(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)
Pietro lay on the couch, flipping through the stations that the TV had to offer, or rather the plethora of Star Trek episodes it had. There were three currently on and he was trying to decide which would be more interesting.
Freddy walked back into the house, hoping he wouldn't screw Todd's plan up. 'Keep him busy for 20 minutes? But nothing keeps Pietro busy for 20 minutes!' he sighed, already giving up hope. Suddenly the sound of a transporter beam reached his ears and he rushed to the TV room, hoping his guess was right.
"Ah, good! Freddy, I'm having a dilemma!" Pietro greeted his heavyset companion enthusiastically. "Which trek would you recommend? There are three on at once and I don't want to miss a good one."
Freddy was relieved; now THIS would work! He joined his speed buddy on the couch, and began to explain how the original was a classic and came first if you had not yet seen the episode. Star Trek: The Next Generation came second for its development of the Star Trek universe, which paved the way for later series…
x-+-x
Todd quietly closed the front door, keeping an ear out to listen for Pietro. He smiled to himself as he started to head up the stairs. He could hear Freddy explaining Trek and knew he had enough time. Once in Pietro's room, he retrieved the book from between the mattresses. He made sure to put the bed sheets back to appear un-disturbed, and hid the book under his shirt before hurrying back to his own room.
Todd secured the door to his room and flopped onto the bed. He flipped to the back of the book, not wanting to read anything too personal and hoping that his answer lay in the most recent entries. "Hmmm," Todd hummed. 'So, Lance buying him lunch was a highlight of his day, eh? What's this? I could SO keep my big mouth shut!' Todd grew indignant for a moment before getting angry. "You're in love with… who? It doesn't say!" Todd slammed the book shut. He was curious as to who it was, but knew reading more might jeopardize his friendship with Pietro. 'So, he's in love. That's all Todd. He's not growing suicidal or weird on us. There's nothing wrong, so you don't have to read anymore,' his hand twitched, aching to open the book 'So… put… the damn… book back, yo!' Todd mentally yelled at himself. After a few moments his conscience finally gave up the battle and he opened the book, turning the pages until he found the page he wanted. Taking a deep breath he continued reading.
… I was being too hopeful because today Lance was flirting with Kitty… again! I know he does it almost every day, and I complain about it every day too… but it hurts. Today I had a realization that made the whole thing all that more annoying. I cannot compete with Kitty Pryde. Lance is so in love with her, he barely acknowledges my existence. God, this is so frustrating. How do I fall out of love with someone?
Even if I had the balls to TELL him that I love him… he is so happy when he's around Kitty, I don't think I have ever made him smile like that. I care about him too much to take him away from her.
God this sucks, I hate this. And I'm stuck writing this shit in a diary! This is ultimately frustrating
The last part of the page was scribbled out of frustration and the bottom half of the page was ripped. Todd sat there for a few moments, trying to digest what he had just read and decipher the chicken scratch at the end.
'Boy is going nuts! Writing to a book… waitaminute. He's in love with Lance!' The whole reality of it sunk in rather slow for Todd. He slowly closed the book and left it on his bed, too dazed to do much else with it. The sandy haired boy was having trouble sorting out his thoughts. He was in no way disgusted with the fact that Pietro was gay… or bi. He didn't mind at all that Pietro was interested in boys. He himself had had the odd crush on a few boys that he had known, but he had always ignored them and focused his attention on girls, any girl. The truth was, he was afraid. Being a mutant meant being singled out and oppressed, and being in a relationship with another boy would mean further persecution. It was because of this that he had repressed any feelings he had, hoping that they would go away. 'You're braver than me,' he thought, picking up the diary once again. 'You don't even know how it's gonna end up, yo.' He tucked the book back under his shirt and crept out into the hallway.
Once the diary was back and he was sure that Pietro would not notice that his diary had been moved, Todd made his way downstairs to join his friends in front of the TV. 'However it turns out with you an' Lance, you can count on me to be there for ya, yo!' Todd looked at Pietro; the downy haired boy was staring intently at the screen, perched on the edge of his seat and completely oblivious to his friend's newfound knowledge and the silent promise that was made. 'You don't deny what you are, be it mutant or gay. That's what I like most about you, yo.'
Todd closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts together. This revelation was awakening many old emotions that he never again thought that he would have to deal with. He was drawn back out of his thoughts by a slight pain in his shoulder. Freddy was poking him, trying to get his attention. The larger mutant gave him a questioning look, to which Todd forced a grin and a slight nod. Letting his friend know that the mission had been successful.
End Chapter 6
