Summary: Post X2 Pre X3. John's there to destroy, Bobby's there to protect, if only they knew where 'there' was. All they managed to find was each other.
Notes: This is pretty much a gen fic, interpret it how you like. Although anyone who knows me knows how I'm thinking. Written for 100 Situations at livejournal.
So Here We Are
Split up. Why did people always think it was a good idea to split up? Apparently Logan thought that they had more chance of stopping the Brotherhood attack if everyone patrolled around different areas to keep an eye out for any one looking suspicious. Bobby was pretty sure that he probably looked suspicious to anyone who'd been observing him for the past half hour. Well either that or hopeless. He seemed to keep coming back to the exact same spot, no matter how many different routes he tried walking and how many different people he asked for directions in his very limited French vocabulary. He hoped the others were faring better than him, if they weren't then the Brotherhood was sure to win by the default of the X-Men not being able to find the place they were meant to be protecting. He sighed as he found himself back outside the same store, by the same statue that seemed to have become a homing beacon for him. This was getting ridiculous.
xxx
Behind him he heard an aggravated American accent, apparently he wasn't the only one finding this place hard to navigate. He turned to look at his fellow wanderer and nearly tripped over. No more than ten metres away, trying to communicate with an old woman outside one of the cafes was John. He was gesturing madly with his hands, looking more pissed off by the second. The woman was smiling at him in a way that was obviously only used to humor small children and crazy people. Eventually John gave up his attempt at sign language, which even Bobby hadn't been able to figure out what he was trying to say, and looked around him desperately, as if whatever he was trying to find might just present itself if he looked hard enough. Finally his eyes locked on Bobby.
xxx
Bobby decided that all this was worth it just for the look on John's face. He had an expression of disbelief mixed with shock, anger and finally a dash of Why Me? Bobby could definitely relate. After what was probably a heated debate with himself John sauntered over, trying a little too hard to seem casual and relaxed, sneer fixed in place. Bobby rolled his eyes, as if this mission wasn't going bad enough...
"Hey Icedick." John greeted him politely.
"Hi, John." Bobby figured there was no name he could call John that'd annoy him more than his own.
"It's Pyro." John replied glaring and flicking his lighter menacingly.
"Sure it is, John." Bobby said, getting ready to ice the lighter should John show any signs of attacking. He didn't, instead he just smirked at Bobby.
"What are you doing here, Bobby?" Code names gone now, and with them the prospect of a fight. For now anyway.
"The usual, you know, protecting the world from you." John laughed. Bobby smiled, he'd missed John's laugh.
"So where's the rest of the leather brigade?" John asked, scanning the area.
"Where's the rest of the Brotherhood?" Bobby challenged, not wanting to admit that he had no clue where his team was.
"They're...around somewhere." John said uncertainly. Bobby raised an eyebrow, implying that he was not buying it. John sighed. "Ok, fine! I haven't got a clue where they are. Or where we are. And don't you pretend that you're not just as lost as I am."
"I'm not pretending. I've been walking around for ages and I can't find the place we're meant to be protecting. Though if you're here at least I don't have to worry about it burning down any time soon."
"I'm not the only threat in the Brotherhood you know." John replied.
"Trust me, Johnny, you're the last person I see as a threat." He got a death glare for that comment.
"Fuck you, Drake." Bobby missed the days when it wasn't an insult to not be afraid of someone. They both glanced around in different directions, each avoiding looking the other in the eye. Unfortunately a neon sign saying 'Over Here' hadn't appeared out of thin air while they were talking. Bobby risked a look at John's face, he looked frustrated beyond belief.
"Truce?" John said, taking Bobby by surprise.
"Aren't we already at a truce by not attacking each other?" He asked confused.
"Yeah, but I figure we've got more chance of finding this place together, since neither of us were having any luck before."
"I'm not going to help you find your target!" John sighed as though Bobby was being very unreasonable.
"Well how can you protect it if you don't find it?" He had a point. Plus Bobby needed to find the rest of the team. And it was better that he and John get there at the same time than John get there first.
"Ok, fine. Truce."
xxx
"You know, I'm starting to really hate that statue." John said, giving the statue a look that suggested it just might be on fire very soon. The statue remained impassive.
"Me too." Bobby replied with a pained sigh. It was after all the fourth time they'd ended up standing underneath it, despite all their efforts to never take the same route.
"Is this fucking thing the centre of the universe or something?!" John said angrily.
"Must be disappointing to realize it's not you." Bobby couldn't help himself.
"As I recall the centre of your universe was always Rogue." John snapped.
"At least I think about someone other than myself!"
"And what do you think I'm doing in the Brotherhood?"
"Hmm let me think.Um... killing people, destroying things, giving people more reason to hate mutants!" John took a step closer to him. Bobby was starting to think that they'd end up killing each other before they ever reached their destination. Maybe they'd end up as ghosts with unfinished business, doomed to spend eternity hopelessly searching for a place they'd never find. Oh god, he'd be trapped for eternity with John!
"Screw that!" Bobby said out loud. John gave him a confused look.
"Huh?"
"Nevermind. Let's just get on with this."
xxx
"We haven't seen this before, right?" Bobby asked hopefully.
"Not that I remember, we still could have passed it."
"I think we'd remember this, John." Bobby said. He was getting exasperated by his companion's inability to be helpful. John just shrugged, seemingly determined to wear Bobby down to his last nerve.
"Fuck, I wish we could just forget about this and go get drunk." John said irritably. "We could really use the bottle of vodka I had in my desk drawer at the mansion. Did you drink it or did they find it first?" Bobby was surprised to hear John talk about his former home so casually.
"It's still there I guess. All your stuff is." John looked shocked by this, as though he'd expected all traces of him to have been destroyed the moment he left, in his mind it probably had. "You could still come back, you know." Bobby couldn't stop himself saying it even though he knew what the answer would be. John never went back on anything, no matter how big or small a decision it was he always stuck by it. Bobby was more prone to second guessing himself. John didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at Bobby almost sadly then carried on talking as though Bobby hadn't spoken.
"You should drink it then, it's good stuff. Not like last time." John had a faint smile at that and Bobby knew he was remembering the night they'd snuck in a bottle of cheap of vodka. Well he was remembering what he could. They'd spent most of the next day hung over and trying to piece the night back together. Bobby recalled John saying that if they couldn't remember it must have been good and left it at that. Bobby had agreed but couldn't help wondering how the bedroom wall had acquired a new burnt patch and why his bed was full of m&ms. The memory made Bobby smile but he couldn't help feeling the slight tug of sorrow that he could never quite ignore whenever he was reminded of something he and John had done together or he made a joke that only John would have got. No matter how much he tried to think of him as Pyro, the enemy he couldn't help thinking of John, his best friend.
xxx
"Hey, check it out." John's voice broke through Bobby's thoughts. Bobby followed John's gaze. Storm was floating high above the ground aiming lightening bolts at various people who Bobby assumed were Brotherhood members.
"Looks like we found it." Bobby said.
"I guess we're the only ones with no sense of direction."
"Yeah, I guess so." Bobby said. They both looked around uncomfortably, not sure what to do now.
"It was good to see you, Bobby." Naturally it was John who broke the silence.
"You too, John." Bobby didn't say it but he hoped he'd see him again. John pulled his zippo from his pocket and without another word or a backwards glance he ran straight towards the fight. Bobby sighed, hesitating for a moment then running after Pyro. The X-Men seemed to be doing pretty well so far but they were going to need Iceman to put out some fires.