Blue Chapter Three: Façade of Calm
The amphibious mutant slunk farther into the room, unsure whether or not a wake up call would be welcomed at this particular moment in time. Closing his eyes and bracing himself for the rumbling of the floor beneath his feet or the quick fist in his face, he prodded one of the multiple feet that stuck out from the wine-coloured quilt.
There was a mumble.
"Hey yo, if you can walk then ya better get your asses..." he shuddered at the involuntary vision he had given himself, "... to school..." After receiving another indiscriminate noise, he lurched out of the room, the image still wounding him.
Lance's eyes opened slightly, the sun seeping in from beyond the curtains stole his vision before he saw two bright and icy eyes looking up at him. Still amazed by his partner's timing, he rolled Pietro closer to him with one arm and kissed his forehead where his bangs were parted and strayed about his face.
"How are you?"
"Dizzy? Sore? I dunno... I don't think I felt as bad when it was happening..."
"You wanna stay here? I'll explain it to Mystique, and if she says anything I'll be forced to make a big ass crater and dunk her in it."
"No idiot. It would be far too suspicious if I didn't turn up for the game today," the albino chuckled, now speaking more quickly as his body began to rev itself up, "n'if I don't reach my quota of Evan butt-kickings for this month I may have to jump off of something high..."
"Mmm... Alright then, but try to stay where I can see you."
"I doubt Daddy dearest is gunna jump out of a locker at me," Pietro rolled his eyes, "you worry too much." The white-haired youth, now leaning on his elbows leaned down to kiss the older boy playfully on the nose – however his did not expect said boy to hold the back of his head and drag him back down to lock in a more serious embrace.
"I worry just the right amount Maximoff, don't try and tell me this isn't serious."
As soon as Lance let go, Pietro smiled and sped off to the bathroom....
.... What was he going to do? ....
The water slid down his back and through his hair. He didn't feel like preening or flaunting his lean body. He didn't want attention or to be singled out. He just wanted to hide somewhere and stop his body from collapsing, to tell Lance that he was petrified – Magneto could find him anywhere. But telling his boyfriend this would only amount to major panic and eventual freaking out.
He wrapped himself in his own arms.
Magneto's blood.
He felt as though it was still attempting to escape, to rip him apart where he stood and to shower down, filling the cubical like the spray of the shower.
"Have you gone tortoise on me?" cried a voice from beyond the door, "it's been at least fifty seconds." Before Lance could speak again, Pietro was at his side fully clothed.
"Satisfied Mr. Whiney?"
"As always."
"Hurry up and I might stick around to do breakfast." The slender boy announced while swatting the stray hairs from Lance's eyes.
As he walked down the stairs he going here both Todd's nasal twang and Fred's slow brutish voice intermingling in the heat of discussion.
"Honey on pancakes?!"
Pietro zipped around the corner and quickly grabbed some or the fruit salad from the fridge, leaning on the counter to eat it.
"I bet your dentist loves you yo."
"Yeah well it beats flies, uh... Frog boy."
There was silence when they finally noticed the speed demon watching them.
Pietro stood clad in a relatively loose blue pullover and black jeans. His hair was not combed back and his bangs did not look their usual aerodynamic selves; instead they hung at the sides of the youth's face, making him look calmer and less aggressive. His eyes looked tiredly at his two teammates, wondering why they found him so interesting all-of-a-sudden.
"You look pretty," Toad commented genuinely suddenly wishing his tone had been mocking.
"The hairdryer's out," he returned blankly.
"You don't use a hairdryer."
"And you don't call me pretty! I'm not pretty!"
"Yeah you are," observed Fred from behind a honey-covered pancake.
This is why Pietro didn't dine with the cavemen. At least alone he was with a better class of people.
"Look," he leaned over the table, "Just 'cause I'm going out with a guy and may be as gay as a day in may doesn't mean I'm effeminate!" His speech had gone into overload.
"What's wrong?" asked the amphibian.
"What?"
"No violence. Did something happen?"
The older teen backed away. If he told them then it would be the main discussion of the day and Lance would start to consider the worst.
"You haven't given me time... Look, just forget it Toad."
They could hear Lance's bare-footsteps coming down the stairs. As he emerged, rubbing his hair with a dank green towel nothing seemed to hit him but the silence.
"Lance? I'm not pretty right?" Pietro broke the silence in an attempt to let things be normal.
A confused rock-tumbler released the towel and it lay across his shoulders. He made it to Pietro's side, putting one arm round the boy's waist, he smoothed the hair that reached down to his chin and kissed his forehead.
"Sure you are."
"... Damn you Lance."
Todd and Fred burst out laughing in triumph as Pietro made the flat remark. Not getting the joke Lance held his boyfriend from behind with his head balanced on the boy's shoulder.
"Are you running or d'you wanna ride?"
"Running, " he remarked finishing the last piece of fruit and putting it in the sink before fleeing the building.
Not a word was said about his actions, they both knew there was something far wrong with Pietro, but what ever it was they were sure Lance was the one to help.
They day had been fairly uneventful day, bar Lance's need to constantly be near Pietro. He had actually broken a window so that he would be sent to an empty French room to cool off – the French room just two doors down from the speed demon's English class.
But now he was in chemistry, the teacher wasn't in, as usual, and so the Neanderthals Were giving themselves a class of the burny wonders of magnesium while everyone watched, willing them to blind, burn or maim themselves, Jean Grey, on the other hand was studying. He could only see her bright red hair catching the light and flexing with the small movements her head would make as she read. He couldn't bring himself to have evil thoughts about her right now. He folded his arms and lay his head upon them. He could gain some kind of rest that he had lost out on yesterday. Sure he had slept, but not rested. His white bangs fell over his face providing a vale from the harsh lights of the burning magnesium. He placed a hand on the small cuts along his neck, flashing back to being held up against the wall and having his veins writhe like snakes beneath his skin.
Jean turned round briefly.
After and hour of doing nothing in particular, the bell finally signaled freedom. As it was lunch most of the class had gone before Pietro even looked up. He didn't want to have to be in a crowd, rub shoulders or arms, the thought of contact made him sick – well, contact with anyone except Lance, the only comforting touch he knew.
Someone grabbed his arm.
'He couldn't have done that to you.' The voice of Jean Grey rang through his thoughts.
"What?" his voice was soft and shocked, "leggo," he said tearing his arm away from her.
'I'm sorry Pietro but I couldn't ignore it. It's like you were screaming.'
Her eyes were filled with genuine concern – Pietro didn't know how to handle it.
'Look it's got nothing to do with you. Just keep out of it.'
'Has he hurt you?'
'So? I'll be fine. Don't turn me into a charity case. I have the brotherhood, I don't need your help... You tell anyone – 'specially that professor of yours and I'll make big trouble for you Red.'
'I didn't plan to. Look, if you need me, or the X-men, we're here.'
"Be safe," she whispered as she left the room.
Pietro didn't leave by the door - he couldn't stand the thought of her looking at him as if he were a hungry orphan. Showing no hesitation, he slid out of the window and went to sit beneath the bleachers.
What the hell was going on? He had been more than willing to drop the entire subject and pretend it didn't happen... That his father had not tried to kill him, no matter how hard that would be. He balanced on one of the wooden beams, inches from the ground, wrapping his arms around his chest. What did Jean know? He had lived on the wrong side of danger for a long time; she was pampered throughout her life. Perhaps this wasn't such a huge deal – he was still alive after all...
At that moment he heard someone run toward him, putting his head in his knee he prayed it wasn't a jock, he had had enough of death threats.
"Holy shit Pie!" He looked up this time. Lance stood over him, "I swear to God, I ran the entire school. What the hell did you take off?"
"Jean knows," the boy remarked in a defeated tone, eyes welling with tears from nowhere.
"That nosey bitch!" The ground shook beneath his feet.
Pietro reached up to put his hand in Lance's.
"No... But is it a bad thing that we can trust our enemies more than our 'blessed protector'?"
His boyfriend stepped over the wooden plank to sit behind him, pulling him close and resting his head on the albino's shoulder.
"I dunno, you thinking of joining them?"
"The X-Men?" he asked quizzically, then smirked, "no, I already had Red getting maternal on me. Too much love in that house"
"Yeah, wouldn't like to share you," the elder teen sighed, "the blue fuzzy one might steal you." Lance put his hands on Pietro's forehead and swept his bangs backward, gently encouraging him to lean back. As soon as his teammate complied, he wrapped his arms around him and began to kiss the crook of his neck.
"In school Lance? Seriously?"
"What else are bleachers good for?" Pietro chuckled, not about to argue.
The bell rang.
"Damnit."
"Better go and beat Daniels' ass at b-ball," Pietro attempted to leave.
"Or we could ditch," Lance pulled him back down, "Sorry to disappoint but Spikey isn't in anyway and I'm pretty sure two hours without competition would drive you to caffine."
The white-haired boy turned to face his boyfriend, straddling the wood.
"I would, usually. But no dice rock-boy, Miss Grey has Phys Ed at the same time I do – she'd think the boogieman had got me."
"Right," the reply came accompanied by a soft sigh.
"Besides, if I get bored I can start planning ways to burn off my energy," his trademark smirk shot across his face before he leaned in to give a chaste kiss to the elder teen. And after that, he was gone, he had simply disappeared to class.
Lance faced the position in wich his lover had shot off, only able to think of how empty the encounter had been; there was no sparkle in his smirk, no passion in his kiss but all the effort that could be asked to be himself again.
This was the case for perhaps the next three weeks. Gradually their fears ebbed away, Magneto did not show his face and Jean Grey stopped regarding Pietro with deep, sympathetic eyes or giving him reassuring nods in the corridor. It was normal, they battled the X-Men under Mystiques order and gained and lost recruits; as normal as could possibly be, and happy in one another's arms.
But grudges are not forgotten so easily as threats. Least of all grudges against love....
Why hello my little duckies!
This is supposed to add substance and some kind of 'getting back to normality' factor. I did ask any reviewer to tell me whether or not to put in one of these... And I'm sure they would, only there were no reviewers.
Biro Man Scowls
It kinda looks as if this one is going down the plug, and I still have a PotC fic to finnish, so I'm thinking of returning to that – Mr Biro Man ain't a happy bunny though.
See ya. I might to a quick conclusion to round this off , I don't like cliffies. "Pietro went crazy and killed Magneto with a large bag of cocktail sticks." Laughs Kidding.
Fare thee well!
Crimson.