Title: Head over Feet
Genre: X-men Evo
Pairing: Pietrance
Summary: Pietro's fallen head over feet for Lance...Slash
Notes: Slight au and ooc, as I have never seen a) Lance being very kind to Pietro or Pietro being needy, and b) The end of Evo. I have no clue as to what happens to Magneto, so I assume he's dead. I do that a lot...
'—'= Lyrics
"---"= Speech
Lyrics from the song Head over Feet by Alanis Morisette.
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' I had no choice but to hear you.
You stated your case time and again.
I thought about it. '
It was silent in the house; there were only two of the old Victorian's occupants at home that night. In the first room up the stairs and to the right, loud music blared and the occasional swear word was heard. Inside the room, a teenaged boy sat, guitar set precariously on his knees and pick between two calloused fingers.
His clothes were tattered and torn; a price to pay for the life he lived. He had once thought he'd give anything for the high life of other people around him; the students at the institute lived well, as he had seen that for himself.
But the institute had seriously lacked in something that the Victorian house held; there wasn't the unity that came from being tossed into a situation with three complete strangers that came from back grounds just like his.
It also seriously lacked a certain light haired speedster.
' You treat me like I'm a princess.
I'm not use to liking that.
You ask how my day was. '
In the room at the end of the hall, there was silence; nothing would be heard over the music down the hall. Sitting on the military made bed, with it's crisply made sheets tucked in to perfection, was a teenager slightly younger then the one in the room down the hall. While the grungy teen down the hall's room was messy, the light haired teen sitting crossed legged on this bed had nothing out of place in his room. The broken dresser held what little clothes he had; the night side table was locked up, containing all his personal possessions.
The cd player that normally rivalled the long haired oldest down the halls in volume sat on the dresser, blocking out the photos that were taped to the mirror. Photos of the pale boy with his father as a child, with his sister as well. One's of the occupants of the house on their latest outing, camping in the woods or swimming in a lake.
And then there was his favourite; the one of the pale perfectionist himself with the older, long haired leader. Both were sitting on the couch, conversing over coffee and a guitar.
' You've already won me over in spite of me.
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet.
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are.
I couldn't help it.
It's all your fault. '
When there was a knock at his door, the pale teen looked up; he hadn't noticed the lack of loud rock music shaking the house to it's foundation.
"Pietro? What'cha doin' in here by yourself? It's really quiet..." Pietro smiled, a smile he saved just for the teen before him.
"I'm not doing anything, Lance. Just sitting and thinking. You know, since Wanda left, it's gotten a lot quieter here. Since Father..." Lance sat down beside Pietro, quickly putting an arm around the smaller teen.
"Hey. It's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped it from happening." Pietro sighed, resting his head on Lance's broad shoulder. How he envied Kitty for doing this exact thing, being touched by Lance, held by Lance.
How much it hurt him that he couldn't have what she did.
' Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole.
You're so much braver then I gave you credit for.
That's not lip service. '
Lance rand a hand over Pietro's arm, revelling in the teens warmth. He'd seen Pietro everyday for the past year, and still, he didn't understand a thing about how the Romanian's mind worked.
It was complicated, and Lance lived in simplicity. He couldn't comprehend why things happened; why he'd been thrown into this war or why Pietro made him feel the way he did. He couldn't begin to grasp how the younger teen thought, why he did what he did or how. All he knew, the only thing that his mind could understand, was that Pietro had one consistency; Pietro wasn't consistent at all. Pietro was like the wind, he couldn't be controlled and wasn't predictable. Lance understood that, understood it like he understood that he was male, and the sky was blue, and that he loved Pietro.
He loved Pietro? Shaking his head slightly, he glanced down at said teen. Pietro sat silently, lightly fingering one of the many holes in Lance's dark shirt. A smile graced Lance's face, and he pulled Pietro a little closer.
He loved Pietro.
' You've already won me over in spite of me.
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet.
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are.
I couldn't help it.
It's all your fault. '
Pietro looked up at Lance, surprised when his eyes connected with chocolate brown orbs. Lance was staring at him, and he hadn't even done anything to induce the staring.
"Lance? What'cha staring at?" he asked, blinking innocently. Lance smiled, chuckling at the question. Wasn't it obvious what he was staring at? He knew Pietro wasn't that stupid. He prided himself on his intellect, even.
"You, stupid. What else." Not the most romantic line, but it touched Pietro anyways. Lance wasn't the most romantic person, so it was fair. He didn't need to be romantic at all.
"Oh. Might I ask why?" Pietro shifted closer to Lance, tugging on Lance's shirt lightly. Lance moved his arm from Pietro's shoulders to his waist, shrugging nonchalantly. Pietro smiled, and Lance allowed him to lean on him more.
"Well, I was thinking." Pietro made a face, sitting up slightly to face Lance.
"Did it hurt?" Lance grinned, pushing Pietro onto his back. Pietro waved a hand in defeat, and Lance pulled him back up.
"Shut up. I'm trying to be serious here. I was thinking that I...uh...kinda might like you. Or...I kinda might love you."
' You are the bearer of unconditional things.
You held your breath and the door for me.
Thanks for the patients. '
"You...think you love me?" Pietro stared at Lance, slack jawed and in amazement. Lance nodded, eyes on Pietro looking for a reaction besides shock. Something in those widening eyes.
"Yeah. I kinda think I do. Uhm...how does that make you feel?" Happy, Pietro felt happy. He smiled, looking at his hands.
"Makes me kinda happy, actually. Cause I think I kinda like you too." Lance grinned, and Pietro leaned in a little closer.
"In fact, I think I kinda sort of love you." Closing the gap between them, Pietro leaned forward, capturing Lance's lips in a simple, innocent kiss. Lance's arm tightened around Pietro's waist, pulling him closer.
' You're the best listener that I've ever met.
You're my best friend
Best friend with benefit.
What took me so long. '
Lance sighed happily as Pietro pulled away; this was the reason he'd come back to the Brotherhood. This was why he couldn't sleep at night; why he'd toss and turn and reach for a body that wasn't there.
This was the reason he remained at the old Victorian house, even after Mystique or any other adult had disappeared and the group of unruly teens were forced to support themselves. This teen, curled up in front of him, snuggled against him. This was the reason he hadn't left, hadn't packed up his belongings and gotten away from Bayville.
And he liked it, because he was the reason that Pietro stayed here. He knew it, because Pietro had admitted it on many occasions. He was the reason, he'd like to think, that this teen had gone from bad, to evil, and then back again, that he was the reason Pietro had stuck by their side when it counted.
Pietro smiled up at him, then crawled into Lance's lap. Lance, taken by surprise, looked at him, the object of his affections and the reason he couldn't leave this dump of a home. Leaning forward, Pietro whispered into Lance's ear, hot breath on Lance's neck.
"You know, you're the reason I'm still alive."
' I've never felt this healthy before.
I've never wanted something rational.
I am aware now.
I am aware now. '
Lance stared at Pietro. What did he mean, the reason he was still alive? Was there something that Pietro was hiding?
"What do you mean, Pie?" The question caused Pietro to frown. What did he mean? Lance was his everything; the reason he wasn't dead, the reason he hadn't gone off to rejoin his father those last few days.
The reason he'd thrown himself out of dangers way several times when he had thought he hadn't wanted to.
"I mean, if you weren't here, I would have been with my father when..." He trailed off, letting Lance finish the sentence on his own. It was obvious that Pietro hadn't had a good life so far; now he didn't see what Lance saw in him.
"Pietro...look at me, Pie. It's not your fault. And...geez, Pietro, I love you. I don't want that to happen again. Look. How about we make a promise, okay?" Staring at Pietro, he lifted the pale teens chin to meet his eyes.
"Okay, what kind of promise, Lance?" Pietro's heart nearly stopped it's mile a minute beat when Lance bit his lip, eyes wide and soul open to the world.
"The kind that means we'll never do anything stupid like get caught in a war like that again. We won't let anyone tear us apart. Yeah?" Pietro smiled and Lance held him closer, and he nodded silently.
' You've already won me over in spite of me.
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet.
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are.
I couldn't help it.
It's all your fault. '
"Alright. It's a promise, Lance. No leaving each other behind. "
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Well. That was sappily romantical. Reviews are welcome, and flames will be added to the fire that's heating my room. Man, it's cold in here...lol.