8552/Great Moments In Texting

Great Moments In Texting
Date of Scene:	28 July 2019
Location:	Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Text messages turn into a visit from Peter and a walk down to the river with Kitty
Cast of Characters:	Spider-Man, Shadowcat

---

Spider-Man has posed:
It's kind of a slow day in New York. A few muggers and a foiled car jacking over in the Bronx, but nothing that really needed Spidey's full attention. Which is precisely why he's sitting on a wall, supported by his feet turned down against the bricks above a fire escape, fiddling with his phone. A little webbing hammock holds his sandwich and big gulp soda which he periodically leans towards rather than grabbing because he's pretty lazy for a spider...

The whole while his thumbs are working across the keys of the phone, writing, deleting, then rewriting a text like some teenage kid who wants to send something, but doesn't want to be the first to send something. "Just send it." typing, chewing a bit of sandwich. Deletedelete "What if she's in a meeting with a student? What if you annoy her.... just send it." typetypetype.

"I'm going to send it..."

Someone from the window a few down from where spider-man is sitting sticks her head out and shouts in his direction, "For God's sake, just send it?!"

"OKAY, I'm sending it..."

Text: Hey Kits. Hope youre not busy. Its Peter. Im not sure why I told you that part. How are you?

"SEE?! I sent it..." Hands up and out at the window watcher.

"FINALLY... don't leave your trash on the wall."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty has been working about her room, cleaning things up, sorting, stowing, even taking care of those little tasks that one puts off for ever-and-day. Moving about the room with a soft, ever-present smile that has Lockheed watching her. His unblinking yellow eyes track her as she dances about the room - even literally at one point. Ok it was just a single pirouette on the way from the closet to the desk, but it counts.

Kitty paused to glance over at her phone thoughtfully while dusting her bookshelf. But then shook her head and continued on. She took a peek towards it while going through the pens in her pen holder to sort out the dead ones, but continued working.

The moment the phone chimes, she practically leaps, grabbing it and then landing on the bed and down and sending poor Lockheed bouncing up and down.

Kitty checks the message and breaks out in a huge grin.

Text: I'm good. Just finishing up some chores. Had to work off that ice cream. So worth it though.

Kitty glances over to Lockheed and shows him the phone. "What do you think? Yeah? Yeah? Is that a yes-stare or a no-stare?" she asks the stoic little dragon. "Ok, that's a yes-stare." She hits Send. Then peers at Lockheed again. The dragon rests his head back on the pillow.

Hopeless.

Spider-Man has posed:
The wait begins!

Pete, ala Spidey, busies himself by taking another bite of his sandwich and pretending to not glance at the screen every half second while chewing. The glories of instant access to personal communications aside, the couple minutes of pause between sending the text and receiving a response are agonizing... maybe a little gut wrenching.. but he's totally an adult and can handle this.

Even if he checks constantly, which he does.

"Don't be too eager." He murmurs to himself, bringing the message up on the screen with a slide of his thumb. "Hey, Ma'am." Crawling a little closer to the ladies window who peeked out at him, knocking his knuckles lightly against the glass until she stares at him through it. "Would you read this message and tell me if it's... she's saying the ice cream was worth it or if going out with me was worth it?"

She is not amused and slides the curtain closed in his face.

"Thanks for your help...."

Pete returns to his little nook, adjusts around on the wall trying to make bricks comfortable, and works his thumbs across the screen.

Text: Yeah, I had to do a ton of crunches. :flex emoji:

The phone lays on his chest for half a second, then bounces back up to quickly send something else, the eyes of his mask going super wide in response to the startled expression he must be wearing beneath it.

Text: Your man Ernie sure can whip the ice cream.

His head lulls back after he forces himself to send the message and immediately he's fidgeting. "Come on, Spidey, you're a professional... where's that winning wit that everyone hates you for?"

SUPER hopeless.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty just lies there on the bed on her stomach, her knees bent to stick her feet up in the air. She swings them forward and back as she watches the phone impatiently. Her fingers drum on the bed. Drum. Drum. Drum.

It ears her a lifted head and a look from Lockheed, for whom the drumming on the mattress surely felt quite amplified. "Sorry," she tells him, reaching over to scritch his head near where the horns come out. One of his favorite spots.

Kitty looks at the phone. "Watched pots never boil," she says, and pulls a corner of the blanket over the phone to hide it.

Ding! Ding!

"God bless pearls of wisdom," Kitty says as she snatches up the phone to check, a grin on her face. She smiles and taps back a message quickly.

Text: I bet you're one of those people who never has to exercise to stay in shape!

Her thumbs keep tapping away, another message following across the airwaves immediately: He's the best. Did you see the wink he gave me when we left? Means he approved of you. I think he thought it was a date. Wait, was it a date? I'm still not sure. But I had fun. You up to anything now?

She sends the new message off and then drops the phone. And covers it again. Kitty hops back up and goes over into the closet to rearrange a few things on a shelf.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete is trying to find things to occupy his mind, in this particular moment, that includes throwing shadow punches with his phone clutched in his hand. This wouldn't be so odd if it he weren't standing on a vertical wall as if it were level ground as if gravity has no business foolin' about with him. "Stop looking at the phone.. you have to stay in prime fighting condition." One hand touches the edge of the roof and he flips up onto it easily so as to crouch on the low bridge wall connected to the storm-drains.

"You're a zen master..." Hands together, knees out wide in a position that definitely makes him look awkward with the flexibility inherent in inhumanly loose muscles. "You can wait four minutes for a reply, this isn't high school, she's a busy woman..."

"SHUT UP"

"Sorry!" Pete shouts down at the voice from below him, "I'm waiting on an important text..." Pointing at the phone in his hands, leaning forward now to gaze at the frustrated tenant.

"We know... everyone on this side of the apartment knows... please, for the love of everyone, just shut up about it."

Spidey pats the air, then nearly loses his phone when it chirps in his hand and is brought up close to his chest while he reads. "Was it a date... does she want it to have been? I mean she said yes when you asked her out right?" Thumbs moving, "Screw it, in for a penny in for a pound..."

Text: I can neither confirm nor deny that I am blessed with impressive genetics. :embarassment emoji:

Text2: Im going to say it was a date. Only because Ernie seems like a smart man and I hate it when smart men are wrong. Im just hanging around, nothing that cant wait. If you wanted me to swing by?

Swing by was a nice touch. Pete hunkers down low in his crouch so his knees are nearly up to his shoulders and his arms are draped across them. "Alright, how fast can I get there..."

Shadowcat has posed:
The phone's chirping causes Kitty to come rushing out of the closet, sliding to a stop beside the bed. But instead of grabbing the phone, she hops up and down as if trying to keep both of her bare feet off the ground at the same time. "Ouch, carpet burn! Carpet burn!" she complains, before seating her butt on the bed so she can lift both feet at once.

She scoops up the phone then to check out what the double-ding entails. "Impressive genetics," she reads aloud, grinning. "He is kind of cute," she tells Lockheed. The dragon rises and walks over to curl up in her lap, which is always preferable even to the plush purple pillow.

Text: Then it was a really nice date. I'm just finishing in up in my room at school. If you wanted to go for a walk? Or maybe we could go swim? There's this great little bend in the river which is quieter than the pool. Or I could come to New York if you wanted. I'm easy.

Frantic text: Going! Easy-going. Hit return too soon.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete is calculating the exact distance between where he's currently crouching to the school with absurd precision, which has not really stopped him frequently checking the phone as if doing so might will a response. He was kind of feeling a sort of way about the genetics comment. As one does when they lowkey complement themselves, even if it was kind of a joke, "You're over thinking it, pal." Telling himself, looking at his wrist to check the charge strength on his current web cartridges, but it isn't like he's lacking in replacements.

"Give or take thirty minutes if I can find a truck to hitch a ride on..." He murmurs aloud, completely neglecting that he could just borrow Aunt May's car. Which makes more sense. But wont be nearly as quick. "You're crushing.." As if he needed to be told. Pete grins at himself and rubs a hand back over his web designed mask.

When the response initially comes, Pete pops the phone up to take a look.. but his brain only partly goes to the dirtier iteration of I'm easy, at least until there's another quick response, then it sits there like a big heavy weight. "I should probably not even say anything, right?" Asking himself, fully expecting an answer, which doesn't come. "Oh, now you want to go quiet.. real classy, inner monologue, reeeal classy..."

Text: I would say we could do all of the above but there are no good swimming spots in New York. Im about thirty minutes, as the crow flies, from the school. How about we meet by the mansion and walk out to the bend int he river?

"There, that doesn't sound desperate..." The mask is pulled down over his face and the phone connected to his suit by a little cord so that any messages will read into his headset. After collecting his trash, he leaps off and starts swinging in the direction of Winchester County.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins as she reads the response. She quickly thumbs a message back.

Text: It's a date. (See what I did?)

Kitty grins and tosses her phone back down. "Shoot, what am I going to wear?" she asks herself. "Are we swimming there or just walking out there? She disappears back into her closet, leaving Lockheed to go back and roll over onto his back on his pillow, feet sticking up in the air.

Kitty is waiting outside by the time Peter arrives. She's wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts that ride just low enough one can see the strings of a bikini bottom going over the curve of her hip beneath the shorts. She's wearing a white t-shirt with Lady Liberty on it, the image just faded enough to show it's a shirt she likes wearing and has had awhile.

Kitty is sitting cross-legged in the shade of a tree near to the door. There's a pair of bottles of something in koozies to help keep them cool, the glass with plenty of beads of condensation on it to signal the beverage will indeed be refreshing.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter's options for clothing are far more limited since he rarely brings his wallet with him on patrols. That means a round about swing to his apartment, shoving shorts into a backpack he hasn't used since his first stint in college, along with a t-shirt and his ever present mets hat atop a pair of sandals. The pack is slung on one shoulder and he's off, taking flight by webline towards the mansion.

The trip, unfortunately, is more like fifty minutes due to traffic, and he's got to stop somewhere to change. Finishing the last bit on foot with spider-man shoved into his backpack as he trots up the long drive towards the tree where Kitty is lounging.

He's wearing a pair of swimming trunks with a floral print and a white t-shirt that looks pretty new... big spender over here. The baseball hat is turned around backwards, as usual, and there's a huge grin on his face when he spies Kitty amidst the shade. "Hey, Kits."

Waving goofily as he comes up, lays his bag down, and decides whether he should offer a hug or not. It is an odd back and forth conversation with himself that could kind of resemble a seizure. "You look... amazing. Not that you don't always look amazing."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty spots the familiar figure coming up the drive from the gate. She climbs to her feet, dusting off her behind and flashing a soft, bright smile towards him. "There you are. I realized after it was probably too late what a pain it was for you to come all the way out here, if you weren't already," she tells him.

Kitty moves to give Pete a quick hug. It doesn't look too unusual of a gesture to the students who are around. But there is just that momentary sense of lingering past the point of a normal greeting before she lets him go.

Kitty looks him over openly and then back up to his face. "Good genetics," she says with a little grin. "And, thank you," she adds at the compliment, looking away and obviously looking pleased by it. She reaches down and picks up a bag to sling over her shoulder, and the two drinks, offering one to him. "Lemonade, hopefully still cold," she tells him.

The girl's brown eyes gaze over at Peter for a few moments, taking in the sight of him. Until it reaches a point she's just been standing there looking at him for too long. "So," she says quickly to try to cover it. "Shall we?" she asks, glancing towards the way around the school and off into the lands behind it towards the river.

Spider-Man has posed:
"it wasn't so bad." It was, it was agonizingly long and the truck he finally hitched a ride on was entirely too observant of the speed limit, but he wears a grin all the same. More so when she comes right in for a hug and belays all his considerations on whether he should or not. He's still keenly aware that they might draw attention, but doesn't seem at all inclined to release her early either, and does so only when she finally pulls away.

"Yeah..." Glancing down at himself sheepishly as she thrusts his words back in his direction, "I realize, in hindsight, what a dork that must make me sound... but you know, when it comes to self confidence, I'm easy." Only the slightest bit of teasing, hand out to accept the offered bottle while scooping up his own bag to sling upon the other shoulder.

"Absolutely." Having seen the lingering stare and, quite frankly, matching it. Another bikini... was that intentional? It had to have been right? Who puts on a bathing suit by accident? "Uhh..." He looks at his hand, then at her hand, then shakes his head and holds it out as if indicating her to show them off! "If this turns into that one scene from Stand By Me, I'm sorry in advance... leeches are horrible creatures and I will be screaming like a child."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty breaks out in a warm laugh as Peter brings back out her own words. "Sorry, so used to being around Rogue, there's no way she wouldn't have jumped on that comment. 'Pryde, it is bad enough if a boy says that, don't contribute to it yourself!'," she says, even managing Rogue's playful tone that would make clear the joke of it.

Kitty starts walking with Peter, laughing at the movie reference. "I don't think we have any in there, but I'd probably be screaming with you," she tells him. The pair walk past the castle-like mansion turned school, heading out into the back yard and past the stables before setting course across the grass towards a distant line of trees that follow the ready source of water of the nearby river that feeds Breakstone Lake.

"So with you starting up at Stark soon, are you done teaching here, I guess?" Kitty asks him. "I hadn't seen the teaching roster for the coming year. I'm still kind of getting used to everything on this side of the school experience." She'd taken on the guidance counselor role back in February. This will be her first start of the school year on the administration side.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete grins at the implied Rogue chiding with a knowing glint and rubs at the back of his neck beneath the brim of his hat, "Yeah, she's got a way of throwing things back at you." She could give Spider-Man a verbal run for his money! Which is saying something, even if he doesn't say as much out loud.

"Good then. That's another check mark in your permanent record... nobody should be comfortable around leeches. Even as a scientist and a student of biology... there's something inherently unnatural about a slug parasite." This is hardly the kind of conversation he saw transpiring between them, but once he starts talking it's hard for him to shut the valve. The words just tumble out without any inclination towards how it might make him sound. It's only a slight nervous gesture.

"I... well I don't know. I hope not. I really like teaching here... teaching at all really." He confides with a glance down at his feet crunching through dried leaves on their way towards the line of trees. "When I was still in High School, I had a science teacher... Doctor Conner. He had zero business teaching snot nosed kids, but his passion for sciences is why I continued my education in them." He says with a small smile that covers over all that happened LATER with the good doctor, but that's really not the point! "I kind of want to return the favor? If I can encourage one student to be better than they think or the world tells them, then I feel like I'm doing good by the world."

Shadowcat has posed:
As the date-talk turns to the biology of slugs, Kitty can't help but get a small grin. "You're really unique, you know that?" she asks him. And lest he have too long to dwell on whether that is a good or bad thing, Peter will feel Kitty's fingers brush against his, and then her hand offered to him now they are further away from the school.

She listens to his talk of Doctor Conner. If he glances over, he'd see a warm smile has resulted from Kitty hearing about his desire to inspire others the same way he had been.

She walks along with him as she says, "Well good, I hope you're able to keep both going. I think even if it's a cut back schedule, even just a class or a lab, we're lucky to have you here," she says. "It's a lot the same for me. The job at Stark, and here. But it is burning the candle at both ends, having a career there plus the school."

Kitty looks thoughtful for a moment. "I might be able to help with the commute a little bit. But I'd need to confirm it's ok with... a very grumpy person," Kitty says, giving a somewhat laughing sigh at the last few words. Kitty's thumb brushes a little against Peter's hand as they near the river, which has bend in it that leaves a nice area of slow-moving water where the grass grows right down to the water's edge.

Spider-Man has posed:
"I've heard that..." Pete says with just the ghost of a grin sideways at Kitty, but it grows a little more warm when she reaches for his hand. With it offered, his fingers slip in and close lightly around hers, looking on it with a little thoughtful perk of his brow.

Not at all unpleasant either.

"I wouldn't want to incite more grumpiness, but I'm not going to turn away a ride... I usually borrow Aunt May's Honda.." It was suspiciously absent when he arrived. The touch of her thumb draws his attention down and a grin up at Kitty, "You know... I mean... its been a long time... but I could get use to this.." He says it like hes unsure he should, squeezing her finger with his own.

"So, what do you do at Starks anyhow? Something in one of the labs? I can only imagine what Ill get to see there..."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty smiles back over to Peter. "If you keep being this charming, you might get a chance to get used to it," she tells him a little playfully. Kitty's expression turns a little more serious as she says, keeping it quiet and simple. "I wanted you to know. I need to talk to Betsy. She's a friend. Just, need to know that this is ok with her. I know you're split, but... she's a friend. I need to have that conversation."

Kitty glances over to see how Peter takes the comment, though answers his question then about working at Stark. "Well, I got offered the job after doing some work related to the Sentinels which caught Tony's eye. I've been working on a number of things. The satellite programs quite a bit. Some of which, also related to the Sentinels," she tells him. "I'm at my best writing code or designing hardware, yeah. Not as much a chemist as you are. Even if I kind of think we share some chemistry," she says, grinning to him softly as they arrive at the river's edge.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter brings his free hand up to rub at his mouth at her suggestion that he might have a chance to get used to it. Though as she mentions Betsy, his smile fades a little, but doesn't fall. He's nodding her way long before she's finished the thought, "Yeah, absolutely.. shes your friend, I wouldn't want you to compromise that." Even if hes hoping, deep down and with the glance directed st Kitty now, that it doesn't. "I'm sure she'll make it hard for me, ya know, just because she can." Its a weak attempt at a joke, remembering the texts between Betsy and Janet when he first went to the Avengers.

Thankfully there's something else to think about, though hes still hoping that his joke isn't true... "I imagine there's plenty to keep that smart brain busy with Stark... I've wanted to get my hands on some of the sentinels base code myself..." and tried, "...but that's kind of frowned on by pretty much every government on the planet.." Besides, better minds are on it. Like Kitty's, grinning sidelong as they near the river's edge.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty raises an eyebrow, but just slightly, as Peter mentions the Sentinel's base code. "Really? Why were you wanting to get into it?" she asks. "I mean, not that it's bad, just I guess it caught me by surprise. I figure most people would prefer to stay as far away from those things as they can," she says. "What were thinking of trying to do with it?" Kitty asks him.

She lets go of his hand, slipping her shoes off and moving over near to the water's edge. Kitty peels off her t-shirt. Beneath, she is indeed wearing a bathing suit. It's different than the one she wore at the pool. Though it's a string bikini, the patches that cover the curves of her upper body are large enough, they still reveal the curves that the girl came back from England with.

The shorts are removed, the matching bikini bottom leaving most of her skin bare. Revealing a very flat stomach, and a torso which is slender and fit. Not toned to the point of looking overly muscular or buff, but fit and athletic. Kitty gets a little bit of a self-conscious look, stealing a glimpse over to Peter as the regular clothing has come off.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete sputters a little at the question, having gotten a bit loose with the easiness that has come from Kitty's company. "Curiosity, mostly... I feel that there's so many variations of that code now, I want to see the original programming model.. determine if they were specifically designed to be manipulated by third and fourth parties..." He spares a glance her way.

Just in time to see her peeling off clothes. It isn't like shes bare, but shes bare enough and she looks good in that bikini besides... His eyes are alight, rubbing his neck as he too reaches for his shirt, kicking sandals off in the process, so as to pull the tee up and off in a fluid motion.

Peter IS muscled. Not big, he has a lanky frame, but every visible muscle is lean. He looks like a life long athlete... if there's any body fat on him, its definitely hidden... and somehow, despite this. he looks embarrassed. Chuckling a little with a gaze shifting from his bare chest over to the trim Kitty with a sheepish grin... "Good genetics run in your family too?" So awkward...

"You really are gorgeous, you know that right?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty gets a thoughtful look, eyes drifting off across the river as she thinks. "I don't know that I've really looked at it with that eye. I mean, I expect Trask has his back doors but identifying them has been difficult. There are those who have hacked them though, yes. If you'd like, we could probably sit down together and go through some of-" Kitty says, turning back to Peter.

Her words trail off as she sees his physique. Not bulging muscles like another Piotr she knows. But so toned and fit. When Peter turns back to her he finds the bikini-clad girl staring at his body for several seconds before she finally comes to and pulls her eyes away. Glancing up and finding him looking at her, and looking away quickly, cheeks having some color added to them.

She finally looks back to him, with grin both bashful and appreciative at once. But his compliment makes Kitty smile so very prettily. She moves over a little closer to Peter, just inside of his personal space. "Thank you. You... um... wow, Peter," she tells him. Kitty's eyes glance down his body again and back up. "Those crunches are working," she manages finally.

Spider-Man has posed:
"I doubt it would be obvious in the kernel, or that somehow I'll stumble onto something others haven't... but looking at things with fresh eyes is a benchmark of science.." Peter takes a step towards the blushing Kitty with an embarrassed grin. He considers himself a gentleman, and he was raised by a single woman, so he doesn't usually let his eyes drift...

They do though. Taking her in as shes taking him in and trying to look like its natural, but its not. Its overt and the harder he tries not to, the more he does. "Sorry... uh..." where was he?

"Huh?" Crunches? His abs flex even a they're called out and his arm lays across them in a 'cut that the hell out' kind of way, "Oh, yeah... I got.. picked on.. uh.. and.. well i decided to get in shape.. so..." Just look down, down is safe. Down isn't in a bikini. What is even going on with you Peter?

"The water!" suddenly, motioning at the river, then again a little more conversationally, "The water looks nice..."

Shadowcat has posed:
Though there might be parts of Kitty's expression that suggest shy... embarrassed is not really included. She's more impressed than anything else. "Well. Mission Accomplished," Kitty says, finally looking up to Peter's face.

She swallows. Really need to have that talk with Betsy. As Peter draws her attention to the water, Kitty gives a quick nod and grins. "Water good," she tells him, making fun of both of their reactions at once.

Kitty takes his hand if allowed, and walks him out into the water with her. It's a warm day and the water is nice. Just a little cooler than the swimming pool, but not too cold they won't be able to stay in it for as long as they want. Kitty wades out, the water slowly rising up her legs and then on up to just below the flat stomach and her navel. At that point, she ducks under the water before swimming out just a little bit further, tapping her foot on the bottom a few times as she goes out into deeper and deeper water.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter isn't really sure WHY he's embarrassed, but he goes to a lot of effort to hide this physique, so there must be some reason. Right now, hes not sure he remembers what it is. Actually, he knows exactly what it is and she just grabbed his hand to lead them both into the river.

Before he gets to far, Pete pulls the hat from his head and whirls it backwards at his bag, managing to hit it with only a glance over his shoulder. A few seconds later and hes disappearing beneath the surface of the river in a stationary dive.

Its a moment to collect himself, to try and put into perspective the course of events that led here... its a chance to grin stupidly with no fear of Kitty seeing it.

When he surfaces, water splashes out of his hair with a backwards jerk and both hands come up to rub it out of his eyes and face, "Wow... I needed that..." Wading in her direction with a single arm drag stroke. "I knee the river was here, obviously, but I've never really gotten to do much exploring.. this is great."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty tilts her head back, letting her wet hair lie flat when she brings her head back up out of the water. "I know, right? And I owe Storm for finding this place. Probably saw it flying over, and figured it was a good spot to not have the students crawling all over during the summer," she says.

Kitty swims closer, slowly breast stroking her way over to where Peter is. The river bottom is more sandy than silt here, giving decent footing for him. "Have you ever rode our horses? I like to take Chestnut out and bring her by to stop for a drink here," she says of the school's stables and horses. All of them are fairly mild, and used to the student riders.

Kitty swims over, joining Peter and smiling at him. "So I was thinking," she says, and stops treading water to put her feet down. Only it's deeper than she thinks. Blub! Kitty's head disappears underwater.

Spider-Man has posed:
"Some people have all the luck." Said with s grin, pulling himself closer until hes just a foot or two away. He looks about them at the seclusion, the quiet relaxing sound of water running all around them, and cant help the smile of appreciation. "I haven't been camping since Uncle Ben passed..." Its a happy memory tied to one thats less so, but the good feelings he has now wont be so easily bent. "This would be a good place for it.. set up right there..." His hand comes out to point near the bank.

Pausing his thought as she indicate she has something to say. As she disappears, actually in those milliseconds that she is, his spider sense tingle and both hands snap out to try and grab her beneath the arms... she probably would have been fine, but he works on instincts.. and if he succeeds in it, it probably brings them right up close together..

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's head reemerges from the water as Peter draws her back up and to him. "Whoops," she says, laughing at herself and wiping water from her eyes. "A little deeper than I was expecting," she tells the taller man.

Kitty smiles to him for the concern he showed her. When she sees how close he is, her hands will gently slip to his hips to bring herself the rest of the way in. Her body ends up lightly pressed to his own as Kitty looks over into his eyes.

There's a warm and somewhat timid smile there. "I really need to have that talk," she murmurs to herself whilst glancing away a moment, loud enough he'll hear. Kitty looks back to Peter though. One of her hands slides up to his shoulder, and then the other, allowing her to just cling to him in the water since he can touch bottom.

"So. You just keep coming up with great ideas for ways I would love to spend time with you," Kitty says. She bites her lip and looks pensive. "What ever am I going to do about that, Mr. Parker?" she asks.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete feels the hands on his hips and move his around Kitty's waist. Not really meaning to do it, but once he has, he doesn't look inclined to pull away. Rather, he also pulls her a little closer with toes digging into the sand to keep them from moving. "Well..." He starts about all the ways to spend time with her, "... I've hsd more fun with you in the last two days, than in as long as I can remember.. so I might be doing it intentionally.." A teasing half smile, watching her hands come up to his shoulders, then looking back with a gaze searching for something in Kitty's.

"Hypothetically speaking about this 'talk'... and purely for scientific research, I assure you..." He raises a brow just a little and leans in towards her, head tilting just a little. There's zero mistaking what he's intent to do. But hes doing deliberately slowly so she can stop him...

Shadowcat has posed:
The young woman is accepting of the hands that hold her gently against Peter. The cool water flows about them slowly, as if tickling over the skin that isn't pressed together against each other. Kitty gazes up into Peter's eyes. Her own are soft, liquid brown. Kitty's lashes flutter a bit and she draws a shivering breath as she senses Peter leaning in towards her.

A small gulp is swallowed down. Her beats faster, but even as she wants to lean back towards him, the thoughts of a friend back at the school tickle at her mind. One that had a claim on this man not too long ago, and even if it was relinquished, is that a line Kitty can cross without knowing if it is ok? She very slowly leans back away from, reaching up her hand to touch his chin and stop his movement.

---

Shadowcat has posed:
Some time later, after a few more kisses and a lot more swimming, the pair end back on shore. Sitting in the grass, with Peter facing out towards the river, but Kitty facing the exact other direction. Sitting close beside him so they are facing each other.

Kitty looks down, smiling softly. "You're very gentle," she tell him, biting her lip and then looking back up. "But at the same time, I can feel how strong you are," she tells him. Or so she thinks. She would be surprised just how strong he is. But Kitty reaches her hand over to softly caress over the muscles of his arm. So firm. Even if not a gigantic gun like a weight lifter, it's easy to tell how much Kitty enjoys his masculine build.

Kitty lets out a sigh and a nervous laugh. "Oh this is so dangerous," she tells him, looking away. Her fingers pull back from him for a moment. But then move to rest gently against his side.

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Peter sits with his knees up and his hands locked, arms lightly draped around them, and his toes digging into the sand near Kitty. While he's given up trying not to look at her, and his eyes do periodically dip dangerously lower than her chin, they always flick back to hers.

"I am not..." He says with a sheepish grin and a flexing forearm beneath the inspection of her fingertips. A little laugh following just so she knows hes teasing, ".. I am always keenly aware of my strength.. I really have to be." there's something on his mind, but after a second he scoots the short distance between them so his legs are on either side of hers in the sand.

His hands lay lightly on her calves, but his eyes stay elevated. "I have something I want to tell you, but I don't know how.."

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Kitty Pryde moves her legs to make room for Peter as needed, and it also ends up leaving her in a little more contact with him on top of it. She smiles over at him, eyes studying his face. "It's something serious," she says, reaching up to touch her fingers to his face, alongside of one of his eyes. As if she's already beginning to learn how to read those expressive eyes of his.

Kitty gets a slightly more serious look as she can tell it is something important. "I think, I'm interested to the point already you probably can't scare me off easily, if that helps," she tells him, looking down and giving a shy smile.

She looks back up, and rests her hands gently upon his arms. "What is it, Peter?" she asks him gently.

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Peter's legs, by proximity, sit up against Kitty's and that little bit of contact has his skin tingling a little, just the ghost of s smile cutting through the concern that has already flooded his eyes at the notion of whatever is on his mind. Her fingers against his temple and he closes his eyes for s second just to drink it in.

When they open hes nodding that it is serious. "I just don't even know where to start... It seems like.. at least now, and here, that I should have told people a year ago when I started at the school." He brings his hand up to slide his fingers along her wrist and into her's if she allows. Holding it there with their fingers together, "I feel like I'm being overly dramatic and you're going to laugh and say you already knew..."

It's said with a small smile and a knowing glint in his eyes now tracing her face. "What if... I.. what if I wasn't... for lack of s better word... 'normal'?"

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Kitty leans forward a little bit, the young woman's bikini leaving plenty of that healthy, tanned skin revealed to brush against Peter as they sit close together. The young woman slips her fingers into Peter's grasp readily enough. Her comfort with him has grown steadily. As he suggests she might already know, Kitty grins to him. "If you're going to tell me that your thoughtful, charming, handsome, and... desirable? The cat's out of the bag, yes," she says with a soft grin.

But she falls quiet to not interrupt him though as he goes on. The direction Peter goes seems a little surprise, likely giving the impression she, in fact, does NOT already know. "I think you're far better than normal," she tells him, voice gentle and her thumb brushing over his hand. "But we're all mutants here. None of us are the other type of normal. I think you'd find acceptance. Is that, are you a mutant as well?" she asks him.

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"Dont tell me things like that..." Peter says it with a grin that probably betrays he actually very much likes hearing her say it. "At least not until you've talked to Betsy.." His free hand comes up to press lightly against her cheek with the front of his knuckles, thumb moving just beneath her eye. "Then tell me literally all the time..."

The grin is easy, but as she adds that he would find acceptance among the 'mutants' and asks if he was one, he shakes his head slowly with s furrow to his brow. "No... well.. kind of, but not in the same way."

Its scientific, so he approaches it that way, clearly struggling through it, "When I was 15... I was bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp..." he starts with a frown and a glance down at the small gsp between them.

"And it changed me."

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Kitty smiles the first part, her eyes shining with such warmth at him. Like pools of liquid brown gazing over at him. Kitty leans her cheek into his tough tenderly. "I will," she says of telling him all the time. Her hands move to rest lightly on his sides. And if he isn't too distracted, he might notice how her thumb strays a bit towards his wonderfully toned abdominals.

Kitty falls silent again, listening. "A spider?" she asks, almost in a tone of confirming she heard him right. Definitely not going in a direction she expected. But Kitty's expression after is only one of compassion and understanding. "It changed you," she repeats, giving a little nod, her tone encouraging, letting him know he can continue.

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He might be a little distracted, but not THAT distracted... Even if he were, his senses tingle a little and one brow perks at her, along with the corners of his mouth. Whatever dower expression befell him, her words of assurance and that little touch of his abdomen draw him steadily up from his stare at the ground. When he sees the warmth in her eyes, he leans a little towards her like he wants to kiss her again, but stops just short of actually doing so.. The distraction, if he is distracted, has nothing to do with what he's saying and everything to do with Kitty.

But this IS important... and he still has that worry in his posture. Which even he knows is silly given who she is and where he's at... So with only a little longer pause and his tongue wetting his lips when they're suddenly found dry, "I..." He takes a breath and searches her eyes for something... and whatever that is.... he finds it. With a small smile and a quiet voice, he says it:

"I'm Spider-Man."

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Kitty Pryde starts to lean back towards Peter, until seeing that he stops. She does as well, and slides her hand up his side, moving it to rest on his shoulder. Kitty sees how Peter's face is torn by sharing this. The young woman just projects the gentle warmth and understanding to him, giving a little nod of encouragement as Peter starts up again.

As Peter makes the gigantic revelation, Kitty's mouth falls open. Even with the mention of the genetically enhanced spider, her mind had not gone in that direction at all. So of course she tells what anyone would expect her to say in a moment like this.

"Oh my God. You have the /best/ costume!" she tells him, eyes wide. "Honest to goodness?" Kitty asks, giving Peter such a warm smile. And then her expression softens a bit, but still so very warm. "Wow. Spider-Man... I mean, you're the kind of hero that inspires the rest of us. Peter, I'm just... I'm speechless. Or, not because I'm talking but... oh wow, Peter," she tells him, and lets out a happy giggle. "You're so much cooler than I ever was."

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Pete regrets stopping almost as soon as he does so. There's no way of knowing hoe she'll respond to this revelation, after all. It could have been the last kiss, did he think about that? No he did not. He sure thought about it as he built up the courage to tell someone who has been for the last nine years... he thought: boy that sure would have been a good last memory of this short, but passionate romance.

But, as he often is, Peter was dead wrong. He knew better, inside. He knew she WOULDNT see him harshly.. her reaction, however, is better than anything he could have dreamt, and miles better than he expected. The weight is lifted instantly and he's grinning st her like a child on their birthday. Nodding, "For truly." His eyes cut towards the backpack and he juts his chin out towards it. "It's right over there.." the costume. Still, there's one more thing he HAS to say.. "I've told people before.. Betsy knows.. but.. never this quickly. I don't know what it is, how it is.. but I.."

His tongue dashes his lips, "I could have played cat and mouse with you on it for months.. but I didn't want to. You asked me earlier: is this for real..." A hand moves to cup one cheek just forward of her ear, the other still in her's, "I didn't answer the way I wanted.. I was all shook up.. so.."

He finds her eyes and smiles so deeply it might well hurt, "Yeah, Kitty Pryde. This is for real."

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Everything that Kitty had sensed about Peter is just made all the clearer. And as he tells her how rare this is for him to share, it makes Kitty look down, and she gets the most beautiful of smiles. One that she still has when she looks back up to him, shining it at him.

Kitty glances towards the backup, but she doesn't seem to need confirmation of it. It makes such sense to her. She leans her head into his touch and closes her eyes. Just savoring the feeling of his fingers, cupping her cheek. "Peter," she whispers softly and giving a happy sigh.

Her eyelids slowly flutter open and she looks up at him through her soft lashes. "I was right about how dangerous this is. You're going to sweep me off my feet. I just didn't realize you might swing me through the city when you did," she tells him.

Kitty Pryde leans forward then, and unless Peter stops her, she presses her lips to his. Kissing him slowly, and deep. He was already winning a place within the girl's heart. The trust he shows her only makes that grow immeasurably. And it shows in her kiss, the young woman just melting against him, her body nestling against his own.

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The course of events is mind boggling, if he ever stops to think about it. Then again, what about his life isn't a little wild and difficult to understand? The fact thst he trusts her, thst makes perfect sense to him, but hoe much is kind of frightening... in a good way, that he can explain. Smiling into her beautiful eyes, brushing hid thumb just beneath one of them, he breaths a little quicker in response to her being swept off her feet. "I'll take you for a swing." It's a promise, just one more thing he wasn't to share with her, "Hands down, its the best part.." The swinging, that or the idea of taking her along.

Probably both.

That's all forgotten when she leans into him. It is every bit as deep, pulling her back on top of him with his back in the grass and sand. His hands move from hers and off her cheek, but only so thst he can run them up her sides to just behind her shoulders. He does not wasn't this embrace to end, does not want to stop the kiss, but he does... reluctantly... because he IS still a good guy.

"That was top one best responses... to basically anything I've ever revealed to anyone..." Head back on the sand and nose almost touching Kitty's.