That Sweetness
By S. Mark Gunther

I can't get rid of you
I don't know what to do
I don't even know who is growing on who....

'Cos everywhere I go you're there
I Can't get you out of my hair
I Can't pretend that I don't care - it's not fair...

I'm (being) punished for all my offences
I wanna touch you but I'm afraid of the consequences
I wanna banish you from whence you came
But you're part of me now
And I've only got myself to blame...

You're really growing on me
(Or am I growing on you?)
You're really growing on me
(Or am I growing on you?)
Any fool can see...
---from 'The Darkness - Growing On Me'

***

Wanda Maximoff liked lying on the couch in the living room of the Brotherhood House. She liked lying on the couch because she liked the threadbare fabric covering, the deeply depressed pillows and the almost non-existent springs. But she liked it for a reason she didn't like to talk about. She liked it for a reason that would just as soon drive her to hang herself and everyone else. She liked it and if she had it her way she would take the very essence of her desire and bottle it up and only sniff it on rare occasions, like a drug.

She liked it because it was the only place in the house where she could smell Todd's unique scent.

Understand, mind you, that she normally hated the very idea of Todd's existence on the earth. She thought he was nothing more then a creepy little brother type with no redeeming social value whatsoever. But it didn't mean that Todd's unique scent didn't have its own intoxicating properties. She was so enthralled with Todd's scent that she had spent an entire afternoon in the local library researching about frogs and toads. She found some interesting facts: certain frogs secrete substances from their bodies that have hallucinogenic properties. She also learned that when frogs reach sexual maturity, they begin excreting their own particular scent as a way of attracting potential mates. These scents are like a chemical personals ad, listing all the reasons why the female frog would want to mate with a certain male.

The very idea that Todd was reaching sexual maturity made Wanda want to throw up. Hard.

But the idea that she would never smell Todd's notorious scent again made her want to hang herself. Because she was the very reason why she wasn't able to smell him. He was changing for her.

Two showers a day and a splash of cologne in the morning had all but turned the dirty little frog boy into a thin gawky dork boy. Completely homely in a cute, rugrattish sort of way. She noticed several girls at the high school looking at him a little more as his image began to change and she knew the sole reason for this change was because she was the object of his desires. He was washing and cleaning up for her and she didn't know how to deal with that.

Part of her was happy that she wouldn't ever be disgusted by Todd's appearance anymore. Part of her jumped for joy and relief that the possibility that a young girl with more desire then brains would pick him up, take him home and fuck him raw, thus leaving her alone and peaceful. Part of her was also dreading the day he left knowing that somewhere beneath the newly scrubbed veneer was the strongly scented frog boy she was becoming aroused for more and more. She could feel the parts of her body fighting against one another and it made her tired.

All of these thoughts swam through her mind as she lay on the couch one mid spring evening, smelling Todd's faint scent through the cushions. She remembered the first time they kissed, his lips and scent coming into her consciousness like a tidal wave. At first, she was disgusted and repelled then for the briefest of moments; she latched onto the sub-psychosomatic effects of the frog boy and leaned into the kiss with all her being. Then, reality took over and she backed away. From that point on, she made it a point to never be around him like that ever again, for fear she'd lose control again. She didn't like the idea that Todd was capable of bringing out an animal in her...

...but she also didn't like the idea that he was slowly fading out of her sight. Even when they ate dinner as a family, which due to Pietro's growing megalomania were growing less and less frequent, she knew he was growing, maturing, evolving into something she couldn't recognize. He was changing and growing into a more complete person and she longed to have the simple frog boy back into her life. She missed him more and more as the days went by and he was closer and closer then ever before. The constant struggle of her heart and body caused small but very evident tears to flow from her eyes.

She clung closer to the cushions, if only to simulate the boy she wanted to keep. She didn't like knowing she was too hard to hug him, too cold to beg him not to change, to mean to be nice. But she didn't like that the only person to make her feel like this was someone she didn't love...couldn't love...wouldn't love...

"Schnookums?" She knew that voice. She knew that voice and the very sound of it made her simultaneously wretch and flutter. She rolled over and looked to see Todd standing over her, a concerned and worried look on his pale face. "Are you alright?"

"...No."

"Thought so. Why you here?"

"Needed a place to cry. So go. Now." There, that would stop him, her mind echoed. She hoped he'd leave...and she hoped he'd defy her and stay. But what she really hoped for was for the struggle to stop. She just wanted clarity.

"...I don't want to see you like this, cuddles, but I'll go if that's what you want." At that he turned and walked away. Wanda watched his lithe body walk away and felt the fires of sadness, madness, insanity, desire, love, hate, lust, anxiety, wonder and anguish rage in her body. She felt it all and felt the fires inside melt her down...then she felt nothing at all. She felt nothing at all inside except a blue glowing core of affection. Wanda felt her eyes moisten again and her mind began to churn. Her legs slid out and propelled her to a standing position. She walked to him, not really knowing where, in fact, he was. She saw that he had not gone far. He was sitting on the steps leading to the second level of the mansion, his head in his hands, his face contorted and grim.

"Todd, why?" Wanda asked, her face looking seriously calm.

"Why what?" Todd replied.

"Why me? Why do you love me?"

"Because you're you."

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. I love you because you are you. The unmistakbleness about you, yo. That's what I love. And it's getting harder and harder to see it...but it's still there..." Todd said softly. "I don't think you need a reason to love. Nobody has a reason to hate...so why do we need a reason to love?"

"I need to know why you love me, Todd."

"Why?"

"Because..." At this, Wanda stopped, her voice caught in her throat, her heart bursting at the seams. She didn't feel what she thought she'd feel...but she was feeling something much more...more. She felt like a dam had been opened inside of her heart and all of the twisted reality that was Wanda Maximoff was spilling forth. "Because I've missed you. Even here, I've missed you."

"You? Missed me?"

"Yes."

"Missed hexing me?"

"Missed you period." Todd looked up at Wanda for a moment and stared into the face of the girl he loved. For a moment, he wondered what she meant. But she was smiling and that smile was worth the entire world to him. Despite the pain in her eyes, he saw the warm fire burning from her insides, getting ready to set the skies alight like Pyro never could. "You've changed..."

"I know, yo. Showering isn't as bad now. I've finally gotten over my natural allergies to base substances, which means I can use soap and shower. Science is fun, yo." Todd smiled at this, showing off his newly whitened teeth. Wanda flinched for a split second as she saw the porcelain shine but pulled it back together and looked at him hard.

"You've begun studying?"

"I never stopped. I just finally have a reason to apply myself in class and shit. It's hard to care when assholes like Duncan are tormenting you all day long, yo."

"What's your reason?" Wanda asked, almost sure what the answer would be but needing to hear it. Todd dropped his head a little and smiled a little.

"You. I wouldn't want to work at Burger King all my life for you and me, yo. A mutant can't shine on 6.55, especially with Kelly being an ass and giving me detention for looking at someone wrong." Todd smirked a little and looked away for a moment. "All I've been doing is for you...but it's also for me a little. I'm trying to improve because I'm not bad. I'm just me. I'm glad you've noticed."

"I have...and I have a request for you," Wanda said, determination seeping in her voice.

"Anything, Wanda. Just name it."

"Stop."

"What?"

"Just stop trying to change...at least on the outside. Please..." Wand said softly. Todd looked at her for a moment in shock.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I want the old slime ball back. I want you back, physically. I miss the old you..."

"The old me that repulsed you?"

"The old you that still can repulse me. The old you I can't stop thinking about. Todd, I..." Wanda stopped again, her common sense mounting one last attack to derail her heart. She let the waves inside of her body do what they were to do for a moment then took a deep breath before speaking again. "Todd, I want you in my life. I want you."

"Then me you will have, shnookums." At that Todd stood up on the step and looked at her. "Can I hug you?"

"Yes. Please." Todd leaned forward and hugged Wanda, gently and without ulterior motives. Wanda noticed this and decided, once and for all, to shatter the wall between them. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed him close to her. Her body noticed that he smelled the closest to his old self at that moment. Not he vintage Todd...but close. For a moment, neither teen moved, both afraid to upset the fragile balance that had been formed. Wanda sighed deeply and breathed in Todd's distinctive aroma. He smelled of hormones and musk, of green grass and water, of love and desire, of affection and need. He smelled wonderful. "God I've missed this."

"You know, cuddles, you never really did have this except for that one time on Arrowrose," Todd gently reminded her, his hands finally moving up and down her back slowly. She smiled gently and looked him in the eye.

"I know." At that the looked at each other for a long moment, their eyes meeting and signaling to one another that a new day was dawning. A particularly strong and pungent smelling day was dawning.

***

A/N: Well. This one was interesting. I wanted to do a story that actually talked about Todd's scent as being something worthwhile. It will be interesting to see if I decide to sequel this or leave it as is. But I like it. It's not as defiant as my other works...but mabye sometimes you just need to set a point and resolve it and be done with it. Review not matter what you do. Please.