"Ice in Hell"-- a Pyro/Iceman fic, after X2.
Bobby POV
"Bobby?"
I glanced up. There was Rogue. Rogue, standing there, dressed in her usual gloves and cover-up clothes.
"Bobby, we're goin' shopping. Want to come?"
"Who's we?"
"Me, Jubilee, Kitty, Tracey, Jamie and Logan."
"Logan?"
"Yeah, Logan. Logan's goin' to carry the stuff we buy."
Shopping. With Rogue and Logan. While Rogue hangs on to Logan's arm and giggles with Logan and drags Logan off to look at stuff, while Jubilee giggles and Jamie makes a pain out of himself. No thanks. "I'm uhm, busy," I found myself lying. "Er, homework."
"Oh. Okay. If that's what you want."
"Yeah. Seeya."
And she went. Good... what did I mean, good? Oh well. A bit of peace, what's wrong with that?
I had lots of choices. I could go work out in the Danger Room by myself (much more fun when John was around to join me), I could actually do some homework (Mr Summers had set us some really awful algebra), I could... write a letter to John.
I promised myself I wouldn't. After all, he deserted us straight after he went totally crazy and killed however many people, nearly getting us all killed. But I still missed him, more than anything. More than... more than my parents. I might see John again. I'd never see my parents again. But John... I had to have some answers. I had a better understanding on what Ronny had done. Ruin my life, yeah, but he was scared. John had just turned into a completely different person, and I thought I knew him. Why? I needed some answers, and I needed them now. I scrabbled about on my desk for a pen.
Dear John.
And now what?
John, what happened? I miss having you around. Rogue misses you. Can't we meet up some time and talk?
Bobby.
That would do.
I asked the professor where to send it, and he admitted to having Magneto's current address and promised to pass it on. Which is why, days later, I got a phone call.
* * *
"Bobby! Phone for yooou!"
Huh? I don't get phone calls. "Hello?"
"Snowdude!"
"John?"
"Pyro."
"Pyro then. Hi!"
"Hey, Iceman. How's it going then?"
"Same as always. What about you though?"
"I don't want to discuss it right now. I think Mystique's pretending to be some weird statue next to me. You want to meet up someplace?"
"Er, sure."
* * *
I have never been so nervous in my life. John-sorry, Pyro-however, was totally relaxed. He was sitting slouched in a chair in McDonalds before I arrived. He was flicking his lighter on and off, eyeing up a girl in a short skirt walking past and grinning at me.
"Iceman! Sit down, man." He kicked the chair out with his foot. "Finally. I was starting to think you'd stood me up-Mystique would never let me forget it, she's been going on about my 'date with my boyfriend' for days."
I blushed. I don't know why.
"It's just been her and me for about a week anyway. I don't know where Maggie is. There's a couple of others. And they'd kill me if I told you all about it."
I nodded.
"What happened to you? It's not been that long!" He chucked his lighter to me. "Here. See, you can trust me. I can't hurt you now."
I reached out to grab it out the air, and it fell straight through my fingers and bounced onto the floor. My face grew scarlet. Why was I making such an idiot out of myself? I bent down and scooped it up in my fingers and pocketed it.
"We're mates, remember? We shared a room? Don't look so nervous."
"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "It's just..."
"It's okay! I swear! Look. You could freeze my blood in my veins and kill me, right here on the floor in McDonalds. And they'd probably sweep my carcass up off the floor and jam it in a burger bun. And you could have that for lunch. But I'm trusting you. You want me to buy you lunch? Then you won't have to eat me." He winked at me. "And I told Mystique there wouldn't be anything like that."
I went red again.
"You're a cheese burger and fries kinda guy, right?"
I nodded.
He got up, leaving me sat at the table with his lighter in my pocket. So I had a play with it. It took a few clumsy attempts, but suddenly I found myself flicking it in the exact same rhythm as John always does. When I looked up he was watching me. I flicked it shut and shoved it into my pocket.
He laughed. "Here." He pushed my food in front of me and I went to pay him, but he stopped me. "Lunch is on me, okay?"
"Sure?"
"Absolutely. I've missed you, man." He started eating and I picked at a fry, nervously.
"Eat, man. What happened? Last time I saw you, you were always stuffing your face with food. I'll buy you an ice cream if you're a good boy and eat all your fries," he teased.
Mmmm, ice cream. If there's anything that calms me down, it's got to be stuff that's come straight out a freezer. I nodded.
"Always have been a good boy," he continued. I wished he wouldn't do that tongue thing. I mean, yes, it was funny, but I was starting to get uncomfortable. I was expecting Jubilee to jump out from behind the Happy Meal display and yell, "Ha! Bobby, wait till I tell Rogue you're cheating on her with a guy!"
"You sure you don't want to come back with me?" John asked, looking serious.
"Huh?" I'd been daydreaming about Jubilee and Kitty and all the rest of them teasing me forever.
"Join me... join the Brotherhood."
Oh. Yes. The Brotherhood. Me? The guy who's been teased for years because he says "gosh" instead of "God"? Join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? Ha. "Uhm... buh... Rogue."
"Ohhh, right, yes, your darling beloved one Marie." He shrugged. "Can I have my lighter back?"
I was about to be scared of what he might do and give it back, but as long as I had his lighter, he couldn't hurt me. Ha. I felt for it in my pocket. "Nope."
"Aww, come on Icicle, give," he begged. "I haven't got any money to buy a new one, and that one cost me a fortune."
"Maybe I should keep it as a souvenir," I said, really getting into it. I took it out my pocket and tossed it into the air. It would've looked really cool had I not dropped it. It clattered to the floor. John's faster than me so he bent down, grabbed it, and stuck it in his own pocket. "I better get back," he said casually. "Unless you want me to walk you home?"
I shrugged. "Whatever."
"Fine. Coming then?"
And so I followed him. As if we were going to his home and not mine. He's so much more controlling than me.
We walked most of the way in silence. He flicked his lighter. Flick. Flick. Flick. I noticed after a while that I was leaving frozen footprints behind me.
"John?"
"It's Pyro."
"Pyro then. Are you okay?"
"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. You just seem... quiet."
"I'm fine! Drop it, alright?"
And there we were, at the front gates.
"This is the bit where we say goodbye," Pyro said pointedly.
"Er... goodbye then."
I turned towards the gates but he grabbed my arm to stop me. "Wait! Do you wanna meet up again tomorrow? If you want to. No pressure."
"Oh. Yeah, sure. Tomorrow?"
"Same time, same place. Be there or be a triangle."
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Who wants more? Admit it, who loves Pyro-on-Bobby loving? Oh, just me then. Still. Tell me if you want more.
Bobby POV
"Bobby?"
I glanced up. There was Rogue. Rogue, standing there, dressed in her usual gloves and cover-up clothes.
"Bobby, we're goin' shopping. Want to come?"
"Who's we?"
"Me, Jubilee, Kitty, Tracey, Jamie and Logan."
"Logan?"
"Yeah, Logan. Logan's goin' to carry the stuff we buy."
Shopping. With Rogue and Logan. While Rogue hangs on to Logan's arm and giggles with Logan and drags Logan off to look at stuff, while Jubilee giggles and Jamie makes a pain out of himself. No thanks. "I'm uhm, busy," I found myself lying. "Er, homework."
"Oh. Okay. If that's what you want."
"Yeah. Seeya."
And she went. Good... what did I mean, good? Oh well. A bit of peace, what's wrong with that?
I had lots of choices. I could go work out in the Danger Room by myself (much more fun when John was around to join me), I could actually do some homework (Mr Summers had set us some really awful algebra), I could... write a letter to John.
I promised myself I wouldn't. After all, he deserted us straight after he went totally crazy and killed however many people, nearly getting us all killed. But I still missed him, more than anything. More than... more than my parents. I might see John again. I'd never see my parents again. But John... I had to have some answers. I had a better understanding on what Ronny had done. Ruin my life, yeah, but he was scared. John had just turned into a completely different person, and I thought I knew him. Why? I needed some answers, and I needed them now. I scrabbled about on my desk for a pen.
Dear John.
And now what?
John, what happened? I miss having you around. Rogue misses you. Can't we meet up some time and talk?
Bobby.
That would do.
I asked the professor where to send it, and he admitted to having Magneto's current address and promised to pass it on. Which is why, days later, I got a phone call.
* * *
"Bobby! Phone for yooou!"
Huh? I don't get phone calls. "Hello?"
"Snowdude!"
"John?"
"Pyro."
"Pyro then. Hi!"
"Hey, Iceman. How's it going then?"
"Same as always. What about you though?"
"I don't want to discuss it right now. I think Mystique's pretending to be some weird statue next to me. You want to meet up someplace?"
"Er, sure."
* * *
I have never been so nervous in my life. John-sorry, Pyro-however, was totally relaxed. He was sitting slouched in a chair in McDonalds before I arrived. He was flicking his lighter on and off, eyeing up a girl in a short skirt walking past and grinning at me.
"Iceman! Sit down, man." He kicked the chair out with his foot. "Finally. I was starting to think you'd stood me up-Mystique would never let me forget it, she's been going on about my 'date with my boyfriend' for days."
I blushed. I don't know why.
"It's just been her and me for about a week anyway. I don't know where Maggie is. There's a couple of others. And they'd kill me if I told you all about it."
I nodded.
"What happened to you? It's not been that long!" He chucked his lighter to me. "Here. See, you can trust me. I can't hurt you now."
I reached out to grab it out the air, and it fell straight through my fingers and bounced onto the floor. My face grew scarlet. Why was I making such an idiot out of myself? I bent down and scooped it up in my fingers and pocketed it.
"We're mates, remember? We shared a room? Don't look so nervous."
"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "It's just..."
"It's okay! I swear! Look. You could freeze my blood in my veins and kill me, right here on the floor in McDonalds. And they'd probably sweep my carcass up off the floor and jam it in a burger bun. And you could have that for lunch. But I'm trusting you. You want me to buy you lunch? Then you won't have to eat me." He winked at me. "And I told Mystique there wouldn't be anything like that."
I went red again.
"You're a cheese burger and fries kinda guy, right?"
I nodded.
He got up, leaving me sat at the table with his lighter in my pocket. So I had a play with it. It took a few clumsy attempts, but suddenly I found myself flicking it in the exact same rhythm as John always does. When I looked up he was watching me. I flicked it shut and shoved it into my pocket.
He laughed. "Here." He pushed my food in front of me and I went to pay him, but he stopped me. "Lunch is on me, okay?"
"Sure?"
"Absolutely. I've missed you, man." He started eating and I picked at a fry, nervously.
"Eat, man. What happened? Last time I saw you, you were always stuffing your face with food. I'll buy you an ice cream if you're a good boy and eat all your fries," he teased.
Mmmm, ice cream. If there's anything that calms me down, it's got to be stuff that's come straight out a freezer. I nodded.
"Always have been a good boy," he continued. I wished he wouldn't do that tongue thing. I mean, yes, it was funny, but I was starting to get uncomfortable. I was expecting Jubilee to jump out from behind the Happy Meal display and yell, "Ha! Bobby, wait till I tell Rogue you're cheating on her with a guy!"
"You sure you don't want to come back with me?" John asked, looking serious.
"Huh?" I'd been daydreaming about Jubilee and Kitty and all the rest of them teasing me forever.
"Join me... join the Brotherhood."
Oh. Yes. The Brotherhood. Me? The guy who's been teased for years because he says "gosh" instead of "God"? Join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? Ha. "Uhm... buh... Rogue."
"Ohhh, right, yes, your darling beloved one Marie." He shrugged. "Can I have my lighter back?"
I was about to be scared of what he might do and give it back, but as long as I had his lighter, he couldn't hurt me. Ha. I felt for it in my pocket. "Nope."
"Aww, come on Icicle, give," he begged. "I haven't got any money to buy a new one, and that one cost me a fortune."
"Maybe I should keep it as a souvenir," I said, really getting into it. I took it out my pocket and tossed it into the air. It would've looked really cool had I not dropped it. It clattered to the floor. John's faster than me so he bent down, grabbed it, and stuck it in his own pocket. "I better get back," he said casually. "Unless you want me to walk you home?"
I shrugged. "Whatever."
"Fine. Coming then?"
And so I followed him. As if we were going to his home and not mine. He's so much more controlling than me.
We walked most of the way in silence. He flicked his lighter. Flick. Flick. Flick. I noticed after a while that I was leaving frozen footprints behind me.
"John?"
"It's Pyro."
"Pyro then. Are you okay?"
"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. You just seem... quiet."
"I'm fine! Drop it, alright?"
And there we were, at the front gates.
"This is the bit where we say goodbye," Pyro said pointedly.
"Er... goodbye then."
I turned towards the gates but he grabbed my arm to stop me. "Wait! Do you wanna meet up again tomorrow? If you want to. No pressure."
"Oh. Yeah, sure. Tomorrow?"
"Same time, same place. Be there or be a triangle."
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Who wants more? Admit it, who loves Pyro-on-Bobby loving? Oh, just me then. Still. Tell me if you want more.