Title:
Fandom: X-men
Pairing: Pryde/Wisdom
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: 026 Teammates
Summary: An awkward conversation. Set during Excalibur.
Pete knows things are about to get seven shades of awkward when the Russian enters the kitchen. Pete tries to be nonchalant about it, continuing to move his coffee cup between his mouth and the table without showing that the sheer bulk of the man is still a little intimidating.
Pete Wisdom has been on the receiving end of many, many beat-downs in his life, but none of them have given him the pain and suffering that Piotr Rasputin managed to inflict. Hell, his right rib still hurts when it rains.
Rasputin drops himself into a chair, and the chair holds up considerably well. Pete figures it must be reinforced somehow and makes a mental note to check.
The two men regard each other for what seems like a decade before Rasputin speaks. Pete wishes he wouldn't, but this has been a long time coming, in reality.
"Wisdom." The Russian nods.
"Rasputin." Pete nods back, and the cycle of noncomittal man-greetings is complete.
"Where is Katya?"
"Pryde went over to the Mainland with Wagner and Sefton about half an hour ago." Pete shrugs, pouring himself another cup of coffee from the pot in the center of the table. He tries to pretend that he's not secretly thrilled that he knows where Pryde is and Rasputin doesn't. He at least manages to keep the joy from reaching his face. Well done British Special Forces.
"Ah. This is good. I wish to speak to you, Wisdom."
"If this is another 'You hurt her, I kill you' speech, then, quite frankly, I think the beating in of all of my various anatomy was message enough, comrade."
"Ah. Is fair, Wisdom. I assure you that you have no more physical violence to fear from me. I have done my share."
"I should bloody say so."
"And as for Katya, as someone who once hurt her very badly, I feel I have not a leg to stand on, da?"
"Da." Well this was new information. "You're telling me that you broke her heart and the codger let you walk away from that?"
"You are speaking of Herr Logan?" At Wisdom's nod, the Russian continued. "He did not let me walk away from it, as you say. Instead, I was nearly beaten to death by Juggernaut while Logan watched."
"Ah." Pete made another mental note to send Logan some flowers or something.
"Nyet, Wisdom. I come to simply tell you this. I want to make certain that you will make Katya happy."
"Admirable." Pete's sarcastic smirk indicated that he believed that it was anything but. "But since you obviously couldn't, I think you lose the right to demand that I do."
"Perhaps." Rasputin was unfazed as he levered himself up from the table. "Or perhaps, since I was unable to make her happy, I've come to realize how important it is that someone do it, even if that person is, regrettably, not me."
And then, Rasputin left the kitchen. Pete realized that, like it or not, he had a lot in common with this man, and if his relationship with Pryde was going to survive, he was going to have learn to cope with that.