xp_logs | Scott & Kitty -

xp-shadowcat.livejournal.com posting in

Two old friends meet in their usual spot and realize there might be a chance for something more.

The days had got shorter, the nights had got colder but sleep was still that most impossible of beasts. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to sleep, more of that sleep was just not something that he found he needed need so much of, luckily he did have company during the hours before dawn.

"Just up through here," he told Kitty pushing open a door, the hinges creaking with disuse. Unfortunately the cold weather had put a stop to the jaunts to the rooftop, but it was a big mansion with plenty of other spots to go. "I found this place back when I first arrived here, One of my favorite places to get away," he told her as he nodded to the window and turned off the light. "It doesn't quite have the same view of the grounds as the roof, but it's a lot warmer, and you can see the kitchen lights hitting the edge of the forest and hear the pool from up here so it almost makes up for it."

"Eavesdropping on the pool, eh?" Kitty's laugh echoed across the narrow space as she curled herself against the window. "What do you expect to hear?"

She blinked slowly, trying to adjust her eyes to the light so she could see Scott more clearly. She liked these times with him--it was one of the only chances she had to peek past the facade of teacher and leader.

"Right now, I'm hoping not too much. Otherwise someone is courting hypothermia, unless it's Bobby but then he's courting falling asleep in class tomorrow." Scott have turned to give Kitty a lopsided grin, "Mainly just eavesdropping on the sound of the water," he admitted pushing the window open slightly to admit the sound of the water lapping against the sides of the pool. "It's not quite the ocean but it's as close as you can get and still enjoy all the creature comforts of the mansion." The X-man closed his eyes to listen to the water for a second before opening his eyes and grinning at Kitty. "The view by the moonlight is pretty amazing too."

"I do miss being close to the ocean," she admitted. "I liked that about the West Coast. I don't miss it as much as the trains though. Dad used to take me to the train yards in Chicago sometimes on weekends and we'd count the cars."

Kitty smiled faintly, remembering her father. "I'm probably the only girl you know who's actually moved to an apartment by the train tracks on purpose." She leaned back as a sudden rush of loneliness hit her. She missed the days of childhood suddenly, of being part of her family. Xavier's made up for a lot but there were times when she yearned for something more. What more was, however... she wasn't sure she knew anymore.

"It's funny how those little memories can turn into full blown quirks as you grow up. I'd never have pegged you for a trainspotter," Scott admitted tilting his head to look at Kitty as she leaned back, unnerved by the lonely look in her eyes, "Liking the sound of trains must have made finding a cheap apartment really easy though, so many people are put off great apartments because of the sound of train tracks. Me, I think after all this time here, if I didn't always have some kind of noise around I'd go crazy."

"Maybe that's part of it too. After I left here, I spent a lot of time surrounding myself with the noise of other people so I wouldn't have to make any of my own." Kitty smiled.

"I don't know, sometimes having too many people around can ruin a moment or make too much noise." Scott noted turning to give Kitty a smile, "I mean, well I enjoy our moonlight respites and can't imagine sharing them with anyone else. Though I'd bet having more people around would make it just a little less relaxing."

"I like not having to share," Kitty confessed. She blinked as she realized how true that was. She smiled ruefully and glanced at the window to avoid catching Scott's eye. Reaching down, she tugged off her shoes and wiggled her toes, deciding to change the subject before she could make trouble. Way to go, Pryde. You're a little old for this. Whatever "this" was. "So, um...what did you do for Christmas? Going out to visit Mom, I guess I missed a lot."

Scott as really glad that Kitty was distracted by the view outside the window, for some reason he couldn't stop a smile from plastering itself over his face. "Christmas, pretty much the same as you," the X-man turned his gave to stare out at the skate ramp Alex had decided to build. "This is the first Christmas with my brother so we swung by Alaska to spend some time with by grandparents. I think my Gran almost blew a fuse from sheer joy when she saw him get out of the plane. How about you? Anything special happen at your mum's?"

"The usual. It's not Christmas for us, it's Hanukkah so at least I get Chinese food out of it." She grinned. "Hanukkah was well over by Christmas but I went over to Mom's then anyway." Kitty sighed. "I'd thought about going over for the actual holiday but days of relatives all questioning me and Mom trying to set me up with nice Jewish boys..."

She shook her head. "I know she just wants me to be happy but sometimes I feel like my only value to her is right here." Kitty poked her stomach with a sad smile. "Too bad for her." She swallowed, remembering, but said nothing more.

"I don't think that it's just your mum, more like all mother-figures everywhere. For years my grandma would hit me with the full 20 questions treatment whenever I went up to Alaska. 'I hadn't found the right person' never really seemed to cut much ice." Scott gave Kitty a small smile taking a note of the look on her face. "Of course this time she had Alex," he confided, "when she found out about his fiancee, I think she ended up planning their wedding and the rest of their life together. You know it's nice knowing I'm not the only one who's family keeps trying to set them up. I'd much rather take my time and find someone special to me."

Kitty smiled. "Yeah, that'd be nice." She ducked her head. "Sorry, didn't mean to rant. These kinds of conversations get awkward fast, huh?"

Glancing out the window, she asked, "What's it like to have Alex back? I never had a sibling." If I did, I'd want her to be like Jean. The thought brought a second, genuine smile to her lips.

"Sometimes," Scott agreed, "but what else are you going to do in the middle of hte night but have deep soul-barring conversations?"

"Having Alex back it's... honestly it's not what I'd expected," Scott admitted with a sigh, "I mean he's my brother and I see things I recognize but he's spent almost all his life growing up without me. I knew the kid he used to be but I'm only just getting to know the man he is now. I don't know anything about the ladies who adopted him or what he's been through in his life to get here. It's sometimes hard to remember that he's not that terrified kid who I jumped out of a plane with, I can't treat him like that but I'm still learning how to act around him now.When I found out he was back, I thought this would be easy, that we'd just slip into the same relationship we had when we were younger. And sometimes we do, but other times I find myself second guessing everything I do." Scott rested his head against the window, tilting it to give Kitty a smile, "Sorry, I didn't mean to unload all of that on you."

"You don't have to apologize for talking about your problems," Kitty said. She returned his smile with one twice as big. "Isn't that the point of being together? That you don't have to be anything but...well, you?" She poked him with her toe. "It's kind of nice to see that you're human, y'know."

"Shhhhh, not so loud," Scott mock whispered and glanced around before grinning at Kitty, "I've spent years building up a certain level of mystique, wouldn't want anyone to figure out I'm actually human under the whole facade." As he spoke Scott turned to face Kitty, leaning his back against the window frame, "You're not wrong," he admitted, "But it's been a long time since I've felt like I could just be myself with someone, even with Kurt or Garrison I've known them for so long that the friendship has a momentum of it's own."

"I know what you mean." Kitty watched Scott, wondering what thoughts were drifting through his head. "I was gone so long from here that I thought I could redefine myself. And I did. Just not in ways I liked."

She sighed. "Sometimes I think I came back to redeem myself. I'm not sure I managed it." The events of months past with Garrison still weighed heavily on her mind when she let herself think about it. Had they done the right thing?

Kitty forced her mind back to the present. "So what do you think of Alex as he is now?"

"He's...someone I can come to respect. Most definitely his own man, I think that I like him but well you know how in all the books and movies you instantly connect with family and two seconds later you'd willingly give your life for them? Sadly real life doesn't work like that." Scott shrugged, "I guess this is one of those give it time things."

Turning his head Scott examined Kitty's profile in the moonlight, "I think you've made a good start at redemption," Scott countered, "You were there to help the kids when the bus went over, who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there." He told her honestly, before attempting a smile, "Besides, if you hadn't come back here to share the night shift with me, I'd have gone crazy ages ago."

"Oh, you'd have found somebody." Kitty waved him off. His comment made her smile regardless. "And what would I do without you? At least my sleepless nights have a purpose now."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that, remember I had years of lonely nights before you came long," Scott pointed out with a smile, "Finding someone who is up at all hours of the night, is smart, witty and pleasant company is a lot harder that you'd think it was."

"Um. Yeah." Kitty stammered. She could feel a flush creeping up the back of her neck. Wiggling up against the window, she pressed her cheek against the glass to cool it. "I definitely have the all hours of the night bit down."

She fidgeted, leaning down to rub at the calluses on her toes. You should've worn socks, Pryde. These are the ugliest feet in the world. Then- Does it really matter if Scott likes your ugly feet or not?

Kitty peered up at him over her knees for a moment, her hazel eyes dark. Yeah. Yeah, it does. But she couldn't think of anything to say in that moment, to distract her from the way she felt.

"I'm glad you do" Scott admitted, "Your company is infinitely more attractive than anything else I could be doing right now." Than anything I could be doing? Way to be vague and wishywashy Summers, Scott chided himself.

"Although we don't really hang out much during the day, we should change that..." Scott's voice trailed off. You've faced Sentinels and gone one on one with Magneto Scott reminded himself, Is talking to Kitty so scary that you're going to tiptoe around things? The answer was yes, but he was never going to admit it.

"You know what," he said, breaking the silence, "I'm not very good at this, I haven't even thought about doing it in years, but I'm not going to act like one of the teenagers here, well not too much anyway." Scott allowed as he turned slightly so he was looking straight at Kitty. "I really do enjoy spending time with you, though I'd like to do it more than just in the middle of the night. So, would you like to go out to have dinner with me?"

"Are you sure? I mean, I eat a lot," Kitty blurted out in her surprise. Then she paused, trying not to look as anxious as she felt. "Is this a date or just eating?" She scrunched up her face the minute the words came out, knowing how they must have sounded.

This wasn't what Scott had envisaged happening, he wasn't sure how she'd react but he knew this wasn't it, "Well," In for a penny, in for a pound, right? "I was hoping that it would be a date, but if you don't want to?" He was holding his breath...so much for not acting like a teenager.

"No, no," she flushed. "I absolutely, really, totally want to." Kitty paused, then laughed. "I just didn't expect it, that's all." Her blush mellowed into a grin.

"Oh well, excellent then," Scott let out the breath he'd been holding his face mirroring Kitty's smile. "Well you know me, I aim to surprise."

"Well, it was a nice one." She beamed at him in spite of the butterflies in her stomach. "When's dinner?"