Kurt and Jubilee, Friday night

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Kurt and Jubilee go out for dinner and dancing, but Jubilee isn't as okay as she thinks she is.  Still, something tentatively begins.



"So, where is this place we're going to afterwards?" Jubilee asked.

She'd arranged for Kurt to meet her at the Brownstone, figuring that schwarma was way easier to achieve in New York City proper than out in the sticks of Westchester County, or so she'd explained in her rather prolonged gushing about the food. It just so happened that she'd found a mutant friendly place not far from the Brownstone that she'd wanted to try out, so taking Kurt there as a thank you for taking care of her in Genosha made the perfect excuse to do so.

"I am going to teach you to swing dance", he said cheerfully.  "An acquaintance's birthday, she likes to throw a dance party each year."

"A dance where both partners not only have to have rhythm, but also flexibility and speed in order to perform well? Can't think why you'd have thought of us two for that," Jubilee replied, a twinkle of good humor in her eyes lighting up the wide smile she turned on her companion.

It was just so good to not only be able to talk, but to smile again, she would never, or at least, not for a good long while, take for granted the simple joys of having a face that worked properly.

He returned the broad smile, pleased to see her back to full health and apparent happiness.  "It does seem fitting, no?  There will also be food there should we work up an appetite again, I know your metabolism."

"Mmm, a man who knows how to feed me well, I may have to keep you," Jubilee noted, pulling him along as they walked down the hall. "Come on, food waits for no one, especially not schwarma."

"There will always be more schwarma", he said, laughing, but followed her tug on his hand willingly.

"Hmm, perhaps," Jubilee accepted, allowing her fingers to slip around his naturally as they walked. "But I can hear them calling to me. They're saying 'Jubilee, why haven't you come to eat us? We missed you so very much all that time you were gone.' "

"Oh, then in that case it would be a terrible shame to disappoint them", Kurt agreed.  "I fear we are going to eat this restaurant out of stock."

"We are certainly going to try," Jubilee noted, a light of challenge lurking in her eyes as she pulled him out into the street and closed the door to the Brownstone behind them. "Now, come on Fuzzy, we've got people to eat out of house and business."

***

Kurt was laughing with the sheer joy and adrenaline of a good energetic dance as he swung Jubilee around, her small size and his upper body strength making it easy. Several people around the edges of the room, in fact, had turned to watch them.

It was enthralling to watch him laugh so, and Jubilee grinned back as she came up for air, falling into a slightly slower pace as the music gave them breathing room. She had not had the hard time that some of her compatriots had suffered through and she'd made it somewhat her mission to at least be there for them as much as she could in the days since they'd returned. It was nice to get out on the town again though and just live as hard as she could.

It was the reason, wasn't it? To live as hard as you could until they took it all away from you. She was no fool, she knew her life would not end in a bed surrounded by loved ones, might not even be marked by a body in a grave, but while she lived? While she lived, she'd do her best to make every second count.

"This was an excellent idea," she said.

"I am glad you think so", he said, grinning back and drawing her in for the slower part of the dance.  "Perhaps we should do it regularly."

"I'm glad you're glad," Jubilee replied flippantly, allowing herself to be drawn in without complaint. "I like that idea, not like you aren't welcome to stay at my place afterwards so you wouldn't have to leg it right back to the mansion, teleporter or not, yeah?"

"Then it is settled", Kurt said with a grin. "And as they say, friends do not let friends teleport tired.  Or something like that."

"Or tipsy," Jubilee noted with a wink as she spun herself out again as the music picked up. "You like cocktails, fuzzy?"

"Some cocktails, very much."  He followed her movements almost instinctively, his hands in hers so he could swing and spin her with ease.  "And for you, I think something bright coloured."

"Brightly coloured, that's me," Jubilee informed, dropping back to the ground on light feet as she was spun around and then picked up again. "Although not purple, purple was like, totally yuck-city."

It was fun, or was meant to be and it had taken her awhile to figure out what it was that felt so wrong in her head. She was...playing him, going through the motions and playing the happy, chipper girl who hadn't a care in the world and that was so far from the truth that it was an insult.

She held up her hand, the sick feeling of understanding a weight in her stomach as she listened gratefully to the finishing strains of the music before heading off the dance floor, hoping he would understand.

He followed her off the floor towards the bar, his own smile vanishing as he saw the change in her face.  "Would you like to go home now?" he asked quietly, meant only for her ears.

"Yes," she said, the admission reluctantly drawn. "I'm sorry."

"No need for apologies, liebchen."  He wrapped his arm around her.  "There will be other times.  Come, I will take you home."

"Thanks," Jubilee said, feeling so strangely non-communicative but reaching for his hand, as if those weeks of being unable to talk had formed a habit of it. "You're a good guy, you know?"

"I do my best."  He smiled slightly down at her and squeezed her hand.  "Shall we walk or take a cab?  I am not sure how far it is to your building."

"Walk," Jubilee noted firmly, although had it been any other city than New York she'd have said cab. She hated New York taxi drivers though, and would never willingly take a cab in this city. "It's not really all that far away, just a bit twisty with the different streets is all."

"Walking it is", he agreed willingly.  "I admit, I prefer walking to being driven myself, so thank you for choosing that."  He nodded and waved goodbyes to the people he knew as the two of them slipped out of the hall into the darkened street.

***

Jubilee stood outside the door to her apartment, the key fished out of the purse she'd brought with her and inserted into the lock before she looked back at Kurt and smiled a rather wry smile, it wasn't exactly how she'd pictured this night ending.

"I'm sorry I'm such a basket case, this was kinda meant to be all lighthearted fun, yeah?"

"It was", he agreed.  "But I do not want you to feel bad, you have been through a very bad time."  He was standing close, hand just brushing hers.

"Had worse," she said, and it was true for how far it went, but that didn't mean that this time hadn't been bad, or as bad as all those other times. She wondered sometimes just how much she could really force herself through before it all got too much. She supposed that when it did she'd be, well, not even a headline really, not even a footnote considering how good Doug was at covering things like that. She'd be remembered by her friends, and nobody else, and that was really as it should be. Didn't mean that her head wasn't done in by it all, just that she knew the score. "Not much worse, but, you know. Thanks for the dancing, it was cool. I really meant it when I said we should do it more often, ya know?"

"Then we will", he said firmly.  "As often as you like, it can be something regular and normal for you.  And before I leave you, there is something I have been wanting to do."

Turning her gently towards him, he bent his head and kissed her.

Jubilee breathed him in as she leant into the kiss, opening her mouth after a moment and gripping his arms tightly as she swayed herself into his body, a moment of life and warmth to hold her against the coldness that sometimes felt soul deep inside her. After a moment she stepped away, but not out of the circle of his arms, allowing her hands to reach down and grip his, twining her fingers around his much larger ones.

"Will you stay? Not for, not for that. Just for, comfort, I guess? I understand if you think I'm like, leading you on? I totally don't wanna be that person, but I could use a friend right now, if you'll stay."

"Oh, Jubilee."  There was a touch of sadness in his voice, mostly at her thinking he might see her that way.  "I would never think you are that person.  Of course I will stay, and we will do - or not do - whatever you are comfortable with at whatever time it may be."

"Well, there's always the old movie marathon, I do a pretty damn good bowl of popcorn, I'm told."

She smiled as she said it, turning after a moment to push her door open and gesture for him to go inside. That he hadn't run away, despite her seemingly random emotional problems, well, that was a good sign.

His hand rose to her shoulder, fingers brushing the soft skin on the back of her neck, as they stepped inside and the door closed behind them.  "I would like a movie marathon with you very much."