Pampering Pietro

"Leave on for 25 to 45 minutes," Pietro mumbled to himself as he set the timer he'd taken from the kitchen.

He opened up the medicine cabinet and examined the contents before taking a few jars and bottles out and setting them on the counter.

It had been too long since he'd been able to visit the spa—and the adults wouldn't give in and let him go to one—so he had to make do with pampering himself. And he had finally been gifted with the opportunity to use Wanda and Althea's bathroom for this little beauty session.

He'd just finished applying the all-natural, avocado, healing, revitalizing, wrinkle reducing—you can never start to early—facial mask when there was a pounding on the door.

"Pietro! Are you all right in there?" Cover Girl's voice sounded out. "The girls said that you've been in there all afternoon."

"They're exaggerating," the platinum blond teen sighed as he opened the door.

The female adult's eyes widened as she saw Pietro decked out in beauty products. "Never mind. I really don't want to know. I'm not touching this one with a ten-foot pole. As you were."

Pietro watched her leave and then retreated back into the bathroom. He washed the mask off his face and picked up the jar of astringent and applied it to his face. The one time he'd gotten a pimple it had nearly killed him—not to mention he had nearly killed Toad—and he was going to do everything within his power to make sure he never got another one. Next on his little beauty to-do list was the moisturizer, his personal favorite.

"He smiled to himself as he finally felt himself relaxing. He would definitely have to do this more often. In fact, maybe he could try talking General Hawk into having an on base spa day every once in a while. It would give everybody a chance to relax.

The timer made a little tinny dinging sound indicating that it was time to wash his hair out. His little self-pampering session had gone too quickly.

He finished with his hair and looked in the mirror. What he saw made his jaw drop and a sound of horror leave his throat.

"Pietro! It's time for dinner!" Cover Girl called out.

"Hopefully he'll be right down," Cover Girl said as she took her seat at the dinner table.

"And if he doesn't get here soon all the food will be gone," Shipwreck stated with a grin as he, and a few of the others, began filling their plates.

It was a few minutes before an unusually quiet Pietro entered the dining room and sat down.

He looked up and noticed everyone staring at him. "Stop looking at me," he whined. "I had an accident."

"So we can see, Bozo."

"Pietro? Why is your hair orange?" Xi asked innocently.

"I had an accident," he repeated. "The bottles had to have been marked wrong. It was supposed to turn out a frosted blond color."

This, of course, started off around of laughter that left the traumatized teen fuming.

"Kid, why did you dye your hair in the first place?" Low Light asked in confusion. "I thought you said that you were perfect just as you were."

"I was. I just wanted to be more perfect," he answered. "But now I'm hideous."

Again, more laughter began. All at his expense.

"Quick, someone go get the camera. Quick," someone—Pietro couldn't tell who—whispered.

"I would like to take this moment," Wanda said standing up to address the table, "to announce that I am no longer related to Rainbow Brite here. He's too embarrassing."

The End