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Title: Batman
Author: Snoopy
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Angst, Slash
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just an old shoe. That's it, a smelly, possibly mouldy shoe. Sue if ya want it, but otherwise…don't? Please? Pirdy please, with a cherry on top?…
Plot Notes: Set Sumtime.
Archive: If u wanna, but could u let me know???
Feedback: Flames, cherry bombs, whatever. All is welcome. ;)
Authors Notes: This is a story about people. It has words
"…" = Speech
'…' = Thoughts
Is it a plane…
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People change. That's the only real thing my father told me. People change, and with them goes innocence. My innocence left when I was five. One minute my parents were the loving, caring Brady-Bunch types, the next they were jailbirds. Why? My dad was horny, and my mama wouldn't give him any - so he got it outta me. I guess that's where my problem-with-authority-thing came from. The foster homes didn't help much either, but they weren't the cause. Like I said, my innocence was already long gone. The priest at the orphanage tried to tell me that God loved me - I told him God had screwed me too. I still think I was right, but he handed me a little cross anyway and sent me on my way. I still have it, on a little gold chain in my Box. I have other things in my Box too. My first report from kindergarten, the teeth I've lost, a picture of my pet dog, Maggie, and a Barbie doll. She's dressed all in pink, and has long, brown hair. Mama told me that when I met this girl in real life, she would be the one I would fall in love with. She died the next day.
I used to watch movies with my parents. Father would sit through anything - they were all the same to his stupor. Mama's favourite were ones with heroes in them. She used to dress me up in a long black cape and call me her saviour. Then we'd go into town for ice-cream and milkshakes. That was when I was four…
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"Freddy!"
"What now?"
"Where's Lance?" Todd hopped nervously from one foot to the other.
"Why are you trying to find every member of this little family of ours?" The boy frowned at the younger mutant. Why was he being so annoying?
"I think Pietro's having a breakdown!" Todd's movements became more frantic.
"Isn't he usually?"
"Fred! How could you say that!"
"Uh…it's true?"
"Lance!" Todd rushed to the older boy, who had just emerged from the staircase. His brown hair was tousled, and large bags were emerging underneath his eyes. He seemed to be in a pretty foul mood - a fact which Todd ignored. "Pietro's lost it!"
"Gerroff me!"
"But Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!"
"What the hells with all the goddamn racket? Pietro! Get your skinny ass in here!" Lances frown deepened. There was no response from the hyperactive mutant. "You wanna ride to work or not?"
"Oh, Lance! Hey,howareyou.I'mfine.Igottagotoworknow,buti'llseeyaafter,ok?Doyouthinkit'sgonnarain?Nevermind,it'ssunny.Seeya!" And with that Pietro was gone, a trail of windswept bills marking his exit.
'Remind me to do those sometime.' To his remaining friends he said, "I gotta go too. Can you guys cook tonight, I'm gonna be late?" 'What is up with Pietro? He knows he's not supposed to use his powers in public.' "See ya, guys."
"But Lance!"
"Bye, Todd." None there missed the warning in his voice. Lance walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. A few seconds later an engine revved, and with a squeal of tyres he was gone.
"But it's Saturday! Lance doesn't work on Satu-"
"Shuddup, Todd."
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… There are other things in life that have contributed to my state of mind, obviously. School. I never really cared what happened there. My kindergarten teacher said I was gifted, my sophomore year I was described as 'slow'. I suppose I just stopped caring. Work's another. I've had to work for a while, now. Pietro helps out, but Todd and Freddy need to concentrate on school. I might be screwed, but I'm not gonna let them fall too. Pietro's speed and memory have got him covered in that field, so as long as I keep at him to actually do something he'll be fine. It's the responsibility rather than the work that's the killer though. It digs deep into your soul when you don't have everything under control. For me that's most of the time. Now I'm eighteen, going on fifty…
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Lance realised he should've let Todd finish as soon as he pulled up to the pizza place. Shit! Oh, well. I don't really wanna go home. Hmmmmm, what to do, what to do…Lance began to drive around town in circles, trying to find someone to entertain him. Hey, there're the x-geeks! Maybe I'll go annoy them - they've been particularly annoying this millennium… Lance pulled over beside the group. "Hey, Pretty Kitty! Whatcha doin'?"
"Fuck off, Lance." There was a maniacal gleam in Jeans eye as she glared at him.
"Oooooooooooooh, Jean said a naughty word! You'd better teach her a lesson, Summers!"
"Alvers, I'm warning you!" Scott's glare was even more extreme than the psycho-bitches. His ruby glasses glittered dangerously as Lance stepped out of the battered car.
"Whatcha gonna do Summers, spank me?" This was fun!
"Come on Scott, let's go. He's like, totally not worth it." What the hell did Kitty mean, not worth it! The ground started to convulse beneath them.
"Lance! Quit it! Lets go guys." Led by Kitty, they stalked away.
Whore…Ok, what now? I'll go see a movie! Yeah, that's it, a movie! Lance had managed to 'acquire' (out of Scott Summers wallet) a free movie pass. Guilt free, he tottered into the cinema.
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…The thing is, I'm not gifted, I'm not slow. I'm not blessed or screwed or a hero. I'm just me. That's what I've decided, and that's what I'm sticking to. Me. So bye bye Mama, God loves you. The priest said so. He didn't know what happened the night my innocence died, though, did he? He didn't know how you walked in that night and found father on top of me. I never told him how you smiled, how you walked over to the bed and kissed me on the head like you did every night. How you left me alone. The priest never knew how the police found you, swinging in the breeze like a puppet on a string. Maggie was dead at your feet. That was the first time I ever understood what father meant. You weren't smiling anymore, Mama, because people change. I met the girl a little while ago. Problem is that I don't think I love her. She's the perfect Barbie-doll, but I don't feel a thing. I pretend though, for you, Mama, just so you're happy in hell. You were right, in a way. Barbie's the perfect girl…
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Pietro stared blankly at the popcorn machine. In the past few hours he had discovered that yes, boredom could actually kill you. He thought he had seen Lance in to mob entering the last showing of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'. Why the hell would Lance go and see that? Hrmph, probably wasn't him. The albino sighed deeply, his azure eyes downcast. Why does Lance do this to me? It's not fair. "Do do dooooooooooooo, de de dedeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I'm a little, bumblebee!" Pietro's humming grew louder.
"What the hell are ya doing, man? Are you singing?"
"Uh…no?" Pietro glanced nervously around him. "Did anyone else hear?"
"Nah, just the entire theatre." A sly grin emerged on the face of Pietros' co-worker. He was a rather large nineteen-year-old, his sweat-covered face erupting with pimples.
'Shit' The clanging of doors snapped Pietro out of his daze as customers began to emerge from the movie.
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…and she would be the perfect lover too…
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Lance walked out of the theatre rather wobbly. 'That was so much better than the book!' Across the room, he glimpsed a crop of white hair through the exiting crowd. 'Pietro must be almost finished work. I'll give him a ride.' The brunette sauntered over to his younger friend, his eyes bright.
"Hey Pietro..."
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… if a girl was what I wanted.
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To Be Continued…