Fire and Ice meet again (Iceman)

[pyro2]

God, this was bizarre... When Magneto had convinced him to come back to the mansion to start preparing for the battle against a new, powerful common enemy, Pyro had thought that he might at least be able to live somewhere else. But there was no real option nearby. No other buildings or hotels. And if he had to spend his days here... well, the most reasonable and convenient thing was to actually move in. Last time he had lived here, he had shared a room with Bobby Drake, the Iceman, his best friend. But now... they were enemies, they had fought, he had lost.

And here he was, walking in the hallway that led to their old room where Bobby, apparently, still lived in. His own room was a few doors further down. At least he didn't have to share it with anyone... But it was still very, very strange. And every time, he walked through this hallway, he wondered if Bobby was just now behind this door. They hadn't met yet. He wasn't even sure if the ice mutant knew that he was back in the house. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to finally meet him or not. His feelings about his former friend were still very mixed. Before Alcatraz, he had convinced himself that he hated him - he had been a big reason why he had left, after all. But during their duel..., when it seemed for a few seconds that he might actually win, Pyro had hesitated, for a split second. Because the idea to really hurt Bobby, or to kill him... it was... well, nothing that he wanted to do. Then Bobby had changed into this ice form and everything went black.

The duel had left him confused, annoyed, angry. He kind of wanted revenge but he also wasn't sure what he would do if Bobby agreed to a rematch. Especially now that they were supposed to work together again. The door to the old room came closer and closer - and just two seconds before John passed it, it opened. Out walked Bobby Drake, directly into his way, not seeing him yet. Fuck.

[iceman]

Bobby was sitting in his room thinking. He had been talking to Alex Summers earlier in the day, or last night Bobby couldn’t remember it had been late or early, whichever you wanted to call it. However they had been talking about the fact that the brotherhood where at the school. It had been something that didn’t bother Bobby at all, after all they where all mutants so therefore there shouldn’t have been a problem in them all living in the same place. In theory anyway. Bobby knew that there was very little chance of everyone getting along but he had hoped that they where willing to try, both the X men and the brotherhood.

Then Bobby had been thinking about his former friend and kind of nemesis Pyro. When John had been at the school they had been close, there had been no denying that, they where friends, some would go as far as to say best friends. However their friendship evaporated when John left for the brotherhood. Even though they had clashed a couple of times since John had left Bobby didn’t have any intention to kill him, after all he didn’t hate John like he did the people that viewed mutants as a problem. He just thought that there was a different way to deal with that problem compared to the way that the brotherhood thought. At the battle of Alcatraz that had been why Bobby hadn’t killed john when he could have done, he even went as far as to take him away from Alcatraz so that Pyro wouldn’t be caught by the cops because of what he did at the battle.

Deciding that he needed to go and eat he walked out of him room not realising that John was in the same hallway. Turning he nearly walked into the fire mutant.

“Sorry,” he said looking at the person he nearly walked into. “I figured you’d be back, you trying to re-familiarise yourself with the place?”

[pyro2]

And wham! Bobby turned and nearly walked into him. John saw recognition dawn on the ice mutant's face. Considering how out of the blue this meeting was, Bobby reacted pretty cool though. Casual even. But then, that was Bobby, he tended to keep things mellow, tried to be nice and understanding to everyone.

Last time they had seen each other, they had fought, had thrown their powerful elemental forces at each other, and it felt weird to go back now to casual chatting. Pyro had stopped reflexively when his former friend suddenly exited his - their - room. Despite being prepared that this meeting would happen, he didn't really know how to react now that it did. Bobby apparently wasn't surprised that he was back. "Really, you figured that?" Pyro tried to sound casual too. "I didn't. Never thought, I'd be back here in a million years. And I won't have to familiarise myself because I'll be gone as soon as this next battle is over..." Not that Bobby would get any ideas of a permanent reunification or something insane like that.

His eyes briefly moved up and down the Iceman's frame. He looked good, relaxed, self confident. "You've de-iced I see...", his last memory of Bobby had been the ice figure he had turned into suddenly and to John's huge surprise. He had never seen him do that before."Can't wait for a re-match... and this time you'll be less lucky." He sounded confident. Then his eyes quickly moved to the door behind Bobby. "Still in our old room? Would have thought you'd have moved in with Rogue by now.... oh wait, right, she went to get the 'cure'..." He smirked. "How did that work out for her?" Since the 'cure' didn't work, she should be back to normal, like Magneto. "Well, I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted..." Bobby's relationship to Rogue had always mystified him. Why date a girl you couldn't touch?

[iceman]

Bobby sighed when John started, Bobby knew that the other mutant wouldn’t leave it alone, seemingly bringing up everything that he hadn’t had the chance to do since he had been gone. Of course Bobby knew that the alliance so to speak would never be forever, however at the same time he had meant more if John knew where he was going or if he had still been unable to remember the school that well, it wouldn’t surprise Bobby if it was the case, even though it had been a while since Johnny had been around at the same time he had been around enough to know the school better than anyone. Of course John probably had expected never to be back again.

“You know you never disappoint,” Bobby said evenly “when I think there might be a chance of you being humbled by the fact I kicked your ass at Alcatraz, you still act like a prick, it is a good job that you are in the brotherhood rather than the X men, you have just proven time and time again that you never really belonged with us, to be an X man you have to care about people, also have people care about you, however John you have neither, that is why your so bitter.”

Then Bobby thought about Rogue, he knew that John was taunting him about her getting the cure, however at the same time Bobby had been devastated for his girlfriend when she had not been able to permanently touch people. Not because it meant that he couldn’t touch her, more to the point of he didn’t know how she dealt with the minimal human contact that her powers allowed, it must have been ,maddening and frustrating for her.

“You know,” Bobby said getting right in John’s face, “I should have left you to die at Alcatraz, don’t worry though if you wanna fight again, I won’t make the mistake of letting you live again.”

[pyro2]

Bobby started to speak, and while he talked, there was a small smile appearing on John's face. He obviously had managed to get to him, the ice mutant was not so cool after all. "Jeez, Drake, that's quite a speech. And it is a bit rich to tell me that I don't care." Oh, he had cared. There had been a time when he probably would have taken any hit for Bobby, Then bloody fucking Rogue had shown up and everything had gone down the drain. And all for a girl he could not even kiss! Suddenly, it had been Rogue here and Rogue there... well Bobby had stopped caring before him. He just had adapted.

Was he bitter? He had been once, maybe, yeah, that was probably true. And it was interesting that Bobby still knew him well enough to know that about him. "And you're wrong if you think that the Brotherhood isn't fighting for something because we care. Unlike you who try to appease humans whereever you can, no matter how depraved they behave, we actually care about our fellow mutants enough to risk something."

At Bobby's next words, the fire mutant frowned. What did that mean? He should have left him to die...? Did that mean...? "Seriously? It was you?" Bobby had brought him out and away from the chaos to safety after he had knocked him out? This was something John hadn't considered for a second. And there was actually embarassment mixed in with the surprise. Not only Bobby had beaten him, he had probably saved his life or at least had spared him time in some human prison. His defiance and self confidence from just seconds before evaporated, instead he was grinding his teeth. And there it was, Bobby had managed to make him spechless.

[iceman]

Bobby could tell that he could tell that he had gotten to John also, that was why they had been best friends, they knew what buttons to push, how to make the other mad or calm, but when John had mentioned Rogue Bobby had gone in for the kill, Bobby understood why John stood with the brotherhood, he understood why Rogue had gotten the cure, however even though he respected both of their choices if the cure had worked it would have left Bobby being the soul x men out of the three. Even though that would hurt him that didn’t mean that he would allow anything to happen to either of them, that had been why he had saved John, don’t get him wrong, he didn’t like John’s recent actions but there was a friendship, a brotherhood no pun intended between the two that a difference in opinions couldn’t change, no matter how much either of them wanted it to.

“Oh you’ll do anything for each other.” Bobby said “of course you would, because Magneto didn’t toss Mystique to the side like a piece of shit when she took the cure for him and became human instead of it being him, don’t bullshit me John the brotherhood and Magneto are out for one person, them self, you want self sacrifice? Jean Grey Alkali lake, if you had stuck around you would know that Jean gave her life for us to get away, sure she came back but she cared about all of us enough to give her own life to save us.”

Bobby grinned at John’s reaction the fact that he had saved him.

“Yup,” he said “what? You thought the brotherhood saved you? Nope even after all the crap we have been through I wouldn’t let you get caught, after all me and you are the same aren’t we? Mutants with nothing other than our powers and the friends we have.. and lost.”

[pyro2]

Honestly, Bobby had a point there with Magneto and Mystique. He himself had found it hard to believe how the Brotherhood leader had tossed her away there in that truck, after all she had done for him. But of course he couldn't admit that. Also... why did Bobby even know those kind of details? Pyro also remembered the talk with Magneto after he had found him back at the villa. Apparently Mystique was back in the picture, they had talked it out. "He actually did that on purpose to get her out of danger. As a mere human, she was much more at risk if she had continued to support the battle. And he knew that this was the only way how he might have a chance to prevent her doing that." He smiled at Bobby. "Not everything is at it looks on first glance. Also, speaking about sacrifices, Jean might have saved you at Alkali lake but she left a pretty bad path of destruction when she came back. And coming back... kind of destroys the sacrifice part a bit, no?" He smirked.

That smirk vanished quickly though, when he realized what Bobby was telling him. He coughed. It was absurd, he had to be thankful to the guy who beat him, who was the reason why he needed saving? This was so fucked up! Pyro shook his head. "Fuck you, Bobby... why do you always have to be so... so fucking..." He sighed, cleared his throat. "Damn... okay, okay..." His hand went through his hair and he took a step backwards to collect himself. Then he looked at him again. "So, thank you, I guess. Thanks for beating me and not leaving me. It sucks and I hate you for it but thanks." Slowly he found his tongue and his wit again.

[iceman]

Bobby smirked when John spoke, he could tell that John was defending Magneto’s actions Bobby had found out about what had happened because of Beast and the rest of the X men they had kept up with the fact that they had not wanted any secrets from each other unlike the brotherhood because of the fact that there was a line of command within the brotherhood with Magneto at the top, the x men was different to that because of the fact that there was a level playing field with different members of the X men such as Beast, Storm, Logan and the Summers’ but that had been the difference between the two teams, the X men where more than a group of people they where a team and a family.

“Yeah because that was actually Jean in control wasn’t it?” Bobby said “killing Scott, and the professor Jean wasn’t in control of her actions and you damn well know it, even if you claim that she wasn’t I don’t know what your point was but there was no way that Jean who sacrificed herself for us was the same woman that tried to kill us.”

Bobby smirked when John couldn’t really come up with a response.

“Sure John,” he said with a smirk “when you can come up with a response let me know, and more to the point there was no reason for me to leave you, after all who would want you?”

[pyro2]

Pyro shrugged. "No idea what exactly happened, but the woman looked like Jean, talked like Jean and had enough memories of Jean... she gave me the creeps, though. More than before." He had never been a fan of telepaths, and even her hotness couldn't make him overlook that she was one, back in school. "And now she's back - again, supermutant-zombie Jean..." He had seen her once, from afar, and he made sure to keep out of her way, just in case. "Don't tell me you trust her."

Bobby's glee was so fucking obvious, it was nearly painful. He had had this ace up his sleeve and he had played it perfectly. "What else you wanna hear?" He had said thank you, had he not? "Besides... I'm a wanted terrorist. If you had left me and I had survived Jean's destruction... the humans would have gladly put me in some high security prison after forcing the cure on me." A very probable scenario, Bobby had to admit that. Which, of course, made his rescue even more valid. The fire mutant growled. "So I guess, I owe you one." Yeah, a fucking big one. Which meant, instead of finding the next possible opportunity to fight him, he not only could not do that, he had to help him if he got in trouble. And Bobby Drake didn't get in trouble, usually. Which meant that he might have to walk around with this debt for quite a while. This was so fucked up! Pyro had the urgent wish to burn something down, something big, right now.

[iceman]

Bobby had to admit that John had a point when he talked about Jean, that was something that had bothered him, that Jean had looked like she always had done, however she had been different, walked and talked and acted the same when she had come back, but then she had been believed to have killed Scott and the professor, then they had just accepted her back with open arms now that Scott was alive, he had questioned if Scott had trusted his wife and when Scott said yes Bobby had left it alone as he had trusted the leader of the X men. “Of course I trust her,” Bobby said instantly “unlike you, I take my friendships seriously John I don’t walk out on them when I see fit.”

Again Bobby had to admit that John had a point but he could see that John was not happy about what had gone down either, that Johnny had saved him and not given him the chance of dying in almost the way of the matyr or being imprisoned for his actions, no instead John would not pay for what he had done. In many ways Bobby wanted it to come down to the two of them. That he would be the one to stop John, after all he felt he was the most entitled.

“For now,” Bobby said “but for starters I think you would do yourself a favour and correct that damn jackass attitude of yours, I know for a fact that just because there is one Summers that is a stick in the mud, we have one that is willing to kick anyone’s ass now,” he didn’t know if he was meant to mention Alex at all but he figured it wouldn’t hurt.

[pyro2]

That was really fucking rich! Bobby quoted the virtues of friendship! Pyro's face darkened. "First of all, if you really trust her, you're an idiot. Second, I didn't walk out of our friendship, you did. I just followed suit." When Rogue appeared in the picture, everything had changed, fast and drastic. Suddenly, there was only Rogue here and Rogue there, nothing else was important anymore. And again: this for a girl he couldn't even touch! Okay, okay, Pyro wasn't really familiar with the concept of love. It never actually had happened to him. Sure, he had been interested... but that had always been about the sex, never more. And exactly that was not possible with Rogue.

But then John couldn't help but smile. 'damn jackass attitude'? "You used to like that about me...", he replied and smirked now. "Probably because being such a good and honest guy is really exhausting, and hanging out with me gave you a bit of a rebellious streak... made you cooler..." Then he frowned. What was that about Summers? John had not been aware that there was a second one, not in general, and not here. "Okay, you just lost me, Drake."

[iceman]

Bobby was confused, what the hell was John on about, it had been John that had left, John had turned his back on them and left them for the brotherhood, his words made no sense, after all at no point had Bobby let his best friend down, not that he could remember anyway, yet John seemed to think that there had been something that Bobby had done that had angered the flame mutant. “You are making no sense,” Bobby told him simply “let me know when you want to start making sense John, it was you that left and I am an idiot because I won’t expect that Jean is just going to start killing us I am loyal to my friends John. It’s a niece trick you might want to try it.”

Bobby smirked when John seemed confused when he mentioned Alex. “It turned out that Scott wasn’t the only Summers,” he said at a slower speed. “and trust me, that Summers, if you piss him off, he doesn’t give second chances like Scotty does, so I would watch your mouth around him specially when your badmouthing his sister in law and all.”

[pyro2]

Pyro snorted, annoyed. Bobby had really no clue, no fucking clue at all what really had happened at the time. "I'm not making sense", he repeated, obviously finding that idea very strange. He shrugged. Should he help Bobby to make sense of it? Did he even still care? Times had changed, his relationships to people had changed. Never again had he let anyone as close as Bobby at the time. And if he was really, totally, absolutely honest to himself (which he usually avoided), he still missed it. The way it had been between the two. Before Rogue had broken it apart.

He sighed. "I guess I just expected too much from you." God, this was strange. Was he really about to talk about his feelings now? But it was kind of now or never. They were talking, after all, something he never expected would ever happen again. He looked at him, no jackass attitude, just seriously and honestly. "Remember how it used to be in the beginning? The two of us, shacking up in our room, fooling around, playing with our powers, you the serious good guy, always about class and homework, me the lazy rebel, always against the rules - and the homework..." He actually smirked, remembering that. "I've loved those times. You were my first best friend ever. And considering how it all turned out, probably my last one too. For you it might have been nothing special... but... for me it really was." Okay, this started to get embarassing, He cleared his throat. "Anyway, it ended with you hopelessly crushing on Rogue. You left our friendship, maybe not physically but... spiritually. And pretty quickly I realized that our friendship was all that actually had been keeping me here. And the sad remains of it just weren't enough." He shook his head, remembering his first encounter with Magneto, in the jet. "The Brotherhood showed up at exactly the right time with the right words..." His eyes looked for Bobby's again. "Does that make more sense now?"

He then took in the information that there was another Summers brother, and apparently a more interesting one, a hot-head. "Sounds like my kind of guy. Can't wait to meet him...", he said with a grin.

[iceman]

Bobby raised an eyebrow when John spoke, that was John’s argument for leaving, because Bobby hadn’t spent as much time with him because of Rogue, was he being serious, that was John’s reason for going and killing people the battle at Alcatraz they had both been attempting to kill each other, or so it had seemed at the time. Therefore it was a surprise with the fact that John now seemed to think like it was all Bobby’s fault in what he had done.

“Are you high or something?” Bobby said looking at John like he was crazy “that is the reason for all of your actions, everything you have done, is because I got a girlfriend, so then I couldn’t be around you as much as I use to do? I am sorry that I wasn’t around as much to hold your hand and wipe your ass for you John but I wanted to have my own life also, I wasn’t going to put my life on hold just to make you happy, worrying about how every single one of my reactions was going to affect you John, at the end of the day, you have your life and I have mine, there is no changing that, but at the same time that does not mean that I am going to let you blame me for falling in love with Rogue,”

Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes “of course you could, just if you are going to kill each other go outside to do it.”

[pyro2]

Bobby's reaction was not exactly a surprise: disbelief, wonder, rejection, defense. Obviously this had come as a complete surprise to him. And that now was really something John could not blame him for. He himself had been too cool and too proud to show any of this at the time. But a few years had passed since then, and he had grown emotionally and was able now to admit such things. Not without a certain embarassment... but still.

"Me, high?" He smirked and made it sound as if such an innocent and good guy as himself couldn't possibly be... But he had smuggled pot into their room often enough, and Bobby knew of course. "Nah. I'm actually telling you what I felt at the time and why I did what I did. I thought you deserve as much, considering you saved me and all." There was a thin smile on his face now. "As you might remember, unlike you, I had a bit of a difficult childhood. No friends really. So for me, this here with you... it was pretty big. But the point I'm making: It was you who kept me here. Without you, I would have left much earlier. Maybe not to the Brotherhood, who knows." He shrugged. "So, yeah, I'm sorry. You are to blame, partly, for my bad deeds." Pyro smiled.

"But then, without you, I might have started much earlier with those. So... good job." He actually stepped closer and patted him on his back. Of course, at the end, nobody else but he himself was responsible for the things he had done. There were always choices. But Bobby Drake had been an important part of his way, and he had definitely triggered things. "By the way... how did that life of yours with your big love Rogue go for you?" He looked at him. "Was it worth it?"

And concerning the other Summers...: "I'm sure you would not let that happen. Any kind of killing, I mean."