100 Situations - Rogue/Pyro T2 Prompt #16: Criminal
Title: Renewal (14/?)
Fandom: X-Men (Movie)
Characters: Rogue/Pyro
Prompt: #16 - Criminal
Word Count: 1475
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A new year begins as an old friendship is renewed.
Author's Notes: The X-Men aren’t mine; they belong to Marvel and 20th Century Fox.
Post X3, has spoilers. Cheers to feeferj, and also to scatterhearts. So here we are, fic #70... Pop the champagne, folks!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
Written for 100_situations
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Marie’s cheeks started to heat up, embarrassed that she had been caught snooping. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… Well, I did, but-I’m sorry.”
John’s blue eyes were hard, his nonchalant shrug doing nothing to make her feel at ease. “I would have preferred you asking first before going through my stuff, but I seem to remember you never could keep your gloved hands out of my stuff before, either.”
Marie’s gaze dropped as she started to chew her lip. She knew the ‘before’ he referred to. Back when they had both been students at Xavier’s. Before Stryker. Before Alkali Lake. Before he left. Before the Cure.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again.
The wrist mount was still clutched to her chest, and she visibly flinched when John pushed off the doorjamb to crouch beside her. He sighed, raising his fingers to comb through her white streak.
“It’s okay, it’s just… It’s been a long time since I’ve had to worry about anyone else.” He cleared his throat, reaching out to pick up the matching wrist mount. “And it still hurts. Knowing that I don’t have my power. That I can’t wield fire. That I’m nothing.”
Marie turned her head to look at him, her voice quiet. “You’re not nothing. You’re just a different kind of something…” she trailed off and winced. “That sounded better in my head.”
“I can’t feel it anymore. When I do this,” he flicked the switch, igniting a small flame, “there’s nothing. I used to be able to… I don’t know, sense it or something. It was a part of me.”
Marie shifted a hand, hesitating for a moment before placing it on his thigh. She could still remember what it had felt like to have him in her head. What it had felt like to drain him and suddenly be aware of all the flames around them. And she could still remember the first time she had seen him. The first time she had seen his fire. It had been so beautiful.
John shifted, sitting on the floor. He rolled up his shirtsleeve, strapping the wrist mount to his right hand. He flexed his fingers, turning his hand over as he looked at the shark insignia. His lips started to curl into a sneer, and Marie wondered if this was the Pyro who had faced Bobby at Alcatraz.
“I would have died for him.”
Marie’s lips parted with a gasp. She knew without asking who he had been talking about. Magneto.
“I would have done anything he asked. You know why?” He turned his head, pinning her with a glare. His sneer increased when she shook her head. “Because I believed in him. I believed in what we were fighting for. I wanted to be a god.” He hissed out a breath, ripping off the wrist mount and tossing it back into the box. “Some fucking good that did me. I follow him to Alcatraz and get headbutted by that fucker you had for a boyfriend. Not to mention the Iceman froze my hands. And then I wind up being captured and given the fucking Cure.”
Marie didn’t know what to do. She put down the wrist mount she held, shuffling towards John until she was practically sitting in his lap. He turned his head away, but she grabbed it with both hands, forcing him to look at her. She frowned at the angry glare she got.
“Why didn’t you want me? Before, when I was more than some worthless human. Why did you choose that frozen fuckwit?”
The utter pain in his expression threatened to break Marie’s heart, and she sat there stunned for a long moment. “I… I never thought you liked me, not like that. And I didn’t know you were human when you kissed me at the party. I didn’t know until you came to see me at work. As far as I knew you were still you. Mutant you.”
John grimaced, clearly fighting his agony. “Then how can you stand it? How can you stand me being like this?”
Marie bit her lip, stroking the side of his face. She didn’t know what to say that could possibly fix his pain. She thought that after she’d watched him breakdown before, that he’d been okay after letting out all his anguish. But he was still suffering; he was still tormented by everything he had been. By everything he had lost.
“I can stand it because…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath. Why could she stand it? She looked at him, and she didn’t think about John the Human, or John the Mutant. So what did she see?
He gave a derisive snort. “You can’t think of anything can you? So what’s the fucking point, Marie? Why are we even doing this?”
She choked back a sob. “I can think of something! Lots of things, you just didn’t give me a chance to reply.” Tears started to spill down her cheeks, and she blinked rapidly in an attempt to stop any more from falling. “If being human is so bad, then why are you bothering with me, huh? You think you can be with me because we’re both dirty fucking humans now?” She let go of his face, backing up. “What do you want from me? Because I want you, John. I want you more than I thought would ever be possible.”
She broke down, unable to stop the tears from coming. She hated herself for crying. Hated that she couldn’t keep his words from affecting her. Hated that he could make her question everything about herself. She recoiled as his hand brushed her cheek, turning away from him as she started to sob harder.
“I want you, too,” he whispered as he grabbed both her arms and pulled her to him. He tangled a hand in her hair, turning her head so that she had to look at him. “But I can’t keep pretending. I can’t keep acting like we don’t have a past, or that we were never mutants. I can’t just forget. And I don’t want you to, either.”
She took a gasping breath, still trying to push him away. “I haven’t forgotten. I could never forget. But I couldn’t live without touch. Do you even understand what that was like? Do you? You’re mourning the loss of something beautiful, and controllable. Why should I mourn the loss of something that only ever hurt the people I loved? That kept me distant from my own kind?”
He pulled her nearer, his mouth close to hers, their breath beginning to mingle. “Because we were your own kind. Because you were so much better than an ordinary human. Because you were special. Because your skin would never have mattered to me one bit. You just never gave me the chance to show you.”
Her tears stopped, fury gathering in her brow. “I was special? So what am I now? You’ve been cured so now you have to slum it with the human girl?”
John nearly growled, his anger matching hers. “That’s the part you choose to fucking listen to? Did you not understand everything else I said?”
Marie let out a howl of frustration, pushing John until he fell backwards. His hand in her hair meant that she went with him. She started hitting him in the chest. “Just tell me what you fucking want from me! Do you need me to tell you how fucking amazing you are? Do you want me to sit here and tell you how sorry I am again, and again about how you got cured? What?” She started to cry again, confusion and stress getting the better of her.
John raised his head, his lips brushing against hers. “I already told you, Marie. I want you. But you’re not the only one who’s confused. You’ve had over a year to get used to being human. I’m still finding my feet. Please, just be patient. And just be here for me, okay? Don’t leave. I’m begging you.” He tried to smile through the tears that started to sting his eyes. “And you know how much I hate begging anyone for anything.”
She was torn between slapping him and kissing him. She compromised by thumping him in the chest again. “You can be a fucking idiot sometimes, you know that? You never have to pretend with me. Don’t you understand? I lo-care about you no matter what.”
They stared at each other, both realising what she had been about to say. And neither ready to verbally acknowledge the slip. His mouth found hers again, his tongue pushing past her lips as the kiss built in intensity.
When he released her mouth long enough for her to get her breath back, she whispered against his ear. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
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Fandom: X-Men (Movie)
Characters: Rogue/Pyro
Prompt: #16 - Criminal
Word Count: 1475
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A new year begins as an old friendship is renewed.
Author's Notes: The X-Men aren’t mine; they belong to Marvel and 20th Century Fox.
Post X3, has spoilers. Cheers to feeferj, and also to scatterhearts. So here we are, fic #70... Pop the champagne, folks!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
Written for 100_situations
_____________________________
Marie’s cheeks started to heat up, embarrassed that she had been caught snooping. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… Well, I did, but-I’m sorry.”
John’s blue eyes were hard, his nonchalant shrug doing nothing to make her feel at ease. “I would have preferred you asking first before going through my stuff, but I seem to remember you never could keep your gloved hands out of my stuff before, either.”
Marie’s gaze dropped as she started to chew her lip. She knew the ‘before’ he referred to. Back when they had both been students at Xavier’s. Before Stryker. Before Alkali Lake. Before he left. Before the Cure.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again.
The wrist mount was still clutched to her chest, and she visibly flinched when John pushed off the doorjamb to crouch beside her. He sighed, raising his fingers to comb through her white streak.
“It’s okay, it’s just… It’s been a long time since I’ve had to worry about anyone else.” He cleared his throat, reaching out to pick up the matching wrist mount. “And it still hurts. Knowing that I don’t have my power. That I can’t wield fire. That I’m nothing.”
Marie turned her head to look at him, her voice quiet. “You’re not nothing. You’re just a different kind of something…” she trailed off and winced. “That sounded better in my head.”
“I can’t feel it anymore. When I do this,” he flicked the switch, igniting a small flame, “there’s nothing. I used to be able to… I don’t know, sense it or something. It was a part of me.”
Marie shifted a hand, hesitating for a moment before placing it on his thigh. She could still remember what it had felt like to have him in her head. What it had felt like to drain him and suddenly be aware of all the flames around them. And she could still remember the first time she had seen him. The first time she had seen his fire. It had been so beautiful.
John shifted, sitting on the floor. He rolled up his shirtsleeve, strapping the wrist mount to his right hand. He flexed his fingers, turning his hand over as he looked at the shark insignia. His lips started to curl into a sneer, and Marie wondered if this was the Pyro who had faced Bobby at Alcatraz.
“I would have died for him.”
Marie’s lips parted with a gasp. She knew without asking who he had been talking about. Magneto.
“I would have done anything he asked. You know why?” He turned his head, pinning her with a glare. His sneer increased when she shook her head. “Because I believed in him. I believed in what we were fighting for. I wanted to be a god.” He hissed out a breath, ripping off the wrist mount and tossing it back into the box. “Some fucking good that did me. I follow him to Alcatraz and get headbutted by that fucker you had for a boyfriend. Not to mention the Iceman froze my hands. And then I wind up being captured and given the fucking Cure.”
Marie didn’t know what to do. She put down the wrist mount she held, shuffling towards John until she was practically sitting in his lap. He turned his head away, but she grabbed it with both hands, forcing him to look at her. She frowned at the angry glare she got.
“Why didn’t you want me? Before, when I was more than some worthless human. Why did you choose that frozen fuckwit?”
The utter pain in his expression threatened to break Marie’s heart, and she sat there stunned for a long moment. “I… I never thought you liked me, not like that. And I didn’t know you were human when you kissed me at the party. I didn’t know until you came to see me at work. As far as I knew you were still you. Mutant you.”
John grimaced, clearly fighting his agony. “Then how can you stand it? How can you stand me being like this?”
Marie bit her lip, stroking the side of his face. She didn’t know what to say that could possibly fix his pain. She thought that after she’d watched him breakdown before, that he’d been okay after letting out all his anguish. But he was still suffering; he was still tormented by everything he had been. By everything he had lost.
“I can stand it because…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath. Why could she stand it? She looked at him, and she didn’t think about John the Human, or John the Mutant. So what did she see?
He gave a derisive snort. “You can’t think of anything can you? So what’s the fucking point, Marie? Why are we even doing this?”
She choked back a sob. “I can think of something! Lots of things, you just didn’t give me a chance to reply.” Tears started to spill down her cheeks, and she blinked rapidly in an attempt to stop any more from falling. “If being human is so bad, then why are you bothering with me, huh? You think you can be with me because we’re both dirty fucking humans now?” She let go of his face, backing up. “What do you want from me? Because I want you, John. I want you more than I thought would ever be possible.”
She broke down, unable to stop the tears from coming. She hated herself for crying. Hated that she couldn’t keep his words from affecting her. Hated that he could make her question everything about herself. She recoiled as his hand brushed her cheek, turning away from him as she started to sob harder.
“I want you, too,” he whispered as he grabbed both her arms and pulled her to him. He tangled a hand in her hair, turning her head so that she had to look at him. “But I can’t keep pretending. I can’t keep acting like we don’t have a past, or that we were never mutants. I can’t just forget. And I don’t want you to, either.”
She took a gasping breath, still trying to push him away. “I haven’t forgotten. I could never forget. But I couldn’t live without touch. Do you even understand what that was like? Do you? You’re mourning the loss of something beautiful, and controllable. Why should I mourn the loss of something that only ever hurt the people I loved? That kept me distant from my own kind?”
He pulled her nearer, his mouth close to hers, their breath beginning to mingle. “Because we were your own kind. Because you were so much better than an ordinary human. Because you were special. Because your skin would never have mattered to me one bit. You just never gave me the chance to show you.”
Her tears stopped, fury gathering in her brow. “I was special? So what am I now? You’ve been cured so now you have to slum it with the human girl?”
John nearly growled, his anger matching hers. “That’s the part you choose to fucking listen to? Did you not understand everything else I said?”
Marie let out a howl of frustration, pushing John until he fell backwards. His hand in her hair meant that she went with him. She started hitting him in the chest. “Just tell me what you fucking want from me! Do you need me to tell you how fucking amazing you are? Do you want me to sit here and tell you how sorry I am again, and again about how you got cured? What?” She started to cry again, confusion and stress getting the better of her.
John raised his head, his lips brushing against hers. “I already told you, Marie. I want you. But you’re not the only one who’s confused. You’ve had over a year to get used to being human. I’m still finding my feet. Please, just be patient. And just be here for me, okay? Don’t leave. I’m begging you.” He tried to smile through the tears that started to sting his eyes. “And you know how much I hate begging anyone for anything.”
She was torn between slapping him and kissing him. She compromised by thumping him in the chest again. “You can be a fucking idiot sometimes, you know that? You never have to pretend with me. Don’t you understand? I lo-care about you no matter what.”
They stared at each other, both realising what she had been about to say. And neither ready to verbally acknowledge the slip. His mouth found hers again, his tongue pushing past her lips as the kiss built in intensity.
When he released her mouth long enough for her to get her breath back, she whispered against his ear. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
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