1805/Catching Up Is Hard To Do

Catching Up Is Hard To Do
Date of Scene:	03 August 2017
Location:	Kitchen - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Right after "Mutants": Sam and Dani have a heart to heart
Thanks to:	Sam for being a good sport
Cast of Characters:	Moonstar, Cannonball

---

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani leads the way to the kitchen, not giving Sam a chance to really dump off his luggage. Though she is nice enough to take one of the bags from the poor boy as she doesn't say a whole heck of a lot, occasionally glancing back towards Sam.

    Then they're at the kitchen, and she makes a beeline for the fridge, "Any preference on a sandwich?" She gets the gouda out of the fridge, as she has /her/ preference, and gets the sliced roast beef out too. Lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard... and she says, "Bread's up in the cupboard. Over there!" Because she's not really trying to avoid talking about anything. Really!

Cannonball has posed:
    "Dani Moonstar. We have a problem, you and ah." Sam goes over to get the bread. "That sandwich you made me the one time? With the two meats and no cheese? It was delicious." Sam mumbles it. He looks like he feels awkward. The big man moves about the kitchen, pushing at his hair to get it out of his face. He settles the bread next to her as he settles his butt against the counter top and crosses his arms. he lowers his chin against his chest and his frown starts to lengthen his face.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani isn't a telepath, but her empathy is enough she senses a bit of what's going on there, though not too much as she grabs some turkey as well, "Oh-kay..." She glances over her shoulder, starting to work on their sandwiches. She, of course, takes the gouda, because she's very finicky about her cheese. It's a whole /thing/, you see.

    Then she looks over at Sam, "Okay, you're not mad... so that means there's something else going on." She tilts her head, her eyes flickering up to Sam to meet his eyes, "And I think this is the first time you've ever had a problem expressing an opinion to me, really."

Cannonball has posed:
    "Dani Moonstar. You and ah? We have been through everything together. We lost Doug, together. We trained together. We rebelled together. We fought together. We... well, ah I yammering. Ah am nervous." He stuffs his hands in his pockets, radiating his anxiety. Sam works his jaw. He has been thinking. All the hayseed comments and everything else have always been jokes.
    He looks over at him. "Ah admire you, Dani." Something in the way he says her name is different. "But ah don't want to be a friend anymore, Dani." His frown deepens even more. "Ah... Ah have more complicated feelings about you, Dani." Not Moonstar. It is Dani.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani blinks, then sets down the knife she was using to cut the tomato. Her hand, for the record, is shaking a bit, "Sam..." She grins, and looks up at him, head tilting just a bit. It's tempting to use her leader's cynicism as a shield, but that's not fair to Sam, or to her, as she looks down a bit, "You're not the only one with complicated feelings, Sam Guthrie."

    She then looks over towards Sam, after looking down for a long moment, "But, I mean, it's... a little complicated. I mean, I'm not..." She shakes her head, and laughs a bit, mostly at herself, "You know what my dating life is like!" That is to say, she hasn't really had any, because she's always been focused on tactics, being a better leader, especially after Doug.

Cannonball has posed:
    "It.. doesn't have to be complicated." Sam says finally. He reaches over. it is a curiously slow, even gentle gesture. Slowly, calmly, gently, his hand attempts to settle over hers. it's warm. Very pale.
    "Ah know all about you, Dani." He frowns a bit. "Come here?" He asks, his voice a little quieter yet. "Please?" He slides his other hand back against the counter top. His throat works nervously.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani looks at Sam, then smiles and gently turns her hand to squeeze his, and looks up at him. "Sam, before I come over, I need to say two things." She tilts her head, "Then I'll let you ask again, once you know. I just don't want you to be surprised. First, I've been... attracted to you for a while now." She blushes fiercely at that, not used to admitting that, becaues it always felt like a weakness, given they were co-leaders and everything.
    She then looks at Sam, "Second. I'm... I'm dating someone. We're not in a committed anything, but I care about her. And I care about you too, Sam. And I, I..." She pauses, then swallows, looking at Sam as she says, "I don't want to hurt either of you." She then glances down, finding that something really hard to admit, as she hasn't really admitted anything like that before, but she cares enough about Sam she'd never try to lead him on.

Cannonball has posed:
    It might have been kinder to kick in his face and stomp out his teeth. His face goes vermilion. It remains vermilion. He's embarrassed. "Uh, uh, uh of course you are." Sam says quietly. "You are amazing. She is very lucky girl. Ah... shouldn't have assumed that you would be available." Sam looks aside. "Ah... Ah dunno, Dani. Ah might not wanna share in a few weeks, and you going the other way and picking her, that'd really hurt." He pushes himself up off the counter top. His arms wrap about himself.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani sighs deeply, "I... I know Sam. And I'm not saying never. I..." She feels his pain, her empathy going that far, and she gently squeezes his hand, "Sam? You mean so much to me. Even when you were a real pain in the ass." Her lips quirk into a bit of a smile, despite the feelings, "Especially when you were a pain in the ass, sometimes." The smile fades a bit, as she says, serious again, "I always cared, I... just never knew how to say it."

Cannonball has posed:
    The big man pivots. He settles his gaze on her. "there are two kinds of regrets. The regret from not do'in something, and of doing something. Ah know which ah prefer to have." Sam reaches out one hand, to grab Dani's wrist very gently. The attempt is gentle, but sure. Unless she judo throws him, well, she'll get her scrawny little Cheyenne self picked up, her backside pressed against a counter, and her mouth pressed to his in a lingering, lasting, very sincere kiss. Sam is trying to keep his emotions in check. Dani doesn't need his messed up feelings on top of hers. His one hand is at her hip, to steady her and hold her close.
    Someone taught the doofy-looking, horse-faced hayseed how to kiss a girl though.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani blinks in surprise, but with all the emotions and talking they've done... she tenses a little at first, then relaxes into the kiss. Slowly she slips her free hand to his shoulder, mmming softly as she is a pretty good kisser herself. She lets her eyes drift closed, as she just feels that weight lifting, the tension fading away.
    Eventually, the kiss breaks, and she rests her head on Sam's chest, a soft chuckle unable to be helped as she says, "Um... wow." Apparently it was a pretty good kiss, as she glances back up at Sam. "You're a pretty good kisser, white boy." She winks at him with that, letting loose a deep breath. "Wow."

Cannonball has posed:
    "Been practicing kissing Cheyenne girls on my hand." Sam teases her quietly. His hands gently move to remove himself from her. "Ah have to admit, ain't so bad yourself, Dani." He pushes a hand through his hair. "Ah... understand you are with someone else. If ya change your mind... let me know." That's Sam, the white knight; he'll step aside. "Ah hope she treats you like you deserve. If she does not, ah will totally steal ya, Dani Moonstar." Right back to Dani Moonstar. "Ah shouldn't' have done that. Sorry."

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani smiles, leaning back against the counter, "Believe me, you'll be the first one to know, Sam." She gets a bit of an impish look at that, though when he moves back, she does take a step after him, just hugging him close, "Don't ever apologize for showing your heart, Samuel Guthrie, you hear me?" She lets him go, but her hands rest over his as she looks at him, "And no matter what happens, you know I care about you, Sam." And she means it, too.

Cannonball has posed:
    "You will forgive me, if that doesn't make me feel as good as ah know you mean to?" Sam's smile is a little sad. "Uh. Forgive me? I am not hungry anymore?" Retreat retreat retreat. Sam gves a little nod. "Thanks for the talk, Moonstar." He awkwardly moves to get his luggage. "Ah need to move my other stuff into the room. Exercises in the morning?" Back into the professional relationship.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani sighs, the smile fading out a bit as she nods, "You... you bet, first thing in the morning. Just like always." She turns away from Sam at that point, looking down at the food that was gathered, her hair falling around her face like a shroud. But she's not going to cry, not until Sam's gone. No one gets to see her do that. Not even the Professor.

Cannonball has posed:
    His hand touches her shoulder. "Ah ain't mad at you. Ah.. ah deserve all of you." that is big of him to admit.. Sam deserves something. She's been telling him that for years. "Ah understand you can't give me that." His hand leaves her shoulder, and the big man goes to pick up his luggage. He pauses, then grabs the sandwich. "Ah will eat that. you don't make me many sadwichs. You always make the best ones." Then, again, he gathers up his stuff and awkwardly starts out.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani sighs, and actually laughs a bit. Admittedly, it's a bit of a sad and broken laugh, but still, "You... finally started listening to me, Sam?" She says, as Sam leaves with the sandwich, "I know." Apparently she's not been that clueless about things, but, she never thought this would ever have a chance to be real, either.

Cannonball has posed:
    "I love you." The chickensh*t leaves the door swinging shut with that.