A/N: A million and one apologies! I know it's been two months since I update this, especially after the last chapter when I said I would end this story if no one wanted it and lots of you reviewed. I was fully intending to update the week after I updated by life caught up with me. I was very busy at work with Christmas coming up and all, and then the festive season - visiting family across the country etc. Plus my lack of interest in the X Men fandom didn't help. But today I finally sat down to write another chapter, admittedly it took me a while to get back into the throw of things, but here it is!
I want to thank all those who reviewed the last chapter: gymgurl, Skye Knightley, Stormbringer, hotbritt5000, Nelle07, Pyrokinetic-Emo, monet st croix, Maestro, brutal acrimony, hatorisgirl15, wicca in training and pachecarrote. Thank you! (Btw, if your user name's been altered ie. periods removed and replaced by spaces that's because ff is annoying and deletes them whenever I save.)
I'm not too sure when the next chapter will be out, cause I've just lost my job and I'm trying desperately to get a new one but I guess it means I have more time to write! Aha.
Anyway, please review! (:
I didn't sleep at all Friday night - Pyro's words still ringing in my mind.
Would he really tell everyone, all my new friends, that I was a murderer? Was he really that cold hearted?
I knew they would all find out eventually, no one can keep a secret that big and I guess they all had a right to know they were socialising with a killer. But I had hoped that I would be the one to tell them when I was ready, when I felt comfortable enough to.
And what would Piotr think? He was so good-natured and sweet but would he still accept me? Want to date me?
Maybe it wouldn't matter. Maybe they wouldn't care. Maybe they would still accept me.
Who was I kidding? I'd seen the way they treated Pyro - a guy who had killed his fair share of humans and mutants. Admittedly he had also betrayed them but I didn't want to take the risk.
I had to talk to Pyro.
And that is why at three in the morning I was creeping around the mansion, realising I had no idea where his room was.
I couldn't just knock on every door and go, "Excuse me, is Pyro in there?" Not only would I annoy most of the student population, God knows what they'd think Pyro and I were up to that I were to be looking for him in the middle of the night.
Thus, I decided that a much better idea was to be sneaky. If I opened up the doors a fraction and froze the occupants, I could check unnoticed.
After checking I don't know how many rooms, I came to a halt. No, I hadn't found Pyro but the occupant of this room made me stop and stare for a good five minutes.
Piotr was lying in his bed: shirtless and sheets rumpled. One arm above his head, the other thrown carelessly over his stomach. I moved silently toward him, even though I knew he wouldn't wake for I had frozen him upon entering. I scolded myself for shamelessly gawking at him whilst he slept, but I couldn't help it.
I ended my barefaced starring when I noticed his alarm clock read 4.17am. I was running out of time until morning and I had to speak to Pyro. I had to make him listen to me.
I eventually found his room, right at the end of the corridor - his was like him, small with one bed. I guess no one really wanted to bunk with him now.
Like with all the others I had frozen him before I entered so he was sound asleep. While I waited for the freeze to ware off, instead of removing it myself (something I had learnt to do with Eric), I decided to take a look round his room.
It was pretty plain, like mine. I had noticed a lot of the other kids had pictures of family and friends all over the place. Several of them had clothes strewn messily across the floor; there had been books, DVD collections, stuffed animals, a laptop or two.
But no, Pyro had nothing in his room.
At least so I thought. On closer inspection, I noticed Pyro's desk at the far right of the room which on top of it stood a small silver photo frame - a photograph of himself with Bobby, Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee and Piotr. It appeared to be taken outside in the gardens - under the same tree Piotr and I had had our almost civil conversation.
They were all smiling at the camera, arms thrown round each others shoulders and waists. I found my eyes drawn to Pyro who was stood on the far left. An uncharacteristic smile was arranged on his face. He didn't appear to be laughing quite as heartily as the others but I could tell that in that moment he was truly happy.
"What are you doing in here?" A deep voice distracted me from my thoughts and made me jump out of my skin. I spun round and noticed Pyro staring up at me from his bed.
"Uhh…" I managed to say, rather unintelligently, as I stared at him. The curtains on his window weren't pulled together completely and the moonlight filtered illuminating him.
Again couldn't help but notice that he was somewhat attractive, especially with his hair rumpled, his sleepy eyes and his shirtless torso. Admittedly, he was no where near as built as Piotr but my eyes wonder over him appreciatively.
"I said, what are you doing in here?" He asked again sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His voice was a little louder and more clear.
"I needed to talk to you." I finally found my voice and managed to string a sentence together. I couldn't decide what was making me nervous: the fact I had been caught snooping around his bedroom or the fact that he was very much shirtless and moving towards me.
"Oh?" Came his reply, a cocky smirk on his face. "Talk about what?"
He leaned across his bed and grabbed the zippo lighter form the bedside table. My eyes were drawn to the waistband of his pyjama pants that were riding dangerously low on his hips. Oh God, what was I thinking.
I shook the thoughts from my mind and reminded myself of the reason I was there.
"Talk about your little threat." I crossed my arms over my chest and attempted to at least make myself look composed and confident when on the inside I was falling apart. I think I failed because all he did was smirk and glance down at my crossed arms.
That's when I realised I was wearing a very low cut and lose camisole, having not changed out of my bed clothes before beginning my search. It wasn't my arms he was looking at - it was what they were crossed over. A blush crept up into my cheeks, as I tried to reposition my top so it wasn't revealing as much.
Pyro just laughed, "I can see what old tin man seems to like about you. I didn't think it was your winning personality."
Abandoning my cause of fixing my top, I glared up at him. How dare he!
"You're hardly one of talk, mister." I jabbed my finger into his chest. His bare chest. Oh dear. I carried on talking, aware that my voice was trembling a little. "I haven't heard you say one nice thing since I met you."
He was very close to me now, so close I was having to look up at him as he loomed over me.
"Technically, I just complimented you." His voice was dangerously quiet and careful.
I hadn't realised that this whole time I'd been inching myself away from him until I found himself bumping into the desk. Pyro closed in on me, his hands resting on the desk at either side of my hips. The room was dark, but the moonlight was hitting his face once again so I could make out his expression. He seemed to be enjoying this - he could tell I was nervous, that I was uncomfortable. He liked making me squirm. There was a malicious glint in his eye, that smirk still present on his lips.
I wonder what it would be like to kiss those lips.
My eyes widened as I comprehended what I had just thought. No! That was disgusting! He may be attractive, but he was still horrible - he was enjoying my distress for goodness sake! I would rather kiss a rat.
"Hah!" I scoffed at him, directing me irritation at myself towards him, "A compliment coated with insult. That's hardly nice."
He was leaning closer to me now, his body was almost touching mine. I wouldn't know what to do if we actually came in contact. The hairs on the back on my neck were standing on end. My breathing was heavy with panic and something else, something I didn't really want to admit. I couldn't believe that this ghastly man was having this effect on me. I really wished I was wearing a thicker top - or at least a bra! Thankfully, Pyro didn't appear to notice any of this but he was still inching closer.
"I was telling you that you have a good body. That's nice isn't it?"
My mind went blank, I'll admit. There was silence between us until he spoke up again.
"So what about my 'little threat' did you want to discuss?" He took a quick step back, he was no longer looking at me. I felt myself let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. I stepped away from the desk he had had me pinned to and walked to the other side f the room. Thoughts came rushing back into my mind and I managed to form a sentence.
"You can't tell anyone about my mother."
His back was turned to me, so I didn't know how he received my words. I suspected that he was probably smirking to himself, relishing in the power he had over me.
"Why shouldn't I?" His voice was surprisingly cold and cutting.
"Because I'm asking you not to. Please, Pyro. Please?"
I was a little ashamed that I was now begging him to keep my secret. I was hoping that there was something compassionate left in him, something that would encourage him to be merciful.
He didn't reply, but instead he turned and walked towards the desk again. He picked up the silver photo frame I had been inspecting earlier.
"Why do you care if they know?" His voice was so quiet that I barely heard it.
"Because… This is the first time I've ever been accepted by people. The first time I've actually had friends. I don't want to lose it."
I didn't know why I was opening up to him. For some reason, I just felt I could. I watched as he ran his thumb over the photo before turning to me. His face was cold and hard, and he shoved the frame in my face.
"These people," he practically spat at me, "You're 'friends'." He looked at me almost mockingly. "If they're such good friends, then they shouldn't care then should they?"
He turned away form me, throwing the photo frame across the room. I heard the glass smash as it came in contact with the wall and I flinched.
"Get out."
I didn't need to be told twice.
Pyro laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Victoria had just left and he was reeling from their encounter.
What right did she have to come sneaking into his room in the middle of the night?
What right do I have to reveal her biggest secret?
He knew that that was true. But he didn't care. He hated Victoria. He loathed her. He wanted her to suffer.
She had waltzed into his life - took away his mentor, his friends (it didn't matter that they weren't talking to him anyway, she had still replaced him) and now she was doing something even worse.
She was confusing the hell out of him.
One minute she's rude and obnoxious, the next she's offering to be his friend, then she's off gallivanting with the 'enemy' and now she was sneaking into his room at night dressed in nothing but a flimsy camisole and boy shorts.
Pyro hated to admit that he was attracted to her. He had always acknowledged that she was pretty, but he before he hadn't cared. But tonight - being that close to her, pinning her against that desk. The thoughts that had been running through his mind were sinful. His eyes had wandered shamelessly over her body before she had realised he was awake and he couldn't help but take the opportunity to be close to her.
He had noticed the way she reacted: her heavy breathing, her hairs standing on end and even the subtle hardening of her nipples. She couldn't even string a sentence together. She was clearly feeling something similar to him. For a few moments he had felt proud of this, he had wondered if Piotr had accomplished to do such things to her. But he came to his senses - he hated this girl! - and he had quickly stepped away from her.
No one had ever managed to infuriate him so much; let alone a pathetic little girl.
When she had begged him to keep her secret, he had almost agreed. The tone of her voice, she had sounded so desperate. Again, he forgot the hatred he had for her. Contrary to most people's beliefs he did have a little compassion left in him, but when she had explained to him why, he lost it.
Only a short time ago, he had thought that she was different from all the others around here. But he was proved wrong. She was just out to save her skin and keep her precious little friends.
She had no interest in being his friend, even if he could make her heart beat faster.
So, what do you think? I'm not too sure about it =/ but what's a girl to do, eh? Review please?
(:
