To Be A Hero - Colossus and Angel

12. The Brokenhearted

Following the sisters' argument, while Daniela went to go meet up with her boyfriend, Kath stormed down to the kitchen, her anger fuelling her hunger.

When she arrived she found the kitchen occupied - she had been hoping it would be empty. But the other person there was Piotr. 

Despite the sisters' argument being about him, or at least involving him, Kath felt relieved to see him.   "Hi Piotr."

"Hi Kath." He didn't return her smile, just sipped his tea quietly.

She could instantly tell something was off.  He wasn't himself.  "You okay?"

"Okay, da."

"Okay, good." She was in the middle of preparing herself some cheese and crackers when he spoke again.

"Kath, on my way to kitchen, I couldn't help but overhear you and Daniela arguing."

"Oh..."

"Is everything okay between you two?"

She was flooded by relief.  "Oh, yeah, we were just disagreeing on something - again."

"I heard you say that you - well, that you like me..."

The relief she had been feeling vanished just like that.  Shit - he'd overheard that? How loud had they been speaking? They had been having a heated argument...

Kath felt her cheeks go a red as Wanda's favourite leather jacket. "Oh, Piotr-" 

"Is it true?"

Well, she was in it now, trapped. And it was her own damn fault.  "Yes, it is..."

"But you don't love me?"

"Sorry?"

"You said you didn't love me."

Yes, she had said that, hadn't she. "I don't love him, Daniela! Like him, yeah, sure, but I'm not in love with him..."

"I understand.  I knew it was a long shot to hope you felt the same." He stood, downing the rest of his tea and placing the empty cup in the sink. 

"Goodnight, Kath." He didn't look at her as he left. 

--------------------------- 

"I love you, you know."

Warren whirled around, eyes wide, jaw dropped, wings stopping mid-flutter.

Daniela sat up in bed and couldn't help but chuckle at his flabbergasted expression.  "Oh, come on, don't look so surprised.  You knew it. It's obvious, isn't it?"

"Um, well..." Now Warren was avoiding eye-contact and running his hand through his hair.  He cleared his throat a few times, unable to speak. 

"Warren?"

"I just, I - you surprised me, is all."

"But I thought it was obvious, that I was being obvious, about how I felt."

"Yeah, no, it's obvious you care-"

"Of course I care.  Because I love you." Then it hit, suddenly, like a slap in the face and just as painful.  "But you don't feel the same..." Her heart started to sink, and for a moment it felt like it would never stop.

"No! That's not what I'm saying!" Warren cried.  "I just, I, I'm not, I don't, I don't know-"

"No, it's exactly what you're saying." Hot tears were coming on fast, so Daniela got out of bed, threw on her clothes, not caring how messy they looked, and headed for the door.