------
Author's Note:
Greetings.
Read, REVIEW, and enjoy. ;) Pretty please. Comments on reviews are at the bottom again.
Cheers.
Jack
------
Silence so thick you could cut it with a knife. A little clichéd, perhaps, but it certainly fit the picture. Amanda's eyes were smoky, with a heat usually reserved for ovens and fireplaces. The look on her face could only be described as 'lethal.' I thanked whatever god was smiling on me that she had her hands full with a backpack, because otherwise she'd have held a very sharp, probably bladed, object. The situation, in case you hadn't noticed, was difficult at the very least.
She stalked into the room like a predator. Slow and sinuous, like a tiger or a shark. Or Logan. Those dark eyes flashed at me. I had a moment to wonder if I was going to get my liver handed to me before she resumed glaring at Kurt.
Jean, I thought really hard, if you're listening: send the cavalry. Now.
It didn't work, of course. Oh, she was probably listening in and just enjoying the discomfort all around. I'd started to notice a rather vicious streak in Jean of late. Nice to know I still have that effect on people. That aside, however, I sincerely wished she was on her way up here.
"Kurt," Amanda seethed. That brought me back to reality. I could hear her teeth grind from across the room. Ouch.
"Vait, Amanda. I can explain," the former object of her affection said. Kurt sat up quickly, faster than I'd ever seen him move. I couldn't help but notice that he kept his body between Amanda and me. How sweet. Not to mention stupid, considering the look in her eyes. I could just imagine her driving her nails through him in an attempt to get at me.
"I can't wait to hear this," I said as mildly as possible. Kurt stiffened in front of me. Well, it wasn't really a lie. He still hadn't explained himself to me. Heck, maybe if he just started talking he'd be able to kill two birds with one stone. Bad analogy, perhaps. There was an all-too-real possibility of violence here. Amanda, for her part, just flicked that fiery gaze between the two of us.
"Shut up, you albino freak."
How original. She is - was? - dating a mutant, so 'mutant freak' wasn't really an option. Odd that she'd pick on my peculiar coloring instead, though. I don't look that strange, do I? I let it roll off me, having been called far, far worse things before. Besides, if she bitched long and hard enough, maybe we'd all come out of this alive. Heck, if that was a solution I'd happily put up with whatever verbal abuse she'd care to dish out. It sure beat the alternative.
Just in case, though, I kept screaming for Jean in my head.
"Don't call him that," Kurt started to say. I got his attention the only way I could, since his back was to me. I poked him hard beneath the ribs. Imagine my surprise when he choked back a giggle. Was he ticklish? I put that thought out of my mind, filing it away for later reference.
"No, wait, let her speak. It's probably for the best if we let her screech at us for a while."
Kurt looked down at me with an uncomprehending expression for a moment, but then he shrugged.
"Fine, vhatever. Go ahead, Amanda," he said in an amicable tone. "Screech avay." I groaned as Amanda's face turned a dark shade of purple. Note to self: when talking to Kurt, make sure he fully understands the English that you use.
Amanda responded by dropping the backpack onto the bed and standing over him. She stared between us with suspicious expression. Can't say I blame her. Have to admit, she did walk into a pretty damning situation.
"You want me to screech at you," she said, shaking her head slightly.
"Isn't that pretty much what you had in mind after you walked into the room?" I asked innocently. Her eyes flickered my way and I flinched involuntarily. Oh boy, was she still pissed or what?
"Vait a minute, Pietro." Kurt twisted around to look at me with suspicious eyes. Here it comes, I thought. "Vhat exactly does 'screech' mean?"
I patted his back and shot an apologetic look in his direction. "It means to scream, shout, make a scene, that sort of thing."
"Ah. I had not realized that. Are ve sure ve vant her throwing a tantrum in here?" He sounded so matter-of-fact, as though his girlfriend wasn't going to end up on trial for two counts of second-degree murder.
I winced. Kurt, Kurt, Kurt. You don't say the girl you're dating is throwing a tantrum - especially not in front of her. Phrasing like that has killed many a relationship. You'll note by my response that I didn't give a hoot myself. After all, he'd already shot himself in the foot. What's the worst I could do? "Depends on who's within earshot, I suppose. Could be embarrassing if anyone heard her throwing a hissy-fit."
"Hello, you idiots. I'm still here."
Her voice reminded me of Logan on one of his lousier days. I wasn't thrilled with that, either.
I gave her my most charming smile. That would work, wouldn't it? "I know, Amanda. Give us a minute to decide what to do here, ok?" The smile faltered as she walked over to the door and shut it firmly. I frowned, idly wondered if the room was soundproofed somehow.
"You," she said, parking her finger about an inch from my nose. She'd just had her nails painted, I noticed. There was a little pink star on the end of the one she'd thrust into my face. I followed her finger up her hand, to her arm, to her eyes. She wasn't blinking. That was a bad sign, wasn't it? I raised my eyebrows to show I was listening. I was almost afraid to speak for fear that the movement would spook her.
"Yes?" I said carefully.
"Shut up."
"All right."
She turned to Kurt. "I came by today to return that book you loaned me and ask if you wanted to go out tonight," she said. There was still a trace of imminent violence in her voice. She paused for a moment. "Oh darn it." Her eyes glittered. Crap. I hoped she wasn't going to cry. "What's going on, Kurt?" she finally said.
We both looked at the blue guy. My heart suddenly flipped in my chest. All right, so maybe he was starting to grow on me.
When he didn't respond, she spoke again and there was a slight catch in her voice.
"Don't you like me anymore, Kurt?" she said softly. Oh hell. There wasn't any right answer to that question. Kurt looked at her helplessly. I watched as he reached out to her. She drew back slightly from his touch.
"Of course I like you, Amanda!"
"Then what was that?" she asked, pointing at me again. If she wasn't careful, she was going to put an eye out with those nails. One of mine, in fact. Kurt looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. In any other situation, his expression would have been priceless. Bewildered is the only way to describe it. Not just confused, but also unsure how to respond as well. He looked between us a couple times, yellow eyes flitting quickly from one of us to the other.
"Kann ich nicht zwei Leute gleichzeitig mögen? [1]" he mumbled. Amanda looked at me and I just shrugged. I had no idea what he was saying either. He took a deep breath and rushed on. "Ich mag Sie viel, Amanda. Aber ich habe die gleichen Gefühle für Pietro und ich weiß nicht was zu tun. Ich bin traurig, daß Sie auf diese Weise herausfinden mußten. Ich bedeutete nicht, Sie zu verletzen. Nicht können wir eine Weise finden, dieses heraus zu bearbeiten, bitte? [2]"
Amanda and I shared that look again and I could see some of the anger bleeding out of her eyes. It was being replaced by doubt. Doubt is good. If doubt will diffuse the next world war from happening in my bedroom, I will happily embrace it.
"Uh, Kurt," she said.
"Hey fur-ball," I said at the same time. "Sorry. You first," I added.
She pursed her lips and I honestly thought she was going to slap me. Hopefully it wouldn't leave a bruise. I had enough of those. I was wrong, though; she didn't raise a hand. The day was looking up.
"I didn't understand a word of that, Kurt, and you know it," she said instead. Ditto, I mentally added. Maybe there was an English-German- English dictionary somewhere in the house. I couldn't be the only one who had trouble understanding him. Then she grabbed his wrist. For such a small person, she certainly didn't have any problem dragging him off the bed. "We need to talk," she said, pulling him toward the door. She shot a very, very dark look my way and added: "Alone."
He didn't say a word, just scrambled to his feet as quickly as possible. He caught my eye just before she tugged him outside the room and it was almost apologetic. Then the door crashed shut, leaving me alone for the first time that morning. It wasn't even eleven yet and I was already exhausted.
If I'd known that life in this house would be so complicated, I'd looked elsewhere for help.
I yawned, snuggling down into the pillows and sheets as best I could. Jean said she had charge of me today, which meant she'd probably come back around sooner or later. I stared off into space, trying to sort my life out while I waited for someone to wander in. I could have tried to wriggle into the wheelchair on my own, I suppose, but I didn't want to screw up. It wasn't that far from the bed to the chair to the window beyond. Visions of being found sprawled in the bushes under my window crept into my head.
I must have dozed off, which wasn't too bad. A good nap now and then doesn't hurt anything. Waking up, on the other hand, nearly stopped my heart. There was a warm, comfortable weight lying against me; I could feel hot breath against my neck and a soft snoring in my ear. I'd never woken up to someone this close to me and had to bite back the scream that was building in my throat. Paranoia sucks occasionally.
I looked down to where Kurt was curled up against me. The weight I'd been feeling was his arm draped over my stomach. His head was close enough to mine that I could tell his skin was blue underneath the fur. That was new; I really hadn't thought about it before. His eyelashes fluttered as dreamed. The rest of his body was curled up into a ball and pressed along my side. I watched as his tail twitched as though it had a life of its own.
Aww, if only I'd had a camera. Blink, blink. Good lord, I thought. Where'd that come from?
Since moving would have woken him up, I didn't bother. It's not like I was going anywhere, anyway. His snoring was making his fur ruffle against me. That really tickled. Laughing would have jarred him awake, though, so I didn't do that either. My options were narrowing. I glanced at the clock. It was after one in the afternoon. I hadn't eaten lunch, darn it.
It was probably a mistake to think about food at that point. My stomach let out a gurgling squeal as though testing its volume, and then rumbled loud enough make my ears ring. Well, ok, maybe not quite that loud, but I swear I heard it echo around the room.
Needless to say, it was probably enough to wake up the sleeping demon in my bed. And probably anyone else taking a siesta in a five-mile radius.
I felt Kurt tense up slightly and I knew for certain that he'd awakened. I didn't even have to look; I just knew. I felt his eyes flicker open and his breathing speed up just slightly.
"What are you doing here Kurt? I thought Amanda was already pissed off," I said neutrally. I shook my head, careful not to bang my jaw against his forehead. "She's going to pull your tail out by the roots if she hears about this."
"Nah," he whispered in a lazy tone. "She's fine vith it."
He sounded really tired for some reason. As far as I knew, he wasn't a telepath so I probably wasn't keeping him up at night. Might as well take advantage of his drowsiness, I thought. Could be the only time I'd get a straight (no pun intended) answer out of him.
"Fine with what, fur-ball?" I kept my voice quiet. No need to startle him.
"Sharing, of course, just like you suggested." Like I what?
"Sharing?"
"Ja," he said with a yawn. "She's villing to share me vith you."
I whistled. "I'm impressed. When were you going to ask me about this?"
I felt him shift slightly and looked down. Instead of getting closer to wakefulness, he was actually getting more comfortable. I watched as he nestled closer to me. The arm across my chest flexed and relaxed, hugging me just a little bit closer. Maybe I was still asleep and this was all a dream. Not that I was complaining, mind you. It felt...right...somehow.
"Ask about vhat?" he murmured. Darn it all, he was falling asleep again. I headed that off by tugging on his tail. It took a swipe at me in response, which made me think twice about doing it a second time. "Vill you?"
"Will I what?" I pressed.
"Vill you go out with me?" he asked. There. He'd said it.
"Sure," I said quietly. Taking a chance, I kissed the top of his head. It didn't feel too weird. Aside from my vision being filled with violet hair, that is. "How about we start with a lunch date? I'm starving."
The rest of the afternoon was spent in physical therapy. I won't bore you with the details, since it pretty much involved nothing more than Hank moving my two useless appendages while trying to keep a conversation going. He didn't do too badly with the first, but I had too much on my mind to make small talk with the guy.
That evening found a bunch of us in the rec room. Xavier and I looked like a matched set at the little chess table. Black clothing, wheelchairs, concentrating on the board. If I'd shaved my head, it would have looked downright spooky. Rahne and Kitty were curled up on a couch over by the fireplace. They were doing one of those silly quizzes in a girl magazine. I really didn't want to know why they kept giggling every time one of the boys looked over at them.
Scott was reading, stretched out on the same couch as the night before. Poor guy. He was dull even when he was relaxing. Kurt and, believe it or not, Logan were leaning against that same couch, concentrating on a video game. The fuzzy guy wasn't doing too hot over there. Must have been a fighting game. Logan didn't so much as blink as he beat Kurt's character to a bloody pulp.
Jamie was playing himself in a game of air hockey.
A couple of the other students were shooting pool with Hank, who was beating them roundly. I watched, impressed, as he banked the cue ball off all four rails, pocketing three balls in the process. Then he caught my eye and gave me a slow wink. I couldn't help but grin. Not only could the guy quote Shakespeare while solving complicated science equations, he handled a pool cue like a world-class player.
I turned my attention back to the chess board. Xavier had whipped me a jillion games in a row so far, but I think I was starting to get the hang of his strategy. He finished setting the pieces back into place and offered me the first move. His generosity was questionable; I'd gone first all evening and the longest I'd lasted so far was nine moves.
I looked over the board, considering my options. What hadn't I tried yet? My eyes flickered over the pieces. If nothing else, chess was a good way to forget about my problems for a while. Hard to concentrate on teenage angst when you're in danger of losing if you make the wrong move. Of course with Xavier just about every move was the wrong move. I hesitated between moving a knight or a pawn.
"Having fun, Professor? Pietro?" Jean said as I decided on the pawn. She paused and I looked up. She studied the board a moment longer, shaking her head. "Four moves."
"Four moves what?" I asked, watching my godfather move a knight in response.
"He's got you in four moves."
I looked down at the board with a frown. Only two pieces had been moved. How on earth could she know the outcome of the game already? I held up my hand before she could tell me, mentally or otherwise.
"You're just trying to scare me." I moved another piece, a bishop this time. "Where's everybody else?"
She pulled up a chair and a second chess table and sat down next to me so that we both faced Xavier.
"Danger Room," she said. "Sean offered to set it up for a 'powers- legal' game of volleyball."
Woo. Volleyball. One of my least favorite sports. If you can call it that.
"Boy, if I'd known that you guys had this much fun around here, I'd have let Dad put a spike through me a couple years ago." The look on her face was amusing. I could tell she was wondering if I was kidding or not.
Xavier made his move. "Check," he said. What? Oh crud, not again. I tried to figure out a way out of this, only half-listening to Red and Xavier next to me. "I see you're setting up a second board, Jean. I assume you mean to challenge me as well?"
"Of course," she said. Then she grinned. "Maybe Pietro will learn something about chess if he watches someone who can last longer than nine moves."
"Ha, ha, ha. Oh Jean, please stop," I said in a cynical monotone. Unfortunately, she'd been right about the four moves. Looks like I was going to have to sacrifice my queen to get out of this mess. "You're too funny."
"I do my best," she said as she set up the board.
"Your sense of humor seems to be recovering, Pietro," Xavier told me. "That bodes well for your recovery." He paused. "Checkmate, by the way." I stared at the board in dismay.
The man was impossible.
I sighed and reset the pieces. There had to be some way to get the upper hand right from the start, I thought. My hand hovered over the board, fingers twitching toward one piece or another. Decisions, decisions. Xavier sighed and I looked up in time to see him close his eyes and shake his head.
"You look remarkably like your father when you do that," he said quietly. An electric jolt shot through me and I shuddered. Suddenly I just couldn't take Xavier's eyes on me any longer. I felt my stomach knot up and had to take a deep breath. Chess didn't seem like such a good idea now. Why was it that every time I started getting comfortable around Xavier he brought up the subject of Dad?
"Could we please change the subject?" I said through gritted teeth.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into Xavier's eyes. Full of concern, as usual. He obviously wanted to help me in some way and I wasn't sure I wanted to let him. You know me, always wanting to get ahead on my own without help from anyone. I call it self-reliance. Most of the people around me say I'm just stubborn.
"Pietro, I know this is hard for you," he told me without taking his hand from me. I suddenly flushed with anger.
"Oh really," I said sarcastically. "Did Magneto try to pin you to the wall like some kind of bug too?" Yeah, I was being a jerk. There were days I didn't like being reminded of my relationship with that sadistic monster who sired me. Most days, actually. I'd been a disappointment to the man ever since I was born and I still didn't know why. He always treated me like dirt, even when I was small. Excuse me if I don't show any filial piety here. Magneto tried to skewer me, to kill me. It's really hard not to resent that.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Xavier said. My eyes bugged.
I didn't say anything at first, because my throat wasn't working. Jean stiffened beside me and we exchanged a look. I think she might just have been as surprised as I was.
"Oh yes, I know exactly what it feels like to be betrayed and - what was your word - skewered by someone I trusted with my life," he said into the sudden silence. A fleeting memory of walking in Central Park Zoo with Xavier came to me. I'd forgotten that he wasn't bound to a wheelchair back then. He leveled that serious gaze at me for just a moment and then smiled suddenly. "But there are brighter things of which we could talk. For instance, I understand a party is being organized for Rahne's birthday tomorrow?"
The change of subject deflated my anger, or maybe Xavier was just using his Jedi mind tricks on me. I brought my mind back to the board, moving a pawn.
"Just a little something for the end of summer, Professor," Jean said from next to me. Xavier moved pieces on each board and it quickly became obvious that he was going to best the both of us. "We'll be quiet, I promise."
"Excellent. I look forward to the festivities, my young Padawan." My head jerked up. Xavier had just the tiniest trace of a smile on his face as he carefully avoided looking at me.
I hate it when they do that.
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To Be Continued.
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Translations:
[1]: "Can't I like two people at once?"
[2]: "I really like you Amanda. But I have the same feelings for Pietro and I don't know what to do. I'm sorry that you had to find out like this. I didn't mean to hurt you. Can't we please find a way to work this out?"
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To My Reviewers:
furygrrl: I hadn't planned on making them naked, but I do have some leftover batter so I can probably work soemthing out. Your praise continues to blow me away. Thanks much. Thanks especially for the for bit about actually being able to write well. I can't wait to show my agent this particular review. Perhaps he'll try a little harder to get me published. By the way, do you no longer use AIM or are you just never online? I've added you to my buddy list but so far you've been a ghost.
Storm-Pietro: Glad you're enjoying the whole fic, not just the last sentence of each one. ;)
DemonRogue13: I've no idea how Kurt/Pietro fans will take it. None of them seem to be commenting. Perhaps they're still in a state of shock, eh?
Keep 'em coming, folks! Reviews are the bread and water for we poor fanfic writers. :)
Cheers.
Author's Note:
Greetings.
Read, REVIEW, and enjoy. ;) Pretty please. Comments on reviews are at the bottom again.
Cheers.
Jack
------
Silence so thick you could cut it with a knife. A little clichéd, perhaps, but it certainly fit the picture. Amanda's eyes were smoky, with a heat usually reserved for ovens and fireplaces. The look on her face could only be described as 'lethal.' I thanked whatever god was smiling on me that she had her hands full with a backpack, because otherwise she'd have held a very sharp, probably bladed, object. The situation, in case you hadn't noticed, was difficult at the very least.
She stalked into the room like a predator. Slow and sinuous, like a tiger or a shark. Or Logan. Those dark eyes flashed at me. I had a moment to wonder if I was going to get my liver handed to me before she resumed glaring at Kurt.
Jean, I thought really hard, if you're listening: send the cavalry. Now.
It didn't work, of course. Oh, she was probably listening in and just enjoying the discomfort all around. I'd started to notice a rather vicious streak in Jean of late. Nice to know I still have that effect on people. That aside, however, I sincerely wished she was on her way up here.
"Kurt," Amanda seethed. That brought me back to reality. I could hear her teeth grind from across the room. Ouch.
"Vait, Amanda. I can explain," the former object of her affection said. Kurt sat up quickly, faster than I'd ever seen him move. I couldn't help but notice that he kept his body between Amanda and me. How sweet. Not to mention stupid, considering the look in her eyes. I could just imagine her driving her nails through him in an attempt to get at me.
"I can't wait to hear this," I said as mildly as possible. Kurt stiffened in front of me. Well, it wasn't really a lie. He still hadn't explained himself to me. Heck, maybe if he just started talking he'd be able to kill two birds with one stone. Bad analogy, perhaps. There was an all-too-real possibility of violence here. Amanda, for her part, just flicked that fiery gaze between the two of us.
"Shut up, you albino freak."
How original. She is - was? - dating a mutant, so 'mutant freak' wasn't really an option. Odd that she'd pick on my peculiar coloring instead, though. I don't look that strange, do I? I let it roll off me, having been called far, far worse things before. Besides, if she bitched long and hard enough, maybe we'd all come out of this alive. Heck, if that was a solution I'd happily put up with whatever verbal abuse she'd care to dish out. It sure beat the alternative.
Just in case, though, I kept screaming for Jean in my head.
"Don't call him that," Kurt started to say. I got his attention the only way I could, since his back was to me. I poked him hard beneath the ribs. Imagine my surprise when he choked back a giggle. Was he ticklish? I put that thought out of my mind, filing it away for later reference.
"No, wait, let her speak. It's probably for the best if we let her screech at us for a while."
Kurt looked down at me with an uncomprehending expression for a moment, but then he shrugged.
"Fine, vhatever. Go ahead, Amanda," he said in an amicable tone. "Screech avay." I groaned as Amanda's face turned a dark shade of purple. Note to self: when talking to Kurt, make sure he fully understands the English that you use.
Amanda responded by dropping the backpack onto the bed and standing over him. She stared between us with suspicious expression. Can't say I blame her. Have to admit, she did walk into a pretty damning situation.
"You want me to screech at you," she said, shaking her head slightly.
"Isn't that pretty much what you had in mind after you walked into the room?" I asked innocently. Her eyes flickered my way and I flinched involuntarily. Oh boy, was she still pissed or what?
"Vait a minute, Pietro." Kurt twisted around to look at me with suspicious eyes. Here it comes, I thought. "Vhat exactly does 'screech' mean?"
I patted his back and shot an apologetic look in his direction. "It means to scream, shout, make a scene, that sort of thing."
"Ah. I had not realized that. Are ve sure ve vant her throwing a tantrum in here?" He sounded so matter-of-fact, as though his girlfriend wasn't going to end up on trial for two counts of second-degree murder.
I winced. Kurt, Kurt, Kurt. You don't say the girl you're dating is throwing a tantrum - especially not in front of her. Phrasing like that has killed many a relationship. You'll note by my response that I didn't give a hoot myself. After all, he'd already shot himself in the foot. What's the worst I could do? "Depends on who's within earshot, I suppose. Could be embarrassing if anyone heard her throwing a hissy-fit."
"Hello, you idiots. I'm still here."
Her voice reminded me of Logan on one of his lousier days. I wasn't thrilled with that, either.
I gave her my most charming smile. That would work, wouldn't it? "I know, Amanda. Give us a minute to decide what to do here, ok?" The smile faltered as she walked over to the door and shut it firmly. I frowned, idly wondered if the room was soundproofed somehow.
"You," she said, parking her finger about an inch from my nose. She'd just had her nails painted, I noticed. There was a little pink star on the end of the one she'd thrust into my face. I followed her finger up her hand, to her arm, to her eyes. She wasn't blinking. That was a bad sign, wasn't it? I raised my eyebrows to show I was listening. I was almost afraid to speak for fear that the movement would spook her.
"Yes?" I said carefully.
"Shut up."
"All right."
She turned to Kurt. "I came by today to return that book you loaned me and ask if you wanted to go out tonight," she said. There was still a trace of imminent violence in her voice. She paused for a moment. "Oh darn it." Her eyes glittered. Crap. I hoped she wasn't going to cry. "What's going on, Kurt?" she finally said.
We both looked at the blue guy. My heart suddenly flipped in my chest. All right, so maybe he was starting to grow on me.
When he didn't respond, she spoke again and there was a slight catch in her voice.
"Don't you like me anymore, Kurt?" she said softly. Oh hell. There wasn't any right answer to that question. Kurt looked at her helplessly. I watched as he reached out to her. She drew back slightly from his touch.
"Of course I like you, Amanda!"
"Then what was that?" she asked, pointing at me again. If she wasn't careful, she was going to put an eye out with those nails. One of mine, in fact. Kurt looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. In any other situation, his expression would have been priceless. Bewildered is the only way to describe it. Not just confused, but also unsure how to respond as well. He looked between us a couple times, yellow eyes flitting quickly from one of us to the other.
"Kann ich nicht zwei Leute gleichzeitig mögen? [1]" he mumbled. Amanda looked at me and I just shrugged. I had no idea what he was saying either. He took a deep breath and rushed on. "Ich mag Sie viel, Amanda. Aber ich habe die gleichen Gefühle für Pietro und ich weiß nicht was zu tun. Ich bin traurig, daß Sie auf diese Weise herausfinden mußten. Ich bedeutete nicht, Sie zu verletzen. Nicht können wir eine Weise finden, dieses heraus zu bearbeiten, bitte? [2]"
Amanda and I shared that look again and I could see some of the anger bleeding out of her eyes. It was being replaced by doubt. Doubt is good. If doubt will diffuse the next world war from happening in my bedroom, I will happily embrace it.
"Uh, Kurt," she said.
"Hey fur-ball," I said at the same time. "Sorry. You first," I added.
She pursed her lips and I honestly thought she was going to slap me. Hopefully it wouldn't leave a bruise. I had enough of those. I was wrong, though; she didn't raise a hand. The day was looking up.
"I didn't understand a word of that, Kurt, and you know it," she said instead. Ditto, I mentally added. Maybe there was an English-German- English dictionary somewhere in the house. I couldn't be the only one who had trouble understanding him. Then she grabbed his wrist. For such a small person, she certainly didn't have any problem dragging him off the bed. "We need to talk," she said, pulling him toward the door. She shot a very, very dark look my way and added: "Alone."
He didn't say a word, just scrambled to his feet as quickly as possible. He caught my eye just before she tugged him outside the room and it was almost apologetic. Then the door crashed shut, leaving me alone for the first time that morning. It wasn't even eleven yet and I was already exhausted.
If I'd known that life in this house would be so complicated, I'd looked elsewhere for help.
I yawned, snuggling down into the pillows and sheets as best I could. Jean said she had charge of me today, which meant she'd probably come back around sooner or later. I stared off into space, trying to sort my life out while I waited for someone to wander in. I could have tried to wriggle into the wheelchair on my own, I suppose, but I didn't want to screw up. It wasn't that far from the bed to the chair to the window beyond. Visions of being found sprawled in the bushes under my window crept into my head.
I must have dozed off, which wasn't too bad. A good nap now and then doesn't hurt anything. Waking up, on the other hand, nearly stopped my heart. There was a warm, comfortable weight lying against me; I could feel hot breath against my neck and a soft snoring in my ear. I'd never woken up to someone this close to me and had to bite back the scream that was building in my throat. Paranoia sucks occasionally.
I looked down to where Kurt was curled up against me. The weight I'd been feeling was his arm draped over my stomach. His head was close enough to mine that I could tell his skin was blue underneath the fur. That was new; I really hadn't thought about it before. His eyelashes fluttered as dreamed. The rest of his body was curled up into a ball and pressed along my side. I watched as his tail twitched as though it had a life of its own.
Aww, if only I'd had a camera. Blink, blink. Good lord, I thought. Where'd that come from?
Since moving would have woken him up, I didn't bother. It's not like I was going anywhere, anyway. His snoring was making his fur ruffle against me. That really tickled. Laughing would have jarred him awake, though, so I didn't do that either. My options were narrowing. I glanced at the clock. It was after one in the afternoon. I hadn't eaten lunch, darn it.
It was probably a mistake to think about food at that point. My stomach let out a gurgling squeal as though testing its volume, and then rumbled loud enough make my ears ring. Well, ok, maybe not quite that loud, but I swear I heard it echo around the room.
Needless to say, it was probably enough to wake up the sleeping demon in my bed. And probably anyone else taking a siesta in a five-mile radius.
I felt Kurt tense up slightly and I knew for certain that he'd awakened. I didn't even have to look; I just knew. I felt his eyes flicker open and his breathing speed up just slightly.
"What are you doing here Kurt? I thought Amanda was already pissed off," I said neutrally. I shook my head, careful not to bang my jaw against his forehead. "She's going to pull your tail out by the roots if she hears about this."
"Nah," he whispered in a lazy tone. "She's fine vith it."
He sounded really tired for some reason. As far as I knew, he wasn't a telepath so I probably wasn't keeping him up at night. Might as well take advantage of his drowsiness, I thought. Could be the only time I'd get a straight (no pun intended) answer out of him.
"Fine with what, fur-ball?" I kept my voice quiet. No need to startle him.
"Sharing, of course, just like you suggested." Like I what?
"Sharing?"
"Ja," he said with a yawn. "She's villing to share me vith you."
I whistled. "I'm impressed. When were you going to ask me about this?"
I felt him shift slightly and looked down. Instead of getting closer to wakefulness, he was actually getting more comfortable. I watched as he nestled closer to me. The arm across my chest flexed and relaxed, hugging me just a little bit closer. Maybe I was still asleep and this was all a dream. Not that I was complaining, mind you. It felt...right...somehow.
"Ask about vhat?" he murmured. Darn it all, he was falling asleep again. I headed that off by tugging on his tail. It took a swipe at me in response, which made me think twice about doing it a second time. "Vill you?"
"Will I what?" I pressed.
"Vill you go out with me?" he asked. There. He'd said it.
"Sure," I said quietly. Taking a chance, I kissed the top of his head. It didn't feel too weird. Aside from my vision being filled with violet hair, that is. "How about we start with a lunch date? I'm starving."
The rest of the afternoon was spent in physical therapy. I won't bore you with the details, since it pretty much involved nothing more than Hank moving my two useless appendages while trying to keep a conversation going. He didn't do too badly with the first, but I had too much on my mind to make small talk with the guy.
That evening found a bunch of us in the rec room. Xavier and I looked like a matched set at the little chess table. Black clothing, wheelchairs, concentrating on the board. If I'd shaved my head, it would have looked downright spooky. Rahne and Kitty were curled up on a couch over by the fireplace. They were doing one of those silly quizzes in a girl magazine. I really didn't want to know why they kept giggling every time one of the boys looked over at them.
Scott was reading, stretched out on the same couch as the night before. Poor guy. He was dull even when he was relaxing. Kurt and, believe it or not, Logan were leaning against that same couch, concentrating on a video game. The fuzzy guy wasn't doing too hot over there. Must have been a fighting game. Logan didn't so much as blink as he beat Kurt's character to a bloody pulp.
Jamie was playing himself in a game of air hockey.
A couple of the other students were shooting pool with Hank, who was beating them roundly. I watched, impressed, as he banked the cue ball off all four rails, pocketing three balls in the process. Then he caught my eye and gave me a slow wink. I couldn't help but grin. Not only could the guy quote Shakespeare while solving complicated science equations, he handled a pool cue like a world-class player.
I turned my attention back to the chess board. Xavier had whipped me a jillion games in a row so far, but I think I was starting to get the hang of his strategy. He finished setting the pieces back into place and offered me the first move. His generosity was questionable; I'd gone first all evening and the longest I'd lasted so far was nine moves.
I looked over the board, considering my options. What hadn't I tried yet? My eyes flickered over the pieces. If nothing else, chess was a good way to forget about my problems for a while. Hard to concentrate on teenage angst when you're in danger of losing if you make the wrong move. Of course with Xavier just about every move was the wrong move. I hesitated between moving a knight or a pawn.
"Having fun, Professor? Pietro?" Jean said as I decided on the pawn. She paused and I looked up. She studied the board a moment longer, shaking her head. "Four moves."
"Four moves what?" I asked, watching my godfather move a knight in response.
"He's got you in four moves."
I looked down at the board with a frown. Only two pieces had been moved. How on earth could she know the outcome of the game already? I held up my hand before she could tell me, mentally or otherwise.
"You're just trying to scare me." I moved another piece, a bishop this time. "Where's everybody else?"
She pulled up a chair and a second chess table and sat down next to me so that we both faced Xavier.
"Danger Room," she said. "Sean offered to set it up for a 'powers- legal' game of volleyball."
Woo. Volleyball. One of my least favorite sports. If you can call it that.
"Boy, if I'd known that you guys had this much fun around here, I'd have let Dad put a spike through me a couple years ago." The look on her face was amusing. I could tell she was wondering if I was kidding or not.
Xavier made his move. "Check," he said. What? Oh crud, not again. I tried to figure out a way out of this, only half-listening to Red and Xavier next to me. "I see you're setting up a second board, Jean. I assume you mean to challenge me as well?"
"Of course," she said. Then she grinned. "Maybe Pietro will learn something about chess if he watches someone who can last longer than nine moves."
"Ha, ha, ha. Oh Jean, please stop," I said in a cynical monotone. Unfortunately, she'd been right about the four moves. Looks like I was going to have to sacrifice my queen to get out of this mess. "You're too funny."
"I do my best," she said as she set up the board.
"Your sense of humor seems to be recovering, Pietro," Xavier told me. "That bodes well for your recovery." He paused. "Checkmate, by the way." I stared at the board in dismay.
The man was impossible.
I sighed and reset the pieces. There had to be some way to get the upper hand right from the start, I thought. My hand hovered over the board, fingers twitching toward one piece or another. Decisions, decisions. Xavier sighed and I looked up in time to see him close his eyes and shake his head.
"You look remarkably like your father when you do that," he said quietly. An electric jolt shot through me and I shuddered. Suddenly I just couldn't take Xavier's eyes on me any longer. I felt my stomach knot up and had to take a deep breath. Chess didn't seem like such a good idea now. Why was it that every time I started getting comfortable around Xavier he brought up the subject of Dad?
"Could we please change the subject?" I said through gritted teeth.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into Xavier's eyes. Full of concern, as usual. He obviously wanted to help me in some way and I wasn't sure I wanted to let him. You know me, always wanting to get ahead on my own without help from anyone. I call it self-reliance. Most of the people around me say I'm just stubborn.
"Pietro, I know this is hard for you," he told me without taking his hand from me. I suddenly flushed with anger.
"Oh really," I said sarcastically. "Did Magneto try to pin you to the wall like some kind of bug too?" Yeah, I was being a jerk. There were days I didn't like being reminded of my relationship with that sadistic monster who sired me. Most days, actually. I'd been a disappointment to the man ever since I was born and I still didn't know why. He always treated me like dirt, even when I was small. Excuse me if I don't show any filial piety here. Magneto tried to skewer me, to kill me. It's really hard not to resent that.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Xavier said. My eyes bugged.
I didn't say anything at first, because my throat wasn't working. Jean stiffened beside me and we exchanged a look. I think she might just have been as surprised as I was.
"Oh yes, I know exactly what it feels like to be betrayed and - what was your word - skewered by someone I trusted with my life," he said into the sudden silence. A fleeting memory of walking in Central Park Zoo with Xavier came to me. I'd forgotten that he wasn't bound to a wheelchair back then. He leveled that serious gaze at me for just a moment and then smiled suddenly. "But there are brighter things of which we could talk. For instance, I understand a party is being organized for Rahne's birthday tomorrow?"
The change of subject deflated my anger, or maybe Xavier was just using his Jedi mind tricks on me. I brought my mind back to the board, moving a pawn.
"Just a little something for the end of summer, Professor," Jean said from next to me. Xavier moved pieces on each board and it quickly became obvious that he was going to best the both of us. "We'll be quiet, I promise."
"Excellent. I look forward to the festivities, my young Padawan." My head jerked up. Xavier had just the tiniest trace of a smile on his face as he carefully avoided looking at me.
I hate it when they do that.
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To Be Continued.
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Translations:
[1]: "Can't I like two people at once?"
[2]: "I really like you Amanda. But I have the same feelings for Pietro and I don't know what to do. I'm sorry that you had to find out like this. I didn't mean to hurt you. Can't we please find a way to work this out?"
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To My Reviewers:
furygrrl: I hadn't planned on making them naked, but I do have some leftover batter so I can probably work soemthing out. Your praise continues to blow me away. Thanks much. Thanks especially for the for bit about actually being able to write well. I can't wait to show my agent this particular review. Perhaps he'll try a little harder to get me published. By the way, do you no longer use AIM or are you just never online? I've added you to my buddy list but so far you've been a ghost.
Storm-Pietro: Glad you're enjoying the whole fic, not just the last sentence of each one. ;)
DemonRogue13: I've no idea how Kurt/Pietro fans will take it. None of them seem to be commenting. Perhaps they're still in a state of shock, eh?
Keep 'em coming, folks! Reviews are the bread and water for we poor fanfic writers. :)
Cheers.