Kaz looked at Nicki curiously when she commented about the wine. "It is?" Shrugging. "It's fine. I've got a lot more, some older ones too. Though I don't get why the older it is the more valuable it is, it's just wine." Kaz laughed lightly.

"So um...can I tell you something and have you not freak out?" Nicki asked while keeping her eyes off of Kaz. He was a bit apprehensive and slightly worried. Kaz was sure Nicki knew she could tell him anything, so the way she asked...unnerved him. Kaz's brow furrowed a bit as he leaned to the side slightly, bending his neck trying to look into her eyes, "Of course you can. You can tell me anything." Kaz began to raise his hand to her face...

"I love you." ...and Kaz's hand stopped halfway to her. He relaxed and his face showed his calm. Smiling warmly. ".....but I just wanted you to know that I do..." Kaz put his finger on her lips. Leaning towards her he put his hand on her cheek just under her chin and kissed her. He wasn't good with this kind of thing. He didn't know what to say. Saying 'I love you too' seemed like a cop out, but if he said something else, at least to him, it would seem like avoiding it and crushing what she just said. With his free hand he wrapped it around her waist pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss.

Nicki wrapped her arms around Kaz's neck, allowing the kiss to deepen as she pressed against his body lightly.

This was roughly what Nicki had expected. Kaz wouldn't say it back, hell, Nicki wasn't even sure if he did love her, but she knew he cared for her and that he would want to show some kind of appreciation for her feelings. This was Kaz to a T and Nicki had expected nothing else, more or less.

She slipped her hand into his hair as they seperated, smiling.

There was a silence creeping into the room. Not a bad awkward silence, but one of acceptance. Still, Kaz wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. <You can always tell me anything. You know that.> ..... <No matter what,> His mental voice got very soft, <I'll...> "What's next?" Kaz moved towards the food, reaching up and grabbing Nicki's hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "Seeing all this food here is makin' me hungry."

Nicki chuckled, hitting Kaz in the stomach with her free hand and grabbing a bag of white rose potatoes. "Well, you're gonna peel those while I let the butter set. And I'm gonna start on the beef and then workout the green bean situation. Hopefully, if this all works out right, I'll get the meat off the burner just as the potatoes are down being mashed and with just enough time to flame the corn" Nicki smiled at Kaz. "What are you waiting for? Peel man, peel!" Nicki chuckled.

"Oof" Nicki seems to like hitting Kaz in the stomach, though he had gotten use to it. A playful tone in his 'voice', <Abusive.> Before she could respond he kissed her, took the potatoes and moved to the other side of the kitchen island as he began to peel the potatoes. "I'm assuming you want me to mash them as well..." Raising an eyebrow at her, "I'll need something to mash with and in."

Kaz was silent for a bit, focusing on pealing the potatoes. He hadn't done this very often, but he was good at it, good with using knives, he severed the skin and the flesh of the potatoes perfectly, with no excess on the skin, with impressive speed. "Move in." Kaz was surprised at his own words. He didn't mean to say it like he did. He meant to ask her if she wanted to...but, Freudian slip.

Nicki smiled at the kiss but chuckled as Kaz started asking about instruments needed to make mashed potatoes. "Wow...you never cook do you?" She chuckled and set a pot next to Kaz. "Fill that with water and boil it. Then put the potatoes in. Let the potatoes get nice and soft, in fact, don't take them off the flame until I say so. Then you'll drain the water and take..." Nicki smiled and leaned over Kaz, grabbing the masher, "This, and start mushing them up. Then I'll do the rest..." Nicki smiled brightly and started to turn.

Kaz asked her to move in with him. She stopped cold and turned back to Kaz, looking over him as if convinced he was a a different person. "You want me to move in with you? Why?" Nicki asked.

She was sure that that sounded harsher than she had meant it to. Nicki just always had concptions about people who lived together that she didn't view as wrong: that they were both adults, that they had known each other for more than a few months and that they were sleeping together. While Nicki liked the idea of living with Kaz, of waking up and seeing him first thing int he morning, the idea of them living togther slightly confused her.

What if he got bored? And she would be a total mooch: he owned the place, the stuff, the everything. And what about school? Could she attend Xavier's without living there? And what about the fact that it would be a lot harder to hide that she and Kaz were in a relationship (not that she wanted to hide it but Nicki knew she would have to inform Tricity of whom she was living with since she was a minor and "You know that guy you battled with the silver hair" wasn't a great thing to empart)? Nicki squinted a little, furrowing her brow.

"Kaz you know I like the idea but..are you sure it's a good idea for me to live with you?" Nicki started, turning towards her herbs again. "Are you sure I'm gonna be worth all the hassle?" she asked.

Kaz looked at his girl. She was so very smart, he could nearly see the gears in her head shift into overdrive. "Yeah, I do. I mean, only if you want to." He kept at his work with the potatoes. "If you don't want to I'll understand." There wasn't any guilt in his voice, no pleading, just honest truth. "I care for you, a lot. And..." He couldn't form words. Kaz just didn't know how to explain why. Kaz looked her in the eyes and stopped messing with the potatoes. He hoped she would see it, see the words, thoughts, explanations there that he couldn't get into words.

"....I like the idea ..." That made Kaz feel worlds better. Hearing those simple words. "Are you sure I'm gonna be worth all the hassle?" Kaz chuckled, he couldn't help it. "Nicki, love, you aren't and will never be a hassle for me. Never a burden, a pain, annoyance, or any thing of the like." Kaz stood up, putting the skinned potatoes in the pot and moved to the sink to fill it with water. "I want to know you're safe. To know you're alright. That you don't want for anything." He trailed off and put the pot on the stove. <....Love makes a man act funny.....> Some lyric from some song came into his head then, and he didn't deny it.

A small smirk spread of Nicki's lips as Kaz spoke. He always managed to have the words that she doubt exsisted. He could calm her instantly. She smiled and set down the blade, turning back to Kaz.

"You know, you're just slightly crazy Mr. Kaz. You're aking a 16 year old to move in with you. One who lives at a giant prep school for mutants and can read your mind. One whom you've never slept with and one whose headmistress has gone and attacked your old group's hideyout." Nicki laughed and walked forward, wrapping her arms around the taller man's waist. "And providing she can still go to that weird prep school for mutants and live off campus, she's gonna say yes..." Nicki leaned up and kissed Kaz briefly. "See how crazy you are?"

Kaz looked at her in mock shock, "Wait, you're 16?! Oh no, bad bad, this is very bad." Smirking he kissed the girl. "I don't mind you readin' my mind, as long as you're ok with pickin' up some...parental advisory thoughts." He winked at her. "....she's gonna say yes..." Kaz lifted Nicki up into a hug and kissed her. Basically, to him, she just said yes. And he was overjoyed. "I'm crazy. Have you looked at and thought about who you're dating? No one in their right mind would date a guy like me." Kaz winked and stuck his tongue out at her a bit.

Nicki smiled as Kaz swung her around. She was glad that he was as happy as she was about the idea of living together. Yeah, it was slightly crazy, and it could stand to get them in a bit of trouble, but that didn't mean that it wasn't the right thing to do. Nicki smiled and leaned in, kissing Kaz.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm crazy since it takes someone not in their right mind to be with you...cause there is no one in the world I would rather be with" Nicki smiled, before leaning her forehead against Kaz's chest. "God damn that was way too cutesy" she laughed.

Kaz couldn't contain his laugh. "Yeah, that was...very...cutesy." Kissing her head, "But it's ok, I still love ya." Reaching over to the counter he grabbed the wine bottle. "I propose a toast. To us and to being crazy. May we never be sane." Kaz's smile was threatening to take his head right off his neck it was so large.

Nicki smiled as Kaz slipped out the words "love ya". She took a glass of wine and clincked it against Kaz's. "Don't wory doll face, I doubt that will ever occur."

Nicki smiled down to her glass. "You know you said you loved me right?" she asked before looking up to Kaz as she brought her glass to her lips.

Tapping glasses together, "I'm glad to hear that. Sane is so boring." He smirked and took a sip of his. ".....you loved me right?" Kaz watched Nicki for a few moments before answering. "That I do." Smirking he took a small sip as he grabbed her hand gently, holding it in his.

Nicki smiled, setting her glass down and wrapping her arms around Kaz in a tight hug. She pushed against him as hard as she could before leaning upa nd kissing him softly.

She pulled away after a few moments, biting her lip lightly. "You um...aren't that hungry right now? Are you?" Nicki asked, her eyes shifting towards Kaz's bedroom.

Kaz watched Nicki curiously as she set her glass down. The hug was tighter than any she had given him before, and he rather liked it. Returning the kiss, he watched as her eyes wandered away from the kitchen towards the bedrooms. He shook his head slightly. "I don't know what hungry means." He couldn't help but smile at the turn of events, and his corny words.