Happy birthday to... Bittersweet! One month old today! Seventeen chapters in one month -- I think that's pretty good, no? :D I can't believe it has only been a month... damn! Prolific little Psycho B!! All this, and still manages to keep a 4.0 GPA... Along with beta-ing four people's fics, corresponding with those people plus a few others, making that Evietro as batE's thank you present/bribery, trying but being admittedly delinquent in making a chapter for Ramsey's smut request fic, and doing this story. And you already know about school and work... making this a very busy time for me!! A day in the life of Psycho B... Duuuuuude. O.o It's depressing just how out of character these guys are getting... Argh! An odd combo of fluff and angst -- I don't really like it, but it's here. Once it's over, we can forget all about it! :D Okay, actually, reading over it again, I like this chapter better than most of the other ones, during the fun parts at least, so that's saying a lot. I hate the end. But what I like does not matter -- it all comes down to what *you* like! Let's all like it together and do the happy pants dance! Conga, conga, conga! Owwie! Sunbuuurn... ouch. ^_~ But I am denying my last opportunity to alter this chapter, so if you don't like it, there is no one to blame but Psycho B's evil, uncaffienated muse. No turning back now! Blame the muse! The muse, I tell you! :D And hey! Hardly anyone commented on my barfing pumpkin picture on my page! Psycho B's gonna cry...! Just skip to your own section of the review response thing, or else the length will make your eyes cross by the time you finish it all! It's super-long today, for some reason... sorry! :P Actually, wait -- just read it all. There may be little explanations of things you yourself were wondering, but forgot to ask! And response to... (don't bother reading unless you've reviewed/read the reviews recently) *GoChi Studios: Ahh, my `Beast Wars' opponent has come to share their comments... good sport! I was wondering how long I'd be able to keep it under wraps! ^_~ That was damn sneaky of me to hold the contest without telling you, but I wanted an unbiased sampling. If you knew, you could have made all your people who believe the same way you do vote and whack the totals... so it needed to be semi-random. Hey! It's not like I gave any hints as to what *I* thought the answer should be! My peers vote with me, without even knowing it! ^_^ We are all linked on the same karmic planes, they and I... and stuff. They must have known the truth! But they results don't lie, baby -- they all vote with Psycho B! Go team!! ^o^ But don't go bitching at me about my lack of Shakespeare knowledge -- I think I missed that entire thing when I switched schools. I had the `Romeo & Juliet' unit two years in a row because of that, so I'm thinking that may have something to do with it. Just managed to miss Hamlet completely! And don't be commenting on my breeding, ya little punk -- your fave character is a throwback to the apes! ^_~ And you didn't *answer* the Chippendale's question, you naughty thing! >:D *SailorWade: Aww, of course I missed ya! Didja miss me too? ^_^ An amnesiac is someone with amnesia -- like on soap operas, where someone gets in a car wreck, or falls off a horse while playing polo and hits their head on a rock or something, and then they can't remember anything, like what happened, who anyone is, or even who they are! That would be mean to do to Pie-Pie, and it would mean having to rework Pie and Lance's entire relationship, so I didn't do it! And if/when Evan finds out, he's gonna be Hella pissed, cuz Pietro rejected him back in the day because he didn't think he was gay! So yes, Evan shall be a wee bit pissed off. I actually see Evan as Bi for this fic, not totally gay, which is why he can still flirt with girlies. But that'll be fun! Chippendale's is a male stripping place. I don't think I'd personally be interested in attending a showing there, unless our boys really were performing... *drool* Honestly, you've seen one naked guy, you've seen `em all... ^_~ And OMG! The site *is* taking the movies down! I just looked, and there used to be tons more! Why is it that every time I find a good site, the owner feels the need to dismantle it? I'm a jinx! I'll keep looking for other good movie sites... I think I may have one, but I can't remember if I ever actually waited for any of this site's movies to download to check the quality. I wish I wasn't such a computer reject, then I could make my own site, and it would have everything! Movies, screencaps, sounds, the works! And I could even host my own fics there... *starry eyes* But that will never happen, unless I magically wake up one day imprinted with the knowledge of how to build a site! And I don't see that happening anytime soon... ^_^ *Taiorami: Goddess B... *mad giggles* Eh. *I* would have had a heart attack if Pie lost his memory! Because then, I would have to make them do everything over again! (Talk about zero progress *now*... just wait!) And although having another `first time' lemon scene may be fun... no. It's mean to do that to our boys! And truly, I was thinking along the lines of Kurt for Toddles, but he's an X-Freak! And so is little Jamie! They really need to make up some new BH person to be Toddy's man! Maybe... Pyro! That would rock! But I can only see Pyro with Lance, since they were buddies in the comics, or Bobby Drake/Iceman (just cuz of the whole `fire & ice' bit) so that still wouldn't work! Argh! St. John could be *such* an Evo hottie! And they could *so* play with the accent! (Hint, hint, Evo writers...) ^_~ *Cherry Drop: Warren Worthington (Angel) is in the Christmas episode `On Angel's Wings.' I believe it's ep #22, in between `Joyride' and `Mindbender,' but don't quote me on that... but any fansite can tell you the order of the eps, so don't fret, m'dear. And I've been slacking off on my contribution to Ramsey, because I'm making an Evietro lemon for batE, cuz she helped me with something and I had to bribe her... so I don't know when it will get done. Eventually, I hope. I do enjoy jacking with our little East Coast friends! Feel free to email me your chapter, and I'll look it over for ya -- I personally think I'm a better editor than writer anyway, so perhaps Psycho B can be of some assistance! If I can finish that Godawful Evietro I'm slaughtering at the moment... Eh. That Evietro is pissing me off, cuz I'm resenting Evan for coming in between our favorite speedster and his rock-tumbler! Which is crazy, cuz in the fic Lance has no part whatsoever, and he's probably not even gay! Dammit! I really hope it doesn't suck, cuz it's kinda a gift. Argh! I can picture you hitting Xavier upside the head, much like Uncle in Jackie Chan Adventures. I've started doing that to my friend, who doesn't seem to think it's as funny as I do... gee, wonder why? I'm giddy with the slashy fluff potential myself. Too bad all the cute, fluffy things I've randomly written for this fic aren't working themselves in yet! But they will! Or else! ^_~ *Medusa171: Oh, no fun not commenting on the Chippendale's challenge! Slacker. ^_^ Thanks for working so hard as not to confuse me. It just happens so easily, you know? *batE: You cannot resist... the Goddess Psycho B! Ha HA! >:D Finally! Someone who appreciates fine art! Nifty little pumpkin... *sigh* I gave myself a sore throat giggling at it when I first put it up. I could replace it with a nice little Lance-barf pic, but the only one I've found is of crappy quality, and thus, probably would not show up on my page. Too damn dark. Grr... ^_^ Don't worry, dahling, your `spikey' and `speedy' boys will be busy `buffing' plenty of things in that strange little Evietro I'm fine tuning for ya... which I hope doesn't disturb you the was it's disturbing me! Heh heh... hot chocolate. I'll have to work that one in somehow... ^_~ Ororo IS cool. She's down with the situation -- oh yes. And Scooter-boy's too dumb for our Rogue! Clueless little Xavier puppet... grr... ~cut to happy batE burbling~ Yay! Happy meeps! I never get tired of being told the fic is good! Makes me wanna write more, ya know? ^_~ Until I get writer's block on that infernal Evietro... ack! I will kill it repeatedly until I get it right! Eh. Let's change topic again -- Pietro and Lance in matching bowties doing a pole dance together! Yeah! Sweet dreams are made of this... (again wishing that the keyboard had music note symbols...) Mag-not-so-neato might look good too, I must admit... only after his un-aging process, of course! O.o Older-version-of-Pietro hotness going on there... Whoo! *R: Eh -- it was a long shot, I guess. I mean, if you *did* have an account, most likely you'd leave signed reviews, no? My bad! ^_^ And I will take your compliment with the highest regards. I like your idea about Kurt's female persona working at Hooters -- very original. ^_~ *DarkFire: You're telling me! Early twenties is just plain wrong! ^_^ Sorry about the Logan bit w/ Xavier, but I didn't specifically *say* that Logan was agreeing to anything -- just that Xavier was talking at him. Not *to* him, but *at* him. Maybe he's controlling his mind! ^o^ And you're not an idiot -- I was rather vague about Magneto's reasons for killing our beloved Pie... but yeah, I would guess he'd be Hella pissed at his little boy for consorting with the enemy, and for being gay, and what the Hell, prolly for getting in an accident, too! Mag-not-so-neato can be a tough cookie to crumble, if ya know what I mean... *cough*ragingbigot*cough* But that's just Psycho B's opinion... ^_^ *Kelly: Fear the capslock!! >:D I didn't say not to review, slacker! I just gave ya a night off from answering the interactive question! Sneaky little thing you are, reading into my wording... ^o^ P *would* want to re-read the smut chappies, the lil' perv! But he's fun -- we like `em that way! Good to the last drop... *Psycho B drools herself into a slash-induced stupor while making Homer Simpson donut-loving noises (you know the ones...)* :D And actually, I believe it might be Maxwell House, not Folgers, that's good to the last drop. I could be wrong, I don't watch much adult-oriented television anymore where one might see a coffee advertisement... (How sad! Cry for me!) ^_~ *Sky_Angel: Good lord! I believe this is the longest review I've ever gotten! To avoid accidentally missing anything... O.o I'm gonna reply in number format which should correspond with your review, `kay? Okay. 1. Damn! When I do short chapters, people bitch about the length, and when I do long chapters, people *still* bitch about the length! What can I do? Eh. Oh, and the correct spelling *is* Spyke, I've checked repeatedly just to be sure. It's supposed to be cool and funky and somehow more ethnic than plain old, regular `Spike,' or something along those lines... I personally don't agree, but whatever floats the Evo creators' boats! And no dissing characters! There's always someone who's gonna be offended if you do. Rogue and Ororo aren't *that* bad, even if they can get annoying sometimes... but then again, almost all of the characters can get that way, except for personal faves. They're exempt. ^_~ Don't worry; Lance will be just fine. He's dealt with stuff before, he can do it again. He's a survivor, he's gonna make it, la la la la la, gonna work harder... eh. Psycho B can't remember the words. Too lazy to listen to the CD. It's Survivor, by Destiny's Child... if ya couldn't tell. Which is entirely possible, seeing as how I just mangled it to pieces. ^_~ 2. The sporks do come back! Just keep lookin' for `em... ^_^ If you want mindless slashing, go read Ramsey's fics. They're about as shallow and mindless as you can get for smut, yet are surprisingly well-written. I will have more slashing, don't get me wrong, but there must also be some kind of plot -- I insist! 3. Your bank tellers must suck. I always give what the customers want -- that's just the way it is. I am limited to eight grand or under in my cash drawer, but I try to keep a variety of bills so I can give the people what they need/want. I even give out lolli-pops! As for the drive up -- I don't know what else to tell ya, cuz I already explained it to the best of my ability. Maybe try to look it up online and find a picture of one? 4. I wasn't very clear on the whole title thing -- I *did* know what I was doing with it, and how it was going to work for either happy or sad/angsty stuff since the word `bittersweet' implies both things, the bitter *and* the sweet, so it did make sense, even in the first stages. I just forgot to explain myself sooner, so I kept forgetting! I'm a spaz! :P 5. Umm. Yes. I know how many *reviews* I have, I was talking about how many people in *total* had accessed the page at all. The paid `enhanced statistics' thing I just got lets authors know how many individual people physically go to the story to read, and keep tabs on the hits each chapter receives, and not all people necessarily review. Understand? It's reviews vs. hits. It is confusing at first, especially to people who don't have it. Kinda like bank drive ups... ^_^ 6. I can pretty much decipher your stuff, even though sometimes I just hafta sit and stare at it for a minute to understand the computer shorthand lingo you use, and the abbreviations. If I don't understand, I let you know. 7. *smirks* The prof would look Hella jacked up in a thong and bowtie! Even sitting in his wheelchair, it's just... icky. ^_~ But! He could have an awesome stage name: `Wheels.' Whaddya think? Is it his true alter-ego? Other than being the brains behind the Psychic Friends Hotline and Miss Cleo, that is... And I'm not going to stop reading your reviews because of the length, don't ya fret. I like hearing people's comments! :D Disclaimer: As if! No, really, if you actually believe I own any of this (makes grand sweeping gesture) then I have some prime swamp land down in Florida you may be interested in... No, seriously. I don't own anything. (Duh?) *~*~*~*~*~* Chapter seventeen: The Joys of Prescription Painkillers Ororo arrived to rouse the boys with breakfast at around eight the next morning. She was not prepared for the sight before her: two empty beds (only one slept in) and that one with a small, white envelope sitting defiantly atop it. Ororo made her way over to the bed, picking up the envelope reading the contents of the letter within. She tucked it into her skirt pocket. `No one needs know of this,' she decided firmly, heading back upstairs to inform the professor of the boys' departure. *** Rogue awoke with a luxurious stretch, a true smile creeping over her features for the first time in months. She had helped them be free. It felt good to be bad. *** Todd and Freddy were seated on the living room floor playing their ancient Super Nintendo when Lance and Pietro arrived home early the next morning. Todd and Fred had not yet gone to sleep. Sleeping in and skipping school the previous day had given the two tons of energy to stay up late and finish Super Mario World. They were currently in the chocolate zone, or whatever that level was called, and the constant sight of brown things that looked like, well, chocolate, were making Freddy hungry. He had just gotten up to make himself a `light' snack when Lance burst through the front door with Pietro in his arms. Pietro clung to him like a baby chimp holding onto its mother, his arm wrapped around Lance's neck, his cheek against Lance's chest. Fred just stared. He had wondered where those two had been, after they weren't woken up for school the day before. Todd, who had decided to be civil to the new couple, came up behind Freddy. "Where have you been, yo?" the small one inquired, observing with curiosity the fact that Lance was carrying Pietro into the house. He looked up at Lance, who was holding Pietro as if he hardly weighed a thing. "We had a little incident on the way home yesterday," Lance half-lied, moving to deposit Pietro gently on the couch. Pietro's sprained ankle hadn't improved at all, and Lance figured it would be awhile before it healed completely. "Oh God, the pain!" Pietro wailed dramatically, which brought Lance rushing to his side. PietroSmirk (TM) "Do you want some of those painkillers Rogue snatched for us?" Lance asked, concern knitting his brows together. "Wait, yo -- Rogue? Where've you two been?" Todd repeated his question, his demand a bit more forceful than he'd intended. Todd cringed at the harsh tone in his voice. "Well, we were gonna go off campus for lunch, right? But Pietro decided that he wanted to drive, so... he kinda got in an accident. I was gonna take him to the hospital, but they'd ask too many questions, so I had no choice but to take him to the X-Geeks," Lance finished. Todd rolled his eyes. "The X-Geeks? He'd be better off in a muddy ditch, yo! Those guys are whacked," Todd insisted, glaring at Lance for his obvious stupidity. `Wait -- you let him *drive*? Maybe you're the one who's whack, yo." Lance flinched. "It's not like I had a choice, Todd! Believe me, the last place I wanted to go to for help was the X-Freaks, but sometimes you've gotta weigh the pros with the cons." Todd considered this as he moved to take a seat on the couch, opposite Pietro, who was still whining for his pills. "La - aaa - ance!" Pietro complained more loudly, angry that he was being ignored. How dare they ignore the great Pietro Maximo-- "Oww! Fuck!" Pietro swore as Todd jostled the couch, causing the speedster's ankle to smart something terrible. "You'd better get those painkillers -- and hurry," he gasped. "Knock me out! I wanna be put to sleep!" Lance sighed. Pietro in pain was gonna be a bitch. `It's a good thing he's so cute, or else he'd be in big trouble,' Lance thought. `At least he didn't wreck my car, or *I'd* have to hurt him.' Lance had fully inspected the damage to his precious Jeep while Rogue settled Pietro into the front seat early that morning. It was a damn good thing she decided to help them, because they would have never been able to escape the security system without her codes. He'd urged the gothic girl to come with them, but she'd politely declined the invitation. "Ah'm no good wit' goodbyes, so I jus' won't say one," she'd said, tears streaking her dark makeup in the moonlight. Lance wished with all his heart that Rogue would come back to them, even part time, but the pull the X-Geeks had over her was just too strong. She'd stood in the garage, waving to them as they pulled out. Lance swore he'd seen her wipe one last stray tear from her eye as they drove away into the night. Lance wanted to forget the heart-wrenching scene from last night, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He lay back on the couch, careful not to disturb the sleeping speed demon who was napping in his lap, and drifted into an uneasy slumber as he worked his fingers through his lover's silky white hair. *** Lance was jarred from sleep early in the evening by a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Pietro was woken as well, which made Lance madder than being disturbed himself. `Great. Now he's awake. At least when he's sleeping, he doesn't whine... someone will pay for this,' Lance decided, making a move to get up off the couch. Pietro's quick arms prevented him from doing so. "Noooo," the speed freak moaned against Lance's stomach, clutching him possessively. "Stay here... nice pillow." "Pie, it's the drugs talking. I have to go make you some kind of food anyway, before you pass out from undernourishment." "Nooooo! Stay!" Lance calmly pried Pietro's arms from around his waist. I'll be right back, speedy. Don't you want some nice, uh, delicious..." Crap. No one had gone shopping *still*. How was he supposed to feed everyone when there was no food in the house? Usually, Pietro would cook, or at least find something simple they could manage on their own, but now... "I take that back. I have to go out to get something, since we have no food. What do you want?" "Taco Bell!" came the instant, energized reply. "And make sure you bring me some sporks!" Lance wasn't even going to comment on that. "What do you want to *eat* from Taco Bell?" Pietro thought hard about this, weighing the price vs. quantity options carefully. "I want a dozen hard tacos, easy on the lettuce, and a nachos supreme. And a Sprite, or Slice, whatever they have," he blurted, the possibility of food tantalizing his tastebuds already. Lance eyed him questioningly. "You sure you can handle twelve tacos and a nachos supreme?" "Of course. And if for some reason I can't, I can have the leftovers for breakfast." "Yummy. Soggy, day old tacos," Lance commented dryly. He fished in his pocket for his keys. "I'm gonna have to get gas on the way too, so I should be back in half an hour. Unless there's a line." Pietro pouted. "What?" Lance asked, not pleased to have to deal with another PietroMini-Crisis (TM). "Why can't I come?" Lance grinned as a pleasantly inappropriate mental picture flitted through his brain. He quickly shoved it away. "Because you're sick, and I don't want to risk you hurting yourself somehow. Actually, you're overdue for another pill." Lance strode over to the foot of the staircase. "Todd! Freddy! Somebody get Pietro his pill!" Todd popped his head out of the kitchen. Lance had forgotten someone had been in there, making the noise that had awoken him in the first place. "What, yo?" "Pietro's pain medication. Give it to him, please. Oh, what do you want from Taco Bell?" Todd's eyes lit up like neon Vegas signs. "Taco Bell?" he asked, salivating at the mere mention of the rare treat. "Yeah. Tell ya what -- just write it down. I'm gonna go get Freddy's list. Hey -- maybe we should call ahead? This is gonna be one massive order." "I think the employees might like that. Fair warning. If they quit now, they could be walking out the door before you get there, yo," Todd quipped, earning a sidelong look from Lance. "Whatever. Just write it down. And I want you to keep half an eye on Pietro -- that concussion might make him a little loopier than usual." "No problem, yo." "Thanks, Todd." That was odd. Todd wasn't making any reference to Pietro and Lance's relationship whatsoever. `Probably in denial,' Lance surmised, and grabbed a yellow legal pad and a pen before climbing the stairs to take Freddy's order. *** "Dammit, When'sLanceGonnaBeBackWithTheFood?" Pietro's mind raced. He'd been gone for... twenty-seven minutes! `Only three more minutes until Lance is a liar,' Pietro reminded himself. `Hmm, I wonder what kind of punishment I could give him for being late...' Pietro had decided that he wouldn't take his happy drugs until he'd eaten -- he knew if he missed his meal, he'd lose it to Freddy. `That punk is *so* not getting my tacos! Or my nachos!' Pietro raged viciously. He'd lost many a meal to the large boy in the past. But unfortunately, Lance had insisted. So now he was trying to keep himself busy so he wouldn't fall asleep. This proved difficult since he was limited to the couch. `GottaStayAwake, GottaStayAwake, GottaStayAwake, GottaStayAwake...' The next thing Pietro knew, he was being kissed into consciousness. He smiled. If only they made alarm clocks that could do that, there would one very rich inventor, uh, person out there somewhere. Lance held up a semi-shiny white object and dangled it in front of Pietro's face. "Spork! YaySporksRuleThankYouLanceThankYouThankYouThankYou!! Where's my food?" Pietro switched topics quickly as his eyes scanned the room for the bag containing his precious foodstuffs. "Where?" "It's in the kitchen... I was just gonna ask you if you wanted to join us at the table, or eat in here. We could have more privacy in here..." Lance suggested, bringing his lips to Pietro's once more. Pietro was having none of it. "Take me to the table. I'm no invalid!" Pietro wasn't letting Lance off the hook that easily -- he'd lied about how long it would take! He'd been gone for... fifty-two minutes! The scoundrel! "Pietro, it took the kids awhile to get Fred's order together. I felt kinda sorry for them -- that little blond girl working the register nearly tipped over trying to carry the tray!" Pietro sniffed indignantly, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What blond girl?" he demanded jealously. "Just the girl working the counter, Pietro. Jeez, you'd think I was having an affair they way you carry on!" Pietro settled back into his pillow-and-blanket heaven, formerly the couch. Lance resisted the urge to jump him on the spot and ravish his tender little body-- "Lance! Get in here and dole out the goods, yo," Todd called out from the kitchen. "Freddy's just grazing his way through everything!" Lance sighed, reaching out his arms to Pietro to carry him into the kitchen. Pietro just crossed his arms over his chest and *hmph*ed. "What's the problem now?" "I don't wanna eat in there," Pietro whined. Lance forced himself to stay calm. After all, Pietro was incapacitated, which must be irritating as Hell for someone who can normally move faster than the eye. "All right, I'll bring your food in." "Lance?" Lance closed his eyes. `Lord, give me strength.' "Yes?" "Will you sit in here with me? I... I don't wanna eat alone!" Pietro's eyes looked suspiciously shiny. Lance's annoyance melted into pity as he watched the speedster watching him. "Sure, if you want," Lance said casually. He cast another look in Pietro's direction, and headed into the kitchen to prepare Pietro's meal. *** "Mmmm-- oh, God! Oh yes! Awesome! Mmm... this is the best I've ever had, Lance!" Lance smirked. This was not the first time Pietro had gotten overly emotional over food, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. The kid even rivaled Freddy when it came to relishing every last morsel of his meals. Lance rolled his eyes at the dramatics. "Pie, anyone without good vision would be severely disturbed right now, you know that, don't you?" Pietro responded by sticking his tongue out at the older mutant. Lance forced himself to behave. `I will *not* attack the innocent, defenseless invalid, I will *not* attack the innocent, defenseless, hot, sexy-- wait! This isn't working!' Lance thought desperately, seeking out some kind of distraction to take his mind off of the inappropriate thoughts swirling around in his head. `*Swirly* thing...' Lance was sure he had a ridiculously stupid smile on his face right about then. Pietro poked him with his good foot, breaking the spell the memories of the*swirly* thing had cast over the unfortunate rock tumbler. "Whaa...?" "Whatsa matta you?" Pietro slurred. His pain medication was slowly taking control of his body. "Nothing... hey, since when do you have satin slippers?" Pietro looked away innocently. "Pietro?" "What?" I said, since when do you wear satin slippers? How did you even get those? You can't walk," Lance reminded the sleepy mutant. Pietro yawned. "Made Todd do it," he said sleepily. "I guessed that much, but why do you have them in the first place?" "I, uh... IUsedToTakeDance." Lance started. "Dance? Really?" Now *this* was interesting. Pietro realized he'd said too much. But it was the pain medication talking! The drugs! "Uh, yeah... I took, umm, ballet," he finished in a mumble so Lance had to request he repeat himself. "I took ballet! Ballet! There, are you happy now?" Lance sensed this was the beginning of a deep, meaningful conversation when Pietro abandoned his unfinished nachos and sank back into the pillow fort he'd created on the couch. "I used to do it for money back in the old days, me an' my sister," Pietro set the scene, his exhaustion apparent as he stopped to take in a deep lung full of air. "Everyone in the village liked to see the cute little kids do their little dance. They would throw money. We didn't mind. We thought they were just nice people giving us money. And that's how it should have been. But they turned on us when Wanda accidentally set a house on fire... but it was an accident!" Pietro insisted, as if he had to convince Lance of the fact. Lance was quite shocked. He'd had no idea Pietro had a sister. "Wait, what sister? Pietro, are you confused? Maybe Todd gave you too much medicine--" "No! I am very clear right now. I need to tell you this. Will you listen?" Pietro asked, seemingly fearful that Lance would refuse. As if he would. "I'll listen," Lance promised, getting up out of the easy chair beside the couch and settling on the worn coffee table in front of the couch. He had to move the remnants of Pietro's dinner before he could sit safely. "In the old country, I don't really remember much of it now, but I remember the dancing. Always dancing. It made for a startling contrast, my fair hair and complexion, and Wanda's beautiful curling dark hair... God, she was beautiful. But then the fire happened, and they took us away, split us apart..." Lance could see Pietro's chin quivering. But he knew he couldn't interrupt. He had given his word he would listen. "But dancing, the dancing, it let us be free. That was how I learned of my mutation, although I didn't know what it was at the time. My legs could just... move. Everywhere! Wanda was the only one who could keep up. We would dance and dance... until the fire. The fire that ended everything. That's when Magneto came -- Daddy. He was Daddy to Wanda, but Father to me. He didn't like me being so close to her. He thought it was dirty and... and bad. So after the fire when he took us away, he kept her, but sent me to live here. My first foster family. First of many. They didn't like to keep me. They thought I was bad..." Lance was shocked. He'd completely forgotten Pietro's confession about Magneto being his father. It was just so bizarre. Magneto? Their mysterious leader? And now the good possibility that he was dead. Along with Mystique. Lance wasn't sure what to say -- the pale boy looked so drained. Like he could sleep for a week. `Maybe it's just the concussion talking... I mean, this is pretty messed up. Maybe he *is* just confused...' Lance knew better. He felt awfully guilty, since he was the one who had broached the subject in the first place. But he hadn't meant to! He was just teasing Pietro about his slippers! It was innocent! `Damn.' "One family kept me for a lot longer than the others. They lived in the same building as Evan's family. That's how I met him," Pietro explained. "They saw how I moved sometimes, quick and graceful, and they sent me for lessons. They wanted their own little Nutcracker doll. That's what my foster mom would call me -- her little dancing doll. So loving... I liked it. And they liked me. Loved me, maybe. I took the lessons for years. I was with them until they got transferred to another state for my foster dad's new job. They were upset that I couldn't go with them, but I had to stay in New York, in the system. I was their only kid, foster or otherwise. I don't blame them. Things happen. After that, I was in a group home, until I came here... and you know the rest..." `Yeah, you bet I do... you came here to torture me with your beauty... that odd beauty that is so totally and completely yours. Yours alone.' Lance thought it best to allow Pietro to rest. Obviously, he was in no shape to argue. Lance covered his friend with his fort-making materials and, with a light kiss on the forehead, left the boy to his much needed sleep. Lance prayed, for Pietro's sake, he had a deep, dreamless slumber. *** Sitting in the dark, across the room from Pietro's sleeping form in his `pillow fort of doom,' Lance tried to piece together the disjointed fragments of Pietro's strange tale. He'd just learned that Pietro had a sister, and that Magneto had taken her away from him. And that he'd done little dances for the people in his village in... wherever he'd used to live, and liked it. And had taken ballet lessons when he was younger. Lance made a decision. Tomorrow, he would find the phonebook, find a dance studio, and sign Pietro up for lessons. But damn! -- he'd forgotten that Pietro's ankle was messed up. And that they couldn't afford it. `Sometime soon,' Lance promised himself. Maybe that would give the little speed freak something constructive to do with his time and energy. `Wait -- that would be time and energy wasted that could be used with *me*! The Hell with that!' Despite the temptation of seeing Pietro in a leotard, Lance decided it would be best for everyone to just forget his little idea. Risking possible death by pillow suffocation, Lance managed to find a comfortable spot nestled next to Pietro, who snuggled closer and sighed softly in his sleep. `Oh, yeah,' Lance thought, `Life is good.' *~*~*~*~*~*~* As you may already be able to tell, I do not know much about the comic versions of Pietro and Wanda. I know only what I have picked up from random sites and other fics. I hope it's fairly accurate (except for the parts I *totally* made up... which is, oh, most of it, but still.) I tried to be as vague as possible, but at the same time use specific stuff, so... yeah. It sucks. :P Bite me! Dammit! Double dammit!! I forgot the summary on the last chapter *again*! How do I keep doing that? I swear, if my head wasn't attached to my body... XD Summary continuation/update: Pietro wants Lance, Pietro makes plan, Pietro accomplishes plan (sort-of) Pietro changes/revises plan midway through, Lance acts on his own unknown-to Pietro-and-himself feelings, Lance blurts out mega serious but true three-words and kisses Pietro due to lack of caffeine, Lance feels guilty but relieved, Pietro freaks out, Todd blabs to Rogue (implied), Pietro confides in Rogue, Rogue comforts Pietro, Pietro goes home to sort things out with Lance, who is taking Mystique's door off it's hinges to gain access to the possible money/jewels/valuables inside so they can fix up the house, Pietro takes over and gets the door off in five seconds, Lance is impressed and says so, Pietro brushes it off and apologizes for being a retard earlier, Lance says it's okay, Pietro jumps Lance and, well, you know... and now they've made it to the bedroom! :D But then! As Lance and Pietro are doing their business, they discover that -- dun dun DUN! -- Todd and Freddy are standing in the doorway watching them! Terrible voyeurs that they are! But Freddy kinda but not really saves the day, and takes the vile Toad away to simmer down! But then, Lance and Pietro share a kinda awkward moment, followed immediately by sex! So all is right with the world. Planets align, cosmic karma waves do whatever cosmic karma waves do, yadda yadda yadda, and everything's peachy keen. Until... the morning after! *bum bum bummmm* Where Lance awakens to realize that -- OMG -- there is still no coffee! So Lance and Pietro head over to Starbucks before school, where more wackiness ensues... then they go to school! Yay! And Pietro has a mini-tiff with Evan! And Lance saves him! And then Lance has a problem with Kitty, and Pietro saves *him*! Annnd then they leave to go off campus for lunch, where naughty Pietro decides this would be a good time for him to learn to drive... without Lance's permission, of course. And naturally, they have an accident that prompts Lance to go to the X-Men for help, cuz Pietro hurt himself! *sob* And they're still there... until they get Rogue to help them escape so they won't be brainwashed by eeeeevil Xavier! Ha HA! Take that, cue-ball! And now they are back home, where all four B-Hood members indulge in Taco Bell, and Pietro spills his guts to Lance about his mysterious past, his sister and father, and other things! Last time's interactive trivia/cool quote(s)/crazy X-Men and/or Brotherhood related thing I do (so ya'll can laugh at me)/random category thing! (TM): Which cast member would you most like to see working at Chippendale's or Hooters... Most of you (naturally, seeing that this *is* a Lance/Pietro fic) said... Lance and Pietro should work at Chippendale's! But we also had a few wild cards, such as Magneto, the prof (`Wheels') and the rest of the gang, collectively. But only a few specific Hooters choices, including just about every girl on the show, minus Kitty, who has no chest compared to her housemates... even Kurt has bigger titties! That was the one that threw me the most -- one very cool cat requested Kurt, in his holo-watch image-induced woman version for Hooters. That, seriously, was the most creative thing anyone came up with. Go `R'! Yay for originality! I'm lazy, and so we won't have another interactive thingie this time... true, it's only 12:25 am, buuut I'm tiiiiired! Wanna sleep! But include ideas for more interactive questions in your reviews, cuz Psycho B is running low on ideas. O.o OBEY THE CAPSLOCK AND REVIEW!! >:O <----- Lookie here, guys an' gals -- Psycho B's threatnin' ya'll! (Not really, little smiley/shocked face person... ahh, whatever. Freaking arguing with a smiley face... must be late.)

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