The Next Day

Jade let Kimo rest the remainder of the afternoon and evening. She knew it had been a long flight and that he was tired and now would have to adjust back to New York time. She was happy to have her best friend back, although dancing with him yesterday had caused her to really realize that her feelings for him went deeper than just friendship. She truly believed that he felt the same way and knew that soon she would need to reveal her true feelings to him.

The next day she started her morning as usual with some yoga and then training with her uncle. She then had breakfast and got ready for her classes. The students at the Xavier mansion were more than just students where their powers were concerned. They were also taught in the mansion instead of going to traditional schools. Some of them didn't yet have complete control over their powers and could not attend school for fear that something might happen. Jade  taught a few science classes to the younger students. Her biology class had just ended and the students filed out as she began to clean up the room a little.

It was assumed that Kimo would miss a class or two in the morning due to the time difference and the slow adjustment. But nobody had seen him or Andrew that morning at all. In an attempt to start over again seeing as they were now roommates Kimo had hooked up a retro game console and the pair played games together well into the evening. Andrew being more of a nightowl was more than happy to stay up. He was fascinated by the games and he didnt find Kimo as chipper as he first thought.

Of course this meant they were both still asleep in their room buried underneath their blankets a random leg or arm sticking out. Normally Kimo would greet Jade once her class was done and over with once his own lessons were finished but he hadn't shown up. Xavier had wheeled himself to the classroom half expecting Jade and Kimo talking with one another. He was rather proud of how far Jade had come and had an inkling in her interest in Kimo.

"good morning Jade. how was the class?" He asked.

Jade had started out picking up the room by hand, but then she got a different idea. She stood back and concentrated. Slowly, the room began to put itself back together. This was a very difficult and precise task as there were multiple items moving by telekinesis all at once. However, as the last book slid back into place on the bookshelf she couldn't help but smile to herself. She thought about what Kimo might say if he had been there an it caused her to smile even more.

She sensed someone approaching and turned expecting to see Kimo. She was disappointed for a second, but smiled at her uncle. "It was fine. I was just straightening up. It's amazing what kind of mess several sixth graders can make in an hour."

Xavier had seen her use her abilities to help clean up. A practical use of her abilities, he was happy with her progress with her abilities. He was also proud of her choice to teach a class for the younger students. "Well i am grateful for your assistance." He said when Jade mentioned cleaning up. "and under your tutelage it seems the younger students are paying more attention during class. You truly are a blessing for the mansion. Remind me do you have any additional classes for the day?" He asked.

Hank was prepping the danger room for another group exercise but noticed that Kimo was missing. Figuring he was spending time with Jade again he simply waited for the others to arrive .

Jade blushed a little at her uncle's compliments. She looked up to him and greatly admired him. He had once spoken about giving the school over to her upon his death, but she was afraid she would never be able to live up to him. She looked at him and shook her head when he asked her if she had any more classes for the day.

"No, why? Is there something you need me to do?"

Xavier leaned back in his chair a little lacing his fingeres together. "Oh nothing like that. I know that Kimo's classes were delayed so he could acclimate to the new time zone. Felt having a friend nearby would help pass the time for him." He said hinting that he was teasing her. He took a moment to feel out where Kimo was and found he was still above him. Oh he must be asleep still he thought.

Jade very nearly blushed at her uncle's comment and she wondered if he knew about her feelings for Kimo. She hadn't seen Kimo all morning...nor Andrew for that matter. "He's probably still asleep. Did you want me to go wake him up?"

Xavier smiled at Jade and gave a nod, "If you wouldn't mind. I have a feeling that he'd sleep the entire day away if we let him." He said. Normally he'd rather have a male professor or student do such a task but he trusted Jade and Kimo a great deal. Upstairs the pair were still sleeping content with the world and life in general. "I would have Hank do this but he is currently away prepping for a training session at the moment and well..there is still some animosity between Andrew and Logan." Xavier said.

Jade nodded. "I can do that. I will have him come see you once he is up and dressed." She decided to first stop by the kitchen and get them both some coffee. She used her powers to levitate the coffee cups beside her as she walked to keep them from spilling. She headed upstairs and with the cups still hovering in the air she knocked lightly on the door before slowly opening it and peeking her head in. Both boys were sound asleep and so she walked in and stood in the middle of the room. She used her powers to drift the cups over to each boy and hover it under their noses.

Andrew and Kimo slowly began to waken smelling the coffee. Andrew opened his eyes and glared seeing the sunlight. He simply buried his head under his blanket not wanting to partake in the floating cup of coffee. Kimo lifted his head up his eyes half open as he looked about. Seeing the coffee float confused at him at first but then he spotted Jade. "morning Jade." He greeted obviously still waking up. He began to sit up keeping the blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he accepted the coffee.

Hearing talking Andrew simply got up still keeping the blanket around himself and walked to the elevator. He'd just go down into the subbasement to find a quiet place to sleep. Kimo took a sip of coffee grabbing hold of the other coffee cup so Jade wouldn't have to focus so hard. The blanket fell to the side obviously but he was dressed in his sleeping attire, pair of shorts and a loose shirt. "mmm...what time is it?" Kimo asked looking to his friend.

Jade watched as Andrew got up and pulled his blanket around him and headed out of the room and towards the elevator. Clearly he was not a morning person, although it was almost the afternoon at this point. She was grateful when Kimo at least accepted his cup of coffee and then also took Andrew's. She took that cup out of his hand and took a sip, not wanting it to go to waste.

"It's almost noon," she replied with a grin. "What did you two get up to last night?"

Kimo scooted over on his bed so Jade could have a seat. He was normally up fairly early, best time to surf, but he knew he was dragging his feet today. When Jade pointed out it was almost noon Kimo's shoulders slumped a little bit. He was looking forward to breakfast too. But given how late he and Andrew stayed up he wasn't too surprised. He took another sip of coffee and thought of last night.

"Well once we got the awkward silence out of the way i started to unpack." He said. He pointed to the tv where an old game console was hooked up to it. "I had found that console back home in the attic, thought it would be fun to play some old retro games. Found out Andrew hadn't played games before so we did that for hours on end." Kimo said with a smile. It was actually a pretty nice evening for the two of them. Once Andrew felt comfortable around Kimo he opened up a little bit and they actually talked as they played together.

"Funny thing i dont remember getting under the blankets though." Kimo said taking another sip of coffee. He looked to Jade and smiled at her for a bit, "you're still teaching the younger students right?" He asked.

Jade took a seat next to Kimo on his bed and smiled as she listened to him tell her about his night with Andrew. She was actually quite happy that Kimo had befriended Andrew. She had wondered if Andrew would accept Kimo and was surprised that it had happened so quickly, but was also happy. She felt that they would be good for each other. There weren't many students in the mansion that were their ages and she knew that Kimo was used to having friends and cousins his age back on the island.

"I'm glad you two had a good time," she told him with a smile. "I'll make sure you get a good lunch to make up for missing breakfast. You missed a good one too. Logan made pancakes and bacon. Sabella made him wear that 'Kiss the Cook' apron again."

She smiled at him and met his eyes for a moment. "Yes, I teach a couple classes a week still. Why? Would you like to start teaching?"

Kimo was exaggerating a little bit but he had high hopes he and Andrew would be fast friends. He laughed a bit thinking of Logan in that 'Kiss the Cook' apron. Course no one cracked any jokes within earshot of Logan just out of fear. He took another sip of coffee and looked to Jade when she asked if he wanted to start teaching. "Oh no, i dont think i'd be good at it." He said knowing he was a bit of a bum.

He looked at Jade noticing she was looking at him in a certain manner. He just smiled not wanting to draw attention to it. "Sides that's a lot of work, time i could spend lieing about somewhere." he said. He straightened up remember something, "Oh! I forgot to give you your present." He said hopping up. He placed his cup on the nightstand and hurried over to his bag. While he dug about for the shell he pulled off his sleep shirt and put on a fresh one. "Ok close your eyes." He said as he hadn't wrapped it in wrapping.

Upon doing so he lifted the Tonna shell out from the bag and sat down back next to Jade gently placing it in her lap

Jade rolled her eyes and then smiled at Kimo when he said he wouldn't be any good at teaching. "I disagree. You have a certain way with the younger students that I think you would make an excellent teacher...and would probably be their favorite," she told him with a smile. Her eyes met his again and she thought about reaching out and taking his hand, but then he suddenly got up. She was beginning to feel that she needed to tell Kimo how she felt soon. She wanted him to know...she wanted to know how he felt about her.

She watched as he got up from the bed and rushed over to his bag. When he pulled off his sleep shirt in front of her she had to fight to keep her powers under control. His skin was a deep tan and his chest and abs were well toned from surfing, swimming, and other activities. She bit her lip and forced herself to calm down after he put on another shirt. He didn't seem to have noticed her reaction, for which she was grateful, and she did as he asked and closed her eyes. She felt him sit back down next to her and a moment later she felt something being placed in her lap. When he said she could open her eyes she slowly did so and looked down at the gorgeous shell in her lap. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight and she carefully picked it up to examine it more closely. The colors were unlike anything she had ever seen before on a shell.

"Oh Kimo...this is...beautiful."

OOC; teasing the good girl

IC:

Kimo was confident that the students would like him but there was that concern he wouldn't be effective enforcing rules. Having thought that he was touched that Jade thought so highly of him. Unaware that she was looking him over and her feelings he just relaxed comfortable as can be. He enjoyed Jade's company and thought of her as a dear friend.

His smile grew as she seemed to like his gift. The shell seemed to just shimmer under the light coming in from the window highlighting its beautiful colors. "I'm glad you think so." he said looking to Jade. "Theres some spots on the island that my friends and I use for practice on freediving and i found this guy." Kimo said. "It was after i got to the dark part of the water my light on my wrist caught it." He said. "Spent a good amount of time cleaning and polishing it, after i checked it was unoccupied. immediately thought of you. You always stand out in my mind when i think of the mansion." Kimo said

Jade was still rather speechless and kept looking at the shell and how the colors sparkled in the light. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before and it meant so much to her that Kimo had thought of her when he found this shell.

She felt rather emboldened by what he said and she looked over at him. She looked into his eyes for a moment before she took a deep breath and leaned over and kissed him.

OOC: and crush the good girls heart

IC:

Kimo was about ask Jade if she'd help hand out the other presents for the others when he found her lips instead. Now it was not a bad sensation but he was completely caught off guard. After a moment Jade could tell Kimo really wasn't kissing her back. His mind was a mix of emotions but the one primary was general confusion. He pulled back and looked to Jade, "Um..i'm..ok i think i've misunderstood something. I mean i like you Jade but you're my best friend. " he said.

OOC: feel like such a jerk

Jade’s heart was pounding in her chest. This was her first kiss and she had never done anything like this before. Kimo’s lips felt soft against her own, but she quickly began to realize that he wasn’t kissing her back.She felt him pull back and the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She had made a mistake...a big mistake. Her entire face turned a deep shade of red and she looked away from him. She didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to say anything. She just wanted to get out of there. She quickly got up and put the shell down on the bed and fled the room.

Kimo watched Jade's face turn red and he immediately wanted to tell her everything would be alright and tha they could talk about it. But she had gotten up and left the shell and ran out. He sat there feeling horrible and looked down at the shell. He didnt want to lose her as a friend and didnt return her feelings. He picked up the shell and looked to the door as she fled. He got up and walked out into the hallway assuming she had fled to her room. He walked down the hall as quiet as he could and placed the shell down next to the door and returned to his own. Suddenly he didnt feel like leaving his room that day..

OOC: Skip to later on in the day? People dont see either of them?

Protocol was worried about Kimo and Jade. Neither of them had been seen all day. Kimo was supposed to have had a meeting with Professor Xavier, but he never showed and the professor could sense some anxiety coming from the two of them. It was nearing dinner time now and Ororo finally decided to go check on Kimo. She sent Hank to do the same for Jade. She knocked on the door, but waited to enter.

“Kimo, it’s Ororo. May I come in?”

Kimo had been sitting on the ground and played video games. Andrew had stopped to get dressed but didn't press KImo on what was bothering him. Kimo was still trying to come to grips with what happened so didnt reach out. When Ororo came knocking he was still playing games. He paused and looked up, "Door's open professor." He said being polite. He got up to greet her and opened the door. He looked a bit concerned and hesitant, not at all like himself.

He assumed she knew what had happened and wanted to ask how Jade was but felt some shame in doing so. He had been trying to figure out if he had somehow misled her.

Hank adjusted his glasses as he kncked on Jade's door having agreed with Ororo to speak with the pair. It wasn't a big surprise that these conversations had to occur, they were all only teenagers after all. In a world where people feared them romantic feelings were sure to develop amongst themselves

Ororo only opened the door after hearing Kimo gave her permission to do so. She did not like intruding on someone's privacy and this was a delicate subject. All of the adults began to sense that something had happened between Jade and Kimo. Everyone knew how close they were and Ororo had begun to feel that perhaps Jade's feelings were shifting into something more. She could only assume that Kimo's feelings had not also done so.

"I apologize for interrupting," she told him as she closed the door behind her to give them some privacy. "I was just worried about you since we haven't seen you at all today. Is everything alright?"

For Jade, hiding out in her room all day was not at all like her. She left the shell sitting outside her door and just laid in bed, trying to figure out where she had gone so wrong in her thinking. She felt crushed that Kimo didn't return her feelings and horribly embarrassed about what had happened. She just wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out again. When she heard the knock at her door she reached out with her mind to figure out who it was. She wasn't surprised that it was Hank. He cared a lot for everyone in the mansion. She didn't want to talk about what had happened, but also knew Hank wouldn't easily just go away.

"Come in," she finally said as she sat up.

Kimo took a seat after letting Ororo into his room. Seeing the door close he knew this was bout his encounter with Jade. "Think I've messed things up with Jade." Kimo admitted. He wasn't going to hide this as he wasn't sure how to act around Jade now. "She kissed me and i'm..i haven't thought about her like that in a romantic interest. I'm pretty sure i hurt her feelings." Kimo said feeling that guilt.

Hank noticed the shell and picked it up as he opened the door. He anticipated some sort of fight occured between Kimo and Jade but he wasn't aware they were an item. "Good Evening Jade." Hank said as he walked into her room. He closed the door behind to give them some privacy. "Apologies for the intrusion Jade but it hasn't escaped our notice that you have been hiding out in your room all day. I wanted to check and see if you were alright." Hank said.

Ororo pulled up a chair and sat across from Kimo. She was quiet as she listened to him admit what had happened. She remained quiet for a few moments afterward as she gathered her thoughts. "Well, it's not entirely surprising to me that she developed romantic feelings towards you. You two have always been rather close and you both certainly are of the age to start thinking about dating and relationships. It is also difficult for mutants to develop romantic relationships with those that do not have abilities like we do. You shouldn't blame yourself for not sharing her feelings Kimo. You cannot force yourself to feel something for someone."

Jade glanced over at Hank and saw the shell, but quickly looked away as it just reminded her of Kimo and what had happened. "I...I'm sorry. I haven't been feeling well today."