John was NOT a happy camper.
Upon hearing from Magneto that Pietro and Wanda were there to stay, he didn't know how to react. He had already realized that he was jealous of them; and he wasn't particularly found of Pietro, given how they'd met.
But what could he do? Tell Magneto that his children weren't welcome in his own home? Oh, yeah, he could see it now:
"I told them that when it was safe, they could come live with me."
"Sorry, I don't want them here."
"Oh, of course John! I'll go downstairs right now and tell them to beat it."
John laughed a little in his head at the thought of Magneto-one of the most powerful mutants on Earth, for goodness's sake! - saying something like 'beat it'.
'It might not be so bad.' John reasoned. He hadn't really sat down and talked to the twins, maybe he was just being a sore loser.
Loser.
Yep, that about summed up how he felt. He felt like a loser for being made a fool out of in front of his mentor, and he felt like he was going to be cast aside in favor of Magneto's kids.
But they WERE his kids, weren't they? Yes. Children he'd had with that Magda woman, children he'd been forced to watch grow up from afar for most of their lives. Yet, they were still his. It was written all over them; their personality, tiny physical traits as well.
And what was John?
Just some dumb kid whose determination to prove himself as a responsible, trustworthy teammate had led him right onto the 'enemy's' side of this little squirmish going on between Xavier and Magneto.
He felt very much like a stray; living in Magneto's house on borrowed time.
What would he do what that borrowed time ran out?
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
John was walking through the apartment, flipping the cap of his lighter without lighting any flames. It wouldn't do to inadvertently set something of Magneto's on fire just because he felt jealous.
"Hey, you're.um, what's your name again?"
He turned to find Wanda behind him in the hallway. He couldn't help but give her a good look up and down. She was pretty, but for once his interest in the girl had nothing to do with his hormones.
He just wanted to see Magneto's daughter.
She was wearing an edgy outfit, by normal everyday standards: black pants, a tight red tank top, a black choker, ruby stud earrings, black leather motorcycle gloves. Her wild, wavy black hair danced over her shoulders.
"I'm John." He answered simply.
She came forward, and fell into step beside him as he made his way downstairs. He decided to take the initiative by starting some small talk, he was curious, despite his jealousy. "So, um.have you ever been to America before this?"
"No, this is our first visit."
"Really? You'll love it! There's a ton of things to do, especially in this city."
"That is good, my brother becomes bored easily."
John did NOT want to think about Pietro; he still owed him for the night before.
"So, where exactly did you come from? Mystique said that you've lived abroad, but she didn't really explain where."
"In Romania. We were born in France, but raised in Romania. We left because we caught reports of Magneto destroying a government compound. We did not know he was in jail, and when we could not reach him, we came here."
John nodded as they headed into the kitchen for some breakfast.
Magneto and Mystique were there already.
"Good morning, father. Good morning Mystique." Wanda said respectfully. Magneto smiled and inclined his head in response, while Mystique remained still.
"Where is your brother?" he asked once they all settled at the table.
"He is still sleeping, father. The airplane made him tired."
"Yes, I suppose it would, that long of a time sitting still- well look who's come to join us!" Magneto said, gesturing to the very exhausted looking Pietro, who had just walked in.
Through a yawn, he asked, "What's up?"
"The sun, for one thing. And it has been for hours. Get ready for the day, Pietro, there is much to do."
John watched Pietro intently. The young man seemed irritated at being chided for his sleepy head.
"All right, all right. Geez, you couldn't wait for a couple seconds?" he muttered on his way out.
John returned to his breakfast.
He hadn't gotten through two bites of his cereal when Pietro walked through the kitchen door again- washed, dressed, and decidedly more upbeat.
John was surprised to say the least, in fact, he had nearly gagged on his spoonful of corn flakes, but no one else seemed impressed.
'Maybe it's part of his mutation.' John thought, 'The power to change clothes super-fast!'
"All right, everyone, it's time to go." Magneto announced as he stood up from the table.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
John felt that the new situation he had been thrust into was somewhat surreal. There he was with Magneto and Mystique- by far the two most dangerous mutants on Earth- in a mall.
They weren't planning to create any sort of mischief today. They were only here so that Pietro and Wanda could grab some new clothes. In their urgency to help their father, they had only brought the basics of their wardrobe, and since they were relocating, they needed to get some clothes that were more 'American'.
John didn't mind. He was able to pick up some new clothes as well, and he was out of the apartment, which were both pluses.
Despite the bizarreness of the situation and his still-standing general dislike of the twins, he was actually starting to enjoy himself.a little.
The mall trip was accomplished with relative ease and speed.
However, on the way out, John saw something that the others had passed by without noticing.
The group was leaving the building, on their way to lunch, when John felt it on the door handle.
It was cold. Ice cold.
He looked at it.
The handle was covered by a thin coating of ice.
'What the-'
He looked over and saw Bobby standing to his left about 20 feet down the sidewalk.
John couldn't have spoken if he wanted to, for his shock.
His mind felt like it was moving in molasses. He stood there, still holding the icy door handle, gawking at Bobby, who stared back.
His friend's face was a mask. He didn't look surprised at John for being with Magneto- but he should've been shocked. John had thought that the X- men assumed he had died in the flood. Now he knew that they knew where he was and whom he was with.
John stared.
Bobby stared back.
"John, come on." Mystique called beside him as she followed Magneto and the twins to the right, away from Bobby.
John couldn't think. He could only obey. Breaking his gaze away from Bobby, he followed her.
When he looked back, Bobby was gone.
Upon hearing from Magneto that Pietro and Wanda were there to stay, he didn't know how to react. He had already realized that he was jealous of them; and he wasn't particularly found of Pietro, given how they'd met.
But what could he do? Tell Magneto that his children weren't welcome in his own home? Oh, yeah, he could see it now:
"I told them that when it was safe, they could come live with me."
"Sorry, I don't want them here."
"Oh, of course John! I'll go downstairs right now and tell them to beat it."
John laughed a little in his head at the thought of Magneto-one of the most powerful mutants on Earth, for goodness's sake! - saying something like 'beat it'.
'It might not be so bad.' John reasoned. He hadn't really sat down and talked to the twins, maybe he was just being a sore loser.
Loser.
Yep, that about summed up how he felt. He felt like a loser for being made a fool out of in front of his mentor, and he felt like he was going to be cast aside in favor of Magneto's kids.
But they WERE his kids, weren't they? Yes. Children he'd had with that Magda woman, children he'd been forced to watch grow up from afar for most of their lives. Yet, they were still his. It was written all over them; their personality, tiny physical traits as well.
And what was John?
Just some dumb kid whose determination to prove himself as a responsible, trustworthy teammate had led him right onto the 'enemy's' side of this little squirmish going on between Xavier and Magneto.
He felt very much like a stray; living in Magneto's house on borrowed time.
What would he do what that borrowed time ran out?
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
John was walking through the apartment, flipping the cap of his lighter without lighting any flames. It wouldn't do to inadvertently set something of Magneto's on fire just because he felt jealous.
"Hey, you're.um, what's your name again?"
He turned to find Wanda behind him in the hallway. He couldn't help but give her a good look up and down. She was pretty, but for once his interest in the girl had nothing to do with his hormones.
He just wanted to see Magneto's daughter.
She was wearing an edgy outfit, by normal everyday standards: black pants, a tight red tank top, a black choker, ruby stud earrings, black leather motorcycle gloves. Her wild, wavy black hair danced over her shoulders.
"I'm John." He answered simply.
She came forward, and fell into step beside him as he made his way downstairs. He decided to take the initiative by starting some small talk, he was curious, despite his jealousy. "So, um.have you ever been to America before this?"
"No, this is our first visit."
"Really? You'll love it! There's a ton of things to do, especially in this city."
"That is good, my brother becomes bored easily."
John did NOT want to think about Pietro; he still owed him for the night before.
"So, where exactly did you come from? Mystique said that you've lived abroad, but she didn't really explain where."
"In Romania. We were born in France, but raised in Romania. We left because we caught reports of Magneto destroying a government compound. We did not know he was in jail, and when we could not reach him, we came here."
John nodded as they headed into the kitchen for some breakfast.
Magneto and Mystique were there already.
"Good morning, father. Good morning Mystique." Wanda said respectfully. Magneto smiled and inclined his head in response, while Mystique remained still.
"Where is your brother?" he asked once they all settled at the table.
"He is still sleeping, father. The airplane made him tired."
"Yes, I suppose it would, that long of a time sitting still- well look who's come to join us!" Magneto said, gesturing to the very exhausted looking Pietro, who had just walked in.
Through a yawn, he asked, "What's up?"
"The sun, for one thing. And it has been for hours. Get ready for the day, Pietro, there is much to do."
John watched Pietro intently. The young man seemed irritated at being chided for his sleepy head.
"All right, all right. Geez, you couldn't wait for a couple seconds?" he muttered on his way out.
John returned to his breakfast.
He hadn't gotten through two bites of his cereal when Pietro walked through the kitchen door again- washed, dressed, and decidedly more upbeat.
John was surprised to say the least, in fact, he had nearly gagged on his spoonful of corn flakes, but no one else seemed impressed.
'Maybe it's part of his mutation.' John thought, 'The power to change clothes super-fast!'
"All right, everyone, it's time to go." Magneto announced as he stood up from the table.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
John felt that the new situation he had been thrust into was somewhat surreal. There he was with Magneto and Mystique- by far the two most dangerous mutants on Earth- in a mall.
They weren't planning to create any sort of mischief today. They were only here so that Pietro and Wanda could grab some new clothes. In their urgency to help their father, they had only brought the basics of their wardrobe, and since they were relocating, they needed to get some clothes that were more 'American'.
John didn't mind. He was able to pick up some new clothes as well, and he was out of the apartment, which were both pluses.
Despite the bizarreness of the situation and his still-standing general dislike of the twins, he was actually starting to enjoy himself.a little.
The mall trip was accomplished with relative ease and speed.
However, on the way out, John saw something that the others had passed by without noticing.
The group was leaving the building, on their way to lunch, when John felt it on the door handle.
It was cold. Ice cold.
He looked at it.
The handle was covered by a thin coating of ice.
'What the-'
He looked over and saw Bobby standing to his left about 20 feet down the sidewalk.
John couldn't have spoken if he wanted to, for his shock.
His mind felt like it was moving in molasses. He stood there, still holding the icy door handle, gawking at Bobby, who stared back.
His friend's face was a mask. He didn't look surprised at John for being with Magneto- but he should've been shocked. John had thought that the X- men assumed he had died in the flood. Now he knew that they knew where he was and whom he was with.
John stared.
Bobby stared back.
"John, come on." Mystique called beside him as she followed Magneto and the twins to the right, away from Bobby.
John couldn't think. He could only obey. Breaking his gaze away from Bobby, he followed her.
When he looked back, Bobby was gone.