Chapter 2 - Brotherhood Love
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- Hurry, Fred! If we're late, Lance'll just leave without us, and then
we'll have to walk home.
Todd stopped and turned, looking at the vast form of the Blob, bending
over something on the pavement. Now what?
- Come on! he yelled impatiently.
- Look, Toad!
Fred came over to him, smiling happily. He was holding something in
his hand, something... pink?
- What is that thing? Todd asked, not quite sure if he wanted
to know, but unable to stop himself.
- It's a bug! Isn't it sweet? It's all pink and pretty and... Ouch!
It bites!
Todd was about to make a sarcastic comment when Pietro appeared in
front of them, his hair fluttering in the wind that always appeared when
he ran at super-speed.
- Lancesaysthatifyoudon'tcomenowyoucanjustaswellwalkhome! he
said, gasping as he ran out of air at the end of the sentence.
- Yes, yes, we're...
Fred looked up at Pietro and stopped in mid-grumble. A smile slowly
spread across his face. Then he spread out his arms and lumbered forwards.
- Fred, what are you doing? Pietro asked.
That was all he was able to say before he was lifted up and crushed
against the Blob's massive body in a gigantic hug!
- Pietro! Todd yelled, terrified.
- Mmmmffggh!
Todd reacted instantly, and spat a glob of goo in Fred's face. He choked
and spluttered, lifting his hands to get it off. As soon as he was free,
Pietro disappeared, running as fast as he could. When Fred could see again,
he was nowhere to be found.
- Pietro, wait! he called out, and started running homewards. Todd
sighed, and followed.
The little bug in Pietro's hair held on with all its little strength...
* * * * *
- Gaaaahhh!
Pietro came bursting into the house, slamming the door and locking
it.
- Pietro, what's wrong? Lance asked. He had just arrived, driving home
alone when none of the others had bothered to show up. Now he turned to
look at his friend, and the next thing he knew was that Pietro had grabbed
his shirt and was staring at him with wild eyes.
- Save me, Lance! he begged, terrified. - Protect me! I'll do anything,
I swear!
- What are you talking about?
- Fred! He... he... hugged me!
Lance stared at the other boy, now understanding his strange behaviour.
Then he started to remove Pietro's death-grip from his shirt, talking softly
to him as he did so.
- Its all right, Pietro, calm down! I won't let him get you.
Poor boy, he thought. No one deserves a fate like that!
But why would the Blob do such a thing, he then wondered, finally managing
to calm Pietro down a bit and put him into a chair.
- Ow! Pietro exclaimed, jumping up from the chair.
- What is it?
- I think I sat on something. Then, looking at Lance, he continued:
- Will you help me up to my room? I would really appreciate it.
Now why has he suddenly become so polite? The shock must have affected
him even worse than I thought. Oh, well, Lance sighed to himself.
- Of course, Pietro.
- Good, Pietro replied, smiling.
When they were safely into Pietro's room, Lance gingerly sat down at
Pietro's bed, too emotionally exhausted to move. Pietro sighed, and closed
the door.
- Ah. Finally alone.
Lance looked at him, puzzled and a bit freaked at the thought. Being
the only person in the room with a hyperactive little bugger was not what
he wanted most.
- I'll leave if you want...
- No, no, you don't understand what I mean. It's a long time since
we've had a chance to talk - just the two of us.
- Well... Lance stuttered, not sure what to make of Pietro's sudden
mood-shift. - Do we have anything to talk about?
- Sure! Pietro answered, sitting down next to Lance. - I don't think
I've ever told you how much I admire you, for example.
- Admire? Me?
- You're strong, and cool, and you always take care of us.
- Well...
- And you're funny too!
What? Pietro telling me that I'm funny? He hates
my jokes! Something is very, very wrong here... Maybe I should take him
to see a doctor or something?
Before Lance could pursue this train of thought any further, he noticed
something in the corner of his eye.
- Hey! he exclaimed. - What's that?
He got up from the bed, not noticing Pietro's sour expression as his
attempt to put his arm around Lance's shoulder failed.
- There it is again! I think it's some kind of bug... hah! Gotcha!
Lance threw himself forwards, flinging his hands over the bug. It jumped
straight up, and landed on his head. - Hey! Get down from there, you...
Pietro, who had been watching the whole scene with interest, laughed.
- Stop fooling around, Lance, you'll never get it! Come back to bed
with me instead!
- No way! Lance answered, combing through his hair. - I'm going to
get that bug! OW! Fucking...
He swayed as the world turned pink around him. It was over in a minute,
and he recovered just in time to hear Pietro say:
- I've had enough of your jokes! I want you in my bed now!
Lance turned and looked at Pietro, not quite trusting if he'd heard
what he thought he'd heard. When his eyes found Pietro's face he gave a
low moan, forgetting everything about it. There was only thought left in
his head as he noticed the other boy's impatient frown.
He's mad at me! Oh, no, he mustn't be mad at me! I'll make it up
to him...
- Sure Pietro! he answered, not quite remembering what Pietro had said,
and not caring one bit. - I'll do anything you say.
- Promise?
- Promise.
They inched closer to each other, totally entranced by an obsessive
love. Just as things were starting to get interesting, the front door downstairs
slammed open.
- Pietro honey! I'm ho-ome!
The two boys froze.
- It's...it's...it's the Blob!
As the footsteps came closer, they pulled tighter together, wrapping
their arms even harder around the other. The door opened, and the big,
bulky form of the Blob filled the doorway.
- Oh Pietro...
- Aaaaahhh!!
* * * * *
Mystique was on her way into the house, when something zoomed around
the corner and hit her hard enough to send her reeling.
-What is this? she asked, staring at the two boys lying sprawled in
front of her. - Pietro, Lance, what are you doing?
- We...we...wewewe... Pietro stuttered, looking backwards, terrified.
The booming sound coming from the stairs told Mystique that Fred was coming
down.
- Pietro, save me! Lance squealed. Squealed? Lance never...
ZOOM!
Before she had even finished her thought the two boys were off again,
to God knew where. About a minute later Fred had reached the bottom of
the stairs, peering eagerly around.
- Pietro? he asked, his voice as sweet as honey. - Where are you? Pi-e-troo?
- They went out, Mystique told him and pointed at the door, still swinging
gently in the breeze Pietro had created.
- Oh.
Then he left, still calling Pietro's name in that sweet, un-Freddish
voice.
- Huh.
Mystique shook her head slowly. I will never understand teenagers.
She absently scratched her neck, and a newly acquired bite of some kind.
It didn't hurt, but it seemed to have done something to her eyes... ah.
It stopped. She turned around, just in time to see Todd's head poking out
from the kitchen.
- Are they gone? he asked in a small voice.
- Yes, it's perfectly safe.
The young mutant looked so terrified that Mystique wanted to hold him
and hug him and kiss his fear away. So young and tender... and he needs
me! Ooohh - that really turns me on... Instead of doing what
she wanted most (A/N: which is unprintable), she treated him with one of
her piercing looks, and said sharply:
- I came here to do an evaluation on you boys. Since you are the only
one here, we can have a little talk instead. We'll go up to my office -
there we can be undisturbed.