About a Boy
Title: About a Boy
Fandom: X-Men/Runaways/Young Avengers
Characters: Victor Borkowski, Nico Minoru
Prompt: 84. He
Word Count:
Rating: PG
Summary: Nico and Victor have a talk about their mutual... well, nobody's sure what he is to them.
Author's Notes: Sequel to Unexpected
Victor Borkowski ignored the knocking on his door as he stared listlessly at one of the posters hanging on the wall. It was a near mint Crimson Pirate. Tommy had gotten it for him for his birthday last year. "Oh God," he moaned, burring his face in his hands.
He'd finally done it.
There was no way in hell Gert was going to let him stay an Avenger. That was probably her, coming to tell him to leave.
No way was he going to be allowed to stay after telling everyone he was fucking Tommy, and in front of his girlfriend and kid, no less!
If he was lucky, he'd be able to leave without seeing Will.
Finally, the knocking got to be too much, and Victor got up to face his fate. He flung the door open, and all the blood drained from his face. "Nico."
"Vic. Can I come in?"
The good news was that the Staff of One was nowhere in sight, so she was going to give him the chance to explain, apparently.
The bad news was that the only explanation was that he'd been fucking the father of her child behind her back for the last... God, ten years, maybe more. Yes, Tommy had always initiated, but Victor had never said no, not even after Nico had gotten pregnant. It was as much his fault as Tommy's. He'd let it continue, even though he knew it would end badly.
"Sure. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea?"
"Coffee, please," Nico said, stepping into the apartment.
"Have a seat, please, I'll be right back." Victor slipped quickly into the kitchen, falling back on the age-old duties of the host to buy him a little breathing space. Not that it would do him much good, since she was going to kill him.
The only coffee he had was instant, so it didn't buy him much time. He came back out with two cups, sugar, and milk, to find Nico inspecting one of the posters on the wall. Taming of the Shrew, autographed by Elizabeth Taylor.
Anole took a moment to inspect his opponent. She presented an elegant picture in her dark blue pants suit, her thick black hair pulled back in a braid that was coiled at the nape of her neck. She'd gone light on the make-up. She didn't need it.
Nico had come a long way from the bitter Goth runaway Victor had met years ago, during a feild trip to L.A.
She tilted her head to look at him, and the mutant was strongly reminded of Ms. Frost for a moment.
Vic put the coffee down on the coffee table (as that seemed most appropriate) and stood, waiting.
Nico strode over to the cluster of chairs and couch, set up in a conversational grouping, and claimed one of the chairs.
Victor sat across from her, on the couch. Silently, she poured milk and sugar into her cup, then took a sip. "Take a breath, Vic."
Victor coughed, shifting nervously. "So..."
"About Tom."
Victor winced.
"I think you should know-"
Here it comes...
"-that I already knew."
Victor was very glad he hadn't picked up his cup, since he would have dropped it. "You did?" He said weakly, the world going grey around the edges.
Nico nodded, pursing her lips and not meeting Victor's eyes. "From about the beginning, I guess." She shrugged. "I never meant to spy, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't going out and catching weird alien venereal diseases. I never watched," she added quickly. "I just..." She shrugged again, a faint flush creeping across her cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I never wanted you to find out. I. Christ." He looked down at his hands. "I'm so sorry."
"What for?"
Victor looked up, and Nico choked on a giggle.
"My god, he was right. It is cute," she managed before bursting out in a full-blown laugh.
"I think I'm missing something here," Victor said, feeling a little disgruntled.
"Tommy always said you made the cutest face when you're confused."
"Tommy... talked about... us?"
"Never about you and him specifically," Nico said gently. "He was always very careful to keep it in the context of team stuff. But there was always a lot of 'and then Anole said's and 'Vic did's in there."
Victor put his head in his hands and groaned. "Oh Christ. This is just too fucked up. I... I really have no idea what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. Just listen, and think. Tommy... he doesn't think like most people do. He thinks it's easy for someone to love more than one person at once." She shook her head. "I don't know if he thinks at all, sometimes."
I don't know if I love him. Victor thought but didn't say. Instead, he snorted and said, "That sounds about right."
Both of them looked to the door as it swung open. Tommy stood there, his eyes flicking between Victor and Nico. He looked a little ashamed of himself, and he was running his hand through his hair. "Hi," he said softly. "Um. So... what do we do now?"
Fandom: X-Men/Runaways/Young Avengers
Characters: Victor Borkowski, Nico Minoru
Prompt: 84. He
Word Count:
Rating: PG
Summary: Nico and Victor have a talk about their mutual... well, nobody's sure what he is to them.
Author's Notes: Sequel to Unexpected
Victor Borkowski ignored the knocking on his door as he stared listlessly at one of the posters hanging on the wall. It was a near mint Crimson Pirate. Tommy had gotten it for him for his birthday last year. "Oh God," he moaned, burring his face in his hands.
He'd finally done it.
There was no way in hell Gert was going to let him stay an Avenger. That was probably her, coming to tell him to leave.
No way was he going to be allowed to stay after telling everyone he was fucking Tommy, and in front of his girlfriend and kid, no less!
If he was lucky, he'd be able to leave without seeing Will.
Finally, the knocking got to be too much, and Victor got up to face his fate. He flung the door open, and all the blood drained from his face. "Nico."
"Vic. Can I come in?"
The good news was that the Staff of One was nowhere in sight, so she was going to give him the chance to explain, apparently.
The bad news was that the only explanation was that he'd been fucking the father of her child behind her back for the last... God, ten years, maybe more. Yes, Tommy had always initiated, but Victor had never said no, not even after Nico had gotten pregnant. It was as much his fault as Tommy's. He'd let it continue, even though he knew it would end badly.
"Sure. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea?"
"Coffee, please," Nico said, stepping into the apartment.
"Have a seat, please, I'll be right back." Victor slipped quickly into the kitchen, falling back on the age-old duties of the host to buy him a little breathing space. Not that it would do him much good, since she was going to kill him.
The only coffee he had was instant, so it didn't buy him much time. He came back out with two cups, sugar, and milk, to find Nico inspecting one of the posters on the wall. Taming of the Shrew, autographed by Elizabeth Taylor.
Anole took a moment to inspect his opponent. She presented an elegant picture in her dark blue pants suit, her thick black hair pulled back in a braid that was coiled at the nape of her neck. She'd gone light on the make-up. She didn't need it.
Nico had come a long way from the bitter Goth runaway Victor had met years ago, during a feild trip to L.A.
She tilted her head to look at him, and the mutant was strongly reminded of Ms. Frost for a moment.
Vic put the coffee down on the coffee table (as that seemed most appropriate) and stood, waiting.
Nico strode over to the cluster of chairs and couch, set up in a conversational grouping, and claimed one of the chairs.
Victor sat across from her, on the couch. Silently, she poured milk and sugar into her cup, then took a sip. "Take a breath, Vic."
Victor coughed, shifting nervously. "So..."
"About Tom."
Victor winced.
"I think you should know-"
Here it comes...
"-that I already knew."
Victor was very glad he hadn't picked up his cup, since he would have dropped it. "You did?" He said weakly, the world going grey around the edges.
Nico nodded, pursing her lips and not meeting Victor's eyes. "From about the beginning, I guess." She shrugged. "I never meant to spy, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't going out and catching weird alien venereal diseases. I never watched," she added quickly. "I just..." She shrugged again, a faint flush creeping across her cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I never wanted you to find out. I. Christ." He looked down at his hands. "I'm so sorry."
"What for?"
Victor looked up, and Nico choked on a giggle.
"My god, he was right. It is cute," she managed before bursting out in a full-blown laugh.
"I think I'm missing something here," Victor said, feeling a little disgruntled.
"Tommy always said you made the cutest face when you're confused."
"Tommy... talked about... us?"
"Never about you and him specifically," Nico said gently. "He was always very careful to keep it in the context of team stuff. But there was always a lot of 'and then Anole said's and 'Vic did's in there."
Victor put his head in his hands and groaned. "Oh Christ. This is just too fucked up. I... I really have no idea what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. Just listen, and think. Tommy... he doesn't think like most people do. He thinks it's easy for someone to love more than one person at once." She shook her head. "I don't know if he thinks at all, sometimes."
I don't know if I love him. Victor thought but didn't say. Instead, he snorted and said, "That sounds about right."
Both of them looked to the door as it swung open. Tommy stood there, his eyes flicking between Victor and Nico. He looked a little ashamed of himself, and he was running his hand through his hair. "Hi," he said softly. "Um. So... what do we do now?"