Deep Silent Winter
Chapter Ten
Author Note: Okay, I admit it. I just binged on writing…Meaning I may or may not have written for like 10 hours straight. I didn't actually count. That's a guess, a shot in the dark, you see. I'm sleep deprived…I think? The point is I've been up for approximately…almost…30 hours straight at the time of writing this…Still counting.
Special Thanks to Chapter Nine reviewers:
Fightingchampion
Silver
Read, my friends. Muahahaha!
Pietro sat on the cold, hard dirt and fiddled with what was left of the dead grass in the yard. His fingers were starting to freeze; it wasn't the warmest of late autumn days. Looking up at the gray sky, he hugged himself and tugged at his dark maroon pullover hoodie. It was the warmest thing he owned and it was offering little relief from the nippy breeze.
He let out a sigh and watched his breath appear before him and then vanish. Disappear. He thought and then pushed the idea away. He heard someone coming up from behind him so he turned to see whom it was.
"Rogue?" He tilted his head.
"Sorry I'm late," She said. "Professor wanted to make sure I wouldn't push you too hard."
"You're my instructor?" Pietro said with one raised eyebrow.
Rogue was insulted. She glared at him. "Yeah. You got a problem with that?" She said, not really asking. "The Professor wants you to train but he feels you ain't ready for the regular stuff we do. You know, like the Danger Room…or training with Logan…"
Pietro snorted and turned away from her. "Am I going to have to sit through that lecture again, Professor Rogue?"
"What's with the attitude?" Rogue grumbled. "Whatever. Prof thinks you've been cooped up inside too long. 'Ah happen to agree, Speedy. 'Ya need something to keep that mind of yours from running rampant."
"Oh? And learning martial arts is going to help keep my insanity in check? I've never tried it before, you know. I'm gunna suck."
"First of all, you ain't crazy. Second of all, of course you're going to suck at first," Rogue moved in front of Pietro and offered him her hand. "Besides, you're not much of a fighter. In truth, I'm a bit worried what would happen if someone came after you…If you know what I mean."
Pietro looked away trying to ignore Rogue for a moment. Don't think about it. Don't think about it!
"Pietro," Rogue said and it snapped Pietro back to reality. He looked at her and then at her extended hand. "You're a sitting duck right now. Learning how to defend yourself…and how to fight for yourself, it'll make you feel more in control. Trust me."
Pietro sighed again and then took Rogue's gloved hand. She helped pull him up and they stood for a moment standing in front of one another.
It had only been a couple of days since the "second attic incident" but Pietro could barely remember much from that day or the days leading up to it. He knew what had happened but it was hard to recall details and pieces of his memory seemed to be almost missing or too vague to really be called a "memory."
He did remember one thing clearly though. He felt someone there with him; someone who understood and who had held onto him to prevent him from floating into nothingness – from disappearing.
Pietro had woken up in his bedroom and for a few minutes after awakening, wondered if it had all been a dream. He knew it wasn't when he saw Rogue sitting in a chair by his bedside; her head nestled in her arms, which were folded on his bed. She was cute even when she was sleeping. Not that I was watching her sleep…That's just creepy…She looked relaxed as if she had torn down all her walls before entering a dream world. Had she done it for him?
"Hello! Earth to Pietro Maximoff!" Rogue waved her hand in front of Pietro's face and then snapped her fingers.
"Did I zone out again?" He said, blinking.
"You're a true space cadet…" She sighed and then pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is going to be harder than 'Ah thought. I've never actually taught as an instructor before."
"You haven't? Then why are you my instructor again?" Pietro asked even though he knew the answer.
"I'm the only one who can put up with you long enough." She grinned.
Pietro stuck out his tongue. "Can we just start already? Damn it, I'm cold…What am I learning?"
Rogue rolled her eyes. "I'm going to teach you a few basic techniques from a couple different styles of martial arts to begin with, okay?"
"…Alright. But remember, I've never done anything like this before. I'm warning you. I suck. I'm sure of it."
"Just shut up and pay attention."
Wanda and Lance sat side-by-side on the front steps of the Mansion. "I'm going to throw up if this keeps up much longer." Lance pretended to gag.
"I'm pretty sure Rogue is too stubborn to admit she likes my brother. And I'm pretty sure my brother has no idea how he feels." Wanda told Lance.
"He's that clueless, huh?" Lance laughed.
Wanda shook her head. "No…He just seriously doesn't understand emotions or what to do with them," She bit her lower lip. "He's always been like that."
"Well, you know who isn't clueless?" Lance asked. Wanda turned toward him. She gave him her best "what-the-fuck-are-you-getting-at?" look. "I know we've all been on edge lately with the DOD on our backs and all. And we are both worried about Pietro but why don't we go do something to take our minds off everything?" Lance placed his hand on Wanda's hand.
A thud and then a scream from her brother caught both of their attentions. They relaxed when they saw Pietro get up from the ground where Rogue had thrown him. A distant, "God damn it! Screw you! Why are we doing this! I told you I'd suck!" was heard not long after.
Wanda and Lance looked at each other again. "So? How about it?"
"How about what?"
Lance sighed. "How about we go do something fun?"
"…Like what?"
"Carnival's in town again...I screwed it up last time I went but that's not important," Lance smiled. "Ever been to a carnival?"
Wanda thought for a second but it wasn't hard to remember the truth and that she hadn't really had a childhood. "No, I haven't…" She looked at Lance who seemed hopeful, almost excited. "Okay. Fine."
"Cool. I'll just grab my keys and we'll go." Lance tried to let go of Wanda's hand as he stood up but she held tight. She pulled him down to her and tenderly kissed his lips. It caught Lance off guard. Wanda was good at that, catching him off guard.
"Yeah, go get your keys." She let go of him and he stood dumbfounded for a second more before hurrying off.
Pietro was thrown to the ground once again. He was seriously starting to hurt all over. He grumbled but this time just remained laying on his back, staring up at the grey clouds.
"Need a break?" Rogue said from above him, smiling. Her exposed skin glistened with sweat.
"Fuck off…" He said turning on his side away from Rogue. Pietro felt warm but cold at the same time.
Rogue sat on the grass next to him. "Did I…hurt you?"
"Just my pride." And about every muscle and joint I possess. He sighed. "I'm so weak."
Rogue took a drink from her water bottle. "You just need practice. You'll get the hang of it."
Pietro was silent. Rogue took another swig from the water bottle. She glanced over at Pietro again. He seemed to be quivering.
"You sure you're alright? You'd tell me if 'Ah pushed you too hard, wouldn't you?" Rogue asked, genuinely worried.
Pietro sat up but still faced away from her. "Rogue?"
"Huh? Yeah, Pietro?"
He sat cross-legged with his back still facing Rogue but he turned his head to glance back at her. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again and turned away. Rogue thought she saw his cheeks turn pink but she wasn't sure if he was blushing or if it was from the wind biting at his skin. "Never mind. It's nothing…"
Rogue playfully whacked him on his back. "Come on! Out with it!" She chuckled but her smile faded when she saw him still shaking and he didn't laugh with her. "What's eating you…?" She frowned.
He turned around suddenly, a wide grin on his face. Rogue could tell it was a fake grin though. Pietro was trying to hide something and cover up his emotions. It was his usually strategy before ultimately breaking down into a nonfunctional mess. "Hey! Are we done with this for now? 'Cause if we are, let'sgointotownanddosomethingI'mbored."
"You ain't supposed to leave the Mansion grounds just yet. Professor's orders," Rogue's frown deepened seeing Pietro's eyes go dull and his fake smile fade. "He's doing it for your own good, you know. You've been through more than anyone should ever go through. The Professor wants to make sure you can handle-"
"Handle what?" Pietro snapped, turning away.
"Yourself." Rogue said knowing it might stab at Pietro. It's true though. "To make sure you're in control."
Pietro didn't say anything to that. He just stared at the ground and the dead grass.
"Want to go inside? I think we've done enough for-" Rogue started.
"No," Pietro interrupted and pushed himself off the ground. "I want to keep going."
"You're cold though." Rogue said.
"What? No, I'm not." He tried harder to stop his shivering.
"Don't blatantly lie about it," Rogue stood up. "I'm not going to push you too far on the first day. 'Ah can tell you're tired too." Pietro shrugged. "Let's go inside. We'll do more tomorrow."
"You can go in without me. I'll practice alone." And with that Pietro walked off.
Rogue glared daggers at Pietro as he walked wobbly away. "Stubborn ass…Fine! Do what you want! But don't come to me when you catch pneumonia!" She began to walk inside but instantly felt guilty. Whatever, I'll check on him later.
Wanda and Lance walked up to the ticket booth to buy their entry tickets to the carnival. They had come at a relatively good time it seemed, as there was no one else in line.
The carnival, from what they could see and hear, was beaming with people, food, and laughter. Even Wanda appeared mildly excited as her mouth twitched upward but was brought back down again to her normal scowl when Lance glanced over at her.
Wanda watched the festivities from their spot at the ticket booth as Lance turned his attention to the teller. "We need two tickets to get in, please." He said.
"Sure. One second." The teller said then went to check something on his computer.
Lance smiled as he watched Wanda look all around her. She had walked off slightly, just a few feet, to get closer to the excitement.
"Um…Well, I can't let you two in." He said and the two turned their heads back to the teller. Wanda's eyes instantly radiated disappointment.
"Huh? Why not?" Lance growled. The teller rolled his eyes as if it were obvious and pointed to a sign on the ticket booth window between them. It read, "No Admission for Mutants."
"Are you kidding me?!" Lance yelled. More people were gathering behind them now.
"The database provided to us says you two are mutants." He turned the screen towards them and it showed their photos, names, and a bunch of other personal information. "I can't let you in." He waved his hand for them to step aside. "Next on line!"
Lance was about to speak up when Wanda put her hand on his shoulder. "Let's just go, Lance." Her face displayed a mixture of disappointment and rejection. "It figures." She mumbled and began to walk back towards the car. Lance sighed but then had a thought.
They both jumped in the car and drove off but Lance had a plan to execute before they returned home.
Rogue was reading in her room when she started to hear the patter of rain on the window. She was in the middle of a good chapter and must have gotten lost in the world that lay inside the book. Oh, crap! I was going to check on Pietro. He can't still be out there…can he?
Rogue gingerly placed her bookmark in between the pages and set the book down on her nightstand. After picking up another maple candy and placing it in her mouth, she went to the window to see if she could find the stubborn idiot without going outside. He must have come in by now…Her eyes widened.
She quickly pulled on her shoes, grabbed a coat, an umbrella, and rushed out of her room. She hurried past other students, other instructors and while they did ask her what she was in such a rush for, Rogue ignored them.
It was colder outside than it had been and now in addition to that it was steadily raining. She found Pietro not too far from where they had been sparring that morning. He leaned against a tree, his chest heaving. Sweat had accumulated on his forehead and was now mixing with the rain and trickling down his neck then into his shirt where it was absorbed by the fabric soon after. His eyes were squeezed shut.
Rogue held the umbrella over their heads, not that it would help Pietro much at this point, as he was already soaked. He cracked an eye open to look at her then slid down to sit at the base of the tree. Pietro was still quivering, whether from the cold, exhaustion, or anxiety, Rogue wasn't entirely sure. All of the above maybe?
She sat down next to him but neither said anything to the other for a short while.
"I've been meaning to tell you," Pietro finally spoke breathily. "When you absorbed my powers and my memories last, it felt like someone had gone into my head and swept up all the junk that collected there…and then threw it into a bonfire or something." Pietro was still trying to catch his breath.
Rogue stared at him a moment. "You use weird analogies sometimes." She said. Pietro snickered. "What? You do!" She grinned.
"I still suck, just so you know." He said. Rogue didn't say anything to that. "I'm serious though. There's less in my head since that day." He frowned. "But I can feel it collecting again." He looked at her and she tilted her head.
"What are you getting at?" She finally asked.
Without warning, Pietro leaned in and placed his lips right on Rogue's. They were soft and smooth but frigid from being outside in the cold for so long. She felt the rush of Pietro's life force entering her and the kiss lasted several seconds before Rogue thought about what was happening and pulled away.
Pietro's head fell limply onto her shoulder. Thankfully she was wearing her relatively thick coat and a scarf covered her neck, so her powers couldn't reach the now barely conscious boy.
"What the hell did you do that for? What were you thinking?" She wrapped her arms around his thin frame. The umbrella was propped on her head to keep it from falling to the ground. He was so cold...Stupid, stupid idiot!
His eyes were closed but he faintly grinned anyway. "Hmm…" he hummed. "…You taste like…maple candy."
Rogue sighed even though her cheeks were bright red. She was still annoyed to hell and worrying more than ever. "Can you stand? Or am 'Ah going to have to carry you inside?"
"Dunno," He said then fell silent a little too long for Rogue's comfort. Pietro noticed this then began to use the tree to stand. He obviously felt woozy as he wobbled back and forth and tripped slightly over himself.
Rogue steadied him and they slowly made it back to the mansion.
"What are we doing? Why are we here?" Wanda asked as a couple raindrops fell on her nose. Her make-up was sure to get ruined.
"To do something fun." Lance said. He wasn't certain this idea would actually cheer Wanda up but it was worth a try anyway.
"An old, abandoned playground is fun?" Wanda raised an eyebrow while trying to cover her head with her hands fully knowing it wouldn't stop the rain from hitting her face and smearing her carefully done mascara.
Lance pulled out his smartphone. Each of the Brotherhood had received one upon joining the X-Geeks those many months ago. They had had no intention of joining the X-Men until Child Services got a tip from someone anonymous that a group of minors were living on their own, fending for themselves. It was either join the X-Nerds or be split up and possibly never see one another again. None of them could imagine a worse fate than being torn apart – they were like family. It wasn't always obvious or practical but they needed one another.
He remembered when Pietro first disappeared. None of them had worried in the beginning. It was typical Quicksilver behavior. The guy had a short attention span and couldn't sit still for 10 seconds, if even.
But the days dragged into weeks and weeks dragged on into months. And when Pietro failed to reappear, they began to panic that something had happened to him. While they would not learn the truth for several more months, they had attempted to search for him…even going to Xavier for help.
To add to this clusterfuck of misfortune and confusion, Child Services swooped in and declared their living situation "unacceptable." They hated the idea of joining Xavier at the time when the good Professor suggested it but they realized there wasn't much of a choice to make. They wanted to stay together and they needed to get out of the Brotherhood Boarding House. Hook, line, and sinker. Done.
It hadn't turned out to be a mistake either, or even a bad decision.
They might actually say they were comfortable at the institute…if any one of them could swallow their pride long enough to admit it.
"Lance! Why are we here? And why are you just staring at your phone?" Wanda yelled over the loudness of raindrops hitting the playground equipment. She was still trying, and failing, to protect herself from the rain.
Lance hit play on his phone. He had put a few mp3's on it as well then realized there wasn't enough memory in it for a big portion of his pirated music collection. A song started playing. It seemed like the type of song that might be sung at a carnival such as the one they had just been rejected from entering. Bouncy, lively…happy music. "Dance with me, Wanda!" He smirked.
"…What?" She laughed. "You're so lame."
"Oh, come on! Let's just dance!" He took her hand and she tried to pull away.
"…I don't know how." She looked away, half sheepishly and half with her usual scowl on her face.
"Guess what?" He asked. She looked at him inquisitively. "Neither do I."
Wanda rolled her eyes. She tried to keep her usual calm and uncaring demeanor but couldn't help but snicker when Lance took her hand again and twirled her around.
They danced for about an hour in the pouring rain, laughing. The carnival was completely forgotten.
To Be Continued…
Author Note: Oh? You want more you say? Then leave a freaking review…or don't. Whatevs. Did 'ya like this chapter? I have more already written. Like I said, I binged on writing. I hope you will read more because the next few chapters are really…what's the word…juicy?
See ya in Chapter…what are we up to? Eleven? Wow…yeah. Chapter Eleven!