Author: Pirate Turner
Rating: PG-13 for semi-nudity and vague adult referencing
Summary: Jimmy finds himself fighting for much more than just the last piece of pizza when he "duels" with Teresa.
Warnings: Het
Challenge/Prompt: XMenFantasies' Challenge of the Week for 6-7-09 to use the prize, which was left unspecified, as either subject or title
Disclaimer: Jimmy "Warpath" Proudstar, Teresa "Terry" "Siryn" Cassidy, Shatterstar, and X-Force are & TM Marvel comics, not the author, and are used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
There were a few advantages to getting up early, Teresa remarked to herself as she padded across the hard tiles of the kitchen floor on bare feet. Ye could train by yerself after watching the sun rise and enjoying the first cup of brewed coffee rather than having to make do with whatever black jet liquid remained by the time the others had all had theirs. Ye could enjoy a few rare moments of peace and privacy, but most of all, ye got first dibs on whatever was left in the fridge.
A grin lit the redhead's face the moment she opened the refrigerator. The Saints were surely with her this fine morn for the pizza box set atop the first shelf, the red logo partially glowing underneath the little, yellow bulb. She carefully grasped the box and pulled it out. Lifting the lid, she paused to inhale the delicious aroma of leftover pizza, and her eyes drifted shut. When they reopened, she gasped at the sight of the brown hand that nearly covered the one slice of pizza that remained. "Jimmy, ye put tha' down this instant! 'Tis mine!"
"Funny," the Native American remarked, "I didn't see a name on it."
Teresa's emerald eyes flashed up at the grinning man. "I got tae it first fair an' square!"
"You may have gotten to it first," Jimmy returned, his charming grin teasing her nearly as much as his words, "but you neglected to put your hand on it first."
Teresa's eyes burned her fury into him until, at last, he relented. "Okay. How about we race?"
Her gaze narrowed as she looked up at him, but with a mischievous grin, she answered, "Okay, but we start now." She released the box, leaving him to catch it, as she flew out of the house.
They sped along the ground and mountains alike, he running beneath her at speeds she could not hope to fly. He did not even pause when they came to a lake that was iced over for the Winter but continued to run, shooting grins and taunts up at her every now and again. Teresa remained quiet until she suddenly zoomed in beside him.
"You knew better than to race me if you wanted to win fairly."
Her grin lit her emerald eyes. "Who said anythin' 'bout this bein' a fair race, Jimmy?" She looked down at the ice and released a sonic scream that sent it shattering all the way across the pond. Laughing at his yells, she flew on, leaving him to fend for himself as he thrashed about in the freezing water.
"I don't believe you did that!"
"I di nae believe ye thought I'd be fool enough tae race ye wit'out usin' me own advantages, Jimmy Proudstar!" she exclaimed, laughing.
Jimmy grumbled as he caught his soaked, black hair up in his strong hands and wrung the water out. He glowered over at her but found his breath catching in his throat at the sight that awaited him. Sometimes he forgot just how beautiful his team mate was, and then he'd look at her laughing, her face shining with mirth and joy, her sparkling eyes that were surely the greenest of the greens Ireland had to offer, and be reminded so fully that he felt his heart skip and his breath stop for a moment.
Teresa punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Come on, lad; I'll give ye half." She wrinkled her nose at him, and he wondered if she had any idea just how cute she was when she did so.
Trying to shake it off, Jimmy murmured, "I wouldn't want you feeling sorry for me."
"'Tis nae a t'ing like tha', Jimmy. I'll share. I would've shared before if'n ye'd not wanted th' whole blasted t'ing fer yerself." She chuckled, and he found her laughter infectious.
They entered the kitchen, side by side, with laughter peeling from their lungs, but stopped in their tracks as they saw Shatterstar sucking the last bite of crust into his mouth. "Ye ate our pizza!" Terry cried.
"Your pizza?" Shatterstar questioned, his surprise clearly evident on his face. "But . . . But it did not have a name upon it."
"We've already been through that!" Jimmy exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air as Terry blazed about.
"I din't believe it! I jest din't believe it! Ye're pigs, every last one o' ye! I hardly got a bite last night, an' it was mine fair an' square! If'n I hadn't taken th' time tae race ye," she glared pointedly over her shoulder at Jimmy, "I would've been able tae enjoy it fer meself, an' now it's gone! It's all gone, an' I hardly got a bite!" She had been shaking her head and tossing her hands about, but now, with one final shake of her head, Teresa just lifted into the air and left the room.
Jimmy sighed as he watched her fly away. He'd not known she had gotten hardly any of the pizza the night before nor had he wanted to keep her from being able to have what she wanted so badly. He'd only wanted to play with her, tease her for a few minutes, watch those emerald eyes light up with the fire that he knew always burned just below her surface . . . And now his plans had been smashed, and Teresa had gotten nothing that she wanted. He trudged out the door, hands shoved deep in his pockets, leaving Shatterstar at the table with a look of complete perplexion upon his face.
Teresa stormed quietly throughout her shower, thankful only that this house did allow for a separate bath for the women and men. She had barely stepped out and wrapped a thick towel around her than she heard a knock. "Go 'way!"
"Delivery."
Lines creased Teresa's forehead as she glared at the door. "I said go away!" she snapped at the voice she immediately recognized as belonging to Jimmy, who had cost her her slice of pizza.
"Can't do it, ma'am, not without the money."
Forgetting she was clothed only in the thick, purple towel, Teresa stomped across the floor and slung the door open. Water dripped down from her red bangs and splashed onto her upturned face as she glared up at him. "Just what are ye -- "
Her words froze in her throat as a delicious aroma she'd sometimes thought she'd never smell again hit her nose. Her eyes widened as she sniffed, and moisture sprung to her emeralds. "Tha -- Jimmy, tha -- Tha' can nae be Antonio's!"
"But it is!" he replied, eyebrows rose and handsome face lit up with his broadest smile.
"Ye went . . . all th' way . . . tae Chicago fer me?"
"Well, not exactly just for you," he murmured, his grin taking on a teasing tone, "but for us. There are some advantages of having super speed, you know."
Suddenly, Teresa could think of many other advantages his advanced speed could provide them, but she pushed the thought away. He was her team mate and friend; she wasn't about to risk losing either of those relationships for anything more, no matter how much she wanted him sometimes. "Get in 'ere," she growled playfully, grasping his shirt and pulling him in.
He stumbled a bit but managed not to drop the pizza. He grinned at her as she stood with her back to the now-closed door, still dripping wet but eyes alight with the fire he so loved to bask in. It had never been about the pizza, he knew, seeing her standing there, happily glowing as lovely as the morning sun itself. It had always been about making the amazing, beautiful woman before him happy, getting her to smile and let him draw close, and that was far better to him than any pizza, or any other prize, could ever hope to be.
"Y-you know you're still . . . " His words trailed off, his throat suddenly dry. He was thankful she had not taken the pizza from him yet and hoped he could calm his natural reaction to her lustrous beauty before she could do so and reveal what remained hidden from her beneath it.
"Still wha'?" Teresa asked.
"Hum . . . " Jimmy raked his gaze up and down her body and stifled the groan that rose in his throat.
Terry followed his gaze before crying out, "Oh!" She blushed a shade as deeply red as her hair, then rushed to the bathroom. He grinned as he watched her flee and felt safe in the knowledge that she would return for the prize he still held. He'd have to pick up pizza more often for them, he thought with a soft chuckle.
The End