Santo and Piotr, Backdated to 7/19
Jul. 19th, 2015 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainThe day after the Masquerade, Piotr and Santo have some bro-talk over, what else? Lifting weights.
Joint workouts had become a bit of a tradition for Santo & Piotr. Who else was going to be able to spot for either of them? So meeting up in the morning wasn't super unusual. What was different though was the spring in Piotr's step when he arrived. Something had put the big guy in a good mood today. Maybe the fact that he'd been seen dancing with a pretty girl at the dance the night before had something to do with it....
"Good morning!" The greeting came out more like a declaration that yes, it was indeed a good morning. Piotr dropped his towel on a rack in the gym and grinned cheerfully at his rocky friend. "Shall we start?"
Santo was already loading up a bench press bar with some plates, though he noted the spring in his step. And Santo knew exactly why. He'd spotted Piotr and his dance partner after he'd had a fun little dance with Illyana, after his brief time playing DJ. He was going to have to maybe look into doing that again in the future. It had been pretty fun.
"Mornin' bro! Just gettin' this thing loaded up," Santo said, gesturing to the bar that he was finishing up loading. Santo didn't get much from working out other than the social experience of it, but it was good to know what certain parts of his body could take in terms of weight. He'd dropped more than his share of weights simply because his fingers broke. That would have sent most kids to the hospital, sure, but most kids weren't made out of rocks and able to patch that kind of thing up pretty swiftly.
"You have a good time at the dance?" Santo asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew. He'd just let Piotr spill it if he wanted, first.
"I... Yes." For once Piotr wasn't pausing out of awkwardness (much). Santo was too easygoing and good a friend to feel too awkward. He just wasn't sure how to put it exactly. A fine difference, but one that was audible in Piotr's continued good cheer.
"Yeah?" Santo asked, sounding interested. "Could've sworn I saw you havin' a nice little dance with someone." Santo knew everything, he was just kind of being a jerk and not saying how much he knew. Piotr would probably forgive him for it, if it was offensive to him; Santo just wanted to hear it from Piotr's own mouth, more than anything.
"Ah, yes." Piotr had half expected the topic tomcome up. Still, there was plenty of crooked sheepishness in his smile. "Her name is Megan. I think you were right my friend. There are many 10s at this school." He kept the statement general, but clearly there was a particular '10' that had caught Piotr's attention.
Santo grinned just a bit. "Yeah, Megan's cute," he agreed. He'd been friendly with the girl, but honestly, she had more of a little sister vibe to him than potential dating material. Still, good on Piotr. "You get her number?" Santo asked, locking the last of the plates into place on the bar.
Piotr was doing some stretches while Santo got the bar loaded up, but stopped immediately to wave his hands in an emphatic protest. "No, no! It was not like that. It was only a dance." Not that Piotr hadn't enjoyed himself, or been tempted to ask for Megan's number. But there'd never been an opportunity. At least not one that had been Piotr-sized.
That was a little surprising, but Santo shrugged. "I dunno, man. She seemed pretty... into you, y'know?" At least, from Santo's own estimation. "I'm just sayin'. Maybe you should like, I dunno. Take her out to the movies or something." Even if it wasn't romantic, it would at least get him visible as a romantic option for the ladies around the school.
"You think? No, I do not think she did. do you?" Piotr really didn't think that sounded likely. Tempting, but not likely. It had just been a dance, right? The last thing he wanted to do was read in too much. Still, it would be kinda nice.
"Let me put it to you this way, man. I dunno about what kinda sayings they got in Russia, but you ever hear the phrase 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained?'" Santo asked. "What do you got to lose, man? Worst she can say is no, you get a little embarrassed, and then life goes on, y'know? Just don't be like, a creep about it or anything, and it'll go smooth, I'm sure. Just be like, 'oh hey, I really enjoyed our dance. You maybe wanna go catch a movie with me sometime?' or something like that. Even if you're not dating material, you'll still get a friend. And trust me, Megan's a good friend to have." Besides, she was one of the few people who were sized appropriately to sit on his shoulder as unobtrusively as possible.
"But anyways, don't let me ride your ass about this too much, or we're never gonna get our sets in." He gave the bar a pat. "C'mon, bro. We can chat while you lift. I heard that's actually kinda good for you anyway."
"Heh. I think I want to be confident like you more than I want to be strong like you." Piotr joked and shook his head. He took his spot on the bench and started his set, the exercise would indeed help him not be too nervous. "I do not even know how I would ask."
"Dude, with a power like yours? I don't see how you can be anything but confident, man. I mean, you and I both know what you're capable of." Santo kept himself in the optimal spotting position, ready to intervene on the off-chance that Piotr couldn't get the bar back onto the rack in time. "Like, seriously, man. You're tall, broad, built. Chicks dig that. The asking is as simple as the asking. You overthink it, and you're done, man. You just gotta go up, and ask her straight, y'know? 'Hey, wanna catch a movie sometime? How's Thursday?' Easy as that."
Piotr's response might have been a dry snort, or it might just have been a deeper grunt of effort. It was hard to tell, sine he wasn't stopping his reps. "I think.... It is too....late to....not think.....too much." He admitted wryly between pushes. Apart from the effort of the exercise he seemed more amused than awkward now though. So if nothing else Santo was helping in that respect.
"You just gotta clear your mind, then. It isn't hard to do. Just gotta make a game plan, focus on the game plan, that kind of thing." For Santo, it was pretty straightforward. "I try not to overthink things. Just makes crap complicated."
"I need a plan" That seemed straightforward, following a plan was a thing Piotr could do. "So asking for a date is like football?" Piotr had been trying to figure out the game, with some success. "Then I think I need a quarterback. Or is it the coach who makes the plan?" Some success, not total success.
"Eh, I mean, kind of," Santo said, in answering his first question. He didn't want to shake Piotr's confidence in himself by confessing he hadn't been on a date himself; he'd been too busy trying to figure out what to do with his life as a normal teenager to really worry about that, before. So he latched onto the football metaphor, at least. "Coaches make the game plans, sure, but the quarterback's like, the leader of the pack, y'know? He starts it, and he's the linchpin that holds everything together." Which gave him an idea. "See, bro, y'know what I think? I think you just need a wingman." And who better to be Piotr's wingman than Santo himself?
Piotr finished his set and put down the weights before he answered. "What is a wingman?" He asked as he got off the bench. Once he might have taken that literally, but his English had progressed to the point where he understood this must be so e sort of slang term or metaphor. Which didn't help him figure out what it was though.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was kind of wrong about what it was he needed. But he was in it now, and he wasn't going to back down. "Y'know, it's the dude you roll with to help you out. He like, y'know, makes you look more appealing to girls and stuff. He also helps you plan out this sorta thing. So it looks like I'm the guy for the job." Santo nodded.
"Okay. Here's what you do, bro. Go and buy two tickets to a movie you think Megan will like. Then go to her, and be like "Oh, hey Megan. I thought of you; Santo and I were going to see this movie, but he bailed on me. You wanna come with? My treat." Simple as that. You don't look desperate, you look like the kind of guy who puts your friends first, but you also look thoughtful and frugal, too. Boom. Easy. I mean, sure, it's kind of like lying to her, but I can mention something about it to her or y'know, just say that I messed up and it was a JVX practice day or something." Try to make it look less faked on a closer examination. Not that Santo thought Megan would look a gift horse in the mouth.
Piotr nodded earnestly, brow furrowed in concentration. The plan sounded a touch dishonest, Piotr did notice that. But the fact that it gave him a way put if Megan wasn't interested was too tempting. And a little trick wasn't a problem right? It wasn't like he was hiding anything bad. In fact, Megan would be the first girl in a long time he wasn't hiding a big thing from, given that being a mutant wasn't exactly a secret here. "That is a good plan. Thank you, wing man." Piotr clapped Santo on the shoulder jovially. That was exactly the sort of advice he'd needed. Not just encouragement, but also a plan to follow. He definitely owed Santo a favor, no matter how this turned out.
"Glad you like it, bro. You can pay me back later," he chuckled, giving Piotr a little thump on the chest. "Now c'mon. Your turn to spot."
Joint workouts had become a bit of a tradition for Santo & Piotr. Who else was going to be able to spot for either of them? So meeting up in the morning wasn't super unusual. What was different though was the spring in Piotr's step when he arrived. Something had put the big guy in a good mood today. Maybe the fact that he'd been seen dancing with a pretty girl at the dance the night before had something to do with it....
"Good morning!" The greeting came out more like a declaration that yes, it was indeed a good morning. Piotr dropped his towel on a rack in the gym and grinned cheerfully at his rocky friend. "Shall we start?"
Santo was already loading up a bench press bar with some plates, though he noted the spring in his step. And Santo knew exactly why. He'd spotted Piotr and his dance partner after he'd had a fun little dance with Illyana, after his brief time playing DJ. He was going to have to maybe look into doing that again in the future. It had been pretty fun.
"Mornin' bro! Just gettin' this thing loaded up," Santo said, gesturing to the bar that he was finishing up loading. Santo didn't get much from working out other than the social experience of it, but it was good to know what certain parts of his body could take in terms of weight. He'd dropped more than his share of weights simply because his fingers broke. That would have sent most kids to the hospital, sure, but most kids weren't made out of rocks and able to patch that kind of thing up pretty swiftly.
"You have a good time at the dance?" Santo asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew. He'd just let Piotr spill it if he wanted, first.
"I... Yes." For once Piotr wasn't pausing out of awkwardness (much). Santo was too easygoing and good a friend to feel too awkward. He just wasn't sure how to put it exactly. A fine difference, but one that was audible in Piotr's continued good cheer.
"Yeah?" Santo asked, sounding interested. "Could've sworn I saw you havin' a nice little dance with someone." Santo knew everything, he was just kind of being a jerk and not saying how much he knew. Piotr would probably forgive him for it, if it was offensive to him; Santo just wanted to hear it from Piotr's own mouth, more than anything.
"Ah, yes." Piotr had half expected the topic tomcome up. Still, there was plenty of crooked sheepishness in his smile. "Her name is Megan. I think you were right my friend. There are many 10s at this school." He kept the statement general, but clearly there was a particular '10' that had caught Piotr's attention.
Santo grinned just a bit. "Yeah, Megan's cute," he agreed. He'd been friendly with the girl, but honestly, she had more of a little sister vibe to him than potential dating material. Still, good on Piotr. "You get her number?" Santo asked, locking the last of the plates into place on the bar.
Piotr was doing some stretches while Santo got the bar loaded up, but stopped immediately to wave his hands in an emphatic protest. "No, no! It was not like that. It was only a dance." Not that Piotr hadn't enjoyed himself, or been tempted to ask for Megan's number. But there'd never been an opportunity. At least not one that had been Piotr-sized.
That was a little surprising, but Santo shrugged. "I dunno, man. She seemed pretty... into you, y'know?" At least, from Santo's own estimation. "I'm just sayin'. Maybe you should like, I dunno. Take her out to the movies or something." Even if it wasn't romantic, it would at least get him visible as a romantic option for the ladies around the school.
"You think? No, I do not think she did. do you?" Piotr really didn't think that sounded likely. Tempting, but not likely. It had just been a dance, right? The last thing he wanted to do was read in too much. Still, it would be kinda nice.
"Let me put it to you this way, man. I dunno about what kinda sayings they got in Russia, but you ever hear the phrase 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained?'" Santo asked. "What do you got to lose, man? Worst she can say is no, you get a little embarrassed, and then life goes on, y'know? Just don't be like, a creep about it or anything, and it'll go smooth, I'm sure. Just be like, 'oh hey, I really enjoyed our dance. You maybe wanna go catch a movie with me sometime?' or something like that. Even if you're not dating material, you'll still get a friend. And trust me, Megan's a good friend to have." Besides, she was one of the few people who were sized appropriately to sit on his shoulder as unobtrusively as possible.
"But anyways, don't let me ride your ass about this too much, or we're never gonna get our sets in." He gave the bar a pat. "C'mon, bro. We can chat while you lift. I heard that's actually kinda good for you anyway."
"Heh. I think I want to be confident like you more than I want to be strong like you." Piotr joked and shook his head. He took his spot on the bench and started his set, the exercise would indeed help him not be too nervous. "I do not even know how I would ask."
"Dude, with a power like yours? I don't see how you can be anything but confident, man. I mean, you and I both know what you're capable of." Santo kept himself in the optimal spotting position, ready to intervene on the off-chance that Piotr couldn't get the bar back onto the rack in time. "Like, seriously, man. You're tall, broad, built. Chicks dig that. The asking is as simple as the asking. You overthink it, and you're done, man. You just gotta go up, and ask her straight, y'know? 'Hey, wanna catch a movie sometime? How's Thursday?' Easy as that."
Piotr's response might have been a dry snort, or it might just have been a deeper grunt of effort. It was hard to tell, sine he wasn't stopping his reps. "I think.... It is too....late to....not think.....too much." He admitted wryly between pushes. Apart from the effort of the exercise he seemed more amused than awkward now though. So if nothing else Santo was helping in that respect.
"You just gotta clear your mind, then. It isn't hard to do. Just gotta make a game plan, focus on the game plan, that kind of thing." For Santo, it was pretty straightforward. "I try not to overthink things. Just makes crap complicated."
"I need a plan" That seemed straightforward, following a plan was a thing Piotr could do. "So asking for a date is like football?" Piotr had been trying to figure out the game, with some success. "Then I think I need a quarterback. Or is it the coach who makes the plan?" Some success, not total success.
"Eh, I mean, kind of," Santo said, in answering his first question. He didn't want to shake Piotr's confidence in himself by confessing he hadn't been on a date himself; he'd been too busy trying to figure out what to do with his life as a normal teenager to really worry about that, before. So he latched onto the football metaphor, at least. "Coaches make the game plans, sure, but the quarterback's like, the leader of the pack, y'know? He starts it, and he's the linchpin that holds everything together." Which gave him an idea. "See, bro, y'know what I think? I think you just need a wingman." And who better to be Piotr's wingman than Santo himself?
Piotr finished his set and put down the weights before he answered. "What is a wingman?" He asked as he got off the bench. Once he might have taken that literally, but his English had progressed to the point where he understood this must be so e sort of slang term or metaphor. Which didn't help him figure out what it was though.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was kind of wrong about what it was he needed. But he was in it now, and he wasn't going to back down. "Y'know, it's the dude you roll with to help you out. He like, y'know, makes you look more appealing to girls and stuff. He also helps you plan out this sorta thing. So it looks like I'm the guy for the job." Santo nodded.
"Okay. Here's what you do, bro. Go and buy two tickets to a movie you think Megan will like. Then go to her, and be like "Oh, hey Megan. I thought of you; Santo and I were going to see this movie, but he bailed on me. You wanna come with? My treat." Simple as that. You don't look desperate, you look like the kind of guy who puts your friends first, but you also look thoughtful and frugal, too. Boom. Easy. I mean, sure, it's kind of like lying to her, but I can mention something about it to her or y'know, just say that I messed up and it was a JVX practice day or something." Try to make it look less faked on a closer examination. Not that Santo thought Megan would look a gift horse in the mouth.
Piotr nodded earnestly, brow furrowed in concentration. The plan sounded a touch dishonest, Piotr did notice that. But the fact that it gave him a way put if Megan wasn't interested was too tempting. And a little trick wasn't a problem right? It wasn't like he was hiding anything bad. In fact, Megan would be the first girl in a long time he wasn't hiding a big thing from, given that being a mutant wasn't exactly a secret here. "That is a good plan. Thank you, wing man." Piotr clapped Santo on the shoulder jovially. That was exactly the sort of advice he'd needed. Not just encouragement, but also a plan to follow. He definitely owed Santo a favor, no matter how this turned out.
"Glad you like it, bro. You can pay me back later," he chuckled, giving Piotr a little thump on the chest. "Now c'mon. Your turn to spot."
