WARNING: Slash! Yes, there are male/male-relationships here. If this bothers you, walk away now and think about why you have such problems with it. Don't bother flaming me about the slash, because that'll be mostly ignored.

AN: Takes place some time after "Adrift". Or something.

.

.

.

.

.

800 degrees

by sugar.coated

.

.

.

.

.

*This world in all its clarity

Is glorious, is fake

This world in all its vanity

Is more than I can take*

.

.

.

.

.

A lone figure walked through the park in the falling dusk, his jacket closed tightly to keep out the cold, his feet dragging along the ground that was covered in ice and snow. The world consisted of black silhouettes and blue-gray shadows, the sun had recently drowned beneath the horizon and it was becoming darker by the second.

Walking at a steady pace whilst avoiding the more slippery spots of ice, Roberto DaCosta drew his jacket even closer around himself and shuddered a little. Staying after school might raise his grades even higher, but the walk home was much too cold in the middle of the winter. Tomorrow he was definitely going home with the others in the car directly after the final period. A flock of birds flew over his head, making sinister noises and causing the boy to look up, not paying attention to the ground in front of him, which resulted in him slipping on the black ominous ice and falling on his ass.

"Fuck," he muttered, glad that no one was there to see him making a fool of himself.

"Very elegant, Sunny."

But of course the place wasn't as empty as he'd thought. Bobby Drake stepped into the light from one of the lampposts that lined the path that went through the park, looking generally amused. Then he also stepped on a patch of ice and slipped. The brown-haired boy gesticulated wildly in an attempt to stay upright, and managed to grab a nearby tree branch in the last second. Roberto grinned from his spot on the ground.

"Smooth, Icey. I thought your powers was supposed to make you a little more graceful on the ice."

Bobby just scowled at him, keeping his firm hold on the tree. Roberto frowned and decided to get up from the ground, since his butt was generally chilly due to the unwanted contact with the ice. Although he only succeeded in slipping again and falling back down.

"This is your fault, isn't it?" Roberto asked the older teen, wishing desperately for a pair of gloves since his hands were just about numb right now.

"Nope, hell managed to freeze over all by it self. In case you haven't noticed 'berto, it's winter right now. It's usually cold then." The brown- haired boy left his safe tree and carefully walked over to the Brazilian boy, reaching out a hand and helping him assume an upright position again.

"Thanks," Roberto said, rubbing his hands in a futile attempt to get them warm.

"Here," Bobby said, taking of his gloves and shoving them in the other teen's hands. "Take these."

"But then you'll be cold," Roberto protested, still accepting the gloves since he really didn't have any other choice.

"Nah, my powers keeps me from freezing. I could run around here naked without being cold."

"Thank you for that mental image," Roberto grinned, slipping on the gloves and enjoying the extra heath they gave him. The two teenagers started walking back towards the mansion where they lived, not speaking for a while.

"So what are you doing out here anyway?" Roberto finally asked, getting tired of the silence that for some reason started to become uncomfortable. That usually wasn't the case with Bobby, since he always had a prank going on, something to pass time. Although the brown-haired boy had been weird lately, very quiet and . . . just not like he used to be.

"Needed some space," Bobby answered. "Too damn crowded at the institute, ya know? What're you doing here?"

"Walking home from school."

"You just left school at this hour? God, 'berto, you're _such_ an overachiever."

"And you're the worlds biggest slacker. What's your point?" Bobby thought about this.

"No point," he answered. "No point at all, actually."

"Hmm." They walked in silence for a while, no interesting topics to talk about, no mindless chatter to keep them occupied. The stars were out by now, bright white specks spread over the inky black sky. Millions of suns far far away forming complicated patterns, catching the dark-skinned boy's attention.

"You're gonna fall on your ass again if you don't watch where you're going," Bobby informed him.

"No I won't," Roberto answered, immediately slipping on another patch of ice but managing to stay upright this time with a little help from his friend's shoulder.

"Told ya so," Bobby smiled at the younger teen, who scowled at him in return. He removed his hand from the brown-haired boy and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting a little.

"Aw, come on 'berto, stop sulking. What's so interesting up in the sky anyway?"

"There's just a lot of stars out tonight," Roberto said, wondering if he would sound girly admitting that he liked the celestial bodies.

"Hm." Bobby also looked up at the sky. "I guess. It would be fun to know some constellations one day."

"You don't know any?"

"Well, that's the Big Dipper, but that's pretty much all I know. I'm not exactly taking astronomy in school."

"My grandmother taught me some constellations. You see those three stars on a row right there? That's Orion's belt. And if you look just a little further that way, you'll see seven stars in a bunch . . . that's the Pleiades. And can you see the five stars that are shaped into a W turned sideways?"

"Yes?"

"That's Cassiopeia. She was an queen that was so evil she was doomed to spend eternity upside down."

"That's gotta suck. Hey, look there, an UFO."

"That's an airplane, Bobby."

"I _know_ that, 'berto." Bobby started walking again, Roberto doing the same.

"How would I know?" the Brazilian boy pointed out.

"What, you think I'm stupid enough to believe in UFOs?"

"Jeez, calm down. God, you've been very touchy lately. You really have to get over your crush on Jubilee."

"I don't have a crush on Jubilee."

"You sure act like it. But if not, then why the mood? Recently you've been even worse than Rogue."

"I have a crush on someone else." A slight pause, gathering courage. "A guy."

~Oh. What? Bobby's gay?~

"Oh." Roberto was at loss for words at the moment. "Uhm, wow, I had no idea. Who?"

Bobby stopped, causing Roberto to stop right along with him. The brown- haired boy wouldn't look at him, keeping his eyes sternly fixed on his shoes, away from the dark-skinned youth.

"Bobby?"

Bobby looked up, biting his lower lip and contemplating what to say.

"You," he finally revealed, instantly looking away.

To say that Roberto was surprised would be a huge understatement. ~Oh.~ The dark-haired mutant didn't have a chance to think anything else before Bobby took a step closer and tentatively kissed him.

It was a very innocent kiss, two pair of lips barely pressing together, Bobby's hand placed on the back of the dark-skinned boy's head, Roberto's hands coming up to rest against the older teen's chest. ~This is nice . . .~ Roberto thought, before reality caught up with him and he pushed Bobby away, causing the brown-haired boy to stumble and slip to land on his butt, looking up at the Brazilian teen with a hurt expression on his face.

"No," Roberto stuttered. "This . . . it . . . it's wrong. I mean . . . you're a guy! And I'm a guy! And . . . that's just not . . . right."

"I don't think it's wrong," Bobby said. "And . . . I really like you. I'd like to be more than friends. If you want to?"

"No, I can't . . . I can't do this . . . not now. No."

"Will you at least think about it?" Bobby pleaded.

"Uhm . . . sure," Roberto answered, not looking at the other boy, not daring to think about how soft his lips were, how he had smelt like lemon and ice and just so right. He didn't need this in his life, he had enough problems with being a mutant.

"I've got to go," the Brazilian teen muttered. Bobby started to say something, then stopped himself, shaking his head. Roberto hesitated a little, then turned and left as fast as he could without slipping on the ice that covered the world, reminding him every second about the brown- haired boy he left to sit alone under the sickly yellow streetlight, his heart stepped on and broken like a frozen puddle.

And the stars were watching from their position high up in the stratosphere, their light clear and unforgiving, but so very beautiful.

.

.

.

.

.

the end

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Authors Ramblings: Ah! It wasn't supposed to be like this, it was supposed to be a happy ending, dammit. This is what happens when I've overdosed on Håkan Hellström and then spend science class writing instead of building molecules like the other kiddies. Although I did build an alcohol-molecule. Even if it wasn't what we were supposed to do it still counts for something, right?

Anyway! My tenth story to be posted on FF.net. It's special, in that aspect that it has absolutely nothing to do with Pietro. I'm slightly obsessed with the little speedster in case you haven't noticed from my other fics (and if you haven't read my other fics, shame on you! Go read 'em now.).

The reason I wrote this story? Due to the current weather here in Sweden (which consists of ice, ice, ice and oh, more ice) and almost slipping and falling smack on my ass one morning (only being saved by a strategically placed drainpipe) I felt like writing a Bobby-fic. Even more after slipping and falling right into a bush in the middle of the schoolyard (which was _very_ embarassing). And my local book-dealer recently sold me some Marvel magazines, and there's Roberto in them. In two of them he's a male slut in high heels. Only not really. I am now in love with Roberto. *hugs the little Brazilian boy*

I also spent an entire afternoon trying on (damn expensive) prom dresses. I now know that gold is my color and I can wear also wear banana, blue or light pink. Whilst green makes me look pale and slightly seasick. Apparently trying on dresses brings me into writer-mood (yes, I do have a seriously weird prom-fic flowing around in my mind at the moment. A slashy prom-fic. Run for cover now.) So this story actually got to leave my head. Yay?

Please review and tell me if you liked this story. And tell me if it is like I think it is, that my fics only gets worse and worse. The amount of reviews suggests as much. And I _know_ this was seriously OOC . . . but . . . I have no excuse for that actually. Except that I haven't seen many episodes with Bobby and Roberto. I haven't seen a single episode after "Stuff of Villains", and not many before that either. So, uh, review?

.

Disclaimer: I don't even own a dress for prom! You think I'd own anything that'd actually bring in money?

.

Distribution: If ya want it, ya can have it. Just keep my name with it and let me know where it ends up.