Katherine "Kitty" Pride

It was a late evening at the outskirts of Chicago, the kind of quiet suburban sprawl where the lamps glowed yellow along the streets and the breeze carried the faint sound of dogs barking in the distance. The sidewalks were wet from a brief rainfall, glistening under the artificial light. Kitty Pryde was not supposed to be there, at least not in costume, yet she found herself slipping down the sidewalk after leaving an X-Men debriefing. Tonight she had decided against her Shadowcat uniform, instead dressed in a casual outfit—jeans, sneakers, and a fitted navy hoodie that clung to her frame when the wind brushed against her. She looked out of place, her hazel eyes flicking from one corner to the next, as though expecting something to leap out of the night.

The street was not empty. A delivery truck rumbled away down the main road, leaving behind the smell of gasoline. Kitty had stopped outside a dimly lit convenience store, her ponytail bobbing with each cautious step. Inside, there was an argument brewing between the cashier and a group of men who clearly weren’t there to shop. From where she stood, Kitty could hear the sharp tension in their voices, and every nerve in her body told her this was about to spiral into something worse. Her breath condensed lightly in the air as she leaned closer, considering her options. She wasn’t in costume, she wasn’t supposed to get involved… but then again, she was Kitty Pryde. Sitting out wasn’t really in her nature.

She phased through the locked front door with a single smooth step, the air rippling around her body as she entered without disturbing the hinges or glass. The men froze for just a moment, blinking at the girl who had simply appeared inside. Kitty pulled down her hood, her long hair spilling free, and stood there with her hands raised casually. “Evening. I think it’d be a good time for you to head out,” she said calmly, though her eyes never lost their sharp edge. The cashier behind the counter exhaled in relief, gripping the register like a lifeline. The men, however, didn’t look convinced.

The room became tense, the fluorescent light buzzing faintly overhead. One of the men scoffed, reaching into his jacket, and Kitty moved before his hand could settle on anything dangerous. She slid through the counter itself, reappearing on the opposite side in a blur of motion. Her form shimmered, intangible as a ghost, and when she stepped back solid again, the threat in her posture made it clear she wasn’t leaving until this ended. “I’ll ask one more time,” Kitty said, her voice calm but unyielding. “Walk away.” The silence that followed was brittle, broken only by the scuff of shoes as they weighed their options in front of the strange woman who seemed untouchable.

The night sky over Manhattan burned orange as another car went up in flames, debris scattering across the intersection. Civilians screamed and scattered in every direction as a hulking mutant tore a traffic light out of the ground and hurled it across the street. Sirens wailed faintly in the distance but no police dared to close in. The chaos swelled as fire licked at the storefronts, smoke curling higher with each second. In the middle of it all, Kitty Pryde was already there—Shadowcat—her black-and-gold X-uniform gleaming beneath the glow of the fires, her boots crunching glass as she phased through collapsing walls to pull civilians out from danger.

She phased through a falling steel beam with a young child clutched to her chest, her movements fast and precise, the muscles in her thighs flexing with each sprint. Her ponytail whipped around as she turned, crouching low to set the child down before giving them a quick push toward safety. Kitty’s hazel eyes narrowed as she turned back toward the mutant wrecking havoc, Lockheed swooping overhead and blasting sparks to draw its attention. Her chest rose and fell with controlled breaths, the swell of her bust shifting under the fitted leather of her uniform as she steeled herself for the fight.

Phasing forward, she passed through a line of flaming cars, her body ghosting cleanly through the inferno as she reappeared on the other side. Each step bounced with an urgency as her body glided smoothly in rhythm, her figure outlined in smoke and firelight. She ducked low, rolling under a swipe from the mutant, her body bouncing against the pavement before springing back up. The crowd gasped from a distance as Kitty’s hand glowed faintly, prepared to phase the beast into the ground.

“Alright big guy,” she called out, her voice sharp as steel while her chest heaved against her suit. “Let’s see if you like fighting someone you can’t hit.”

The sun dipped low over the water’s edge, painting the coastline in streaks of gold and violet. Kitty sat cross-legged atop a smooth boulder at the shore, her hoodie unzipped to reveal a simple tank top underneath, her baggy sweatpants rolled up around her calves so she could dip her bare toes into the tide. The cool breeze tugged gently at her hair, whipping strands free to dance around her shades. For once, the island felt quiet. No battles, no politics, no duties. Just the sound of the waves rolling against the rocks and the distant calls of seabirds.

She leaned back on her palms, her chest rising slowly as she breathed in the salt air, her body rocking with each swell of the tide below. Her ponytail brushed over her shoulders as she shifted her weight, the curves of her body shifting with the lazy bounce of relaxed movement. Her eyes behind the shades followed Lockheed’s playful loops in the air, the tiny dragon squealing as he dived in the surf before bursting back out in a spray of foam. Kitty’s lips curved into a smile, a rare moment of serenity pressing softly into her expression.

The peace was broken by the sound of gravel crunching underfoot nearby. Kitty’s body stiffened slightly, her head turning toward the approaching steps. She pulled her hoodie tighter, the shade of her glasses hiding the flicker of recognition in her hazel eyes. The breeze carried the faint scent of earth and grass, the world still vibrant around her as her heart gave a single, cautious thump. A stranger… or maybe not.

“Didn’t expect to run into anyone out here,” she said, her voice casual, though her shoulders bounced lightly as she shifted upright on the rock.

The halls of Kitty’s Krakoan residence stretched warmly with bioluminescent vines, the air thick with the earthy scent of the island’s magic. She padded across the hardwood floor barefoot, her loose joggers brushing against her thighs with each step, the hem of an oversized t-shirt hanging off one shoulder. Lockheed perched on the arm of the sofa, his golden eyes tracking her movements lazily. The faint hum of activity outside drifted in through the open window, though here the foot traffic was sparse, leaving the space quiet and intimate.

Kitty crouched near a shelf to sift through old photos—snapshots of the mansion, the X-Men, friends long gone and some still near. Her chest pressed against her knees as she hunched forward, the soft bounce of her figure shifting with each careful movement. Her fingers lingered on one photo of Piotr, her breath catching for a moment before she slid it back into place with a sigh. ‘Don’t get stuck in the past,’ she reminded herself, brushing her hair back over her shoulder as she stood.

A knock at the door startled her enough that her body jerked, her chest bouncing sharply as she spun around. Lockheed chirped in surprise, wings flaring as if ready for a fight. Kitty exhaled hard, brushing her bangs back before stepping toward the door, her steps light and cautious on the wood floor. She bit her lip as she reached for the knob, her brow knitting tightly. Who would come here without warning?

“…Guess we’re about to find out,” she muttered under her breath, swinging the door open just enough to peer outside.

The bar was loud, pulsing with low music and chatter, but Kitty had picked the farthest booth from the crowd. She sat hunched forward in her hoodie, the oversized fabric swallowing her slim frame while the hood shadowed her face. Baggy sweatpants pooled around her sneakers, and dark shades masked her hazel eyes, though her ponytail poked out from the back of the hood rebelliously. A half-finished drink sat sweating in front of her as she stirred it idly with a straw. To anyone watching, she looked like a bored college student avoiding eye contact.

Her body shifted lazily in her seat, the fabric of her sweats bunching and rolling as she crossed one leg over the other. Each bounce of her knee made the drink ripple slightly, her chest rising and falling slowly beneath the draped hoodie. From this distance she could hear snatches of laughter, the clink of glasses, the brush of heels against the floor. Every sound was filtered, distant, as if the disguise itself dulled her connection to the world.

Her fingers drummed nervously against the glass, the faintest frown curving her lips. Lockheed was hidden away tonight, no backup, no team. She was here as no one, just a face in the crowd. That anonymity felt freeing and suffocating all at once. Kitty adjusted her shades as someone moved closer, the sudden weight of footsteps against the floor pulling her attention. Her stomach tightened. Had she been recognized?

“…Can I help you?” she asked softly, pulling her hood further forward as her body tensed, ready to phase out through the seat if she had to.

The small Krakoan garden glowed faintly beneath the bioluminescent canopy, its pathways lined with flowers blooming under the alien sun. Kitty knelt before a stone marker she had carved herself, the Star of David etched carefully across its face. She wore a simple navy sweater and faded jeans, her curls falling loose around her shoulders as the breeze brushed against her. The faint scent of lilacs filled the air, mixing with the sharper tang of salt from the nearby sea. She whispered softly in Hebrew, the words of the Mourner’s Kaddish carrying low but clear.

Her shoulders trembled slightly as she finished, her chest rising unevenly as she placed a small folded paper at the base of the marker. Her hand lingered there, fingers trembling faintly as her breath hitched. ‘Always remember. Never forget,’ she told herself, her hazel eyes wet with the glimmer of tears. She rose slowly, brushing her palms against her thighs, the soft bounce of her breasts shifting beneath the sweater as she exhaled long and heavy.

The garden was mostly deserted, a place of quiet reflection few bothered to visit. Which is why the crunch of footsteps on the gravel behind her snapped Kitty out of her focus instantly. Her body jerked, her ponytail bouncing sharply as she spun around, Lockheed darting from the nearby branches to circle her protectively. Her lips parted, a quiet gasp leaving her throat as her heart slammed against her ribs.

“…Don’t sneak up on me like that,” she said, her voice softer now, half-tinged with a laugh, half with lingering nerves as her eyes searched the figure standing there.