in the kitchen

[x-angel.livejournal.com]

Amanda, Warren, other people's food, and almost a water fight. Explains this post.


Caffiene and cigarettes were all very well for the short term, but after missing lunch for the second day in a row, and managing only a quick sandwich for dinner in between tuutpring with Kitty and seeing Moira and Nate, Amanda had decided that food was in order. Lorna was still avoiding the kitchen, but Amanda was self-sufficient, and was poking aorund in the fridge for something edible when Warren came in.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Warren asked Amanda as he strolled toward the pantry. He was looking for a late-night snack. He was about to go to bed, but he was also starving, and he sure as hell wasn't going to go to bed hungry.

"Bedtime's for the munchkins," Amanda replied automatically, emerging from the fridge with a take-out container that had Pete's name scrawled across the top. She cautiously peeled the top off, sniffed, and hurriedly closed it again before tossing it in the trash bin. Then she realised who had spoken and smiled broadly. "Hey, Wings."

Warren paused his search to smile at her over his shoulder. "If it isn't Glinda the Good Witch herself," he responded. He continued digging through the pantry until he came up with a box of White Cheddar Cheez-Its with Bobby's name on it. He shook it and frowned. "Who's been eating my Cheez-Its?!"

"I'd hazard a guess an' say the person whose name's on the box?" Amanda replied wryly. She screwed up her nose. "'Glinda'? I would have thought the Wicked Witch of the West would've been better." She continued her search through the refrigerator. "There's fuck all t' eat in here, an' I'm starved."

Warren rolled his eyes. He tossed the mostly-empty box back into the pantry and opened a cupboard to resume his search. "Aha!" he exclaimed suddenly. He straightened up, triumphantly holding a box in his hands. "Easy Mac!" He glanced at the top. "It's Doug's, looks like, but the box is so big I'm sure he won't miss a packet... or two or three... Want some?"

"I'd call you an angel if that weren't already yer nickname," said Amanda. "I've been runnin' around so much I keep forgettin' t' eat. Homily'd kill me if she found out. An' then bring me back t' life so she could force me t' drink her tonics." She pulled the milk out of the fridge and brought it over to where Warren was. "Enjoy yer hols? Must have - didn't hear much from you."

"Yeah, after I left Brighton I was in Paris," Warren replied, emptying the macaroni noodles into a bowl. "Brighton was a really... interesting... place. Explains a lot about why you're so damn crazy."

Amanda pulled herself up to perch on one of the counters, laughing at Warren's last. "'S one way of puttin' it," she agreed. "Still, it did everyone some good, by the looks. An' you can't tell me Brighton was weirder than Paris - the place is full of French people."

The microwave beeped. Warren pulled out the bowl and began dumping cheese powder into it. "Ever been to Paris?"

"No. But I'm honour-bound t' declare me patriotism by trashin' the French. 'S practically a national past time."

Warren unceremoniously shoved a bowl of Easy Mac into her face and handed her a fork. "Yeah, well, they hate us even more than we hate them. But the food is good, the sights are beautiful, and you can smoke /everywhere/."

"Might have t' see if Marie-Ange'll return the Brighton favour an' give me the tour, then," Amanda said indistinctly, practically inhaling the food. "Yer a life-saver, Wings." She swallowed, and asked, before taking another mouthful. "How's 'Yana doin', do you know? I heard somethin' 'bout her still bein' in medlab."

Warren nodded to indicate that he'd heard her, and swallowed a big mouthful before he spoke. "She's sick with some virus, but she's doing okay. I think she'll be out soon. Apparently her immune system was fucked up because she was in Limbo for so long, or something like that."

"Makes sense." Amanda nodded, frowning slightly. She kept her thoughts to herself - if Illyana had been corrupted at all by her time in the demon dimension, then something would have shown after all that time in medlab, right? "'M surprised Piotr left, with her still sick. But maybe 's for the best - too much attention's almost as bad as not enough." There was a slightly plaintive note in her voice as she said the last.

Warren sighed. On the one hand, he loved talking to people about Piotr because, well, he loved Piotr. On the other hand, he wished people would stop reminding him that Piotr was gone. "I guess Piotr finally figured out that it'd be for the best if he left for a while," he agreed. He looked at her. "Are you complaining about getting too much attention?"

"No! It's great, everyone wantin' t' talk t' me..." Amanda's fake enthusiasm faded. "Well, maybe just a bit. 'M not used to it. An' it seems like the only time I get any time t' meself is when I'm in the bathroom." She looked down at her bowl, pushing the last of the noodles around with the fork. "'S stupid, I know. 'M just feeling overwhelmed." Pushing aside the thought, she cocked her head, looking at Warren. "Yer really missing him, ain't you?"

Warren turned to her in surprise. "I am," he said simply. He hadn't really expected her to notice. He scooped up the rest of the noodles with his fork. After a pause, he smiled at her. "Hey, don't complain about getting too much attention. If I hadn't wanted to talk to you, I'd have eaten all the Easy Mac by myself."

"Must be hard," was all Amanda said in reference to Piotr's absence. Then she grinned. "Can't have that - you don't wanna spoil that playboy physique of yers," she said. "So I s'pose it's a good thing you found me then."

Warren toook their bowls and began rinsing them in the sink. "I have very high metabolism," he said snootily. "It's part of my mutation. I can eat whatever I want and not gain an ounce. Ladies hate me for that."

"I bet." Amanda shrugged. "I seem t' have the other problem - 's hard for me t' put weight on. So everyone tells me I'm too fucking skinny all the time." She slid of the counter and grabbed a dishtowel to dry the bowls. "Feelin' overwhelmed aside, I am glad I ran into you. An' not just 'cause you made me food."

"Aw, stop that, sweetheart. You're going to make me blush." Warren dropped a bowl into her hands, grinning. "I have to admit, I was one of the overwhelming many looking for you. Any day now, you'll have your own fanclub. And I'll be the president."

Amanda did blush at that. "Now yer bein' ridiculous," she said, soundly pleased despite herself.

"Shall I put up a post on the journal system and get this fan club started?" Warren winked at her, sensing that she was flattered.

"Don't you dare!" she said, flicking him lightly with the dishtowel. "I'd never live it down. Pete'd laugh himself sick."

Laughing, Warren blocked her attacks. "You do realize that now you're just encouraging me?"

The look Amanda gave him was truly pitiful. "You wouldn't really want to embarrass me t' death, would you?"

"I wouldn't? That's news to me," Warren said slyly.

"Is there anythin' that I could do that would stop you?" Amanda cranked up the pitiful look, pouting a little.

"Hm..." Warren tapped his chin, considering. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"I'll just have t' kill you then, an' bury yer remains in the backyard," decided Amanda, with a theatrical sigh. "'S a pity, but yer ain't givin' me a choice."

Warren rolled his eyes. "Is that the best you can do? What, you think I'm scared of a little girl like you?"

She flicked him again with the towel, harder, catching him on the leg. "Yer forgettin' this little girl changed Jake into a frog," she warned, grinning.

After a moment's pause, Warren stuck out his tongue. "Try me." He lunged and snatched the dish towel from her hands. "What're you gonna do now, Amanda?"

Unfortunately for Warren, Amanda's response was to grab the hose attachment on the sink. "Wanna find out?" she asked, wickedly, pointing the nozzle at him.

"You even think about it and I'm giving you detention for a month, young lady. Disrespecting a teacher like that!" he retorted with a warning tone in his voice.

"You really think that's gunna stop me?" she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Rom didn't brain wash me that much."

Warren's eyes widened. "Don't you dare--" He reached to grab the nozzle out of her hand. When he couldn't get it, he started swinging the dish towel around. "Don't /make/ me have to use this thing!"

Amanda ducked the wildly-swinging towel, keeping the nozzle trained on Warren. "Looks like we've got a stand-off then," she said. "So, how 'bout this? You put down the towel, I put down the hose, an' there's no comments in anyone's journals 'bout fanclubs?"

In response, Warren jumped out of the line of fire and scrambled as fast as he could out of the kitchen. "The fanclub post is staying!" he yelled back.

"Bastard!" Amanda called back after him, giving chase.