Log: Pyro and Rogue Who: John and Marie Allerdyce When: January 20, 2008; evening Where: the Lehnsherr house; Salem Center What: This all references a log that Kellie and I are still working on where Rogue is in Salem Center and accidentally sets a store on fire. Bobby, having been around to help at the Church, puts it out. Rogue decides not to tell John about running into Bobby. And now, naturally, once she finally does, it turns into an argument. And then John sobbing like a little girl. No, really:D
Rogue wanted to insist that John was being crazy and irrational and dumb with his reaction. But she had to grudgingly admit that she could see where he was coming from. It was a sort of damned if she did, damned if she didn’t situation. If she’d mentioned seeing Bobby to John, she’d been worried about his reaction. And so she’d tried to keep it to herself, which only served to make it worse when she finally said something. Damn it.
She waited until she was fairly sure that the claws under her knuckles were really and truly gone and then shoved herself up, grumbling, to go find John to make sure he didn’t do something stupid. The way he was prone to do.
John had sent an e-mail to Bobby saying he'd kick his ass. Considering that was pretty much the only contact they'd had for some while, it probably wasn't a good start. Now, John was sitting by the fireplace, a mug of hot coffee in his hands, scowling and looking appropriately surly and irritable. He was all bundled up, huddled by the fire, and he was just constantly reminded that January wasn't his time. There was too much goddamn ice.
When he heard her footsteps, he turned and immediately got to his feet. The coffee was set down on the mantle. "Why did it take you so fucking long to tell me?"
“This reaction is a good start,” she said with a sigh. She didn’t necessarily want to make light of it, but, on the other hand, it wasn’t like anything had happened for him to be upset about. And Rogue truly couldn’t figure out if he was actually upset because she hadn’t said something or because he was being stupid and conjuring up all sorts of ridiculous things. “Come on, really? You’re terrible about telling me everything. This is one thing.”
This is one thing? This is not one thing." John scowled. "You didn't tell me that you almost destroyed the fucking building... and then you didn't tell me that it was Bobby who put out the fire? Why the hell would you think you couldn't tell me this?"
“Because you get out of hand and all worked up when you hear his name,” Rogue snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. “And I told you. I came home. I wrote about it. And you read it before I had a chance to talk to you. And Bobby… this is why.” She frowned, not having come into the room any further than the doorway, stubbornly refusing to move closer. “I don’t get what you’re so upset about.”
"Because you felt the need to not tell me!" John said with exasperation, knowing that they were just going around in circles with this. "You felt like you had to hide that from me and that means something went on!"
“Are you serious?” Rogue said in disbelief. “Are you serious? What do you think ‘went on’? Honestly? You think we ran into each other and decided that it’d be a good time to rekindle our years-old relationship? Come on.” She ran her hands back through her hair with an impatient sigh. “Don’t be stupid. I know he gets you riled up. I was trying to avoid fighting with you over a five minute, awkward conversation with Bobby.”
"Five minutes? What was said? What did he say? What did you say?"
She dropped her hands and stared at him. “You’re serious, aren’t you? I don’t know. Stuff. About the Church, that I was staying in Salem Center and that’s why I was there, that he was a dick by pretending to be gay. Just stuff.”
John folded his arms. "He wants to fuck you."
Rogue groaned and leaned her head back, trying to keep from getting frustrated. “You think everyone wants to fuck me. Who cares?”
"Because it's Bobby!" John snapped. "Bobby, who fucking lied to you and made up this story to get out of fucking you, and then he's all up trying to run into you and get into your goddamn pants, Rogue! You might not see it, but I do, and I-----it just makes me so mad!" The flames in the fireplace roared, leaping up and shooting sparks across the room.
Rogue took an instinctive step back out of the doorway when the flames flared, clutching at the doorframe with her hand. She pressed her lips together tightly, waiting to make sure the fire wasn’t going to react to him again. “Again. So what? What does it matter what he’s trying to do. Even if he is. It doesn’t make a difference. What? You think I’m actually going to ---- You don’t actually think I’d run off and sleep with him, do you?”
John raised his eyebrows. "To be honest, Rogue, I... never know what you're going to do these days." Quickly, he went on: "That doesn't mean I think you'd do it. The point is, that's what he's doing and I don't want him around you, no matter how... how stupid you think I'm being. I want to knock his teeth in for having the goddamn balls to think he can even attempt putting the moves on you. Trying to get at you while I'm in jail? I don't fucking think so."
“John. Fine, okay, I’ve done a bunch of really crazy things. Alright? I get it. You’re the one who won’t let me keep doing them. But I still wouldn’t have ----” Rogue blew out her breath in a huff. “Because you never tried to hit on me when I was with Bobby. It shouldn’t matter what he does. It’s not like it has anything to do with us.”
John leaned against the mantle, burying his face against his arm. "I feel like I need to challenge him to a fucking duel."
“Over what. John.” She sighed, finally stepping into the room and touching his back lightly. “We’re married for goodness sake. Don’t you think you can say you won by now?”
John's fists clenched and he ground his teeth together. He shook his head slowly. Bobby had beaten him the last time they'd fought. Bobby had almost killed him. Bobby had taken his powers away----Kick and John's addiction had taken his powers away, but if Bobby hadn't fought him, that wouldn't have happened. And this? Fuck it, it was a last straw. "I can't stop hating him," he mumbled. "Because if I stop hating him I'll remember I miss him."
That was the last thing she’d expected him to say and Rogue frowned, leaning against his back. “So? You’re allowed to miss him. You’re allowed to miss him, John.”
John melted into her touch, giving over some of his weight and hanging his head. He hadn't meant to admit that, it just... tumbled out of his mouth. It was a relief to say it, a relief to admit it out loud, but at the same time, it opened something up and after a few long breaths he was sobbing, sinking down onto the floor and letting Rogue come with him.
“John ---?” Rogue sank down to the ground with him, wrapping her arms around him and dropping her head to his shoulder. “Johnny?” She hadn’t expected him to break down so thoroughly, and wasn’t sure that she’d ever witnessed him cracking like this, so she was holding onto him for dear life, like that would somehow hold him together.
It wasn't all about Bobby. John had needed this for a long, long time. He'd lost his best friend when he abandoned Bobby. He'd lost Jono, too----more than once. And now, where was he? A mostly-recovered drug addict and terrorist who ended up beaten and in jail more often than he was victorious, whose bark was worse than his bite, who had a broken hand thanks to a sapien... His wife was crazy and troubled and he couldn't help her. Everything he seemed to do for her was wrong. It was so much, so much that he just kept inside and it all came out now----no words, just inarticulate sobs.
"I miss him," he finally said through it all. "I miss him." He missed his old life, he missed things being easy. With Bobby, at the school, for a few years, they'd been easy. The stakes hadn't been so high. But he really did miss Bobby. That son of a bitch.
If there was anything she could sympathize with, it was the idea of missing everything being easy and missing life at the school. “John. I miss the way things were too,” she said softly. “Here…” She shifted, moving around him, so she could pull him against her and kiss his temple lightly. “Maybe now… maybe now that things are different…” With Magneto in charge, maybe everyone would settle into it. Maybe they wouldn’t have to fight so damn much.
John settled against her, taking solace in her presence instead of fearing or resenting it. "We can only hope, right? Things will be all right again." With the world, with them. John really only cared about Rogue finding herself again, even though he feared that she'd leave him once she did. And so, he said, "I love you," and genuinely meant it, leaning against her chest and getting as close as he could.
He was still going to kick Bobby Drake's ass. He just didn't have to talk about it.