Jono stared at the TV, wondering just how many times Ross and Rachel would break up and get back together three episodes later. Then he wondered why he even watched the show at all. “There’s nothing else on the telly worth watching,” he quickly reminded himself. He suddenly missed his digestive system. At least being hungry would’ve been a reason to leave the basement he called home.

He suddenly decided that he didn’t need a reason. It was Friday night. Maybe he just felt like walking around the campus. Being surrounded by junk twelve hours a day couldn’t be healthy, and he could use the exercise, even if a proper diet wouldn’t help him a bit. “Just have to do something to keep busy. Anything to keep from thinking about her again, anyway.”

Paige stared at the sleeping form in the bed next to her. She’d never known anyone who could (or would) willingly sleep at any and all hours of a day. Then, she met her roommate, Jubilee. Though Paige considered her something of a friend, she couldn’t help but wonder if the X-Men had allowed such laziness while Jubilee was with them.

“Well, if they’ll take Jubilee, I should have no problem getting in,” she told herself with a smile. It wasn’t meant to be an insult, but it sure sounded like one. Jubilee would’ve almost certainly had a witty comeback prepared, had she been awake. Paige just wanted so desperately to be an X-Man, if for no other reason, so Sam could be proud of her.

“Ah wonder if we could work together someday?” She paused and giggled, amazed how just thinking of him caused her to fall back into her country accent. Then, as her stomach growled, she realized that she’d forgotten to eat dinner. “Maybe there’s some fruit left,” she said hopefully, looking around for something that would be decent enough to wear for the short trip. She quickly decided on a pair of red shorts and an oversized T-shirt of Jubilee’s. She’d dared to borrow it before, but only when Jubilee was asleep, like now.

As she’d hoped, there was plenty of fruit left. Though most of the students were in pretty good shape, they almost never ate healthy foods. Paige could still see a couple of Ben & Jerry’s pint containers in the trash can. She decided on a pear, something she hadn’t eaten in a long time. They weren’t exactly plentiful where she came from. As she washed the fruit and shook it, she heard a noise in the hallway. Figuring it was Angelo or Everett, she sat down at the table. Either one was good for conversation now and then, and she felt like talking. She took a bite of the pear, enjoying the flavor as she waited.

He hardly walked up these steps anymore. Just for classes, to explore the campus, or to talk to Penance. He’d have to visit her tomorrow. No one besides Jubilee really took the time to talk with her, and Jono knew that couldn’t be good at all. But if Penance suddenly took up trash talking and sleeping all hours of the day, he’d know who to blame.

As he opened the door at the top of the steps, it creaked slightly, as usual. He could see the kitchen light was on. He didn’t feel like talking, but figured that if someone was up at this time of night, they were just hungry or unable to sleep. Not exactly good conditions to chat under.

Paige was surprised when Jono walked into the kitchen. For one thing, he couldn’t eat. For another, she expected him to be asleep. He paused in the doorway, as if wondering whether he should come in or not. Paige offered a quick smile, and he finally walked in and sat down across from her. It was a start, since he’d been avoiding her like the Black Plague.

“Hi,” she said simply, inviting him to talk to her. “Hi,” he replied. There was an awkward silence, and as she swallowed a bite of her pear, Paige could only think of one thing to say. “Hi,” she repeated, wishing she could slap herself without becoming any more embarrassed. If he had a mouth, she was almost sure he’d be laughing, or smiling at the least.

She was clearly nervous, that much he was sure of. He wasn’t about to make it any worse. Not on purpose, anyway. Her repeated greeting was funny to him, but he wasn’t about laugh in her head. He tried another approach. “Anything bothering you, gel?” Not the best conversation starter, but he wasn’t really a people person. “What makes you think that?” she asked, swallowing some of the pear she was eating. Jono just stared at her, until she realized that he was still a telepath. “Oh.” She smiled a bit, laughing inwardly at her own mistake.

“Nothing major,” she lied, concentrating on the pear. He continued to stare at her. One day, people would have to realize that you couldn’t lie to a telepath. “Paige.” She looked at him, and knew she’d made the same mistake again. “Sorry. I’m just not comfortable talking about it. It’s...um...personal.” “Is it me?” he asked boldly. Paige shook her head. “I trust you, Jono. I just don’t like to talk about it much.”

“No. I mean am I the thing that’s bothering you?” For a moment, she just stared at him. “Paige, I’m a telepath, but I can only sense what’s on the surface when I don’t try. I respect your privacy.” She nodded. “Then you know the answer now?” He nodded, never taking his eyes off her. For some reason, it made her blush.

She could hardly believe it. Paige Guthrie was actually talking to the man of her dreams. If you could even call it talking. He was second-guessing her, even without his telepathy, and he hadn’t missed yet. “So. Do you want to talk about it?” She glanced up. He was staring at her again, in a way she found comforting. It showed he wasn’t too deeply involved, but at the same time, that he cared about her. Before she knew it, Paige nodded again. This was beginning to go somewhere after all.

“Jono, what am I to you?” she asked. He thought for a few seconds. “A close friend.” Then he paused and added, “A confusingly close friend.” Paige had to think about that one. “What’s so confusing about me?” “The simple fact that you are close to me, Sunshine. Hardly anyone else is.” Paige smiled without knowing it, and quickly cleared her throat. “Do you...love me?”

She could see his body tense up noticeably. “Love you?” he repeated, as if he hadn’t heard right. Paige nodded. His eyes finally left her, and locked on his hands on the table. “Hard to say, Sunshine. Something inside me won’t let me love anyone. Something else in me hurts when I push you away.” His hands fumbled with the sleeves of his leather jacket as he waited for her voice.

“Jono, look at me,” he heard her say. A few seconds later, he raised his head. “Tell me something. If you care about me so much, why don’t you care about yourself?” He blinked, slowly taking the question’s meaning in. “When you look in the mirror, what do you see?” They both knew where this was going. “Me. What’s your point?” “Paige, you’re beautiful.” “Jono, you’re only saying that because you care about me,” she argued. “Don’t you know I feel the same way about you?”

He could sense she was telling the truth. It didn’t make Jono feel any better, though. He pulled the black scarf away from his face, revealing the psionic energy beneath it. “This is beautiful to you?” he asked. Paige sighed. She stood up, pushing her chair away, and walked past him, heading for the door. Jono looked back at his hands, figuring he’d lost her once again.

Paige paused at the door. She looked back at him, sitting alone at the table as he replaced the scarf. Why did he hate himself so much? She felt herself walking back into the kitchen, stopping behind his chair. Her hands lifted and found their way to his shoulders. The muscles there instantly became tense. “Jono, relax,” she told him. She moved her hands slowly, gently kneading the muscles there. Even through his leather jacket, she could feel him loosening up.

Next, her hands fell to Jono’s face, gently touching the parts covered by the black scarf. “Paige, don’t,” he said reaching up to stop her. His warning, even if she had heard it, would have done no good. Paige grabbed the scarf and ripped it away from his face, exposing the raging energy inside of him. Jono stood up and faced her, a confused but angry look on his face. “Happy now?” he shot at her. “Not yet,” she replied, stepping closer to him.

He didn’t attempt to prevent her arms from sliding around his neck. He didn’t object when their faces were mere inches apart. Jono stared into her eyes, the intensity in their blueness more than his powers could ever hope to gain. “Look at me, Jono,” she said, even though he already was. “Do I look afraid? Disgusted? Unhappy?” He slowly shook his head. “Do you know why?” she asked. Again, he shook his head. A slight smile appeared on her face. “As they say, I’m blinded by love.”

Paige tapped his nose with her finger, making sure he was paying attention. “I don‘t care about this,” she said, indicating the psionic energy in the place where his mouth used to be. “I just want you to use this,” she went on, tapping his head, “so you can understand how this works.” Jono looked down. Her hand was over his heart. “I know your chest is gone, Jono, but no one can live without a heart. Not even you. Try opening it once and a while. You’d be surprised how much better life is.”

While she wasn’t sure if her little lecture had any effect, Paige knew it would give him something to think about. She projected her thoughts to him, and got no reply. Smiling, she drew his head down, placing a gentle kiss on his nose. “Promise me you’ll think about us, Jono.” He only nodded. The voice she’d gotten used to hearing in her head was silent, for now. Maybe he was already considering what she’d said. Her hands slowly dropped away, and Paige left the room.