❝ glad to see some things never change. ❞ there he goes with his mouth again, LOUDER than he’d intended, but yep. ky’lar’s the same old bitch, just with a new face. surprise, surprise. lips press together, eyebrows quirking up expectantly.
❝ alright then, guess contract’s not up. so who we squeezin’ today? some punk forget to call you sir?
❞ he’s treading dangerous waters, never really learned how to bite his tongue. but he’s irritated, like he actually expected ky’lar to release him. fucking pipe dream.
it was FAR more than simply TREADING dangerous waters. ky always had a TEMPER – even more so when things didn’t GO his way. a reason to why his hands CLENCHED into tight fists. if it WASN’T one thing… it was another. still, he sucked in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. anything to contain that ANGER with-in him that was brewing at the moment. ❝if you’re not careful, it might be you who i’ll squeeze until dry.❞ among other things.
. it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, years since the days spent sparring in the DANGER ROOM. bobby’s always known ky is a wildcard, but somehow he’s carried a small, secret little hope that he could ‘fix’ him, make him choose a different path. honestly, when he thinks about it, he can’t believe his own stupidity. you can’t fix people, and you can’t change them.
slowly the ice spreads from his fingers to cover him entirely, his body shifting to organic ice. he’s more durable like this, and it feels like this might get UGLY quick.
❝ fancy seeing you here, ❞ in the middle of a disaster, that ky’lar was probably the source of.
❝ y’know, your landscaping skills could use some work. you should hire a contractor next time. ❞
ky never could follow the rules. as much as he attempted to do so in the past… they always were just too r e s t r i c t i v e for him. he always had TROUBLE with limitations – it didn’t matter if they were for his BEST interest or not. maybe he should have listened a bit more and focused LESS on his own constant NEED to cure that ITCH under his skin.
still, he doubted that it would have CHANGED anything about this confrontation. he always was MESSY – even more so now, but he had HOPED he wouldn’t see bobby for a long while.
❝ never been one to care ‘bout messes. ❞ at least in recent memory. someone would come clean this up; they always did… one way or another. ❝ still, ❞ he said, hands slipping into his pockets, ❝ it’s good to see you again. ❞ even if every part of him knew this would turn into a fight. one… he craved, but also wanted to avoid.
❝ i see you got an upgrade. ❞ still, roman’s once over doesn’t read APPRECIATION ( even if he can begrudgingly admit he’s a sight more pleasing, but maybe that’s associations with the last vessel… )
❝ wouldn’t by chance mean you called me to say our deal’s done?
❞
❝ do you always have to point out the obvious? ❞ he asked, not IMPRESSED with the other’s comment. of course he UPGRADED. it wasn’t done out of choice – rather NECESSITY. a reason to why he decided to firmly SKIP over that fact and move onto more PRESSING matters than simply what he looked like. ❝ and NO! ❞ his final word came out far more HARSHLY than he would have liked, but all the same… it would prove the same POINT. ❝ it’s NOT! ❞
❝ i’m gonna have to take your word on that. he doesn’t sound like the type of guy you invite over for dinner. ❞ logan’s pretty intense, so if there’s someone who is a match for him, bobby doesn’t wanna be anywhere close.
❝ okay, so in a fight between logan and…scott, who do you think would win?
❞
❝ he isn’t the type of guy you’d take anywhere. ❞ then again, ky was the same way in all reality. he thrived on chaos – only reason he was having to restrain himself around the school was due to a deal. in truth, the first moment he got a chance, he would leave; possibly team up with the brotherhood if he got a chance.
the only problem was that he knew that control was first. at least… being able to keep himself in one piece. his powers were sporadic; he needed to find his own triggers. that way, he would know how to activate and control his abilities when the time came. it was the prime reason he was after-all and ironically the very reason he stayed.
❝ as for… logan and scott? depends. logan could win if he gets close enough, but as long as scott has distance? he should be able to win. ❞ then again, it was all about chance, and if ky was faced against logan on good days? he had a sure bet that logan would go down easily. it just depended on the situation.
. bobby’s eyebrows climb and he barely stops himsel from blurting out the next question on his mind. what had he done? but it’s probably better NOT to know. ❝ some days i think i’d be better off in prison than in one of logan’s classes, ❞
he says, trying to pass it off as a joke, but his laughter is a little nervous.
❝ logan’s classes aren’t so bad. ❞ well, at least compared to the ‘hell’ he had been through, ❝ maybe a bit… challenging, but i’ve been through worse. ❞ though, even that was up for debate, ❝ personally? i would love to see logan go up against my father. now, that… would be interesting. ❞
. bobby snorts softly and shakes his head. the freedom of doing whatever he wanted sounds great. bobby’s parents have always been too involved, his mom especially. but that’s parents for you. ❝ talk about a nasty surprise. so what happened that made you come here? did xavier come after you or was it one of the others? ❞
❝ i was given a choice,❞ rather, he was given several choices, and he would rather have some amount of freedom than have it taken all way, ❝ it was either a very high security prison or… here. ❞ of course, he had broken out of cells before, but… he knew he wouldn’t be able to push his luck if the prison they put him in was able to contain him, ❝ i chose the harder choice… or so i was told. ❞
❝ yeah i guess a few parties makes anything bearable. ❞ his words are mostly sarcastic, but if there was some comfort ky’lar derived from it, it’s something. you gotta find whatever gets you through. ❝ reality sucks. i mean, i guess i don’t have it so bad, but the thought of being a mutant is a lot different from actually BEING a mutant. people are awful. ❞
❝ true, but there wasn’t really a choice in anything back then. if i kept to myself and out of trouble, they didn’t care what i did. ❞ more to the point, it let ky get away with worse than simply a few ‘accidental’ fires, but that was besides the point, ❝ well, usually, but maybe it would have been better to know. at least it would have been easier to deal with when it call came crashing down around me.” ❞
. it’s not an idea bobby is at ALL comfortable with. no, it’s actually one of his greatest fears, that he’ll lose control, and shut someone down in a big way. like…FOREVER. he’s not sure it’s something he can even do for ky’lar, and needless to say the idea sours in the pit of his stomach, ruining his usually lighthearted disposition. his lips purse, brow furrowing, and he stares intently at the ground for a long while before his gaze finally raises to meet ky’lar’s.
❝ okay. ❞ he doesn’t WANT to, hopes it doesn’t come to that, but he knows that if he can’t do it for some reason it won’t take long for the other x-men to get here. people who are more seasoned, more capable of controlling the situation.
❝ i promise. now let’s get that simulation going.
❞
he wanted the promise due to the fact there was a REAL possibility that he would get out of control. if that happened, ky’lar wanted to know that bobby would take the NECESSARY steps to protect himself. if he couldn’t, there would be no clue what would happen, and he hoped that it wouldn’t get that far.
a nod was soon given. after-all, there was no going back once the simulation was started, and part of him knew this was a bad idea. he was angry, always was, and there was doubt that it would ever change. it was the one constant in his life, and most days…. he could just barely keep everything under control.
“Let’s get started then.”
❝ yikes, how do you even LIVE like that? ❞ bobby’s always thought floridians and ANYONE who willing lived somewhere without winter are weird. c’mon, there’s nothing better than hot cocoa after spending hours in the snow making snow angels and a misshapen lump of a snowman ( unless you were bobby drake. HIS snowmen are always perfect! )
❝ your family sounds like a bunch of winners,
❞ he mutters. but he’s sympathetic to ky’lar’s story. life’s not easy when your powers are blooming and you don’t even know what they ARE, let alone how to control them.
❝ that sounds pretty awful. sorry, man. ❞
“My family, for whatever they were worth, were better than having nothing, but throw in a few parties, and it was half-way decent.” A lie, “Honestly, it was easier that way —- still the mistake. At least back then I didn’t have to worry about all of this, “ he gave a gesture to the area around the both of them, ” Reality.””
. luck ends up being on their side. by the time bobby’s suited up in a practice suit ( a duller, darker blue rather than his ice blue & white ) the danger room’s free, recently vacated by a couple other students. as he waits for ky’lar he takes a casual position against the entrance, leaning with one leg stretched in front of him to make him look longer than he really is. bobby picks at his nails idly, cleaning the dirt from underneath them.
ky’lar changed as well ; finding one of the the practice suits was easy, but he wasn’t comfortable with just wearing it alone. a reason to why he slipped his usual jacket on over it — that way, he would have a sense of some normalcy while they were training.
not that it would be much, but it still was enough that ky managed to feel comfortable —- even though he knew how he was when he fought. he avoided it for a reason and using his abilities made the situation worse; one little moment of weakness and it would take him weeks to regain himself… if not longer.
❝ if i get out of control…. shut me down. ❞
it was a bold request; one that ky’lar hoped that bobby could honestly fulfill if things went badly. therefore, he had his gloves on as a secondary comfort —- he had outgrown the use for them a while ago, but they still helped when he got out of control.
Hellfirebound 