Wow, I wrote this in like one sitting...odd lol. Anyway, all of you reviewers are AWESOME!
Dana Tyler- As cute as Kietro is...Kurtty all the way lol (sorry, I just love those two too much)
Jounouchi Kun Joey- Yeah, I read some book where this girl did something kind of like Todd too...sorta. I don't know what it is exactly cuz I don't have room in my schedule to take psychology *pouts*
KS-Fan- WOOOOOW. I love reviews like that lol. You're reading my mind btw. A lot of what u were suggesting was swirling in my head already :) Lance is gonna find support with some X-Men (Kitty is one of them obviously...the other may be a bit different hehe) And ya, im gonna start pulling the X-men in more starting with this chapter. Yep, Todd's gonna have depression issues for awhile (obviously...poor kids a wreck). Thanks for the compliment bout Proff X. Compliments make me happy. Also, I can not thank you enough for your anesthesia info. I was seriously starting to worry about that cuz I've never even witnessed someone go through it, never mind actually been through it myself. So that will help immensely. As for Hank...he wont be doing the surgery...I've never read the comics (sad story...*sigh*) but n e who, I just made him the doctor dude cuz it just made sense to me. Anyway, thank you soooo much. That review is what made me finish this chapter faster. (Im so gonna regret staying up this late when my alarm goes off tom morning)
Maikafuiniel- Aww...don't cry! (Actually that kinda makes me happy cuz that means you felt something...but still)
Ok, so this chapter may be a little more choppy than usual...but I *did* do it all at once so forgive me. (My thought patterns tend to be random lol)
Chapter 7 I don't want to run
Pietro stood at the corner of the basketball court and took his starting position. He stared straight ahead and prepared to launch himself across the concrete, then he hesitated.
'Lance will kill me if he finds out.' He surveyed the court once again and shook his head. 'Too bad.'
He sprung forward and lapped the court several times in matter of seconds. He breathed in the air as it gushed past him and tilted his face up so that he could feel the force of the wind. He often wondered what running was like for everyone else. He used to think that he was one of the luckiest mutants alive. His power was easy to hide, and kept him in peak physical condition. Only a few months ago had he learned the curse that came with his powers. He couldn't just run freely any more, he had to make sure he didn't overexert himself and had to make sure Todd and Lance were convinced that he could keep himself in control. It scared the other brotherhood boys to death every time Pietro ran. Even the simple act of zipping up the stairs brought twinged looks of worry to the two boys.
The fact of the matter however, was that Pietro *had* to run. He couldn't help it and he didn't ever bother to try and explain it to anyone, he just had to. Especially now– when his head was so full of thoughts he simply had to release them the best way he could.
A stab of pain seared in his chest and an odd sort of smile crept across his face. Normally, a short run like this wouldn't effect him but because he was already weak, he couldn't go as long as he used to. He pressed himself onward and felt his left leg begin to scream in protest. The smile grew wider. He hated that he was smiling. The whole situation was sick enough and he had to go and make things even more twisted by smiling about it. He could stop anytime he wanted and knew he really should soon before his right leg seized up as well and he ended up tripping.
Tripping may not sound too dramatic, but when you were running at such an amazing speed, it could be a pretty dangerous event. Then Lance and Todd would know he had been running and they'd spaz out. He forced himself to slow down, his smile fading as the pain decreased.
He froze suddenly, as he realized he wasn't alone.
"Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean ta interrupt ya or anything," Rogue said with a weak smile, "Ah just wanna talk ta ya alright? Ah'm sick of this crap."
"You know I'm not a talker Rogue. It's just not how I work," Pietro shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted to his mask of indifference. "Just because we were close once doesn't mean we automatically are now."
"Riiight. So here's the thing Pietro...Ah don't really care about you're whole 'I don't give a flying fruitcake about anyone or anything' facade, cuz ta be quite honest, Ah know it's a bunch of bull. Ah also know that you *do* still care about me even if you want to pretend not to," Rogue crossed her arms and glared at Pietro. She wished he would just let the old crap between them go so they could both move on with their lives.
"Flying Fruitcake? What the hell is up with that? Anyway, since when are you so perceptive missy? You absorb Jean or something? You don't have a clue what you're talking about. How dare you try and pretend you know how my head works," Pietro's icy glare continued to counter Rogue's.
Rogue shifted her weight to one leg and put a hand on her hip. She had made up with Lance and Todd after only one conversation. They both had realized that it wasn't her fault she stopped coming by the house, and they had basically just picked up their relationships where they left off. Pietro on the hand, was too stubborn. Of all the brotherhood members, Pietro had been the closest to her and it infuriated her that he was just letting that go.
"You're being ridiculous. You really think Ah buy yall's tough guy production? Ah know you three better than that. Ah'd be willing to bet money that you actually readjust you're faces into those horrible scowls every time you leave you're room."
Pietro's frown deepened. "You don't know anything. You don't know anything about me at all! Now why don't you just go back inside and forget about me and whatever friendship we had so I can run in peace!"
Pietro clenched his fists and his face began to flush with anger. She was making him feel just like the professor did and at the moment he hated her for it. He didn't like how she was so aware of his fragile state of mind and it was making him nervous and angry all at once.
"You idiot! Don't tell me Ah don't know nothing about you! Don't try an tell me Ah don't know what Ah'm talking about!"
"Well you don't!"
"Pietro!" Rogue yelled exasperated, "YOU'VE BEEN INSIDE MY HEAD!!!"
A chilling sensation swept over Pietro and he knew she had won. He had forgotten that she had absorbed his powers once and he wished more than anything right now that he could run off and hide. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why does she have to be so...so right!'
"Look, how bout we just pick up where we left off. That's what I did with Lance and Todd and we're doing just fine. You gave Evan a chance for crying out loud!"
Pietro met Rogue's eyes for the first time without a glare. "I *hate* that you know me like this. I really, really do."
Rogue looked a bit surprised by his reaction. "There's not much Ah can do about that Quickie."
He sighed heavily. "Just...I dunno."
"Yeah, Ah know you need your space. Listen though, it may actually help if you talked to *someone.* It doesn't have ta be me."
Pietro nodded. "Whatever."
Before the silence that followed grew too awkward, the professor sent Pietro a message, asking him to come to his office.
Pietro jumped about three feet in the air and let out a muffled squeal. He was not at all accustomed to other people's voices echoing inside his head and it really freaked him out every time it happened.
Rogue raised an eyebrow at him and he blushed furiously. Rogue bit her lip and began to giggle.
"Oh, ha ha, very funny. Do you ever get used to that?"
"Used ta what?" Rogue asked, not aware of the cause of Pietro's yelp.
"The professor's mental message thing that he does," he said as his blush deepened.
Rogue giggled again and Pietro, after a few seconds of pointless glaring, grinned as well.
"You know Rogue, giggling really isn't you."
She punched him playfully on the arm and grabbed his elbow, pulling him toward the mansion.
"Come on. The professor's probably waiting for ya. Oh yeah, by the way, flying fruitcake is a force of habit now. Gotta curve the cussing remember? Mansion rule." she paused and gently tightened her grip on his bony arm, "Have you been eating anything?"
Pietro yanked his arm away from the brunette and his grin vanished. "Yes, thank you," he said curtly.
Rogue frowned. Obviously she had said the wrong thing again. 'Note to self: don't mention Fred or being really thin around Pietro unless he brings it up first. Why the heck does he shut down so randomly?'
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Alright, so you're saying Todd's is a nutcase?" Pietro asked bewildered.
"No, no. Nothing of the sort. He has a lot of mental concerns however," the professor explained.
Lance rolled his eyes. "So basically, he's a nutcase."
The professor sighed and rubbed his temples. It was hard to concentrate with Pietro yelling so much in his head. "No, Lance," he said firmly, "He is not by any means a 'nutcase' as you put it."
"Look proff, I don't know what you saw, but I saw a seriously screwed up kid back there. Now can you fix him or not?" Pietro spat.
"Look, it completely breaks doctor- patient confidentiality if I tell you all the specifics. Would you want me to tell Lance everything you mentally project?" Xavier pointed out gently.
Pietro sank back in his chair, defeated in an argument for the second time in twenty minutes.
"Um, professor, I know it wouldn't be right for you to tell us anything specific, but I'm sure Todd wouldn't mind you at least explaining what's wrong. You would know wouldn't you? You're the one that was in his head," Lance said.
Lance had an odd look to him at the moment. He seemed completely depleted of all energy and the look of an old man had still not left him.
The professor nodded his head slowly. "Yes, I believe you're right. Um, let me think of how to put all of this in simpler terms for you."
"Good idea, I've had all the medical gibberish I can take," Lance stated bitterly.
Smiling sympathetically, the professor folded his hands on his desk and began to explain Todd's situation.
"Alright, sometimes, when a person experiences some type of traumatic experience, they form a mental block. Of course you can't just have a big gaping hole in your memory, at least not one of this type, so that block has to be filled with something. In Todd's case, it was his own little world. When something bad is going on, he shuts down and retreats to his fake world. Judging by the number of barricades in Todd's memory, he's been doing it even before he met Mystique. Such things are usually started at one key event, usually abuse. I'm guessing Todd often became very unresponsive when Fred was beating him?"
Lance and Pietro nodded, a little dumbfounded.
"Mmm, as I thought. What he was doing when he was like that was imagining other things. Pretending, if you will. Only in a much more serious way. What happened today was a breaking point for him. His fake world and reality simply collided. He didn't know how to handle it. Basically what I did was organize his thoughts a little better and separate what he had made up from what really happened. I won't lie to you boys, it *is* serious, but he can over come it with time...and you're support. I've learned a great deal about you three today."
Pietro's mouth was agape as he stared at the professor. Lance had his eyes closed, trying to think straight despite his headache.
Xavier sighed and leaned forward. "I don't know what to say to you boys. All this happening at once has got to be incredibly taxing on you. I can assure you that Todd will be ok with time. If he's willing to let me help him that is. He needs to slowly let me break down his mental walls so that he can deal with what's behind them. I didn't break any today, that would have been too much for him. Do you understand what I mean? He won't be able to fake his happy self anymore now that he knows the truth. He'll probably become depressed for some time," Xavier paused for a second to make sure Lance and Pietro were still calm, "Do you know anything of his past? Family, perhaps?"
Lance wrinkled his nose and a somber expression crossed Pietro's face.
"He's got a mom. She uh, she ain't much of a mom though. She's a crack addict. Always got men at the house, supporting her next fix if you get what I mean. I'd drop Todd off over there once or twice a month to he could see her. Let her know he was still alive and junk. Not that she ever seemed to care. He always got real scared before he went in the house. Once he literally just sat in the car for an hour before he got out," Lance explained with a look of disgust on his face.
Pietro nudged him hard in the ribs, giving him a death glare.
"What? He was gonna find out eventually!" Lance defended.
"He's right Pietro. Well, I believe that's all I can really tell you as of now. Todd is really going to need you two, especially in the next couple of days. Make sue he eats, try to talk to him normally. Just some warning for what's ahead; he's going to be incredibly apathetic, he'll probably break down irregularly, suffer from nightmares, lose his appetite, etcetera. Just be there for him like you were today; that's the best advice I can give you just now. In a few days, I'll set up sessions with him."
The two boys stood up and mumbled their thanks to Xavier. They trudged silently down the hall, avoiding the common rooms as they knew there were probably several X-Men in them.
"You really made up with Rogue?" Pietro blurted out suddenly.
Lance, not surprised by the random outburst as they were quite common with Pietro, nodded. "Why wouldn't I? She's the same old Rogue."
"Yeah, but..."
"But nothin. It wasn't her fault."
Pietro sighed. "She just gets to me."
Lance smirked. "Anyone that you can't run from gets to you. Even me sometimes."
"Hey, that's not fair."
Lance merely shrugged. "Whatever. I need to go find McCoy, my head is killing me."
Pietro winced and his stomach turned at Lance's statement. "Don't say it like that."
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking about it like that." He was about to turn down the next hall but then stopped and faced Pietro, "Maybe you should have sessions with Xavier too."
Pietro dropped his jaw and gave Lance a horrified look. "No friggin' way!"
"Hey, sorry. It was just a suggestion. You really need to let some of this junk out though Tro."
"Oh not this again! We've had this conversation. I can handle it."
"Really now? Is hurting yourself as effective as the cutters claim it is?" Lance asked cooly.
"What are you talking about?!? I don't cut myself up like some lunatic!"
Lance glared at him and subconsciously pulled his gloves up.
"Oh, man I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"Save it," Lance said sharply. "The point is, I know why you run. I've seen you do it."
Pietro opened his mouth to argue then closed it again when he remembered he was already 0 for 2 today. He didn't know how Lance could possibly know!
"Find a better way to get your anger out Tro, ok?" and then he spun around to find Hank.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rogue sank into her mattress and sighed. She had to admit that she was pretty frazzled with how erratic Pietro was acting. She still had no idea what had happened to make them come here and for the first time she was realizing how bad it must have been to make Pietro desperate enough for him to seek the professor's help. Then again, she was pretty certain that there were more than recent events weighing on the speed demon. He spent half his life building emotional barriers for one reason or another; she knew that much just from spending time with him around the rest of the brotherhood. He had changed since then though; that part she had learned from having him in her head on Asteroid M.
"Rogue! Help me!" Kitty had just phased in the room wearing nothing but a towel and was now frantically rushing around the room in search of an outfit.
"Where's the fire?" Rogue asked the panting girl.
"It's my date. I'm supposed to like, be out of here in thirty minutes."
Rogue rolled her eyes and got up off the bed. On any other occasion, she would have just buried her head under the blankets and left Kitty to panic in solitude. However, she knew that the date was with Kurt, and she didn't want her brother being forced to sit and wait when he was already nervous.
Kitty stared at Rogue with her mouth hanging open and blinked. The goth was holding out a perfect outfit and instructing Kitty to change while the curling iron heated up.
"You're gonna help me?" Kitty said amazed.
Rogue shrugged and shoved the clothes into Kitty's hand. "Ah'll curl the back of your layers for ya. Ah know you ain't used ta wearing your hair down and it'll take ya forever."
Kitty blinked at Rogue a few more times then sprinted off to change. When she returned, Rogue was waiting for her with the curling iron in hand.
"Sit," she instructed.
Kitty grinned as Rogue traded the curling iron for the blow dryer when she noticed the back of her hair was still slightly wet.
"Thanks so much Rogue. I woulda had to wear it up like usual," Kitty shouted over the roar of the dryer.
Rogue just shrugged and switched the dryer off. She expertly separated Kitty's top layers from the bottom one and clipped it at the top of her head.
"Yeesh Rogue, when did you learn to do this?" Kitty was obviously impressed. She hadn't ever noticed Rogue taking this much care with her own hair.
Rogue blushed slightly as she sprayed the bottom layer with hair spray. "Well uh…Ok, Ah used ta work in a beauty parlor back home. Just as a receptionist!" she added hastily, "Ah needed a job and that was all Ah could really find. Don't you go telling anyone though. Ah happen to like my reputation just the way it is."
Kitty giggled and rolled her eyes. "Give it up Rogue. We all know you're a softy. Your rep has been out the window ever since you got all emotional over Mystique being Kurt's mom."
"Ah am not a softy!"
"Ouch! Watch it with that thing," Kitty squealed as she ducked out of the curling iron's range. "Like, whatever you say Rogue. But we all know better."
Scowling, Rogue pulled the clip out of Kitty's hair a little rougher than she usually would have. Kitty pretended not to notice.
"So like, why were you late to the sim earlier?"
"Oh, um, Ah needed to talk to Pietro. Ah dunno what's up with him," Rogue waited for Kitty to start prying, but to her shock, Kitty wasn't looking at her with her usual gossip hungry expression. Instead her face held a serious tone with only a hint of mild curiosity.
"So did he tell you the whole story?"
"Uh, no. You know the whole story?"
Kitty nodded. "Lance told me."
"Well don't tell me," Rogue said quickly, knowing that Kitty was prone to spilling secrets.
"I wasn't going to," Kitty said seriously, "If they want you to know, they'll tell you."
Rogue was slightly surprised at Kitty's loyalty to the brotherhood but didn't bother to question it for the time being. "Ah dunno Kitty. Ah think he's a lot more screwed up than he acts.. I dunno if Ah ever told you, but me an' the brotherhood stayed pretty close even after Ah came here."
Kitty nodded. "I knew."
Rogue didn't bother to ask how.
A mysterious grin spread across Kitty's face. "You two would be the cutest couple."
Rogue's mouth dropped open and she stared at Kitty's reflection. She was grinning from ear to ear and looking very pleased with herself.
"Who?"
Kitty giggled. "Pietro."
Rogue nearly dropped the curling iron. "What the heck are ya talkin' about?! Pietro…no he, uhg, no."
Kitty just nodded and her grin widened. "Oh yes you would. You just haven't realized it yet."
"Oh but you have?" Rogue spat sarcastically.
"Rogue my hair!" Rogue had forgotten she was curling it and it was beginning to smoke. She released the brown tresses before any real damage was done.
"Yes I have," Kitty continued, "It's that look on your face when you talk about him. Just trust me on this one, you and Pietro would make a perfect match."
"Well it kinda helps if the people involved have those kind of feelings for each other now doesn't it! And since *that* isn't ever gonna happen you can forget the whole idea. For someone who knows so much about these things, it sure took you a long time to realize you like Kurt." Rogue said bitterly. Kitty's accusation was crazy, but she knew there was no point in arguing with her when she had made up her mind.
Kitty sighed and crossed her legs. "Yeah I know. Lance was just slightly distracting, ya know? With that whole bad guy thing he had going. And like, let's face it, it's kinda hard to get used to Kurt's fur," an odd look crossed her face and she smiled almost dreamily, "but he's incredibly cute once you start thinking of him as Kurt rather than a demon. I simply can't get over the long hair thing. It's way hot."
Rogue wrinkled her nose. "Kitty, Lance has long hair too."
Kitty snapped out of her daze and an expression that looked as though this thought had never occurred to her before crossed her face. "Oh yeah. Maybe it's cuz Kurt like actually brushes his," she glanced down at the clock and her eyes widened. "Rogue! I gotta get out of here!"
"Ah know, Ah know. There, you're all done." Rogue stepped back and smiled at Kitty's reflection. Her hair was nice down and Rogue caught herself wishing her own hair would flip like that. "Here, close your eyes." Rogue sprayed the front of Kitty's hair then handed her a pair of shoes. "Now get out of here."
"Thank you so much Rogue." Kitty breathed, admiring herself in the mirror. "You're gonna hafta like, share your hair skills with the other girls."
"Don't you dare tell them Ah can style hair! There's no way Ah'm gonna be the institute's beautician. Besides, Ah did that for Kurt not you, so don't go thinking we're all close now or somethin'." Rogue cracked a smile and Kitty giggled.
"No of course not." She gave Rogue a brief hug then began to phase through the floor. "Think about what I said about Pietro!" she called just before her head disappeared.
Rolling her eyes, Rogue turned back to her bed, wanting nothing more than a good nap before the evening training. She shook her head. 'Kitty's crazy. Pietro? Ha! She's insane.'
~*~*~*~*~*~
Pietro stared at the wooden beams above his head and tried to at least pretend he was tired. It wasn't working though. He was too busy mulling over the days events. 'Lance has tumor and Todd has a huge mental issue. Today was great, juuust great. How much bad news can one person endure for crying out loud!'
His mind drifted to what Lance had said about his running 'problem.' It wasn't just the physical running either. 'It's a hell of a lot better to run and hide. No one gets hurt that way, including myself. So what's he making such a big deal out of it for?'
His thoughts broke off as he heard sheets rustling somewhere in the darkness. He glanced over at Lance who was sleeping soundly, thanks to Hank's sleeping pills. Lance would never get any sleep without them. A faint whimper came from Todd's bunk and Pietro sat up. The bed jolted slightly as Todd thrashed around.
Pietro crept out of the bed and stood up on the ladder, peering over the rail to Todd's mattress. Todd was twisting around and whimpering more and more by the second and Pietro realized he wasn't awake.
"Todd?" he whispered, "Hey, come on Todd wake up."
He reached over and nudged Todd's shoulder. His amber eyes flew open and he let out a muffled yelp as he sat up, straight as a board. He was panting and shaking with an intensely confused look on his face.
"Todd?"
The brunette slowly turned to face Pietro and the confused look on his face became even more pronounced. "Pietr.." his voice caught in his throat and tears began to spill down his face. He laid back down and curled himself into a tight ball, shaking.
Pietro rose his eyebrows and watched as Todd hugged himself tighter. This was Lance's department, always had been, but Lance was so out of it that there was no point in waking him up. 'What's he shaking so much for? It's not like shivering or anything...fear?' As soon as the realization dawned on him, Pietro felt his stomach knot. He doubted anything he said would be of comfort and there was no way he was about to let Todd just lay there and cry into the night alone. So he did the only thing he could think of.
He swung his legs over the rail and sat down next to Todd on the mattress. Not exactly sure what to do next, he just sat there a few minutes.
"Tro?" Todd whimpered.
"Yeah?" Pietro responded, glad that Todd was making some attempt at conversation.
"Am I- Am I insane yo?"
Pietro frowned. "No way. You've just got some weird stuff going on in your head but you aren't crazy. The proff explained it to me and Lance kinda."
"I feel like I'm insane."
Pietro wasn't sure what to say, so he just shook his head and patted Todd awkwardly on the shoulder. Todd was crying again, obviously terrified of something, but Pietro didn't have a clue what.
"Pietro," Todd whispered weakly, "Are you gonna leave me?"
Pietro looked at the back of Todd's head and a sudden wave of understanding hit him. He couldn't pin point what it was exactly, but he suddenly knew what Todd needed.
"Nope. I'm not going anywhere. Not tonight or ever. Ok? Go back to sleep, I'll be here."
Todd remained quiet, but his shaking eased as Pietro slid under the blanket and laid down. It was the most awkward experience of Pietro's life to date. Sharing a bed, a *small* bed, with a guy was not on his list of comfortable things to do. For Todd though, he endured it, and eventually Todd drifted off again.
Pietro stared at the ceiling and a very odd thought washed over him. 'If I had run away from Todd, he wouldn't be asleep right now. He would be crying into the darkness and there definitely isn't anything worse than that.' He looked over at Todd's motionless form and then to Lance's. 'It hurts them. My running away from everything *hurts* them.'
He shivered slightly, and curled up closer to Todd, more for his own comfort this time. 'Shit! I don't want to run anymore. But I can't stop. I don't know how...I don't know how to stop...'
AN: Ok, sorry if this wasn't too smooth. I know the Rogue stuff in here was sorta...random lol I'm trying to pull the X-Men into things so it'll prolly be happening more often. Please Review...it's what I thrive on : )
Dana Tyler- As cute as Kietro is...Kurtty all the way lol (sorry, I just love those two too much)
Jounouchi Kun Joey- Yeah, I read some book where this girl did something kind of like Todd too...sorta. I don't know what it is exactly cuz I don't have room in my schedule to take psychology *pouts*
KS-Fan- WOOOOOW. I love reviews like that lol. You're reading my mind btw. A lot of what u were suggesting was swirling in my head already :) Lance is gonna find support with some X-Men (Kitty is one of them obviously...the other may be a bit different hehe) And ya, im gonna start pulling the X-men in more starting with this chapter. Yep, Todd's gonna have depression issues for awhile (obviously...poor kids a wreck). Thanks for the compliment bout Proff X. Compliments make me happy. Also, I can not thank you enough for your anesthesia info. I was seriously starting to worry about that cuz I've never even witnessed someone go through it, never mind actually been through it myself. So that will help immensely. As for Hank...he wont be doing the surgery...I've never read the comics (sad story...*sigh*) but n e who, I just made him the doctor dude cuz it just made sense to me. Anyway, thank you soooo much. That review is what made me finish this chapter faster. (Im so gonna regret staying up this late when my alarm goes off tom morning)
Maikafuiniel- Aww...don't cry! (Actually that kinda makes me happy cuz that means you felt something...but still)
Ok, so this chapter may be a little more choppy than usual...but I *did* do it all at once so forgive me. (My thought patterns tend to be random lol)
Chapter 7 I don't want to run
Pietro stood at the corner of the basketball court and took his starting position. He stared straight ahead and prepared to launch himself across the concrete, then he hesitated.
'Lance will kill me if he finds out.' He surveyed the court once again and shook his head. 'Too bad.'
He sprung forward and lapped the court several times in matter of seconds. He breathed in the air as it gushed past him and tilted his face up so that he could feel the force of the wind. He often wondered what running was like for everyone else. He used to think that he was one of the luckiest mutants alive. His power was easy to hide, and kept him in peak physical condition. Only a few months ago had he learned the curse that came with his powers. He couldn't just run freely any more, he had to make sure he didn't overexert himself and had to make sure Todd and Lance were convinced that he could keep himself in control. It scared the other brotherhood boys to death every time Pietro ran. Even the simple act of zipping up the stairs brought twinged looks of worry to the two boys.
The fact of the matter however, was that Pietro *had* to run. He couldn't help it and he didn't ever bother to try and explain it to anyone, he just had to. Especially now– when his head was so full of thoughts he simply had to release them the best way he could.
A stab of pain seared in his chest and an odd sort of smile crept across his face. Normally, a short run like this wouldn't effect him but because he was already weak, he couldn't go as long as he used to. He pressed himself onward and felt his left leg begin to scream in protest. The smile grew wider. He hated that he was smiling. The whole situation was sick enough and he had to go and make things even more twisted by smiling about it. He could stop anytime he wanted and knew he really should soon before his right leg seized up as well and he ended up tripping.
Tripping may not sound too dramatic, but when you were running at such an amazing speed, it could be a pretty dangerous event. Then Lance and Todd would know he had been running and they'd spaz out. He forced himself to slow down, his smile fading as the pain decreased.
He froze suddenly, as he realized he wasn't alone.
"Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean ta interrupt ya or anything," Rogue said with a weak smile, "Ah just wanna talk ta ya alright? Ah'm sick of this crap."
"You know I'm not a talker Rogue. It's just not how I work," Pietro shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted to his mask of indifference. "Just because we were close once doesn't mean we automatically are now."
"Riiight. So here's the thing Pietro...Ah don't really care about you're whole 'I don't give a flying fruitcake about anyone or anything' facade, cuz ta be quite honest, Ah know it's a bunch of bull. Ah also know that you *do* still care about me even if you want to pretend not to," Rogue crossed her arms and glared at Pietro. She wished he would just let the old crap between them go so they could both move on with their lives.
"Flying Fruitcake? What the hell is up with that? Anyway, since when are you so perceptive missy? You absorb Jean or something? You don't have a clue what you're talking about. How dare you try and pretend you know how my head works," Pietro's icy glare continued to counter Rogue's.
Rogue shifted her weight to one leg and put a hand on her hip. She had made up with Lance and Todd after only one conversation. They both had realized that it wasn't her fault she stopped coming by the house, and they had basically just picked up their relationships where they left off. Pietro on the hand, was too stubborn. Of all the brotherhood members, Pietro had been the closest to her and it infuriated her that he was just letting that go.
"You're being ridiculous. You really think Ah buy yall's tough guy production? Ah know you three better than that. Ah'd be willing to bet money that you actually readjust you're faces into those horrible scowls every time you leave you're room."
Pietro's frown deepened. "You don't know anything. You don't know anything about me at all! Now why don't you just go back inside and forget about me and whatever friendship we had so I can run in peace!"
Pietro clenched his fists and his face began to flush with anger. She was making him feel just like the professor did and at the moment he hated her for it. He didn't like how she was so aware of his fragile state of mind and it was making him nervous and angry all at once.
"You idiot! Don't tell me Ah don't know nothing about you! Don't try an tell me Ah don't know what Ah'm talking about!"
"Well you don't!"
"Pietro!" Rogue yelled exasperated, "YOU'VE BEEN INSIDE MY HEAD!!!"
A chilling sensation swept over Pietro and he knew she had won. He had forgotten that she had absorbed his powers once and he wished more than anything right now that he could run off and hide. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why does she have to be so...so right!'
"Look, how bout we just pick up where we left off. That's what I did with Lance and Todd and we're doing just fine. You gave Evan a chance for crying out loud!"
Pietro met Rogue's eyes for the first time without a glare. "I *hate* that you know me like this. I really, really do."
Rogue looked a bit surprised by his reaction. "There's not much Ah can do about that Quickie."
He sighed heavily. "Just...I dunno."
"Yeah, Ah know you need your space. Listen though, it may actually help if you talked to *someone.* It doesn't have ta be me."
Pietro nodded. "Whatever."
Before the silence that followed grew too awkward, the professor sent Pietro a message, asking him to come to his office.
Pietro jumped about three feet in the air and let out a muffled squeal. He was not at all accustomed to other people's voices echoing inside his head and it really freaked him out every time it happened.
Rogue raised an eyebrow at him and he blushed furiously. Rogue bit her lip and began to giggle.
"Oh, ha ha, very funny. Do you ever get used to that?"
"Used ta what?" Rogue asked, not aware of the cause of Pietro's yelp.
"The professor's mental message thing that he does," he said as his blush deepened.
Rogue giggled again and Pietro, after a few seconds of pointless glaring, grinned as well.
"You know Rogue, giggling really isn't you."
She punched him playfully on the arm and grabbed his elbow, pulling him toward the mansion.
"Come on. The professor's probably waiting for ya. Oh yeah, by the way, flying fruitcake is a force of habit now. Gotta curve the cussing remember? Mansion rule." she paused and gently tightened her grip on his bony arm, "Have you been eating anything?"
Pietro yanked his arm away from the brunette and his grin vanished. "Yes, thank you," he said curtly.
Rogue frowned. Obviously she had said the wrong thing again. 'Note to self: don't mention Fred or being really thin around Pietro unless he brings it up first. Why the heck does he shut down so randomly?'
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Alright, so you're saying Todd's is a nutcase?" Pietro asked bewildered.
"No, no. Nothing of the sort. He has a lot of mental concerns however," the professor explained.
Lance rolled his eyes. "So basically, he's a nutcase."
The professor sighed and rubbed his temples. It was hard to concentrate with Pietro yelling so much in his head. "No, Lance," he said firmly, "He is not by any means a 'nutcase' as you put it."
"Look proff, I don't know what you saw, but I saw a seriously screwed up kid back there. Now can you fix him or not?" Pietro spat.
"Look, it completely breaks doctor- patient confidentiality if I tell you all the specifics. Would you want me to tell Lance everything you mentally project?" Xavier pointed out gently.
Pietro sank back in his chair, defeated in an argument for the second time in twenty minutes.
"Um, professor, I know it wouldn't be right for you to tell us anything specific, but I'm sure Todd wouldn't mind you at least explaining what's wrong. You would know wouldn't you? You're the one that was in his head," Lance said.
Lance had an odd look to him at the moment. He seemed completely depleted of all energy and the look of an old man had still not left him.
The professor nodded his head slowly. "Yes, I believe you're right. Um, let me think of how to put all of this in simpler terms for you."
"Good idea, I've had all the medical gibberish I can take," Lance stated bitterly.
Smiling sympathetically, the professor folded his hands on his desk and began to explain Todd's situation.
"Alright, sometimes, when a person experiences some type of traumatic experience, they form a mental block. Of course you can't just have a big gaping hole in your memory, at least not one of this type, so that block has to be filled with something. In Todd's case, it was his own little world. When something bad is going on, he shuts down and retreats to his fake world. Judging by the number of barricades in Todd's memory, he's been doing it even before he met Mystique. Such things are usually started at one key event, usually abuse. I'm guessing Todd often became very unresponsive when Fred was beating him?"
Lance and Pietro nodded, a little dumbfounded.
"Mmm, as I thought. What he was doing when he was like that was imagining other things. Pretending, if you will. Only in a much more serious way. What happened today was a breaking point for him. His fake world and reality simply collided. He didn't know how to handle it. Basically what I did was organize his thoughts a little better and separate what he had made up from what really happened. I won't lie to you boys, it *is* serious, but he can over come it with time...and you're support. I've learned a great deal about you three today."
Pietro's mouth was agape as he stared at the professor. Lance had his eyes closed, trying to think straight despite his headache.
Xavier sighed and leaned forward. "I don't know what to say to you boys. All this happening at once has got to be incredibly taxing on you. I can assure you that Todd will be ok with time. If he's willing to let me help him that is. He needs to slowly let me break down his mental walls so that he can deal with what's behind them. I didn't break any today, that would have been too much for him. Do you understand what I mean? He won't be able to fake his happy self anymore now that he knows the truth. He'll probably become depressed for some time," Xavier paused for a second to make sure Lance and Pietro were still calm, "Do you know anything of his past? Family, perhaps?"
Lance wrinkled his nose and a somber expression crossed Pietro's face.
"He's got a mom. She uh, she ain't much of a mom though. She's a crack addict. Always got men at the house, supporting her next fix if you get what I mean. I'd drop Todd off over there once or twice a month to he could see her. Let her know he was still alive and junk. Not that she ever seemed to care. He always got real scared before he went in the house. Once he literally just sat in the car for an hour before he got out," Lance explained with a look of disgust on his face.
Pietro nudged him hard in the ribs, giving him a death glare.
"What? He was gonna find out eventually!" Lance defended.
"He's right Pietro. Well, I believe that's all I can really tell you as of now. Todd is really going to need you two, especially in the next couple of days. Make sue he eats, try to talk to him normally. Just some warning for what's ahead; he's going to be incredibly apathetic, he'll probably break down irregularly, suffer from nightmares, lose his appetite, etcetera. Just be there for him like you were today; that's the best advice I can give you just now. In a few days, I'll set up sessions with him."
The two boys stood up and mumbled their thanks to Xavier. They trudged silently down the hall, avoiding the common rooms as they knew there were probably several X-Men in them.
"You really made up with Rogue?" Pietro blurted out suddenly.
Lance, not surprised by the random outburst as they were quite common with Pietro, nodded. "Why wouldn't I? She's the same old Rogue."
"Yeah, but..."
"But nothin. It wasn't her fault."
Pietro sighed. "She just gets to me."
Lance smirked. "Anyone that you can't run from gets to you. Even me sometimes."
"Hey, that's not fair."
Lance merely shrugged. "Whatever. I need to go find McCoy, my head is killing me."
Pietro winced and his stomach turned at Lance's statement. "Don't say it like that."
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking about it like that." He was about to turn down the next hall but then stopped and faced Pietro, "Maybe you should have sessions with Xavier too."
Pietro dropped his jaw and gave Lance a horrified look. "No friggin' way!"
"Hey, sorry. It was just a suggestion. You really need to let some of this junk out though Tro."
"Oh not this again! We've had this conversation. I can handle it."
"Really now? Is hurting yourself as effective as the cutters claim it is?" Lance asked cooly.
"What are you talking about?!? I don't cut myself up like some lunatic!"
Lance glared at him and subconsciously pulled his gloves up.
"Oh, man I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"Save it," Lance said sharply. "The point is, I know why you run. I've seen you do it."
Pietro opened his mouth to argue then closed it again when he remembered he was already 0 for 2 today. He didn't know how Lance could possibly know!
"Find a better way to get your anger out Tro, ok?" and then he spun around to find Hank.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rogue sank into her mattress and sighed. She had to admit that she was pretty frazzled with how erratic Pietro was acting. She still had no idea what had happened to make them come here and for the first time she was realizing how bad it must have been to make Pietro desperate enough for him to seek the professor's help. Then again, she was pretty certain that there were more than recent events weighing on the speed demon. He spent half his life building emotional barriers for one reason or another; she knew that much just from spending time with him around the rest of the brotherhood. He had changed since then though; that part she had learned from having him in her head on Asteroid M.
"Rogue! Help me!" Kitty had just phased in the room wearing nothing but a towel and was now frantically rushing around the room in search of an outfit.
"Where's the fire?" Rogue asked the panting girl.
"It's my date. I'm supposed to like, be out of here in thirty minutes."
Rogue rolled her eyes and got up off the bed. On any other occasion, she would have just buried her head under the blankets and left Kitty to panic in solitude. However, she knew that the date was with Kurt, and she didn't want her brother being forced to sit and wait when he was already nervous.
Kitty stared at Rogue with her mouth hanging open and blinked. The goth was holding out a perfect outfit and instructing Kitty to change while the curling iron heated up.
"You're gonna help me?" Kitty said amazed.
Rogue shrugged and shoved the clothes into Kitty's hand. "Ah'll curl the back of your layers for ya. Ah know you ain't used ta wearing your hair down and it'll take ya forever."
Kitty blinked at Rogue a few more times then sprinted off to change. When she returned, Rogue was waiting for her with the curling iron in hand.
"Sit," she instructed.
Kitty grinned as Rogue traded the curling iron for the blow dryer when she noticed the back of her hair was still slightly wet.
"Thanks so much Rogue. I woulda had to wear it up like usual," Kitty shouted over the roar of the dryer.
Rogue just shrugged and switched the dryer off. She expertly separated Kitty's top layers from the bottom one and clipped it at the top of her head.
"Yeesh Rogue, when did you learn to do this?" Kitty was obviously impressed. She hadn't ever noticed Rogue taking this much care with her own hair.
Rogue blushed slightly as she sprayed the bottom layer with hair spray. "Well uh…Ok, Ah used ta work in a beauty parlor back home. Just as a receptionist!" she added hastily, "Ah needed a job and that was all Ah could really find. Don't you go telling anyone though. Ah happen to like my reputation just the way it is."
Kitty giggled and rolled her eyes. "Give it up Rogue. We all know you're a softy. Your rep has been out the window ever since you got all emotional over Mystique being Kurt's mom."
"Ah am not a softy!"
"Ouch! Watch it with that thing," Kitty squealed as she ducked out of the curling iron's range. "Like, whatever you say Rogue. But we all know better."
Scowling, Rogue pulled the clip out of Kitty's hair a little rougher than she usually would have. Kitty pretended not to notice.
"So like, why were you late to the sim earlier?"
"Oh, um, Ah needed to talk to Pietro. Ah dunno what's up with him," Rogue waited for Kitty to start prying, but to her shock, Kitty wasn't looking at her with her usual gossip hungry expression. Instead her face held a serious tone with only a hint of mild curiosity.
"So did he tell you the whole story?"
"Uh, no. You know the whole story?"
Kitty nodded. "Lance told me."
"Well don't tell me," Rogue said quickly, knowing that Kitty was prone to spilling secrets.
"I wasn't going to," Kitty said seriously, "If they want you to know, they'll tell you."
Rogue was slightly surprised at Kitty's loyalty to the brotherhood but didn't bother to question it for the time being. "Ah dunno Kitty. Ah think he's a lot more screwed up than he acts.. I dunno if Ah ever told you, but me an' the brotherhood stayed pretty close even after Ah came here."
Kitty nodded. "I knew."
Rogue didn't bother to ask how.
A mysterious grin spread across Kitty's face. "You two would be the cutest couple."
Rogue's mouth dropped open and she stared at Kitty's reflection. She was grinning from ear to ear and looking very pleased with herself.
"Who?"
Kitty giggled. "Pietro."
Rogue nearly dropped the curling iron. "What the heck are ya talkin' about?! Pietro…no he, uhg, no."
Kitty just nodded and her grin widened. "Oh yes you would. You just haven't realized it yet."
"Oh but you have?" Rogue spat sarcastically.
"Rogue my hair!" Rogue had forgotten she was curling it and it was beginning to smoke. She released the brown tresses before any real damage was done.
"Yes I have," Kitty continued, "It's that look on your face when you talk about him. Just trust me on this one, you and Pietro would make a perfect match."
"Well it kinda helps if the people involved have those kind of feelings for each other now doesn't it! And since *that* isn't ever gonna happen you can forget the whole idea. For someone who knows so much about these things, it sure took you a long time to realize you like Kurt." Rogue said bitterly. Kitty's accusation was crazy, but she knew there was no point in arguing with her when she had made up her mind.
Kitty sighed and crossed her legs. "Yeah I know. Lance was just slightly distracting, ya know? With that whole bad guy thing he had going. And like, let's face it, it's kinda hard to get used to Kurt's fur," an odd look crossed her face and she smiled almost dreamily, "but he's incredibly cute once you start thinking of him as Kurt rather than a demon. I simply can't get over the long hair thing. It's way hot."
Rogue wrinkled her nose. "Kitty, Lance has long hair too."
Kitty snapped out of her daze and an expression that looked as though this thought had never occurred to her before crossed her face. "Oh yeah. Maybe it's cuz Kurt like actually brushes his," she glanced down at the clock and her eyes widened. "Rogue! I gotta get out of here!"
"Ah know, Ah know. There, you're all done." Rogue stepped back and smiled at Kitty's reflection. Her hair was nice down and Rogue caught herself wishing her own hair would flip like that. "Here, close your eyes." Rogue sprayed the front of Kitty's hair then handed her a pair of shoes. "Now get out of here."
"Thank you so much Rogue." Kitty breathed, admiring herself in the mirror. "You're gonna hafta like, share your hair skills with the other girls."
"Don't you dare tell them Ah can style hair! There's no way Ah'm gonna be the institute's beautician. Besides, Ah did that for Kurt not you, so don't go thinking we're all close now or somethin'." Rogue cracked a smile and Kitty giggled.
"No of course not." She gave Rogue a brief hug then began to phase through the floor. "Think about what I said about Pietro!" she called just before her head disappeared.
Rolling her eyes, Rogue turned back to her bed, wanting nothing more than a good nap before the evening training. She shook her head. 'Kitty's crazy. Pietro? Ha! She's insane.'
~*~*~*~*~*~
Pietro stared at the wooden beams above his head and tried to at least pretend he was tired. It wasn't working though. He was too busy mulling over the days events. 'Lance has tumor and Todd has a huge mental issue. Today was great, juuust great. How much bad news can one person endure for crying out loud!'
His mind drifted to what Lance had said about his running 'problem.' It wasn't just the physical running either. 'It's a hell of a lot better to run and hide. No one gets hurt that way, including myself. So what's he making such a big deal out of it for?'
His thoughts broke off as he heard sheets rustling somewhere in the darkness. He glanced over at Lance who was sleeping soundly, thanks to Hank's sleeping pills. Lance would never get any sleep without them. A faint whimper came from Todd's bunk and Pietro sat up. The bed jolted slightly as Todd thrashed around.
Pietro crept out of the bed and stood up on the ladder, peering over the rail to Todd's mattress. Todd was twisting around and whimpering more and more by the second and Pietro realized he wasn't awake.
"Todd?" he whispered, "Hey, come on Todd wake up."
He reached over and nudged Todd's shoulder. His amber eyes flew open and he let out a muffled yelp as he sat up, straight as a board. He was panting and shaking with an intensely confused look on his face.
"Todd?"
The brunette slowly turned to face Pietro and the confused look on his face became even more pronounced. "Pietr.." his voice caught in his throat and tears began to spill down his face. He laid back down and curled himself into a tight ball, shaking.
Pietro rose his eyebrows and watched as Todd hugged himself tighter. This was Lance's department, always had been, but Lance was so out of it that there was no point in waking him up. 'What's he shaking so much for? It's not like shivering or anything...fear?' As soon as the realization dawned on him, Pietro felt his stomach knot. He doubted anything he said would be of comfort and there was no way he was about to let Todd just lay there and cry into the night alone. So he did the only thing he could think of.
He swung his legs over the rail and sat down next to Todd on the mattress. Not exactly sure what to do next, he just sat there a few minutes.
"Tro?" Todd whimpered.
"Yeah?" Pietro responded, glad that Todd was making some attempt at conversation.
"Am I- Am I insane yo?"
Pietro frowned. "No way. You've just got some weird stuff going on in your head but you aren't crazy. The proff explained it to me and Lance kinda."
"I feel like I'm insane."
Pietro wasn't sure what to say, so he just shook his head and patted Todd awkwardly on the shoulder. Todd was crying again, obviously terrified of something, but Pietro didn't have a clue what.
"Pietro," Todd whispered weakly, "Are you gonna leave me?"
Pietro looked at the back of Todd's head and a sudden wave of understanding hit him. He couldn't pin point what it was exactly, but he suddenly knew what Todd needed.
"Nope. I'm not going anywhere. Not tonight or ever. Ok? Go back to sleep, I'll be here."
Todd remained quiet, but his shaking eased as Pietro slid under the blanket and laid down. It was the most awkward experience of Pietro's life to date. Sharing a bed, a *small* bed, with a guy was not on his list of comfortable things to do. For Todd though, he endured it, and eventually Todd drifted off again.
Pietro stared at the ceiling and a very odd thought washed over him. 'If I had run away from Todd, he wouldn't be asleep right now. He would be crying into the darkness and there definitely isn't anything worse than that.' He looked over at Todd's motionless form and then to Lance's. 'It hurts them. My running away from everything *hurts* them.'
He shivered slightly, and curled up closer to Todd, more for his own comfort this time. 'Shit! I don't want to run anymore. But I can't stop. I don't know how...I don't know how to stop...'
AN: Ok, sorry if this wasn't too smooth. I know the Rogue stuff in here was sorta...random lol I'm trying to pull the X-Men into things so it'll prolly be happening more often. Please Review...it's what I thrive on : )