Chapter 11

Thoughts

Todd ate at the loud and uneven Brotherhood dinner table in silence. Sinclair had let him take some buffet leftovers home in which was currently being devoured by his housemates. In the past two weeks he'd rarely been home and the only time he had been home he spent training or studying as he'd opted to take GED classes online, and Lance had sense joined him the other day. Because he'd been home less and less he'd started bringing home dinner, it was a way of getting them to lay off and to keep Pietro from harassing him, like now.

"I can't believe you, I tell you about all my hookups and you won't even give me any details!" snapped Pietro, it was barely audible from the yelling and arguing around the table, but he saw Wanda roll her eyes.

"Uh, I never really asked Pietro, you normally just ranted," said Todd, with a sigh.

"Pietro, Brother, just eat your egg roll and shut up," said Wanda as she shoved said egg roll in his face.

"Thanks for supper Toad!" yelled Fred over Lance and Tabitha's argument, Mystique had opted to eat upstairs apparently as she and he plate were gone.

"No problem," said Todd as he looked at the clock, he should get some of his online homework done before anyone tried to download porn downstairs again.

"Listen up!" everyone fell silent as Mystique walked into the doorway with a serious look on her face, this was never a good sign, "I've had a great deal of time to think this through."

"Are we attacking the X-men, because now that Lance and Kitty are engaged, I'm pretty sure that would put a damper on their relationship," said Fred with a concerned face.

"No…."

"Are we going on a covert mission for mutant rights, because my good suit is at the cleaners and the other ones I haven't had time to mend," said Pietro as he ate some crab.

"How do you not have time?" asked Tabitha, Pietro shrugged.

"No."

"Is it going to take long, because I have some stuff to get done on the computer," said Lance with a hopeful smile.

"No, now shut up!" snapped Mystique, she put a hand on Todd's shoulder and he stiffened, "Toad here has made me realize something."

"I did, I'm pretty sure it wasn't intentional, yo." said Toad quickly.

"You all need to get a job, instead of lazing around all the time," said Mystique with a glare, "Maybe do some cleaning, contrary to belief this house was in very good shape when I moved in… now…. Not so much."

"Wait, you want us to get jobs?" asked Tabitha, "Well it's been lovely guys, but I'm gonna head out."

"Xavier's not gonna let you back in again," said Pietro, "Not after you bombed the jet last week."

"…. What kind of jobs," said Tabitha sitting back down.

"I don't care, a job," said Mystique.

"I have a job," said Pietro casually, everyone stared, "I babysit on Saturdays."

"Somebody trusts you with their children?" asked Wanda in shock.

"Kids love me," said Pietro confidently.

"I think it's a mentality thing," said Lance confidently, "I actually applied for a few jobs the other day and I have an interview at a garage tomorrow, so I'm going to go use the computer and call Kitty, good night."

Todd groaned as he used the girly pink laptop he was currently borrowing from his girlfriend. He'd ended up going over to the Kaine residence as Lance had overtaken the computer, his laptop having been destroyed by Blob on accident. He took a moment to take her room in again, it was very girly with its purple hues and stuffed animals. The stuffed animals were currently acting as his back pillow as he typed.

"Where are we going next Saturday?" asked Candy as she closed her closet and sat next to him.

"Where did you wanna go, babe?" asked Todd as she leaned against his shoulder.

"As it's our anniversary we should go somewhere fun," said Candy, "Or secluded…"

"Huh…" Todd's mind raced, was it really there anniversary…. It hadn't been a year, but it had been six months, "Our six months…"

"Yeah…. Do you think it's weird for me to call it our anniversary?" she asked quickly, her face turning pink.

"Nah, it's kinda cute," beamed Todd as he thought about these past six months, they had been fantastic.

Sadly, the next few weeks were not fantastic. Between work, classes, morning training, and the tension levels of the Brotherhood house at an all-time high, Todd was spending a lot of time either locked in his room or over at Candy's. In fact it had been three days since he'd even been home as training was on hold due to an injury Mystique had sustained during a bad training session with Wanda. Todd walked into work happily that morning, having crashed in the Kaine's spare bedroom, whose bed was way better than his.

"Mornin' Erin, Kiki, Fred," said Todd as he went about getting food ready, he froze, "Fred?"

"Mornin' little buddy," beamed Fred as he stood next to Sinclair.

"Meet my new Chef, Raven's been hounding me to take a lighter work load," beamed Sinclair.

That surprise was not the only shock Todd had that day, he was also a little upset Candy hadn't mentioned this earlier when they'd talked last night. But as the day went on Todd felt the mall was crawling with his fellow Brotherhood members. He'd had a short shift that day and he was planning on getting some shopping done, and especially since Candy was still working. He happily headed into Hot Topic to get some of his favorite candies.

"Hey Toad," came a very familiar voice behind him, he jumped and swung around to see Wanda standing behind him with a lanyard with her name on it.

"Wanda?" It was a quiet moment as Todd felt very uneasy at seeing both Fred and Wanda here, he felt like his place was being invaded.

"So, I work here now, I'm supposed to be getting trained… haven't seen my boss in two hours," said Wanda casually, "How was work for you?"

"Uh, good… Fred works there now… I ohm… I'm gonna bye this…. You don't know how to do registers yet?" he asked at her worried look.

"No…" she shook her head, "I've kind of been telling people that the registers not working and to come back in a little bit.. although a couple gave me cash and took stuff… left me the tags at least."

"You know Rogue works here too, right?" asked Todd as he put cash on the desk where Wanda had collected a box.

"Yup, she comes in soon…." Said Wanda, Todd cleared his throat.

"I'm gonna head out, good luck. Tell me how it goes later," said Todd, Wanda nodded.

He thought that would be it but sadly the fountain was commandeered by Tabitha and Pietro who had started a small entertainment area with some music as they sang and danced. They seemed to have accumulated some money, mostly from Pat the Mall Guard who sat there clapping. As Todd walked by he came to the conclusion that the mall must be desperate for help now.

"Hey sweetie!" he looked up and smiled as Candy walked over to him in her uniform.

"Hey babe, working the night shift?" he smirked, no matter how many times he saw it, the chopsticks were really ridiculous, "You know Fred works there now."

"Yeah," she looked nervous for a moment and then sighed, "Hey sorry I didn't say anything…. Crap, I'm running late. I have to run but I need to ask you something later. Love you."

"Love ya," she gave him a quick kiss and ran off.

Todd watched her head quickly down the mall, waving at Pietro and Tabitha as she darted passed. He felt the smile creep on his face as he began to leave the mall. It would be later on the bus ride home that his mind would wonder more about Candy. Todd had long sense abandoned the ideas of having a normal life. He'd always looked… well like him and when his powers had started… for a long time he'd wondered what his life would be like. Most of his flirting with other girls had been hopeful and always one sided…. Save for Wanda, but he shook his head. He thought about Candy, perfectly normal and adorable Candy. She was normal, nothing about her was strange or unusual and yet she loved him… the opposite of normal. He thought of Amanda and Kurt for a while, he'd mocked Kurt for being with a human and yet… here he was. She was what he needed… something.. someone normal to see and know other than his crazy life he did live.

"Toad," nodded Mystique as he walked into the front door and hopped upstairs.

Todd was drifting off to sleep when a knock came at the door and before he could even think to open it, Pietro was standing over his bed and had a bored look on his face. Todd waited for him to start talking but the normally fast paced mutant seemed to be having an internal struggle of some sort. Todd smiled at him in hopes of speeding along the process.

"So Tabby ditched me for Amara at the mall, do you think your boss could use a waiter," shrugged Pietro, "Also I'd like my green shirt still."

"No," said Todd turning over and attempting sleep.

"No to what, my shirt or a job?" asked Pietro zipping around to the other side.

"Both, if you wanna job go look for one," said Todd, "Apply yourself.. mentally."

"But you banging the bosses daughter, I feel you could have a little sway for me, I mean they did hire Fred but not me," said Pietro with a sigh, "Why?"

"Hmm.. criminal record?"

"Expunged when I turned eighteen, what else?" asked Pietro.

"Maybe it's because you harassed the wait staff… and FYI, I am not banging Candy," glared Todd, "We are in a relationship."

"Oh please," Pietro rolled his eyes, "A relationship. Ha."

"What's that supposed to mean?" yelled Todd as Pietro zipped off.

Todd was unable to sleep that night as he stared off into the dark out his half covered window. He smirked a little as he looked at the stars that glimmered in like small lights. His room wasn't the biggest and when he'd first moved in he was given any choice he wanted but this room was the highest and it got the best view. He crawled out of bed and decided if he couldn't sleep he'd finally get a chance at some of his school work with no one up to bother him. He hopped down the stairs quietly and swung through the kitchen passing by the second bathroom door. He froze as he saw Wanda sitting in the dark at the kitchen table. He didn't want to startle her fearing a hex bolt would be sent his way. He kicked the staircase slightly so she'd hear sound. She jerked quickly to the doorway.

"Hey," said Todd as he walked through the kitchen towards the door to the basement.

"Evening," she said quietly as she looked at her cup, "Couldn't sleep?"

"Figured I'd get some school work done," he shrugged and headed down the stairs.

It was around the time that the computer's login screen came up that it dawned on him that Wanda had been actually trying to start a conversation. He headed back up the stairs but when he opened the door she'd already gone back to bed, the cup still on the table. He shrugged and headed back downstairs. Normally she only tried to talk to anyone when something was wrong, but perhaps she'd just been tired. He looked through his assignments with little interest until he came across one for his mandatory Success class. He read it carefully.

"Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?" said Todd aloud.

He knew it meant academically wise but he found his thoughts running wild. He was nineteen this February… where did he see his life going? He thought about the Brotherhood… at this point he wasn't sure what they were. The boarding house had become just that, a place to go home too. They hadn't done any illegal or activist activities for what seemed like ages. Not that he minded, and he was certain no one else cared. There truce with the X-men had seemed to be permanent and Kitty and Lance's engagement solidified that. He was certain that Mystique and Magneto's perspective of humans hadn't changed and it had just been assumed that they had much greater enemies than each other. But he'd not given it much thought, they all still ate here, slept here…. And as of recently the only thing to change was the encouragement of training in case another threat arose. So where did he see himself in five years? Still living here? What about Candy? He turned off the computer, he was in for a long restless sleep still.

TO BE CONTINUED