"Ice in Hell" part two-- the second part of a Pyro/Iceman fic, still after X2, of course
Oh, and if you like this, go read a fic by the writer who first got me interested in this pairing, LadyMorgaine1 (user ID : 209956). "The Romance of Dishes" is one of my favourite fanfics. But uhm, read my fic before you read that, bitte??? Ohhhh... go on... okay... go read a decent fic instead.
Bobby POV-- love Bobby POV because he's confused and worried and innocent *g*
"Bobby?"
"Ugghhh." I looked up. There I was, in bed, and there was Jubilee standing in the doorway in her yellow pyjamas staring at me.
"Bobby, what are you doing in John's bed?"
"Buh--whhhaaa?" Oops. I promise you, I fell asleep in my own bed... didn't I? Okay, yes, I did. And then some time in the night I woke up and crawled half-conciously into the bed that used to be John's. "What are you doing in my room, Jubilee?"
"Miss Munroe said I had to come and find you. Mr Summers wants to know why you skipped your math lesson this morning."
"I--"
She threw my alarm clock at me. "It's ten past eleven, Bobby. Lessons started two hours ago. Mr Summers wants to speak to you later. Or now." And then she left.
I tried to remember what had happened. I'd gone to bed early. Everyone was asking me about where I'd been, and then Kitty guessed I'd been with John, and ohhhhhhh, I just didn't want to deal with it. It WASN'T a date, why was everyone assuming that? Rogue got all put out about it. She was believing Kitty and Jubilee's stupid rumours over me. I had to admit that yes, I had been with John. Yet no matter how many times I tried to explain, she just got more into the idea that I was dating John.
Me. Dating John. Can you think of anything more STUPID?
I begged Rogue and eventually I convinced her to take her mud-coated boots off my bed, not to mention put her gloves back on. Incidentally, the reason her boots were muddy was because her and Logan went on a "nature walk".
And I can't go and meet an old friend in McDonalds?
Her. And Logan.
"What could've happened, Bobby? You know Ah can't touch anyone."
Could've fooled me. She's touched me enough times... and I have to say it gets longer every time she tries it before I go into agonising pain. In fact if I were the jealous type, I might say Logan had been giving her "lessons" in controlling her powers.
There. I had an excuse anyway. I couldn't sleep in my bed because it was muddy. And John's bed was just sat there. Yes. Now all I had to do today was apologise to Mr Summers and explain I had trouble sleeping last night, and so I slept in, then apologise to Rogue and make it up to her about John, and then meet John.
Wait. Yesterday was Sunday. I didn't have lessons at one in the afternoon yesterday. Today I did. Oh, I'd have to phone John and cancel--which I couldn't, because I didn't have his number. I sat down. And then I stood up and started putting some clothes on.
* * *
"I'm ever so sorry, Mr Summers."
* * *
"I'm ever so sorry, Marie. Rogue. I'm sorry."
* * *
"I'm sorry I'm so late, John. I had class."
"So you could've skipped it."
"I don't skip classes, John."
"It's Pyro!"
"Pyro."
He was standing outside McDonalds, looking agitated, when I met with him. Playing with his lighter, and I'm pretty sure he was biting his nails before he saw me. And so I had to explain. He wasn't too impressed.
What could I do? I ended up explaining the whole story. The nature walk, how I couldn't sleep, how Mr Summers had given me extra homework as punishment.
"That's harsh, man." he flicked his lighter again. I just wanted to snatch it off him. "Of course, you know, if you, if you ever wanted to quit the Institute and not have to deal with all that..."
I'd thought he'd been joking last time. Apparently not.
"How is life at the Institute, anyway? And the teachers? What about Dr Grey? She was pretty hot."
Oh... "She's... she's dead, Pyro," I mumbled.
"What?"
"After you left, she... the jet wouldn't start... she sacrificed herself for us all... it..."
He cursed under his breath. "Okay. Here, subject change." He leant over so he could whisper it. "See those chicks there? Bet you anything they're lesbians."
I just looked at him.
"Isn't it obvious? The way they walk together, how they talk right into each other's ears... they're gay. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying they are."
"Mrph."
"Oh, you're not..." he looked at me. "There's nothing wrong with it, you know."
"No, no, I know," I said hurriedly.
"So what do you want to talk about?"
First thing to come into my head. "Rogue?"
"Okay. You said you'd had a row with her?"
"Not exactly."
"Her and Logan. I don't blame her though..." he looked up at the sky for the moment and then changed the subject. "Her powers aren't any kind of excuse though."
I paused for a moment. "What, you're saying she should like Logan more than me?"
"No way, man. I'm just saying, Logan is pretty hot."
I looked at him.
"You can't deny it, straight or not. He's hot."
I pictured Logan in my head. I shook my head. "I can't see it."
"Only because you're jealous of him," he said, half-teasing.
"I am NOT!" I said, too quickly.
"It's okay," John shrugged. "I'll just say what you want to hear."
I stared at him for a moment.
"Who'd want Logan when they've got you?"
I went slightly red.
"Joking man, joking. Now are we gonna get something to eat or what?"
* * *
Ice cream. As you might have guessed, I do like ice cream. I love ice cream. It's sort of comforting. And so John bought me a McFlurry, and got himself some fries (I told him to stop buying me food but he refused). He ate his fries in about two seconds and then started begging for some of my ice cream.
We were sat on a wall near McDonalds. And he sudden went, "Icicle... can I have some ice cream?" And gave me the puppy dog look Jubilee gives me when she wants me to cool her drink or lay some ice down to trip someone over for a joke.
I said, "I've only got one spoon," and he said, "So?"
He gestured for me to spoon-feed him, and I figured there was no harm in that, so I did. There was no harm in it for a few moments. I relaxed a bit for the first time with him since before John tried to burn down my parents' house. And we laughed for a moment.
And then I heard a familiar voice. Jubilee. And Kitty. And Tracey as well. Oh, just great. I hissed "shhh!" at John and tried to become as unnoticable as possible.
I failed. "Bobby!"
"Uh, hi Kitty."
"We're going shopping," she explained.
"Oh... good."
"You could come if you like, Bobby," Jubilee added.
"Oh... er..." Can John come? I wanted to ask. But by the way they were acting as if he wasn't there, I gathered not. "No, it's okay. I'll see you back at the mansion later, yeah?"
"Hm, whatever." Jubilee shrugged. "Seeya then."
As they left, John yelled, "Bye, Jubilee." She didn't even look back.
John shrugged. "I should've expected that. They all heard about what I did?"
"Oh yeah. Rumour says you burnt my house to the ground with all my family, great aunts included, six cops and next door's dog inside."
John snorted. "I was just having a bit of fun. Anyway, don't you ever find your power takes over, and you just want to freeze everything?"
I shifted uncomfortably. I've always tried to control my power.
John looked at me. "It bothers you, doesn't it?"
"What?"
"The trying to burn your house down stunt."
I looked away. "I... well... you know... it's..."
"I'm... sorry."
I was totally confused. John doesn't apologise. Especially recently, it's all "look at me, I'm a bad guy, I burn things and I love it." Mind you, "I'm sorry I torched your house"... it doesn't exactly make up for it. But he sounded as if he meant it.
"I couldn't help it... I can't always control my power. Not once I get started. I was never made for Xavier's. Good job they got you to follow in Cyclops's footsteps, isn't it?" He grinned at me to show he was joking.
And I was totally falling for the I'm not bad, I'm just misunderstood act. A little part of me thought he was talking rubbish, he was nuts and he wanted to torch every building in town, just for the fun of it, but I wanted to believe him. Anyway, maybe he was telling the truth.
I prised his lighter gently from between his fingers. He didn't try to snatch it back, he just watched me. As if he wanted to know what I was going to do with it. I clicked it, a small flame shooting up.
John held his hand up and, using one finger he wrote my name in the air in flames.
"John!" I hissed. "Someone'll see!"
"Alright, so we'll go somewhere private and I'll show you some more, right?"
I wondered if that had been meant to sound as suggestive as it did.
I shrugged. "Where are we gonna go?"
"Mystique's out for the day. 'Senator Kelly' is needed some place. No one would know if you came back to mine for a bit."
I wanted to. But I was scared. Part of me remembered the look on John's face, the way John had no remorse even when he was probably going to kill people. How he didn't care. And I was worried about what Rogue would think. And what everyone else would think. Do it, the voice inside my head said. No one will know, nothing will happen. "Mm, okay."
"But, do me one favour?"
"What?"
"Don't tell Xavier where it is."
Oh, and if you like this, go read a fic by the writer who first got me interested in this pairing, LadyMorgaine1 (user ID : 209956). "The Romance of Dishes" is one of my favourite fanfics. But uhm, read my fic before you read that, bitte??? Ohhhh... go on... okay... go read a decent fic instead.
Bobby POV-- love Bobby POV because he's confused and worried and innocent *g*
"Bobby?"
"Ugghhh." I looked up. There I was, in bed, and there was Jubilee standing in the doorway in her yellow pyjamas staring at me.
"Bobby, what are you doing in John's bed?"
"Buh--whhhaaa?" Oops. I promise you, I fell asleep in my own bed... didn't I? Okay, yes, I did. And then some time in the night I woke up and crawled half-conciously into the bed that used to be John's. "What are you doing in my room, Jubilee?"
"Miss Munroe said I had to come and find you. Mr Summers wants to know why you skipped your math lesson this morning."
"I--"
She threw my alarm clock at me. "It's ten past eleven, Bobby. Lessons started two hours ago. Mr Summers wants to speak to you later. Or now." And then she left.
I tried to remember what had happened. I'd gone to bed early. Everyone was asking me about where I'd been, and then Kitty guessed I'd been with John, and ohhhhhhh, I just didn't want to deal with it. It WASN'T a date, why was everyone assuming that? Rogue got all put out about it. She was believing Kitty and Jubilee's stupid rumours over me. I had to admit that yes, I had been with John. Yet no matter how many times I tried to explain, she just got more into the idea that I was dating John.
Me. Dating John. Can you think of anything more STUPID?
I begged Rogue and eventually I convinced her to take her mud-coated boots off my bed, not to mention put her gloves back on. Incidentally, the reason her boots were muddy was because her and Logan went on a "nature walk".
And I can't go and meet an old friend in McDonalds?
Her. And Logan.
"What could've happened, Bobby? You know Ah can't touch anyone."
Could've fooled me. She's touched me enough times... and I have to say it gets longer every time she tries it before I go into agonising pain. In fact if I were the jealous type, I might say Logan had been giving her "lessons" in controlling her powers.
There. I had an excuse anyway. I couldn't sleep in my bed because it was muddy. And John's bed was just sat there. Yes. Now all I had to do today was apologise to Mr Summers and explain I had trouble sleeping last night, and so I slept in, then apologise to Rogue and make it up to her about John, and then meet John.
Wait. Yesterday was Sunday. I didn't have lessons at one in the afternoon yesterday. Today I did. Oh, I'd have to phone John and cancel--which I couldn't, because I didn't have his number. I sat down. And then I stood up and started putting some clothes on.
* * *
"I'm ever so sorry, Mr Summers."
* * *
"I'm ever so sorry, Marie. Rogue. I'm sorry."
* * *
"I'm sorry I'm so late, John. I had class."
"So you could've skipped it."
"I don't skip classes, John."
"It's Pyro!"
"Pyro."
He was standing outside McDonalds, looking agitated, when I met with him. Playing with his lighter, and I'm pretty sure he was biting his nails before he saw me. And so I had to explain. He wasn't too impressed.
What could I do? I ended up explaining the whole story. The nature walk, how I couldn't sleep, how Mr Summers had given me extra homework as punishment.
"That's harsh, man." he flicked his lighter again. I just wanted to snatch it off him. "Of course, you know, if you, if you ever wanted to quit the Institute and not have to deal with all that..."
I'd thought he'd been joking last time. Apparently not.
"How is life at the Institute, anyway? And the teachers? What about Dr Grey? She was pretty hot."
Oh... "She's... she's dead, Pyro," I mumbled.
"What?"
"After you left, she... the jet wouldn't start... she sacrificed herself for us all... it..."
He cursed under his breath. "Okay. Here, subject change." He leant over so he could whisper it. "See those chicks there? Bet you anything they're lesbians."
I just looked at him.
"Isn't it obvious? The way they walk together, how they talk right into each other's ears... they're gay. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying they are."
"Mrph."
"Oh, you're not..." he looked at me. "There's nothing wrong with it, you know."
"No, no, I know," I said hurriedly.
"So what do you want to talk about?"
First thing to come into my head. "Rogue?"
"Okay. You said you'd had a row with her?"
"Not exactly."
"Her and Logan. I don't blame her though..." he looked up at the sky for the moment and then changed the subject. "Her powers aren't any kind of excuse though."
I paused for a moment. "What, you're saying she should like Logan more than me?"
"No way, man. I'm just saying, Logan is pretty hot."
I looked at him.
"You can't deny it, straight or not. He's hot."
I pictured Logan in my head. I shook my head. "I can't see it."
"Only because you're jealous of him," he said, half-teasing.
"I am NOT!" I said, too quickly.
"It's okay," John shrugged. "I'll just say what you want to hear."
I stared at him for a moment.
"Who'd want Logan when they've got you?"
I went slightly red.
"Joking man, joking. Now are we gonna get something to eat or what?"
* * *
Ice cream. As you might have guessed, I do like ice cream. I love ice cream. It's sort of comforting. And so John bought me a McFlurry, and got himself some fries (I told him to stop buying me food but he refused). He ate his fries in about two seconds and then started begging for some of my ice cream.
We were sat on a wall near McDonalds. And he sudden went, "Icicle... can I have some ice cream?" And gave me the puppy dog look Jubilee gives me when she wants me to cool her drink or lay some ice down to trip someone over for a joke.
I said, "I've only got one spoon," and he said, "So?"
He gestured for me to spoon-feed him, and I figured there was no harm in that, so I did. There was no harm in it for a few moments. I relaxed a bit for the first time with him since before John tried to burn down my parents' house. And we laughed for a moment.
And then I heard a familiar voice. Jubilee. And Kitty. And Tracey as well. Oh, just great. I hissed "shhh!" at John and tried to become as unnoticable as possible.
I failed. "Bobby!"
"Uh, hi Kitty."
"We're going shopping," she explained.
"Oh... good."
"You could come if you like, Bobby," Jubilee added.
"Oh... er..." Can John come? I wanted to ask. But by the way they were acting as if he wasn't there, I gathered not. "No, it's okay. I'll see you back at the mansion later, yeah?"
"Hm, whatever." Jubilee shrugged. "Seeya then."
As they left, John yelled, "Bye, Jubilee." She didn't even look back.
John shrugged. "I should've expected that. They all heard about what I did?"
"Oh yeah. Rumour says you burnt my house to the ground with all my family, great aunts included, six cops and next door's dog inside."
John snorted. "I was just having a bit of fun. Anyway, don't you ever find your power takes over, and you just want to freeze everything?"
I shifted uncomfortably. I've always tried to control my power.
John looked at me. "It bothers you, doesn't it?"
"What?"
"The trying to burn your house down stunt."
I looked away. "I... well... you know... it's..."
"I'm... sorry."
I was totally confused. John doesn't apologise. Especially recently, it's all "look at me, I'm a bad guy, I burn things and I love it." Mind you, "I'm sorry I torched your house"... it doesn't exactly make up for it. But he sounded as if he meant it.
"I couldn't help it... I can't always control my power. Not once I get started. I was never made for Xavier's. Good job they got you to follow in Cyclops's footsteps, isn't it?" He grinned at me to show he was joking.
And I was totally falling for the I'm not bad, I'm just misunderstood act. A little part of me thought he was talking rubbish, he was nuts and he wanted to torch every building in town, just for the fun of it, but I wanted to believe him. Anyway, maybe he was telling the truth.
I prised his lighter gently from between his fingers. He didn't try to snatch it back, he just watched me. As if he wanted to know what I was going to do with it. I clicked it, a small flame shooting up.
John held his hand up and, using one finger he wrote my name in the air in flames.
"John!" I hissed. "Someone'll see!"
"Alright, so we'll go somewhere private and I'll show you some more, right?"
I wondered if that had been meant to sound as suggestive as it did.
I shrugged. "Where are we gonna go?"
"Mystique's out for the day. 'Senator Kelly' is needed some place. No one would know if you came back to mine for a bit."
I wanted to. But I was scared. Part of me remembered the look on John's face, the way John had no remorse even when he was probably going to kill people. How he didn't care. And I was worried about what Rogue would think. And what everyone else would think. Do it, the voice inside my head said. No one will know, nothing will happen. "Mm, okay."
"But, do me one favour?"
"What?"
"Don't tell Xavier where it is."