A World Remembered

Chapter 17: In Three Weeks Time

You aren't here for my story and I'm sorry for making you suffer through it. Your time is next, for this is nearing my last to simply tell you of the events before your awakening. Kurt came out of his depression, happy to know you would fine. We became friends again, in a sense, but our own relationship would never be truly healed. How would it? Despite how I've tried to write a romantic fiction, I've only provided a crap load of stupid angst, so here goes a little more of the story telling.

Pietro and I got closer in the weeks we had left together. He helped me in the library, time off during that month granted by Xavier. Speaking of him, he knew what would happen and gave me encouragement to enjoy my time while I was here. Back to Pietro. He would read to me. Actually, he would set me in his lap and let me read aloud for us both while he flipped pages and held the book. We'd spent most evenings that way and the kids would make fun of us, but we were too wrapped up in our bookish journeys.

I stare at my book, Cassandra Clare's Lady Midnight, my eyes scrunched up in thought. It's after library hours, my free time slowly going to waste. My hands were still messed up, of course, and the bandages kept me from turning the pages and holding them in place well. Within the first fifty pages, the book had fallen shut at least ten times, nearing fifteen I had thought. Who knows? I've lost track.

I was getting close to giving up when Pietro came in, his expression amused with my hunched body, arms shaking in frustration from trying to turn the page. "My goodness! Life is cruel when it shields me from my love," I growl out, dropping my scarred hands into my lap. The fresh bandages crackled from where they sat on my leg, reminding me of what had caused them. I shook it off.

"But nozhing is shielding you from me..." Pietro's voice is low in my ear, warm air caressing my lobe as muscular arms surround my waist from behind, dragging me from the bean bag in the little reading corner to the middle of his legs, my back to his chest.

"Sorry, but books claim that title from me. They are my first love and will always be my true love."

"How vould one go about gaining a level of love over that of your book's?"

"Helping me indulge in reading one might do the trick," I had grinned at his theatrical sigh, excited when he actually cracked over my book, flipping to the first page and starting us off. "Thank you, Pietro. You didn't really have to."

"Nonsense. I have to do vhat I can to gain my lovely girl's love, do I not?"

We took tuns reading the various bits of dialogue. Being surrounded by him, his smell completely overwhelming my sense granted me ease and a happiness I hadn't felt in too long. I was content to just sit in his arms forever and us read together.

I like to think that stayed with him, those times and that continual love of books. Lord knows he needed it. He would dote, fetching everything I needed. He even helped me start my next romance story, one about a girl and her mysterious nighttime visitor (coming to you next summer) and we would laugh as he made fun of my goofiness.

Despite having written this whole future out, I have to say I enjoyed it. It was happy times, my last memories before I would leave.

One night we went out, the day before you would wake. You were getting better, heart beat stronger and mental processes quicker and more aware of your surroundings. Tomorrow you would awake. Tomorrow I would fade.

"мой автор." Pietro is missing the goggles as he scoots out the chair, gesturing like a gentleman for me to take my seat. I snort and take it, him following suit on my right hand side. We'd grown playful in the last few days, as if the looming day wasn't approaching. I mean, he didn't know, but he must of noticed the changing in my behavior. The longer caresses, the lingerings stares, the elongated periods of quietness from me.

"I still can't figure out what that is." I throw him a look of tell me, but he shakes his head, refuses to share the secret.

"I kan't tell you that. It vould no longer be such a fun pet name." He boops my nose and I squint at him.

"What are you up to, Mr. Maximoff?"

"Please, don't kall me such a horrid name. Mr. Maximoff vas my father. Kall me Peter." He wiggles his eyebrows and I smile gently.

"Whatever you say, Pietro." I pretend to study my nails before looking up. "What are we doing at an empty table anyhow?" I'm utterly aware of the night sky dotted full of stars, each twinkling at me as I study them. The dark trees are filled to the brim with darting fireflies. It's a magical scene, feeding off a romantic air.

Pietro laughs and zips off before returning with quite the lay out. Truthfully, it's steak with a big bowl of Twinkies between us and a candelabra for light. Romantic indeed. I stare pointedly at the wine glasses filled with a red liquid before looking back up at him. "Grape juice. Ve aren't old enough to drink." I nod, satisfied. He sits, calls a toast for us both, and assists me in getting a drink. I am still utterly helpless. The third degree burns are deep and I've been told they'll scar hideously.

"As for drinking, I figured you to be the type to embrace it, to hold it close as you jug it down," I pipe out before digging into the steak.

"Kurt vould be disappointed in you." Pietro scolds and I shrug. "I am a saint in terms of following the rules." I coughed and he laughed, my tone joining his after only a moment.

We sat for the longest of times, enjoying the air and the feeling of conentness. We ended up with one Twinkie left as we were staring up at the stars, sitting on the shore of the lake.

That stars were bright against the night sky, glowing pinpoints among the dark. The moon was full, a big yellow disk that cast a magical lighting over the scene at which we sat. The water made the light ripple, lapping gently at the overgrown grass.

I heard the crinkle crackle of a wrapper and turn to find a silver haired speedster tucking a Twinkie between his teeth, tuning to offer me the other side. I raised a brow before leaning forward and taking a bite. A pink dusting covered his cheeks at my compliance, biting his end at the same time I did. For a halting moment, it seemed as if the middle piece of Twinkie would fall down, but a hand flew up to catch it, holding it back up for the both of us to take to another bite.

It was after we finished the Twinkie and I had just swallowed when something soft pressed against my mouth. In the dark, I thought it to be another hidden Twinkie to say so when a tongue slipped in.

"Mmph." A hand grasped the small of my back, holding me firm against my captor. When it registered that it was Pietro, I wrapped​ my hands around my friend-lover-whatever the hell he was, pulling him even closer.

His tongue sought mine out, attacking for the dominance I wasn't willing to give over. As that battle continued to be fought, that sneaky hand slithered up my spine, sending shivers through my body, and tangled into my hair, palm cupping the back up my neck.

He won the battle when he tugged on my hair, pulling a gasp from me and winning himself a free ticket to explore the space he had won. His touch was heat, and I could feel his heart pounding through our layers of shirts.

He had been nervous.

The moment we pulled away for air was a silent one, something that would last the rest of the night. He didn't ask for my faithfulness. I think he had planned it, but that kiss left things unsaid, things that needed to be sorted.

Stuff that never would be.

And there we go!!! Next to last chapter. That's right. I only have a chapter 18 planned and an epilogue, so I hope you're ready for the ending. This will not only be the ending of my story, but the start of anther that you get to think up yourself. I won't involve myself in writing anymore of Kurt's and yours story.

~zdragonizhungirez~