[SCENE] Julian, Amara, and Ali! <3

[hellion-x.livejournal.com]

This afternoon...

Waiting for the clock to strike one, Julian Keller strolled in the kitchen, intending to get a snack before his training session with Logan, but noticed Amara Aquilla, standing, back turned as she leaned against the island in front of the coffee pot on the counter, book in hand, as he entered the room and he looked at her, perplexed.

"Isn't it lunchtime, princess?" he questioned from across the room, eyebrow raised.

Amara spun around and furrowed her brows, turning back to her book after a stare. "I'm not all that hungry," she replied shortly.

He cleared his throat and made his way to the fridge, pulling out a water bottle and scratching the back of his head. Expression innocent, he sat across from her and peered at her book, swigging back a gulp. "What are you reading, bookworm?"

"Locke," she replied flatly, foot tapping nervously.

"Cute," he said. "Still upset?"

She didn't reply for a moment, turning the page, taps slowing. "I wasn't ever upset in the first place."

"Sure," he said carelessly, smirking slightly. He licked a drop of water from his bottom lip, resting his chin in his hand.

She folded the corner of her page down to mark her page, turning on her heels to face him, setting her book down, and she shrugged, walking over to a different cabinet near the refrigerator for a mug. "You're never going to believe me when I say that, are you?" she paused and turned back to him, mug in hand, "Even if I'm being one hundred percent truthful?"

He turned slightly, exposing his profile, his lips still tipped. "Oh, I'll believe you when you're telling the truth."

She raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at him, an eyebrow raised, as she poured a cup of coffee. "I am telling you the truth."

"Really? Then why aren't you having lunch? You don't eat when you're nervous, sweetheart," he retorted knowingly.

"I'm not hungry. I told you that already," she moved to lean against the island diagonal from him, watching her book, sipping the hot beverage. "It has nothing to do with my emotional state, Jules."

His mouth twitched and he leaned forward too, flicking the book with his hand. "You also only read boring-as-all-hell philosophy books when you're upset."

Amara shot him a look, hand slamming down onto her closed book and holding it in place. "That's not completely true, Jules. When was the last time I read 'boring-as-all-hell philosophy books'?"

He shrugged. "Beats me, honey. Probably the last time you were upset."

"I don't think so," she replied without a beat, taking another sip. "You're not aware of all of my 'upset' habits. You're a bit off, I'll have you know," she gulped a mouthful of coffee.

"I'm always right on the money," he replied automatically, resting against his hand once more, torso halfway across the island. He peered at the words on the page without much interest and then flicked his eyes back to hers. "I'll have you know you're easier to read than you think."

She peeled her eyes away from the page to lock with his, rolling her eyes after a pause. "Sure," she closed her page and leaned further against the island. "Tell me, Dr. Phil, what's wrong with me?"

His eyes narrowed, lashes thick and outlining his cyan eyes. Simpering, he dropped his hand and faced her full-on. "You're upset," he repeated succinctly. "And you want to avoid it, but you really would like to talk to someone about it, only you spent the entire night keeping your mouth shut so now it's all the more harder to just say it." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Easier than you think, goldilocks."

She also narrowed her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching, attempting to stare him down. "You're wrong," she stated again. Opening her book again, she picked up where she left off, fingers running over the top edge of her mug, circling the porcelain.

"No, I'm right," he concluded, sipping a bit of his water.

Amara didn't tear her eyes from the book, but her voice was laced with mocking and sarcasm in her softly spoken reply. "Okay, fine. You are right, and I bow to your excellent observation skills. So drop it." She picked up her mug and took a sip, her other set of fingers turning the page.

He sighed, his smugness filtering, shoulders slumping an inch. "I'm not bothering you just so you can admit I'm right, sweetheart."

This time she did move her eyes to him, features incredulous. "Then why are you bothering me?" she asked, mouth twisting, screwing up. "What? You want me to just spill my heart to you, with my every-waking thought and worry? I don't have time for this, Julian," she stated, exasperated.

He pressed his lips together, eyes flashing subtly. "Yeah," he said stiffly. "Yeah, that's exactly what I want. Every thought and worry would be better than none at all."

She scoffed, eyes traveling back to her page. "No, it wouldn't be."

He let out a grumbling exhale, pressing his palm to his forehead before running it through his hair. "Fine. We'll just sit here and not talk at all."

"Fine," she agreed, downing the rest of her coffee, and she turned to fill her mug back up, folding the corner of her page down again.

He tapped his foot, patience thinning. "Will you just have some mercy here?" He snapped, snatching her book away as she silently reached for it again.

"Jules!" She protested, grabbing the air for it.

"Amara!" He mocked, a bit of amusement twisting his mouth as she reached for it again.

She huffed, the wisps of her hair raising with smoldering flame and grabbed for it again. Julian caught her wrist and pulled her down.

"Just give me something and you can go back to being a stone wall."

She gave him a glare, pulling her wrist from his grip hastily. "Fine," she took a step back from him, eyes watching her book in his hand. "Bobby left for Boston this morning. Happy?" She held out her hand expectantly for her possession, raising an eyebrow at him.

He exhaled again and slid the book over to her. "Is he coming back?"

"Yes," she hissed, avoiding his eyes, and her voice became smaller as she continued. "Next Friday."

He gulped some water down, the liquid swishing in the bottle. "Good," he said simply.

She cocked her eyebrows in agreement, leaning against the island with the book open, teeth nibbling at her bottom lip, and she hummed a random series of notes, the only other audible sound being the refrigerator's humming mechanics. She could feel him watching her as she read and she hummed a bit louder.

"Are you okay with him leaving for the week?"

"Yeah," she drawled out, hesitance in her tone. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because of what his parents said yesterday."

She paused, eyes searching the air directly above her book, thinking. "He reassured me that he loves me, and that visiting his family isn't going to change that," she stated with a sigh before continuing, "There's nothing to be not okay with."

"Okay," he said gently, gaze searching her stoic face.

Her eyes fluttered closed, sighing tiredly as she put her hands over her book, and she brought her searching eyes to his. "Is there something else that you want to weasel out of me?"

"No," he shook his head, lips touching the rim of the bottle, holding her gaze. For a moment he looked as if he had something else to say, but miraculously his lips pressed closed instead.

"Just go ahead and say it, Jules," she demanded gently. "We both know you're going to. What is it?"

He leaned back and put his water bottle down, folding his hands across his chest. "I thought you didn't want me to pry, princess," he said with a cock of his head.

"You're going to pry whether I like it or not," she sighed a short sigh. "That's just how you are, so say what's on your mind and spare me the delay."

"There's nothing on my mind," he said, voice serious. "I just wanted to know what was in yours."

She sighed again, book falling closed, and she gripped her coffee mug between her hands. "I don't know," she finally stated lamely.

"You don't know what's in there?" He teased softly, shifting to poke the side of her head with a playfulness.

She grinned shortly, eyes watching him from the corners, lids narrowed slits. "I do," her features softened further, facing him more. "But I'm just not sure what I think, or what I really feel."

"Could you vague that up for me?" He smiled.

She raised an eyebrow, eyes traveling to stare into the blackness of her coffee. "It really is just fine, Julian," she stated, folding back into herself a bit.

He sighed and studied the counter before leaning forward, hand reaching forward to rest on her elbow. Amara's eyes fluttered to his, teeth sucking delicately at her bottom lip. "What do you think you should be thinking and feeling then? Why are you confused?"

She blinked her eyes away from him, watching the marble countertop, eyes narrowing as she studied, but she didn't completely shy away from his touch. "I told you it's fine. Just forget about it."

"I'm here if you don't want me to forget about it," he promised again. He looked down at the spot she was studying and then recoiled, glancing at the clock. "In the meantime I have training."

She nodded, tearing her eyes back from the marble, meeting his. "Do you want me to walk with you?"

"Sure," he smiled.

She smiled a small smile, turning on her heels toward the sink, downing her coffee, and she discarded her mug into the sink, turning back to him. Julian was already stepping to the door and she grabbed her book, catching up to him with two steps.

"Who are you training with today, anyhow?" she asked him as they turned the corner into the corridor.

"Wolverine," he answered, voice mockingly menacing.

Raising an eyebrow, Amara smirked, looking at him. "Are you sure you can handle that? One on one? He's pretty tough, Jules."

"I'm tough too," he said incredulously, palm over his chest. "I can take him."

"Yeah, until he gets those claws of him into your skin," she pointed out, raising her other eyebrow. "Although with Josh around, it's never a very big deal what sorts of injuries one gets."

"I have a shield, sweetheart," he argued. "I don't need any Golden Boy healing wounds I won't get."

She rolled her eyes as they went around a corner. "Yeah, yeah. I can't wait until you actually do get hurt a little bit, and then you won't be so cocky about it," she pointed at him, turning to walk backwards in front of him.

"I've gotten hurt before," he scoffed. "Yet I'm still confident." He winked.

Rolling her eyes again, she looked down at the book in her hands, flipping it from hand to hand, glancing behind herself occasionally to make sure she wouldn't trip, and she watched him check the area of hall behind her, smiling a small smile.

"I figured out what you were talking about the other day, by the way," she stated, raising her eyebrows.

"The other day?" He questioned, returning her small smile.

She pursed her lips, eyebrows falling. "When you said that I was the most passionate person that you know," she informed him, moving her book to one hand, arms crossing loosely.

His smile grew to a grin and he staged a cough, reaching out to guide her away from a coming corner, warm hand dropping from her elbow. "Oh, that," he said simply.

Amara smiled, thankful, before she sobered. "Yeah. That was very... inappropriate, Jules," she looked at him knowingly.

"Well, you can be very inappropriate, princess."

"Not like that," she retorted, defending herself. "I'm never inappropriate in innocent conversation."

"I wasn't talking about conversation." He rose a suggestive eyebrow, head bowing.

Amara's eyes widened as they turned the corner. "Jules, you're terrible," she said, voice strangled. They both stopped.

Down the hall, Ali looked up from the pile of music books in her arms, attendance sheet in one hand, empty coffee mug in the other, and small thin pair of black rimmed reading glasses perched precariously on her nose. Trying to push them up, books tumbled to the floor at her feet. She sighed. "I'll never get the hang of this."

As she gathered her things, Ali's ears caught the sound of faint laughter from around the corner.

"What?" Julian grinned, too immersed in his conversation with the blonde to notice Ali's hunched form. "Remember that night in San Diego when we--"

"Just stop right there, Julian." Amara couldn't control the giggles or the heated memories of a wild night in his father's car. "Not another word. I have to get to study hall, and you..." she poked him squarely in the chest with a long finger, "need to get your butt down to the danger room before Logan filets it."

"No arguing there, princess." Julian gave one of the rare smiles which were extra-heavy on the charm. Ali didn't think she'd seen one used on anyone save herself, Rogue and the Cuckoos in a long time. Then again, she had been away for a while. "Talk to you later?"

"Of course." Amara blushed slightly as Julian bent to brush a quick kiss to her cheek. Julian turned and took off down the hall the opposite direction, Ali's presence completely undetected. Amara sighed, turned and noticed Ali still gathering her books.

"Oh! Ali!" She bent to help the dark haired girl with the scattered papers and texts."Or, is it Miss Blaire now?"

"No, Ali's still fine, princess." She stood, letting the shorter girl help her steady the stack now more securely in her arms. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!"

She was about to bid the girl adieu when her old inclination to meddle got the better of her. "Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into, princess. You're flirting with disaster here. I know heat is your thing and all, but a lot of people could get burned. People I care about. You with me?"

"I don't..." Amara blinked, tongue tied at the seriousness in Ali's tone, befuddled by her abruptness. "What are you talking about?"

Ali's eyes flicked to the section of hall where she and Julian had been standing. "You don't want to hurt anyone, Amara," she said slowly, watching the beginnings of understanding cross the younger girl's face. "Do you?"

"N-no. Of course not."

"Then take bit of unsolicited advice:" Ali pushed up her glasses again, the books teetering once more, Amara's hands reaching out to steady them, their faces close enough that Amara could smell the coffee and cigarettes on Ali's breath, "be careful."

The new addition to the faculty left Amara standing silently in the hallway, late for study hall and completely, utterly confused; her shoulders slumped an inch.