Standing in the kitchen scrubbing the pizza sauce out of his shirt John stopped to look around his messy apartment.
Multiple boxes of take out lined the counters with trails of dirty cloths covering the floors.
What had led his life to this exact moment?
There was no need or reason to ask such a question because unlike most people John knew.
He knew why he lived in a crappy studio apartment on the wrong side of town, waiting tables in the day and taking classes at night.
It wasn't glamorous but perhaps it was just what he deserved.
He knew why he could never go back to the person he had once been.
Pyro was gone and John was what was left.
TWO YEARS EARLIER
"It would be the ultimate test of loyalty" Insisted Mystique.
"Perhaps" Agreed Magneto.
Pyro was uneasy.
Something had been planned without his knowledge, something that involved him.
"Are you going to tell me what this is about?" He demanded
"We captured an X-men but he refuses to talk so we are going to let you put him out of his misery." Informed Mystique walking Pyro down the hall
"Is that what we're calling it now?" scoffed Pyro bitterly
When the doors parted open Bobby Drake had been the last person John had expected to see.
Slumped over the table, barely breathing Bobby looked rough.
His lip was bleeding and both his eye's were black.
It took John a moment to regain his composure a moment that didn't go unnoticed by Mystique.
"Hurry up and finish him" she snapped crudely.
"I will as soon as you leave, I don't need your ugly face distracting me!"
Growled Pyro a little too hatefully
Turning on her heels Mystique went to leave before stopping at the door pointing up into the corner at a camera she smirked at John.
"We'll be watching"
Pyro wasn't sure for the first time in a long time what to do.
He felt trapped and helpless the way he had felt that first night at Xavier's school lying in bed across from Bobby.
Or that helpless sick feeling from the first time Bobby ditched John for Rough.
John had to sit down.
Taking a seat beside Bobby, John had a better view of the damage inflicted on his old…friend.
Bobby was barely conscious but his eyes found his and they locked in place.
Fire and ice, only now ice was melting causing fire to flicker…
Glancing over at the camera knowing Magneto was watching him closely Pyro knew what he had to do.
"You're such a pathetic excuse of an X-man you ended up here!"
Boomed Pyro standing up to face Bobby and the camera
"So pathetic" Growled Pyro reaching out and slamming Bobby into the back wall
Bobby slid down the wall with a painful thud.
"Your little bitch is going to cry when she hears what I did to you" Moved in Pyro bringing fire balls to life in his hands.
Slamming his fiery fist around the wall where Bobby leaned against.
Pyro stepped back watching the fire surround Bobby as he cowered
"Any last words?" He asked stepping back from Bobby.
Bobby looked up at Pyro pleadingly
"Saint John…What a name" whispered Bobby sadly turning away.
And suddenly just that fast time rewinds, a thousand flashes of the last 6 years fly by in a second within Pyro's mind and he is suddenly 13 again meeting Bobby for the first time.
"My name's Bobby, what's yours?"
"I don't have a name"
"Okay"
"Go away Bobby"
"You know what a cool name is?"
"Hm"
"Saint John…What a name"
A 13 year old smiling Bobby was then replaced by him now.
Coughing against the floor of a burning room, Pyro looked around.
The camera had burnt up and an alarm was blaring, voices were screaming for everyone out the roof was on fire.
Pyro grabbed Bobby
"Why are you here?" He demanded shaking Bobby.
"I came back for you" choked Bobby as he passed out from the smoke.
"Damn it Bobby!" Yelled Pyro enraged.
At the hospital Pyro waits, here he's John and Bobby's his brother that's his alibi from the humans.
Standing out in the hallways he turns away as Storm, Rough, and Logan push passed.
"How is he?" Rough Demands from the nearest Doctor
"Uh…I'm afraid we lost him" Replies the Doctor sadly
"Can we at least see him?" ask Storm
"I'm afraid that wont be possible he's in autopsy now"
"What did him in?" Demands Logan angrily
"Ah, the fire I'm afraid…It was too much for him along with the smoke."
He can't listen anymore the looks on their faces is upsetting.
He pushes past them hands in pockets.
Pyro should be smiling he should be happy.
He did it the ultimate test of loyalty passed.
But he's not.
There is no Pyro now.
Only John remains.
Sitting back on his futon John reaches for the Mt. Dew.
Looking up at the ceiling he remembers the first kiss he ever had.
It was with Bobby, they were 14.
It had been light and rushed, both of them scared.
Then 15 rolled around and suddenly classes took too long and the nights were always too short.
Fire and Ice blended into water, and there were never enough showers.
16 was a little rough with people starting to ask questions, lots of none of your business, stop bothering me, in your face questions.
But none of those mattered, such a small price to pay for love.
It wasn't even a week after 17 that she came, came and ruined it all.
Her with that Texas accent along with the touch of death, she hit like a plague and soon her grating laugh along with all the questions became too much he had to leave.
Rolling over on his side John sighed, it would be too easy to blame her for everything.
Never taking any real responsibility for all that's happened.
But that's not really fair…
By 18 Bobby and John were enemies sworn to hate each other and fight to the death.
At 18 Bobby was dating Rough and John was training new members of the brotherhood.
Even with all of this at 18 Bobby and John were still each others addictions.
To the untrained eye it would simply appear Bobby and Pyro ran into each other a lot.
In battle, on the streets: But these were more then mere coincidences….
"Couldn't get enough could you?"
Laughed Bobby beginning to put out Pyro's fire from the doorway
"I wanted to test the Fahrenheit 451 theory"
shrugged Pyro stepping back.
"So that's why you're burning down the library?"
asked Bobby stepping further into the building toward Pyro
"No"
"I didn't think so"
The sirens were wailing and just outside people could be heard, there wasn't much time.
The back book depository would do.
Pulling off cloths and grasping for flesh had become a race.
Both men seasoned veterans of the quickie.
Rocking forward and back in perfect rhythm while breathing hard and silently screaming: it never did last long enough.
Pulling on cloths Bobby looked up suddenly brightening,
"This Thursday there's going to be a rally for the cure in NY City"
Hinted Bobby
"I'll be there, what time is it?"
Asked Pyro
"The rallies from 10-4 but the best time to be there is 1pm"
Winked Bobby
"1 it is"
Agreed Pyro
"….Thanks for not actually burning the books"
Grinned Bobby shyly
"I figured dorks like you wouldn't miss the magazines too much"
Shrugged Pyro leaving
Things hadn't been perfect but they had been good.
Living a lie is bearable when you have something to live for.
Mused John idly.
Then right after turning 19 Bobby had disappeared.
He never showed for their courthouse meeting, so John having no way of contacting Bobby went to every X-men confrontation he could hoping to at least see Bobby.
It was walking down to buy cigarettes that John spotted Bobby for the first time in months so overjoyed to see him after months.
John didn't catch that "Bobby" was acting strange.
"What are you doing here?" asked John glancing around for any eavesdroppers.
"Waiting for you" winked Bobby a little too seductively.
"Mystique!" Gasped Pyro just as he was knocked unconscious
And then Pyro was waiting.
Locked in the recreation center with words like,
"Loyalty" and "Prove" floating around him from Magneto and Mystique
This wasn't good whatever they had in mind he knew it involved Bobby and the fear made his skin crawl…
John really isn't sure if the things he's done can ever be forgiven.
Flopping down on the bed He glances at the clock 2:09am here I am at night alone he thinks as he drifts off to sleep…
The hospital smells like antiseptic and a faint odor of bleach.
It's so white and sterile it feels cold, would it kill someone to paint a wall?
He wonders pacing back and forth.
The phone rings at the nurses station and he can hear her confirm that there is a Bobby Drake admitted.
John stops walking, it must be the X-men coming to claim their man…
Only he's more mine then anyone's.
It was selfish but Pyro just couldn't let that band of do gooders take away what was rightfully his.
Next time Pyro wouldn't be there to save him, next time wasn't an option.
And that is why Pyro switched the hospital files.
So while the X team was being informed of Bobby's demise Pyro was helping Bobby get dressed and into a wheel chair.
"Now Bobby listen to me you have a choice.
I can either let you go outside this room reveling yourself to be alive and you can go back to being an X-man or you can play dead and start a new life with me as a regular person."
Every nerve in Pyro's body was screaming. The silence stretched on.
"I went there for you John, I left Rough and everyone for you… Let's get out of here" Nodded Bobby, John couldn't tell because of the gauze covering Bobby's face but his eyes looked like he was smiling.
Pushing Bobby down the hallway toward the doors to freedom John heard a very Xavier sounding 'Congrats' in his head as he pushed passed the X-men not looking up until they were in the parking lot…
There was a loud creaking of bedsprings as Bobby settled down beside John throwing his arm around him.
"Took you long enough" grumbled John sleepily
"I had to help Allan at the bar since Jill called sick" Yawned Bobby stretching out.
"Sure you're being faithful, any reasons I should know to bring out the old lighter?" smirked John
"Me, you're the bad ass here. What have you been doing all night anyway?" Teased Bobby
"Just thinking about how we ended up this way" sighed John.
"Ended up what way, Gay?" wondered Bobby.
"No, that's for another night" Mumbled John falling asleep.