Kyle and Dori - the l-word.

[x-wildchild.livejournal.com]

Kyle and Dori have a quiet night in, and without realizing it, Kyle drops the l-word. Aww.



As it turned out, sitting down and doing homework for an hour was a lot easier when you weren't alone. Kyle didn't really get why he focused better when he had someone else in the room with him, but it'd worked out pretty well so far- and had been working for years. Having it be Dori only really meant that the food breaks were mutual, instead of Kyle just wandering off by himself to go find something to put in his stomach. And it seemed to help Dori focus too, which made Kyle sometimes idly wonder if it was a feral thing, or just that they both liked company. Either way, it was easier.

Except when he stood up to get said snack, and stretched, and his back made audible popping sounds, and twinges of pain that said "Kyle, stop grading papers while sprawled on your sofa with a tablet computer in your lap." and he made a grumbling noise. "Remind me to stop grading papers laying on the couch. Ow."

"But you're so cute when you do that," Dori said, a piece of peanut brittle bouncing up and down since it was hanging out of her mouth when she talked, "I mean, if it's really bad we could relocate to the shower or something but our computers wouldn't do so well there." Monkey Joe covered his ears at this.

"Yeah, and Frank's homework won't survive the water either." Kyle said, stretching. "and he's a decent writer, for a kid who turns into a tree and makes dick jokes in class. I'd hate to wreck his papers." He put one hand on his lower back and leaned backwards, twisting some. "Jesus you'd think a freaky expensive..." It hadn't been that expensive when Warren got it for the room, except by Kyle's "my furniture came from Ikea!" standards. "couch wouldn't hurt to flop on. I have a goddamn healing factor." And now he -sounded- like Frank's essays. "Why doesn't my back get with the program?"

"You know how much effort it's taken to get MJ not to climb him?" Dori commented, picking up one of her lit text books to cross reference something. It wasn't all original short stories and fanfic. Stupid papers. Dori did glance up at him with a wide grin at the last, "I can give you a back rub! Kind of," because well, claws. And pounding bony knuckles into backs didn't do much either, "Other than that, I don't know. Maybe the couch is possessed and we'll have to call in the team to fight. The couch. And it wouldn't even be our best adventure," she finished with a sigh.

"I think your squirrel just makes trouble so you'll bribe him with peanut butter." Kyle said. "Oh, oh, dude, I saw this girl in that yoga class I took do a thing with a back rub with her elbows. I dunno if that'd work though." He was still poking his back, trying to twist around to look at it. "I bet if I asked nice, the Weasley Twins would exorcise it if it's possessed."

"Oh, he's not that manipulative, are you," she said, turning to Monkey Joe who looked up at her happily and simply asked if he could have some of the candy. Rolling her eyes, Dori broke off a small piece for her friend who started to happily munch on it. "Watch though, call them up here and they do banish the couch or try to they'll be a horrible couch demon loose in the mansion and everyone will be like 'darn it Kyle and Dori because of you we're infested with a terrible couch demon!' and Professor Xavier will give us that look, you know the kinda side eye one?"

"Okay, no more tv for you." Kyle said, with a grin and a poke to Dori's nose. "And I get that look at least twice a semester now, because I keep dropping the f-bomb in class." He flopped back down on the couch, arching backwards over the armrest until there was a pop, and then he sat up abruptly. "Okay, bad idea. Ow. Really really terrible idea."

"But my showwwwws," Dori mock moaned before the pop, "Yeah, I think we need to get you off this thing. I can try the elbow delay but I can't promise I won't suck at it. Or we can risk minor scratches. OR OR I could call in a bunch of squirrels to run all over you!"

"I think I'll pass on a pack of rodent masseuses. MJ might get ideas." Kyle said, after Dori had helped him back up. "I swear, this happens every time I put on boots too. I gotta get something made for my feet. Boots on, ride the bike, and my back is like "dude, go to hell" for a whole day.

"There are places in town that would do it, right? Though we should never have to wear shoes, ever. Shoes are evil," Dori said with a lot more bounce than the phrase should have been uttered with. She pulled him towards the bedroom with a grin on her face, "No squirrel hordes. I promise. Cross my heart."

"Good, cause, seriously, waking up with one squirrel trying to steal my pillow, and a half-squirrel lady stealing my covers is bad enough." Kyle made no protest towards the bedroom-leading. "Shoes suck but trying to ride the motorcycle barefoot is like me asking for my feet to get ripped up, and healing my feet sucks more."

"Yeah, even with healing that would suck," Dori said. She was careful with her hands when she started rubbing his back. Claws were hard to deal with, but you made do with what you had to. Besides, he understood, he had them too. It made a lot of things that much easier. "Still, unless I'm forced onto a motocycle, no shoes for me. The college totally lets me get away with it. It's great."

"Hey, only time I'ma make you wear them is if you're on the bike with me." Kyle offered. He let his head flop into a pillow and then let out a long groan as Dori dug a finger knuckle right into a knot. "I love you, you have nine hundred years to stop that."

Dori stopped for a moment, "Wait, what did you say?" suddenly there were butterflies everywhere, but especially her stomach.

"Nine hundred years. No trial." Kyle muttered into the pillow. "If you stop doing the thing."

Dori giggled, "Yeah, well I nine hundred years no trial you too."

Kyle rolled onto one elbow and turned to look at Dori. "Okay all like, lemongrab and ow my back aside, I mean, I feel like a total chump saying so but yeah. Uh. Do I gotta say it again?"

"No, I heard you," she said, grinning happily she flopped down and hugged him, "And I love you too. Nakedly."