Who: Scoot, Colossus; tag Britannic When: Monday, April 7th, 2008 Where: Xavier's; Pete's (new) room What: So, you got dumped? Status: complete Rating: PG(?)
Minka hadn't been exceedingly excited or happy about much of anything for the past few days, and it was beginning to bring her down. Everyone was so grouchy around the place lately, and people were getting persnickety about things they were having to do without. Pete had fallen down from a guard tower and then Zap had left him. She'd been to see him several times since, but when she got really down, she liked to pop in on him and see if he was okay. Pete was too nice to be so sad. She left her room in a flurry, having grabbed a handful of treats that she would try her best to refrain from eating so she might share them with Piotr. It was mostly chocolate - the good stuff. The situation was dire. "Hey Pete? Pete?" she nearly stuttered at his door. She knocked rapidly - very much so - a few times before turning the knob and peeking her head in, eyes closed. "Pete?" Maybe he hadn't heard her. "I brought you something."
Pete turned wheel chair toward the door, being careful not to knock anything over with his battering ram of a cast. It stuck out from his chair and had already received it's fair share of bumps and bruises. He recognized Minka's voice immediately, a bright bit of sunshine on another cloudy day. Damn April showers. "Come on in Mink," Pete said with a half smile, mostly because she opted to close her eyes when she peeked into the room. "What do ya got?" Candy, he guessed.
"Something sweet for someone sweet," she told him, brightly. She grinned and opened her eyes, then hopped forward into the room, careful not to hop too closely to Pete. She calmed herself and approached him with caution. "I brought some chocolate. It's my favorite kind," Ghirardelli. "I thought you'd like it. It's really rich." He tended to like things strong, she noticed. Coffee. Beer. Engines. She eyeballed his cast as she neared him and she placed the package of chocolate into his lap, then continued watching his leg. "Do you think I could sign it?" No one had! Why not? It looked like he didn't have friends. Pete had loads of friends. He was awesome.
Piotr blushed. "You know just what to say, little hare." Pete said as she hopped over toward him. He'd began comparing her more and more to a rabbit lately. Quick, tiny, and a frequent-eater; summed up Minka pretty well. Pete took one of the chocolates and bit off a chunk. Wow, that was rich. "Thank you, Scooter." She might have been the most thoughtful person he knew. He laughed a bit when she asked about the cast. "I would be honored. There should be a black marker in there." He pointed toward one of the boxes of his art supplies that had yet to be unpacked.
"It looks like you live in a storage shed," she pointed out, hurriedly, before diving her interest into the section of boxes he'd indicated. She opened the one on top of the pile and nosed through it for a few short seconds before locating just what he'd mentioned. She turned around on her heel and headed straight back for his leg. "I'll just sign my name, because," she wasn't the best drawer ever, "well, because." She set to work, after kneeling, and ended up taking a few moments. She recapped the marker and moved back to admire her work. 'Little hare', huh? She had spelled out the letters of her name with a capitol M making the ears of a bunny, then drew his face below. The I was dotted with a heart. It was rather sickening. She beamed, partly proud, partly amused. "Wait!" She hunched and jotted an addition under her name. 'Get Hoppy Again Soon!'. "There." Scoot reached over and nabbed a piece of chocolate as well. "People still love you a lot."
"Da, I haven't had a chance to unpack." Piotr said a little bitterly. He watched the young woman go to work on his cast with the marker, and let out a chuckle when he saw the finished product. Guess that's what he got for comparing her to a rabbit all the time. "It's beautiful, Mink." Pete hadn't given much thought to what people around the mansion were thinking about him. He just generally wanted to be alone. A few (well, more than a few) had come by to try and cheer him up, but aside from Scoot, they really hadn't done much good. "I know..." He didn't want anyone to hate anyone after the 'incident', besides his new found hatred of Mars. But that was his own cross to bear. "It only matters if you still do." His arm reached out and snagged the speedy one, pulling her close into a hug.
"Of course I do," she told him, blatantly. It was fact. She nearly dropped the marker in surprise at the sudden hug she'd been pulled into, but quickly adjusted. She smiled calmly against Pete and breathed him in. Hugs made everything better. "Hugs make everything better." Her arms wrapped around his chest as best they could and she squeezed him before stepping back. "You should let other people sign it," even if they didn't matter? "Or maybe you could make it look cool. I don't know how well you can get to it, though. Might be kinda hard." Her mouth twisted to the side, thoughtfully. She lunged forward again and hugged the metal giant once more, then sighed while hanging on. "Pete?"
Piotr held her again when she leaned in for the second hug and he eyed his cast. He'd leave decorating the plaster to everybody else. Scoot was more adorable than words could describe, she really had made him feel better. "Da?" He said with some trepidation, she was using her more serious tone. Which still wasn't very dire.
"I'm glad I have you," and, and, "I hope you cheer up soon." She shifted her grip on him and picked the candy package out of his lap, then slid herself into its place. She sniffled once and nuzzled against him, still carefully minding his legs. She spoke into his peck, "If she hurt you, she doesn't deserve you." It was the truth. How could anyone be mean to Pete? Her eyes stared down into her own lap where the treat she'd brought him now sat. She didn't even want any. Pete loved someone enough to marry them and they told him they didn't want him back. It made her stomach hurt.
Pete's heart melted in a instant as Minka spoke. Big, brown, watery eyes peering right into his soul. What sweat shop was this little irresistibly cute thing made in? Pete helped her into his lap (helping being just getting his arm out of the way, as she was too fast for him). He leaned his head forward and touched his forehead with hers. Unable to hold back the emotions from the little angel in his lap, a few tears began to run down his face. "You are a Godsend, tiny little hare."
She had shaken her head dismissively at Pete. She wasn't from heaven. Just Chicago. Minka's eyes gazed upwards at the new arrival and she instantly began trying to dry her tears of sympathy. "Hi Brian," she greeted, with half the enthusiasm she usually carried in her pockets. "Hi..." She faltered a bit when she saw him turning to leave. She could hardly tell him to stay. It wasn't her room. Her eyes shifted to look up to Pete in apprehension.
Pete watched Brian burst in with his typical gusto. Nice Bri-Bri. He couldn't help a small laugh when the expression on the Brit's face changed. He supposed Brian felt a little upstaged, as Pete currently had a lap full of girl and chocolate. "Hold on Brian. You can stay if you want." Pete called to Britannic's back. He gave his tiny rabbit a kiss on the forehead but made no action to removed her. "Thank you for the cake, I bet it tastes better than it looks." Pete winked toward Minka. Brian wasn't an average anything, so when there was something he wasn't good at (like cooking), Pete felt the need to point it out. Though he did appreciate the effort.