A/N: ::sigh:: Still not enough reviews. Master is displeased with me... But for those who *did* review- ^_^ Tankie! Tankie! Tankie!! ::blows kisses:: You guys *rock*!!
::tilts head:: I'm very sorry this took so long, though. It just doesn't seem to want to work with me. ^_^' Having a very hard time keeping Lance away from the cheesy rock puns... ::sigh:: But I try! I do!!
~*~
After the Applause Dies Down
by Wolfie
~*Without The Mask, Where Will You Hide?*~
Step by step, Lance climbed upward, a considerably sedated Pietro laying limp in his arms. The rock tumbler had threatened that, if the doctors didn't knock the smaller teen out with some sort of drug, he'd do so himself, with a fist. Needless to say, the doctors complied quickly, assuring him that Pietro would remain at least drowsy- if not completely unconscious- for the next hour, or so.
That gave them the time to bring the snowy haired boy home, place him in his bed, and tie his ankles to the bedframe- which was just where Lance was headed that moment. Between himself, Todd and Fred, they'd agreed that not a second would pass with Pietro unwatched, until- somehow- they fixed whatever was wrong. They wanted no repeats of the past few days. Honestly, Todd and Fred weren't so sure *Lance* would survive another suicide attempt on Pietro's part. Neither had ever seen anyone so close to having an anurism in their lives.
"Lance... what...?" Pietro was just coming to his senses as Lance secured the rope around his ankles and the bedframe, positive it would take even the speed demon a minute or two to untie.
"Here's the deal, Pietro- the doctors only released you into my custody on the condition that I would *not* let you out of my sight, and I don't intend to. I won't let you pull that shit again," The brown haired teen was surprisingly calm, seating himself in a chair beside Pietro's bed, "But, since I can't stay awake 24-7, Todd and Fred are gonna take my place when I need to sleep. For *at least* the next week, you're staying in that bed."
"What if I gotta piss?" Pietro retorted, voice still thick with the after effects of the sedative, a tinge of loathing laced in. Lance merely smirked.
"Then you better give me enough warning, so that I can get those ropes untied to *bring* you to the bathroom," Sapphire eyes rolled in exasperation.
"What about showers?" He was trying to find any excuse to escape this... this punishment. The idea of staying in one place for more than a few minutes was already driving him nuts.
"If you want to shower, you'll do it with one of us in the bathroom with you," A disgusted look crossed Pietro's elfin features.
"What if I wanna jack off?" The loathing in his tone was overwhelming now, practically dripping from his words.
"I didn't tie your arms down, did I?"
"You'd just sit there and *watch* me?!"
"Who knows? Maybe I'll get off too," Lances grin was lazy as he laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back comfortably in his chair. Pietro sat straight up, rage burning within the blue depths of his eyes.
"Lance, you asshole! Why are you being so fucking calm about all this?! You *tied* me to my goddamned *bed* and now you're sitting there *grinning*?!" The amusement in Lance's gaze faded, expression darkening as he leaned forward again.
"Because if I don't keep this smiling, I might just break that pretty face of yours, you *fucking* idiot," Almost instantly, the white haired boy's anger drained, "You scared the shit out of me, and I do *not* like being scared," Surprised to feel tears stinging his eyes, Pietro looked away, arms wrapping around himself. He realized that he was shaking, and willed it to stop, though it didn't really work. The raw emotion in Lance's eyes had chilled him straight to the bone.
"Scared?" He repeated, after a long moment, voice low, "Of what?"
"Of..." Lance bit his lower lip, "Of losing you..." The younger teen merely scoffed.
"Why? What do you care if I'm alive or dead?" He scoffed again, though inwardly, he was wishing he could just curl up and cry himself into oblivion. Lance hesitated, making Pietro cringe.
"What difference does it make?" Was his response, when it finally came. Pietro didn't answer. Instead, he laid himself down again, burrowing into his blankets as best he could, his back turned to the older boy. And even though he had a million different muddled thoughts stampeding through his brain, sleep overtook him quickly, enveloping him in a peaceless slumber.
~*~
When he woke again, the room was dark and a scream was being torn from his throat, images of burning villages and taunting children dissolving into the empty, engulfing blackness. He trembled terribly, cold sweat soaked into his clothing, tears streaming down his cheeks, fingers gripping tightly at his sheets. In less than an instant, Lance was by his side, moonlight reflecting in his worried eyes.
"Are you alright? What happened?" On any other occasion, Pietro would have made a snide comment on Lance's 'motherly instincts', would have scofffed and insisted nothing had happened, even with fresh tears on his cheeks, would have pretended to be irritated at the attention. On any other occasion, under any other circumstances, he would have.
But that night, with his fear still hanging in the humid air, all Pietro could manage was to turn and bury his face in the older teen's chest, and sob. With only a moment's hesitation, Lance wrapped his arms around the slight frame, palms stroking soothingly over Pietro's back. Gradually, the tears ceased and Lance moved to get up, but a slender hand clutched at his shirt as though life, itself, depended upon it.
"Please don't go," Pietro's voice was small and weak, only a bare whisper, though his plea sounded almost desperate. When Lance didn't move again, the grip on his shirt loosened, and Pietro's body relaxed, just slightly. A soft sigh fell from Lance's lips, his fingers running absently through the younger teen's sweat dampened hair. A few more minutes passed in silence, the only sound, their breathing, Pietro's slowing as the aftereffects of his nightmare faded. But even as he calmed, his eyes were still wide, staring out into the seemingly menacing darkness, one ear pressed to Lance's chest, listening to the brown haired mutant's steady heart beat.
"You're gonna get better, alright?" Lance spoke, not even sure if the other was still awake or not. Not caring either way, "I know you didn't try to kill yourself for no reason... So... I'm gonna help you fix whatever's wrong..."
"I'm broken beyond repair," He had to pause to make sure he'd heard Pietro's words, the boy's voice so painfully quiet that it could have very well been only a breeze through the trees outside the speedster's window. And then, he blinked, wondering how Pietro could have fallen so far without anyone noticing...
"You're not," He found himself pulling the snowy haired teen closer, suddenly afraid he might slip away. He would never allow that, so long as he lived. He was *determined* to gather up the shattered shards of the younger boy and piece them back together, no matter how much time it took him to do so. Pietro *would* get better.
~*~
"Hey, you two awake?" Todd pushed Pietro's bedroom door open, stopping in his tracks as his green eyes fell upon the pair on the bed. Pietro's eyes were still red and swollen from the tears he'd cried, his head still resting comfortably on Lance's chest. The older boy was still holding the speed demon possesively, protecting him from any nightmares that might return to plague him.
"If they don't want those pancakes, I'll eat 'em," Todd turned to look at Fred, the two plates still in his hands, and the overweight teen raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"They're... snuggling," Fred blinked.
"What?"
"They're snuggling!" He stepped aside to let Fred inside, and the older boy gaped at the scene before him.
"They're..."
"Yeah..."
"If you're not gonna bring me those pancakes, get the hell out," Todd started. Pietro was awake? Sure enough, a pair of sapphire eyes stared at them, over one of Pietro's arms- both of which were wrapped tightly around Lance's waist. The ropes that bound him to the bed were long enough that he could lay on his stomach- though they didn't allow much more than that- and were twisted, as he was doing just that, "Well? Food?"
"Uh... Yeah, here..." Slowly, the youngest teen crossed the room, almost afraid to get any nearer to the speedster. With a grin, Pietro sat up- stirring Lance from his deep slumber- and grabbed the plate from Todd, stomach growling in anticipation. He paused, though, before he dug in.
"Since when can we afford to make pancakes?" Both Todd and Fred grinned.
"We did some... uh..."
"Shopping."
"Ohh... Snatching wallets again, Toad? Eh, whatever. It puts food in my stomach, I'm not complaining," Letting himself slip into Quicksilver mode, Pietro ate his breakfast as quickly as he could without choking, and then held his plate and utensils out to Todd, "There any more?"
"Hey," Lance, who was gradually pulling himself back into full consciousness, gave him a slight swat on the shoulder, "You can't do that. You'll make yourself sick. You haven't eaten for a few days. Just chill," The snowy haired mutant scowled.
"Yes, *Mom*" He intoned, sticking his tongue out at the older boy. A smile crossed Todd's face as he watched the two, Lance taking his breakfast, and Pietro trying to steal it. It was almost as if everything was back to normal.
... Almost. The bandages around Pietro's arm were a painful reminder of how *not* normal everything was. But, if he tried hard enough, he could ignore that.
~tbc~
Ok, Before I forget- I'm thinkin' I may put a little bit of *hinted* Todd/Kurt. Maybe. Give me an opinion, 'kay? (As in- REVIEW!!) ^_^
::tilts head:: I'm very sorry this took so long, though. It just doesn't seem to want to work with me. ^_^' Having a very hard time keeping Lance away from the cheesy rock puns... ::sigh:: But I try! I do!!
~*~
After the Applause Dies Down
by Wolfie
~*Without The Mask, Where Will You Hide?*~
Step by step, Lance climbed upward, a considerably sedated Pietro laying limp in his arms. The rock tumbler had threatened that, if the doctors didn't knock the smaller teen out with some sort of drug, he'd do so himself, with a fist. Needless to say, the doctors complied quickly, assuring him that Pietro would remain at least drowsy- if not completely unconscious- for the next hour, or so.
That gave them the time to bring the snowy haired boy home, place him in his bed, and tie his ankles to the bedframe- which was just where Lance was headed that moment. Between himself, Todd and Fred, they'd agreed that not a second would pass with Pietro unwatched, until- somehow- they fixed whatever was wrong. They wanted no repeats of the past few days. Honestly, Todd and Fred weren't so sure *Lance* would survive another suicide attempt on Pietro's part. Neither had ever seen anyone so close to having an anurism in their lives.
"Lance... what...?" Pietro was just coming to his senses as Lance secured the rope around his ankles and the bedframe, positive it would take even the speed demon a minute or two to untie.
"Here's the deal, Pietro- the doctors only released you into my custody on the condition that I would *not* let you out of my sight, and I don't intend to. I won't let you pull that shit again," The brown haired teen was surprisingly calm, seating himself in a chair beside Pietro's bed, "But, since I can't stay awake 24-7, Todd and Fred are gonna take my place when I need to sleep. For *at least* the next week, you're staying in that bed."
"What if I gotta piss?" Pietro retorted, voice still thick with the after effects of the sedative, a tinge of loathing laced in. Lance merely smirked.
"Then you better give me enough warning, so that I can get those ropes untied to *bring* you to the bathroom," Sapphire eyes rolled in exasperation.
"What about showers?" He was trying to find any excuse to escape this... this punishment. The idea of staying in one place for more than a few minutes was already driving him nuts.
"If you want to shower, you'll do it with one of us in the bathroom with you," A disgusted look crossed Pietro's elfin features.
"What if I wanna jack off?" The loathing in his tone was overwhelming now, practically dripping from his words.
"I didn't tie your arms down, did I?"
"You'd just sit there and *watch* me?!"
"Who knows? Maybe I'll get off too," Lances grin was lazy as he laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back comfortably in his chair. Pietro sat straight up, rage burning within the blue depths of his eyes.
"Lance, you asshole! Why are you being so fucking calm about all this?! You *tied* me to my goddamned *bed* and now you're sitting there *grinning*?!" The amusement in Lance's gaze faded, expression darkening as he leaned forward again.
"Because if I don't keep this smiling, I might just break that pretty face of yours, you *fucking* idiot," Almost instantly, the white haired boy's anger drained, "You scared the shit out of me, and I do *not* like being scared," Surprised to feel tears stinging his eyes, Pietro looked away, arms wrapping around himself. He realized that he was shaking, and willed it to stop, though it didn't really work. The raw emotion in Lance's eyes had chilled him straight to the bone.
"Scared?" He repeated, after a long moment, voice low, "Of what?"
"Of..." Lance bit his lower lip, "Of losing you..." The younger teen merely scoffed.
"Why? What do you care if I'm alive or dead?" He scoffed again, though inwardly, he was wishing he could just curl up and cry himself into oblivion. Lance hesitated, making Pietro cringe.
"What difference does it make?" Was his response, when it finally came. Pietro didn't answer. Instead, he laid himself down again, burrowing into his blankets as best he could, his back turned to the older boy. And even though he had a million different muddled thoughts stampeding through his brain, sleep overtook him quickly, enveloping him in a peaceless slumber.
~*~
When he woke again, the room was dark and a scream was being torn from his throat, images of burning villages and taunting children dissolving into the empty, engulfing blackness. He trembled terribly, cold sweat soaked into his clothing, tears streaming down his cheeks, fingers gripping tightly at his sheets. In less than an instant, Lance was by his side, moonlight reflecting in his worried eyes.
"Are you alright? What happened?" On any other occasion, Pietro would have made a snide comment on Lance's 'motherly instincts', would have scofffed and insisted nothing had happened, even with fresh tears on his cheeks, would have pretended to be irritated at the attention. On any other occasion, under any other circumstances, he would have.
But that night, with his fear still hanging in the humid air, all Pietro could manage was to turn and bury his face in the older teen's chest, and sob. With only a moment's hesitation, Lance wrapped his arms around the slight frame, palms stroking soothingly over Pietro's back. Gradually, the tears ceased and Lance moved to get up, but a slender hand clutched at his shirt as though life, itself, depended upon it.
"Please don't go," Pietro's voice was small and weak, only a bare whisper, though his plea sounded almost desperate. When Lance didn't move again, the grip on his shirt loosened, and Pietro's body relaxed, just slightly. A soft sigh fell from Lance's lips, his fingers running absently through the younger teen's sweat dampened hair. A few more minutes passed in silence, the only sound, their breathing, Pietro's slowing as the aftereffects of his nightmare faded. But even as he calmed, his eyes were still wide, staring out into the seemingly menacing darkness, one ear pressed to Lance's chest, listening to the brown haired mutant's steady heart beat.
"You're gonna get better, alright?" Lance spoke, not even sure if the other was still awake or not. Not caring either way, "I know you didn't try to kill yourself for no reason... So... I'm gonna help you fix whatever's wrong..."
"I'm broken beyond repair," He had to pause to make sure he'd heard Pietro's words, the boy's voice so painfully quiet that it could have very well been only a breeze through the trees outside the speedster's window. And then, he blinked, wondering how Pietro could have fallen so far without anyone noticing...
"You're not," He found himself pulling the snowy haired teen closer, suddenly afraid he might slip away. He would never allow that, so long as he lived. He was *determined* to gather up the shattered shards of the younger boy and piece them back together, no matter how much time it took him to do so. Pietro *would* get better.
~*~
"Hey, you two awake?" Todd pushed Pietro's bedroom door open, stopping in his tracks as his green eyes fell upon the pair on the bed. Pietro's eyes were still red and swollen from the tears he'd cried, his head still resting comfortably on Lance's chest. The older boy was still holding the speed demon possesively, protecting him from any nightmares that might return to plague him.
"If they don't want those pancakes, I'll eat 'em," Todd turned to look at Fred, the two plates still in his hands, and the overweight teen raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"They're... snuggling," Fred blinked.
"What?"
"They're snuggling!" He stepped aside to let Fred inside, and the older boy gaped at the scene before him.
"They're..."
"Yeah..."
"If you're not gonna bring me those pancakes, get the hell out," Todd started. Pietro was awake? Sure enough, a pair of sapphire eyes stared at them, over one of Pietro's arms- both of which were wrapped tightly around Lance's waist. The ropes that bound him to the bed were long enough that he could lay on his stomach- though they didn't allow much more than that- and were twisted, as he was doing just that, "Well? Food?"
"Uh... Yeah, here..." Slowly, the youngest teen crossed the room, almost afraid to get any nearer to the speedster. With a grin, Pietro sat up- stirring Lance from his deep slumber- and grabbed the plate from Todd, stomach growling in anticipation. He paused, though, before he dug in.
"Since when can we afford to make pancakes?" Both Todd and Fred grinned.
"We did some... uh..."
"Shopping."
"Ohh... Snatching wallets again, Toad? Eh, whatever. It puts food in my stomach, I'm not complaining," Letting himself slip into Quicksilver mode, Pietro ate his breakfast as quickly as he could without choking, and then held his plate and utensils out to Todd, "There any more?"
"Hey," Lance, who was gradually pulling himself back into full consciousness, gave him a slight swat on the shoulder, "You can't do that. You'll make yourself sick. You haven't eaten for a few days. Just chill," The snowy haired mutant scowled.
"Yes, *Mom*" He intoned, sticking his tongue out at the older boy. A smile crossed Todd's face as he watched the two, Lance taking his breakfast, and Pietro trying to steal it. It was almost as if everything was back to normal.
... Almost. The bandages around Pietro's arm were a painful reminder of how *not* normal everything was. But, if he tried hard enough, he could ignore that.
~tbc~
Ok, Before I forget- I'm thinkin' I may put a little bit of *hinted* Todd/Kurt. Maybe. Give me an opinion, 'kay? (As in- REVIEW!!) ^_^