Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or the characters. If I did Bobby would have met a horrible, fiery, death and John and Rogue would have gotten together in the first movie.
Timeline: Set during X2.
Authors Note: Okay so I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking when I wrote this but I hope you enjoy.

Poetic Irony
My Final Goodbye

It had a sort of poetic irony. A masochistic quality. He'd watched from a far as she slipped further from him, into the arms of his best friend – if Bobby could be called that anymore. Of course nobody knew of the torch he carried for the untouchable girl, he wouldn't allow anybody to break down the walls he had taken years to build up around his heart. Only one person knew of his feelings and that person was currently fiddling with a strand of platinum hair that framed that Southern Belle's face.

So instead he played the part he had long perfected. He told them to get a room and tone down the PDA's. This elicited a glare from the human ice cube and a deep blush from the Southern Belle. Bobby's eyes were urging him to leave them alone, but he never would. John would take whatever he could from the only person who'd ever made their way into his heart. So instead of following the request of his friend he walked over and plopped himself onto the couch, next to the still blushing girl.

Grabbing the television remote he began to flick through the channels, knowing that he was annoying his friend to no end. Rogue took the remote out of his hand and turned to another channel with a small grin directed at him. At the simple he could feel his heart sore. He knew that it was nothing but a friendly gesture and as she carefully leaned her head on her boyfriends shoulder, deep brown eyes fixated on the television screen, he couldn't help but wish it was him that she was leaning against, him that she looked up at with the small twinkle shining in her eyes.

John shook his head got up off of the couch, at her questioning gaze he shook his head and walked out of the room, leaving the two alone. He didn't know why, but it seemed more and more like he wanted nothing more than to burn Iceman to nothing more than a pile of ashes. He could almost see the look Rogue would hold in her wide, doe eyes if she were to know what he was thinking at that moment.

Damn it! He thought angrily and winced as his fist him the wall next to him. It hurt like hell but it was better than the course his thoughts had taken him only moments ago. He leaned against the wall, his eyes closed and a pained expression on his face. Anyone who had walked past would have sworn that they saw a hurt and rejected looked pass over his young face but John would happily burn them before they had the chance to tell anyone. Angrily he slammed his head against the wall once, twice, three times.

When he was finished with beating himself up – both figuratively and literally – he walked to the room he shared with Bobby, something that lately he had been more than annoyed with. Bobby would always rub it into his face that he hadn't gotten the girl before him. That was Bobby's way; he would get with a girl and leave them as soon as he got bored. John swore that if Bobby ever hurt Rogue all anybody would find was a scorch mark was the boy formally known as Iceman.

John pulled out his zippo lighter, the only thing he'd ever had that didn't let him down. Spinning the roll and bringing forth the flame he moved it from the lighter to his hand. Fire, it burned down everything in its path. He knew that like the fire he was dangerous, he would hurt anyone who got to close. John closed his hand into a fist, effectively smothering the flames. The last burst of heat they let off before dying flooded through him.

Voices sounded outside the door, the sound of her laughter flooded in towards where he stood. The door opened and for a minute nobody moved, the tension and awkwardness in the room was so thick that Wolverine's adamantium claws would have had a difficult time cutting through it. A sneer formed on his face and her brushed past them as he walked out the door. "As you were." He said condescendingly, heading down the corridor without a look back. If he had looked he might have seem the forlorn look on Rogue's face.

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John was sitting on the jet while the X-Men were doing whatever the hell it was they were doing in the Alkali Lake base. Irritably he flicked his lighter open and shut the soothing sound of the click click click filling his ears. Bobby glanced over to him and told him to shut up. With a final, spiteful flick of his wrist the lighter cap snapped shut and he sent a smirk over towards the fuming Iceman.

Rogue sat on the other side of the plane, away from both of the boys. The thoughts and memories of both Bobby and John ran rampaging through her head. Bobby's thoughts both surprised and angered her. The only reason he was with her was too mess with John? At this she sent a glare of to the blond boy. John's thoughts were the ones that shocked her the most. His thoughts centred around almost entirely her, the rest about the assignments he'd failed to hand in.

She turned her eyes over to him and quickly analysed him. He held himself with a self-assured stance but there was something different them normal. He seemed stiffer than he usually was. His eyes turned to meet hers and they practically yelled 'What the hell are you looking at?' Rogue quickly let her eyes fall to the floor in embarrassment. She got to her feet and walked over to the pyromaniac. Rogue could the sets of both boys eyes focused on her and she kept her head down, fining her shoes extremely interesting. "John? Can ah talk to ya?" Her southern accent becoming thicker in her nervousness.

When he stood up without saying a word she assumed that he meant that as a yes and the two walked down the ramp and out of the jet so that they wouldn't be overheard by Bobby. Neither said anything and one thing that had been running through John's mind was troubling her. "Are ya really leavin' us Johnny?" For the first time she looked up at his face and his eyes were burning into her.

John gaze a small shrug, digging his hands into his jacket pockets. "Maybe." He said nonchalantly. "Why worried you'd miss me Roguey?" He asked jokingly but Rogue could hear the undercurrents in his voice. He was trying to cover up anything that he was feeling.

Her eyes conveyed to him that this was a serious matter. "Don't play games Johnny. Are. Ya. Leaving?" She asked worriedly. "Are ya leavin' me?" Rogue whispered the last part but John had heard her perfectly.

"Yeah." He said simply, but his voice was softer than before.

Tears started to form in Rogue's eyes and she launched herself onto him, her arms wrapped around his neck and her head resting on his chest. He didn't respond right and was about to pull away when she felt his muscles tighten and his strong arms wrap around her small waist. "Don't go." Her voice was slightly muffled by his jacket.

John sighed heavily, pulling Rogue closer, not fully believing that she was in his arms and pleading for him not to go. "Rogue I-" He started but a blinding pain ripped through his mind and the two both fell to the ground in blinding pain. He was dimply aware when Rogue grabbed his hands, but he tightened his hand around hers, trying to reassure her.

After a few minutes of the torture if finally faded and he weakly sat up. Rogue lay next to him, breathing heavily. "Rogue, you okay?" He asked, worry slipping into his voice. At the small nod of her head he stood up and held his hand out towards her and helped her up. John placed his hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes. The familiar pull was felt but it didn't feel as intrusive at the last time.

Rogue looked up at him with worried eyes. "John, stop." She weakly protested but she could force herself to move. Rogue finally realized the distance that separated them had had dangerously shrunken and her eyes pleaded with him to let go. "John." She pleaded but then she felt his warm breath brush over her face like a caress. The next thing that happened caused Rogue's eyes to flutter closed and she melted against John. His lips worked over head, warm and dangerous at the same time, just like fire.

John pulled away, his breathing heavy and black veins receding back into his skin. Rogue struggled to control her own breathing and she looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I won't leave." He said and a brilliant smile stretched across her face.

"Thank you." She whispered and looked down at their entwined hands.

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Authors Note: Okay so how did I do? I'm not sure if I'm going to leave this as a oneshot or continue it into X3. Leave a review and tell me if you think I should continue.