"I Tried"
Furor Paxx (VulgateOfEarth@hotmail.com)
Chapter 7- Confrontation
Scott was just coming down the stairs with a bucket of paint. He had just finished the borders in the attic. His one goal at this point was to tell Pietro he was done and then to take a shower. As with the X-Men, the Brotherhood never made things that simple. Scott was fondly thinking that more than a score of mutants at the Institute simply couldn't match the madness of the Brotherhood when it occured to him that Kurt and Todd had stopped singing and not even Lance's sander could be heard. "Oh boy..." Scott raced down the stairs, smoothly depositing the bucket with the dozens of others in the hall without breaking stride. The door was hanging open and the TV was still on. Scott's pace slowed as he grabbed the steel baseball bat that Todd kept in his room and cautiously headed for the door. He had no intention of using it, but one of the guys might need it. Vaguely, Scott realized that Lance was the only one with an offensive power, though Todd's... well, BO could count as one on it's own. Reminding himself to focus, Scott threw himself through the door and raised a hand to his visor.
"Summers, you're next. Just stay outta this." He heard Logan growl at him. They were all there, well almost. The Professor and Ororo were absent, and Scott already knew that Hank was on a four day feild trip with one of his classes. Otherwise, yeah, the X-Men stood at the Brotherhood's doorstep, decked in full battle gear. Scott gulped and found himself missing his old uniform. The shock absorbant one. With the fire- and water-proof fibers. And the armor-like shell. But, being the former leader and quite possibly, the only sane, rational person present, Scott pushed all that aside.
"Mr. Logan... what's going on?" He asked, with the practiced air of one who knew precisely what was going on.
"Don't go all Charlie on me, Summers. You know what this is about and don't get in my way." The last words were pronounced carefully and thrown as daggers. Scott decided that he didn't need his old uniform, especially if that was the best Logan could do. So he smiled.
Logan was a bit surprised by that. No one mocked Wolverine. He had been determined to hold his punches with Summers, but then and there decided not to. It wouldn't do to have people think he could be toyed with. Scott seemed to understand, but in a wild move, threw it to the wind.
Dragging a hand through his lightly splattered hair, Scott strode to his comrades and sank into attack-mode.
The only problem was, he was standing behind Lance- not Logan.
"Big mistake, bub." Logan whispered and the X-Men around him shifted to the side a little. Except for Rogue who was quite menacing in her silent, 'oh yeah, you know what's coming next' way.
"You always say that. Why does no one ever truly repent?" Scott asked as he tossed the bat to Toad. "Shut up and make a move, either attack or get off our property." Emphasis on the 'our,' keep a straight face, try not to quiver in fear. Good boy, Scott.
"You know what. You're right, kid. I'll make a move. Towards your face!!"
"Hey, can we avoid a confrontation here?" Lance asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Logan had taken three steps towards the Brotherhood when Lance said this, and yes, everything stopped. Logan even dropped his extended arm and a confused look flitted across everyone's face.
"It's just that, we worked hard to clean up the furniture," Lance waved at the chairs, tables and bureaus scattered across the lawn on blue tarps. "And I know how much damage our fights cause. So could we not do this... or take it someplace else if it's unavoidable?"
"..."
"Is he askin' us t' leave?" Logan asked.
"Hey, a costume party! Wanda, why didn't you say so? I have a magnificent suit of armor at home that would have been great. Is this your big surprise?" A cheerful voice rang across the yard. Of course it was obvious that this was anything but a costume party, but nice people see things that normal people don't.
"Actually, I think this is what happens when one's little brother convinces the favorite mutant of his enemy faction to leave home and move in with him."
"Incredible. This guy must be made of muscle. The costume shows them perfectly." Logan felt a pair of eyes on him and turned, baffled.
"Oh great." He muttered. Wanda Maximoff. While she wasn't on the top of his 'Things That Make Me Turn Yellow' list, she was up there with curfew-breakers on the 'Things That Really Annoy Me' list. And those hex bolts did hurt a little.
Logan noted the two guys next. One looked like Magneto, only about 40 years younger and dressed like that Alvers punk. The other had black hair with metallic blue, red and silver streaks randomly dyed in it. For some reason, he drew all the attention away from Wanda.
"Who are they?"
"Allow me to introduce my boyfriend and his brother. This is Kaysin," Wanda smiled adoringly at the dark haired kid, "and Jaysin. Of no relation to my brother and me, thank goodness. Guys, these are the Brotherhood's greatest enemies. The X-Men." She shot a glare at them and her voice dripped venom at their name.
"Wow. So is this like a gang fight or something? I thought it was just a teen thing... or does he use steroids? They're not good for you, ya'know..." The kid walked through the X-Men and they parted like the Red Sea... they could sense something out of place and turned to Logan for assurance.
"Do I know you, kid?"
"Maybe, maybe not. I can't tell what you're thinking and I can't really see your face. You remind me of one of my cousins though. He was okay or at least to people he liked. Oooh. This must be Pietro... You're right Wanda, you can't miss him in a crowd. Nice hair. How do you get it to stay?"
Despite themselves, the mutants felt the tension dissolve under the carefully randomized ministrations of Kaysin. Finally, Logan shook his head. "Whatever. I can't stay mad at you two. Why the Hell didn't you just say you were tryin' out the Brotherhood?"
"Because we knew what you would do." Scott answered with his usual air of control. Most of the mutants had drifted away, with the obvious exception. Jean, Evan, Rogue and Logan were all that remained.
Logan grunted. "Why do you think. You never even gave us a hint. Huh?" Logan's tone changed as Rogue stormed past him.
"Just what do you mean runnin' off lahk that? Ah was worried t' death! And what if you'd died runnin' around, playin' like you were with the Brotha'hood? What if we'd a hurt you?"
"I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself."
"Okay, allowin' fer that, WHAT IS THIS ABOUT YOU AN' PIETRO BEING CLOSET PERVS?!!!"
"We are not!!"
"THEN WHY DID KITTY SAY YA'LL WERE? YOU THINK SHE'D LIE ABOUT SOMETHIN' LAHK THAT? WHAT KINDA PEOPLE DO YOU TAKE US FOR? IT AIN'T ENOUGH BEING A MUTANT WITHOUT BEING... BEING... YOU KNOW WHAT?!!!"
"What's wrong with-"
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? WHAT'S WRONG? HOW 'BOUT SNEAKIN' OUT NEARLY EVERY DANG NIGHT FER A YEAR TO SLEEP WITH YER BEST FRIEND'S MALE ENEMY? I COULD ALMOST FORGIVE THE FACT THAT IT'S ANOTHER GUY, BUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE!!!! Why couldn't you at least have picked someone... you know... well... more lahk Scott." She said, for lack of a better role model. He was, after all, only there to help the Brotherhood straighten up their act.
"Because all the guys like Scott have beautiful women attached to their names, well except Scott, but he has a crush on someone else now, and things would get complicated." Rogue blinked and Scott changed colors. "He's like a brother to me. That's why." Kurt finished, hoping Rogue would accept it and stop ranting.
"And what about yer sister? You just leave me all alone at that Institute with all those stuffed shirts and don't even say g'bye? For a hoodlum? Your best friend's enemy?"
"Well... you rememeber all that mess about that diary a while back..."
"When you almost got caught breakin' in the Brotherhood Mansion..."
"He did?" Lance looked surprised.
"Well. I went back."
"..."
"And then I got caught." There was that moment of silence that occurs in a classroom right after a teacher explains the answer to a difficult math problem.
"Pietro." Lance was mad.
"Yeah."
"We need to have a talk about you and strangers who walk into our house."
"He wasn't a stranger."
"Pietro." Make that pissed off.
"I'm sorry."
"Is that when all this started?" Rogue asked while Lance proceeded to strangle Pietro.
"No. That's when I decided that Evan's enemies don't have to be my enemies. It wasn't 'til after all that mess with Phoenix that we got serious about it."
"Kurt."
"Rogue." he said, wincing slightly in preparation. She didn't fail him.
"THAT WAS OVA' TWO DAMN YEARS AGO, YOU ONLY TOLD KITTY ONE!! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHIN' LAHK THIS TO US? AH THOUGHT BEING FAMILY MEANT YOU TALKED TO ONE ANOTHA'!! TWO YEARS??!"
"Rogue, I can explain, see-"
"AH DON'T THINK I WANT YA' T' EXPLAIN. AH THINK AH HEARD ENOUGH!!" Rogue picked up a dismantled drawer and thwaked Kurt soundly on the head for his betrayal before judging him thoroughly punished and moving on to the next person.
"Ah, Rogue." Scott stammered, yes, he stammered and even backed away a little.
"Ah'm warning you Mista' Summers. You better keep an eye on mah brotha' or you'll get even worse, ya' hear?"
"Of course, Rogue." He smiled weakly.
"And Scott."
"Yeah?"
"If I found out you came here for some twisted reason instead of t' help the Brotherhood, your head is mine."
"But- er. Nothing." He said as she turned to face him.
"What were you gonna say?"
"I was under the impression that he left because he was getting bored with the X-Men." Wanda put in helpfully, or not.
"Bored?" Rogue echoed.
"No! No, it's just. It was getting too crowded and... well, I felt like letting someone else be the boss for a while."
"Too crowded...letting someone else be boss... Oh. OH.... I get it. This is just a hiatus 'til things calm down. That ah can understand. Ah imagine it's hard keeping every one in line and all. So, you keep the Brotha'hood outta trouble. Ah'm holdin' you personally responsible." She ended darkly.
"Ah, glad I... have your trust." Scott made a noncommitted sound to acknowledge how closely he had missed getting thwaked. Then there was Jean to face...
A/N
Yep, I'm sure you hate me now. You were so looking forward to that fight scene and then, whooosh. I denied you. I am a cruel master aren't I... (I was trying to find a way that the Brotherhood could win by a fluke, but I decided that as long as Wolverine was there, it would take a giant orca to provide a fluke big enough to save them... yes, that was a joke, believe it or not, and I made it up myself.)
Anyhow. I really like the next scene... almost as I like the upcoming "Calling all Mutants" chapter. Yeah, it's coming up. That's a funny one, even my funny bone agreed, and you know how funny bones are...
Power to the Corny Jokers. Yo.
BTW: I grew up in the south, so I know what southerners say when they find out someone they know is gay. I dolled it up for you twelve year olds who know you shouldn't be reading this kind of story but think you're smart and read it anyway. We do that kinda stuff in the south too...
Furor Paxx (VulgateOfEarth@hotmail.com)
Chapter 7- Confrontation
Scott was just coming down the stairs with a bucket of paint. He had just finished the borders in the attic. His one goal at this point was to tell Pietro he was done and then to take a shower. As with the X-Men, the Brotherhood never made things that simple. Scott was fondly thinking that more than a score of mutants at the Institute simply couldn't match the madness of the Brotherhood when it occured to him that Kurt and Todd had stopped singing and not even Lance's sander could be heard. "Oh boy..." Scott raced down the stairs, smoothly depositing the bucket with the dozens of others in the hall without breaking stride. The door was hanging open and the TV was still on. Scott's pace slowed as he grabbed the steel baseball bat that Todd kept in his room and cautiously headed for the door. He had no intention of using it, but one of the guys might need it. Vaguely, Scott realized that Lance was the only one with an offensive power, though Todd's... well, BO could count as one on it's own. Reminding himself to focus, Scott threw himself through the door and raised a hand to his visor.
"Summers, you're next. Just stay outta this." He heard Logan growl at him. They were all there, well almost. The Professor and Ororo were absent, and Scott already knew that Hank was on a four day feild trip with one of his classes. Otherwise, yeah, the X-Men stood at the Brotherhood's doorstep, decked in full battle gear. Scott gulped and found himself missing his old uniform. The shock absorbant one. With the fire- and water-proof fibers. And the armor-like shell. But, being the former leader and quite possibly, the only sane, rational person present, Scott pushed all that aside.
"Mr. Logan... what's going on?" He asked, with the practiced air of one who knew precisely what was going on.
"Don't go all Charlie on me, Summers. You know what this is about and don't get in my way." The last words were pronounced carefully and thrown as daggers. Scott decided that he didn't need his old uniform, especially if that was the best Logan could do. So he smiled.
Logan was a bit surprised by that. No one mocked Wolverine. He had been determined to hold his punches with Summers, but then and there decided not to. It wouldn't do to have people think he could be toyed with. Scott seemed to understand, but in a wild move, threw it to the wind.
Dragging a hand through his lightly splattered hair, Scott strode to his comrades and sank into attack-mode.
The only problem was, he was standing behind Lance- not Logan.
"Big mistake, bub." Logan whispered and the X-Men around him shifted to the side a little. Except for Rogue who was quite menacing in her silent, 'oh yeah, you know what's coming next' way.
"You always say that. Why does no one ever truly repent?" Scott asked as he tossed the bat to Toad. "Shut up and make a move, either attack or get off our property." Emphasis on the 'our,' keep a straight face, try not to quiver in fear. Good boy, Scott.
"You know what. You're right, kid. I'll make a move. Towards your face!!"
"Hey, can we avoid a confrontation here?" Lance asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Logan had taken three steps towards the Brotherhood when Lance said this, and yes, everything stopped. Logan even dropped his extended arm and a confused look flitted across everyone's face.
"It's just that, we worked hard to clean up the furniture," Lance waved at the chairs, tables and bureaus scattered across the lawn on blue tarps. "And I know how much damage our fights cause. So could we not do this... or take it someplace else if it's unavoidable?"
"..."
"Is he askin' us t' leave?" Logan asked.
"Hey, a costume party! Wanda, why didn't you say so? I have a magnificent suit of armor at home that would have been great. Is this your big surprise?" A cheerful voice rang across the yard. Of course it was obvious that this was anything but a costume party, but nice people see things that normal people don't.
"Actually, I think this is what happens when one's little brother convinces the favorite mutant of his enemy faction to leave home and move in with him."
"Incredible. This guy must be made of muscle. The costume shows them perfectly." Logan felt a pair of eyes on him and turned, baffled.
"Oh great." He muttered. Wanda Maximoff. While she wasn't on the top of his 'Things That Make Me Turn Yellow' list, she was up there with curfew-breakers on the 'Things That Really Annoy Me' list. And those hex bolts did hurt a little.
Logan noted the two guys next. One looked like Magneto, only about 40 years younger and dressed like that Alvers punk. The other had black hair with metallic blue, red and silver streaks randomly dyed in it. For some reason, he drew all the attention away from Wanda.
"Who are they?"
"Allow me to introduce my boyfriend and his brother. This is Kaysin," Wanda smiled adoringly at the dark haired kid, "and Jaysin. Of no relation to my brother and me, thank goodness. Guys, these are the Brotherhood's greatest enemies. The X-Men." She shot a glare at them and her voice dripped venom at their name.
"Wow. So is this like a gang fight or something? I thought it was just a teen thing... or does he use steroids? They're not good for you, ya'know..." The kid walked through the X-Men and they parted like the Red Sea... they could sense something out of place and turned to Logan for assurance.
"Do I know you, kid?"
"Maybe, maybe not. I can't tell what you're thinking and I can't really see your face. You remind me of one of my cousins though. He was okay or at least to people he liked. Oooh. This must be Pietro... You're right Wanda, you can't miss him in a crowd. Nice hair. How do you get it to stay?"
Despite themselves, the mutants felt the tension dissolve under the carefully randomized ministrations of Kaysin. Finally, Logan shook his head. "Whatever. I can't stay mad at you two. Why the Hell didn't you just say you were tryin' out the Brotherhood?"
"Because we knew what you would do." Scott answered with his usual air of control. Most of the mutants had drifted away, with the obvious exception. Jean, Evan, Rogue and Logan were all that remained.
Logan grunted. "Why do you think. You never even gave us a hint. Huh?" Logan's tone changed as Rogue stormed past him.
"Just what do you mean runnin' off lahk that? Ah was worried t' death! And what if you'd died runnin' around, playin' like you were with the Brotha'hood? What if we'd a hurt you?"
"I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself."
"Okay, allowin' fer that, WHAT IS THIS ABOUT YOU AN' PIETRO BEING CLOSET PERVS?!!!"
"We are not!!"
"THEN WHY DID KITTY SAY YA'LL WERE? YOU THINK SHE'D LIE ABOUT SOMETHIN' LAHK THAT? WHAT KINDA PEOPLE DO YOU TAKE US FOR? IT AIN'T ENOUGH BEING A MUTANT WITHOUT BEING... BEING... YOU KNOW WHAT?!!!"
"What's wrong with-"
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? WHAT'S WRONG? HOW 'BOUT SNEAKIN' OUT NEARLY EVERY DANG NIGHT FER A YEAR TO SLEEP WITH YER BEST FRIEND'S MALE ENEMY? I COULD ALMOST FORGIVE THE FACT THAT IT'S ANOTHER GUY, BUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE!!!! Why couldn't you at least have picked someone... you know... well... more lahk Scott." She said, for lack of a better role model. He was, after all, only there to help the Brotherhood straighten up their act.
"Because all the guys like Scott have beautiful women attached to their names, well except Scott, but he has a crush on someone else now, and things would get complicated." Rogue blinked and Scott changed colors. "He's like a brother to me. That's why." Kurt finished, hoping Rogue would accept it and stop ranting.
"And what about yer sister? You just leave me all alone at that Institute with all those stuffed shirts and don't even say g'bye? For a hoodlum? Your best friend's enemy?"
"Well... you rememeber all that mess about that diary a while back..."
"When you almost got caught breakin' in the Brotherhood Mansion..."
"He did?" Lance looked surprised.
"Well. I went back."
"..."
"And then I got caught." There was that moment of silence that occurs in a classroom right after a teacher explains the answer to a difficult math problem.
"Pietro." Lance was mad.
"Yeah."
"We need to have a talk about you and strangers who walk into our house."
"He wasn't a stranger."
"Pietro." Make that pissed off.
"I'm sorry."
"Is that when all this started?" Rogue asked while Lance proceeded to strangle Pietro.
"No. That's when I decided that Evan's enemies don't have to be my enemies. It wasn't 'til after all that mess with Phoenix that we got serious about it."
"Kurt."
"Rogue." he said, wincing slightly in preparation. She didn't fail him.
"THAT WAS OVA' TWO DAMN YEARS AGO, YOU ONLY TOLD KITTY ONE!! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHIN' LAHK THIS TO US? AH THOUGHT BEING FAMILY MEANT YOU TALKED TO ONE ANOTHA'!! TWO YEARS??!"
"Rogue, I can explain, see-"
"AH DON'T THINK I WANT YA' T' EXPLAIN. AH THINK AH HEARD ENOUGH!!" Rogue picked up a dismantled drawer and thwaked Kurt soundly on the head for his betrayal before judging him thoroughly punished and moving on to the next person.
"Ah, Rogue." Scott stammered, yes, he stammered and even backed away a little.
"Ah'm warning you Mista' Summers. You better keep an eye on mah brotha' or you'll get even worse, ya' hear?"
"Of course, Rogue." He smiled weakly.
"And Scott."
"Yeah?"
"If I found out you came here for some twisted reason instead of t' help the Brotherhood, your head is mine."
"But- er. Nothing." He said as she turned to face him.
"What were you gonna say?"
"I was under the impression that he left because he was getting bored with the X-Men." Wanda put in helpfully, or not.
"Bored?" Rogue echoed.
"No! No, it's just. It was getting too crowded and... well, I felt like letting someone else be the boss for a while."
"Too crowded...letting someone else be boss... Oh. OH.... I get it. This is just a hiatus 'til things calm down. That ah can understand. Ah imagine it's hard keeping every one in line and all. So, you keep the Brotha'hood outta trouble. Ah'm holdin' you personally responsible." She ended darkly.
"Ah, glad I... have your trust." Scott made a noncommitted sound to acknowledge how closely he had missed getting thwaked. Then there was Jean to face...
A/N
Yep, I'm sure you hate me now. You were so looking forward to that fight scene and then, whooosh. I denied you. I am a cruel master aren't I... (I was trying to find a way that the Brotherhood could win by a fluke, but I decided that as long as Wolverine was there, it would take a giant orca to provide a fluke big enough to save them... yes, that was a joke, believe it or not, and I made it up myself.)
Anyhow. I really like the next scene... almost as I like the upcoming "Calling all Mutants" chapter. Yeah, it's coming up. That's a funny one, even my funny bone agreed, and you know how funny bones are...
Power to the Corny Jokers. Yo.
BTW: I grew up in the south, so I know what southerners say when they find out someone they know is gay. I dolled it up for you twelve year olds who know you shouldn't be reading this kind of story but think you're smart and read it anyway. We do that kinda stuff in the south too...