Work and no play (Open)

[Cyclops]

Scott sat in the rec room, a lap top on his legs, the room was slightly dark apart from the white light of the screen glowing on the red of his glasses. He was busy working, he had to prepare a brief mock lesson on mechanics. It was one of his projects that he had to do in order to qualify to be a professional teacher. He'd spent a lot of the day perfecting it.

Scott had known for a while he wanted to teach at the school as a career but he'd never been sure what exactly he would teach...since working on the Blackbird and all the other machines he'd found a love for mechanics that he hadn't really known he'd had anymore. Now he found an oppitunity to settle down slightly, he was only young he had life more or less how he wanted it, a good job in the works, a great place to live, a long term girlfriend and lot's of close friends. What could be better? but to get his life how he wanted it it required more hard work and that was something Scott never shied away from. So he sat tapping at his computer, wondering how the rest of the night would go.

[Chain]

Kelly had been heading toward the rec room with a snack. Bobby was sleeping and she didn't want to bother him, since she couldn't sleep just yet. When she got the door, she heard the clicking of the keyboard and stuck her head in. Of course, leave it Scott to take the room that was for relaxing and turn it into an impromptu office. Quietly the blond slipped in and shut the door behind her. Then she snuck up behind him. "All work and no play, makes Scotty a dull boy. Only you would turn the rec room into an office. Now put the lap top away, I got snacks and there's a pool table in here."

The blond made her way around to stand in front of him. "I will so close that things on your fingers. You need to relax once in awhile. Have some fun, and don't pull the nerdy crap about how work is fun. So, whatcha say? Up for a movie or a game of eight ball?" She held the snacks up and wiggled them in front of him.

[Cyclops]

Scott was tapping away on his keyboard. So much so that he didn't hear Kelly enter room and close the door behind her. When she spoke he half jumped out of his skin, looking up at her from behind his glasses only half hearing about the snacks and the pool table. He let out a breath and said "Damn Kelly, you made me jump there..." he continued to tap, his hands flicking to the save button as he was sure he probably wasn't going to be able to continue.

When she wiggled the snacks he nodded with a grin and shut down the lap top. When he closed it and placed it on the floor at his feet he said "Well then, I don't think I can say no to a bit of pool. I didn't think anyone was up though....want to set up?"

[Chain]

A laugh escaped her throat as he jumped. "Well it's good to see that I can sneak up on you. Even though it loses something knowing that it was because you weren't pay attention." She put one hand on her hip and looked over at him. Honestly, save for whatever him and Jean did behind closed doors, she'd never seen him actually do anything but work. It was the same thing when they were students. Well once she think he organized an outing, but still, she was sure he was talked into it. Also, she was sure that those who actually planned it, used Jean to bait him into going.

"I'll set it up. But just be warned I only play slop and I just play for fun. So any rules you know save for 'scratching' and the whole eight ball thing, don't mean nothin'. Got it?" She gave him a playful 'no argument' look. Scott was notorious by playing by the rules. The goal of the night was to get him to loosen up a bit and forget the rules. Kelly set the snacks down and started to rack the balls. Her hands and fingers moved deftly as she set them up. Her blue eyes looked up at Scott and she winked. She had been in a family league with her parents way back when.

[Cyclops]

Scott smiled at Kelly, this should be pretty fun. He got up as she begun talking about the rules...he didn't quite udnerstand, after all...if you didn't have definate, well placed rules...how did you have fun? or know who was winning? but he decided to relent...after all Kelly did come down to spend time with him, he might as well do it her way...if it was only this once.

He went to the pool table to see her setting it up, she was doing it quickly...like she'd done it many times before, then he saw the wink and he had the feeling this competition was going to be much harder then she'd made it out to be at first. He grinned at her and asked "Are you hustling me?"

[Chain]

It wasn't hard to tell what Scott was thinking. They didn't call him a boyscout for nothing. "Here's the thing, Scott. Sometimes, just sometimes it's fun not to play by the rules. Now I'm not saying go rob a bank or steal Storm's car. But when it comes to things like pool. Sometimes it's just fun to see what happens. No calling the shots or anything like that, just play for the helluvit."

At his comment about hustling him she looked up and grinned. "It's only hustling if money's involved." She gave him another wink and went to pick out her cue stick. "I used to shoot in a family league with my mom and dad. Years ago, but I still keep up. No it was my way of letting you know that I know the rules, I'm just not playing by them." She chalked up her cue stick and leaned against the wall. "You break."

[Cyclops]

Scott, raised an eyebrow. Was Kelly secretly telepathic? he didn't think so, unless she was channeling but it didn't seem likely. His guess was probably wrong though. They'd known each other for years. She was probably just a good guesser.

"Okay..." he said grabbing a cue, he went over to the table and lined up his shot. He wasn't really familiar with this game...there were a few different types of pool and he wasn't one hundred percent on it, so he thought he'd ask "Um...Is this the one where you hit one to two until you get to eight...or the stripes and spots one?"

[Chain]

Scott had to be one of the easiest people to read. As intelligent as he was, and even slightly he complicated, he was fairly simple. He's very much about the rules and right and wrong. There wasn't much grey area where he was concerned. At least not from what Kelly could tell in the years she'd known him. Even his fun time seemed to be organized.

The blond leaned against the wall and watches him. "Stripes and solids. Yes that's the one it is. You know the basics right? Hit the white ball with no markings into the others and hope one of them goes into a pocket." Kelly grinned and winked at him to let him know she was teasing. Kind of. She sipped her drink as she waited to see what would happen.

[Cyclops]

Cyclops nodded and went back to the shot. He was wondering how exactly to hit the shot...it was kinda hard to aim like this, he was good at hitting targets but this was a little bit different. At least it was the spots and stripes version of the game, he did always hate the other one... always seemed to pot loads of balls and then his opponant would pot hte last one for the victory.

Lining up his shot he hit the white ball quickly sending the triangle of balls scattering over the table, he didn't pot anything but all the balls were nicely spread out. "So...how have you been anyway?"

[Chain]

Kelly leaned against the wall and watched him. She wondered how much of a mathematical equation he was going to do in order to sink a ball. A brow went up when he actually didn't sink any. She grinned and bent over the table and lined up her shot. She sank a solid and tried for another, but missed.

At his question she turned and looked at him, smiling. "I'm doing really good. How about you? You and Jean doing good?" She stepped back to let him have his shot. "You're stripes by the way."

[Cyclops]

Scott observed the pool table infront of him, he surveyed it with the look that someone would look over a battlefield, or a very serious game of chess and considering it was a small game just for fun he looked a little bit foolish, He picked his shot. Replying to Kelly's question as he was lining up his shot. "Yeah...we're good, though Jean is still struggling with her...episodes, I'm just not sure how to help her Taking a shot he managed to bounce a stripe off the edge and pocket it, mainly down to luck more then anything. He allowed himself a small satisfied smirk as he went for his next shot. There wasn't really anything to hit so instead he went for the slightly cheap tactic of giving it a slight nudge behind one of his own balls, making it a little harder to get a clean shot off.

[Chain]

The blond covered her mouth with her hands as she tried not to giggle at how serious he was looking. She was going to have fight dirty here pretty soon if he didn't loosen up just a little bit. Regardless of the teasing, she liked Scott, he was a good person and she didn't want to see him buried before forty because he was always so serious. "Never underestimate the power of just being there for her. Holding her when she cries and taking it when she abuses you verbally out of frustration. You have no idea how much that means. Don't let her push you away and always hold her close." This she knew from experience, since she had been on both sides of a situation that was a bit similar.

A brow arched when he decided to play dirty. "Damn Scott, didn't think you had it in you." Kelly grinned and winked at him as she lined up her shot. Her head tilted from right to left as she studied the situation. She stuck her tongue out between her teeth and took her shot. The cue ball bounced off the side and hit a solid, it didn't go in, but now his shot was just as screwed up as hers was.

[Cyclops]

Scott listened to Kelly's advice, it was good...and he did try, after all who's boyfriend didn't take regular abuse? he thought that was a whole part of the deal, though he stiffened slightly and hoped Jean wasn't in range to hear that thought. Nodding to her he said "You're right...and I do those things but it still doesn't help when it comes to...I don't know, her exploding and setting fire to the room...the real super natural stuff I have no idea how to deal with..."

He let his sentance trail off as he looked at his little green battleground, she was being sneaky like he was...and how his next shot was a real pain, a frowned a little at his prediciment before aiming up his next shot...he didn't really have much room to shoot so he hit a shot at a random side of the board, obviously it bounced around yet seemed to avoid his own colours. With a slight sigh he said "Okay...is that two to you?"

[Chain]

The blond draped an arm around his shoulder and gave him a one armed hug. "Sometimes there isn't anything you can do. Trust me, I'll be she appreciates everything you do, but there are somethings that we just have to figure out on our own. I'm not saying I know the extreme you have to go through, but I've been on both sides of this. The one lending the support and the one who needed it. Just knowing that she won't lose you is a big thing and that you will be there no matter what." She kissed his cheek in a friendly manner then stepped back against the wall again.

At his question, Kelly just shrugged. "No clue. I just shoot until the ones I am aiming for are gone." She flashed him a grin and stepped up to the table to take her shot. She lined up and sunk one of hers, then her next shot ended up sinking one of his. "Crap. I didn't mean to do that." She shook her head and giggled a bit. "You're up, Hotshot."

[Cyclops]

Scott listened to her advice and he was quite glad that he'd stopped working, he really did need this...turns out there was quite a lot on his mind lately, even if he didn't realise it himself. When she gave him a one armed hug and a kiss on the cheek he felt his face warm with redness. It wasn't that he read anything behind it, but old habits died hard and after all these years he still found physical contact with some people a little...awkward but he ducked down to line up his shot, hoping she didn't notice.

WHen he was looking at his next shot it was easy to focus on what he was doing and the blushing subsided. Looking down his cue he answered the hot shot comment "Well...I can drill a target between the eyes at two hundred yards...evidently that means squat when it comes to pool...who knew, eh?" Lining up one of his easier shot he lightly tabbed the white ball against the diagonal of one of his balls, sending it smoothly in to the corner pocket. For his next shot this now left him further away from his other balls, so he tried the gentle tactic of hitting softly again, managing to avoid Kelly's balls as it just about touched one of his. "Your go"