Bloody Dinner
Mar. 23rd, 2020 07:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
queenkatyastarTitle: Bloody Dinner
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: X-Men
Characters/Pairing: Jubilee/X-23, Gambit
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: All Bingo Food Fest: Blood and Lands of Magic: Monthly Writing Challenge: March: Female Main Character (If you join, tell them QueenKatyaStar of Team Winter sent you!)
Word Count: 1,515
Date Written: 15 March 2020
Warnings: None
Summary: Laura tries something new for Jubie.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Jubilee freezes as she enters the kitchen. It's been a long time since she was up this early -- the sun's just beginning to set --, but her nose started sniffing blood and wouldn't stop. She's been trying for the last hour to fall back asleep, but all her efforts have been in vain. She glares out at the kitchen in a red daze, unable to, or at least uncertain if she can, believe her eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd think the scene before her was straight out of a nightmare.
Laura jumps when she turns around and sees the Vampire standing in the doorway. It's rare that anyone, even Jubie, can surprise the girl, but she's so taken off guard that she instinctively extends a claw . . . straight through the plate she'd holding and the batch of steaming pancakes on top. "Jubilee! What . . . What are you doing up?" she asks nervously and then blushes, actually blushes, turning as red as her girlfriend's eyes, at the laughter behind her. "Shut up," she snarls at the Cajun, "or I'll pop you."
"No, you won't, chere," Remy says and pats the girl's back. She's a fierce fighter, and she doesn't trust very many people, even fewer of whom are men, but he knows she'd never hurt him. Besides, if she does, who's going to help her with all this mess covering every available inch in their tiny, shared kitchenette?
"What . . . is this?" Jubilee questions with the same, confused expression she once wore so often as a young teen with the X-Men. Back then, her face would have been covered by now with popped bubblegum. Instead, her fangs sneak out of her mouth, shining hungrily in the dim light.
Neither of the other two people with whom she's been sharing the hotel room bat an eye at her protruding fangs, however. Laura lifts her thin, muscular shoulders in a simple, casual shrug instead. "I've . . . been . . . cooking." She almost stammers, but manages not to. She grins sheepishly at her best friend, the only person for whom she'd ever consider making anything -- now or ever, she assures herself silently.
LeBeau pats her back again. "Or, rather, she be tryin', chere." He withdraws his hand as Laura snarls at him and shoots him a warning glare that would send any lesser man running for the proverbial hills. "Tryin' quite well matter o' fact. You been doin' fine, petite."
"She wasn't supposed to know," Laura grumbles.
"Know what?" Jubilee asks, moving forward, picking up a slice of bacon, and biting into it. She knows she'll regret eating later, but the bacon smells so good. It's one of the "human" foods she misses the most.
"Know that I've been trying to learn to cook for you," Laura grumbles, her eyes dropping to her boots, and the mess of pancakes she dropped just beyond them. Remy chuckles again. "Keep doing that," she growls ferociously, "and I promise you I'm going to rip out your lungs."
"I dink ol' Remy be needin' dat smoke break 'bout now." Remy sashays pass them, but Laura's advanced hearing easily picks up his laughter again the moment he shuts the door.
Jubilee, meanwhile, is slowly surveying the room. "What is all this?" she asks, looking perplexedly at Laura. "I get you're trying to cook . . . " She shrugs. "But I'm a Vampire, babe. I don't eat. I drink blood."
"I know," Laura speaks in a hushed voice, her little, sorrowful, and innocent girl expression coming out in full force. "But I know, too, you miss the food. You didn't just eat to live; you told me that once, Jubilee. You actually enjoyed eating." She shrugs. "And I guess I can kinda get it. Some food does taste really, really good."
"Yeah," Jubilee agrees with remorse. "It does. You should totally try crumpling some of this bacon over some nacho chili cheese fries."
"I . . . kind of have some of those too," Laura says, pointing at a big bowl in the middle of the table. "And I tried to make blood rings." She points at another bowl.
Jubilee glances into the big, green bowl and makes a face. "What . . . are those? Blood rings?" she asks, looking questioningly up at Laura.
Her girlfriend nods, both rather it's in agreement or reassurance, Jubilee isn't quite certain. "Blood rings. You know, like, onion rings."
"Onion rings?" Jubilee's expression is full of doubt as she casts several glances back and forth between Laura and the bowl. Clearly, something has fried and definitely crumbled in that bowl.
"Yeah. I tried to take some blood and fry it in this deep batter, but it didn't really have enough . . . " Laura worries over her next word. " . . . consistency?" she guesses uncertainly. "At least I think that's what Gambit said."
"So it fell apart," Jubilee murmurs.
Laura's gaze drops back to the ruined pancakes. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot."
"No, you're not!" Jubie looks sharply at Laura but then follows her gaze down to the cakes. "And I'm guessing you were gonna do something . . . well, bloody with the pancakes too?"
Laura bites her lips and nods, looking for all the world like an innocent, and almost scared, child. A part of Jubilee's heart breaks as she watches her. "Yeah," she whispers. "I took some blood and added sugar and made, like, a blood syrup?" She's clearly guessing at the terminology.
"Laura, this is . . . " Jubilee's gaze again sweeps the room. There are what she guesses to be potato chips along with bacon, the bottle of blood syrup, cupcakes, the blood rings, and the chili cheese fries which look like they're covered more with blood than melted cheese. "This is . . . "
"Dumb, I know."
Jubilee looks in great concern at her lover. People think neither of them cry, that she doesn't shed any tears any longer and probably think she physically can't because she's a Vampire and that Laura never has, but she knows better. She knows way better. She's held Laura so many times as she's secretly cried her eyes out, and she knows she's not very far from doing so again. Her heart rends, and she moves so fast to her side that some might even say she flew. Vampires don't fly -- that's only another myth --, but try telling that to prejudiced idiots. They're both freaks, she knows, but Laura's her freak, damn it, and she's not about to let her cry if she can help it.
She grabs her face in both hands and lifts her head, forcing her eyes to meet hers. "It's awesome!" she enthuses and grins wide. Only with Laura is she completely unafraid to show her enthusiasm now that she's a Vampire. Her fangs sparkle both brightly and deadly in the dim lighting. "Thank you so much! I can't wait to chow down on it all!"
"Really?" Laura's voice almost squeaks.
"TOTALLY!" Jubilee grins from ear to ear, but as Laura finally starts to grin back in response, Jubie's smile does falter just a tad. "But . . . Did you think to make you anything?"
Laura points at a plate where T-bone steaks simmer in a sea of crimson blood. "I do like my meat raw, you know."
Jubilee bursts back into a grin and pulls her girl close. "I love you, babe," she whispers into her ear and nips her lobe gently.
Behind them, the front door cracks open. "Is it safe," Remy calls, "to come in now?"
"Yeah, Cajun, come on." Jubilee flashes him a bright, wide grin, though not quite as huge as the ones that let her fangs completely out to play as she had with her partner. "Thank you."
Remy's smile is sweet and reassuring. She knows he's got their back, even if no one else does besides the two of them. "Any time, chere. Just glad to see you children enjoying."
"Children?" Jubilee piques an eyebrow and glances at Laura.
"Did he just refer to us as innocent youngsters?"
"Yeah. He did." Jubilee reaches into one of the big bowls and grabs a handful of blood-covered fries. "FOOD FIGHT!"
Laura snatches the pancakes from the floor. Remy cusses in French and dodges back out the door, leaving the lovebirds laughing like the teenagers they're meant to be behind him. They fall together, holding one another, and just laugh and laugh for a good, long while. It's been far, far too long, Jubilee and Gambit both know, since any of them have truly laughed. Laura's completely unaccustomed to it and is the first to stop, her sides heaving and aching. "Jubilee?" she whispers, her head still hanging down and her long, dark hair cascading over her girlfriend's pale shoulder.
"Yeah, babe?"
"I love you too."
Jubilee rips out another huge smile. "Come on," she urges. "Help me eat this." She sits down in the nearest chair, pulls Laura onto her lap, and begins to feed them both.
The End
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: X-Men
Characters/Pairing: Jubilee/X-23, Gambit
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: All Bingo Food Fest: Blood and Lands of Magic: Monthly Writing Challenge: March: Female Main Character (If you join, tell them QueenKatyaStar of Team Winter sent you!)
Word Count: 1,515
Date Written: 15 March 2020
Warnings: None
Summary: Laura tries something new for Jubie.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Jubilee freezes as she enters the kitchen. It's been a long time since she was up this early -- the sun's just beginning to set --, but her nose started sniffing blood and wouldn't stop. She's been trying for the last hour to fall back asleep, but all her efforts have been in vain. She glares out at the kitchen in a red daze, unable to, or at least uncertain if she can, believe her eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd think the scene before her was straight out of a nightmare.
Laura jumps when she turns around and sees the Vampire standing in the doorway. It's rare that anyone, even Jubie, can surprise the girl, but she's so taken off guard that she instinctively extends a claw . . . straight through the plate she'd holding and the batch of steaming pancakes on top. "Jubilee! What . . . What are you doing up?" she asks nervously and then blushes, actually blushes, turning as red as her girlfriend's eyes, at the laughter behind her. "Shut up," she snarls at the Cajun, "or I'll pop you."
"No, you won't, chere," Remy says and pats the girl's back. She's a fierce fighter, and she doesn't trust very many people, even fewer of whom are men, but he knows she'd never hurt him. Besides, if she does, who's going to help her with all this mess covering every available inch in their tiny, shared kitchenette?
"What . . . is this?" Jubilee questions with the same, confused expression she once wore so often as a young teen with the X-Men. Back then, her face would have been covered by now with popped bubblegum. Instead, her fangs sneak out of her mouth, shining hungrily in the dim light.
Neither of the other two people with whom she's been sharing the hotel room bat an eye at her protruding fangs, however. Laura lifts her thin, muscular shoulders in a simple, casual shrug instead. "I've . . . been . . . cooking." She almost stammers, but manages not to. She grins sheepishly at her best friend, the only person for whom she'd ever consider making anything -- now or ever, she assures herself silently.
LeBeau pats her back again. "Or, rather, she be tryin', chere." He withdraws his hand as Laura snarls at him and shoots him a warning glare that would send any lesser man running for the proverbial hills. "Tryin' quite well matter o' fact. You been doin' fine, petite."
"She wasn't supposed to know," Laura grumbles.
"Know what?" Jubilee asks, moving forward, picking up a slice of bacon, and biting into it. She knows she'll regret eating later, but the bacon smells so good. It's one of the "human" foods she misses the most.
"Know that I've been trying to learn to cook for you," Laura grumbles, her eyes dropping to her boots, and the mess of pancakes she dropped just beyond them. Remy chuckles again. "Keep doing that," she growls ferociously, "and I promise you I'm going to rip out your lungs."
"I dink ol' Remy be needin' dat smoke break 'bout now." Remy sashays pass them, but Laura's advanced hearing easily picks up his laughter again the moment he shuts the door.
Jubilee, meanwhile, is slowly surveying the room. "What is all this?" she asks, looking perplexedly at Laura. "I get you're trying to cook . . . " She shrugs. "But I'm a Vampire, babe. I don't eat. I drink blood."
"I know," Laura speaks in a hushed voice, her little, sorrowful, and innocent girl expression coming out in full force. "But I know, too, you miss the food. You didn't just eat to live; you told me that once, Jubilee. You actually enjoyed eating." She shrugs. "And I guess I can kinda get it. Some food does taste really, really good."
"Yeah," Jubilee agrees with remorse. "It does. You should totally try crumpling some of this bacon over some nacho chili cheese fries."
"I . . . kind of have some of those too," Laura says, pointing at a big bowl in the middle of the table. "And I tried to make blood rings." She points at another bowl.
Jubilee glances into the big, green bowl and makes a face. "What . . . are those? Blood rings?" she asks, looking questioningly up at Laura.
Her girlfriend nods, both rather it's in agreement or reassurance, Jubilee isn't quite certain. "Blood rings. You know, like, onion rings."
"Onion rings?" Jubilee's expression is full of doubt as she casts several glances back and forth between Laura and the bowl. Clearly, something has fried and definitely crumbled in that bowl.
"Yeah. I tried to take some blood and fry it in this deep batter, but it didn't really have enough . . . " Laura worries over her next word. " . . . consistency?" she guesses uncertainly. "At least I think that's what Gambit said."
"So it fell apart," Jubilee murmurs.
Laura's gaze drops back to the ruined pancakes. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot."
"No, you're not!" Jubie looks sharply at Laura but then follows her gaze down to the cakes. "And I'm guessing you were gonna do something . . . well, bloody with the pancakes too?"
Laura bites her lips and nods, looking for all the world like an innocent, and almost scared, child. A part of Jubilee's heart breaks as she watches her. "Yeah," she whispers. "I took some blood and added sugar and made, like, a blood syrup?" She's clearly guessing at the terminology.
"Laura, this is . . . " Jubilee's gaze again sweeps the room. There are what she guesses to be potato chips along with bacon, the bottle of blood syrup, cupcakes, the blood rings, and the chili cheese fries which look like they're covered more with blood than melted cheese. "This is . . . "
"Dumb, I know."
Jubilee looks in great concern at her lover. People think neither of them cry, that she doesn't shed any tears any longer and probably think she physically can't because she's a Vampire and that Laura never has, but she knows better. She knows way better. She's held Laura so many times as she's secretly cried her eyes out, and she knows she's not very far from doing so again. Her heart rends, and she moves so fast to her side that some might even say she flew. Vampires don't fly -- that's only another myth --, but try telling that to prejudiced idiots. They're both freaks, she knows, but Laura's her freak, damn it, and she's not about to let her cry if she can help it.
She grabs her face in both hands and lifts her head, forcing her eyes to meet hers. "It's awesome!" she enthuses and grins wide. Only with Laura is she completely unafraid to show her enthusiasm now that she's a Vampire. Her fangs sparkle both brightly and deadly in the dim lighting. "Thank you so much! I can't wait to chow down on it all!"
"Really?" Laura's voice almost squeaks.
"TOTALLY!" Jubilee grins from ear to ear, but as Laura finally starts to grin back in response, Jubie's smile does falter just a tad. "But . . . Did you think to make you anything?"
Laura points at a plate where T-bone steaks simmer in a sea of crimson blood. "I do like my meat raw, you know."
Jubilee bursts back into a grin and pulls her girl close. "I love you, babe," she whispers into her ear and nips her lobe gently.
Behind them, the front door cracks open. "Is it safe," Remy calls, "to come in now?"
"Yeah, Cajun, come on." Jubilee flashes him a bright, wide grin, though not quite as huge as the ones that let her fangs completely out to play as she had with her partner. "Thank you."
Remy's smile is sweet and reassuring. She knows he's got their back, even if no one else does besides the two of them. "Any time, chere. Just glad to see you children enjoying."
"Children?" Jubilee piques an eyebrow and glances at Laura.
"Did he just refer to us as innocent youngsters?"
"Yeah. He did." Jubilee reaches into one of the big bowls and grabs a handful of blood-covered fries. "FOOD FIGHT!"
Laura snatches the pancakes from the floor. Remy cusses in French and dodges back out the door, leaving the lovebirds laughing like the teenagers they're meant to be behind him. They fall together, holding one another, and just laugh and laugh for a good, long while. It's been far, far too long, Jubilee and Gambit both know, since any of them have truly laughed. Laura's completely unaccustomed to it and is the first to stop, her sides heaving and aching. "Jubilee?" she whispers, her head still hanging down and her long, dark hair cascading over her girlfriend's pale shoulder.
"Yeah, babe?"
"I love you too."
Jubilee rips out another huge smile. "Come on," she urges. "Help me eat this." She sits down in the nearest chair, pulls Laura onto her lap, and begins to feed them both.
The End
