Pietro woke up late one morning in a bed that was too heavenly to be his own. The silken silver sheets were torn, but still soft to the touch of his bare skin. However, thankfully, the covers were spared from the wrath of Jane's claws and Pietro was cocooned in their green colored embrace. They had a wild time last night that that was for sure. His girlfriend was insatiable in Heat. In fact he is surprised he woke up so early, but the windows were letting in the early morning light that shined right on his eyes. Burrowing underneath the covers, he blindly swiped his hand around looking for Jane, but there was no one else in the bed. Not even Balto, their baby husky, was here; he must have slept in Pietro's bedroom last night.
Well there was no point in lounging away in this ripped up bed when he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep and he was also pretty sore from last night. He needed some Tylenol or something. Throwing off the blankets and sheets he'd become entangled with during the night instead of his girlfriend's loving embrace of arms and legs; he fell out of the bed and groaned. Mornings were rough without Jane. There wasn't the sound of the shower running, so Jane wasn't in the bathroom. That was also disappointing. Most likely she would be down in the kitchen sipping on some sugary latte to get her energy up for like the 25th round of sex during this Heat cycle. Pushing his long, tangled, and sweat-soaked silver hair out of his eyes, he raised him on his hands and knees and crawled around the floor looking for his clothes from yesterday.
Yawning, his hand found his Pink Floyd boxer shorts and his foot found his jeans from last night and his knee found a sock. Pulling on the clothes that he found, he sat on the floor and scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes before he squinted at the ground looking for the rest of his clothes. Pietro could do with a missing sock – he even tossed the other sock away because putting on dirty socks is just disgusting – but he wanted to know where his shirt was. It was his A Day To Remember band shirt he got at a warp tour concert. He had risked sunburns and mosh pits for it, so it was one of his favorites.
Pietro needed it because it was chilly this morning and he had a runner's body so it was hard for him to run around shirtless in the X-Mansion when there were people like Colossus around. Also, if he was being honest, he knew it would be a bad idea to walk around shirtless again after the last time he did it. There were two problems with that situation. For one, there were some younger teenaged students that eyed him up and although he never noticed them, Jane always noticed their wandering eyes. Since she's in Heat, it would be dangerous for him to risk inciting her wrath on some hormonal curious youths.
The second reason he should wear a shirt is because the last time he didn't, Bobby pointed out the claw marks he had on his back. That was pretty embarrassing as then the entire kitchen new that he and Jane were pretty rough the night before. Some people would enjoy the bragging rights that come with sex, but when it is a Heat induced sex it wasn't something to brag about. After all, it wasn't like Jane could control her animalistic urges. It was a side effect of her feral mutation and she was ashamed for it. Her feral friend Darcy, who had a similar mutation, had dissimilar feelings about her own Heat cycle. Darcy was a sex fiend anyway, though, so that hardly surprised Pietro. She also scared him, too, honestly. Her lover, Logan, while being a feral himself, had never met a female feral with a Heat cycle so he was pretty much in the same boat as Pietro as far as being new to the whole experience. It was during these cycle times that Pietro really felt he had a friend in Logan as he shared sympathy for his plight. Sure, it was really great sex, but unlike females who had a shorter recovery time, it was the most exhausting experience, too. Then there was also the fear of being unable to perform and no man wants to leave his woman unsatisfied. Thank God that neither woman's Heat cycle coincided. The X-Mansion would be uninhabitable otherwise.
Shaking the last remains of sleep away, Pietro climbed to his feet, pulling on his boxers and jeans as he went. God, he really hoped that in her eagerness last night Jane didn't rip his A Day To Remember shirt to shreds. Wouldn't be the first time that happened, and it wouldn't be the last either. It just happens. Rolling his shoulders to loosen up his sore muscles, once Pietro was dressed he picked his way across the floor in bare feet that padded softly, making little whispering sounds as he walked from Jane's bedroom to his own room to check and see if his shirt was there.
In stark contrast compared to Jane's room, Pietro's was more like an arcade. Reminiscent of the basement bedroom he had when he lived with his mom; it had a quality that spoke of evolving from a bachelor pad to a trophy room. In addition to the neon lights and street signs and arcade machines he had stolen, he had a few new knickknacks that come from his missions with the X-Men. There was the head of a Sentinel for one, sans eyes because he felt like it was still watching him even though both Hank and Forge assured him that it was inoperable. Mounted on one wall next to a stop light was a pirate sword. That was a fun mission with Jane. It felt like being a kid again on the playground rather than fighting some pirates. Then there were the smaller items that fit the description of something a tourist would buy – and Jane did buy them for him since he can't really stuff anymore as an X-Men. When they went to Egypt they took a selfie with the pyramids and she gifted him with a miniature Sphinx. For their romantic getaway to Paris, she got his a baguette keychain and they took another picture at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Their last trip was to Italy, and again with their traditional picture of them inside a historic landmark, Jane bought a souvenir: a refrigerator magnet of gourmet pizza.
However, Pietro wasn't here to admire his stuff. Bypassing everything with only a fond smile of remembrance, he dug through his bureau and rummaged through his closet for the shirt he was looking for. There were mountains of other band T-Shirts from the classic Pink Floyd to other vintage bands like the Rolling Stones and then newer stuff like The Front Bottoms, Brand New, Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Blink 182, and then there were just regular old shirts with memes or video game references or food puns. There wasn't his A Day To Remember shirt, though, and he was steadily increasing his panicking. Finally he gave up his searching and in a tornado of activity had all of his clothes returned to their proper place. In another albeit smaller flurry of activity he had the rest of his room cleaned up, too. Having to work with what he had, he chose his The Story So Far band t-shirt to wear before dashing down to the kitchen.
Just as he predicted Jane was there, leaning over the counter with her latte between her hands, warming her palms. Like him, her black hair was a mess from rough sex and a hard sleep, but unlike him she was wearing the t-shirt merchandise of A Day to Remember – it looked exactly like the one he had. "Hey, you took my shirt this morning?" Quick as he please, he was sitting on the countertop beside her, nonchalantly kicking his feet.
In return, Jane didn't even flinch in reaction. His movement caused her hair to billow about her face in a captivating manner, and she didn't even blink at that either. She just casually took another sip of her latte and her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at him. "Morning there, sleepy-head. Yes, I did take your shirt."
Figuring he was as fresh as he'd ever be for another bout of Heat sex (and also admittedly because the way she looked right now with her hair all curled and kinky, and that cream caught on her cherry red mouth with her eyes sparkling with mischief she was so sexy), Pietro started to tease her, "Well then give it back," his fingers tugged at her shirt (really his shirt) lightly, abandoning the task soon enough to have his fingertips wander over her shoulders up to caress her feminine jaw and swipe the cream off her lips with his thumb. He took a taste of it and winked at her. The cream tasted of her.
She straightened up, her face now closer to his but not yet at eyelevel with each other. "What this shirt?" Jane set her latte down on the counter, far enough away to ensure that they didn't make any kind of mess, and grasped the hem of her shirt lifting it slightly as if she'd strip for him topless right here in the X-Mansion's kitchen. The woman may be in Heat, but she was responsible and that would be something Darcy would do. Technically she has, if Jane remembered correctly. Another reason the kitchen was off limits. "Even if it was your shirt, I'm not gonna take it off. I'll only be wearing a bra." Dropping the hem and smoothing her shirt back down, she hugged herself. "Besides, it's cold in here, Pietro."
In response, Pietro tilted his head down towards her, his face curtain by his silver hair. "You're cold? Does that mean you're finished with your Heat, Janie baby?" He tilted his head to one side and stroked a finger down her cheek and the column of her neck, tapping it against Jane's sternum. "And what do you mean? That is my shirt. I went to warp tour for A Day To Remember."
"Yeah, well this shirt is still mine. I have one, too, that I bought online: eBay." Her hands placed themselves on his kneecaps and she stood on tiptoe, bringing her face closer to his again. "And yes, thank God, that unbearable Heat is over. I am sane again. But that doesn't mean you can't warm me up with a kiss, mon argent lapin."
"Just a kiss?" Pietro hedged with a grin and then caught her mouth in a kiss anyway, deepening it until he had the entire warm and wet cavern of her mouth licked clean of any of her latte remains. Disconnecting their mouths with a pop, he breathlessly gasped at her, "Okay, well I'm glad you're feeling better, but be honest with me, Janie baby. Did you tear my shirt to pieces from your Heat last night?"
Jane was still recovering from the heady kiss when she processed Pietro's strange inquiry. "No," she blushed and quickly took another sip of her latte, finishing off the rest. She took her cup to the sink and washed it out, taking the time to dry it off and put it away in the cabinet before she turned back around to face him.
With those actions, Pietro knew she was hiding something. Perhaps she was embarrassed, yes, that was probably it. "Janie baby," Pietro sang, "didn't you just tell me that you had my shirt? And if you're not wearing it, then where can it possibly be?"
His girlfriend hummed, the blush on her cheeks deepening in color and causing her freckles to stand out starkly against her red skin. Pietro watched the blush spread, knowing it would even go down to her chest, which was covered at the moment with a shirt that taunted him. He barely caught her mumbled words, "It's in the washer machine."
Quicksilver blinked. "What? What for?" He didn't remember even wearing that shirt at dinner. In fact, he had to change into that shirt after dinner because he spilled ranch on his Atari shirt. "That shirt shouldn't have to be washed yet because I only wore it for like thirty minutes or so."
Again, Jane avoided his eye. "Trust me, it needed to be washed after last night."
"What happened to it then, Jane?" Pietro wasn't angry, in fact he was deadly curious, but the suspense was killing him. He wasn't a very patient young man after all.
"Um, well, you see, Pietro – now please don't get mad – but it has a stain."
Again, he blinked. When Jane blinked he standing right in front of her. "Did we spill soda on it or something?"
"Oh, no, sorry Pietro. Nothing so mundane as that. Otherwise I wouldn't be up this early in the morning doing laundry." Jane bit her lip, worrying it with her teeth, green eyes large and round.
"Janie baby, I'm not angry, but did you, you know, get your–"
"No!" She sounded scandalized that he would even ask that and quickly interrupted him. In a much softer tone of voice she continued, "At least I didn't get MY stuff on it, if you know what I mean, Pietro."
"You mean…?" Pietro sounded horrified now.
"Yes. Sorry, Pietro."
He was in disbelief, or more likely in denial. Pietro didn't want to believe it, but from the way Jane was so shamefaced he knew that she wasn't lying about this. "Oh my God, I can't believe I did that."
"It's my fault. I blame myself for attacking you that way during my Heat cycle." Honestly, Jane was truly apologetic and remorseful.
"No, Janie baby, trust me. It isn't your fault." Pietro hugged her for support, resting his chin on her shoulder. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, fingering the t-shirt she was wearing as if he were saying goodbye to his own. "Do you think I'll ever be able to wear it again?"
"Of course, Pietro. I looked up online how to get rid of the stains. Most websites said dish soap so it should be okay." Jane kissed the top of Pietro's head. "If it's not okay, I'll get you another, okay?"
Pietro nodded, silent for a long moment. "Do you think it's done washing by now?"
Jane drew back. "Probably. Let's go check." She took him by the hand and led him to the laundry room. Together they both examined the shirt for any linger stains, and finding none, they put it in the dryer to finish. "That's lucky, huh, Pietro?"
"Oh man, you have no idea." Once more feeling amorous, perhaps because of the overwhelming sense of relief that he shirt was okay, he kissed Jane's cheek repeatedly in thanks before hopping on top of the dryer.
Happy that Pietro was happy, she stood between his legs. "Guess what, Pietro? I got a surprise for you. Two concert tickets."
"Really? For who? The Wonder Years?" Pietro was gleeful as he drummed his heels against the dryer that had his clean shirt tumbling around inside.
"Nope. Guess again." Jane was smiling wide, the smile even reaching the glow of her green eyes.
"All Time Low?" Pietro hazarded another guess before something seemed to click together logically inside of his mind. "Wait, what are the concert tickets for? Is Xavier temporarily kicking us out of the mansion because we got a little too rambunctious during this Heat cycle?"
"No and no." Jane answered easily enough and the blush was back, only a softer pink this time. "I've been planning this for a while, but I forgot about buying the tickets while I was in Heat. Sorry."
"No, no that's okay. A concert with you sounds great! There's no way I could get trampled and I won't let anyone harass you either. I'll even put you up on my shoulders for a good view if you like. Are they balcony seats or are we on the floor? Is it local or are we traveling? Is it for Lana Del Ray?"
Jane laughed, full of mirth, and tossed her ebony hair back over her shoulders. "Pietro, I got us tickets right in the front row, center stage up against the barricade! So no piggy back ride necessary! Just bring some ear plugs and get ready to dance and scream all the songs! Give me a drum roll and I'll tell you who for."
Excitedly, Pietro drummed his hands on the dryer and his heels. Beneath him it shook and rumbled, but continued to do its job. "Come on, Janie baby, tell me who! No matter who it is I'm sure I'll have a great time so long as I am with you. But, oh my God, we'll be close enough to touch them!"
"I know! I know! Oh my gosh, this will be great!" Jane was giddy with joy and hopped up to peck a kiss on Pietro's wide mouth with full lips. Then she finally squealed the big surprise, "It's for Halsey!"
In celebration, Pietro jumped off the dryer and tackled Jane with another kiss, spinning them both around in circles. The entire scene was so domestic and they were both so in love with each other that it was practically palpable in the air. "We're just a couple of crazy kids aren't we, Janie baby? Just making love and doing laundry together, and now conquering the world and seeing everything on the bucket list."
And Jane's mouth moved first in a smile and then to shape the words, "And I promised myself I wouldn't let you complete me." Then Jane's mouth kissed Pietro's. Those crazy young kids in love lived happily ever after.