John swallowed.
He and Bobby had always joked around about the idea of having a power fight back at school, but that was forever ago. Looking into Bobby's determined eyes, he knew there was no joking and no backing down. John didn't want to hurt him, but there was no way he was going to let Bobby win this either.
Bobby watched as John pulled out his trusty shark Zippo and sparked a flame. To John's surprise, Bobby smiled with anticipation.
"You've been looking forward to this, haven't you?" John asked, amazed at Bobby's out-of-character actions. It wasn't like Bobby to make accusations and initiate conflict. Yet here he was, practically urging John to attack him.
Bobby shrugged, "Remember how we always used to joke about this at school?"
John nodded, "How could I forget?"
"It's just gonna be so much fun to find out. You ready?"
John held the flame in his hand and pocketed the lighter. So Bobby didn't want to fight to hurt him, he just wanted to fight for the fun aspect of it. John knew that Bobby liked wrestling, he probably missed wrestling with his younger brother, and that's all this was to him.
To Bobby, this was just going to be some fun roughhousing, not a battle of wills.
John was almost disappointed. "I was born ready." He let the flame in his hand expand in size and length until it took on the shape of a serpent, wrapping around his torso and chest, the cobra's head of flame snapping at Bobby.
John had not been able to have such precise control over his flames back at the school. He had only been able to stoke flames or snuff them out, create fireballs and the streamers back at Bobby's house. But this was precise, measured, frighteningly in control.
Bobby gave John an impressed look. "Magneto's been teaching you."
John nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, Johnny, I've been getting some extra lessons too."
The air around Bobby immediately began to plummet, until Bobby's entire body was coated with a thin-but rock hard- layer of ice. He now looked like a mobile ice sculpture. John backed up a step.
"Whoa."
"Yeah, scared the Hell out of me the first time, too. So, do you still want to do this or are you going to back down. I don't think your friends can take us, no matter whose kids they are."
John looked over to the twins. He still didn't even have a concrete understanding of their powers, except for Pietro- who he assumed could teleport like that guy Kurt he remembered from on the jet. So far the only thing he knew that Wanda could do was flicker lights. Not the most effective powers to possess when facing the odds they were.
This wasn't their fight, they probably just assumed that they were humans badmouthing Magneto; John worried that they could be hurt.
Either reading his mind or just using that weird method all females seemed to have, Wanda brushed off his concern. "Do not worry, John. We can take care of ourselves."
"Yeah, I'll say!" Pietro chimed in. He turned back to Jamie, who was not at all amused by the platinum-haired punk before him. "Come on, farm-boy! Show me how the Americans like to fight!"
Jamie wasted no time in giving him a practical demonstration. John knew that Jamie was one of the best students in the combat skills elective course offered at Xavier's, and didn't want to watch Pietro get his ass kicked.
At Pietro's insistence, Jamie began to throw some quick jabs and punches. His fists hit nothing but air, Pietro was bobbing and weaving out of the way.
Pietro grabbed Jamie's wrist and sighed, "I am not impressed. Let ME show YOU."
Quick as a whip, Pietro latched onto Jamie's arm and began to spin, dragging him along. He spun, faster and faster, before finally letting Jamie go. Pietro's adversary landed roughly and tumbled on the concrete several feet away.
John couldn't help but wince; he knew how rough Pietro could be from personal experience.
"Did you see that?! No one insults MY father and gets away with it!" Pietro crowed to his audience. So caught up in his boasting, he didn't notice Jamie getting up from where he had landed, or that he was multiplying himself.
"Hey, Albino!" he called.
Pietro whirled around to see that his foe had somehow become ten. "Now that's a challenge." He said, smiling dangerously.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"What are YOU laughing at, rock-star?" Wanda asked Jubilee, who was laughing at Pietro's newly complicated situation.
Wanda's words were not mocking as Pietro's had been, but startlingly harsh. Wanda was nearly a head taller, she looked stronger, but none of that entered into Jubilee's head. She had learned a long time ago how to deal with people.
Just a little 'spark-n-flash' and she'd have instant respect.
Jubilee looked Wanda up and down slowly, "I was laughing at your outfit, Goth-queen! Haven't you ever heard of colors that aren't red or black?"
Wanda threw back her hair, and flashed Jubilee her best bitch-smile. "At least I'm not stuck in the 80s." she remarked, meaning the yellow jacket Jubilee was known for wearing.
"That does it!" Jubilee cried out. Threats to her life she could take, but NO ONE messed with the clothes!
From her outstretched hands, blinding colorful light burst forth, right at Wanda.
The red-clad girl covered her eyes in time to save herself from temporary blindness, but took the physical blow. The energy knocked her off her feet, leaving her flat on her back.
Jubilee watched as the girl that claimed to be Magneto's daughter got up off the ground. Still on her guard, Jubilee waited for the girl to charge at her or something, but the girl stood there staring at her hands.
'What is she doing?' she asked herself. She had been in plenty of fights before, but no one had ever ignored her in favor of their own hands before. 'Oh my God! Maybe I knocked her stupid!' Jubilee thought.
"Hey, Goth! Are you awake or what?" she called.
Wanda opened her eyes and turned to face Jubilee. "Thank you, rock-star."
Jubilee's brows knitted. "For what?"
Wanda's full lips twisted into a sneering smile. "For making me able to do this."
Wanda's hands outstretched, mirroring the action Jubilee had made a moment before, and black energy burned through the buttery sunlight straight towards her.
She tried to create more of her own fireworks, but found that the colorful energies would not meet their target. Rather than hit Wanda, they veered off in every other direction.
"What the hell did you do to me?!" Jubilee screamed in frustration.
Wanda's wicked smile never left her face, "Just tilting the odds a bit more into my favor, rock-star."
*^*^*^*^*^*
John was NOT going to let Bobby win this fight. Good-natured as the power fight was, John was not going to allow ice to become more powerful than fire. It was a law of nature that fire would forever melt ice, and that is exactly what John had done.
Bobby gritted his teeth in concentration as he tried to fashion himself a shield like those used by medieval knights out of ice, but it was pointless.
As soon as John understood what Bobby was trying to do, he aimed a streamer right for him. Bobby ducked, and tried to roll out of the way, but John had become too fast. The flaming ribbon twisted around Bobby's shield and melted it within seconds.
So far, Bobby was out of breath, making it difficult for him to expend energy to make ice weapons. Panting, he asked John, "Think it's pretty funny, huh?"
John smirked, "Yeah, a little."
Bobby smirked back, and held out his hand.
John couldn't see what Bobby was making, but figured it out soon enough. John's sneakers slipped and he fell on the ground. The very icy, very slippery ground.
"Who's laughing now, Johnny?" Bobby asked.
John smiled meanly. "I will be, just give me a second."
Bobby started walking towards him, but stopped instantly when he felt it. John kept his gaze indifferent as he used his mind to direct the flaming hoop that was currently surrounding Bobby's waist.
"Check it out, Bobby, it's a hula hoop of flame!" He cried in mock enthusiasm.
Bobby stopped moving. The flaming hoop tightened somewhat; the icy armor at his waist was beginning to melt. If he was not careful, his skin would become exposed and he would find himself blistered and burnt from John's power.
"Give up?" John asked as he walked a little closer, until he and Bobby were mere feet apart.
"Um." Bobby hesitated.
"Yeah?" John persisted, tightening the hoop just a tad.
Chunks of his ice armor ice were slipping off of Bobby now; his arms, waist, upper legs, chest and back were exposed. The only icy parts of him left were below his knees and from his neck up.
Bobby rolled his eyes, "Alright, fine. Uncle." He ground out.
John smiled.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Anne Miller had lived in this neighborhood for most of her life. She had seen plenty of things happen within the complex, both good and bad.
It was an ordinary day, actually started off better than most. It was warm but not too warm, a cool breeze made the day even more pleasant. Anne had even had plans to take her dog for a walk about the neighborhood, and when she reached for his leash, she stopped.
Listened.
Yes, there it was again.
It was probably just some kids playing in the concrete area below her window, and normally she wouldn't have paid it any mind. She listened a little more closely.
No, it didn't sound like playing. It sounded more like fighting. Concerned now, she went to the window.
"Oh, my Lord!"
There were kids all over the place down there! A bunch of identical young men seemed to be trying to jump another boy, who was too fast to be touched, two girls had lights coming out of their hands and they were cat- fighting too, and even more amazing was that two other boys were fighting with fire and ice.
They were making the fire and ice with their hands!
Anne had seen many things happen in her lifetime, both good and bad, but never so frighteningly strange before.
She wasn't sure what to do exactly, but sometimes the oldest strategies worked best. She reached for her phone and dialed 911.
He and Bobby had always joked around about the idea of having a power fight back at school, but that was forever ago. Looking into Bobby's determined eyes, he knew there was no joking and no backing down. John didn't want to hurt him, but there was no way he was going to let Bobby win this either.
Bobby watched as John pulled out his trusty shark Zippo and sparked a flame. To John's surprise, Bobby smiled with anticipation.
"You've been looking forward to this, haven't you?" John asked, amazed at Bobby's out-of-character actions. It wasn't like Bobby to make accusations and initiate conflict. Yet here he was, practically urging John to attack him.
Bobby shrugged, "Remember how we always used to joke about this at school?"
John nodded, "How could I forget?"
"It's just gonna be so much fun to find out. You ready?"
John held the flame in his hand and pocketed the lighter. So Bobby didn't want to fight to hurt him, he just wanted to fight for the fun aspect of it. John knew that Bobby liked wrestling, he probably missed wrestling with his younger brother, and that's all this was to him.
To Bobby, this was just going to be some fun roughhousing, not a battle of wills.
John was almost disappointed. "I was born ready." He let the flame in his hand expand in size and length until it took on the shape of a serpent, wrapping around his torso and chest, the cobra's head of flame snapping at Bobby.
John had not been able to have such precise control over his flames back at the school. He had only been able to stoke flames or snuff them out, create fireballs and the streamers back at Bobby's house. But this was precise, measured, frighteningly in control.
Bobby gave John an impressed look. "Magneto's been teaching you."
John nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, Johnny, I've been getting some extra lessons too."
The air around Bobby immediately began to plummet, until Bobby's entire body was coated with a thin-but rock hard- layer of ice. He now looked like a mobile ice sculpture. John backed up a step.
"Whoa."
"Yeah, scared the Hell out of me the first time, too. So, do you still want to do this or are you going to back down. I don't think your friends can take us, no matter whose kids they are."
John looked over to the twins. He still didn't even have a concrete understanding of their powers, except for Pietro- who he assumed could teleport like that guy Kurt he remembered from on the jet. So far the only thing he knew that Wanda could do was flicker lights. Not the most effective powers to possess when facing the odds they were.
This wasn't their fight, they probably just assumed that they were humans badmouthing Magneto; John worried that they could be hurt.
Either reading his mind or just using that weird method all females seemed to have, Wanda brushed off his concern. "Do not worry, John. We can take care of ourselves."
"Yeah, I'll say!" Pietro chimed in. He turned back to Jamie, who was not at all amused by the platinum-haired punk before him. "Come on, farm-boy! Show me how the Americans like to fight!"
Jamie wasted no time in giving him a practical demonstration. John knew that Jamie was one of the best students in the combat skills elective course offered at Xavier's, and didn't want to watch Pietro get his ass kicked.
At Pietro's insistence, Jamie began to throw some quick jabs and punches. His fists hit nothing but air, Pietro was bobbing and weaving out of the way.
Pietro grabbed Jamie's wrist and sighed, "I am not impressed. Let ME show YOU."
Quick as a whip, Pietro latched onto Jamie's arm and began to spin, dragging him along. He spun, faster and faster, before finally letting Jamie go. Pietro's adversary landed roughly and tumbled on the concrete several feet away.
John couldn't help but wince; he knew how rough Pietro could be from personal experience.
"Did you see that?! No one insults MY father and gets away with it!" Pietro crowed to his audience. So caught up in his boasting, he didn't notice Jamie getting up from where he had landed, or that he was multiplying himself.
"Hey, Albino!" he called.
Pietro whirled around to see that his foe had somehow become ten. "Now that's a challenge." He said, smiling dangerously.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"What are YOU laughing at, rock-star?" Wanda asked Jubilee, who was laughing at Pietro's newly complicated situation.
Wanda's words were not mocking as Pietro's had been, but startlingly harsh. Wanda was nearly a head taller, she looked stronger, but none of that entered into Jubilee's head. She had learned a long time ago how to deal with people.
Just a little 'spark-n-flash' and she'd have instant respect.
Jubilee looked Wanda up and down slowly, "I was laughing at your outfit, Goth-queen! Haven't you ever heard of colors that aren't red or black?"
Wanda threw back her hair, and flashed Jubilee her best bitch-smile. "At least I'm not stuck in the 80s." she remarked, meaning the yellow jacket Jubilee was known for wearing.
"That does it!" Jubilee cried out. Threats to her life she could take, but NO ONE messed with the clothes!
From her outstretched hands, blinding colorful light burst forth, right at Wanda.
The red-clad girl covered her eyes in time to save herself from temporary blindness, but took the physical blow. The energy knocked her off her feet, leaving her flat on her back.
Jubilee watched as the girl that claimed to be Magneto's daughter got up off the ground. Still on her guard, Jubilee waited for the girl to charge at her or something, but the girl stood there staring at her hands.
'What is she doing?' she asked herself. She had been in plenty of fights before, but no one had ever ignored her in favor of their own hands before. 'Oh my God! Maybe I knocked her stupid!' Jubilee thought.
"Hey, Goth! Are you awake or what?" she called.
Wanda opened her eyes and turned to face Jubilee. "Thank you, rock-star."
Jubilee's brows knitted. "For what?"
Wanda's full lips twisted into a sneering smile. "For making me able to do this."
Wanda's hands outstretched, mirroring the action Jubilee had made a moment before, and black energy burned through the buttery sunlight straight towards her.
She tried to create more of her own fireworks, but found that the colorful energies would not meet their target. Rather than hit Wanda, they veered off in every other direction.
"What the hell did you do to me?!" Jubilee screamed in frustration.
Wanda's wicked smile never left her face, "Just tilting the odds a bit more into my favor, rock-star."
*^*^*^*^*^*
John was NOT going to let Bobby win this fight. Good-natured as the power fight was, John was not going to allow ice to become more powerful than fire. It was a law of nature that fire would forever melt ice, and that is exactly what John had done.
Bobby gritted his teeth in concentration as he tried to fashion himself a shield like those used by medieval knights out of ice, but it was pointless.
As soon as John understood what Bobby was trying to do, he aimed a streamer right for him. Bobby ducked, and tried to roll out of the way, but John had become too fast. The flaming ribbon twisted around Bobby's shield and melted it within seconds.
So far, Bobby was out of breath, making it difficult for him to expend energy to make ice weapons. Panting, he asked John, "Think it's pretty funny, huh?"
John smirked, "Yeah, a little."
Bobby smirked back, and held out his hand.
John couldn't see what Bobby was making, but figured it out soon enough. John's sneakers slipped and he fell on the ground. The very icy, very slippery ground.
"Who's laughing now, Johnny?" Bobby asked.
John smiled meanly. "I will be, just give me a second."
Bobby started walking towards him, but stopped instantly when he felt it. John kept his gaze indifferent as he used his mind to direct the flaming hoop that was currently surrounding Bobby's waist.
"Check it out, Bobby, it's a hula hoop of flame!" He cried in mock enthusiasm.
Bobby stopped moving. The flaming hoop tightened somewhat; the icy armor at his waist was beginning to melt. If he was not careful, his skin would become exposed and he would find himself blistered and burnt from John's power.
"Give up?" John asked as he walked a little closer, until he and Bobby were mere feet apart.
"Um." Bobby hesitated.
"Yeah?" John persisted, tightening the hoop just a tad.
Chunks of his ice armor ice were slipping off of Bobby now; his arms, waist, upper legs, chest and back were exposed. The only icy parts of him left were below his knees and from his neck up.
Bobby rolled his eyes, "Alright, fine. Uncle." He ground out.
John smiled.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Anne Miller had lived in this neighborhood for most of her life. She had seen plenty of things happen within the complex, both good and bad.
It was an ordinary day, actually started off better than most. It was warm but not too warm, a cool breeze made the day even more pleasant. Anne had even had plans to take her dog for a walk about the neighborhood, and when she reached for his leash, she stopped.
Listened.
Yes, there it was again.
It was probably just some kids playing in the concrete area below her window, and normally she wouldn't have paid it any mind. She listened a little more closely.
No, it didn't sound like playing. It sounded more like fighting. Concerned now, she went to the window.
"Oh, my Lord!"
There were kids all over the place down there! A bunch of identical young men seemed to be trying to jump another boy, who was too fast to be touched, two girls had lights coming out of their hands and they were cat- fighting too, and even more amazing was that two other boys were fighting with fire and ice.
They were making the fire and ice with their hands!
Anne had seen many things happen in her lifetime, both good and bad, but never so frighteningly strange before.
She wasn't sure what to do exactly, but sometimes the oldest strategies worked best. She reached for her phone and dialed 911.