"You going to your parents for the week"? John asks as he enters Bobby's room. The students have a week off so most of the kids visit family for the week, but a lot of them don’t have anyone so they stay at the school. John is one of those kids. "Yeah, they've been asking to see me for a while so", Bobby looks up from the bag he is packing when he went to respond. He doesn’t really wanna go to his parents, but he can't ignore them forever or they'll start wondering where he actually is. John trails further into the room coming around to the other side of the bed before sitting on it. "How long are you gonna stay"? Pyro asks as he reaches into the bag and grabs his cologne out of it.
"Just a couple days, I don't think I can stand a whole week with them" Bobby answers as he takes the item from John's hand to put it back in the bag. He pretends like he doesn’t care much about it, but it's been awhile since they've been apart and John doesn't really have anyone else to hang out with or anywhere to go when Bobby's gone. "Or you could stay.." John said slyly. He shot his hands out grabbing a hold of the man's waist in front of him to pull him a bit forward. Bobby stumbles towards him, planting himself between his boyfriend's legs. "I can't" he coos as he runs his hands through John's hair.
Pyro looks up at him with a frown, trying to give him puppy eyes that he horribly fails at- Only Iceman is good at puppy eyes- Bobby couldn't help but laugh a little at his pathetic try. "You could come with me" He put out there. John instantly pulls away from the hold he has and stands up, pushing past Bobby. "I don't think I'm exactly the take home to your parents type" John snickers through a witted grin- that isn’t even a joke, and it's not because he's a guy or even because he's a mutant, it's because of how he is as a person. He gets off on being an asshole and doing dumb shit- a part of it though is the fact he's a guy. John knows full well Bobby's parents aren't the accepting type, it got to the point he just found it easier to pretend he was straight.
"Yeah I know, but I want you to come" He trails over to John as he speaks. Bobby's finger tips glide along the other’s hip as he circles around Pyro to stand in front of him. "Are you sure you want me to go"? The slightly shorter boy asks. Parents are not John's thing, meeting them is way out of his comfort zone. He nods slightly; "just gonna have to pretend you aren't my boyfriend". That was easier said than done. It meant no holding hands, no kissing, probably sleeping in different rooms. John was never the physical touch type until Bobby came along, and now he can't keep his hands off him- not just in a sexual way, in any way really- the physical touch is one of the reminders that Bobby is with him, and that he isn’t gonna leave. "I can't promise I'll be able to do that". Iceman leans forward, pressing a chaste kiss to the other boy's lips. "Just try for me and also be nice" Bobby smiles at him.
————————
"Hey mom" Bobby exclaims with a smile. Mrs. Drake smiles and goes to go hug him until she notices John standing awkwardly behind him. Her smile quickly fades, as a puzzled look forms on her face; "Who is this"? Madeline tries being as kind as possible but her tone clearly gives away she doesn’t want him here. It has been awhile since she’s seen Bobby and now that she finally gets to see him, he brings some random person along. "Oh.. this is John, he doesn’t have anywhere to go so I thought it would be okay if I let him tag along" His voice sounds a bit hesitant as he speaks, not sure how much he should say. "My parents are dead" John buds in randomly, catching Bobby and his mother off guard by how casually he said that.
The silly grin on Pyro's face is not helping- first impression and so far it's going amazing- Bobby steps forward as he tries to change the conversation; "can we come in"? Mrs. Drake steps to the side so the boys can walk in. The house is nice and tidy, basically the definition of a suburban home. And the complete opposite of where John grew up. That's another reason why Pyro wasn't so keen on coming, seeing a happy family. Even if he knows they aren’t the perfect family, they are still nice and it makes him jealous. "You've gotten a lot taller, I think you may be surpassing your dad now" Madeline smiles as she places her hand on her son's shoulder. Bobby gives an awkward smile back, this isn’t fun for him either.
Another thing John doesn’t particularly like is that it's a shoes off in the house kind of family. They had just walked in and he is already conjuring up an escape plan. "Your dad's in the living room, and Ronny is in his room", she walks ahead of them towards the living room as she speaks. Once they kick their shoes off they follow behind. John is of course trailing close behind Bobby, hiding behind him like he is hoping no one will notice he's there. But sadly he sticks out like a sore thumb. "Bobby" William, Bobby's father exclaims as he stands up from where he was sitting. "Hey dad", Iceman tries to put on his best smile. A hug was exchanged between the two before John is noticed once again and he put his hand up to say hello. Usually a cocky response would get him through a situation he does wanna be in but he promised to at least try to be proper and nice and for once he's living up to the promise.
"Dad this is John, he goes to the same school as me". Even though he's not introducing him as his boyfriend Bobby still feels incredibly anxious. Last time he mentioned liking boys to his parents they threw the Bible at him- not literally, but after that they went to church more and basically surrounded him in religion and god. Until he let them think he was 'cured' but in reality he just hid in a shell, away from everyone who would judge him. It wasn't until he met some really good people at Xavier's that he felt comfortable enough to be open at the school. Being comfortable at home will never be an option though. "Nice to meet you" William half smiles, trying to be polite.
"Hey" John responds, trying his best to give a slight smile. Bobby sets their bag next to the couch before they all sit down on the couch to catch up. "So how is school going"? Madeline starts. It feels like they are in a showdown, both of Bobby's parents completely focused on them. John is nervous about slipping up and saying the wrong thing, and Bobby is nervous John is gonna say the wrong thing. If they find out they are mutants and/or dating everything is gonna go south real quick. That's why Bobby did most of the talking while Pyro sat back and did his own thing which involved him basically playing footsies with Iceman since they couldn't touch any other way without Madeline and William noticing.
It’s annoying and upsetting that they can’t even sit close together without his parents batting an eye. John knows Bobby is anxious and really doesn’t wanna be here, it brings up a lot of unpleasant memories. So he just wants to hold his hand to remind him it's okay but they can’t even do that. John understands why, he really does so he tries his best to respect Bobby's wishes of acting like friends. He tries his best- Pyro adjusts in his seat, spreading his legs further apart, basically manspreading until his knee is pressing against Bobby's. Just a small gesture nothing that shoul- "I'm gonna get some water" Bobby interrupts standing up quickly. Aw shit.. John gives him a look, silently pleading to not leave him alone with his parent's. But he just walks off.
"So, John, why'd you get invited to join the school"? William set his focus on him. Because he's a mutant, it's a school for mutants. He can't say that though. Luckily John basically lies for a living; "I had some of the highest math scores in my school". He didn't even go to school before Xavier took him in, at least not in a while. He was too busy running away from orphanages since he was 13 so school was never an option, it wasn't like he'd go anyways. Honestly the only reason he stays at Xavier's is because of Bobby, other than that he doesn't belong there. “That’s amazing, have you been there long”? John joined the school when he was 15, now he’s almost 18. He had joined a couple months before Bobby no one really talked to him which he preferred. But Bobby being the kind soul he is was the only person who talked to him and hung out with him. Even when others talked bad about Pyro, or even when John was an asshole to him he still stuck around. “Almost three years”.
Bobby finally joins them again, and for around 30 minutes or so they catch up on what has been going on. Of course Bobby has to leave out a lot or add stuff that didn’t actually happen. Because after all his parents just think he is at a normal school. A school for gifted kids, and he is gifted but not in the way they think. "I think we're going to head to bed, it's already pretty late, we can catch up more tomorrow" Bobby stands up from the couch, John following after. They didn't leave early enough this morning so they got here pretty late, plus Bobby doesn't think he can take another minute of this. "Bobby can show you to the guest bedroom" Mrs. Drake smiles at John.
He tries his best to give her a smile back to be nice. Bobby's bedroom, the guest bedroom and Ronny's bedroom are all upstairs. Thankfully away from where his parent's room is so they don’t have to pretend even behind closed doors. "You got the highest math scores"? Bobby teases as they enter the guest bedroom. John rolls his eyes at him in response. "You’d rather I say it's because I can control fire"?
You can hear Ronny's music down the hall, it isn’t super loud but loud enough they don’t need to worry about him hearing either. "Look I'm sorry about leaving you there like that, it's just you know my parents" Bobby turns around towards Pyro as he speaks. Earlier when John had pressed their knees together it was nothing, no one else would have noticed it but Iceman still shot up like a bullet trying to escape before his parents questioned anything. God he's still that scared little boy, feeling the pit grow in his stomach when his parents said all those nasty things about gay people. "I know" John moves in closer, closing the distance between them to give Iceman a goodnight kiss. Although it feels good to be able to be them again, Bobby was the first to break the kiss. "Goodnight Johnny" He smiles at him before giving one more quick kiss.
It honestly wasn't long, maybe 20 minutes before Bobby's door is opening. And of course it is John, in sweat pants and a t-shirt now. "Think I can stay for a bit"? Bobby is lying in his bed, in boxers and a t-shirt but yet to try and go to sleep. It feels weird being in this room again, his childhood bedroom. It's only been a few years but it feels like so much longer, he hoped deep down he'd never end up here again. But even though his parents aren't good people they are still his parents and he loves them. He can't just walk away from them.
"You can stay for a bit but then you have to go back to your room" Bobby pats the bed as he speaks, signaling him to come lay. John groans at the fact he can’t sleep with him- they've shared a room ever since they joined the school, and once they started dating a little over a year ago, they started sharing a bed. So this will be the first time in a while they have to sleep in separate rooms- John crawls into bed next to him, laying his head on the other boys chest as he stares up at the ceiling; "So glad I killed my parents, so I wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense" John jokes with a crooked grin across his face.
Bobby just shakes his head in disappointment; "don't joke like that". Pyro was always throwing jokes around about his parents. I mean it wasn't about killing his parents, he in fact did do that- on purpose- but they deserved it. They weren't what you would call good parents, they were far from it. Really far. And John's way of coping with that is joking about it, which Bobby never found funny in the slightest bit. But it was something he dealt with on the daily. A hand combs through John's hair, fingers slowly massaging his scalp. Which earns a low hum from the boy.
"It's only for a few days and then we can go back to the school" Bobby reassures before his lips meet John's head giving him a kiss. John sits up just to quickly lean down and catch the other man’s lips in a kiss; “thanks for inviting me though” he whispers into the kiss before lying on his side, peering at Bobby who also turned on his side. They move closer together until John’s head is burrowed in the curve of his neck, one of Bobby’s hands combing through Pyro’s hair and the other laying gently on his back. He knows Pyro would have to go back to his room soon, they can’t fall asleep together as they'd risk getting caught. But it was hard to pull away. They lay there in silence for a bit, John cradled in Bobby's arms. Which was ultimately a bad idea because it wasn't long before they both fell asleep—
Early the next morning Mrs. Drake goes to wake the boys for breakfast, starting at Bobby's room she lightly knocks but doesn't get a response. "Bobb-" Her voice is soft but she quickly stops speaking when she opens the door to see her son cuddled with another boy. All she can do is quickly close the door and stand there in disbelief for a while. Maybe she had a little inkling that they aren’t just friends but seeing it, seeing that doesn’t sit right in her gut. But all she does for now is knock a bit louder; "Bobby it's time for breakfast". This time he stirs away, and panic quickly sets in. Fuck they had fallen asleep. "Johnny, John wake up" Bobby whispers while nudging him slightly. All he does is groan a little and turn over so his face is burrowed in Iceman’s armpit and the pillow.
"Come on we have to get up, my mom almost caught us" He nudges him a bit harder which finally makes John sit up. "But she didn't, did she"? Pyro rolls his eyes and groans again. It is too damn early, who the fuck gets up for breakfast when they don't have anything planned. Bobby gets up off the bed ignoring him. "Go to your room and get dressed, don't fall back asleep please", Bobby goes over to the door and opens it a bit to make sure no one is there. The other boy lazily gets up, making his way over to him. "Yeah okay" He mumbles before stealing a kiss from Bobby. He knows he won’t be able to do that often for the next couple days, so he takes the chance when he can.
They both got dressed for the day before heading down stairs for breakfast. "Good morning" John says with a grin as they meet at the top of the stairs acting like they hadn't just woken up in the same bed. "Good morning" Bobby can’t help but smile and roll his eyes. He's glad his mother didn't walk in but he is still a bit anxious. Tonight they cannot do that again, no cuddling together for a little bit. Bobby doesn’t wanna risk it. They all gather around the table, except for Ronny he never gets up in the mornings for breakfast. He is barely out of his room regardless, hasn’t even said hello to Bobby.
"So" Madeline starts, picking up her fork to cut her sausage in half. "I saw you and John this morning". Bobby freezes, his eyes staring down at his plate, a familiar knot in his stomach. He feels like he’s gonna throw up, he feels like a kid again telling his parents he's gay. "Oh" He spoke quietly, not even thinking about looking at her. John doesn’t know what to feel, because he doesn’t care about what Bobby's parents think but he does care how Bobby feels. And in a way this is his fault, he should've just stayed in the guest bedroom. "I thought we went through this years ago Bobby, I thought you got better" Her voice sounds concerned and it’s ticking off Pyro a little. Why the fuck is she acting like he is sick.
"It's not something you just cure, it doesn't go away" John spoke, not caring at this point. He knows he's a guest in this house and that he promised to be nice but he isn't good at sitting back and shutting up. Bobby looks over at him, giving him that look of 'please don't'. John just bites the inside of his lip and rolls his eyes. It pisses him off that Bobby lets his parents say whatever. "You're not a part of this" Madeline has completely abandoned her food at this point and her tone sounds less concerned and more annoyed. "I'm the guy your son's fucking so I think I am" the grin that accompanies his remark is not helping the situation. "John don't" Bobby warns him quickly.
There’s a disgusted look on both of his parents' faces. William hasn't said anything but what he is feeling is clear, and I think not saying anything makes it worse. Knowing that he thinks who he is, is wrong and disgusting but he's too disappointed to even voice it. "This isn't what you want, it's not what he intended for you". There is his mother again throwing god into the mix. Bobby has always had a heavy guilt on his shoulders for being gay because of what the church has taught him. That god wouldn't love him for who he is. A part of Bobby knew that was a lie but another part of him was so drilled into the idea that being gay was wrong that he felt guilty for it. He felt guilty for looking at a guy and simply finding him attractive, and holding and kissing a guy made him feel so much worse.
John and some others helped Bobby learn that it was okay, and for a while it worked. But here he is again, in his parent's house, being told everything he tried so hard to forget- "how do you know what he wants, you aren't him and god sure as hell doesn't care who he loves" John bit back at her. He’s crossing the line again. "I'm sure your parents would be very proud of how their son turned out" Madeline said sarcastically with a stupid smile. It doesn't matter how John turned out because they'd never be proud of him, never. Even if he became someone good and perfect- if it isn’t for Bobby finally speaking up Pyro definitely would've said or even done something more stupid. "John go outside, I'll be out there in a minute".
Usually he would fight it. And say he isn’t gonna leave him, or let Madeline get the last word. But even he knows he should step away before he makes everything far worse, as he usually seems to do. John leaves the table only grabbing his shoes before going on the porch. "Thank you for telling him to leave" William finally says. Bobby also stands up from the table, his hands slightly shaking from being nervous. He never shakes, he's basically made of ice for fuck sake. "No I'm not on your side, don't talk to him like that". One thing Bobby learned while being away is that it's okay to stand up for yourself, even if the others around you don't like it. So that's what he's doing. "Bobby you know that being- is wrong" She stops half way through her sentence. Not even able to say the word.
"Why is it so wrong for me to love someone"? Bobby's tone sounds tearful. And it’s a genuine question. He never understood why it was so frowned upon to be happy. Mrs. Drake has William, that's her person. And Bobby has John, that's his person the only difference is they are both men. But why should that matter? "Because two men shouldn't do those things together" Her stomach feels like it’s turning with sickness as she says those words. "That's what you get from this? Me sleeping with another guy? You don't care about the fact your sons happy"
"We do care but that's not how you should be happy, that's now how god would want you to live" William is more gentle with his words but that doesn't mean they hurt less. Bobby knows exactly what he really feels and means. "Well you don't have to worry about it anymore, me and John are leaving and I don't know if you'll see me again" Bobby leaves it at that, turning around to make his way to the front door. The weight on his shoulders didn't exactly fall off once he finally spoke his mind like everyone said it would. It honestly felt heavier, because now his parents were more disappointed in him than ever. And he also just walked away from them, from his parents, his family. "Bobby" is all Madeline gets out before the front door closes. Neither of them go after him, just sit in silence at the table.
"I'm sorry I should've stayed in my pla-" John starts but gets cut off by Bobby kissing him. There is one place Iceman wants to be right now and that's where John is, he's the one person who can make everything feel better. Where the two boys are standing got Bobby's mother a clear view out the dining room window to where they are standing. Seeing them kiss makes her feel guilty but also upset, disappointed. She loves Bobby, that is no lie but that doesn't mean she'll accept him or ever understand- "It's okay, let's just get out of here please" Bobby spoke hurriedly..