A/N: Jup, another chapter. *big grin* I'm gonna torture ya'll til doomsday! *crazy laughter* Okay, time for the story. *wonders off aimlessly singing Smooth Criminal*
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Todd was right. Pietro was pissed. He pouted the entire time from when I got home til when we went to bed. I swear, he's beyond me sometimes. He's 17 years old, and acts like he's 5! Todd acting like that sometimes, yeah, I can understand that. Even Freddy. But Pietro? And Tabby, for that matter? Oy.
The next day at work was hard. Because I skipped out, Mr. Callor gave me an extra half hour of work, which meant I had no time for lunch. I wasn't at all happy, but I did it and didn't complain. I needed this job since I couldn't find any others. Trust me, I looked. But the work was getting easier from doing it over and over, and I bet anybody who tried to mess with me before wouldn't now. Unless they had Pietro's speed, they'd better watch out. As I was unloading my equipment at the end of the day, Murray came over.
"Heard a friend of yours was in the hospital." (I hadn't told him about Todd. He wasn't at work that day, so he hadn't noticed me missing.)
"Yeah, I'm picking him up tonight. Got beat up by some jocks. Ain't gonna happen anymore tho', so it's all good." I told him.
"Tell him that I said to kick those jocks's asses." He laughed and I smiled.
"I will. Gotta go, see ya tomorrow." I said, and went to the jeep. I glanced at my watch and saw that I didn't have time to drop the others off before I had to get to the hospital. Oh well, no biggie.
I turned the radio on and cruised down the road to the high school. When I got there, Tabby and Fred came out and told me that Pietro was in trouble. Had gotten detention. I sighed, and asked for what. They, of course, didn't know. I had to get to the hospital, so I figured I'd just ask Pietro when he got home. You can bet he was going to lose some privileges, alright.
At the hospital, I picked Todd up without a hitch, and headed home. Once there, I helped Fred with his homework while waiting for Pietro. Todd was in his room, sleeping, and Tabby was watching TV. Around four-thirty a tornado burst into the door and flew upstairs. I followed it up to his room, and knocked on the closed door.
"GO AWAY!" I heard him shout. I opened the door, much to his dismay. "Ya know, I'm gonna buy a lock for that door."
"And I'll have Tabby blow it open. Now why did you get detention?" He was sitting on his bed, leaning against the backboard, ignoring me. "I can and will go down to the school and ask them. I'm sure their point of view will vary from yours."
"I used 'unnecessary violence' in gym. Got wrote up." He muttered.
"Fine. For a month you clean the house." It was the best thing I could think of. Sure he could do it in a split second, but it was the thought that mattered.
"WHAT?!" He screamed at me. He rushed up and looked me in the eye. "Who the hell do you think you are? My mother?"
"No, one of few people person in this world that gives a damn whether you live or die! I quit school so I could take care of you and the others, and you can sure as hell bet that I will." I yelled back.
"Well you know what? I don't give a damn about you. You could fall over dead right now, and I wouldn't care. I don't care about any of you. And you can't make me do anything." He growled.
"I sure as hell can because believe it or not, I am your legal guardian. Mystique signed me up because she wanted nothing nothing to do with you! So you will clean the house for a month, because you screwed up in school. I ain't gonna give you guys any slack!"
"You give Todd slack! You baby him! I don't care if he's the youngest, you act like he's a helpless little kid, when all he is, is a pathetic little being that shouldn't exist!" I don't think he expected what I did next. I punched him square in the face. He fell back, nose bloody and probably broken.
"Pietro... I-I didn't mean..... I'm sorry..." He gave me a look that completely threw me. Instead of anger, I saw fear in his eyes. He disappeared in a blast of wind. I ran downstairs after him and out the open front door. "PIETRO!"
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"I am such a screw-up. I can't do anything right!" I was wallowing in self-pity, and the others were having nothing of it.
"Lance, you doing you're best, and it's sure as hell better than my dad ever did!" Tabby told me. "Listen, Pietro's just not use to having someone take care of him. I know the feeling, trust me. Sorry if I sound like a shrink, but he's testing the limits. C'mon, you did the same thing with your parents, didn't you?"
"Foster parents, and no, they didn't care what I did. I guess I'm trying to be what they never were." I had had a headache for an hour now, ever since Pietro disappeared. I knew there was only one thing I could do. I stood up, grabbed my keys, and went to the jeep.
"Whatcha doin' Lance?" Fred called from the front door.
"I think I know where he is. I'm going after him." I jumped into the jeep and fired it up. I went to the place that Pietro goes when he wants to be alone. The "lookout". It was a cliff that on one side you could see almost all of Bayville, and on the other see the river that further along emptied into the ocean. Sure enough, there he was.
I pulled up and turned the engine off. For a few minutes I sat there, hoping he'd come over and get in. But alas, no. I tried to figure out what to say, but my mind was drawing a blank. So finally I just got out of the jeep and walked over and sat down beside him. He didn't move, so I took that as a good sign.
"Pietro, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Seems I always screw-up somehow." I told him. There was no response at first. Then I heard him sigh.
"Lance, you're not the screw-up. I am. I've always managed to make a mess of things some how. Why do think he abandoned me?" He said. I was confused.
"Who abandoned you?" I asked.
"My father. Don't you know who he is?" I shook my head. "Got a big surprise for you then. Magneto's my father."
I was completely in shock. Magneto? Pietro's dad? "Holy shit." I said.
"Yeah, I know. But it's true. All of it. He abandoned me, yet again, because I'm fucking screw-up. He blames me for making us lose at Asteroid M. I know he does. So does Mystique. That's why they're gone. And it's all my fault." I had never seen Pietro like this.
"Hey, it's not your fault. If it's anybody's, it's mine because I'm the leader! And besides, they out numbered us 2 to 1! Look, maybe it's their fault for getting us into this mess! How did you get into the Brotherhood? Magneto gave you a get of jail free card if you joined. How did I get into it? Mystique bribed me."
"I didn't know that. What did she bribe you with?" He asked me.
"My powers. She promised if I joined, she'd erase my name from anything that was connected to my old school. Which I leveled."
"Maybe you're right. But do I have to clean the house for a month? It was all Daniels's fault! He tried to impale me and I only defended myself!" I somehow seriously doubted this, but because I was such an idiot, I reduced the sentence.
"Two weeks. Argue any more and put back to a month!" I said when he started to open his mouth. He grinned instead.
"Can I drive the jeep home?" He asked, trying to look all innocent.
"NO!"
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Todd was right. Pietro was pissed. He pouted the entire time from when I got home til when we went to bed. I swear, he's beyond me sometimes. He's 17 years old, and acts like he's 5! Todd acting like that sometimes, yeah, I can understand that. Even Freddy. But Pietro? And Tabby, for that matter? Oy.
The next day at work was hard. Because I skipped out, Mr. Callor gave me an extra half hour of work, which meant I had no time for lunch. I wasn't at all happy, but I did it and didn't complain. I needed this job since I couldn't find any others. Trust me, I looked. But the work was getting easier from doing it over and over, and I bet anybody who tried to mess with me before wouldn't now. Unless they had Pietro's speed, they'd better watch out. As I was unloading my equipment at the end of the day, Murray came over.
"Heard a friend of yours was in the hospital." (I hadn't told him about Todd. He wasn't at work that day, so he hadn't noticed me missing.)
"Yeah, I'm picking him up tonight. Got beat up by some jocks. Ain't gonna happen anymore tho', so it's all good." I told him.
"Tell him that I said to kick those jocks's asses." He laughed and I smiled.
"I will. Gotta go, see ya tomorrow." I said, and went to the jeep. I glanced at my watch and saw that I didn't have time to drop the others off before I had to get to the hospital. Oh well, no biggie.
I turned the radio on and cruised down the road to the high school. When I got there, Tabby and Fred came out and told me that Pietro was in trouble. Had gotten detention. I sighed, and asked for what. They, of course, didn't know. I had to get to the hospital, so I figured I'd just ask Pietro when he got home. You can bet he was going to lose some privileges, alright.
At the hospital, I picked Todd up without a hitch, and headed home. Once there, I helped Fred with his homework while waiting for Pietro. Todd was in his room, sleeping, and Tabby was watching TV. Around four-thirty a tornado burst into the door and flew upstairs. I followed it up to his room, and knocked on the closed door.
"GO AWAY!" I heard him shout. I opened the door, much to his dismay. "Ya know, I'm gonna buy a lock for that door."
"And I'll have Tabby blow it open. Now why did you get detention?" He was sitting on his bed, leaning against the backboard, ignoring me. "I can and will go down to the school and ask them. I'm sure their point of view will vary from yours."
"I used 'unnecessary violence' in gym. Got wrote up." He muttered.
"Fine. For a month you clean the house." It was the best thing I could think of. Sure he could do it in a split second, but it was the thought that mattered.
"WHAT?!" He screamed at me. He rushed up and looked me in the eye. "Who the hell do you think you are? My mother?"
"No, one of few people person in this world that gives a damn whether you live or die! I quit school so I could take care of you and the others, and you can sure as hell bet that I will." I yelled back.
"Well you know what? I don't give a damn about you. You could fall over dead right now, and I wouldn't care. I don't care about any of you. And you can't make me do anything." He growled.
"I sure as hell can because believe it or not, I am your legal guardian. Mystique signed me up because she wanted nothing nothing to do with you! So you will clean the house for a month, because you screwed up in school. I ain't gonna give you guys any slack!"
"You give Todd slack! You baby him! I don't care if he's the youngest, you act like he's a helpless little kid, when all he is, is a pathetic little being that shouldn't exist!" I don't think he expected what I did next. I punched him square in the face. He fell back, nose bloody and probably broken.
"Pietro... I-I didn't mean..... I'm sorry..." He gave me a look that completely threw me. Instead of anger, I saw fear in his eyes. He disappeared in a blast of wind. I ran downstairs after him and out the open front door. "PIETRO!"
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"I am such a screw-up. I can't do anything right!" I was wallowing in self-pity, and the others were having nothing of it.
"Lance, you doing you're best, and it's sure as hell better than my dad ever did!" Tabby told me. "Listen, Pietro's just not use to having someone take care of him. I know the feeling, trust me. Sorry if I sound like a shrink, but he's testing the limits. C'mon, you did the same thing with your parents, didn't you?"
"Foster parents, and no, they didn't care what I did. I guess I'm trying to be what they never were." I had had a headache for an hour now, ever since Pietro disappeared. I knew there was only one thing I could do. I stood up, grabbed my keys, and went to the jeep.
"Whatcha doin' Lance?" Fred called from the front door.
"I think I know where he is. I'm going after him." I jumped into the jeep and fired it up. I went to the place that Pietro goes when he wants to be alone. The "lookout". It was a cliff that on one side you could see almost all of Bayville, and on the other see the river that further along emptied into the ocean. Sure enough, there he was.
I pulled up and turned the engine off. For a few minutes I sat there, hoping he'd come over and get in. But alas, no. I tried to figure out what to say, but my mind was drawing a blank. So finally I just got out of the jeep and walked over and sat down beside him. He didn't move, so I took that as a good sign.
"Pietro, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Seems I always screw-up somehow." I told him. There was no response at first. Then I heard him sigh.
"Lance, you're not the screw-up. I am. I've always managed to make a mess of things some how. Why do think he abandoned me?" He said. I was confused.
"Who abandoned you?" I asked.
"My father. Don't you know who he is?" I shook my head. "Got a big surprise for you then. Magneto's my father."
I was completely in shock. Magneto? Pietro's dad? "Holy shit." I said.
"Yeah, I know. But it's true. All of it. He abandoned me, yet again, because I'm fucking screw-up. He blames me for making us lose at Asteroid M. I know he does. So does Mystique. That's why they're gone. And it's all my fault." I had never seen Pietro like this.
"Hey, it's not your fault. If it's anybody's, it's mine because I'm the leader! And besides, they out numbered us 2 to 1! Look, maybe it's their fault for getting us into this mess! How did you get into the Brotherhood? Magneto gave you a get of jail free card if you joined. How did I get into it? Mystique bribed me."
"I didn't know that. What did she bribe you with?" He asked me.
"My powers. She promised if I joined, she'd erase my name from anything that was connected to my old school. Which I leveled."
"Maybe you're right. But do I have to clean the house for a month? It was all Daniels's fault! He tried to impale me and I only defended myself!" I somehow seriously doubted this, but because I was such an idiot, I reduced the sentence.
"Two weeks. Argue any more and put back to a month!" I said when he started to open his mouth. He grinned instead.
"Can I drive the jeep home?" He asked, trying to look all innocent.
"NO!"
