Tommy and Pietro | Backdated to December 9

[ax_speed]

When Magneto gets shot Tommy finds his way down to his 'grandfather's' sickbed - and finds another Maximoff there as well.



Pietro was wearing a trench in the linoleum of his father's sick room. Not that anyone else was there to mind--and only Wanda would guess it was him--but still, he needed to fucking stop and he couldn't.

This stupid bastard. First that announcement, which started shit off the rails, and now getting shot--what the fuck had this fucker expected when he started a war he wasn't ready for, anyhow?

Pietro could've fucking punched his sleeping face.

He probably could've cried on it too, but he'd be goddamned before he admitted that to himself (for more than a split second).

So he just kept pacing, listening for anyone coming so he could disappear before they caught him actually showing concern for this dumb ass motherfucker.


Tommy should have kept himself far away. He hated drama, right? (He didn't. He loved drama, as long as it didn't directly involve him. And even then, as long as it involved him in ways that weren't likely to get him set on fire.) The point being, he knew better than to go poking around problems that weren't actually his.

Except that Kitty had actually met the guy, and Tommy still hadn't. And Wanda seemed to really buy in to Billy's certainty that they were all related, which made the jokes about Magneto being his grandfather somehow more ... real. It was enough, anyway, to make him nudge Wanda about getting permission to get past Sharon into the infirmary. Whether or not that had actually been granted yet, he wasn't quite sure. It didn't really matter.

What were they going to do, catch him?

Tommy didn't expect to run into anyone other than infirmary staff on his way in, but he felt the blur before he even saw Pietro. He skidded to a halt, but the rest of the world stayed frozen in time around them.

Pietro turned and--incredibly--locked eyes with another human being without having to slow down. Ah, Jesus, Tommy. Pietro sighed and, without bothering to slow himself down, said, "Come to see the old man, huh?"

Tommy bit down the habitual snarky replies that immediately bubbled to mind. That was his father in the bed over there -- how would Tommy feel if- no, bad example. How would Billy be feeling if it was dad Kaplan hanging on to life by a thread? "Seemed like as good a time as any," he offered. "It'd be weird to be under the same roof and not. How is he?"

"Shot. Dumb enough to get shot." Pietro snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, but the bravado was barely even a fine sheen on him just then. He looked at Magneto in that bed, all pale and silent, like a fucking corpse. And Pietro was scared. Then, feeling awkward and stupid vulnerable, he added, "Stable, though."

Tommy followed Pietro's gaze, he couldn't help it, but the old guy in the bed didn't look much at all like the commanding presence he'd been on the screen. He was in between breaths, would be for a while at the speed Pietro and Tommy were going, and that pause made him look and feel even dead-er than he should've. Creepy. "That's good, right?" Tommy was not good at this kind of shit. "I thought he could bend bullets away and stuff. What the fuck actually happened?"

"Wasn't metal," Pietro said dryly. "Some ceramic shit. Someone knew exactly who they were gunning for and exactly where and when to bring him down."

Oh, that was bad. And that wasn't even Tommy's usual cynicism talking. "Hang on. How many people other than your guys knew what his powers actually are, never mind how to get around them?" Xavier did, obviously, and Magneto'd told Kitty... but none of them would have given that over to mutant-haters.

Pietro shook his head. “As far as I knew it was just us and baldy. But... he’s old. Who knows who he talked to before we were even born—let alone met him. His life is weird.”

"They all are," Tommy muttered under his breath. But yeah, fair enough. Anyone that charming would definitely have made his own set of enemies along the way. "Xavier won't talk about any of it, except that they used to be friends. Is that why you guys came here?"

"Someone knew the coordinates, so here we are. And--weirdly enough--no one's tried to kill us. Yet." Pietro sighed, platinum bangs flying upward at the gust of air. "Tell me you're not here to kill me. Attempted assassination by my own future-nephew or whatever. Too much."

"No," Tommy replied, packing his voice with scorn before he let that die away. "I can't vouch for everyone around here -some of the new kids are weird little fuckers - but that's not-." He trailed off and shrugged, his eyes still on the still form in the bed and his arms folded across his chest. "Guess I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Wanda cares about him."

"He's our dad," Pietro said with something awfully similar to a pout, glancing at the old man again. "He's never been perfect, but he looks out for us. For his own." Which he guessed included Tommy now or... something. Whatever.

"Looks to me like he could have used a few more of us looking out for him. You all could." Adding 'the fuck were you assholes thinking' wasn't likely to go over well. While normally he wouldn't let that stop him, being in the same room as the guy's potentially-dying father was enough to remind him to hold his tongue at least a little more than usual. "Pam gave me the basic rundown. She said Alex was the only other one to get hit." It was a question, really, but asking him if he was 'okay' seemed weird.

Pietro was glaring though, at what he saw as the implication that he hadn’t been good enough, fast enough. None of them had, and that was the truth... and that’s why it hurt. “Yeah,” he said, then his jaw flexed. “Maybe we should’ve planned for ceramic bullets. Maybe he should’ve kept his damn mouth shut on national tv.” Pietro regretted it the second he was out. He wasn’t used to talking to someone in real time. Usually he had a long time between composing a thought and articulating it.

Stupid Tommy.

Pietro looked back to his father, scowling.

"That wouldn't have been a bad start." Tommy pushed himself up on to the counter and sat there, ignoring (as best he could) the smell of the infirmary. Sped up like this, at least, he couldn't hear the beeping and pinging of the machines. Silence was so much better. "I get why he did it, especially if he's been dealing with this kind of bullshit all his life. But they were never just gonna lie down and take it."

"He probably wouldn't have it any other way," Pietro admitted, now turning a little more sulky than angry. "But that was no reason to declare war. Not that I don't agree with him, because I do--except about that part. Fucking idiot." But the way he said it was almost like a term of agreement.

The silence that followed probably lasted less than any measurable amount of time, but it was long enough to feel it. "What are you guys gonna do now?" Tommy asked, still somewhat unnaturally subdued. He kicked his feet lightly against the counter underneath him, the metal cabinet side thumping tinnily from the impacts of his heels.

"Find out who did it and why, and track them down." Okay, that wasn't official, but Pietro had no doubt they'd all see the immediate importance of that little task.

Well, yeah. The question was- "How?" Tommy asked. "Was anyone rolling video at the rally, or get a look at faces?"

"I've been scouring," Pietro said, a little distractedly. He was looking at Magneto again, arms crossed over his chest, worrying his bottom lip. "There's some on YouTube but nothing of the actual shot. So far. Faces, yes, I saw a lot of them, and I'd recognize if I saw them again.

"Need to know what he saw."

"Did they give you any idea when he'd wake up?" Magneto's chest had risen slightly from the time Tommy'd sped in there, a small sign of life. it didn't matter what the answer was, for the two of them, at least, it would still be 'too damn long.' Did Tommy even want to be there when he opened his eyes? That was a Pietro and Wanda thing, not for him to intrude on. "There's a student here that's basically a computer," Tommy said, turning back to Pietro. "She might already be looking through that stuff. It'll be worth talking to her."

There. That was helpful, that was something concrete he could offer without pushing himself in where he wasn't sure he belonged.

Pietro shook his head in reply to Tommy's first question. Magneto was strong; he'd pop up sooner rather than later... but that was a long fucking time in Pietroworld. Was... kinda weird but also not unpleasant to talk to someone who probably already knew that. Heh. "Now, that's interesting. Who is she, and will she be pissy about the Brotherhood thing?" He was aware he wasn't entirely welcome here. Considering the shit storm that followed them lately... yeah. He couldn't even be mad.

"Tessa, I don't think she has any other name. And I couldn't even begin to guess." Kitty seemed to like her -- or at least they were working together a lot, and that brought Tessa's probable trustworthiness up some in Tommy's estimation. "We don't exactly spend a lot of time chatting. She's got some kind of telepathy happening, and that's one power set that still skeeves me out."

"It is kinda weird," Pietro admitted, wrinkling up his nose, arms still crossed. "Can she even read fast ones?"

Tommy shrugged. "Dunno. I didn't ask that specifically. She claims she doesn't pry, but the way she looks at people is weird. Like she's looking through you half the time."

"Eugh." Pietro made an even more weirded out face. "Not that I've got a lot to hide, but still.

"Whatever. If she's a computer brain and she can help, it's worth checking out." A slight pause--for them, anyhow, and he added, "Thanks. I'll tell Wanda. She'll be all proud." A slight smirk.

Tommy frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're her future-son right?" Pietro made a face, but had finally found the humor in the situation. "Can't she be proud if you turned out smart?"

"Sure," Tommy snorted. "As long as she'll take the blame for my juvenile delinquency as well."

"She already takes the blame for mine," Pietro said with a startlingly similar expression of amusement. "What's a little more."

It was distinctly weird seeing his own expressions on someone else's face, especially since Tommy had never seen himself in Frank and Mary. And now there was Billy, and Wanda and Pietro -- and TJ, for fuck's sake. Not that she looked anything like him, but if he was counting off apparent family members... "She told me about how you guys got separated. Did you stay with him-" Tommy jutted his chin at the man in the hospital bed "-while Wanda was figuring out her powers?"

Pietro was silent for the slightest split of a second, and it was weird to be talking to someone who'd actually realize how much thought he gave his words. He shook his head. "Ran off. Got into trouble. Had to get bailed out. Not awesome."

"Who can blame you?" Tommy looked away from Magneto, a wry smile in place. "Someone shows up out of nowhere claiming to be family and turns your world inside out. Who wouldn't freak."

"I didn't freak," Pietro mumbled half-heartedly. He'd totally freaked. "It was fine when she was with me. Less fine after.

"It's opposite, with you guys. Did you freak? When Billy showed up and was like 'hi we're spirit siblings?" Pure curiosity on Pietro's face now.

"It didn't go like that." Tommy shook his head. "It was a lot more 'constantly confused' than 'freak-out'. Probably because we didn't get the story all at once.

"I ran into you guys first, at the lab. When Eileen fried my muscles. Which sucked, by the way. I assume you're familiar. So I knew there was some kind of fuckery going on with my DNA, but I assumed the Right had done it when they got me. Took my powers and gave them to someone else, like what happened to Fatale. Except the timeline didn't work, you and I'd both had our powers long before the Right got hold of me. So then I figured my mom'd had a thing with your dad, but Wanda kept saying it wasn't possible. And that's about when Billy showed up here and confused the issue more."

"Wow. You really must be related to us. That's just as fucked up as the shit that goes on with us." Pietro blinked rapidly, processing at top speed, then shook his head. "But no, my powers are mine, thanks. Also, yes, Eileen fried me at the same time. And that's not the first time." He grimaced. "She's the worst. I love her, but the actual worst."

Tommy made a face in reply. "Why do you put up with that, anyway? Life's complicated enough without worrying about someone taking a dislike to your face in your own home."

Pietro looked surprised for a moment. "It's not like that. I mean, it happens but--she's not as crazy as she seems. She makes great pancakes."

The look he got back was dubious at best, but Tommy wasn't about to start interrogating the guy on his choice of housemates. Especially since. like Tommy, he really was just taking whatever came with the territory. Tommy wouldn't have chosen Inu-Yasha, and the guy definitely didn't make pancakes. "Whatever floats your boat. How'd you all end up crashing in an old club, anyway?"

Pietro had been getting a little prickly, but when Tommy let it go, he deflated, going back to looking worried/annoyed at the whole Dad In A Coma situation. But he was kind of impressed with Tommy. The guy could push buttons, but he knew when to back off.

Or was that just because he was a lot like Pietro?

Ugh, this whole situation made his head hurt. Pietro shrugged. "Seemed appropriate. It's the kind of place you'd expect to see people coming and going from, but that doesn't scream 'mutant hideout', you know? Not like this place." He snorted and smiled.

It was a fair point, and it wasn't like Tommy would have chosen to roll up at the mansion if he hadn't been half-drugged out of his gourd at the time, but the place - dammit - had apparently been growing on him. "I sure as hell never figured I'd end up at a private prep school. On the plus side," he grinned, "juvie didn't have a heated pool."

"No. No it did not." Pietro snorted. Of course, neither did Asteroid M, but there was still time. Probably. Depending. On this fucker. He shot another glance at Magneto, then back to Tommy. Shame the guy would be able to tell. Ugh. "But... it's not shitty here?"

Tommy shook his head, his immediate response a bit of a surprise even to him. "Having to take Algebra is shitty, but overall? It beats the hell out of anywhere else I've ended up. Xavier's an issue," he admitted candidly. "Not that he has an agenda -- I've never met an adult who didn't. But that he was sneaky about it. But the other teachers have been alright. So far."

"Well, better than shit isn't saying much," Pietro said, more thoughtful than anything else. "But you're right about adults anyhow. Guess we just wait it out until our agendas are the ones that matter. But I'm bad at waiting." A little smirk there.

"Look who you're talking to," Tommy replied dryly. Magneto's chest had shifted a little during the course of the conversation; good. That meant he was actually still breathing under there. "Speaking of adults and agendas-" even though the connection was only in his brain, especially if Pietro hadn't heard about the Timelord or Timemaster or... whatever TJ had called him. "You met TJ yet? I assume Wanda filled you in."

Pietro sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I really hope that's the end of the alternate timeline children or whatever. This one is even weirder, though, because I know who her dad is supposed to be and... weird." Not that he'd ever spoken to Kurt Wagner. He couldn't at the moment, though, because he'd just want to punch him. Which was stupid because not like he'd knocked Wanda up and left her to raise TJ alone--they didn't even know each other and TJ wasn't even from here apparently! Just. Ugh.

"Kurt's a good guy," Tommy said firmly. That was one loyalty that nothing, at this point, was going to shake. "Not that I want him for a dad or anything, because that would be too weird."

Pietro snorted and looked at Magneto. "Dads are always weird."

"Some more than others." Tommy followed Pietro's gaze and watched the still form in the bed for a little while longer. Beyond the white hair -- apparently a family trait -- he wondered. Was there something of the old man in him after all? And what, exactly, would any of them decide to do about it if there was? There were no answers in the room, none coming from the patient in the bed, but for once in his life... Tommy was actually in no hurry to leave.

Comments

[ax_kai]

BOOOOOOYS! My favorite white haired speedsters together <3

[ax_jubilee]

OMG, I loved this. SO much. Like Xander said, favorite white hair speedsters!

Also, Wanda's happy they're getting along so well. :)

[ax_sage]

I second the above wholeheartedly! This was The Best Thing.

Though somewhere in the back of my head, Eileen is grumbling about speedsters. In a general grumbly kind of way.