InsaneJournal

Who: Rikku and Kitty.
What: Random encounter!
When: Sat, 6/22.
Where: The STREETS, man.
Rating: PG-13.
Status: Complete!



Sometimes, when Kitty was stressed, or depressed, or hurting, she needed an adrenaline rush to help her through it. Alcohol wasn’t doing it. She locked up the house, rolled out her red and black speed demon, and sped down the road. She really should take Scotty up on his offer to upgrade it further. The engine and springs were already out of this world, who knew what else he could do?

She hit the freeway, and sped up more, drifting through traffic like a ghost. She didn’t worry about a wreck - she could be a ghost if she had to, and the bike was nearly silent.

Cutting through some cars on an offramp, she coasted into a neighborhood she hadn’t spent much time in. It was nice, but there were some run down houses here and there. It seemed like the people cared, for the most part, and that was nice to see. She pushed her visor up and sighed, taking a corner hard. There was a large trash truck and Kitty popped the bike onto it’s rear tire, but she was too close to avoid the truck.

She passed through it and out the other side and came to a stop. “Shit.”

There had been a cute blond girl waiting to cross the street when she saw a girl go ... through a garbage truck. She ran over, pushing a pair of goggles up onto her forehead and out of her eyes as she ran. “Miss! Miss, are you okay?”

Kitty cursed under her breath, pulling her helmet off and shaking out her hair as she turned. "I'm fine, really. Just really lucky." She smiled at the girl, trying to reassure her. And okay she was kind of cute. And goggles. Kitty found her smile growing more genuine.

“Are you sure? It kinda looked like you went through the truck, you know.” Rikku found herself moving closer to the girl on her bike, looking over the driver as well as the bike itself.

Kitty sat back a bit on the bike. She was clearly used to riding and was dressed appropriately in tight jeans and a low-cut shirt. She ran her fingers through her hair. She was studying the other girl with curiosity. "Must be a trick of the light?"

She wasn't the best liar.

Rikku just gave Kitty a Look. “How’d you do it?”

She sighed. "Damn. Want to hop on and find out?"

“I don’t get onto random bikes with strangers,” Rikku said, eyes narrowed. Then she giggled, sticking out her hand. “So we should get to know each other! I’m Rikku.”

Oh my god, kitty thought. She's adorable. She held out her hand, taking the blonde's. "Kitty Pryde. Nice to meet you!" It really was. Kitty felt a lot less depressed all of a sudden.

Smiling, Rikku swung herself on the back of the bike, shifting ehr goggles into place. “Come on, prove you’re okay!”

Challenge Accepted. Kitty gunned the bike - which sent only the smallest of vibrations through their bodies, and then they were speeding along. She cut down a side street and angled directly for a brick wall. “Hold on tight.” She grinned and then popped another wheelie as they passed through it and to the other side. There was a steep decline but Kitty kept the bike on a straight path as the shocks absorbed more of the jarring than seemed possible.

“You turned her up really well!” Rikku wasn’t impressed with the showing off, she was impressed with the bike’s shocks. “Holy cow, this is a really smooth ride!”

“I can handle most of the upkeep but the original job was a really, really good engineer I know.” Kitty turned the bike down an enbankment and then they were back on a street and zipping west towards the coast. “She can take a hell of a jump!”

“Do it!” Rikku wanted to see everything the bike could do. Her fingers itched to get underneath it, but she just flexed her fingers on the rear handles instead.

Just what Kitty needed, someone to encourage her. She opened the throttle and the bike shot forward, zipping through traffic (sometimes literally). She knew exactly where she wanted to go. There was a spot where the freeway curved, and if you timed the jump you could soar off into nothing.

And that's exactly what Kitty did.

Rikku whooped happily, her arms moving from the grips to wrap around Kitty’s waist. She wanted to see how the bike handled when they landed. And when it did, it was like a feather, and she grinned to herself. “I want your bike!”

“Get your own, girlie!” Kitty grinned and the bike came to a stop. “But I can probably help you tweak your own, and I know someone who might be able to get me parts.” She didn’t want to ask Scotty to do it for her, though. To use him like that.

“Oh, I could tweak it myself, I’d just need the parts you’re using.” Rikku smiled, hopping off and giving Kitty a knowing look.

"That's the hard part, but I'll see if I can get my hands on some of them. Maybe you could talk to my friend, he's the whiz with the parts. My expertise is more with...computers and reactors and stuff, though I'm completely refitting a VW bug right now." Kitty pulled out her phone, to show the advanced electronics and almost out of this world engine. "Kind of a project between me and a friend... So you're handy with your hands?"

“Yeah, I work over at Stark.” Rikku blushed. “R&D in robotics.” She saw the phone, whistling to herself. “So he’s got access to beyond nuclear tech,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head.

"Stark, nice." Kitty grinned at her. She raised her eyebrow and stuffed her phone back into her pocket. She looked at Rikku with interest. "Mm. You could say that some of the things we have access to are on par with Stark tech."

“Where’d you get it?” Rikku pushed her goggles back above her very green eyes so they were on her forehead.

“Not sure how I can explain without you thinking I’m crazy,” Kitty said. She didn’t want people thinking she’s nuts, especially someone hotsmart enough to work for Stark. “But you’re not freaking out over driving through solid objects...”

Rikku just waited.

Kitty pursed her lips. At least she wasn't thinking about her problems. "Dreams come true, for better or worse. Alien technology, super powers. I've dreamed I put together a particle accelerator, dreamed about traveling to other planets, and saving the world."

She waited.

“So? Where’d you get this stuff then?” Rikku bounced on the balls of her feet. This was all so exciting, but honestly, it wasn’t anything that surprised her.

Kitty tapped the bike. “Bike was mine, and the engine tweaks and shock tweaks were all using earthly parts - but by a man who dreams of the future. Most of the stuff in that VW is also modern tech we’re pushing farther than possible, but there’s a few parts we’re lifting from things that have come in dreams.”

Her green eyes lit up. “I want to help? Can I help? Pleeaaaaaase, Kitty! I know we just met but I can really be helpful I promise!”

She stared into those green eyes, a little lost in them for a moment. She'd always liked green or blue eyes.

Right. She should respond. "I'm not really sure how Nate would feel about bringing someone else in, but if he's okay with that, then sure. And if not, there's another project I was thinking about working on, that might be a bit more exciting." She added, even though it probably wasn't necessary. "he's not my boyfriend or anything."

“You can ask him! I can show him my resume! I just like seeing what new things people can come up with. If I had my way, I’d be all up in your bike right now.” Rikku laughed nervously, covering her face with her hands. “Oh, gosh, you must think I’m so weird.”

"You're kind of adorable," she replied, lauging. She gently took Rikku's hands away from her face. "You can totally check out my bike."

Rikku beamed. “Really? When? Maybe we can make lunch too sometime!” Rikku just knew that she always got really hungry when she worked on anything.

"Right now if you have time. I don't have anywhere to be." and the kids were in Chicago, and Illyana and Clarice were out... So really, Kitty had nothing to do right now.

And she wanted to learn more about Rikku.

“Sure! Want to get food first? My tummy’s all growly.” As if on cue, a loud gurgling noise sounded. “I was going to do that when you started driving through trucks.”

“Sure, my treat,” Kitty belatedly let go of her hands and then straddled the bike again. There was no need to get nervous around a cute girl, and besides she never wanted to date someone again. Ever. Never ever. Alone with the kids and eighty cats. She could live without sex. Probably. Maybe.

Okay she was doomed.

“Aww, you don’t have to do that!” Rikku smiled and hopped back up onto the bike, wrapping her arms around Kitty’s waist.

"I don't mind, really." She leaned back a little, closing her eyes, before starting the bike and darting off down the road. "What are you hungry for??"

“Know any good greasy spoons around here?” Rikku noticed her leaning back and patted Kitty’s shoulder.

"Know a couple places. Do you want breakfast or lunch?" Kitty grinned behind her helmet. She knew this place that served these amazing pancakes!

“Breakfast, duh.” Rikku chuckled, as if that weren’t even a question. “Who eats lunch food at a greasy spoon?”

“Then I know this place that makes the best goddamn pancakes you’ll ever have.” Kitty took them onto the freeway, weaving through traffic like she was slightly maniacal.

Rikku eeped faintly, but it was one of surprise ebbing into joy. She rather liked going fast, whipping through the streets.

This was stupid, but Kitty spotted one of those big rigs that transported cars, and it was empty, making it into one big gigantic ramp.

So naturally, she went up it, vaulting them into the air and off the freeway. It turns out there wasn't any place to really land, so she phased them, and they slowed, floating down like a feather, so that she could angle them onto a rooftop.

Rikku couldn’t help but be impressed. She clapped a little, pleased to see the rooftops. “This is ... you’re lucky I trust you or I’d be peeing on your bike.”

They hit a roof and drifted to a stop, and Kitty let out a breath. "Dangerous to trust someone when you barely know their name." She twisted around to look at Rikku.

“Well, if I had to, I could just jump off, I guess. I mean, you trust me not to pee on your bike, right?” Rikku grinned.

“Yeah, I trust you not to piss all over my bike.” Kitty found herself laughing. The cafe was nearby, it was just a matter of floating them down off the roof without attracting attention. “Just try not to jump off when we’re in motion.”

That made Rikku laugh. She nodded, bouncing a little in excitement. “Thanks for taking me, by the way. I don’t have many friends here yet.”

"How long have you been in town?" Kitty rolled them off the roof and floated them into an alley near the restaurant. She drove them out to the front and then parked in front. She shut the bike down, but didn't get off.

“About a month or so.” Rikku hopped off of the bike and smoothed out her pants. “Not very long at all, really.”

Kitty watched her smooth out her pants, then got off the bike, too. “Where are you from originally? I was born in Chicago but spent some time in London before coming out here.”

“I was born on an Air Force base in Texas, so all over.” She put her hands into her pockets before coming out with her wallet. It was duct tape, naturally. “See? Still have my base ID and everything.”

"That's pretty cool. I have some vet friends." Kitty grinned when she saw the wallet. It seemed somehow incredibly suiting, and it made Rikku more endearing.

“It was a neat way to grow up. I still love to travel.” Rikku didn’t let much get her down, if anything.

"Travel is pretty fun," Kitty replied, nodding her head. She nudged Rikku in the arm. Kitty always was a touchy person. "Come on, lets go inside, I'll answer any questions you have."

“Okay.” Rikku grinned, bouncing inside and flopping into a booth. “This is a nice place!”

“Found it not long after I moved out here,” Kitty said as she slipped into the booth, with more grace and less flopping. “It’s kind of addicting. The best part? you can get stuff to go for picnics!”

“That’s so neat!” Rikku loved picnics, and she pulled a knee to her chest as she examined the menu. She was the sort of girl who wasn’t able to sit still for longer than a few minutes.

It was adorable. It reminded Kitty a bit of Jubilee, and she missed her friend. She missed a lot of things. She missed just being a young adult without any worries or responsibilities.

“Yeah, it’s great. Used it on dates before!”

“Do you not go on a lot of dates now?” Rikku was good at noticing sadness, and she immediately looked concerned.

Shit, Kitty thought, blinking and looking anywhere but Rikku. “It’s complicated? But yeah, not doing dating at the moment.”

“Why? If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to, but you look sad.” Rikku leaned forward, listening attentively.

“Promise not to think I’m a terrible person?”

“Why would I think that?” Rikku reached out to squeeze Kitty’s hand.

Kitty shivered. “I was married. To this beautiful Vietnamese woman named Xi’an. I mean...ridiculously happy together. And then when we went on our honeymoon, our plane blew up.” It sounded easier to say than it actually was.

“And she was gone like that. And I’m not really sure how I got through all of that, except I have a lot of friends. And then I met this red-head that knocked my socks off.”

Rikku blinked, but didn’t say anything. All she did in reaction was squeeze Kitty’s hand tighter.

“And I just wanted...to move on and heal, but I’m bad at casual things. And then there were feelings, and some of them were horribad feelings ‘cause I was so...guilty over it....”

“Love’s nothing to feel guilty over, Kitty.” Rikku was chewing nervously on her lower lip. She’d never even been in love before.

“Yeah, I came to realize that..” Kitty smiled, and the expression was less hurt and more regret. “But life threw some more curveballs...I got hurt, and she decided to move away. I can’t really blame her, just being around me is inviting life-threatening events.”

“It doesn’t sound like you have anything to be guilty for. Plenty to be sad about, but no guilt.” Rikku smiled sadly at Kitty. “Do they have dessert here? It’s not much, but ice cream’s always a good start.”

“Ice cream ruins my figure,” Kitty joked. “So I have to exercise extra hard. I’m a ninja.”

“Oh, come on, one bowl won’t kill you. I’m an engineer and I exercise extra hard after I eat it too. If the grease monkey can have some, you can too.” Rikku screwed up her face, teasing.

“Well if that’s your technical opinion, then I suppose that I’ll just have to have a bowl of ice cream for dessert,” Kitty replied, perfectly deadpan.

“It is,” Rikku said with a slight ‘hmph’ sound.” She grinned when she looked at the menu. “Is it bad if I say that time will heal this? I mean... it’s not what you want to hear, and it’s not fun, but eventually. You’ll be okay.”

“I know it will...my dreams have taught me that much, but it’s....It’s really nice to hear, even I don’t want to hear it. If that makes any sense what-so-ever.” Maybe it was just the messenger. Kitty smiled shyly.

“It does. It’s like when you’re sick and have a fever and your dad puts a cool washcloth on your head. You’re not well again, and it’s not making you less sick, but you do feel better.” Rikku was very close with her father, even if she hated him sometimes.

Kitty smiled. That was a pleasant thought, and she had good memories of her dad doing that sort of thing. She was glad he was safe with the twins. "Yeah, you're right. Bet you hear that a lot."

“Hear what a lot?” Rikku was excited when the waitress brought her the chocolate shake she’d ordered, and immediately set to trying to slurp it out of the straw. Which was rather difficult, judging by the way her cheeks hollowed and got pink.

“That you’re right.” The brunette laughed, and she picked up her own drink, which was considerably easier to drink. “You’d get along with one of my best friends, I think. Her name is Jubilee, and … it’s a really fitting name.”

“Oh, no, people usually don’t ask me for advice that often. I’m just a kid. My brother, everyone asks him for advice. Or Pops.” Rikku blushed a little.

“How old are you? You can’t be that much younger than I am,” she replied, pointing a fork at her. Then playfully poking her with it.

“Ow! Nineteen,” Rikku laughed. “I’m just the baby of the family is all.”

“I remember when I was nineteen,” Kitty said, as though it was ten years ago and not five. “Still in London, dating a cop...” She wrinkled her nose. “Dodged a bullet there.”

“Literally?” Rikku leaned forward. “That must’ve been scary.”

“Literally more than a few times. Lost my virginity in the back of his car. After a brawl that I sort of kind of but didn’t really start.” Kitty winked. “But I’ve been....in a lot of adventures. I’m a card carrying member of the dangerous sports club.”

“Well, stuff like skydiving is fun. But I don’t think I’d want to get shot at. Unless it’s a painball. Or a blank. Or one of those bean bag bullets.” Rikku thought. “But probably not even then.”

“It hurts,” Kitty assured her. “Skydiving is awesome. I have another trick but it’s a fourth date kind of thing.” She’d never even gotten to do it with Alicia, which sucked.

“What do you do?” Rikku was the sort of girl who didn’t realize people were attracted to her unless they yelled something like I AM ATTRACTED TO YOU, RIKKU, IN A VERY SPECIAL SORT OF SEXY WAY.

"You know how we floated? When it's just me and someone else," Kitty said, smiling. Her eyes were (unknowingly) broadcasting attraction on all frequencies, but Rikku probably would still need a larger cluexfour. "I can take them dancing on air."

“Awww!” Rikku smiled. “That’s really sweet! I’m the world’s worst dancer, so that’d be lost on me, but I bet it works on lots of people.”

“Bullshit. You’d just need to hang on and follow my lead and you’d be fine! I was in ballet until I was fourteen, I’ve got some grace. Still.” She felt suddenly insistent about proving Rikku wrong some day.

“Oooh, ballet. The most painful looking of all the dances. I just like the kind where you sing into a hairbrush.” Rikku giggled, offering Kitty some of her milkshake.

"That kind is fun too. Jubilee used to drag me out to clubs." Kitty grabbed another straw, not sure how Rikky felt about sharing straws.
“Oh, I just like doing it in my room by myself. I like lots of people, but clubs are all lots of people trying to hump each others’ legs. That’s weird and gross and offputting.” Rikku was one of those girls who still thought her Prince Charming was going to come and save her.

Kitty snerked. "God yeah, it's a lot like that. It's kinda nice to watch though, sometimes. One of those 'why am I staring at all these barely dressed women' moments." She took a sip and groaned. "oh that's good."

“See? And you said it wouldn’t help.” Rikku smiled, taking off her hat and goggles. Her hair was punkishly spiked on one side, but the effect only made her look younger.

Kitty slid the drink back across the table, grinning at Rikku. She was adorable. "Long as they have rocky road. Otherwise I might flip the table."

“If they don’t, just get a scoop of vanilla, a scoop of chocolate, some marshmallows, some almonds, and make your own.” Duh.

She stared. “I could kiss you. I’d never thought of that before!”

“Sometimes it’s better to do it yourself, because then you can do rocky road sandwiches with cookies and marshmallow fluff and ice cream and sprinkle ‘em with almonds after dipping them in chocolate sauce.” Rikku blinked. She spent a lot of time alone.

"I have to introduce you to Jubilee ... " She reached over and patted Rikku's hand. She got the impression the other girl didn't get out much. "But I kinda wanna keep you to myself."

Rikku grinned. “I’d appreciate any friends, honestly. Tanks are nice and all, but they don’t talk back much. Well. Unless I’ve had too many Red Bulls.”

“When Jubilee and her girlfriend move back, I’ll introduce you,” Kitty said, smiling happily. “But until then I think we could have a lot of fun too. You look like you need to get out more, but hell, so do I!”

“What do you want to do first?” Rikku beamed, bouncing a little in her seat. And that was even before her food got to her.

Kitty pondered that for a moment. “You said you liked paintball... How about laser tag? We could also hit up Six Flags or something, I could use a harmless roller coaster to counter the emotional one I’ve been on. That might be fun!”

“Oooh! I haven’t been to a Six Flags since I was like, ten.” That made Rikku bounce in her seat even more. Then the bacon came too, and that helped even more. Who didn’t like breakfast foods?

“How’s tomorrow sound?” Kitty picked up her fork, ready for pancakes. So ready for the pancakes.

“Sure!” Rikku didn’t have anything to do on Sundays.

“Great! I’ll pick you up at eight in the morning, then? That sound good?”

Rikku nodded, grinning and moving to write her address down on a napkin. “That works for me!”

Blushing, Kitty tucked the napkin down her shirt. A day of fun was going to be awesome.