Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's character.
Warning: Very slight angst here, but nothing bad, trust me.
Talking
"Have you ever heard the old saying 'You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family'? Well, that's different for me.
My friends are my family.
I know, I know, it sounds super corny. Go ahead, let all your giggles out now.
…but it's true. Even if none of us like to admit it all that much, we all know it.
I didn't choose them and they didn't choose me. We were all shoved together and forced to work as one. We never asked for this kind of life…it just kinda…happened.
That being said, we're like any other family, I guess. We're dysfunctional, but we care about each other. We don't look for each other's approval, nor do we put each other down or anything. Oh, sure, we rip on each other all the time, but never to an extreme.
My group has been compared to the X-Men by, you guessed it, the X-Men. Ugh, as if it's not hard enough talking about this stuff, they are comparing themselves to us?!
Losers.
We're not like them. We're all mutants, of course, but we don't view the world the same way. They seek justice and acceptance, while we seek…
Hmm. Come to think of it, I don't really know what we seek.
Maybe just finding out who we're supposed to be? I guess that would make more sense…still, I know who I am…I'm just kind of a douchebag at times.
My team knows it and they constantly call me out on it. I don't deny it or anything, but…I've been trying…not to do that anymore.
…one of my friends is actually my sister. Like, actual, biological, twin sister.
We've had some rough times together. Especially concerning our father. Things aren't the best now between us and…that really needs to change.
I never wanted her to hate me…I mean…I don't know…she's my sister! Twins are supposed to have a special connection or something, right? When we were kids, I felt like we had it, but I was too little to realize how important it was…
Now…it's like I don't know her anymore…I miss her, I guess. She used to be my best friend before she was sent away…
I'm trying to be better. For her, for my bros…for myself, actually. Not my father, though. I hurt them when I took his side a while ago and…that was wrong. I see that now.
…I guess…I need to appreciate that even though my father hasn't said much to us since Apocalypse, my team is still behind me. I'm still the leader…
I never had a real family after my sister was sent away. My father ended up dumping me into a foster family because he was 'too busy' being a big, bad figurehead. Not saying the people he put me with were bad people or anything. The lady made decent food and the guy helped me with my reading since I was kind of slow at it when I was a kid…ironic, huh?
Still…it was never home. I never felt like their child. It was more like…going to camp and listening to the camp counselors. They set the rules, make the food, if you fall and scratch your knee, they'll fix it for you…but there was never love.
God, that sounds so stupid…but I need to say it out loud, right?
…I needed love.
My sister was gone, my father had abandoned us, I didn't have really any friends to speak of…
And now…I have it. It's a weird kind of love, but my gang…we just get each other. There's never a sense that we're better than the other. Better at certain things, maybe, but…we're all the same in some messed-up way.
Lance and I love to banter back and forth over stupid shit, even if it makes no sense. He even taught me, after months of bitching at me, how to change a car's transmission and I actually had fun learning about it. Probably because we were cracking inappropriate jokes the whole time, heh…y'know, Lance may be a little hot tempered at times, but I guess that's a good reason why I'm here; I'm like his conscience. Trying to keep him from blowing a gasket. And even though he'd never say it, even to himself, I can tell he appreciates it. I'm the best at strategy, so I know when to use his anger to our advantage.
Toad's always there for a good laugh and surprisingly, someone really good to rant to. Sometimes, if I'm pissed off, I can just waltz into his room and start going. He'll just sit, nod, comment or ask a question if necessary, and that's it. He never acts like I'm being a bother…he calls it 'being Pietro' and just grins. Makes a guy feel…accepted? Yeah, I guess so. He doesn't seem to mind how I can get so caught up in stuff that…well…I've been told that sometimes I need to slow down and take a moment to think straight. He told me a few weeks ago when I was yelling about it that everybody does things their own way and it's not their fault. That's just who they are…for a little wart, he can be pretty deep every now and then.
Blob and I have always clicked somehow. I don't really know why we're friends, but we just are. We're opposites almost any way you look at it. I'm quick-witted, he's, while actually quite smart, very slow to the punch. Physical differences and such…still, I almost always ask him to go grocery shopping with me or go with me to do something. Maybe I feel like I stick out less with him next to me? Or at least…there's someone else just as weird looking as me talking to me like I'm just as normal as everybody else.
Wanda…like I said before, I don't know where we stand right now. She's my sister and I do love her. It's just hard to show it sometimes without coming off as an asshole. The guys are used to how I act, but she still struggles with my attitude.
Like when we believed our father was dead. I was shocked when I first heard the news, but…I felt nothing. No pain, no grief, no rage…nothing.
When I saw she was struggling, I gave her the tough love treatment.
It didn't work.
I'm really trying here. I know I keep saying that, but it's true! I'm really, really, really trying. Trying to reconnect with her, trying to help her when she has her bad days, trying not to be a douchebag…so much, at least.
…it's just hard. Really hard.
But I'm determined! I've never backed down from a challenge before and I'm not going to now.
And…if my father does resurface and tries to change any of that with any of his stupid plans like last time…well, then he's going to have to take me down first. He'll have to take down all of us first.
I know we don't look it to some people, but we're strong. And…and maybe if we can get our shit together…we can make our own decisions.
No more answering to principals or Mystique or father…just us. Our own rules.
…and I can finally feel like I belong to…something all my own."
Pietro finally gave a soft sigh before glancing up at the woman sitting in the chair across from him. She'd been scribbling stuff on her notepad ever since he'd started venting and finally, she stopped and looked back up at him, her thin, wiry glasses perched on her nose.
"I understand. And how do you feel now? Now that you've said all of this out loud?"
The speedster stared at her blankly, evidently thinking before saying, "…weird, honestly. I've never done this before."
The woman smiled, her wrinkles creasing slightly. "Most people feel that way after their first session. I'm glad you talked so much, though. Most people tend to freeze up and only say a few words. Do you feel this has helped you in any way?"
"…I think so."
"Well, is there anything else you'd like to talk about today?"
"…no, thank you."
"Would you like to schedule another session?"
There was a long, pregnant pause. Pietro still stared hard at the other woman, his icy, blue eyes unmoving. Luckily, she was much older and he could tell she'd seen a lot of shit in her time, so she wasn't in the least bit put off by his creepy expression. She'd probably had weirder clients than him come through her door.
"…yes," he decided finally. "Can we do one on Tuesday? In the afternoon?"
"Let me see…ah! Yes, how does five-thirty sound?"
The white-haired teen nodded. "That sounds good." He glanced up at the clock before giving a soft gasp. "Oh, shit! I had no idea it was so late!" He stood up, ready to zoom out before saying, "Um, thank a lot, ma'am. I'll swing by on Tuesday." Then, he rushed out, causing the therapist's secretary's papers to go flying.
A/N: Okay, so this is a new series I'm starting. I've been wanting to do moments like these for the Brotherhood since they are, like, the best thing on X-Men Evo. This is loosely based off of Queen Lydia's 'Momentus' work (which is flippin' awesome. Go check it out if you haven't read it yet), but I'm not going to copy her or anything. I'm not sure how many of these I'm going to do and as much as I really want to include my fan-pairing's I'm not sure if I should. Maybe I'll save those for another story.
This 'story' is basically going to just be a bunch of moments with the Brotherhood, either alone or together. I'm calling it 'Snippets' for now, but I may change the title later because I don't know if I like it enough.
EDIT: Changed the title because this sounds cooler. That's all.
Anyways, thought of this at ten o' clock at night when I couldn't sleep. Like, I literally just wrote it up. Basically, it is super annoying to me how these teenagers on X-Men go through absolute hell, but no one ever brings up the fact that...seriously, these kids need therapy.
So, (because who doesn't love to mess with Pietro? :D) I put him in therapy, talking about his feelings. Pietro is usually pretty stiff a lot of the time and I really wanted to delve into his mind a little. In case you didn't notice, I love the Brotherhood family perspective. I like how they're not all warm hugs and kisses like the X-Men are a lot of the time. They have that 'we care a lot about each other, but we just don't care to say that much about it'. It makes them more interesting in my opinion.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed this and, yes, this is my first attempt an X-Men Evo story, so beware! Read and review is you would like! It would help me out a great deal and tell me what you would like to see next!
