Wanda was rearranging the books on her shelf when there was a knock on her door.
"It's open," she called absently while holding her two favorite books in her hand, trying to figure which would take the 'Favorite' spot.
"Uh, Wanda?" he asked and pushed the door open. She glanced over her shoulder at Toad and felt a twinge of irritation as she always did when she saw him.
"What is it Toad?" she demanded impatiently. He squirmed a bit, scuffing his feet on her floor and rubbing one hand behind his head as he stared at his shoes.
"There… there's somethin' I gotta tell ya," he mumbled. He paused as she still ignored him to fumble with three books now. "It's about your dad," he said which caused her to drop two of them. Before she could even bend to pick them up Toad was gone with a rush of wind that signified Pietro's entry and exit. He had meant to slam the door behind him, but it bounced off the doorframe and creaked open a half an inch. Wanda went to shut it, not caring enough about them to get pulled into their stupid games, when she heard her brother down the hall.
"What-are-you-nuts?" he demanded.
"Look, I know that I agreed not ta say anythin' ta her 'bout Mastermind but-" Toad began but what cut off.
"But-what? She's-happy-here-and-she's-happy-not-knowing," Pietro rambled off in his rapid speech.
"It's not real, yo. She should know the truth. Yeah, the fake pleasant memories she has now're nice, but they're not the truth. If she knew your father swapped them out for the painful shit that really happened-"
"Then-she'd-go-back-to-spending-all-of-her-time-trying-to-hunt-him-down-and-kill-him-and-none-here-with-you. Is-that-what-you-want?" Pietro interrupted with a hiss.
"'Course I want her here, but even if it means losin' her 'around here so she could hunt Magneto down, she deserves ta know the truth," Toad said sadly. Wanda could hear them just fine, but she had no idea what they were playing at. Was this some sick game? Why would she ever want to hurt her father? He had been nothing but kind to her over the years. When she thought he was dead it nearly derailed her- literally. They must be trying to fuck with her. Still she stayed silent and listened as they continued.
"Even if the old hatred 'n anger does come back, I want her to know that I'll be by her side," Toad was saying.
"Look-Toad-I-know-you-think-you're-doing-the-right-thing-but-you-need-to-drop-this," Pietro told him in an exasperated tone.
"I can't," Toad replied.
"Why-not?" Pietro shot back. Toad was silent for a moment then answered in a much quieter voice.
"'Cause I love her. I know she hates me, but I'd change anythin' and everythin' 'bout myself if I thought I could be someone she would want."
"That's-great-Toad-but-are-you-fucking-KIDDING-ME? If-you-tell-her-about-Magneto-she-will-kill-all-of-us. And-not-in-the-figurative-way; LITERALLY-kill-us."
"Look, I'll take all the blame, yo," Toad told him. "I understand her better 'n most you guys anyways."
"What's-that-supposed-to-mean?" Pietro asked.
"I was abandoned by my parents 'n even the orphanage they ditched me at didn't want me. I've been in dark places before; there was a time when I wanted ta end my own life jus' so maybe I could be free of the pain of ridicule."
"Toad-" started Pietro but this time he was cut off.
"Look, don't worry 'bout it. All I'm sayin' that if Wanda does need ta kill somebody then I guess this's my last day 'cause I'm gonna tell her."
"It-won't-be-just-you-she'll-take-the-whole-house-and-all-of-us-with-it!" Pietro pointed out.
"Fine, I'll ask her ta meet me in the forest or somethin'. At least she'll have somethin' heavy to hit me with, 'n I'll have a peaceful place to croak," Toad mused and gave a hallow laugh at his own pun. Wanda couldn't take it anymore. She slammed the door shut and locked it, then placed her back against it to have something to lean on.
What the hell was that? She had never known anything about Toad's past- she never bothered to ask. She had no idea that it had been anything like that, and somehow he still turned out to be a pretty nice guy, though she kicked herself for taking this long to realize it. Why had she never given him a chance before? After hearing what she did, Wanda realized that he was the only one who truly cared about her. This was especially touching as she had spent every second since meeting him being cruel towards his every effort. And he did make quite an effort with her.
Not too long ago she remembered waking up in his arms at some ski resort. She had shared her first kiss with him then, though she would die before admitting that to him before now. The more she thought about it the more she had no doubt that it was Toad's first kiss as well. Even though her mind was buzzing with a million different things, this thought stopped everything. She remembered that moment as clear as day, whereas everything leading up to that was a blurry blank. But for some reason this stuck with her. She remembered that, before the inducer failed him to reveal Toad, she had greatly enjoyed the kiss. It was actually pretty good, something that still made her smile to herself if she wasn't paying too much attention. A stray thought wandered through her mind, making her wish she could meet him in some forest if only to be alone with him for a moment. She had never properly thanked him for saving her life that day, or any of the other numerous things he had done for her. It seemed like every day he went out of his way to do something kind and thoughtful for her, and she had chosen to be blind to it until now. What did this mean? She wasn't familiar with the feeling she was getting that warmed her body, but she didn't get too long to think about it. A few seconds later there was a kock on the door behind her.
"Wanda?" he called for the second time that day. Shaking her head to clear it, Wanda turned to open the door for him. As soon as her eyes fell on him she grabbed him by the shit and yanked him into the room, slamming the door behind him. She then pushed him against it and he winced. "Look, I'm sorry-"
"How could you think that I would kill you?" Wanda asked, stopping his apology in its tracks.
"How much did you hear?" he asked her sheepishly. Wanda met his eyes evenly.
"Everything," she told him in a soft voice. She wanted to find some way to comfort him, to let him know that she had heard his confessions about suicidal thoughts and she was here for him. Instead he was already talking.
"Well, er, all the guys went out to get groceries. They'll be gone for a coupla hours so, if you want, I'll tell you the truth 'bout what Magneto did to your memory." Wanda hesitated. She wanted to reject what he was saying, to tell him that her father was kind and thoughtful towards her, but something stopped here. There had been a feeling, a sense that something was off, everytime she thought about Magneto or interacted with him. There was truth to what Toad was saying, and it was about time she stopped being blind to everything around her. She bit her lip nervously then nodded, pulling him to sit on the bed with her as he spent the next half hour explaining everything that had transpired that day as well as previous memories she no longer had access to. As Toad talked it was like a light was slowly revealing each scene in her head until she finally grasped the whole picture. Then without warning, the old wildfire of hatred that burned in her chest reignited.
How dare Magneto manipulate her this way!? She was too much to handle as a child so he locked her away, and now as she was growing up she was too much to handle again but too big to keep locked in some asylum. So he fucked with her mind!? Her rage boiled over and it took Toad several minutes of calling to her until she hear him.
"Uh, Wanda? Maybe we should go somewhere else…" he was looking at the hexflames that danced around her hands as she thought about her father. Slowly she realized he wasn't worried about himself, but he was worried that she'd tear down the house. This thought thawed her and she let her power fade. As she watched Toad, most of the feelings of anger and resentment were able to fade as well. Even in the face of her rage-powered chaos magic Toad was thinking of others. She again thought back to the ski resort, when Nightcrawler had told her that Toad put his life on the line for her. He had never asked for anything in return but instead spent every moment of every day trying to make her life better. And when he had experienced his own traumatic life…how could she have been so selfish? The feeling she had been feeling right before Toad came in the second time was returning to bring warmth through her body.
"I never told you how much I appreciated you saving me," she said gently. Toad was surprised to see how calm she was in the face of what Magneto had done, but smiled back at her shyly.
"Ah, it was nothin'," he said.
"No, it wasn't," Wanda insisted. "And I never got a chance to thank you for caring about me more than Magneto ever did." Toad shrugged shyly and a green blush covered his cheeks. She put her hand on his which forced him to look up. She gave him a far-from-innocent smile. "You said the boys went grocery shopping?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, they all went with Blob 'cause you know his appetite…" She did. She knew that it would usually calculate to a few hours of their absence as well. "Why?" Toad asked as an afterthought.
"Because I want to show you how much I appreciate you saving me and putting up with me, despite how badly I treated you."
"Wanda, you don't gotta-" Before she could think better of it, Wanda moved forward and pushed her lips to Toad's in a soft kiss. He gave a noise of surprise, then quickly warmed up to her enough to kiss her back. It was just like the first time, from what felt like forever ago now, when he kissed her in the ski resort. Only this time Wanda didn't pull away. She let her eyes flutter shut and slid her hands up to his face and the back of his neck. Toad's arms circled around her and brought her closer to him in response. Acting on instinct, Wanda moved so that she now straddled him with one knee on either side and pushed his back into the wall that her bed was up against.
She pulled back for a moment and sat back on her heels to look down at him. He returned her look with his own mildly confused and deliriously happy smile. Wanda took her hands from behind his head and began to unbutton her blouse.
"Uh," Toad managed as his eyes grew wide. Wanda pushed her mouth against his to keep him from talking anymore. She made quick work of her shirt and tossed it to the floor before pulling his off as well. Toad decided that this was the best day of his life and that she should just roll with it, so he started to kiss her neck and down to her chest. A few moments later Wanda had pulled off her bra and tossed that to the floor as well. Toad made an audible gulping noise, though quickly recovered and became to kiss and nip her chest gently until he was able to bring one of her nipples into his mouth.
Wanda's head tilted back and he let out a soft moan as he sucked and bit it gently. Her fingers roamed through his hair, grabbing it fiercely as he moved to her other breast and nipped at that nipple as well.
Toad leaned forward, which caused Wanda to lean back enough that he could grapple with the button to her pants. He did so slowly, giving her time to refuse him, and when she didn't he was able to slide the off of her and lay her on her back at the same time. He immediately brought his lips back to her hardened nipples and smiled at the mewling noised that this elicited from her.
Gradually his prominent hand drifted south enough that he was able to feel the top edge of her panties. Again he paused here to see if she would stop him. Instead she brought her leg up and over in order to grant him easier access. That was good enough for him.
He ran one finger across her entrance and was rewarded with Wanda's breathy moan as his finger came away with warm juices. Wanda's own hands busied themselves with his pants and boxers. Her progress was slowed by the circles that Toad was gently pushing into her clit as this cause her to groan loudly and arch her back.
One of Wanda's hands found its way to his member and grasped it firmly. She was surprised at just how big he was! She never would have guessed that slinky, gangly Toad was hiding this with him everywhere he went. Toad gasped in revelation as she moved her hand up and down his hardened appendage. He slipped one of his fingers into her entrance and this caused her to moan at her highest volume yet. As he pushed his digit into her and pulled it back out Wanda's hips bucked wildly against him.
Wanda's thumb ran across his tip, already damp with precum. Toad growled deep in his throat in a hungry way. His biting had become more aggressive than playful and soon Wanda let her mewling behind for loud moans of pleasure mixed with pain. When he could take no more he drew back from her just long enough to put strong hands in the insides of both her knees and force them open.
As much as he wanted to plunge himself into her, he held back-but just barely. He ran his tip up and down the wet folds between her hips, pushing not even a half an inch into her before drawing back out. He could see the lusty, clawing need making her eyes shine and her chest pant.
"Toad," she called breathily. Still he teased her, taxing her patience to its max. "Toad," she said again, louder this time. He pressed the weight of his lower half on top of her and ground into her but still refrained from giving her what she wanted. "Toad, please!" she now yelled to him. With a wicked grin he was happy to oblige her pleading.
She was warm and dripping wet by the time he shoved himself deep inside of her. This motion brought out a deep groan from Toad's chest and a loud shout that clawed from Wanda's throat. His pace was slow at first but the built was the tightness around his member left him beaded with sweat. His girth made Wanda cry out more than once in pleasure as he pushed deeper and deeper inside.
Wanda felt a pressure building up inside of her that made her body shake with a cold sweat. Her vocalizations grew even louder and more frequent. Her nails bit into Toads back as she gripped him as if her life depended on it, then slid down to make deep grooves. If anything this only spurred Toad on even more. When the waves of pleasure were finally released to rock through her body she let out a scream in delight and ecstasy. Still, Toad wasn't done with her.
When the last trembles receded from her, Toad sat up and pulled her with him, never withdrawing himself from her. He moved her legs to wrap around his waist and pushed her against the wall next to her bed, using his widespread knees to keep him balanced. Now he had perfect control of her.
Wanda felt the wall of her bare back then tilted her head back as well. He buried his face in her neck to busy himself with nipping and sucking the sensitive flesh there. He could feel himself getting to his own climax and each thrust into her became more and more wild.
"God, Wanda," he groaned lustily into her ear. His hot breath and her name on his lips made her moan in reply. He was very quickly nearing the end of his stamina but his rough and feral thrusts were pushing Wanda over the edge once again. Just as he burst inside of her, the feel of his hot seed gave Wanda the extra push that succeeded in achieving her second orgasm. He held her there a moment longer with softer thrusts then lay back down on her bed.
They were both gasping for air and slicked with a sheen of glimmering sweat, but smiling as well. Wanda reached over and took Toad's hand. He looked up and her and she smiled wider.
"The boys'll be home soon," Toad said in a regretful tone. Wanda sighed but she knew that their few hours alone were almost up. Wanda eased herself up and gathered their clothes, but they found more pleasure in dressing each other than themselves. Eventually when they were decent again they headed downstairs.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Wanda asked.
"Sure," Toad said with a smile and flopped onto the couch. He opened his arms as an invitation that Wanda took. She was the one who spotted a title that she couldn't resist and selected the movie. "Princess and the Frog?" Toad asked with a laugh. Wanda only shrugged and snuggled closer.
Twenty minutes in the other boys returned and stopped dead in their tracks. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Toad! You're not dead" observed Blob.
"How-are-you-still-alive? You-did-tell-her-didn't-you?" Quicksilver asked in disbelief.
"Yes, he did," Wanda said testily. She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "The reason he's still alive is because I appreciate him for being the only person who cares about me." Pietro, Lance and Blob shuffled awkwardly at her acidic jab. Before the silence could get much more intense there was a knock at the door. They all looked at each other, as if asking if any of them expected company. It was clear none of them did so Lance shrugged and went to open it.
"I'm here to see Scarlet and Toad," answered a voice that none of them had heard before. A blind woman with cropped brown hair pushed her way through the shell shocked boys and somehow came to stand directly in front of both Wanda and Toad who were still sitting on the couch.
"Who are you?" asked Toad.
"And what do you want?" demanded Wanda in a bit harsher of a tone.
"My name is Destiny, and I bear a message of the utmost importance. Heed me. Before the end of the ninth month two new mutants- twins- will be joining you. Their powers are beyond all reckoning, and I have seen that they are fated to shift a great Balance. No matter what happens, you both must care for them in every way possible."
"What the fuck?" blurted Lance. Toad looked just as confused but Wanda blushed. Somehow sensing that her message was received, Destiny dipped her head at the teens sharing the couch.
"I trust you will both rise to the occasion and become very capable. My best wished to you both." Before anyone could recover from so swift and entrance and bomb-dropping message she had already left.
"Damn Pietro, she moves faster 'n you," jibbed Toad. Wanda was curiously silent and stayed so until she was sure it could work. Within two weeks she knew it was about the right time for testing and the first thing she did was head straight for the nearest market to purchase the one thing that would tell her the truth.
"Toad," she called sheepishly from her room when she heard him downstairs.
"Wanda?" he asked.
"Up here!" She waited for him to pushed the door open then patted the bed beside her. He came and sat but looked perplexed.
"What's wrong?" he asked her. Instead of telling him, Wanda held up a thin white stick with a blue plus sign at the end of it. "Is that…?" he asked. Mutely she nodded. "And you're…?" Again she nodded. "And that means…!"
"Yeah. Destiny Wasn't talking about just any twins. She was talking about my twins," Wanda said softly. The gravity of it all was still wearing on her shoulders. Toad took her hand in his.
"Not yours, Babycakes. Ours." She looked up into his large, trusting eyes and smiled softly. "You know I'll always be here with you, no matter what you need." Wanda smiled at him, but this time entirely different. "…Wanda?" he asked.
"I just want to show you my gratitude," she said slyly before pulling him down with her.
Ever since they had understood what was happening, every member of the Brotherhood made an honest effort clean up not only their house but their act. Even Toad had gone a long way in personal cleanliness. Now, as Wanda looked out the back door to watch the nine year old twins playing she couldn't help but smile softly to herself. The boy, Alex, was pushing his sister, Amanda, on the swing set that Lance had built for them. Alex definitely took after his father, but Amanda was the spitting image of her mother. And somehow, so Wanda had been warned that fateful day, these two would change the world.