Author's Note: After being stunned by the good responses to New Beginning, I figured I'd write up a bit more on the story idea that's been bouncing around in my head. Again, though, let me say that I've only seen 2 eps of X-men Evolution (Strategy X and Middleverse), so if my portrayal of the chars is a bit off, that's why. Also, if I don't get side-tracked, this story may get somewhat slashy.
Part Two
The final bell rang and the Bayville halls flooded with students. Everybody was heading out to get their weekend started. Well, almost everybody. Todd sat quietly in the detention hall, serving time for a crime that he hadn't committed. He should have guessed that word of the fight would reach the ears of some dumb teacher. He also should have known that he, and not the jocks, would end up getting punished. Life sucked.
Lance settled into a seat beside Todd and propped his feet up on the back of the chair. "So, Toady, I hear Fuzzboy saved your ass today," he snickered. Todd hunched down lower in his seat, telling himself that he would not respond. Detention was going to seem longer than normal with Lance sitting there whispering insults. Todd only hoped that if he said nothing Lance would get bored with the jeers. "You better hope Mystique doesn't find out, Frog-face. She might decide you're going soft like Rogue did, and then do something about it."
Todd maintained his stony silence with difficulty. He knew that Lance was merely baiting him, but that didn't lessen how badly he wanted to turn around and shout that his name was not "Toad" or "Frog-face" or any other amphibian nickname that Lance could come up with. Damn it! He wasn't sub-human! Why did everyone have to treat him as if he were? No one made fun of the Blob, at least not to his face. Of course, Todd knew that if he too could flatten a car, no one would get on his case either.
Glancing over, Todd saw the corner of the latest issue of Power-girl sticking up out of Lance's backpack. Without giving it a second thought, Todd snagged the comic book with his tongue and settled down to read. The last issue had left Todd hanging with Power-girl, a character obviously designed to be every teenage boy's ultimate wet dream, facing off against the Radioactive Slugs, and now Todd was eager to see how she would be losing most of her clothing in this battle.
Todd flipped to the first page, only to have Lance reach over and swipe the comic back. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Lance tossed the comic book at Todd's head. "Yuck! You slimed it! Man, I am going to get you for that, Toad! You are so dead when we get out of here." Todd's shoulders rose up to his ears as he tried to draw in on himself. Not for the first time, he wished he'd been cursed with some useful ability, such as invisibility.
Detention ended all too soon for Todd, and he marched out of the room humming a funeral dirge under his breath. Lance's steps echoed off of the hard linoleum floor as he followed behind Todd. The doors were just ahead... Twenty steps... Ten... Todd placed a hand on the metal bar and glanced back at Lance, who merely smirked evilly at him. Pushing the door open, Todd stepped outside.
Todd swallowed hard when he saw Kurt sitting out on the steps. "Ah, Todd." Kurt hopped up, his usual easy-going smile firmly in place. "I thought I vould zee how you were doing. You took a couple of hard hits earlier." Todd started to tell the elf to butt out and mind his own business, but Lance picked that moment to shove past him. Stumbling, Todd caught himself at the edge of the steps.
A slight tremor rocked the ground as Lance began playing his sadistic game. Todd opened his mouth to tell Blue Boy to just get lost, and then shut it just as quickly, an idea popping into his head. Grabbing onto Kurt's arm, Todd hissed, "Get us out of here. Now!" Blinking in surprise at Todd's urgent command, Kurt complied, teleporting them in a poof of smoke right into the girl's locker room.
Todd slumped back against the row of lockers, thinking that it was a good thing that there wasn't anyone in here right now. He expected Blue Boy to pop out of sight and abandon him any second now. After all, Kurt had done his good deed for the day and had no real need to stick around. When Kurt showed no signs of leaving, Todd decided to ask the one question that'd been eating him up inside all afternoon. "Why'd you do it, Fuzzy?"
Kurt wrinkled his nose as Todd's fragrant aroma became more cloying in the damp air. "Vell," he answered honestly. "Zhe locker room was zhe first place I thought of."
A small laugh bubbled up inside Todd at Blue Boy's misunderstanding, but he quickly swallowed it. Taking a couple of steps away from Kurt to give him a bit more breathing room, Todd clarified his question. "I meant earlier today, Fuzzy. Why'd you save my ass from Lonnie?" For the first time, Todd noticed how Kurt winced at being called "Fuzzy," and realized he was acting towards Kurt as Lance always did to him.
Kurt flipped off his image inducer and motioned to himself. "Zhis should be answer enough. I know zhose guys were simply going to beat up on you because you're different, and I couldn't just sit around and watch." Kurt pushed a strand of dark hair out of his eyes and laughed. "Scott and zhe others have been giving me hell all day because I helped you, but I really don't care. It's not like ve can help being zhe vay ve are."
Todd looked down at the webbing between his fingers in frustration, then jammed his hands deep into his pockets. "Yeah, whatever." He kept telling himself that he and Kurt were supposed to be enemies, but Kurt was the first person to ever seem to come close to understanding him. Deciding that the best thing to do would be to get out of there, Todd pushed past Kurt.
"Hey, Todd," Kurt called. Todd turned, not knowing what to expect from the other mutant anymore. Kurt held out a three-fingered hand. "I know ve've been on zhe wrong foot from day vone, but you vant to hang out some tomorrow?"
'Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder,' Todd gaped.
But looking into Kurt's face, Todd couldn't see anything that might
hint at this being some sort of prank. 'Oh what the hell.'
Todd pulled his hand back out of his pocket and clasped Kurt's.
"Sure, Kurt. That'd be cool. Thanks."
