Chapter Text
Todd Tolansky leaned heavily on the rusted fence at the dark construction site, taking a very deep drag off his cigarette. It had been a hellishly long day. Even his mutant strong legs and arms were aching, so he could barely imagine what this day must have been like for his human co-workers. Thank God it was holiday time now. Not that he had any particular plans. He had nobody in his life in any way. It was probably just gonna be himself, booze and the TV for the next week.
He found himself thinking back to his years with the Brotherhood. As rough as they had been, they had at least been people you could sometimes have a laugh with, watch a movie with or something. But then he remembered how they had all turned on him, when they for some odd reason suddenly decided he was no more than an annoyance and unceremoniously kicked him from the team.
He remembered how he had thought it was one of their usual trips about him, and he slept in the back yard for weeks, before he finally realized that this time it was for real, and they were never going to let him back in. The final stroke was when Pyro moved into his room and started throwing any stuff left in there out of the window. Not that Todd needed any of it. It was just crap mostly, but it was sorta the final blow. He had turned around and left, finally realizing that there were truly nobody in the world you could trust.
His cigarette was almost reduced to ashes, but he simply lit another one with the first, and slowly made his way home to his small apartment. This job was crap, but the pay was okay, and his boss were one of the few people he had met over the years, who hadn't given a rat's fart if he was a mutant, as long as he worked hard and didn't complain.
And Todd had to admit to himself there was a certain pride in receiving his first honestly earned paycheck and finally signing the lease on his own, personal dump. And the hard physical labour had changed his body in a way he found rather shocking the first time he noticed the change. His already powerful legs felt like steel now and even his pathetic torso was now tightly wound in hard, flat muscle.
For the first time in his life, twenty five years old, he was the guy nobody wanted to fuck with. Not exactly feared, but certainly regarded as more of a challenge for potential muggers and anti-mutant idiots, who needed someone to kick around to bolster their own egos. A far cry from the ugly, skinny kid, making his living any way he could, expecting to meet his end any minute. And at least he now always had a roof over his head and food to eat. In his opinion a very overlooked privilege in general.
As he slowly dragged himself home, he suddenly got that feeling again. It had been there a few times over the last week. That feeling that he was being watched or followed. But no matter how much he looked around he never saw anyone. But damn, the sensation was powerful now. He could literally feel the small hairs at the back of his neck tingle under his long ponytail. He considered his options. He was tired, but strong. And if this person wasn't aware of his mutant abilities, which he usually kept quiet about unless he had to, he might have a chance to outwit him.
He stopped outside an alley and glanced down it. In here was the back entrance to a less than savory club, and he made his way towards it, acting like he was going inside. After a quick check behind and above him, he crouched and propelled himself straight up with his powerful legs. On the third floor, he latched onto the fire escape ladder and propelled himself upwards again as soon as he regained his footing. He reached the roof in seconds and carefully peeked down into the alley, keeping low to avoid being seen.
Sure enough, after half a minute or so, a dark figure came into view. Crawling on the opposite wall of the alley, jumping from window ledge to window ledge, this was obviously another mutant. What did the mutant want with him? There was something oddly familiar about the figure, but Todd couldn't quite place it. He let himself slide down, and sat on the roof out of sight, while deciding on his next move. Another peek revealed that the mutant had somehow discovered that he hadn't gone inside and was now turning its head this way and that, trying to figure out where he had gone.
Todd heard the slight clang when the figure landed on the fire ladder a few stories below and as quietly as possible climbed upwards. He could feel the metal behind him creak slightly, meaning that the mutant was climbing that ladder. Todd got ready. He couldn't have planned this better himself. As soon as he saw the shadow on the roof as the mutant emerged over the edge, he reached up, took hold of the shoulders of his pursuer and ripped him over the edge of the roof. The force of the pull sent the mutant into a flip and it landed on its back a few feet away.
Todd had jumped the second he had thrown and landed with a crash right where the mutant had been the blink of an eye earlier. Now there was only thin air and he suddenly smelled something awfully familiar. What was it? The thought distracted him for just enough time for something to land on his back, smashing his face onto the rooftop, and try to get him in a headlock. Years of fighting dirty had taught Todd a few things, though, and with a pained yelp from the mutant, he grabbed it by the hair and pulled, until he felt the grip loosen.
He locked his hands around the wrists of the other and with amazing speed flipped over, straddled his attacker and locked his legs around the other's knees, forcefully holding him in place. Then a pair of gleaming yellow eyes opened in the dark face of the figure right beneath him and he gasped when he suddenly recognized the mutant.
“What the hell... Fuzzy?!”
Kurt Wagner blinked up at him and coughed once in the cloud of dust their scuffle had raised.
“Guten Abend. Missed me?”
Todd let go of Kurt, jumped to his feet and turned his back to him while wiping his bleeding nose. He heard Kurt groan as he got to his feet and brushed off the rubble.
“Verdammt. I think I'm gonna need stitches.”
Todd sat down by the edge of the roof opposite the ladder and lit himself another cigarette.
“Serves you right, fool. What the hell do you think you're doin'? Stalkin' me or somethin'?
Kurt sat down gingerly next to his old nemesis, and blinked his glowing eyes a few times.
“Sorry Tolansky. I vasn't allowed to contact you yet. It vas not my idea to stalk you like this.”
Todd felt his anger boiling. What the hell was going on?
“Then whose bright idea was it?”
Kurt shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“Vell... it vas Scott's. I tried to talk him out of it, but he vanted to make sure you vere on your own before ve contacted you.”
Todd pinched his still bleeding nose and winced at the pain.
“Right. That sounds like ol' Summers. Suspicious prick.”
When the blood flow stopped, Todd finally looked at Kurt, something occurring to him.
“Yo, who exactly was I s'posed to be with, since you wanna know if I'm alone?”
Kurt looked very serious.
“Magneto. He's been recruiting all the mutants he can find to his cause. He's preparing for var.“
Todd barked out a dry laugh, reduced the last of his cigarette to ash and flicked it away.
“What else is new.”
Kurt's voice was urgent.
“No, you don't understand. He's gathering forces more than ever. This past year, he has been either recruiting or killing any mutants he could find. The Professor has been vorking hard to varn as many mutants as he could to go into hiding or join us.”
Todd lifted an eyebrow and gave Kurt a suspicious look.
“So what's that gotta do with me? Since when has Baldie cared about what happens to me?”
Kurt paused, but then a determined look settled on his face.
“Scott vill be pissed at me for telling you, but... the Professor had hoped you vould be villing to join our cause. Your povers and your inside knowledge on the Brotherhood vould be a great asset to us.”
Todd nodded with a bitter smile.
“I should'a known.
Kurt gave him a sad look.
“You could have come to us you know. Vhen the Brotherhood threw you out.”
Todd coughed out a harsh laugh.
“Yeah, right. That would'a brought down the house. I would'a done it just to see Summers get his panties in a twist. But I've been down that road once. No joy. And what's the point anyway? We're all gonna die in this war when it comes. No matter if we're in it or not.”
He got up and walked towards the ladder. Halfway across the roof, he turned around and looked back at Kurt.
“Go home Fuzzy. I can't offer you anythin'.
In a flash Kurt teleported and appeared in front of Todd, his fists balled up with anger.
“Verdammt Toad! I knew you vere a spineless vorm, but I never knew you vould be this stupid!
Todd bared his teeth at his furry counterpart.
“What's it to you, fuzz face?! I don't give a fuck 'bout this stupid war! I just wanna be left the hell alone, but I guess that's too much to ask for!”
He pushed Kurt hard in the chest and edged past him. Kurt was right behind him though, all the way across the roof, where Todd stomped his way to the edge.
“You just don't get it do you? This is beyond all of us! If ve don't take a stand now, Magneto vill vin and ve vill all be dead! And not just us! The humans! Anybody you've ever known vill be either vith Magneto or dead if ve don't do something!”
Todd snarled over his shoulder without turning around.
“And I'm s'posed to care? I never met anybody worth savin', includin' myself!”
With that, he crouched and jumped out into the air and hit the pavement with a heavy thud several stories down a moment later. Kurt watched him stomp off and sighed heavily. After looking over the rooftops for a moment, he clenched his jaw in determination and vanished in a puff of smoke.