Ok, this one is kinda short but I had to break things up a bit and this was just the best place to do it.
Thanks to those of you who reviewed...it makes me smile : ) Eventually I'll probably put up personal responses. Oh, and the reason they didn't really fight back isn't explained in this chapter...but it will be in the next one. Anyway, enjoy...and pretty please review!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Pietro smiled as he watched a man with white hair push a swing containing a small girl higher and higher into the air. She squealed with delight as the wind rushed through her long dark hair. Pietro began to squirm out of the arms of the woman who was holding him and ran toward the swing set.
"Daddy! My turn daddy, please!"
"Aw Pietro, you already got two turns," the small girl whined.
"Now Wanda, don't get all upset. I can push both of you."
Pietro grinned and climbed into the empty swing. "I wanna go reeeally high this time daddy, ok? I won't get scared this time."
The man smiled and began to push the small children simultaneously. Although he didn't let them gain too much height, he still told them they were near flying. They shrieked with laughter and called for their mom to come and see how high they were going.
~*~
Pietro rolled over on top of his blankets smiling. The smile melted quickly as he began to wake, the dream slipping farther and farther away from him. Clenching his eyes shut, he willed the dream to return, but it was no use. It was only a dream and nothing more. 'It's never going to be real. It never was real.'
Pietro pulled his knees into his chest and curled himself into a ball. He grit his teeth in a lame attempt to hold back tears, then released them anyway. There wasn't much point in fighting them. He just let himself sink deeper and deeper into his sadness, silently wiping away the salty liquid streaming down his face.
Lance stirred slightly in the bed across from him and slowly sat up, rubbing his temples. His eyes caught Pietro's tightly curled up body in the dim light of the room.
"Tro?" he whispered, "You awake?"
No answer. Lance crept over to Pietro's bed and sighed as he took in Pietro's trembling form.
"Hey, come on Tro. It ain't that bad."
Both Lance and Pietro knew that he wasn't referring to being at the institute. This wasn't first time Pietro had gone into depression mode. It was becoming more frequent, and Lance was honestly starting to worry about his friend.
Pietro slowly uncurled himself and sat, with his legs dangling over the edge of the mattress. He had an odd way of crying. He made no sound and simply let tears escape his eyes noiselessly. Lance sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You gonna be ok?"
Pietro nodded and started to stand. "I'm going for a run."
Lance immediately reached out and grabbed Pietro's wrist. "Oh no you're not. Not after what happened last time."
The memory of the last time Pietro had gone for a run to escape his problems was still very fresh in both of the teens' minds. He had run for hours and before he knew it, he was on the ground hardly able to breathe. He had used up every ounce of energy. When in his hyper speed state, every part of Pietro's body was beyond control. His metabolism raged and his heart and lungs worked over time. Even with his mutation he couldn't keep up with himself for that long.
Todd had found him on the side of the road, nearly dead. He was literally starving to death, his body having consumed all sources of energy to keep his lungs working, and his heart was in a panic mode. All Pietro could really remember was feeling as though he were going to die, and Todd being near hysterical.
Pietro sank back onto the bed, clamped his head in his hands, and brought his face to his knees. "I'm such a baby," he mumbled.
Todd appeared from the bunk above them and jumped when he saw them both awake. He looked at Lance who waved him on. "I got it," he told him quietly.
Todd nodded and headed out the door towards the kitchen for something to drink. Lance looked back over at Pietro and put an arm around his bony shoulders. It was no longer awkward to either one of them. Living in the environment they did it was practically vital to their sanity to comfort each other in some way. Granted, the first time Todd snapped both Lance and Pietro had just stared at him in wonder, but that had been nearly a year ago, and a lot had changed in a year.
"You aren't a baby."
Pietro choked slightly, whether on a sob or an attempt to laugh bitterly, Lance wasn't sure. Just then, Todd reappeared with a nervous look on his face.
"Pull yourself together Pietro. A few X-Geeks are on there way up here to tell us to come to dinner and I know you don't want em seeing you like that yo."
At hearing this, Pietro bolted up and hastily began to wipe tears from his face. Lance moved back to his own bed and Todd jumped above Pietro. There was a soft knock at the door and Pietro made one last attempt to put an indifferent scowl on his face, hoping they would take his blood shot eyes and blotchy face as a sign he hadn't slept much. He mentally cursed his fair skin as the knock came again followed by the creak of the door handle. Jean and Kitty stepped in timidly and glanced around.
"Uh, the professor wants you guys to eat something." Jean shifted nervously.
The three boys got off their beds silently and followed the girls out the door.
"Lance? Are you like, ok?" Kitty asked.
Lance looked down at Kitty and weak smile played on his lips. 'She cares? She cares. That's good to know. Maybe coming back here won't be so bad after all.'
"Been better," he told her honestly.
"So uh, are you gonna like, tell me why you're here anytime soon?"
Lance shrugged slightly and looked at the ground. "Eventually."
He knew the red head was listening, and he couldn't just pour his guts out to Kitty right now. They had barely talked in the past few months and he wasn't sure where they stood with each other. A tiny glimmer of hope built up inside him however, when Kitty put a hand on his arm and squeezed it gently. There was no point in denying he had feelings for her, but he had other things to think about.
The three boys ate mostly in silence, save for the sarcastic comments Pietro and Evan threw at each other occasionally. Lance and Todd were somewhat amazed at how well Pietro hid himself. His mastery of the smirk and his hyper thinking ability created the perfect mask for the insecure teen.
"Yeah, the skating was going great till I bit the dust on this one ramp," Evan said to Kurt.
Pietro snorted into his plate and looked up at Evan. "Too bad you didn't hit your face. Oh, man I'm sorry. Looks like you did; I hope they can find a plastic surgeon to fix that."
Evan glared at Pietro but kept his mouth shut, his bones shifting beneath his skin.
"What is it with you two yo? Do you even know why you hate each other anymore?" Todd snapped.
The two boys stared at each other from across the table, each with a scowl.
"Toad's got a point. Why do you two always go at it? Weren't you friends at one point?" Scott asked.
Evan and Pietro continued to glare at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. Evan was keeping his powers in check less successfully this time and there were now small protrusions appearing under his clothes. Neither one of the boys was willing to tell the truth about their disdain for one another, and decided that glaring was a lot easier than explaining.
"I'm going upstairs," Pietro said quietly. He then rose from his chair and zipped back to his room.
"Leave it alone Scott," Evan told him through gritted teeth.
Todd and Lance exchanged glances, then headed upstairs as well. They found Pietro pounding his fists into the headboard, tears streaming down his face.
"Hey I'm sorry yo, I didn't know it was such a touchy subject."
Pietro continued to pound the headboard, but tilted his head slightly at Todd, letting him know it wasn't his fault. Lance put a hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him away from the now splintered wood.
"I want...I want....Uhg!" Pietro thrashed out of Lance's grip and stalked over to the other bed, tearing at the sheets and trying to shred them apart.
"I know, trust me, I know." Lance forced the sheets away from Pietro and just looked at him, waiting for him to make the next move. It was always hard to tell what Pietro was thinking. Lance had seen him cry before, and get angry, but never actually seen him crack. He'd come pretty close on more than one occasion, but he'd always pulled himself together at the last minute.
This proved to be one of those times. Pietro brushed the tears off his face with his sleeve and flopped onto the bed.
"We're telling baldy everything tomorrow?" He asked.
Lance sighed. He really wished Pietro would just let it out for once. He shrugged. "Might as well."
Pietro nodded and turned to face the wall. "I'm going to sleep," he stated blandly. "See ya in the morning."
Todd and Lance glanced at each other and shrugged. With nothing else to do, Todd hopped easily into a top bunk and curled up under the sheets. Lance remained standing in the middle of the room for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts. His headache, which had been slightly mild since Hank had given him some medicine, was slowly returning and Lance thought it better that he get some rest now before the pain was too much to sleep with.
~*~*~*~*~
The professor watched as Hank switched one of the many monitors off and pulled out a manila envelope.
"So it isn't good?" Charles asked, sensing Dr. McCoy's frustration.
"I honestly have no idea Charles. I'm not a specialist and even if I was, they don't exactly cover what's normal for a mutant in med school." He sighed and handed the envelope to Xavier. "Everyone just assumes that his headaches are a side effect from his powers, but let's be reasonable. Have you ever known a mutant to have *that* much pain as a mere side effect of what their body should think is normal?"
"Rarely, but yes; Evan is a prime example, but that's obviously the nature of his power. I'm not sure I see the connection between a migraine and causing tremors. I'll send this to a friend of mine who treats mutants. Maybe some of her knowledge will help us at least determine whether or not his powers are the cause. In the mean time, do you have anything to help the boy with the pain?"
"Yeah, but they're just really strong pain killers. Not a permanent solution. And just as a side note: Evan's pain is nothing next to what Alvers goes through."
Charles nodded and flipped through the folder Hank had given him.
"Um, If I may ask Charles," He paused while the professor looked up, "Do you know what the feud between Evan and the Quicksilver boy is?"
Xavier nodded. "Accidently, yes. Evan is not the best at keeping his thoughts quiet and Pietro doesn't even know how to. It rather surprises me that they haven't gotten over it yet. I would have thought their friendship was more important than a stupid argument. Pietro probably needs Evan more than he realizes. That's the trouble with young men, always fighting emotions as though they were a curse, putting themselves in even more pain. Pietro particularly worries me."
Hank nodded in agreement. "It's a wonder those kids haven't just given up on life. Did you notice the change in Tolensky as well?"
"Of course. Sadly, I think he's just walled everything up. He's created his own little, and very fragile, world."
The two men sat in silence for a few moments, thinking about the possibilities that could have made the Brotherhood step into enemy territory for help. After a few minutes of silence, the professor headed to the door, on his way to contact the specialist about Lance's head. He hoped for all he was worth that it was only some mild side effect of his mutation; easily repaired so that Lance could get on with the rest of his problems and not worry about his health on top of the million other things that were surely clouding the teen's mind.
Thanks to those of you who reviewed...it makes me smile : ) Eventually I'll probably put up personal responses. Oh, and the reason they didn't really fight back isn't explained in this chapter...but it will be in the next one. Anyway, enjoy...and pretty please review!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Pietro smiled as he watched a man with white hair push a swing containing a small girl higher and higher into the air. She squealed with delight as the wind rushed through her long dark hair. Pietro began to squirm out of the arms of the woman who was holding him and ran toward the swing set.
"Daddy! My turn daddy, please!"
"Aw Pietro, you already got two turns," the small girl whined.
"Now Wanda, don't get all upset. I can push both of you."
Pietro grinned and climbed into the empty swing. "I wanna go reeeally high this time daddy, ok? I won't get scared this time."
The man smiled and began to push the small children simultaneously. Although he didn't let them gain too much height, he still told them they were near flying. They shrieked with laughter and called for their mom to come and see how high they were going.
~*~
Pietro rolled over on top of his blankets smiling. The smile melted quickly as he began to wake, the dream slipping farther and farther away from him. Clenching his eyes shut, he willed the dream to return, but it was no use. It was only a dream and nothing more. 'It's never going to be real. It never was real.'
Pietro pulled his knees into his chest and curled himself into a ball. He grit his teeth in a lame attempt to hold back tears, then released them anyway. There wasn't much point in fighting them. He just let himself sink deeper and deeper into his sadness, silently wiping away the salty liquid streaming down his face.
Lance stirred slightly in the bed across from him and slowly sat up, rubbing his temples. His eyes caught Pietro's tightly curled up body in the dim light of the room.
"Tro?" he whispered, "You awake?"
No answer. Lance crept over to Pietro's bed and sighed as he took in Pietro's trembling form.
"Hey, come on Tro. It ain't that bad."
Both Lance and Pietro knew that he wasn't referring to being at the institute. This wasn't first time Pietro had gone into depression mode. It was becoming more frequent, and Lance was honestly starting to worry about his friend.
Pietro slowly uncurled himself and sat, with his legs dangling over the edge of the mattress. He had an odd way of crying. He made no sound and simply let tears escape his eyes noiselessly. Lance sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You gonna be ok?"
Pietro nodded and started to stand. "I'm going for a run."
Lance immediately reached out and grabbed Pietro's wrist. "Oh no you're not. Not after what happened last time."
The memory of the last time Pietro had gone for a run to escape his problems was still very fresh in both of the teens' minds. He had run for hours and before he knew it, he was on the ground hardly able to breathe. He had used up every ounce of energy. When in his hyper speed state, every part of Pietro's body was beyond control. His metabolism raged and his heart and lungs worked over time. Even with his mutation he couldn't keep up with himself for that long.
Todd had found him on the side of the road, nearly dead. He was literally starving to death, his body having consumed all sources of energy to keep his lungs working, and his heart was in a panic mode. All Pietro could really remember was feeling as though he were going to die, and Todd being near hysterical.
Pietro sank back onto the bed, clamped his head in his hands, and brought his face to his knees. "I'm such a baby," he mumbled.
Todd appeared from the bunk above them and jumped when he saw them both awake. He looked at Lance who waved him on. "I got it," he told him quietly.
Todd nodded and headed out the door towards the kitchen for something to drink. Lance looked back over at Pietro and put an arm around his bony shoulders. It was no longer awkward to either one of them. Living in the environment they did it was practically vital to their sanity to comfort each other in some way. Granted, the first time Todd snapped both Lance and Pietro had just stared at him in wonder, but that had been nearly a year ago, and a lot had changed in a year.
"You aren't a baby."
Pietro choked slightly, whether on a sob or an attempt to laugh bitterly, Lance wasn't sure. Just then, Todd reappeared with a nervous look on his face.
"Pull yourself together Pietro. A few X-Geeks are on there way up here to tell us to come to dinner and I know you don't want em seeing you like that yo."
At hearing this, Pietro bolted up and hastily began to wipe tears from his face. Lance moved back to his own bed and Todd jumped above Pietro. There was a soft knock at the door and Pietro made one last attempt to put an indifferent scowl on his face, hoping they would take his blood shot eyes and blotchy face as a sign he hadn't slept much. He mentally cursed his fair skin as the knock came again followed by the creak of the door handle. Jean and Kitty stepped in timidly and glanced around.
"Uh, the professor wants you guys to eat something." Jean shifted nervously.
The three boys got off their beds silently and followed the girls out the door.
"Lance? Are you like, ok?" Kitty asked.
Lance looked down at Kitty and weak smile played on his lips. 'She cares? She cares. That's good to know. Maybe coming back here won't be so bad after all.'
"Been better," he told her honestly.
"So uh, are you gonna like, tell me why you're here anytime soon?"
Lance shrugged slightly and looked at the ground. "Eventually."
He knew the red head was listening, and he couldn't just pour his guts out to Kitty right now. They had barely talked in the past few months and he wasn't sure where they stood with each other. A tiny glimmer of hope built up inside him however, when Kitty put a hand on his arm and squeezed it gently. There was no point in denying he had feelings for her, but he had other things to think about.
The three boys ate mostly in silence, save for the sarcastic comments Pietro and Evan threw at each other occasionally. Lance and Todd were somewhat amazed at how well Pietro hid himself. His mastery of the smirk and his hyper thinking ability created the perfect mask for the insecure teen.
"Yeah, the skating was going great till I bit the dust on this one ramp," Evan said to Kurt.
Pietro snorted into his plate and looked up at Evan. "Too bad you didn't hit your face. Oh, man I'm sorry. Looks like you did; I hope they can find a plastic surgeon to fix that."
Evan glared at Pietro but kept his mouth shut, his bones shifting beneath his skin.
"What is it with you two yo? Do you even know why you hate each other anymore?" Todd snapped.
The two boys stared at each other from across the table, each with a scowl.
"Toad's got a point. Why do you two always go at it? Weren't you friends at one point?" Scott asked.
Evan and Pietro continued to glare at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. Evan was keeping his powers in check less successfully this time and there were now small protrusions appearing under his clothes. Neither one of the boys was willing to tell the truth about their disdain for one another, and decided that glaring was a lot easier than explaining.
"I'm going upstairs," Pietro said quietly. He then rose from his chair and zipped back to his room.
"Leave it alone Scott," Evan told him through gritted teeth.
Todd and Lance exchanged glances, then headed upstairs as well. They found Pietro pounding his fists into the headboard, tears streaming down his face.
"Hey I'm sorry yo, I didn't know it was such a touchy subject."
Pietro continued to pound the headboard, but tilted his head slightly at Todd, letting him know it wasn't his fault. Lance put a hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him away from the now splintered wood.
"I want...I want....Uhg!" Pietro thrashed out of Lance's grip and stalked over to the other bed, tearing at the sheets and trying to shred them apart.
"I know, trust me, I know." Lance forced the sheets away from Pietro and just looked at him, waiting for him to make the next move. It was always hard to tell what Pietro was thinking. Lance had seen him cry before, and get angry, but never actually seen him crack. He'd come pretty close on more than one occasion, but he'd always pulled himself together at the last minute.
This proved to be one of those times. Pietro brushed the tears off his face with his sleeve and flopped onto the bed.
"We're telling baldy everything tomorrow?" He asked.
Lance sighed. He really wished Pietro would just let it out for once. He shrugged. "Might as well."
Pietro nodded and turned to face the wall. "I'm going to sleep," he stated blandly. "See ya in the morning."
Todd and Lance glanced at each other and shrugged. With nothing else to do, Todd hopped easily into a top bunk and curled up under the sheets. Lance remained standing in the middle of the room for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts. His headache, which had been slightly mild since Hank had given him some medicine, was slowly returning and Lance thought it better that he get some rest now before the pain was too much to sleep with.
~*~*~*~*~
The professor watched as Hank switched one of the many monitors off and pulled out a manila envelope.
"So it isn't good?" Charles asked, sensing Dr. McCoy's frustration.
"I honestly have no idea Charles. I'm not a specialist and even if I was, they don't exactly cover what's normal for a mutant in med school." He sighed and handed the envelope to Xavier. "Everyone just assumes that his headaches are a side effect from his powers, but let's be reasonable. Have you ever known a mutant to have *that* much pain as a mere side effect of what their body should think is normal?"
"Rarely, but yes; Evan is a prime example, but that's obviously the nature of his power. I'm not sure I see the connection between a migraine and causing tremors. I'll send this to a friend of mine who treats mutants. Maybe some of her knowledge will help us at least determine whether or not his powers are the cause. In the mean time, do you have anything to help the boy with the pain?"
"Yeah, but they're just really strong pain killers. Not a permanent solution. And just as a side note: Evan's pain is nothing next to what Alvers goes through."
Charles nodded and flipped through the folder Hank had given him.
"Um, If I may ask Charles," He paused while the professor looked up, "Do you know what the feud between Evan and the Quicksilver boy is?"
Xavier nodded. "Accidently, yes. Evan is not the best at keeping his thoughts quiet and Pietro doesn't even know how to. It rather surprises me that they haven't gotten over it yet. I would have thought their friendship was more important than a stupid argument. Pietro probably needs Evan more than he realizes. That's the trouble with young men, always fighting emotions as though they were a curse, putting themselves in even more pain. Pietro particularly worries me."
Hank nodded in agreement. "It's a wonder those kids haven't just given up on life. Did you notice the change in Tolensky as well?"
"Of course. Sadly, I think he's just walled everything up. He's created his own little, and very fragile, world."
The two men sat in silence for a few moments, thinking about the possibilities that could have made the Brotherhood step into enemy territory for help. After a few minutes of silence, the professor headed to the door, on his way to contact the specialist about Lance's head. He hoped for all he was worth that it was only some mild side effect of his mutation; easily repaired so that Lance could get on with the rest of his problems and not worry about his health on top of the million other things that were surely clouding the teen's mind.