Hidden Place

Part Two: Hidden Place

Pairing: Kurt x Pietro

Completed: January 04

Warnings: I don't own X-men or any of the characters, so there. A phenomenal song inspired this fic by Bjork called "Hidden Place".

Life had not began like the day always had for Nightcrawler, but it progressed through its life in the same fashion. Instead he awoke alone, revolving around nothing and no one. As the sun crawled across the sky, he wore his happy pale hologram with a smile. As it fell off of the horizon a subtle metamorphosis took place. His skin fell off into a dark blue haze of confusion. With the haze revolving around him, his identity became unclear. One thing was for sure, he was strong, yet alone.

This day began like any other. The sun rose high into the sky along with his daily face. He walked through the halls of Bayville with his hands deep in his pockets, staring at the floor as he walked to chemistry. The mood hadn't broken but was lightening up.

A flash went by his right side, but he ignored the cheeky youth, hoping this day would be different from the others, hoping he wouldn't be picked on again. Not today.

He heard the swoosh behind him. "What's down, Blue?" a sincere voice asked.

"Leave me alone, Pietro. I'm not in za mood," he shrugged him off.

"I've noticed," he said in a softer voice then disappeared behind the corner. He turned around in shock to see no one. No one had noticed his change in disposition at the institute. How could his enemy?

The bell rang and he sprinted to class to sit for the rest of the day distracted and disenchanted with the material.

The other students of Xavier institute had made their way back without their blue friend. Without Kitty or Scott, he walked home slowly, without purpose. At least he thought he was heading home.

The sun was falling into the horizon as he walked down a street's sidewalk near a strip of stores. He recognized the area from when Boom Boom took him to a small, cluttered comic book shop. Curiously be opened the door and browsed a few comics as soon as he could, wanting the distraction. After a few comics the owner began to eye him from behind the counter and a woman grazed his arm as she went out the door. Shocked she gasped at the feel of his fur and eyed him for a few seconds. Completely uncomfortable, he exited the shop quickly and sprinted all the way to the institute then teleported to his room. Back under his sheets, he fell asleep cold and alone.

At dinner Scott banged on the door to tell him dinner was ready. The depressed student yelled that he had already eaten, but Scott persisted and told him to stop joking around. Reluctantly, he straightened his hair and opened the door. Scott smiled and silently accompanied him to dinner sensing his unwillingness to speak. Kurt had always respected him not only for his leadership role, but as a strong person who took responsibility for everyone.

Dinner was filled with its usual chatter, even the broody blue one pitched in a joke or two. Maybe it was really to connect with someone, maybe it was to keep them off of him.

After dinner he retired to his room and read a book well into the night. He hadn't even noticed the curious shadow on his window until it had left and returned again. A familiar "swoosh" resonated in his ear and he jumped off of the bed and teleported out onto the lawn. He couldn't see much in the dark with his unadjusted eyes when he felt a hand on his wrist. A silver-haired boy stood inches from him looking around them to watch for other x-men who might ruin his plan.

"Vhat do you vant?" the blue boy demanded loudly.

"Shhhh! Don't yell so loudly! I just wanted to talk to you," he whispered.

"Vhat za hell for?" he whispered. He was cleared irked by the whole predicament. If he was caught with the enemy, he would be doomed to hours and hours with Wolverine for training and mistrust by his own team.

He bit his lip and dragged him a few feet into the tree line away from the institute. Frankly, he was surprised the blue one had let himself be taken. His suspicions that he was not in his natural state were confirmed. He leaned against a tree and let go of the other boy. "Look, I know this is weird but I know you're not . . . Well, you've not been yourself lately. What's up?"

He scoffed. "Vhat? I can't believe zis," he turned around to go back to the tall building but was pulled back into the tree line.

"I'm serious! I didn't come out here where I could be beaten bloody all alone on a whim," he said more aggressively.

"Vhy za hell should I tell you! You make my life hell at school and we fight each other. You'd probably just go off to Mystique or your stupid Brotherhood and tell them! And vhy za hell vould you care?" he argued.

He was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "You don't have to tell me anything if you think I'm gonna do that, which I'm not." Pietro walked closer to him and whispered softly, "I do care, Kurt."

The blue one backed off and frowned. "Zhis isn't funny."

"It isn't meant to be! Do you think I want to care about some rival mutant?" he sounded conflicted. "God, why did I even try? I knew you wouldn't believe me!"

"Zhen vhy did you come here?" he asked.

"How many times do I have to say I care about you? How can I show you I mean it?" he nearly yelled in frustration.

"I don't vant to believe you," he admitted. "You have been mean to me as long as I've known you. Vhat vould make zhat change?"

"I don't know. I just feel differently about you, that's all. A couple months ago I would have ran around you and tortured you if I had you alone, but now I . . . I just needed to be near you for the sake of having you close. I don't know why."

It sounded stranger and stranger to Kurt the more he spoke, but something sparked in his chest. Quicksilver had been acting less and less obnoxious the past couple weeks but he had been too depressed to notice the subtle signs. Was this sincere? Was it real?

Taking a chance and a breath, he leaned up against a tree with his hands across his chest. "I just feel depressed lately. I'm sure it will go away, but things just feel wrong. I feel wrong."

"Why?" he approached him again.

"I look at everyone I live vis and zhey seem happy, healthy, attractive. Zhey could all easily go off and fall in love with anyone zhey choose, but I . . . zhat vill never happen to me."

"Why is that? Because you're a mutant?" he puzzled.

"No, ve're all mutants, but I have to vear a hologram so people von't stare at me, so I von't be hated outright. If zhat is vhat I have to do just not to be looked at, no one vould ever love me for what I am now," he looked at his furry arms and moved his tail.

Pietro was quiet, absorbing all of the information. So he hated how he looked. Could he not see how cute he was? How gentle and nurturing he was even to the people he didn't care for? For people that wouldn't care to look at him without his hologram? He came all the way out to the tree line with him and he was an enemy.

Kurt slumped down again to stare at the ground when Pietro grabbed his wrist again, this time in a serene way, merely feeling the fur and the pulse beneath. Kurt remained limp in his grasp. When persistent caressing of his soft fur did not get his attention, Pietro pulled him into a loose embrace. The blue boy gasped and tensed. "Vhat . . Vhat are you doing, Pietro?"

"Shut up, Kurt," he answered and held on until he relaxed and hesitantly hugged him back resting his forehead on his shoulder. Heat radiated off of his fur and onto his skin giving him a brief sense of inner completion. "This is nice," he whispered into Kurt's hair, which smelled clean and felt soft against his chin.

The smaller blue boy just rested against him, feeding off of the new idea of being wanted by another. The feeling replaced the darkness that hovered over his consciousness for a time, but would dissipate when they parted. He didn't want to let go. They stood there merely feeling each other and the newness of it all when Nightcrawler twitched remembering where they were. "You have to go. They vill hurt both of us if zey are seen like this," he said still holding on. "And you probably should not come back."

Pietro held his face up to where he could see it but he resisted, hiding his expression from him. "But why?" It sounded on the edge of whining.

"Just go," he said turning away from him. His pace redirected itself toward the institute.

Pietro ran to him and grabbed his shoulder only to feel a poof of air and smell the soapy residue he'd left behind in the air. He fought the urge to run up to his room's window and bang away until his attention was harnessed, but if he was to win Kurt over it would have to be in a more subtle way that wouldn't get them both in trouble.

The familiar ceiling had imprinted itself onto his memory again. He was even more unhappy that he had been toyed with. He thought that Quicksilver, a member of the Brotherhood, had used him. The idea sickened him, but even worse was the thought that he actually meant it, he really did care for him. If it was true, he had yet another thing to bring him down if it collapsed. He felt that if one more thing went wrong he would cave in upon himself.

The morning rose out of the night leaving Kurt to fend for himself for another day. His hologram went on again, preparing him for another day of the real world. A world full of disappointment and hope.

Walking around more carefully this time, he turned the corner on the way to chemistry again wary of a fast force that would knock him off of his thin pedestal of stability. Seeing no one, he opened his thin locker to retrieve his book. Relieved to find it, a note fell out of the locker and onto his shoes. Upon opening it, he found unfamiliar handwriting and heard a bell behind him. He crammed it into his pocket and ran to class.

The teacher eyed the class and began the lesson. Kurt pulled out his notebook and took notes as needed, more focused than the previous day. After half of the period he became tiresome of the material and remembered the note.

Hey Blue-

I know it was a bad way to show you how I feel, but needed to tell you before I went insane. I know we are enemies. I know we are both guys. It is awkward, but don't reject me before you've had the chance to get to know who I really am. I'm not just a pushy, egotistical mutant-boy.

If you'll give me the chance I'd like to take you out. If you are worried about being found out by the other x-men we'll go someplace far from the institute. Your choice. Call me as soon as you can: 678-5438.

I miss you,

Pietro.

The blue teen had run home as to not be seen by the others or Quicksilver. The first place he had run, aside from the kitchen for a snack of a sub, was to his room. He reread the letter about four times searching for a secret meaning or hidden rejection. Finding none, he rolled over to the phone to pick it up. Then he put it back on the stand. Then picked it up. Then he dropped it again. After picking it up again he heard the others return home and put it back down. What was he doing? Why was he calling him? Why did he keep putting the phone down? He was scared of rejection and of being caught but more of putting himself out there for a secret affair. Even if things worked he couldn't tell them how happy they would be or how lucky he was. He held the phone to his ear and dialed the number, then slammed the phone down. The calls were monitored here, weren't they? He couldn't call from here. Maybe it was good thing.

"Hey Kurt," Spike barged into the room. "We're gonna watch a movie later, you wanna join us?"

Leaving the issue on the bed between the scribbled letters, he nodded and added, "Race you downstairs!"

The movie had gone by with a little thrown popcorn and a few laughs. Wolverine even stuck around for most of it. Ororo assisted the Professor away from the group. Kurt had missed just hanging out with the other students. It got his mind off of how much his life alluded him for the time being. Feeling too much of the movie was spent not eating, he went to the kitchen and started rummaging through the large refrigerator for a large snack. They popped in another movie in which he finished his meal.

After the second movie, Jean insisted on watching a chick flick. Rouge and Kurt looked at each other knowing it would be better to leave. She went off to the library as Kurt returned to his room to read the note again and pine over it. Upon opening the door to the dark room the air felt lighter, less heavy on his lungs. He closed the door and saw that the window was wide open. Heading toward it, he smelt a strange odor in the room, like freshly cut wood or grass. His hands touched the frame to pull it down when he heard someone sigh on the bed. He whipped around and gasped. "Who's there?" he demanded loudly.

"Shhhh," a familiar voice requested. "You don't want them to catch me do you?"

He sighed and asked, "Vhat are you doing here?"

"You never called me."

"I couldn't call you from here! The calls are monitored."

"Still . . ."

He closed the window a bit and added, "I don't know vhat to think yet, okay? I don't know vhat I vant to do yet."

Pietro leaned to his side of the bed patted beside him. Kurt cautiously sat down and sighed again. A silence reigned the air between them for a time before Pietro spoke. "So this is where it happens."

Kurt turned to look at his shadowy face. "Vhat?"

"Isn't this were you dream?" he said curling into the undone sheets like a kitten.

Confused, Kurt smiled and asked, "Vhat does that have to do vith anysing?"

"I hope to be in your dreams someday," he whispered and grabbed his arm softly pulling him over to lay closer to him. Kurt lay completely torn, but found that the only way to resolve it was to talk about it. After all, Pietro seemed to be trying very hard to draw him out of his shell.

"Vhy are you saying those things? I don't understand vhy you of all people vould like me."

"What's wrong with me liking you?" he asked defensively. "Am I not good enough or something?"

"Nein, nein. Zhat is not it. You are attractive like the others and could have anyone you vant," he eyed him out of the corner of his eye. "But you vant me, a blue freak of nature."

"Shut up, Kurt," he said and kissed him on the forehead. The blue boy beside him looked happier, but still conflicted. He sighed, "You have to stop this self-loathing cycle! Just because you don't have Kitty or Scott fawning after you all the time doesn't mean that no one loves you or cares! For fuck's sake! I'm here where I could be beaten up or possibly killed just to show you that I care! I even went as far to prepare for this long date so we could get to know each other, so you would find out that I've been pining after you for months. And it hurts to see you suffer, but you are so damned stuck in this mindset that you aren't worth the attention given to you, that you aren't a sexy, cute, lovable guy that I would love to have on my arm, that you won't even give me a call!" He sat up and headed for the window, praying that he would be stopped, but Kurt never said a word. So, Pietro ran down the side of the building and out of the lawn angrily feeling the heat raise to his cheeks. He deduced that he would just have to work harder for his affections. Mid-thought, he saw Kurt standing at the gates of the manor waiting for him. He stopped a few feet away not really sure what was going to happen next.

Kurt looked up at him with discerning eyes, waiting for something. Pietro gazed back at him wondering what he would say or do. Almost the next instant, Kurt was inches from his face. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "Forgive me, it's just a lot to take in at once. Please take me on zhat date."

Quicksilver rolled his eyes in thought. Coming upon a decision, his eyebrows perked up and a grin rolled onto his face. "I will, but you have to do something for me."

Kurt looked up at him after taking his hand in his. "Anysing, mein Freund."

He leaned to whisper in his ear when he heard Wolverine's motorcycle start and buzz toward them. To hide them, he pulled him into the tall bushes feeling his heart beat quickly in his chest. Confident that they were not seen, he returned to the moment. "Kiss me," he whispered as his hand pet the side of his fuzzy face.

With soften, half-lidded eyes, Kurt stared back at him not bothered at all by the request, even receptive. After a moment had passed, Kurt lay a small kiss on Pietro's lips, tickling his upper lip at first, then opening to seek more of his fresh taste. Kurt drew away, but seeing the willingness in his eyes, came back for a longer kiss with arms pulling him harder against him. Their tongues timidly played with each other in a warm kiss lacking lust. Happy with this, Kurt parted again wanting to keep the experience a good one. He saw that Pietro's cheeks were pink with heat, which he didn't hide as they continued to hold each other. "Thank you," he whispered and kissed his ear briefly.

"No problem," he said back leaning into his cheek.

"So I'll pick you up around two tomorrow, okay?" he drew away to see his face.

He nodded happily. "We'll have fun, right?"

"I hope so. Oh, and don't ruin your appetite, I'm taking you to a late lunch," he let go of his blue boy.

"Oh, don't worry about zhat," he replied.

"See ya tomorrow, Blue," he said then ran out of sight.

Kurt smiled at him as the pale boy ran into the dark horizon. Then he teleported back into the living room where he thought they would all be. Instead he just saw the tender scene of Scott and Jean snuggling with each other and watching the movie. Leaving the scene, he figured he'd find Rouge or Kitty or Spike.

After walking the halls for a bit a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him into the nearest room. It was an extra bedroom and Rouge was scanning him. "Vhat? Vhat did I do?" he asked defensively.

"I'm not stupid, Kurt. Who was he?" she interrogated him with her usual twang.

"Who?" he asked innocently; trying to fool her, which never worked.

"Do you want me to just touch you and find out?" she threatened.

"Fine, fine," he gave in. "He's just a freund, Rouge."

"Who was he, Kurt? You disappeared again so I looked for you, and I saw you with some guy in your bed."

He gulped audibly and looked around for an escape. He knew if he teleported out she would find him sooner or later. "You vouldn't understand Rouge. Just forget about it."

"I most certainly will not. You've been mopin' around for the past week and the next thing I know you're in bed with some guy! I'm just worried that's all."

"You were worried?" he asked again as if he didn't believe her.

"Yes, you goof."

"Vell, then I'll tell you later. I can't tell you just now," he offered.

"Fine then but you owe me one, Kurt."

Part 3