x men imagines

avoidance; peter maximoff

warnings: insecurity and swearing, but that's it.

summary: peter's been avoiding you, and you've decided to find the reason for it. (you have the power to control/speak to animals!)

.

Peter was avoiding you.

Not one flirtatious, sarcastic, or even mischievous remark had been thrown your way in the past two days. He had been lurking. You had seen a blur speed fast you from time to time, signaling he was there, but no greeting. Not even a small glance when he stopped running. Whenever you went to his room, he never answered. It's almost like he was avoiding you, but he wouldn't do that, would he? No - he's too clingy, there's no way he would suddenly start avoiding you like the plague. I mean, you hadn't done anything, had you? You two had started months ago, it wasn't like he had realized he wasn't actually into you.

The anxiety started to rise in you as you thought of the possibilities of him suddenly hating you, raiding your memories for any mistake you may have made in a conversation with him. Nothing came to mind, your mind a blank slate, but it didn't feel right. You knew something was wrong. Maybe it was just your anxious mind? Maybe he's just busy? But he's never busy. Whenever he's supposed to be, he slacks off...

Making your way to his room, you decided to try once more. You had thought of maybe asking Jean to read his mind for you, but that's too invasive. She wouldn't go for it, anyway. Neither would Charles. Maybe spy on him? Ask around? Avoid him too, and maybe he'll come running back? 

Every little excuse or way out of direct confrontation flooded your mind, but it all came back to just speaking to him face to face. That seemed to be the only way right now.

After a light knock on his door, it takes longer than usual for him to open it up for you. But soon enough, you're greeted with the sight of him. His hair messy, smudges of black something on his face, and his shirt almost ripped to pieces. It was really a sight, but considering the person he was, it wasn't the most surprising thing for him.

"What the hell happened to you?"

There's a pause, too long of one, before Peter starts throwing out excuses faster than you can understand. The few words you could make out didn't make sense, but he seems frantic, desperate for you to not see inside of his room. Persistent, you push him back, marching inside and scanning the place.

There it was. A small, unidentifiable rodent, firmly standing it's guard on Peter's bed. It's covered in the same black substance he is, but it seems it's the one that did the shredding of his shirt. It's not angry, but seems more tired than anything. It's eyes flutter open and closed repeatedly, fighting off sleep, but soon, it falls, landing onto the cushions of Peter's sheets.

"That's Jerry." He comments, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. "I got it on the last mission I went to... The professor didn't want me to, but it seemed like me..."

His explanation seemed to confuse you more, as he continued to ramble on with useless information. "Uh, I thought if I hid it and tried to dress it up and tame it he would welcome it. I, uh..." He pauses, clearly searching for what to say. "I think it turned out cute!"

"Peter..." You rub your eyebrows together, feeling even more tension rise between your shoulders. "Why... Why didn't you call me? I could've helped you."

"I kinda... I wanted to do it without your help... To impress you." Peter has a small smile, chuckling, almost like he thinks his own attempt at impressing you was amusing, but you can tell it's forced, just him trying to make the situation and his reasoning behind it less awkward.

"Peter," You move closer to him. "You don't have to impress me, baby. I - I would've appreciated it more if you had asked for my help. But... That's sweet. You're sweet." Your hands find your way to his shoulders, leaning in to peck his cheek. His cheeks grow pink, the smile becoming more genuine. He pondered your words for a moment.

"I'm not sweet. I'm a tough, badass, scary X-Man who can kick anyone's balls into the ground."

You laugh at his sudden burst of confidence, hitting his shoulder playfully. "Yeah, you are!" Amping him up, you moved your hands to cup his cheeks. He moved his to hold your hands on his face, his smile wider than you'd ever seen it. 

"Okay, how about this. I'll help you with this, we can confront the professor together, and we can talk about how much of a badass you are later tonight. Deal?"

Peter nods, eager and excited. "Deal."