river_meimei | (no subject)

(no subject)

The doorway between Serenity's bridge and the short corridor beyond shimmers, and then the air opens in a way that hurts the eyes just for a physics-twisting instant to reveal a steady doorway, and an open wooden door, and two figures stepping through from the crowded and well-lit main bar of Milliways.

"Rudimentary search party," River informs Piotr, and leads him along the hallway and into the cargo bay.

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He can't help but smile slightly at River.

And then he spots Kitty dancing in the cargo bay. It's. He wants to talk to her. Even if it is just to have her yell at him. But, still.

It takes him a moment to square his jaw and say, "Katya."

She doesn't stop all at once so much as shifts her movements til she's standing straight and loosk at him.

Then looks at River, and it's not so much a glare as a question. Possibly, Have you lost your mind? though admittedly it could be other things.

And then it's back to Piotr and she stands there saying nothing for a moment. If she's uncertain, she's not showing it, and when she says anything back, finally, it's only, "Peter."

"There's a door," River says. It's directed at either of them, or both, and whether it's suggestion or explanation is hard to say.

Then she takes one half-step backwards -- slowly, feeling with her toes -- and another, and another after that.

He looks askance back at River for just a moment. He's been dead for too long to be very good at dealing with confrontation that doesn't involve punching.

He looks back at Kitty. "I."

He gulps then moves a little closer.

"I watched..." He shakes his head. "They cloned Thor. Stark and Dr. Richards. Stark... he kept hair and skin cells from when he first met the man. After he killed Goliath, Stark and Richards drilled holes in his brain to find out what was wrong with his..." He squints to try and find the words, then gives up. "I watched. They did not understand why what they were doing was a problem. He was. He was conscious."

Everything has been addressed to the wall behind Kitty's head.

River gets a glare that says they're SO talking later, and then Kitty looks back at Piotr, jaw tight.

"Wow. The people who sided with the government that produced the mutant-hunting robots are doing evil things. Who would've guessed?"

He didn't go with her.

Yeah, she's still mad.

"Don't." And he moves to block her glare at River's exit. "She just did what I asked. You are mad at me."

"Yes. I did. I joined that side. To help friends of ours make sure what happened to us didn't happen any more and they did it anyway."

"Well, I'm just stunned by this news. Shocked, even."

He is actually surprised by that.

"You. You really aren't. That even they would do this. To their own kind."

Her fists are tight and she could--

she will not hit him.

She will not hit him.

But right now, it's hard.

"I'm a Jewish bisexual female mutant. I stopped being surprised by what people can do a long time ago."

It's really, really hard.

"Yes, some of that was a surprise to learn after I. Came back, Katya."

It took him a while to figure out why Rachel didn't want to hug him or be near him.

"But, I am just a dumb, Russian farm boy. I am always too trusting."

There's a small patch of pink cloth and dark brown hair up in an inobtrusive corner of one catwalk. River lies stretched out on her stomach, arms folded beneath her cheek and toes pressed to the wire railing.

Close enough to see at least something. Maybe close enough to hear too, or maybe not.

"Oh no. No." And now she's poking his chest, and she may have to glare up at him, but she's glaring. "You don't get to bring that up, Tinman. You lost that right a long time ago. I may have fucked a woman or two, but I never cheated on you. You want to go there, we'll go there, but I am so not playing nice. You want to bring up Rachel or Xi'an now? Go right ahead. I dare you. I'd love to."

He's angry and metal now. "I don't care that you did, it doesn't matter. Wisdom didn't matter. You were happy, but you did not tell me."

He wraps his fingers around her shoulders.

"It does not matter, you are my family, Katya. But tell me."

"If it didn't matter, then why are you bringing it up?" she shoots back, and she's still glaring. "And you broke Wisdom's back. That's a funny definition of not mattering.

"And for the record? You died. You don't get a summary of every day of my life after you went and killed yourself, you dumbfuck! You are the one who made that choice. And you can say you saved us all from Legacy, and that's shiny, but you could have waited, and you know it. So no. You don't get to know everything. That was my life. That was the life I had to build up after you killed yourself, and I am not sharing it. You think Rach was only after you died? Get a grip, Petey Pureheart. You left for Magento too, remember? Who I loved, how I loved, that's mine. And I'm not sharing. You get me now, and you get all of me, but it's now. And you wouldn't even come with me when I tried to share that with you, you stupid selfish metal plated son of a bitch," and Pete Wisdom once commented that Kitty had a wicked kick, and right now, she's proving her ex right.

And then she's just breathing heavily.

He lets out a gush of air but doesn't let go.

No, he lifts her up to eye level.

"Is that what you think of me now?"

"I didn't stutter," she shoots back and glares.

And hates how much taller he is.

The only indications that River is watching more closely are the way she shifts a little before resettling, the way her fingers curl against the grating, the way her eyes narrow fractionally.

But she is. Watching closely indeed, and listening.

That's it.

He closes the distance and kisses her, barely turning back into flesh in time before Kitty gets a face full of metal. And bent almost backwards over his arm as he crowds over her.

Then, pulls away far enough to speak against her mouth. "Tell me to leave. If you want it. I will respect it. I will leave you be."

"Idiot," she near-spits, and pulls him close, grip hard, for another kiss.

But she's not saying "leave".

He really doesn't understand Kitty half the time she yells at him. Except he does.

That and cargo bay walls are really handy for leaning Kittys against. Her shirt untucked and his hand is warm on her lower back.

"I missed you," he whispers. Still angry, but. He isn't good at things without Kitty.

"Dumbass."

It's softer, and she's relaxing against him, but only a little.

"I'm still angry." It's almost matter-of-fact, as she looks up at him.

He snorts. Hides his face in her hair.

"Is one of two things that is always constant with us."

"Funny, that," she mutters.

"Could still totally kick your ass."

An almost huff of laughter. "Da, Katya."

"As long as we're clear." She sighs and slumps a little more against him before saying, "I'm tired, Piotr. And I want to sleep with you next to me. Come with me?"

She'll argue and yell later, but now she just wants to rest.

He scoops her up with ease.

"That...sounds very nice. I have been drinking too much vodka not to think of you lately," and that's rather sheepish. "Where am I going?"

Sometimes she lets him carry her.

This time, she slips out of his arms, gently but firmly, to stand on her own feet and tug at him with her hands.

"I'll show you."

And he follows along docilely behind her. He can do that.

River, up on the catwalk, watches them go. She keeps watching the doorway, even after they're out of sight.

Her face is distracted, and considering, and -- it must be admitted -- just a little smug.

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