach. This would usually make Amara embarrassed and it would queue for her to look away but her eyes stayed connected to his. "A few days ago...you said you'd help with the nutrition stuff. What did you mean?"
"...I can write up a meal plan for you. We can log everything and see what it does for you and we can always tweak it to something else…""
"...I think I'd like that."
The words made his lips curl up in a soft smile and neither could pinpoint how long they laid there staring at one another, but one thing was sure, Amara was in fact very late getting back home.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
After Jubilee wiped her counter clean her almond shaped eyes focused on the lobby. Everything was organized and put away which meant she was done and ready to go.
"Are you going next door tonight?"
She turned to answer Laura but quickly discovered that the question wasn't directed at her when Wanda spoke. "No, I have a few assignments to finish up for my class tomorrow morning, plus I wouldn't want to intrude on your romantic evening."
Jubilee perked an eyebrow as Laura's cheek showed a hint of color, "It's not a romantic night, we're just hanging out!"
"Sure sure," Wanda smirked, "I'm off. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Laura, try and be good."
Laura rolled her eyes, "Even if I'm not isn't this what you wanted a few weeks ago? If I remember correctly you were ok with me giving you all the sorted details."
"I wanted you guys to date but no I don't want to hear about that sexapade. Talk to Anna about it, you guys can trade stories…anyway I'll see you tomorrow. I guess have fun but don't tell me about it."
Laura stuck her tongue out at the red tipped girl, "Yeah, no I definitely don't want to know what that thing is going to do…" Wanda dodged as Laura threw a bottle full of clear liquid at her. "Bye!" Wanda called out walking towards the hall and adding, "and you better pick that up!"
Jubilee smirked and shook her head as Laura did just that. "So who's the guy?"
The Asian girl watched her friend pursed her lips inwards before answering, "Pietro." After not getting a remark from her Laura looked up to see Jubilee with eyes wide and brows perked. "Is it that surprising?"
"A little, you seemed very adamant about it being complicated."
Laura got up and put the bottle on the counter leaning into, "It is…but at this point it was becoming complicated even when I didn't want to try…" she remarked as her thoughts went to the kisses they had shared before she agreed to their first date. After a few seconds she shook the thoughts off, "so you ready for tonight?"
"What's happening tonight?"
"The guys told me you're doing karaoke," Laura answered as if it was obvious.
"No! I told them that wasn't happening! I can't believe they told you that! Who else are they telling?"
Laura shrugged, "I got told this morning but I can't promise you they didn't mention it to anyone else. Why not just do it though? Stage fright? Do you think you suck? Cause let me tell you that half the people who do it, do and the other half are drunk so it doesn't matter."
Jubilee laughed at that before shaking her head, "No, I mean well I don't know if I suck or not it's just…I don't think I'm ready to go in front of such a huge crowd like that. Now if we were in a small little booth with a group of friends, sure, sign me up!"
"If it's nerves, you wouldn't have to go up there alone. Any of us would go with you if you wanted."
Jubilee shook her head, "No it's ok…" Laura frowned making the Asian girl roll her eyes, "I'll do it sometime before I leave ok? I promise just….tonight doesn't feel like the night."
"Alright," Laura gave in, "Well the door is closed and I think we're all set. Are you at least hanging out?"
"During your date? Yeah I don't think so."
Laura flushed, "We're not calling this one a date, it's more like a hangout! Anyway I'm sure there's other x dolls there including the guys."
"No that's ok, I'm going to go and be home alone at the apartment." Laura gave her a puzzled look at the words, "never mind it's an inside thing with the guys, just believe me when I say I need to be home alone for at least one night."
"If you say so. How are you going to get there?"
Jubilee shrugged, "I'll walk." Laura's facial expression changed to concern, "Or take an Uber…" Jubilee remarked, refraining from rolling her eyes at being babied. She knew it was very sweet that Laura was concerned but she wasn't a small child either.
"Ok," Laura finally gave in and started turning off the lights. "Ready to go then?"
"Yup…" as she answered they made their way down the hallway. "Tell everyone I said hi and I'll see them next time. I'll see you back at the apartment."
Laura nodded, "Be safe and send me a message when you're there."
"Yes ma'am," with that they split paths, Laura going through the door that led to the Lounge, loud music surrounding her as the door closed behind her.
Jubilee's steps were slow and steady as she passed the back door. She debated going on her Uber app and calling someone over like she promised but the night was surprisingly cool and a walk sounded nice. So instead she walked a few paces in the direction of the apartment.
She had barely taken one step past the corner of the building when she was surrounded in a sweet cloud of vapor. Her face automatically went to the side to find blue steel eyes watching her…
Jubilee let her eyes roam his figure. He was leaning against the wall, head turned towards her direction with his hand in mid air with the little black box in it. It would be a few heartbeats later when her lips would part, "Hey…what are you…"
"I had a feeling you were going to flake out."
She frowned, "It's not flaking out if I keep saying that I'm not doing it."
He smiled and pushed off the wall. She could feel the goosebumps form on her skin as he walked closer to her. "I guess…you ready to go?"
"Go where?"
"Home," he responded, stopping directly in front of her, "or did you really want to walk?" He took a hit of his vape, leaned in and tilted his head. His lip pursed into a kiss centimeters in front of hers and released the sweet smelling vapor.
Jubilee could almost taste the jawbreaker flavor and as she breathed in the exhaust she wondered if his mouth tasted of it. She licked her lips, "No, I guess I'll take the ride." his smile twisted into something much more mischievous and she found liquid heat pooling at her nether lips. Odds were she was about to find out what he really did taste of.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O TBC O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
And we are definitely back in the present moving the story along! Added some interesting things to this one including some interactions with Tabitha ;) and that talk between Ray and Laura. I really liked how that went and felt like I needed to add something for them together because I had emphasized how close they were due to growing up in the fosters home but we've been so busy building up the romances that we lost a little bit of that along the way so yeah…but yup that was this chapter. Looks like everyone is starting to get ready for Nocturnal madness! Anyhoo…
Jubilay- Ya…that bit in the bathroom doorway was my favorite part for them XD Ray is oozing sexy to me right now LOL! I actually liked how all their interactions went this chapter including them spending their day off together. Tabitha was sweet for her warning but it seems like it came a little too late. I enjoy adding her tidbit, not in a she's jealous kind of way but more of feeling it won't end well. Loved that Ray kept thinking about Jubilee while Laura pried on "who's the girl?" and that he kept being in denial. That ending of this chapter tho…looks like we're heading somewhere steamy in the next chapter ;)
Amarto- Yay! Finally not MIA! Aww he was a much happier and bearable Kickboxing coach cause of her XD They're sweet as always ;)
Romy- Pretty MIA, Except for the fact that Remy found out he is not performing with her and he didn't hear it from her either. Can't complain about the lack of them tho can we? Considering the last three chapters mainly focused on them :P
Xietro- The first date! A long time coming and according to her it is not the last :) I love how he ruined that cute moment on the bed by being a jerk and calling her a midget but he definitely made up for it with that kiss, am I right?
Jonda- MIA, but we did get the hint that they will be seeing each other soon at the zoo ;)
And that's that! There will be a steamy scene in the next chapter so look forward to that! Haha and some of you are so sweet wanting me to update sooner XD I know a month seems like a lot but sometimes I have a limited time to write, but thanks for sticking around with me for this ride anyway! See you in August!
-UHW