All events occur between episodes 10 and 16
Pairing: Nightcrawler/Toad
Rated for language, violence, and sexual themes
Please R&R
CHAPTER 1(in which a meeting occurs)
The black sky hovered above, star-pricked like the arms of a cosmic junkie. It was late and the threat of winter made the air brittle and harsh. From a grey side alley came a sound, like the huff of getting punched in the gut, and the smell of brimstone.
Toad skidded to a stop. A creature barred his escape, lithe and dark with a sharp arrowhead tail. Poisonous golden eyes accused from behind streams of bruise-colored smoke.
Busted. The Brotherhood had gutted an electronics store. A large stereo was clutched to Toad's middle, bulky and incriminating… That didn't mean he was going to go quietly. "Shove off, freak!" The skinny teen snarled and hugged the speakers possessively till they dug into his organs.
"Freak? Ha!" Like liquid motion, Nightcrawler darted foreword. He grabbed the pilfered boom-box by the sides and yanked hard. "That's rich, coming from the valking slimeball!"
Slick fingers scrabbled to keep hold. "I told you it's mucus, ya stupid… stupid- Gah!" Toad lost his grip and stumbled back. Spinning his arms dementedly, he managed to remain upright. Smugly, he watched Nightcrawler teeter back on unsteady legs, struggling with the weight of the stereo. Both of the blue mutant's arms were occupied. There was his chance! Now, while Night-creep was distracted!
…yeah right. Toad still ached from their last encounter. And besides, there was nobody here to impress.
The rest of his teammates abandoned him whenever the x-geeks showed up. Lance would be paired off with Scott in their usual macho pissing contest, Pietro would be running rings around Evan, and Fred… well, Fred would get whoever was left.
Speaking of leaving- Toad bent his elastic legs and sprang over Nightcrawler's head. Without the heavy boom- box, he cut distance in leaps and bounds. Literally. Still, Kurt could do the whole 'poof!' thing and Toad kept expecting to get popped with an insult-tagged fist. His ears strained, but there was only the familiar clump of sneakers hitting the pavement followed by the tsk of undone laces.
clump-tsk
clump-tsk
clump-tsk
Glancing over his shoulder, Toad could make out Nightcrawler's silhouette. The x-man name fit as he blended almost completely into the shadows. Almost, that is, because those golden eyes sure as hell weren't blending. They stuck out, glowing and freaky and staring right at him. Nightcrawler obviously knew where he was…so why weren't they beating each other to bloody mush as usual?
Without waiting for an answer, Toad turned away.
clump-tsk
He could feel the blue mutant's gaze on him, stinging like hot needles in the back of his neck.
clump-tsk
He turned a sharp corner and the sensation gradually faded.
Back at the Brotherhood house, Toad kicked in the front door. It slammed against the wall with a satisfying 'crack!'. Stepping inside, he listened for the others: yelling, arguing, complaining, whatever…
Nothing. There was no reaction to his entrance, no noise or movement at all. "Hey, what gives?" Scowling, the skinny teen looked in the usual places, calling out "Lance? ..Fred!... Pietro!" As his last shout went unanswered, Toad's movements grew frantic. With Quicksilver in the group, he was never the first one back. "Come on guys, this isn't funny!"
Clumsy momentum knocked Toad into walls as he proceeded to check every gritty inch of the place… well, nearly. He hesitated in front of Mystique's room, then shook his head. Not even Freddy was that stupid.
After his second round of the house, he ended back at the front door, narrow chest heaving. "H-having a laugh on ol' Toad huh?" His lungs were folded tapeworms. "Is that it? Well you're not going to get me this time, guys!" There was a high-pitched note in the teen's voice that he pointedly ignored. "See? I'm just gonna go up to bed! Ha! Joke's on you!"
Taking the staircase in one jump, Toad stomped to his room. He fell into bed fully clothed and closed his eyes defiantly. Either he had figured out their stupid game…or they had just been delayed by their fights. Off-colored cheeks flared up at the thought. If that was the case, he had been talking to an empty house. Lame.
Lying on his back, Toad waited for them to come out laughing or come in bleeding.
Somewhere in the silent, ashy dawn, he passed out.