Very much NSFW fic continued from yesterday:
Fracture Nine: Holy Ground
Kurt’s exclusive interview had subtitles, owing to both the volume of his voice and the accent. Even though Kurt was right there with them, they watched, hypnotised, as his words appeared on the screen.
The last subtitle read, “[In German] I am their favourite mood.”
The reaction to that was pretty much unanimous.
“The hell?”
“Kurt did you really say– hey. Where’d he go?”
Kitty ventured a look out the window, and saw him heading for the west wood. Maybe it was habit or something. Maybe something bad was going to happen when he remembered that that was where she and Lance–
No. Where *Lance* had refused to listen to her telling him to stop. It was Lance, not her, that had started and finished it.
“There’s a place he goes,” she said. “Whenever he like, needs to be at peace. I’ll just - check there. ‘Kay?”
They seemed to think she could manage without an honour guard - kinda like guarding the picket line after the horses were stolen, but their hearts were in the right place - and let her go.
When she got there, he was singing. A gentle song she couldn't understand a word of, but it was sad and sweet and lonely. Kitty just sat next to him and waited until he was done.
“Need to be alone?” she asked.
“Nein. I needed to be away from reminders. They were getting noisy.”
“Uh. 'They’?”
“Herr Professor didn’t tell you?”
“Nobody’s been telling me like, anything. I even checked with Jubes about what was up with you but like, the word is *not* out.”
“He should have warned you, at the least.”
“Warned me? Like, about *what*?”
“Katzchen, I - I’m not as safe as you think. I could be dangerous.”
“Don’t be like, silly. You’re like, the gentlest person I like, know. You’d never hurt anyone.”
He sighed. “I come here to - reset, as it were. I talk to God for His help at keeping them down. Keeping them calm. And it works… meine kleine Kirche…”
Kitty had no clue what 'they’ were, but she guessed it was something along the lines of personal demons. Before Lance, she’d always felt safe, here. At peace.
Now, she wasn’t so sure. And the guy sitting right next to her, the one she’d been relying on for borrowed strength, was telling her that he was totally *un*safe. He was probably afraid he might hurt her.
Lance was never afraid of things like that. He just went and did things, and to heck with the consequences.
Her stomach roiled at the thought of 'consequences’. Had he lied about that too? And would Kurt, who blushed at *pantyhose*, be able to tell her?
She hadn’t talked to anyone about that sort of thing. She hadn't dared.
Well, she’d find out in a couple of weeks, anyway. If she missed her period, Lance had lied. If she didn’t, he was telling the truth. *Or* she was phenomenally lucky.
One of the two.
“Lance didn’t like, warn me or anything,” she said. “But he still like, hurt me.” Kitty watched a lone ant wander near her fingers. Usually, she was all-out against anything with more than four legs, but she decided to let this ant go home. “You at least like, gave me a warning. That makes you like, *less* dangerous.”
Kurt stared at her in stunned disbelief. “How?”
“Well, now that I’m like, warned, I can like, be on my guard. If anything like, weird starts going on with you? I can like, call for Jean to like, get help.”
“You’d better yell. I tried calling for her when the predator came. She wasn’t listening.”
*Scary*. “You didn’t like, call the Professor?”
“He asked me not to,” said Kurt. “Today was Important Business. I probably screwed that up, too.”
“The Professor’s not like, worried about it, so I like, wouldn't either.”
“Mmm.”
“From the sound of things, you’ve got like, too much to worry about already.”
“Ja.”
“Is it someone at school?”
Kurt huddled up on himself. “If I tell… all those I hold dear will be hurt. I’ll be made to watch.”
“Oh, geez…” Kitty put her arm around him for a half-hug. “I’m like, so sorry. I was just tryin’ to like, help. Somehow.”
His tail snugged itself around her waist and gave her a little squeeze. It struck Kitty as strange that something so pliable could be so strong. It was just one long mass of muscle. He could probably lift weights with it or something.
He was the most *un*dangerous male she’d ever sat next to.
“If you could quietly spread the word about the threat that the predator poses, I’d be very thankful.”
“Just the predator?”
Kurt smiled. “I’m only dangerous if I can’t get to Holy Ground, liebe. You don’t have to worry, now. They’ve gone quiet.”
There was that 'they’ again. “Are 'they’ the ones that are like, dangerous?”
“Only if you piss them off,” Kurt was smiling again, turning into the breeze and letting it play with his hair. “Some are nice. A lot are wild. You only have to worry about the Monsters. I can control them, here.”
“Just here?”
“Any old church will do. Or temple. Or mosque. Anywhere that’s a house of God.”
“So what’s this? Like, a camp-out?”
Kurt laughed. “It’s a house. See the walls?” he pointed to the trees. "The roof,“ he indicated the sky. "The floor,” they looked at the grass. "And even the furniture,“ he patted the rock they both sat on. "Sure, it’s a little spartain, but it’s economical. Look, there’s even caretakers.”
Kitty followed his pointing finger and had to restrain a gasp.
There was a doe, nibbling at the grass in the clearing, like nothing evil had, nor ever would happen in this spot. Kitty did her best to stay perfectly still and clung to Kurt as she watched the animal.
“There’s a whole family living in these woods,” Kurt murmured. “They haven’t let me feed them, yet, but they tolerate my presence. I don't think they’d mind you, either. You’d smell like a fellow herbivore.”
Kitty had to giggle. “That’s vegetarian, you silly Elf.”
The doe leaped back into the woods at the sound of her voice.
“Awww… I spooked her.”
“Katzchen…”
Kitty turned. Her head was very close to his, now. He’d unhuddled and was just kind of resting his hand on her shoulder. He wasn’t leaning on her or anything. Just touching her. That touch froze every muscle she had.
“Kurt?”
He leaned towards her, eyes gone sort of trance-like. He was staring at her mouth. “Katzchen,” he whispered. “Wie kann ein Teufel einen Engel wie Sie lieben?”
“What?”
“Are you brave enough? For one kiss?”
He sounded so afraid. He looked like he was fighting himself to stop doing something. The only thing Lance had fought was her.
Kitty made up her mind, and pressed her lips against his.
It was a chaste kiss, gentle and cautious. Almost tentative. He didn't seek to possess her mouth, or taste what she had on her back teeth. He just wanted to know what her lips felt like against his.
His fur didn’t even tickle.
It was just as soft and gentle as he was.
Just like that, the kiss broke. He had both hands on her shoulders, now, but they were holding her away.
“No,” he said. “You don’t need this. You’re still healing. You don't need confusion. I shouldn’t have… Oh, Katzchen, I’m sorry. Forgive me… I don’t know what came over me… I - I should go.”
And he left.
Just like that, he was gone, melting into the wood like the doe had.
Kitty raised her hand to her mouth. He was so *warm*.
_Duh, Pryde. He’s covered in *fur*. You like, expected Mr Freeze, maybe?_
He’d made her stomach do a somersault, and the near-constant ache of pain Lance had left her with subside into a muted hum. How could he do that with just his lips?
He *was* right, though. She did *not* need these levels of confusion, just *days* after the attack.
*
And in the dark of the wood, hidden in the hollow of a tree, there was a low murmuring in German.
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been one day since my last confession…” Kurt Wagner broke down into sobs. He could truly feel the filth invading his soul. All the other times, others had stained him, but he sought this blot himself. “In that time - in that time, I have had lustful thoughts for a wounded woman. I desired her by body as well as by heart. I - kissed her. I chose the worst possible time to do so. I wanted to have her for myself. I kissed her when she was still confused about love and where she was going, and if she even *wanted* to be brave, yet.”
He felt so bad. He felt so *ill*. Poor Katzchen. He’d just screwed up her entire psyche. With one kiss.
“The worst thing, Father. I wanted more. I wanted to be everything I could be for her. I wanted to show her that sex doesn’t have to be bad, and we weren’t even engaged.
"Help me, Father. Help me. I feel so bad. Make it go away. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He was just as bad as the predators. Just as bad as Hess. She'd probably started with one wrong kiss. One wrong touch. The only difference between them was that Kurt felt ashamed. He’d barely been able to stop.
“I dearly want her to be with me. In all honour. Right and proper, married in both our churches… I want her to stand beside me for all of our days. I’m afraid that won’t happen, now. I took her lips. I *stole* them. I sinned. Against her and against You… Help me. What must I do to make things right? How can I set things straight with her? How can feel free of this sin? Forgive me. Forgive me, please.”
*
Kitty shifted her position to her other hip. She hadn’t been able to sit normally since Saturday. She didn’t quite want to go in yet, not while the ghost of Kurt’s kiss lingered on her lips. She didn’t think she could erase the stupid grin on her face for a while, anyway. As for the blush, she didn’t want to think about it.
Why had she wasted her time with ashtray-breath?
When *he* kissed her, his tongue was in her mouth and threatening to gag her. He felt like he never brushed his teeth and he was *always* sour, even if he’d been eating mints.
Kurt, as well she knew from the people yelling at him while he hogged the bathroom, had to stay clean.
Kurt’s tongue hadn’t even left his mouth, but Kitty found herself wanting to know what it tasted like.
“Hey, Pretty-Kitty. Missed ya.”
Kitty felt a chill posess her body. They were both back at the scene of the crime. Kurt had gone away. Were Jean or the Professor listening? Would it matter?
Kitty automatically scooched away from him. “What do *you* want?”