Unlikely
Chapter Nine: Pride and Prejudice
No money, full stomach, nowhere to go. Pietro felt absolutely bored as he walked along sipping his soft drink. Earlier he had been walking with Todd, but the toad's stench had been too much and Pietro hadn't eaten. Now that he had eaten, he sort of wished that the slimy teen would come back, or that Lance might come along. But that was unlikely. Lance was a loner by nature. Pietro knew because he was one himself. Even the fatty would be better company than the crickets, whose song had become pretty annoying by now.
Anyone that could take his mind off of that stupid girl would be better than the crickets.
He didn't even know why it bugged him so much. Usually he didn't mind fantasizing, but there was something about that girl… He couldn't get her image out of his head.
For three days since she had come to the school now he had been avoiding another possible confrontation with her in any of the halls. He had even ditched a few of classes that he had learned she was in the same hour as; just to make sure he wouldn't see her. But her stupid image wouldn't get out of his head. He didn't even know her name!
She wasn't even that pretty!
Well, at least not how he had last seen her; dressed in those ragged clothes, the blue shirt that was too small, the black pants that were too large, the tacky black dress-gloves she had worn, the fact she hadn't been wearing any make-up, and then was the state of her hair…
"Damn it." Pietro cursed under his breath as he kicked the ground and threw away the bottle from his soft drink in a near by trash bin. He sat down on a bench and laid down on it to gaze up at the stars that were just beginning to appear.
He was about to close his eyes when he caught movement out the corner of his eye. He turned his head a bit and another silent curse escaped him.
All that time avoiding her at school, and there she was on a day that was supposed to be his day off.
Fortunately, she didn't seem to have noticed him yet.
Pietro propped himself up on his elbows to see her more clearly as she continued down the sidewalk that ran through the park, her eyes closed as though she was deep in thought. She looked in better shape than the last time he had seen her. If he wasn't mistaken, she was thinner.
This time she wore baggy dark blue jeans, too long for her but fit around her waist snuggly, then a white long-sleeve tight-fitting shirt with a collar that dipped like a V down the front, and over it she wore a dark blue vest that looked like it came from the children's department at a clothing store, though it fit her just right, and lastly she wore thin white gloves that disappeared up her long shirt-sleeves. Even in the evening's dim lighting Pietro could see she wore make-up, though it appeared to be only black eyeliner and blue eye shadow.
He sat up and thought a moment. What would be the harm in talking to her? He didn't like her, she didn't like him; so with their mutual displeasure with each other's presence, they probably wouldn't say more than three words to one another anyway.
"Hey Mia!"
Pietro opened his eyes and looked about him. He knew that voice.
"Mimi!"
Okay, he didn't know that one.
"Over here!"
Pietro looked over to where the calls were coming from. A red speedster convertible with two white stripes going over the hood had pulled up alongside the girl he had been watching.
She looked over at them calmly a smile came to her lips as she strolled towards them. "Hey." She greeted softly.
"C'mon, Mia. We're going to see a movie. Want to come?"
"No, but thanks. I'm fine here."
"C'mon, Mimi."
Her gaze shifted to the little girl of twelve who spoke in a slur and her smile became gentler. "No, Maggie. I'm going to stick around here, let off some steam. You go and have fun, though, and I'll meet you back at the Institute later. All right, sweets?" The girl nodded and Mia shifted her gaze again to the other three in the car. "Keep an eye on her, please."
"No problem." Said Scott. "See you later."
"Yeah, see ya, Mia!" Called Amara as the speedster sped off.
"'Bye, Mimi!" Called the twelve-year-old.
Mia waved after them. When the car of four was out of sight, she turned; closing her eyes once again, and began walking off, deeper into the park.
Was she one of Xavier's? Pietro wondered.
In a blur he was standing in front of her. She didn't appear to notice this until she bumped into him a full second later. Out of surprise she stumbled back, and as an uncontrolled reaction Pietro reached out and grabbed her shoulders so she wouldn't fall. As she opened her eyes to gaze at him, both of their expressions were ones of surprised.
Pietro quickly released her shoulders and Mia took a step back.
Embarrassed because of the awkward pause, Pietro sneered at her. "Watch your step there."
Her expression quickly changed to one of displeasure, as though just realizing who had just spoken. "Yeah, whatever." She murmured, brushing past him to continue her walk. Pietro turned and walked alongside her.
"You're a mutant? What's your power?"
"None of your business."
"Oh c'mon, from one mutant to another. I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours."
"Buzz off." Pietro stepped in front of her and again she bumped into him and stumbled back, but this time caught her balance right away before he could help her. She opened her eyes once more to glower at him. "And will you stop doing that?" She growled and sidestepped past him again.
"Listen, we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Pietro Maximoff." He said quickly, sidestepping along with her so he was once again blocking her path. She looked up into his eyes boldly as she slipped her gloved hands into her back pockets. A small smirk came to her lips.
"Suddenly developed a conscious, have we?"
His expression showed his puzzlement. "A what?"
Her smirk faded. "I'll forgive your little comment from a while ago, all right? Now you're forgiven and forgotten, so can you get outta my way?" At this he became frustrated and stepped aside to let her pass, but turned again to walk alongside her. She glanced at him. "What d'you want, anyway? How come you're suddenly taking a stab at being nice?"
"You bug me."
"Oh, I bug you?"
"What's your power? Are you another telepath, or what?"
Mia sighed but shrugged. "You could say that."
"So why the tacky fashion statement?"
She glanced at her right arm and guessed what he meant. "When I touch people, I can see their future, or their past. Or if my skin comes into contact with an object that's been touched by a human being lately, I see things about them… someone's future, past, or what they're doing presently."
"Can you show me?"
"Trust me, you don't want me to show you."
"Why not?"
"It's complicated. So, I take it super speed is your ability?" Pietro nodded, wondering absently why he was talking with her at all, or if he should ask more about her powers.
"About your power… Can you… Project your image into someone's head?" He asked hesitantly. He didn't want her figuring out that he had been thinking a lot about her lately.
"Not that I know of. Why d'you ask?"
Pietro shrugged vaguely.
So if it really hadn't been her doing, was he just obsessing over her for no reason? Or was there more to it? He didn't like her, he knew that much. She was too negative for his liking, like another Rogue. And that emptiness in her eyes was almost creepy, almost like she had never experienced happiness.
"What's your name, anyway?"
"Mia McKellen."
He looked over at her and observed her solemn expression, her eyes being closed and her small but full lips curved in a small frown.
"You look depressing." He said without thinking. He hadn't meant to say that… not aloud, anyway.
She stopped walking to look at him. Thoughtlessly, Pietro stopped walking too. Suddenly she smirked and shook her head lightly as she closed her eyes. "Man. Just when I thought you might be nice after all…" she mumbled and continued walking.
"That's not what I meant… Look, it just came out."
She abruptly stopped and spun on her heel to face him and this time it was Pietro that bumped into her and stumbled back. Without a word she pulled off the thin white glove of her right hand and touched his cheek. Pietro closed his eyes, bracing himself. He remembered how it felt when Rogue stole his powers.
Instead there was just a soft touch on his cheek that only lasted a split-second before it was removed. He opened his eyes cautiously and then his expression turned to surprise as he saw Mia watching him with great sadness shining in her pale violet eyes.
"You hate your father. You hate him for putting away your sister, for neglecting you, for abandoning you." She said quietly but fiercely. "My past is painful, but I won't be as heartless as to press on with yours." She growled coolly, slipping back on her glove and turned away from him. "Do yourself a favor and don't follow me." With that said she walked away more quickly, leaving Pietro to watch her retreating back.
He caught up with her instantly. "Okay, so you weren't lying about being a mutant."
"Look, you said your name was Pietro, right?" She asked in a frosty tone.
"Yeah." He liked the way she said his name.
"I can break your heart if I have to. Just leave me alone."
Pietro stepped in front of her, but before she could bump into him he grabbed her shoulders once more. "I know you don't like me, 'cause I sure don't like you, but the truth is, I can't get your image out of my head. I don't know why, but I'll tell ya, it's been buggin' the crud outta me."
"So what? It's not my problem."
"It's your image, so it's your problem too. Can't you just… I dunno, suck the memory of you outta my head?"
"No, my ability doesn't work like that. I'm just perceptive. I pick up memories, but I don't steal them." She grumbled, glaring up into his blue eyes. "Speaking of which, can you get your hands off me? I don't need skin-on-skin contact to soak up visions."
Abruptly Pietro realized he was quite close to her, within hugging range, which was too close to his discomfort zone. He quickly released her and took a step away from her. In partial embarrassment at his reckless act, he rubbed the nape of his neck, looking for words to speak with.
What was it about her that made him act so… stupid? Cliché? Idiotic?
She turned from him and began walking away. "Whatever… I came to the park to clear my head and now I've got more thoughts than I started with. Talk about annoying." She grumbled to herself then called over her shoulder to him. "And did your life have to be so depressing? Geez, y'know, I actually pity you now. By the way, when you're sitting on that moth-eaten – flea-bitten – couch of yours at that tragedy waiting to happen you and your five friends call a house, don't turn on the television."
"Why not?" Pietro called after her, having not thought of anything else to say.
"There's a leak in the roof, it drips down onto the cord when it rains. You'll be electrocuted."
"But it hasn't rained in weeks?"
"I didn't say it was going to happen tonight."
Pietro brooded about this momentarily. So, she had seen his future? Had she seen more?
"No." The call came back.
At this he smirked. She must've seen that coming a mile away.
Author's note: Woo hoo! One long chapter for my readers, one big headache for me! Nyquil, here I come!
Preview of Chapter Ten: Sense and Stupidity
At seeing this Pietro stifled a disgusted cringe. How could anyone eat bugs? "Ugh… I was going to go grab some food. Now I'm just going to the mall to get away from that smell." He muttered as he grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch and slipped it on. Todd watched this, sniffed his armpit, shrugged, then had his long slimy tongue shoot out and aim for the power button on the television. Pietro turned in time to see this and his eyes widened. "Don't!" He shouted before he could stop himself.
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution™, or any Nyquil™, unfortunately… I only own my original characters… gosh flammit!