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infinitehyperfixations · 1 year

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Ribbons and Steel

When Metal Meets String - Piotr's POV

This is the first part of my Colossus x OC slow burn, enemies to lovers fic. I hope all of you enjoy!

Summary: Piotr, Ellie, and Professor X are invited to a fundraising gala for a mutant charity. The event is held in a museum in New York City which holds the world's largest red diamond - The Devil's Treasure. Piotr's hopes of having a peaceful night crumble before him when a thief crashes the gala.

(I apologize if the summary sucks!)

Rated T for language and violence

Word Count: 8.1K

Comments and Reblogs are love!

No one is what they seem.

Piotr wished he would’ve listened to that phrase when he met her. Everyone hides details about themselves upon the first meeting - even he knew that. A strong reputation means nothing if someone is forced to use it like a mask. They may be too afraid to show who they really are because they believe that everyone will see them as they see themself.

A Coward.

A Monster.

A Failure.

It will require patience and trust to discover one’s real identity. Only when you look behind the closed curtain can you see their true self. Trying to coax out the smallest detail may take weeks even months but it will be worth it in the end.

It took Piotr too long to discover what hid behind her mask and it almost cost her everything.

-----

Three months after the events of Deadpool 2…

Much to Piotr’s surprise, it had been a quiet couple of months. Well, quiet as it could get for any superhero. There were always the rescue missions, the bank heists that needed to be foiled, and Wade’s endless chaos that needed to be tended to. On top of that, he was leading the newly formed X-Force team which only consisted of Cable, Wade, Domino and himself. (NTW and Yukio were considered junior members since they were not of age yet.) Of course, being the Art and Russian teacher at the Professor’s Institute brought in even more tasks for himself. He had assignments to grade, lesson plans to review, and school events that needed chaperoning.

For three months, Piotr did not have to stop a world-ending crisis nor face a new threat to mutant kind. It was more than he could ask for after helping Wade save Russel a few months ago. It seemed the universe was finally giving him a break but he soon realized that it was just the calm before the storm.

“Remind me why I’m here again?” Ellie groaned, looking longingly at the museum’s exit.

Piotr and Ellie stood in the middle of a fundraising gala for the Drake Foundation that was being held in a museum in New York City. The foundation was a charity that supplied homeless mutants food, housing, and free education opportunities across the world. The Professor was invited to speak at the event and was allowed to bring two guests. Unfortunately, the X-Men were on a mission so Piotr and Ellie had to come to represent the institute with the Professor.

The large, circular entrance of the museum was converted into an exquisite banquet hall for the gala. The hall was illuminated by bright lights with enormous stone pillars lining the walls. In the center of the room was a sea of tables that were covered in white table cloths and decorated with colorful bouquets. Directly above the center of the floor was a wide circular sky light that revealed the bright lights of the neighboring buildings.

One of the first things that Piotr noticed when he entered the building were the huge banners showing the various exhibits inside the museum. The most featured one was the world’s largest red diamond - deemed The Devil’s Treasure according to one of the banners. He figured that the exhibit was under high surveillance and was closed off like the rest of the museum.

“Because it was either this, or Wade duty,” Piotr reminded her as he gazed over the large crowd of rich people. He caught a few of them stealing glances at his metal form but thought nothing of it. He was used to people staring at him.

“Is it too late to trade places with Cable?” Ellie questioned as she tried to loosen the collar of her black suit. “I think I would rather deal with Wade than these people.”

“Yes it is,” Piotr sighed, looking down at his trainee. “It is good we are here to represent institute.”

“I mean, yes it’s good we’re here for that,” Ellie groaned, “but do we really have to wear suits?”

Piotr couldn’t help but silently agree with her. He was worried that he was going to rip his suit (which was very expensive and annoying to get) in his metal form. Since the Professor wanted a representative from the X-Men, he requested for Piotr to be in his armored form at the gala because no one would recognize him in his normal form. He only agreed because if something were to happen, he wouldn’t accidentally ruin his suit as he changed into his metal form.

“And you told me to not use my phone,” Ellie pointed out.

“Socializing would be good for you,” Piotr joked, earning an eye-roll from the teenager.

“Oh yes, because I am obviously the best choice when it comes to talking to snobby rich people,” Ellie whisper-yelled harshly. “Yukio picked a bad time to go visit her family.”

Piotr simply rolled his eyes at Ellie, “You can just hide behind me and I will do most of talking.”

“Was already planning on it, big guy.”

While the last minute arrivals gathered at their tables, Piotr and Ellie decided to stand near the Professor as he conversed with the other guests. The Professor answered most of their questions about the school while Piotr told them about working with the students. Ellie, much to her discomfort, was asked about her experience there and gave short and simple answers. When Piotr noticed how anxious she was, he made an attempt to escort Ellie to their table but stopped when he heard someone say his name.

When Piotr turned around a man in a deep red and black suit (which was definitely more expensive than his own) greeted him with a friendly smile. He reminded Piotr of the male models on the book covers of horrible billionaire romance novels that some of his students read. He was young (Piotr guessed around his age) with deep tan skin, dark brown eyes, and jet black hair which was loosely combed back. He was nearly as tall as Piotr but he still had to crane his neck a bit.

“Colossus!” The mystery man greeted in a British accent. His voice was deep but very welcoming. “Sorry to stop you and your colleague but I wanted to introduce myself.”

When the man held out his hand, Piotr noticed faint scars on his knuckles. They were similar to the ones Piotr would get when he trained too hard. He didn’t think too much about them since they seemed to be very old…but it was still odd.

“My name is James Levine,” He said as they shook hands. His grip was strong enough to impress Piotr. “On behalf of my family and the Drake Foundation, I would like to thank you and the X-Men for helping mutants around the world.”

“Thank you, it is our duty to make world better for everyone,” Piotr replied as the Professor turned to them. “Do you run this charity?”

“My family and Drake Industries do,” Levine answered. “Our board of directors and myself are working on building a location in the U.S. to help mutants here. We have many scattered around Europe but we wish to expand.”

“Mr. Levine,” The Professor greeted, moving next to Piotr, “it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”

“Professor Xavier! Believe me the feeling is mutual,” Levine said as he peered down at the Professor. “Thank you for coming and bringing your X-Men tonight.”

“Thank you for inviting us.”

Piotr took a moment to glance back at Ellie, who was using him as a human shield to hide from the crowd. He expected her to be on her phone (which he would have been fine with) but she was staring at Mr. Levine inquisitively. As long as Levine didn’t divert his attention on her then she should be fine.

“Drake Industries would like to make a donation to your school,” Levine stated, as a woman - who Piotr didn’t notice before - stepped into view behind the billionaire. He assumed it must be his assistant.

The thin woman wore a deep purple suit which complemented her dark brown skin and figure. Her lavender colored hair was wrapped neatly into small bantu knots. Despite the fact that she was barely tall enough to meet his shoulders, she was an intimidating woman. Her stern, dark eyes and her sharp eyeliner would have made any normal person nervous. Her lips were painted with black lipstick with a light purple center. A gold nose ring hung above her lips and matched the small golden hoops in her ears.

“Mr. Levine,” The woman said in a dry tone. Her voice had a cold sound to it and Piotr couldn’t quite place her accent. “It is time to prepare for your welcoming speech.”

Mr. Levine nodded and turned back to Piotr and the Professor. “My apologies, I must go with Miss Ba. I hope you enjoy your night.”

Levine turned away from them and followed Miss Ba through the large crowd. When he was far enough away, Ellie came out of her hiding spot behind Piotr.

“He seemed…nice I guess,” Ellie mumbled, “but his assistant is terrifying.”

Since Piotr was tall enough, he was able to watch Mr. Levine weave through the crowd to get to the stage that was assembled in front of the tables. He trailed behind Miss Ba who went behind the stage.

“It was nice of him to make donation,” Piotr said, looking down at the Professor.

“Yes, it was,” The Professor agreed as Ms. Ba walked on the stage towards the podium.

“Everyone,” Miss Ba announced with a fake smile, “please head to your seats so the evening may begin.”

While everyone began to make their way to their tables, Piotr looked around the large room and noticed a few of the museum security guards that roamed along the walls. They had walkie-talkies attached to their vests and were armed with tasers and a baton stick. Most of them were calmly looking around the room and quietly speaking into their two-way radios. He assumed that there were other guards stationed at the exhibits - especially the one that held the Devil’s Treasure.

Piotr and Ellie followed the Professor to their assigned table which was close to the stage. There were three other seats at the table that were for some guests that Piotr did not know. He assumed they were gifted to the highest paying donors. A grimace fell on his face when he saw his seat.

“I cannot sit here,” Piotr said, trying to hide his mild annoyance.

Ellie snapped her head up at the large metal man, “What do you mean?”

“This chair,” Piotr said as he simply pulled out his seat to show its cheap metal legs, “I will crush it if I sit on it.”

Piotr was used to a lack of accommodations for his heavy metal form and massive size; however, he expected an event held and paid for by a billionaire to have a reinforced seat for him. Of course, he could metal down but his suit would not fit his slightly smaller form as well. He assumed that the workers that set up the event must have forgotten about a reinforced chair for him. If he remembered correctly, the Professor requested one for him and the people that were in charge of the event reassured him that there would be one.

“Ohhhh, I see what you mean,” Ellie said, tapping one of the chair legs with her foot. “Maybe one of the workers can get you the chair that the Professor requested.”

“I hope so,” Piotr nodded as he began to walk away from the table. “I will be right back.”

Piotr scanned the room for an available server while he did his best to carefully weave through the crowd of attendees that were trying to get to their own tables. Once he freed himself from the sea of tables and guests, James Levine walked up to the microphone with a welcoming smile. He tapped on it to grab everyone’s attention as they were sitting down.

“Hello and welcome everyone to the Drake Foundation Fundraising Gala,” The billionaire greeted, resting his hands on the podium. Piotr stopped his search to pay attention to Levine’s speech.

“I want to thank each and everyone of you for donating and helping us provide basic necessities and education for all mutants around the world,” Levine began as he looked down at the table where the Professor and NTW were sitting. “I especially want to thank Professor Xavier and his X-Men for making the world a better and safer place for everyone.”

The guests and workers began to clap while a few of them shouted their gratitude. Piotr winced when he saw Ellie shrink in her chair from receiving the guests’ attention while the Professor smiled at the attendees. He wished he didn’t leave the table so he could relieve Ellie’s anxiety. After earning an encouraging look from the Professor, Ellie attempted to put on a happy face but it looked more like a pained smile. Once the applause died down, Levine cleared his throat and began again.

“Before Professor Xavier comes up here, I would like to-”

Before he could finish the room went pitch black. The only source of light came through the skylight from the lit up buildings that surrounded the museum. Piotr could barely make out the silhouettes of the people sitting in front of him without squinting. The guests murmured anxiously among themselves as the guards began to quickly radio each other.

“Everyone calm down! I’m sure the emergency generator will kick in!” Levine yelled reassuringly.

Just as promised the generator kicked in seconds later, illuminating the large room enough for Piotr to distinguish the faces of the crowd. Some of the guests were calming down while others looked around the room nervously. Before Piotr could make his way back to Ellie and the Professor, he heard one of the security guards frantically speak into his radio behind him.

“Bill, what's your status?” There was a short pause before the guard used his walkie-talkie again. “Bill, do you copy?”

Piotr was holding on to the hope that it was a simple power outage but after hearing the distressed security guard Piotr started to think otherwise. He quickly turned around and saw the security guard hiding from the guests behind a pillar. The middle-aged man was pacing as he squeezed the radio in his hand. It was hard to see due to his thick gray mustache but he was frowning as he stared expectantly at his walkie-talkie.

“Is everything alright?” Piotr asked quietly to not alarm the guests.

The guard jumped before turning to face Piotr. Like most people, the guard had to crane his neck to look Piotr in the eye. With the guard facing him, Piotr noticed a small name tag on his vest that read, George.

George shook his head, “No, my guy in the security office isn’t responding. I was about to go check on him myself but I need to help my men in here to keep the guests calm.”

“The Professor and NTW can help them with that,” Piotr assured. “Take me to security office.”

George nodded and motioned Piotr to follow him. They walked to the otherside of the hall at a steady pace to not alert the guests of any possible danger while Levine tried to put them at ease. Before Piotr entered a closed off hallway with George, he noticed Ellie looking at him curiously.

“Professor,” Piotr said loud enough in his mind for the Professor to hear his thoughts clearly through the anxious ones from the guests.

“Piotr, is everything okay?” The Professor responded quickly in Piotr’s mind.

“Not sure. I am checking out the security office with guard,” Piotr informed. “Tell NTW to be ready in case civilians are in danger.”

“Understood.”

Once they were out of sight of the gala attendees, George and Piotr ran through the dimly lit halls. On their way to the security office, George explained that most of the emergency generator’s power was directed to keeping the museum’s security system online. However, someone could temporarily shut off the security system in any exhibit if they broke into the security office.

After running past a few blocked off exhibits filled with priceless artifacts, Piotr and George reached a door labeled, “Security Personnel Only,” at the end of a hallway. Piotr didn’t see any damage around the door that would alert him to a break in. George quickly pulled out a key card and pressed it against the scanner that was next to the door frame.

“Doesn’t look like someone broke in,” George said as the door unlocked with a click, “but someone could have swiped a key card from any of my guys.”

Piotr let out a heavy sigh as he stepped through the door, “Let us hope not.”

The door led into a short wide hallway that was barely lit due to what Piotr hoped to be a power malfunction. Attached to the ceiling were multiple cameras pointing at the entrance to the hallway and the security room. When his gaze fell on the office door, he quickly realized that whatever caused the power to go out was not a simple malfunction.

Someone broke in.

The metal door was slightly ajar and its handle was bent as if someone had kicked it open. When Piotr got closer to the door, he noticed that the door’s metal frame around the lock was damaged. Whoever kicked down the door was strong - very strong.

Piotr kept his guard up as he approached the door, not knowing if the intruder was still inside. Piotr slowly pushed it open while George stood behind him with his taser ready to fire. When the entire office was in view, the only person in the room was a man slouched over in a chair in the center of the floor.

“Oh my god, Bill!” George gasped as he ran to the unconscious guard.

The older guard knelt in front of Bill and lightly tapped his face to wake him up. The unconscious man was definitely younger and thinner than George. He sported a thick head of straw-like hair and light stubble on his face. Piotr noticed his skin swelling up around his eye, indicating that the intruder must have punched him to knock him out. After a few moments, a few painful grunts escaped Bill’s mouth before he slowly opened his eyes.

“Ow…” Bill groaned as he looked around the room in a dazed state.

“Bill, are you alright?” George asked worriedly. “Did you see who did this to you?”

Bill blinked a couple of times when his gaze landed on Piotr’s giant form. His face slowly contorted into a bewildered frown - obviously not used to seeing a giant man with metal skin - before he looked down at George.

“No…” Bill drawled as he gently rubbed his eye and winced, “the door was kicked open and everything went black.”

While George looked over Bill’s injuries, Piotr looked around the small office to see if he could figure out any information about the intruder. He was immediately drawn to the large electrical equipment that was setup across the room from the giant wall of security monitors. Against the wall was a large CPU (which was almost as big as Piotr) and another rectangular device that had various switches and a large keypad attached to it. Assuming it was the security system’s mainframe, Piotr scanned it for any foreign device that could have caused the power outage.

His metal fingers skimmed the sides of the mainframe when he couldn’t see anything out of ordinary on the front of the device. When his fingers bumped into a strange object, he grabbed it and pulled on it gently so he could identify it. The second he yanked the device off the panel, sparks flew as the power came back on.

“Finally! We can see!” George cheered, gazing at the powered lights.

Bill fortunately came out of his dazed state and started to reboot the camera system. While the guards worked on that, Piotr took a moment to study the device in his hand. It was obvious that the intruder used the device to hack into the security system and shut off the power. The circular device was about the size of a baseball and reminded him of a hockey puck. The top part was protected by a sleek dark metal that received finger-shaped dents from Piotr when he pulled it off. The bottom part of the device had four small drills that were used to attach itself to the mainframe and allow it to dismantle the security system. The device’s design was exceptional and that would be the only compliment he gave to the intruder.

“I found what caused power outage,” Piotr informed as he placed the device on the desk. “Any luck with security cameras?”

Judging by the fact that all of the monitors were still blank, it wasn’t looking good. Bill was underneath the desk trying to solve the problem with the power cables while George scanned the monitors to figure out how to turn them on. With an irritated huff, Bill slid out from under the desk and shook his head.

“We can’t turn them back on,” Bill sighed as he stood up. “Whatever that device did to our system seriously messed up the cameras.”

Bill’s brow furrowed inquisitively when he looked down at the desk. His gaze landed on a red lunch box (which Piotr assumed belonged to him) and picked it up. He pushed around its contents in search of something and dropped to look around his desk.

“Wait a minute,” Bill said quietly as he frantically searched the top of his desk for something. “My sandwich is gone!”

“And I think I know who took it,” George announced as he picked up a sticky note that was stuck to a computer screen and handed it to Piotr.

Sorry for eating your dinner!

It was delicious

- M ♡

Piotr stared at the note in disbelief as he read it aloud. He had seen odd notes before (mostly from Wade) but this one bugged him a little bit. Judging by the silent entrance, the clean knock out, and the power outage, the intruder - “M” - must have been a professional or at least an overconfident rookie. The note indicated that “M” had enough time on their hands to stay in the office and run off before Piotr arrived.

It was rather annoying.

“And we have no idea where they went,” George sneered. “They could be anywhere in this damn place!”

“I think I know,” Bill spoke up, peering at the sticky note in Piotr’s hands. “I think they wrote something on the back of that.”

Piotr quickly flipped over the slip of paper and immediately crushed it in his hand after he read it.

I’ll be waiting in the Devil’s Treasure exhibit.

Hit me with your best shot, Tin Can.

- M

“Tell your guards to evacuate museum,” Piotr tried to say calmly but the guards behind him could hear the hints of anger in his voice.

Piotr marched out of the room with purpose while carefully removing his tie and suit jacket. Piotr prided himself on being a calm and collected man but there was something about that note that irked him the wrong way. If M’s goal was to irritate him, it was working very well. Too good, in fact.

And Piotr hated it.

Piotr folded the jacket over his arm when he approached the door at the end of the hallway. He looked over his shoulder at the two guards, giving them a clear view of the scowl he was trying to hide.

“This may get messy.”

-----

When he sprinted into the museum's corridor, Piotr could barely hear George directing his men through his radio. Guards ran out of every room that he passed to head to the banquet hall to protect the guests. When he got closer to the gala, he could hear the echoes of the anxious voices of the guests. While he followed the signs to the diamond’s exhibit, he took out his phone to call Ellie and tell her to meet him there.

“Do not engage the intruder until I arrive,” Piotr instructed with a strict tone.

“Don’t worry, I promise I won’t,” Ellie assured before hanging up.

By the time he arrived at the exhibit, all of the guests and staff were escorted outside by the security guards. There was a large crowd forming outside of the museum’s entrance which would only grow bigger once the police and reporters arrived.

Piotr was surprised he didn’t notice the entrance to the Devil’s Treasure exhibit when he first arrived at the gala. The exhibit was located on the top floor with its grand entrance in view of the banquet hall below him. Two large banners advertising the diamond hung next to the large doorway. In his defense, the gala’s stage directly below the exhibit’s entrance did take most of his attention.

Piotr was only a few paces away from entering the room when Ellie caught up with him. She also discarded her suit jacket and tie just like Piotr. (Although, he was sure that she threw them on the ground somewhere while he folded his jacket up and placed it on a nearby bench. He refused to go through the annoying process of getting fit for a suit again.)

“The guests have been evacuated,” Ellie informed in a quiet tone as she eyed the entrance to the exhibit. “Are you sure the intruder is in there?”

“I’m sure,” Piotr said as he handed her the crumbled up sticky note. She smoothed it out to read it as Piotr scanned the entrance for any signs of M. “Where is Professor?”

“Hiding in the entrance hall somewhere,” Ellie answered as she read the backside of the note. “He’s trying to find the thief telepathically but he’s not having any luck. He told me that they are blocking him somehow but he’s hoping to get a lock on them when we get them out in the open.”

Piotr tried to seem unfazed by the fact that M could block the Professor from their mind. Very few could do it successfully and even fewer could do it without the aid of an object. Piotr hoped that there was an object or device that the intruder had to block telepaths. If there wasn’t, he feared that Ellie and him were about to face off against a powerful telepath.

“Well, they seem cocky,” Ellie said after she read the back of the note.

“We will use that to our advantage,” Piotr declared as he stepped toward the exhibit’s entrance. “Come, let us meet this M.”

When Ellie and Piotr entered the room, he carefully looked over the cases of the untouched priceless jewels that lined the walls. He frowned when there was no sign of the thief but continued to keep his guard up. In the center of the room, a small case that rested on a marble pedestal was illuminated by tiny spotlights attached to the ceiling. Velvet rope and a wall of lasers protected the case from being opened but when Piotr inched closer he realized that security measures were not enough.

The Devil’s Treasure was gone.

“Damn it,” Ellie growled, earning a disapproving look from Piotr for her use of language. “The diamond is gone and that thief was too scared to put up a fight.”

“Oh, I promise you kid,” A voice called out behind them, “I will never run away from a good fight.”

Piotr and Ellie almost gave themselves whiplash when they quickly turned around to face the woman that stood at the exhibit’s entrance. Upon his first look of her, Piotr knew he was dealing with a professional judging by her expensive and intricate look. The pale woman was dressed in an all black skin-tight suit and trench coat that was buckled around her waist. The coat was zipped above her belt and had a high collar to cover her neck. A silk, scarlet scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck with both ends of it resting next to her knees behind her back.

If Piotr’s head wasn’t occupied with thoughts of her being a criminal, he would have been bewitched by thoughts of her beauty. Though the top half of her face was hidden by a black mask, soft strands of hair helped to accentuate her soft features. Her smooth and silky black hair was weaved into an elegant braid that ended just below her shoulder blades. A smooth metal that was decorated with small dark jewels wrapped around her ears. Her wide, confident grin that rested on her deep red lips and the mischievous glint in her dark brown eyes put Piotr on edge. He had seen the same look on Wade many times before but this was different…and somehow worse.

“Who are you?” Piotr demanded, stepping in front of Ellie defensively.

“Oh! How rude of me,” The woman chuckled as she did an unenthusiastic bow. Her British accent helped to carry the smoothness of her voice.

“I am Maya Durand,” She smiled cheekily as she straightened her posture. “Most know me as Europe’s most infamous thief.”

“Never heard of ya,” Ellie jeered, shooting a glare at the thief.

The grin on Maya’s face did not waver at Ellie’s remark. Instead, the woman simply rolled her eyes as she moved her gloved hand behind her back.

“Oh, you will now.”

Maya pulled her hand from behind her to reveal the deep red diamond that rested in her palm. With her arms in clear view, Piotr was able to see the silk ribbons wrapped tightly around her forearms.

“Give us the diamond or this will get messy,” Piotr warned.

Maya chuckled as she pulled out a small velvet case from the utility belt hidden beneath her coat. She carefully placed the diamond in the case and snapped it shut before placing it in her pocket.

At this point, Piotr did not have a clue what her powers were so he kept his guard up. His fears of her being a telepath melted away as he watched the bottom half of her coat wrap around her legs. The coat’s fabric disappeared as it seemed to fuse with the material covering her legs. Without the bulky coat, her thin yet muscular body was put on display.

“Oh, believe me, Colossus,” Maya spoke with a determined look, “I want this to get messy.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the ribbons wrapped around her sleeves unraveled and fell on the floor. Piotr and Ellie stared at the woman in disbelief. Was she seriously going to fight them - a man with metal skin and a teenager that can produce atomic blasts - with string?

“You’re seriously going to fight us with ribbons?” Ellie laughed, before nudging Piotr’s side with her elbow. “This is going to be easy.”

Piotr was about to say the same thing before he heard Maya snickering as she grabbed a short poll that was strapped against her thigh. The poll was wrapped with a braided black leather and was about as long as her forearm.

Before Piotr could calculate her next move, the ribbons on the ground began to spin around each other as they weaved into a thick rope. The smooth silk shifted into a rough and prickly material as the end of the rope connected to the tip of the poll which Piotr realized was a handle. Neither did Piotr or Ellie have time to react before Maya lashed out her whip at the teenager with a loud crack! Piotr barely had time to blink before the whip wrapped around Ellie’s leg. With an effortless tug, the teenager was thrown into the air and crashed into the hard marble wall.

“Negasonic!” Piotr shouted before hearing a faint groan from his trainee.

“What did you say about this being easy?” Maya quipped, looking over at the teenager. The tails of her scarf coiled around her body defensively when she brought her attention back to Piotr.

“Colossus, try to bring her into the banquet hall so I can freeze her,” The Professor instructed telepathically. “I may be able to break past her defenses when I’m close to her.”

“Understood.”

Without a second thought, Piotr charged at the thief to force her to jump to the lower level. Instead of running to the balcony like he hoped she would, Maya stood still as she stared him down tauntingly. The tails of her scarf swiftly wrapped around her chest defensively almost as if they were her form of armor. He reached his arms out to grab her but she immediately jumped over him when he got too close.

Piotr stumbled forward into the hallway and tried to regain his balance when he reached the balcony. Before he could, Maya flicked her whip around his ankles and pulled harshly. The giant man fell to the ground with a loud bang from his metal form. Piotr clenched his fists and snarled when he heard Maya’s mocking laughter.

“When my employer warned me that an X-Man was going to be here, I thought I was going to have a challenge,” Maya taunted before looking down at Piotr with a displeased look on her face. Piotr slowly got on his knees and waited for her to get close enough to him.

“Needless to say, I’m disappointed.”

“That is enough!” Piotr roared as he grabbed her arm and threw her over the balcony’s ledge.

Maya screamed, not having enough time to react to Piotr’s sudden move and crashed into the stage below him. Ellie came running out of the exhibit - presumably unharmed by Maya’s attack - as Piotr stood up. Deciding that taking the stairs would take too long, he jumped over the ledge and landed in front of the stage.

(Piotr knew if Wade was present he would have made a comment about his superhero landing. Probably would have rated it too.)

“Still disappointed?” Piotr called out humorlessly as he watched Maya slowly climbed out of the hole she made in the stage.

Maya brushed the wooden debris from the stage off of her shoulder - sending Piotr a glare in the process. With a flick of her hand, her whip came rushing to her from the exhibit above them (she must have dropped it when Piotr threw her). Instead of lashing out with it, Maya used her powers to wrap the rope around her waist and slid the handle back into the holster on her thigh.

“A little less now,” Maya admitted, spreading out her arms as the long strand of silk around her chest unraveled.

The material responded to every move she made with her hands. Piotr watched curiously as the cloth seemed to grow longer as her fingers ran against it. She made fluid motions with her hands as the fabric spun around her body defensively. Her movements reminded him of the water benders from Avatar: The Last Airbender (he watched the show when he was learning English).

With a snapping motion of her hand, the silk quickly wrapped itself around Piotr’s arm and pulled him to the ground. He let out a surprised yelp as he slammed into the marble floor. In a fatal attempt to remove the material, Piotr used his free hand to grab it and rip it off. Before he could, Maya spun in the air and flicked her wrist outwards. Following the motions of her hands, the silk threw Piotr across the room into the sea of tables.

“You’re heavier than you look!” Maya teased trying to hide the fact that she was out of breath.

Piotr groaned as he stood up from the table that he broke in half and took a moment to take in how far she threw him. He landed at the very edge of the cluster of tables which was at least thirty feet from the stage. It wasn’t an easy feat either since he was incredibly heavy in his armored form.

“Bozhe moi, how strong is her fabric? How strong is she?”

Maya didn’t waste any time for her next move when Piotr was back on his feet. As she slowly made her way to him, she used her long strand of fabric to grab anything and threw it at him. The first item was a glass vase from a nearby table which held a bouquet of flowers. Piotr was unphased when it collided with his head. In his metal form, it felt as if he was hit by a beach ball.

When Maya realized he was unharmed, she decided to throw a chair at him instead - which Piotr simply blocked with his arm. The chair crumbled as it slammed into Piotr. Before he could make a witty remark, Maya sprinted to him with her line of silk surrounding her body.

With swift whipping movements of her arms, the silk repeatedly battered against Piotr. Piotr was pushed back with every lash against his raised arms. He was surprised that his metal skin burned after every hit. Growing bold, Maya released an aggravated roar as she leapt into the air with her trail of silk ready to lash out. Upon instinct, Piotr swung his arm and backhanded her, landing a direct hit on her ribcage.

The excessive force of his swing threw Maya into one of the pillars. He was horrified with himself as he watched her body slam into the ground. He shouldn’t have hit her that hard. What was he thinking? He didn’t know the extent of her powers and he could have seriously hurt her. He could have killed-

Laughing.

Maya Durand was laughing.

She slowly got to her knees, revealing the silk wrapped protectively around her vibrating chest. Piotr was amazed by her fast reflexes. She must have wrapped the silk around her before he struck her side. If Hank was with him Piotr knew he would have been asking Maya about the properties and strength of her fabric. Piotr was curious about it too but he could wait to question her when she was behind bars.

“You almost had me there, Tin Can,” Maya chuckled as she began to stand up. Her hand massaged the spot where he hit her, indicating that her fabric did not completely protect her.

Before she could stand up completely, Professor X came out from behind the pillar with his hand reaching out to grab her. Piotr thought the Professor would have succeeded until he saw the grin on Maya’s face fall. With lightning fast reflexes, Maya spun around with her whip unraveling from around her waist. She shot out her hands, directing the rope wrap around the Professor’s outstretched arm and then his neck. With a sneer, Maya gripped the whip’s handle and yanked it down, hard.

“Word of warning, Professor,” Maya growled with venom as the older man started to choke. “I do not like telepaths.”

Before Maya could harm the Professor further, Ellie ran out from the hallway behind them and tackled the thief to the ground. With a vicious yell, Maya kicked the teen off of her and jumped to her feet. She spun to the Professor, shooting out her hand and rotated her wrist. In a flash the rope unraveled around the Professor’s neck allowing him to breathe once more before the material grew. It quickly tied the Professor’s arms down to his wheelchair and kept his hands in place so he couldn’t move.

“Trust me, Professor,” Maya seethed, glaring at him, “you do not want to be inside of my head.”

Maya turned away from the Professor to face Piotr and Ellie. In a matter of seconds, her frown melted away as if nothing had happened. She released an exasperated sigh before reaching into her pockets.

“Now, this has been fun but I’m afraid I must go -” She froze when her hand reached the bottom of her pocket. Her eyes widened as she frantically patted herself down. “Where did I put that bloody diamond?”

“Looking for this?” Ellie called out, holding the velvet case in clear view.

Maya's scowl only lasted for a moment before her signature grin formed on her lips again. She almost seemed impressed by the teenager’s skill.

“Good grab, kid, but that diamond is mine,” Maya snarled as she stepped closer to the teenager. “Give. It. Back.”

Ellie stood ready to defend herself once she slid the case into her pocket. Before Maya could make a move for the case, Piotr stood in front of his trainee protectively.

“Negasonic, run,” Piotr ordered, glancing back at her. When she didn’t budge, he looked back at her again sternly. “Now.”

Once she heard his serious tone, she ran off to the entrance of the museum. Before Maya could go after her, Piotr swiftly grabbed her arm and threw her to the opposite end of the room.

Instead of crashing into the stage like he expected, Maya flipped her body around in mid-air and landed gracefully on her feet. When she stood up, the mischievous glint in her eyes was gone and was replaced by a fierce look of determination. He expected her to unravel the silk around her chest or at least form her whip again. Instead, she jumped off the stage with her hands outstretched as she sprinted to Piotr.

Her fingertips grazed each table cloth in her reach as she charged at Piotr. Fearing that she was making an attempt to pass him, he darted his hand out to grab her but she quickly dodged his grasp by jumping to the side. She landed on the table beside him and crouched down to touch the cloth beneath her with her finger tips. He slammed his fist against the edge of the table to catapult her off of it but she swiftly jumped over him.

Piotr spun around after crushing the table to make another attempt to grab her. He expected her to take a swing at him with her fabric but she was waiting for his move. It bothered Piotr for a second knowing that she was fast enough to strike him but didn’t take the chance.

With olympic acrobatic skill, she consecutively dodged his attacks by jumping between the tables. After one of his futile attempts to capture her, Piotr got lucky and managed to grab her arm and throw her across the room.

Maya landed on the cold marble floor with a loud thud. The thief groaned as she tried to pull herself up but her shaky arms wouldn’t let her. She hissed in pain when she managed to get on one knee as Piotr got closer to her.

“Yield,” Piotr commanded, staring down at her, “you have been beaten.”

Piotr stopped in his tracks when he heard a chuckle escape her lips.

“Is that what you think?”

Maya dropped her act and quickly stood up with her hands outstretched. Her grin once again formed on her face as Piotr watched her in disbelief.

“You’re the one that has been beaten, Tin Can.”

Maya threw her hands in front of her and raised them up. Piotr looked behind him and watched as the bouquet vases and dinner plates shattered on the ground as every single table cloth took to the air. He snapped his head back at Maya in shock.

“Did you forget that I can control any fabric that I touch?” Maya asked cheekily.

Piotr’s stomach dropped when he realized he fell for her trap. She was deliberately dodging him so she could touch every table cloth. He shouldn’t have underestimated her abilities and now he was paying the price.

Without another word, Maya pulled the fabric to her with a snapping motion. The cloths flew past Piotr at high speeds, disorienting him in the process as they spun around Maya like a tornado. Piotr watched as the tablecloths melted together to create one long train of fabric. With a flick of her wrist, the rough fabric turned into a scarlet silk that was similar to material wrapped around her chest. The finished product coiled around Maya as if it was a living serpent.

Piotr didn’t have a chance to defend himself when a piece of the cloth lunged at him. Within seconds the smooth fabric wrapped around his hand and yanked his arm up as Maya directed the end of it to fasten around a pillar. With a simple thrust of her hand, another piece of silk tied around Piotr’s free arm and bound him to another pillar. A startled yelp escaped him when strands of silk wrapped around his legs and yanked him down on his knees. The numerous silk ribbons dug beneath the marble tile and chained him to the piping beneath the floor. For the finishing touch, Maya flicked her wrist and used her power to wrap around the bottom of his head to cover his mouth.

Piotr’s growls were muffled by the fabric as he tugged at the silk to break free. Maya snickered at his vain attempts to free himself which only angered him more. If it was normal fabric he would have been able to tear it but the silk tied to him was strong as steel!

“I would stop trying to break free if I were you,” Maya advised as motioned to the pillars he was bound to. “You may accidentally take the place down and I know the needles destruction of property isn’t a good look for superheroes.”

Piotr seethed as he glared at her through knitted brows. He stopped pulling on his restraints with an aggravated huff knowing that she was right. If the building collapsed he knew the press would have a field day criticizing the X-Men and all mutants.

Piotr was thankful that Wade wasn’t there to witness his situation. He would never hear the end of it from the mercenary. He reminded himself that she did lose to him in the end - she didn’t have the diamond!

“Oh, by the way,” Maya said with a smirk as she flicked her wrist to reveal the red jewel in her palm, “I had the diamond the entire time.”

Piotr’s blood boiled with outrage as the thief gazed longingly at the diamond. As if she was a trained magician, she flicked her wrist again to make the jewel disappear.

“I’m a great actress don’t you think?”

When she looked back at Piotr’s enraged state, she laughed as she swung her arm around his neck and pulled out her phone.

“Stay put, I need to save the look on your face,” Maya joked as she pulled up the camera app to take a selfie. “Get it? Because you can’t move at all.”

Piotr simply glared at her in response.

“Oh, you’re no fun, Tin Man!” Maya said humorlessly before pressing her cheek against Piotr’s and raising her phone. “Smile!”

Once she took the photo, she detached herself from Piotr and examined the picture. When she slid her phone back into its pocket with a satisfied smile, she spun herself around while waving her hand in the air. Once she steadied herself, her trench coat was once again covering her with her silk scarf wrapped loosely around her neck.

“This has been fun but I must deliver the diamond to my employer so I can get paid,” Maya said, bending down to grasp Piotr’s chin.

She tapped his metal skin with her thumb before letting him go with a satisfied hum. She swayed her hips as she stepped directly underneath the skylight. She extended her hand to the ceiling, shooting out a strand of ribbon that attached itself to the edge of the window. The ribbon quickly pulled herself up to the glass which allowed her to push the window open. Once she was through, she glanced back at Piotr and waved.

“See you next time, Tin Can!”

Piotr grumbled as he watched Maya run off with the diamond. Moments later, Ellie came running into the room cussing about the stolen jewel. Piotr ignored her vulgar words and drowned out the noise of the police cars and reporters that gathered outside the museum’s entrance with his thoughts.

He allowed his overconfidence to get the better of him and his trainee and was publicly humiliated. Even worse, Maya Durand harmed the Professor under his watch. And he was defeated by a woman who controlled fabric. Fabric! He was never going to hear the end of it when he returned to the institute.

Piotr looked up at the skylight where Maya escaped, eyeing the strand of ribbon that she left behind. She wasn’t going to best him again or anyone else for that matter.

Because he was going to take her down.

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