A/N: O.O Bloody Christ, this is getting long. My longest *ever*, I believe.
redrose- ^_^' Nope, not me. Evanescence lyrics. As are the chapter titles. I *wish* I could think of such cool things... And yes, I know. My Draco muse hasn't stopped bugging me. I haven't slept in weeks... ::grin::
~*~
After the Applause Dies Down
by Wolfie
~Closing Your Eyes To Disappear~
"Pietro."
Lance gave the slender boy curled up against him a slight nudge.
"Pietro. Wake up."
But, Pietro would have none of that. With an almost indignant huff, the speedster smacked the prodding hand away and promptly yanked his blankets up, over his head.
"Dammit, get *up*! We gotta go to school!"
Muffled, from beneath the thick comfortor came a rather familiar voice.
"Fuck school."
It was at this point that Lance decided that drastic measures were needed. He managed to disentangle himself from the younger teen and slip out of bed, searching the floor for his boxers. He found them crumpled in the opposite corner, and he had to wonder why exactly Pietro felt the need to fling his clothes that far away.
Once he was decent enough to do so, the rock tumbler stepped out into the hall, across into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. He double checked the water- making sure it was icy- then walked back to Pietro's room, to retrieve his rather reluctant boyfriend. Back into the bathroom now, the speed demon resting rather daintily in his arms.
"Not fair, Lance. Put me back. It's cold in here..."
Lance raised one eyebrow, unable to stop a slight smirk, and set Pietro down, forcing the snowy haired mutant to stand on his own two feet. Then, rather abruptly, he shoved Pietro under the cold spray of water. It took less than a second for the surprised shriek to leave Pietro's throat. He scrambled out of the shower, sputtering and coughing and soaked- and vaguely thankful he'd slept in the buff.
"What the fuck?!"
"Good morning, sweetie," Lance said with about a pound of false sweetness slopped on, practically oozing from his words and mocking Pietro endlessly. He shouldn't have been half as shocked as he was when he found himself being shoved into the icy shower.
~*~
Lance and Pietro walked into the kitchen together, neither speaking. Their silence lingered as they both prepared their own breakfasts- Lance, a bowl of cereal and Pietro, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and toast- and kept on until finally, Todd decided that he should speak up.
"What happened to you two?"
Fred followed his train of thought.
"And what was up with all that screaming in the bathroom this morning?"
Suddenly, both paled, staring at Lance and Pietro in slight horror.
"Yo, you guys didn't-"
"Yeah, man. We *all* gotta use that shower..."
Sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Shut up. We didn't fucking fuck in the fucking shower," Pietro snapped, gripping his fork so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, "*Someone* just thought that it'd be *funny* to dump me in there, under the cold water this morning. Good fucking morning," The look that Lance shot the speedster was less than loving.
"Maybe if you'd get your lazy ass out of bed, I wouldn't have to resort to shit like that."
"Maybe you could think of a nicer way to wake me up!"
Todd's eyes widened considerably.
"Hey. Hey!"
Both Lance and Pietro turned their vicious gazes back to the youngest mutant.
"What?" They demanded, almost in perfect unison- then glared at one another again.
"Don't fight! I mean- we're a family, right? We're the fuckin' *Brotherhood*!" The small teen grinned a bit sheepishly- a bit pleadingly. There were really only two things that scared him. *Really* scared him. The thought of one of his friends dying, and the thought of *any* of his friends leaving. And he'd already been too close to one of those fears, he wasn't going to chance the second.
After a long, frighteningly tense moment, Lance sighed.
"Yeah. We're the fuckin' Brotherhood..." He wasn't half as enthusiastic, but Todd saw the shift, the way Lance's right arm moved *just* a bit toward Pietro. He didn't have to look under the table to know that the two were holding hands. His sheepish grin broadened, more confident.
"Yeah," He agreed, and with that, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and left, already finished with his own breakfast.
"Weirdo..." Pietro muttered, looking down so that no one would see the smile that spread across his face. He really had gotten to be very fond of Todd. Honestly, the little Toad was the closest he had to family- more than his own, *real* family would ever be to him.
"You're one to talk," The speedster jumped. He hadn't realized Lance was so close, and the brush of lips and hot breath on his ear sent an unexpected tingle down his spine. And he laughed. And for once- for the first time in what felt like forever- it wasn't forced. It wasn't fake.
~*~
Pietro had a smirk on his face when he walked into Auto Shop that day. As usual, he was a few minutes late. He made his way to his usual table, sat down on the same stool he always sat on, and flashed Kurt a huge, self-satisfied grin. The German teen looked away quickly.
"So..." He drawled, ignoring whatever it was they were supposed to be doing. They had a substitute teacher that day, anyway, "Kurt. Have you thought about it?" Todd's eyes widened immediately.
"Ja... Ja. I've thought about it," Pietro couldn't quite tell if Kurt was grimacing, or smiling.
"And?"
"Not *now*," The snowy haired boy scoffed.
"When?"
"Later!"
"Fine."
"*Fine*."
Todd blinked, now- utterly confused. He looked from Pietro, to Kurt, to Pietro again. Then blinked once more.
"Um... Guys?" Both boys looked at him, "Am I missin' somethin' here?"
~*~
Todd was almost afraid to step foot out of the school that afternoon. He had a horrible, overwhelming feeling of dread, creeping up from the pit of his stomach and lodging itself in his chest, making it hard to breathe. Just what were Pietro and Kurt talking about, anyway? He knew- *knew*- that it had something to do with Pietro's intentions of getting the two of them together but...
"Gah!" He took out his frustrations on the nearest locker, kicking it as hard as he could manage. Somehow, the dent left there was quite satisfying.
"Vhat did that locker ever do to you?" The brunette spun around, startled, and then flushed brightly as he realized just who he was now face-to-face with. Kurt gave a slight nod, indicating for Todd to follow him, and the two walked in silence- no questions asked- out of the school. They passed Lance, Pietro and Fred, who were already in the Jeep, waiting. And then, Scott, Jean and Kitty, who seemed to be waiting as well. Slowly- painfully slowly- they made their way around the back of the building, both boys looking as if they were going to face an executioner.
"So... uh... what's up?" Todd finally asked, leaning as nonchalantly as he could against the side of the school. Kurt's hands were stuffed into his pockets, his eyes downcast.
"Me and Pietro have been talking... y'know?" The younger boy nodded, barely aware of his own actions, "Ja... and... he brought something interesting to my attention..."
"Yeah?" Todd's throat was dry, his voice coming out as hardly more than a hoarse whisper.
"Ja... And... I vas... I vas vondering..." Kurt kicked at the ground idly with the toe of his sneaker, "If... maybe sometime..." Todd bit his lower lip, felt his cheeks growing hot. He'd never even dared to imagine anything like this happening. Was Kurt... asking him out?
"Yeah?" He found himself repeating his own words, when Kurt trailed off, and the older mutant looked up, an odd look in his eyes.
"If maybe... you'dliketogotothemoviesorsomething?"
Silence.
And then... laughter.
"Y'mean it?" He didn't really sound that hopeful, did he? Honestly, he didn't feel any differently about Kurt than he did anyone else. Of course not. There was no *hope* in his voice.
And if he kept telling himself that, he might just believe it.
"Like... a date?" Kurt looked more embarassed than before, nodding almost miserably, "Fuck yeah! Uh, I mean... yeah. That'd be cool," And then, it was the German's turn to laugh.
"I think I liked the enthusiastic one better."
"Too bad for you," Todd gave Kurt a small shove, grinning like he'd never grinned before, "Besides, it sounded too desperate. I ain't quite there, *yet*."
"Oh, I see how it is..." On Kurt's face was a ghost of a wicked smile, and he turned away, shrugging, "Vell, then, never mind..."
"Hey! You can't do that! Get back here!" Todd leapt, and a moment later, the two boys hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and laughter, playfully beating on one another.
~*~
"So? So? Sososososososososososo?!"
Todd didn't even have time to put his back pack down before Pietro was bouncing around him, grinning almost maliciously.
"So what?"
And for once, he had the upper hand. He could drag Pietro around a bit before he told him about the date he was supposed to be going on the coming Friday. He could make the speedster think that nothing more had transpired between himself and Kurt than a talk about homework. He could really tell Pietro anything he wanted. And, God, it was going to be fun.
"So what?! So what fucking happened? I saw you two! You were around the back of the school!! What *happened*?!"
Todd merely shrugged.
"Not much."
And Pietro very nearly shrieked.
"Not much?! Not *much*?! What do you mean 'not much'?! Something happened, Todd! Dammit, you'd better tell me!!"
"I already told you. Not. Much."
Pietro was very obviously fuming. This was *his* project! *He* was the one trying to help Todd lose his virginity! The least the little brat could do would be to *tell* him!
"Ooh! You-"
"Pietro, leave him alone."
Both Pietro and Todd were surprised at Lance's intervention. But the rock tumbler didn't even seem to notice, flipping carelessly through a magazine as he passed by. And then, Pietro looked as if he suddenly remembered something.
"You'll just have to tell me later!" He chirped, grinning as he rushed after Lance, grabbing the older teen by the arm and yanking him up the stairs. The magazine Lance had been reading fell the floor, forgotten, at Todd's feet.
~tbc~
::claps:: Finally! Todd and Kurt!! Together! YAY! But... what did Pietro say to Kurt anyway? ::grin:: You'll just have to wait and find out! ^_^ Review!
redrose- ^_^' Nope, not me. Evanescence lyrics. As are the chapter titles. I *wish* I could think of such cool things... And yes, I know. My Draco muse hasn't stopped bugging me. I haven't slept in weeks... ::grin::
~*~
After the Applause Dies Down
by Wolfie
~Closing Your Eyes To Disappear~
"Pietro."
Lance gave the slender boy curled up against him a slight nudge.
"Pietro. Wake up."
But, Pietro would have none of that. With an almost indignant huff, the speedster smacked the prodding hand away and promptly yanked his blankets up, over his head.
"Dammit, get *up*! We gotta go to school!"
Muffled, from beneath the thick comfortor came a rather familiar voice.
"Fuck school."
It was at this point that Lance decided that drastic measures were needed. He managed to disentangle himself from the younger teen and slip out of bed, searching the floor for his boxers. He found them crumpled in the opposite corner, and he had to wonder why exactly Pietro felt the need to fling his clothes that far away.
Once he was decent enough to do so, the rock tumbler stepped out into the hall, across into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. He double checked the water- making sure it was icy- then walked back to Pietro's room, to retrieve his rather reluctant boyfriend. Back into the bathroom now, the speed demon resting rather daintily in his arms.
"Not fair, Lance. Put me back. It's cold in here..."
Lance raised one eyebrow, unable to stop a slight smirk, and set Pietro down, forcing the snowy haired mutant to stand on his own two feet. Then, rather abruptly, he shoved Pietro under the cold spray of water. It took less than a second for the surprised shriek to leave Pietro's throat. He scrambled out of the shower, sputtering and coughing and soaked- and vaguely thankful he'd slept in the buff.
"What the fuck?!"
"Good morning, sweetie," Lance said with about a pound of false sweetness slopped on, practically oozing from his words and mocking Pietro endlessly. He shouldn't have been half as shocked as he was when he found himself being shoved into the icy shower.
~*~
Lance and Pietro walked into the kitchen together, neither speaking. Their silence lingered as they both prepared their own breakfasts- Lance, a bowl of cereal and Pietro, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and toast- and kept on until finally, Todd decided that he should speak up.
"What happened to you two?"
Fred followed his train of thought.
"And what was up with all that screaming in the bathroom this morning?"
Suddenly, both paled, staring at Lance and Pietro in slight horror.
"Yo, you guys didn't-"
"Yeah, man. We *all* gotta use that shower..."
Sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Shut up. We didn't fucking fuck in the fucking shower," Pietro snapped, gripping his fork so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, "*Someone* just thought that it'd be *funny* to dump me in there, under the cold water this morning. Good fucking morning," The look that Lance shot the speedster was less than loving.
"Maybe if you'd get your lazy ass out of bed, I wouldn't have to resort to shit like that."
"Maybe you could think of a nicer way to wake me up!"
Todd's eyes widened considerably.
"Hey. Hey!"
Both Lance and Pietro turned their vicious gazes back to the youngest mutant.
"What?" They demanded, almost in perfect unison- then glared at one another again.
"Don't fight! I mean- we're a family, right? We're the fuckin' *Brotherhood*!" The small teen grinned a bit sheepishly- a bit pleadingly. There were really only two things that scared him. *Really* scared him. The thought of one of his friends dying, and the thought of *any* of his friends leaving. And he'd already been too close to one of those fears, he wasn't going to chance the second.
After a long, frighteningly tense moment, Lance sighed.
"Yeah. We're the fuckin' Brotherhood..." He wasn't half as enthusiastic, but Todd saw the shift, the way Lance's right arm moved *just* a bit toward Pietro. He didn't have to look under the table to know that the two were holding hands. His sheepish grin broadened, more confident.
"Yeah," He agreed, and with that, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and left, already finished with his own breakfast.
"Weirdo..." Pietro muttered, looking down so that no one would see the smile that spread across his face. He really had gotten to be very fond of Todd. Honestly, the little Toad was the closest he had to family- more than his own, *real* family would ever be to him.
"You're one to talk," The speedster jumped. He hadn't realized Lance was so close, and the brush of lips and hot breath on his ear sent an unexpected tingle down his spine. And he laughed. And for once- for the first time in what felt like forever- it wasn't forced. It wasn't fake.
~*~
Pietro had a smirk on his face when he walked into Auto Shop that day. As usual, he was a few minutes late. He made his way to his usual table, sat down on the same stool he always sat on, and flashed Kurt a huge, self-satisfied grin. The German teen looked away quickly.
"So..." He drawled, ignoring whatever it was they were supposed to be doing. They had a substitute teacher that day, anyway, "Kurt. Have you thought about it?" Todd's eyes widened immediately.
"Ja... Ja. I've thought about it," Pietro couldn't quite tell if Kurt was grimacing, or smiling.
"And?"
"Not *now*," The snowy haired boy scoffed.
"When?"
"Later!"
"Fine."
"*Fine*."
Todd blinked, now- utterly confused. He looked from Pietro, to Kurt, to Pietro again. Then blinked once more.
"Um... Guys?" Both boys looked at him, "Am I missin' somethin' here?"
~*~
Todd was almost afraid to step foot out of the school that afternoon. He had a horrible, overwhelming feeling of dread, creeping up from the pit of his stomach and lodging itself in his chest, making it hard to breathe. Just what were Pietro and Kurt talking about, anyway? He knew- *knew*- that it had something to do with Pietro's intentions of getting the two of them together but...
"Gah!" He took out his frustrations on the nearest locker, kicking it as hard as he could manage. Somehow, the dent left there was quite satisfying.
"Vhat did that locker ever do to you?" The brunette spun around, startled, and then flushed brightly as he realized just who he was now face-to-face with. Kurt gave a slight nod, indicating for Todd to follow him, and the two walked in silence- no questions asked- out of the school. They passed Lance, Pietro and Fred, who were already in the Jeep, waiting. And then, Scott, Jean and Kitty, who seemed to be waiting as well. Slowly- painfully slowly- they made their way around the back of the building, both boys looking as if they were going to face an executioner.
"So... uh... what's up?" Todd finally asked, leaning as nonchalantly as he could against the side of the school. Kurt's hands were stuffed into his pockets, his eyes downcast.
"Me and Pietro have been talking... y'know?" The younger boy nodded, barely aware of his own actions, "Ja... and... he brought something interesting to my attention..."
"Yeah?" Todd's throat was dry, his voice coming out as hardly more than a hoarse whisper.
"Ja... And... I vas... I vas vondering..." Kurt kicked at the ground idly with the toe of his sneaker, "If... maybe sometime..." Todd bit his lower lip, felt his cheeks growing hot. He'd never even dared to imagine anything like this happening. Was Kurt... asking him out?
"Yeah?" He found himself repeating his own words, when Kurt trailed off, and the older mutant looked up, an odd look in his eyes.
"If maybe... you'dliketogotothemoviesorsomething?"
Silence.
And then... laughter.
"Y'mean it?" He didn't really sound that hopeful, did he? Honestly, he didn't feel any differently about Kurt than he did anyone else. Of course not. There was no *hope* in his voice.
And if he kept telling himself that, he might just believe it.
"Like... a date?" Kurt looked more embarassed than before, nodding almost miserably, "Fuck yeah! Uh, I mean... yeah. That'd be cool," And then, it was the German's turn to laugh.
"I think I liked the enthusiastic one better."
"Too bad for you," Todd gave Kurt a small shove, grinning like he'd never grinned before, "Besides, it sounded too desperate. I ain't quite there, *yet*."
"Oh, I see how it is..." On Kurt's face was a ghost of a wicked smile, and he turned away, shrugging, "Vell, then, never mind..."
"Hey! You can't do that! Get back here!" Todd leapt, and a moment later, the two boys hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and laughter, playfully beating on one another.
~*~
"So? So? Sososososososososososo?!"
Todd didn't even have time to put his back pack down before Pietro was bouncing around him, grinning almost maliciously.
"So what?"
And for once, he had the upper hand. He could drag Pietro around a bit before he told him about the date he was supposed to be going on the coming Friday. He could make the speedster think that nothing more had transpired between himself and Kurt than a talk about homework. He could really tell Pietro anything he wanted. And, God, it was going to be fun.
"So what?! So what fucking happened? I saw you two! You were around the back of the school!! What *happened*?!"
Todd merely shrugged.
"Not much."
And Pietro very nearly shrieked.
"Not much?! Not *much*?! What do you mean 'not much'?! Something happened, Todd! Dammit, you'd better tell me!!"
"I already told you. Not. Much."
Pietro was very obviously fuming. This was *his* project! *He* was the one trying to help Todd lose his virginity! The least the little brat could do would be to *tell* him!
"Ooh! You-"
"Pietro, leave him alone."
Both Pietro and Todd were surprised at Lance's intervention. But the rock tumbler didn't even seem to notice, flipping carelessly through a magazine as he passed by. And then, Pietro looked as if he suddenly remembered something.
"You'll just have to tell me later!" He chirped, grinning as he rushed after Lance, grabbing the older teen by the arm and yanking him up the stairs. The magazine Lance had been reading fell the floor, forgotten, at Todd's feet.
~tbc~
::claps:: Finally! Todd and Kurt!! Together! YAY! But... what did Pietro say to Kurt anyway? ::grin:: You'll just have to wait and find out! ^_^ Review!