Finding Strength (CLOSED)

Calum winced a bit. "Ah... Was wearin' my helmet. Didn' consider th' smell that woulda been made.". He looked over to the head gear he had beside him, as Michael stopped the car, getting out as Evan pulled up beside them. Promptly, they head inside, most of them quite tired and exhausted.

Selena headed inside, and tended to the fire before curling up in front of the fire happily
Katherine came riding up the path on her bike, and arrived at the cabin a bit after everyone else. She stored the bike in the old shed out back before heading inside.
"I got burgers, and some sides. Burger king and McDonalds. Wasn't sure if anyone had preferences" Katherine said as she set the bag on the table.

Michael grabbed the bag, and said, "I'll pass 'em out. Ah reckon the lads don' mind who gets what - all of 'em are exhausted an'll 'ppreciate any food.". At that, he went around,handing out whichever burger he found, with whichever side he grabbed first. Eventually, he sat down, getting some food himself. Nobody said anything, spare the word 'thanks' to Katherine.

After Katherine grabbed some drinks from the kitchen, she distributed them and sat on the floor next to Selena. She ate at least two big burgers by herself, and polished off a bag of chips as well as a few jalapeno poppers. Selena just had a few chips and a burger.

Calum had just a burger, while Evan and Kyle had a bag of chips with theirs. Michael essentially rivaled Katherine in how much he ate, smirking lightly as he thought of something. After thinking a bit, he said, "Ey, Kat - did ya have such a big stomach before the healin' factor or wha'? I hardly even see Cal eat tha' 'eavily."

"No, this is new" Katherine said with a chuckle. Selena looked up, smiling.
"Yeah, before she used to be able to eat half a pizza, the other night, she ate, I don't know, five by herself." Katherine was busy with a third burger, and gave Selena a weird look.
"I only stopped at five because you said I couldn't have anymore."

Michael laughed a bit heavily at that, trying to imagine such a small figure eating so much. "Somethin' about yer factor mus' make ye digest shiet fas'er. Ah dunno. Tha's for another day tah think abou'.". Calum finished up his food and drink, clearing his throat.
"I'll be waitin' for ya in yer room when ya wanna talk like ah asked. Until then.". At that, he stood, heading inside her room and leaving the door open.

"Strange seems to think it's because I use up so much energy while healing, or that everything just works faster." Katherine finished her burger and her drink before heading off to the bathroom to clean up. She let out a sigh before heading to her room, closing the door behind her. "You wanted to speak to me?"
Selena looked over to Katherine's bedroom door, then to Michael.
"If they end up in a fight, you're the only one that can stop them if things get physical. We're all human."

Michael nodded. "If I need to, I should be able to hold each of them off with one hand -
honestly might need tah focus Katherine, she's violent when she's in a figh'.". Calum sat on the bed, patting next to him for her to sit.
"Aye. During our car ride, Selina told me about what you had her do to you in the forest. I'm not judging on that, but... I just want you to know you can talk to me and I'm here for ya. Speakin' o' which... Selina said, ah..." he blushed lightly, putting his hand on the back of his neck. "...she believes you may be in love with me."

"I'll try calm her down since that's really all I can do" Selena said with sigh before taking a sip of her drink.

Katherine went completely white when she heard what Calum said. She sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.
"I... uhh... Shit." Katherine let her hair down, and rubbed the back of her neck. "I-I kinda am... I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't... That's why I went to Selena, hoping she could beat it out of me." Katherine let out a sigh, closing her eyes, still rubbing the back of her neck. She didn't really know what to do, or how to handle the situation.

He put a hand on her shoulder, his hand quite warmed up. "Hey - you're fine.". He scoot a bit closer to Katherine, saying, "I, uh... K-kinda am too...". He cleared his throat, right next to her by now. He warmed up the rest of him. "I-I understand if ye think ah'm a tad ol', but... Ah jus' reckon you ought know how ah felt."

Katherine looked up at Calum, a little bit shocked by what he said. She was blushing slightly, a small smile on her face.
"I really don't care that you're a bit older than me." Katherine moved just a bit closer to Calum before looking down at the floor again. "I... meeting someone as old as Samm put things into perspective for me, and that's when I lost control, couldn't fight it anymore, saw no sense in it. I didn't want to mess anything up, that's why I didn't say anything, why I didn't want to say anything."

Calum nodded. "I would imagine what a reality warp that woul' be...". He chuckled lightly, looking at her with a hint of a smile. "...at first, I did want to protec' ya cause of what threat ya were in and knowin' ah coul' stop it. Now tha' ye've gotten so much stronger, ah don' need tah be there - but I want to be. When Jack..." he arched his eyebrows a bit at the name, "...ditched you, it was like something woke up. Somethin' tha' was always there."

Katherine smiled, and leaned against Calum slightly, her hair cascading down her shoulders, following through with her movement. She was relieved that he finally knew, and happy that he felt the same.
"I think I knew around then too" Katherine said with a slight chuckle. "The way you reacted when he threw me out, chasing after me in the snow even though you could have frozen out there... that's what made me realise how much I..." Katherine shook her head lightly, closing her eyes. She wasn't sure of the exact words she should use.

Calum blushed lightly remembering how silly he acted in retrospect. "Yeah... I wasn't thinking much.". He leaned up against her a bit, embracing the weight she was putting on him. "...reckon the phrase you're lookin' fer is how much we care about ya an' how much ah love ya."

Katherine smiled warmly, and blushed slightly at the last thing he said. She had been trying not to seem too forward with her wording, perhaps she had been afraid she'd scare him off if she said the wrong thing or used too strong a word.
"And I love you" Katherine said with a chuckle before gently kissing him on the cheek, blushing wildly she backed away a bit. She couldn't believe what she had just done, hanging her head, looking a bit embarrassed. She half expected him to freak out.

Calum felt himself heavily blush as his faxce got hotter, as he tried to think about what just happened. He had a feeling of surrealism, not convinced twhat was happening was actually happening. He froze up for a second before decided to return the kiss, backing away slightly. "Well... This sure as 'ell don' feel real."

Katherine touched her cheek gently, enjoying the moment, as well as trying to figure out if this was all really happening.
"Well, it is real" Katherine said with a chuckle before resting her head on his shoulder, quite happy with how everything had gone. "and it feels good." She was half tempted to actually kiss him, but decided not to push her luck.

Calum, by now, had a large and happy smile , and had made his arms a comfortable warm due to the situation. "Selina and I sorta reckoned ta migh' freak out. Mikey prolly started tah prep for a worst case scenario.". He looked down slightly at her, still in very slight disbelief of the moment. "So," he said, "reckon we ought tell the others or spend a bit more time together?". He winced a bit, quickly adding, "Tsk, bad phrasing, since we're on your bed... Unless you- I mean, I-... Ah'm gon' shut up now." he blushed heavily, embarrassment filling him.

"Maybe just a little bit longer. And hey, you never have to be embarrassed, I've probably said much worse." Katherine looked up at Calum, a warm smile on her face. For once, she did something without thinking about it. She leaned up a bit, gently resting a hand on his cheek, and kissed him, her lips warm and soft against his. "Sorry" Katherine said with a chuckle, "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

"Ok, it's been a while. You think they're alright? Oh my God, you don't think she's killed him?" Selena looked a bit nervous, definitely antsy. She seemed like she was on the verge of a pearl level meltdown.

Calum softly smiled, saying, "Well, why didn' ya do it sooner then?". He chuckled a bit, returning it but with a bit more passion behind it. It took him a while to break away from her, seemingly not wanting to back up in the first place.

Michael put a hand her shoulder, saying, "Ah, Cal woulda screamed by now if so. Or yelled out. Anyway, in the words of a wise woman...". He chuckled lightly, adding on, "...don't mess with his funky flow."

"I didn't want to mess anything up" Katherine said with a smile. She kissed him again, passionate yet gentle at the same time, with a definite warmth about her. This time, she didn't break away, she really didn't want to.

"I suppose you're right, Garnet." Selena let out a sigh of relief before laughing a bit. "Katherine hasn't thrown him through the wall yet, so I suppose that's a good sign." She made her way over to Julian, snuggling up against him with a smile.

Calum embraced it, putting his hands on her back and embracing her physically as well. He warmed up a bit more, to the level that could be described in his opinion as 'warm and comfy bed'.

Julian chuckled lightly, getting comfortable. "Quite a good sign indeed. If Mikey's Garnet - hadn't seen much, but I'm sure she's the tall cool one - then I'm totally the short purple one.". Michael chuckled lightly at that idea.
"Yeah... I guess I can see it."

Katherine wrapped her arms around Calum, deepening the kiss a bit. Eventually she broke away, purely to catch her breath.
"Still feel like it isn't real" Katherine asked curiously, a sly smile on her face.

"Oh, you're an Amethyst" Selena said with a chuckle. "Fun, wild, and chilled."

Calum raised an eyebrow, taking a breath himself. "I dunno - feels pretty real to me. How d'ya reckon I can, as ah would put it... make it feel real?". He smirked a bit, mirroring the sly smile.

Julian nodded appreciatively. "Ah,
sounds right. Glad it's a fittin' personality."