Shendenfreude
Chapter Seven
Pietro Maximoff wasn’t a man who liked to wait. At all. Well, there were a few things that were worth it. But if they were counted, they wouldn’t use all the fingers on both hands. Traffic was not on that list. He had always wondered why the hell there were always so many damn drivers in Jersey when the car insurance was the highest in the US. It made no sense.
He had called Ororo at the Institute an hour ago, and he should have been there by now. Waiting caused him to be anxious. This actually caused his heart rate to accelerate, which was a rarity for him. Waiting to hear some word about his sister, or his father’s whereabouts, and waiting to see Ororo after seven years is causing him to sweat bullets.
As Pietro flew by the sign that said welcome to New York, he was able to calculate the time to get to his destination in mere seconds. He missed Ororo and being at Xavier’s. As he sped down highways, his eyes, which were used to receiving blurred images because of speed, picked up some of the landmarks he remembered as a younger man, especially one beautiful spring blossomed apple farm.
***********
Flashback
***********
Wanda and Jean had just come back from their outing, and thrown themselves carelessly on the living room couches. Red hats, shoes, boutique shopping bags, and baskets of apples were thrown about everywhere. If anyone had come in, they had to walk through a variable land mind of girlie things.
Eric had heard their commotion all the way in the basement, where he was working on the new additions with his son. He looked at Pietro who just shrugged and went back tying up the cables.
“You didn’t go with them?”
“Oh, hell no.”
Eric stop making the plating for the walls of the big round room just for a minute. “Oh really, why not?”
“Because I just didn’t wanna go. Being stuck with my sister and blabber mouth in a retail environment isn’t exactly what I would call fun.”
“I thought you wanted to go out...and enjoy the nice weather.”
“Are you trying to imply something, Father? Besides, I don’t think that Ororo wanted to go with them.” Pietro quickly shut his mouth, and glared at his father when he realized that he had just walked into a verbal trap.
Eric went back to making the plating, and answered nonchalantly, “Don’t worry son, I wasn’t trying to imply anything. It’s just that I haven’t seen Ororo outside the mansion, lately. ”
Pietro let his hands fly at a blinding speed while working. Doing menial tasks at this rate was soothing, and calming. The self generated wind from the speed blew his white hair from his eyes and made him think of another wind-maker with white hair.
Eric saw his son’s far away look. He recognized it immediately. Wanting to help him in this situation was something that came naturally, which was a surprise to him. His newly non-strained relationship with Pietro still had a bit of that new car smell.
Eric new that Pietro barely trusted him after he had left his young children and their mother for research project on Genosha with Charles and a few other colleagues at that time. It was only supposed to be for a few months, but disaster had struck in every conceivable way. The team was attacked, the project was stolen, and there was a native uprising that made it impossible to leave the island, for years. It was during the attacks that Charles lost the use of his legs.
With all the bureaucratic red tape and constant violence, sending in UN forces to get out foreigners and innocent people was nearly impossible. No one would send in help because the new government wasn’t officially recognized, as well.
The Genoshan leaders had also managed to bribe surrounding countries and trade economic powers to not send in troops by instituting an apartheid society against mutants. It wasn’t long before forced mutant slave labor was a quiet accepted practice. On the undeveloped island, only rich merchants and aristocracy had a semblance of a decent life. For everyone else, it was hell on earth.
It took Eric, Charles, and the researchers that survived ten years to escape Genosha.
During that time, the Lensherr family had imploded in on itself. Their mother, Magda, had committed suicide, and left her five year old twins alone. Bouncing in and out of foster care homes had left Wanda and Pietro a deep sense of abandonment issues. They had learned to trust each other blindly. It was during their early teen years that their mutations had become active. Very much like all other mutants, it was not a pleasant experience.
Wanda’s reveal was particularly devastating. She was walking home after a pep rally with a crowd friends when her powers had caused random objects she past to spontaneously combust. The “friends” that she had been with panicked, and reacted with violence. Pietro was blocks away when he had seen throngs of people running towards the fight. When word had gotten back to him that his sister was being pummeled by gangs of people, he ran as fast as he could to be by her side and get her out of there. Needless to say, he ran really fast.
Wanda’s injuries were serious, and had consequences that would follow her throughout her life. She had a heavy amount of neural damage. After surgery and a steel plate put in her head, she still had occasional seizures and she would often blackout during times of extreme stress. The pain medications and the mental drugs would have her hallucinate. It took quiet a while for Wanda to get herself under some sort of control. A side effect of the beatings was the abnormal power level of her mutation. Something that no one could explain was why did her mutation level would fluctuate so often and extremely. It made an already unstable young woman dangerous when let loose or under medicated.
Instead of going to face their already abnormally strict foster parents, both of the twins had ran away. After years of being homeless and on the run, they had managed to come across a very accepting diplomat’s family who was able to take both of the weary twins in, and give them a stable home throughout those tough teen-age years. The Maximoff’s had taken all of their children all over the world to learn and spread the news of global awareness. It was on an assignment to Genosha that the twins had learned of their father’s involuntary extended stay. Afterwards they had learned of his whereabouts, and were finally able to reunite with him.
Wanda had taken to her father immediately. They had bonded like the ideal father and daughter. That had made Pietro jealous. It seemed that all that remained between father and son was time and space. Both men were extremely stubborn, and it was obvious that neither was willing to make the first move towards readjusting themselves around each other easily. It had taken a year to bring the father and son duo to where there are now, and it was still a very fragile state. It seemed to be that they just tolerated each other, which was good enough to live in a cooperative environment at Xavier’s mansion.
While Pietro worked away, Eric took out the Sara Brightman tickets he had and put them on the lower table next to his son.
“What are these?”
“Ororo’s birthday present.”
The flurry of movement from the younger man stopped. “When was her birthday? She never said anything.”
“Well, when she was orphaned, she was very very young. When Charles and I recruited her she had been on her own for nearly ten years, and had not known much of her own history. So we decided that it would be a good idea to celebrate her birthday on the day we recruited her.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Do you mind making sure that she gets them.”
“Of course not.”
“Now.”
“Oh, right. Uhm, ok.”
Before Eric could turn around and complete his task, he felt a breeze and new that his son and the tickets had made it upstairs to the attic.
*******
Attic
*******
As soon as he stopped, Pietro had found himself knocking on the heavy mahogany door. Before he could change his mind and turn around, he heard the foots steps in a slight run towards the door. He found that he held his breathe as he watched the doorhandle move.
“Pietro! Hello.” Ororo gave him an adorable shy smile. “I thought that you would be in the basement or training with Hank today.” She found herself looking directly in his eyes, “I never expected you to be here,” she coughed lightly and added, “outside my door.”
“Well I would have been here sooner if a certain someone had said something about a birthday today.” He stood looking at her in a sort of patronizing way.
“Hmph. Well this certain someone does not need the attention.”
Pietro sauntered closer to her, at nearly an intimate level and pressed on her nose with his index finger. “Boooop!”
Ororo couldn’t stop her girlish laughter. “What on earth was that for?” She covered her face just in case he was going to do something strange, again, even though a part of her wanted him to.
“Oh common Rory, you of all people deserve a special day. You need to let other people make you have a good time.”
She raised an arched brow.
“What, you don’t believe me?”
“No,”
“Don’t you trust me?” He had asked that as if it where rhetorical. He was shocked that she answered, and confused.
“No,” she said again. This time she shifted her frame against the door, and looked him straight in the face, again. She really wasn’t kidding.
“Why not!”
She snorted at him. “Pietro I have only known you for three months. In that time we have had four conversations- -“
“Six actually. This is number seven, but then again who’s counting?”
Ororo let out a hard sigh. “My point is that I don’t know you.”
“A good way to find out is to spend some time with me. And why don’t you trust me. Have I done something to you?”
“No, you haven’t. It’s just that, I don’t give my trust out blindly. I’ve lived to long on my own to depend on other people for fun,” she looked as if that was a new concept to her, “and I don’t do well when I have to focus on myself for extended periods of time.”
“Haven’t you heard of ‘the benefit of doubt’?”
She shook her head.
“It’s when you trust somebody until they, well fuck up. Think of it as taking the initiative when it comes to trusting someone. I mean after all you trusted Jean, my father, and Xavier at first, didn’t you?”
“Point well taken, but at the time I had few other decent options.” She turned away from him at the threshold and walked to sit at a little cubby table in the corner of her room. She left the door open for him as a silent invitation.
He took no time at all to follow her, literally.
“What are you talking about? I thought you were living the high life, being worshiped and all?”
“At the time, the only reason why I went to the rural villages was because I was on the run from the police in Cairo, and Moroccan officials. I was sent to steal something extremely valuable, but then I was set up to take the fall from my own group. Hiding out on Kilimanjaro and bringing forth rain seemed like a good idea at the time. That is until they caught up with me. I was on the run again when I was found by your father and Charles. So, at the time my options were jail and torture, blacklisted, exile, and again with the torture, or death at the hands of my own guild, or coming to the States with a group of strangers to fight for basic mutant rights. I chose option ‘c’.”
She almost laughed out loud at his dumbfounded expression.
“Well, that explains why you don’t trust anyone. But Ro, please understand not everyone is out to get you.”
“Really, Pietro? Then why are you here.” She leaned back in a slightly provocative way. Ororo let her eyes take in his hard yet welcoming features. The lines that formed around his eyes at such an early age described some of the hardships he had gone through, but his wide eyes were warm, as was his delicate and often running mouth. His hair, very much like hers, was white and begged to be fondled. It was cut with a razor, so it had several spiky points that flared out and several points hung in his face stopping right over his eyes. It gave him a young but virile look.
She took her time with her gaze to let him know that she saw through his bullshit, but it also gave her time to savor her rare look-see.
He loved it when she looked at him. He had caught her once or twice, but it was a fleeting moment that not even he could catch up with. Right now time seemed to stop for it. He gave her a cock sure grin. If he had feathers, he would have puffed them out for her to be impressed by. But he knew that to get on her good side it would take more than feathers and good looks. Even words at this stage were weak for her. She needed something to hold on to, from him, that she could trust.
“What do you want from me,” she asked.
“Not what you think. I want you to trust me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I’ve heard that one many times before.”
“Ok, well how about this. I will take you to see this,” he gave her the tickets, and reminded himself to thank his father. Her face had lit up like a Christmas Tree. “So you like her then, right?”
“She’s one of my favorites!”
“Alright then.” He reached around and lightly traced the veins on her hand with his thumb. He saw that her first reaction was to pull away, but she had stopped herself. He took her other hand in his and let his fingers run light trails on the inside of her palm.
Ororo found herself unable to look in the eye this time.
He sat up and leaned towards her. “After the concert, I can show you around Westchester. There are a ton of things around here that I know you haven’t seen. I highly doubt than anyone here has had the time or been able to show you. Or if you don’t want to, I am sure that you can think of something else. After all it is your night, and your rules. I am ready and willing to oblige the lady for the night.”
“I know for a act that you hate opera and you don’t like nature.”
“I promise you, I will be ready and waiting for you with bells on.”
That evening when Ororo descended the stairs in a simple little black dress, Pietro was waiting for her in a tuxedo with two Christmas bells hanging around his neck.
It was the first time Ororo had learned to begin to trust someone outside the circle of Xavier’s brood.
It was Pietro’s first time in experiencing the joy of taking one’s time.
After the concert, Pietro showed Ororo some of Westchester’s finest orchids. She squealed like a little girl, and ran barefoot through the lines of blossoming trees. He had found a hill right underneath an old apple tree and watched her enjoy the cultivated nature.
When she had finally had her fill, she plopped right down next to him, out of breath with flushed cheeks.
“This is amazing Pietro. Thank you, so much.”
“Please, “ he said looking down at her sprawled out form, “you and only you, can call me Tro.”
He helped her sit up and cupped her face. As she took her time blinking, he let himself be fascinated by her extremely long and inviting eyelashes. They seemed to beckon him closer as they moved. He couldn’t resist.
She watched as he nudged her cheek with his nose. Her head, all on its own, leaned towards his touch. Her breath had itself caught in her throat. When she could feel the contact of his lips she could feel her heart beat through her entire body.
The kiss itself mirrored its participants. Part of it was nervous, reluctant, and shy. The other part was aggressive and yet patient, knowing and yet ready and willing to explore more. When it was over both were panting and smiling.
Pietro leaned his forehead against Ororo’s. “Wow,” he breathed out.
“I...”
“It’s alright. I didn’t know it was possible to be kissed like that, Ro.”
She nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“Ro, believe me when I say that I would love to continue with this...”
“But?”
“But, for the first time, I am willing to wait. I don’t think your ready, and neither am I.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder, as he leaned back against the heavy apple tree. He took his tuxedo jacket and wrapped it around them both. Afterwards he just let his arm rest against her waist.
As he got comfortable, he let his chin rest against the top of her snowy crown.
That was how they spent the night.
Although the date and the day had ended, something new had started. What neither of them knew was that it would lead to something neither one could have anticipated.
**************
End Flashback
**************
Pietro walked up to the large and slightly intimidating doors of the mansion, and rang the bell. He didn’t have to wait long at all before they were thrown open and a body practically flew out into his arms to greet him.
“I am so glad to see you. Please come in. You have some filling in to do,” Ororo said in one breath. She just couldn’t stop smiling. The man who was wrapped in her arms had been abruptly taken away from her under circumstances that were beyond her control or his. It was obvious that they both had issues since then, but it was now water under the bridge, or was it? She shook of the mental shackles. He was not here for her. This was about Wanda. Wasn’t it always? Major problems that took up everyone’s time and attention always revolved around Wanda or Jean. Ororo squeezed her eyes shut when she hugged Pietro again before pulling him inside.
Logan watched the exchange from atop the staircase. He hated everything about it: the familiarity, the closeness, and most of all the special light in Ororo’s eyes. They went from cobalt to a clear oceanic blue. A blue that made Logan just want to dive in. Right now, in fact. But there was a stranger taking up space on his diving board.
They had hushed voices as they walked hurriedly to Ororo’s office. Logan could still hear them very clearly, but he didn’t understand why they were whispering. It was after midnight, and today was Tuesday. Nobody who could sleep was awake right now.
He could hear them even better while he paced outside the Headmistress’s office. Logan was not above blatant eavesdropping to get much needed information. Ororo would be stubborn enough to try and take on the MAximoff problem by herself. He needed to prove to her that she wasn’t alone. Not now, not ever. Hadn’t she known that?
What if this fucker was here to make sure she knew that? A low and threatening growl rumbled throughout the feral. Why would a smart and practical woman like Ororo fall for this loser’s bullshit? He scratched one of his sideburns. The same reason why he wanted her for himself. She needed to know the truth about Pietro and what he’s been up to for the last seven years. Maximoff’s wrap sheet was a mile long. Logan was positive that whatever was going on was a lot deeper than whatever Pietro was going to tell Ororo about.
The were so many questions. What really happened to Wanda? Where was Magneto? What happened in the fall out between Magneto and Charles, as well as Magneto and his children? Was it the Genoshan Project? What the fuck was the Genoshan Project? Who else managed to survive? What has Pietro been doing all this time?
Then there was the question that had been on Logan’s mind for quiet some time. How would he ever get Ororo to understand him, take him seriously, or return his feelings? Even a fraction of the way?
All she ever asked him to do was to make a choice and stick to it. Stop running away.
So would just being there for her be enough? Did he have to take a backseat to El Speedo?
Oh hell no! The Wolverine never came in second place. EVER.
As he continued his pace, he began to formulate a plan.
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