Disclamer; I don't own any of the materials that gave me the idea of this, the x-men still belongs to Marvel...
This story is not what I planned it to be. In a short way it holds a poetic John (Pyro), a possesive Bobby (Iceman), a clingy Rogue, a morning-nasty Professor (Xavier), a grumpy Logan (Wolverine) and, stuck in the middle of it all, Warren (Angel) who only wants to be a good friend...
John stood at the window, glaring at the white fluff that seemed to cover absolutely everything outside. Man, he hated this. Not the winter itself, apart to what most people seemed to think. He guest it was because of his power they got these ideas all the time.
No, John was really fond of the winter, enough to be outside so long he got sick, so now he'd been forced to stay inside for three days. And already on his first day they had confiscated his lighter when he got too bored. Now he wondered if the professor would give it back if he asked for another danger-room season. That was desperate, since Logan was the only available teacher that could hold the lesson, but John knew that he had to do something to get rid of this burning feeling in his chest. It was as if a flame slowly covered his heart and would burn him up from the inside. He had quickly discovered that the only way that he could force the flame back was by using his powers. Creating small flame-balls during lessons was enough to keep it down until he had a chance to sneak outside during the break and do something bigger.
But now he couldn't do anything of it and the burning inside him was so painful it made him dig his nails into his palm. Damn it, Rogue maybe was right, these powers was more like a curse than a gift. He wondered if Magneto would have forced him through this if he had left with him that day at Alkali lake. Well, he would never find out now, would he?
He heard footsteps coming down the corridor, approaching the common room where he was. He wondered if he should go back to his room, he didn't want to talk to anybody right now. But thanks to his cold and lost lighter his head hurt whenever he moved so he stayed. Most students didn't talk to him anyway, they all thought of him as a badass since he always burned stuff. And if they didn't care to let him explain they weren't worth wasting time on.
When the person came in to the room John didn't even looked away from the window, if it was somebody he could call a friend he would let them make the first move.
"Excuse me", hmm, a new voice, John couldn't really place it. "Do you know where the library is? It seems as if I have lost myself." John slowly turned his head to look at the person who had spoken. It was a boy, a little older than himself, with blond hair. John guessed that it was a new student; he couldn't recall that he had seen the boy before.
Instead of answering the question, John put on an unfriendly frown;
"How come you aren't out skating with the others?" The boy didn't look like someone who would get detention on this first week, (like John had).
"Well, its snowing (no, really´; John thought) and when it melts on my wings, they get all soaked and it takes hours to get them dry without destroying the feathers." The boy said it all in one breath, it sounded like he had repeated it a lots of times.
"Wings?" John made clear with the tone of his voice that he thought the guy wasn't just a little weird. The boy just nodded and unfolded a pair of snow-white wings that was growing out from his back. So, John thought, this was the guy all the girls were giggling about on yesterday's lesson.
"Nice, can you fly with them?" John decided that the guy a least could get a chance, he didn't look like would judge John so swiftly.
"Yeah" the boy nodded, "but now it's a little too cold."
"You're wearing a sweater right now, why not a jacket?"
"A thick winter-jacket makes it difficult to move and I can't wear anything over the wings themselves…" The boy's voice trailed away and John didn't really care to bring him back to reality. Instead, he turned to look back out on the snow. He always liked to look at snow, and rain, as it was falling. If you could be outside to see it, it was even better. Thunderstorms beat them all though, nothing was more beautiful than the lightning and the rumbling voice of dark clouds. Storm didn't know it, but the main reason John loved to make her mad was because that would make the weather change into his favourites, not that he disliked her.
He never asked her, for two reasons. One; it would sound stupid, and Two; if she did it on purpose it was too controlled to have the true, wild spirit that to John was the heart of it all.
After a wile the other boy came up to stand next to him.
"So, why aren't you out with the others?"
"I'm too sick" John growled as he remembered why he was in here and not with the others. Bobby had promised to make sure the ice was thick enough over the whole lake out town so it would be enough space fore everyone. And when Beast heard about it he thought it would be a good idea to drag all the students out at the same time. So the only ones left was the professor, Logan, John and this boy, as John just discovered.
"So, what's your name?"
"Pyro."
"Is that a name?"
"It's my name." But as the boy continued to look wondering at him he added with a sight; "John. Yours?"
"Warren."
"And the other?"
"What other?"
"You're mutant-name."
"Angel." He blushed a little but smiled. "Why do you call yourself Pyro?"
"´Cause I am a Pyro" John grinned. "I control fire" he added when Warren seemed confused.
"So you're the one I heard about that blow up the micro?"
"I'm still convinced it was broken, it worked to slow." Warren laughed at this, and John couldn't help but smile himself. As Warren continued to watch the snow, John found his eyes drifting to the wings that now were neatly folded against the back of their owner. He slowly reached out a hand and stroked one of the feathers. It was soft, just like the snow it had borrowed their colour from; John thought. He then became aware of that Warren was watching him and raised his gaze to meet the other boy's.
"Sorry." John mumbled and turned to the window again, his hands resting on the windowsill.
"It's okay." Warren smiled softly at him. Both boys then jumped as a teasing voice reached their ears;
"Awww, how sweet, two little lovebirds, watching the snow." A grinning Logan leaned against the doorway.
"Yeah, so what? Jealous?" John sneered. He didn't like Logan at all, the man always told him of when he was playing with his lighter and it was to a big part Logans fault that he didn't have it right now. If it hadn't been for the Wolverine teasing him for being useless when he dropped the lighter during the danger-room season, John would probably not be so angry that he lost control over his flame-ball and burned one of Storms precious rosebushes. And now the stupid half-wolf thought that he would just calmly take whatever shit he would throw at him.
Talking with Warren had made him almost forget the burning feeling inside him, but now it all came back in a flash and John decided that Logan would be the perfect thing to get out some of this bad mood at. Then he noticed that Warren didn't look too happy about Logan either. John decided he liked the wing-mutant even more.
"Yeah, sure. Always wanted to have my bed full of feathers and burn holes." The grin never left Logans face.
"Like we ever would like to use that sweat-stinking pile of rags you've done God knows what with yourself in." John looked at Warren in surprise; he didn't expect the calm boy he'd just watched the snow with come up with such a replay. Obviously, Logan didn't either, for he looked quite surprised. John couldn't stop the smile that covered his face at the sight of the replay-less Wolverine. This made Logan growl like an animal;
"And what are you laughing at, kid?"
"You."
"Well, you better quit with it right now."
"Why?"
"´Cause you're going to be sorry of you don't."
"Why?"
"Do you honestly want to know?"
"Yeah, I want to see how far you willing to go. Or, rather when you start to get too scared of the professor for doing anything."
"Well, you're about to find out!" Logan growled and popped out his claws. John immediately knew he'd gone too far. Logan was an expert on causing pain but not too serious injuries. And now, when he was angry, he didn't care where the professor's lines went. The fact that he didn't like John in the first place didn't exactly help.
Suddenly, someone grabbed Johns arm and he was pulled back. Stumbling he hit the windowsill and was dragged over it, out through the window. But he didn't fall. The hand that had dragged him through still hold on to him and now another one grabbed his other arm to hold him steady. John looked up and saw Warren above him, wings flapping, holding them both in the air.
"Think he's too scared to follow?" Warren asked with a wicked grin. John laughed as he was carried around the mansion and put down on a balcony. By now both boys were shivering and John could feel his nose start to drip. Warren opened the door and walked into the room and John wondering followed. How come that the door was unlocked, it's in the middle of the winter´ he thought. When he looked around he saw that they were in one of the bedrooms.
"It's my room, I always keep the balcony-door unlocked just in case." Warren was digging trough a wardrobe and pulled out a thick sweater.
"You've had chats with Logan before?" John grinned at the boy, but then started to laugh when Warren put on an over-angelic face, fingering on the sweater and eyes moving quickly around, looking at anything but John;
"…..maybe….." but then the mask fell off, Warren unable to hold back the laugh John made bubble up from his throat. This only caused John to laugh ever harder, and soon both was sitting on the bed, unable to stand up anymore. As John leaned back against the wall he tried to catch his breath. But then Warren let out a whimering, falling back on the bed, holding his arms around his acing stomach. John giggled at him, and by accident breathed in too quickly through his nose, sounding like a bad imitation of a pig. This made both of the boys howl with laughter, and it took a while before they calmed down.
"You think it's safe to get out?" Warren suddenly asked. Before John could answer they both heard a voice in their heads.
"Can you both please come to my office? I'd like to have a little talk with you."
I'm working on the next chapter but I won't bother to put it up if I don't get any response to this!