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Post by Rogue on Jan 2, 2007 18:30:19 GMT
If she has to sit here and listen to them bicker over that movie for another minute, Rogue decides, she’s going to scream. Or strangle them both. It’s been going on for what feels like an hour, on and off, and just…
”Could y’all knock it off?” she interjects into a pause, throwing them both it’s not a question, do it now looks.
They need something to do. Something that doesn’t involve a full on ice vs. fire war in the middle of the park, preferably. This is definitely the last time she agrees to skip classes with the two of them – ever. Except probably not, because it’s not the first time she’s thought never again, and she’s here now.
The three are sitting in the park, on the swings, having just come from seeing a movie. She’s between the two – kind of. John’d decided not to take the open swing near her, and opted for the one a space down for some reason (which makes their argument even more annoying, since it’s not quite shouted, but still louder than just talking normally, due to the distance).
It’s nice out – cool, so she’s not too hot even all covered as she is, and still sunny so it’s not freezing…nice. Only problem is that sitting around on the swings eventually isn’t diversion enough to prevent petty arguments, and it’s about time they make a change of scenery, before she goes insane from listening to them bicker. Hopefully that’ll be enough, though she somehow doubts it.
“Y’all wanna get ice cream?”
…Well, it’d get them out of here, at least. And she could really use some ice cream right about now.
[Bobby and Johnny!]
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Post by Bobby Drake on Jan 2, 2007 18:59:06 GMT
(( OOC: This is setting the wayback machine to before the bunnyslippers incident, I think… right? ))
"Sure, it’s not directly from the anthology, but it’s still tackling the same basic issues: our relationship to our own technology, how we deal with technology that outstrips our natural capabilities, how we reconcile the desire to be protect from our own faults with the desire to be free and autonomous. Granted, making Susan Calvin a babe misses the whole point of her, but… "
> "Could y’all knock it off?"
Bobby’s a little startled by the interjection, and looks back at Marie. "Oh, um… sure. Sorry, hon." He knows she doesn’t like it when he and John get into arguments like this, but he can’t seem to help it. He’s not even really sure why he’s defending the movie, which on balance had kinda sucked, but John had started going on about how bad it was and he’d argued pretty much by reflex.
If anything, it seems to happen more often when Marie is around… he’s really not sure why that is, but it’s pretty reliable. Must suck for her, he realizes ruefully.
He supposes he should change the subject, or suggest they go do something, but nothing comes to mind. Skipping class to go to the movies had been John’s idea – surprise, surprise – and he’d really just gone along for the ride. He kicks back and swings a little to cover his awkwardness, looking back and forth between the two of them.
> "Y’all wanna get ice cream?"
Bobby nods and hops off the swing. "Sure, I could use something cool." He can’t help but smirk a little as he says it at the way John is bundled up against the weather, even though it isn’t cold even by normal people’s standards.Of course, Marie’s dressed pretty warmly too, but in her case it hasn’t got much to do with the weather… and most people would probably consider Bobby’s T-shirt and shorts underdressed for the season, even on such a sunny day.
He shrugs and puts an arm over Marie’s shoulder, careful to avoid touching her neck where the collar doesn’t cover it. "My treat."
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Post by Pyro on Jan 2, 2007 19:52:33 GMT
[OOC: Oh yeah. Waaay back. Welcome to Fall 2004. Bob and Rogue have been dating since April. Bunny slippers is that Christmas… Alkali is a year away]
”Ignoring the fact that it’s missing the whole fuckin’ point of the laws – which was to stop Frankenstein Syndrome infecting Asimov’s work the way it did everything else he read – “ and, fingers crossed, also missing how that betrays an interest in, well, anything, because nothing’s allowed to contradict the whole nonchalant thing… ”it still… sucked. Wasn’t even properly mindless ‘cos the Asimov link let the stupid filmmakers get all pretentious and pretend they’d made something thought-provoking…”
On second thoughts, this might not have been the best idea, really. Not the missing class, which he refuses to regret, but the seeing that film… he’d only gone to shut Bobby up because seriously, if he’d heard one more sermon on how great it was going to be etc etc etc from King Geek-cicle he’d have gone stark raving mad, and true to form just like everything else on the Altar of Nerd-ism it had been crap. And no, that probably doesn’t matter, and it’s certainly no reason for them to be tearing into each other, but whatever… They’ve been doing this a lot more since Rogue muscled in on the act, and for some reason the point-scoring matters more than the *we shouldn’t be fighting in front of her*…
< making Susan Calvin a babe…
”A babe?” John snorts, reading for rant number… whatever it is (got to be in the hundreds by now…), twisting rather than swinging properly and glaring out from underneath what for him amounts to not nearly enough layers (who the hell decided going outside would be a good idea? At least, in retrospect, the cinema had been warm…)… but Rogue speaks up, and he’s torn between a grudging respect/surprise hybrid at how she’s finally grown the metaphorical balls to interject and a smirking distain for how she’s cut off Bob’s… no surprise which wins out, really, because it’s sickening watching them play perfect couple as he scrambles to appease her.
< Y’all wanna get ice cream?
”Oh, great idea, Leech-ette” John rolls his eyes, tone positively dripping with enough sarcasm to drive home the difference between genuine scorn and his *normal* innate disdainful-ness. ”Not enough that we’re fucking freezing out here, we have to get ice cream as well?” Okay, freezing may be a slight over-statement, but this is John and he’s, erm, unusual when it comes to temperature. And hell, it’s a lot less freaky to be complaining about the cold than running around in shorts regardless of how mild this Fall is turning out to be… Besides, there’s a whole ‘nother issue if they’re going to be buying anything, because unlike Bobby (who gets allowance, of course, from his perfect parents) and Rogue (one benefit to this whole dating thing being how she can get him to pay for her so he feels like a proper boyfriend… god knows everything else *normal* isn’t working too well for them) he’s… broke. “You realise you’re dating a sadist, Icicle?”
< My treat…
… that changes things, slightly. But he’s still not leaping at it… mainly because he wants them to beg. Or at least cajole. Maybe just, y’know, turn back and ask if he’s going with them. Anything that shows they haven’t totally forgotten about him. Yep. Not that he cares, of course.
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Post by Rogue on Jan 2, 2007 20:36:07 GMT
"Sure, I could use something cool."
”Oh, great idea, Leech-ette Not enough that we’re fucking freezing out here, we have to get ice cream as well?”
The obvious difference between the responses she gets is somewhere between amusing and annoying – couldn’t they just…agree for once? On something? She’s not asking a lot, really, is she? She sighs slightly, then shoots John a look. His whacked out temperature issues can’t be that bad, can they? Seriously, it’s not cold at all, let alone ‘freezing’.
“Yes. We have t'.”
“You realise you’re dating a sadist, Icicle?”[/color]
The look morphs into an almost-amused, almost-mock-offended glare, and she sticks her tongue out at him as she stands up. She doesn’t actually tense, per se, at the contact as Bobby puts an arm around her. It’s closer to a flinch, actually, and corrected as soon as she realizes that it’s alright, she’s covered, and she shoots him a smile. It’s annoying how it’s always one or the other of them flinching or tensing or whatever every time they get anywhere near each other…but now isn’t the time to brood.
"My treat."[/color]
“Thanks sugah.” She responds with another bright smile, then glances over to John again – who hasn’t moved from his seat on the swing,. “Oh, c’mon, John. Y’not gonna die o’anythin’…”
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Post by Bobby Drake on Jan 2, 2007 21:47:51 GMT
> " Oh, great idea, Leech-ette "
Bobby scowls at John’s use of the nickname, but doesn’t make an issue of it, not really knowing how to do so without starting another argument, and not wanting to do that so soon after apologizing to Marie for the last one. So he settles for a scowl.
> " Not enough that we’re fucking freezing out here, we have to get ice cream as well?"
> "Yes. We have t'."
Marie responds before Bobby even gets his mouth open, and he grins when she sticks her tongue out… then loses the grin and pulls away reflexively at her flinch, then tentatively returns his arm to her shoulders when she smiles at him. He suppresses the urge to apologize; he’s been doing too much of that, lately, and it’s really not his fault… or at least not entirely his fault.
Not that it’s her fault either, it’s just… frustrating. They’ve been dating for six months now, and they’re still flinching and fumbling every time they try to touch… or, more precisely, every time he tries to touch her, because she doesn’t really touch anybody. It’s embarrassing. And sure, he knows how her powers work, it’s not like he wants to get into her pants or anything, it’s just… ah, the hell with it. Easier to think about ice cream.
> " Thanks sugah."
He can’t help but smile back at her smile, which almost makes the frustration seem worth it. "No worries. You too, John… can’t let you freeze your nuts off out here, can we? And I don’t s’pose you want to repeat that whole “getting rid of the cold” experiment…" That had been an unqualified disaster… not only had he almost given John frostbite, he’d also had to sit through yet another of Hank’s lectures about thermodynamics afterwards. Still doesn’t seem quite right, though… if he can make it colder, it stands to reason he should be able to make it less cold, doesn’t it? But apparently it doesn’t work that way.
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Post by Pyro on Jan 3, 2007 0:31:36 GMT
John rolls his eyes at the tongue poke (because obviously he’s the mature one here… he thinks. How old is Rogue anyway?), slouches further on the swing (and yes, he can do that… he’s, erm, skilled at the whole *sulking* thing) and generally makes a show of how unmovable he can be… which doubles as curling up into himself against the cold. Because it is cold. The others are clearly insane… because he’s obviously the measure of normality on Planet John, and normal is to think this is chilly rather than to run around in shorts and eat ice cream, because while Planet John can accept people who manipulate flame with a mere thought people who enjoy this weather are obviously all sorts of mutated and depraved.
< Can’t let you freeze your nuts off out here, can we?
Regardless of the attention-seeking streak, and how that part of him wants to celebrate Bob (ooh, and Rogue too… yay!) turning their focus from tripping around their respective neuroses back to him for even a moment, he’s not going to act pleased. No. That would be totally un-John, wouldn’t it? Only real response he can give is to smirk and toss off, deadpan, ”Such concern for my nuts, Drake? Wow. Can Rogue start worrying now? Or should I reassure her that I’m flattered but it could never work between flame and a snowman regardless of whether I swung that way?”
< Y’not gonna die o’ anythin’
The irritation in Rogue’s tone also pleases him far more than it should… and he can’t resist trying to push it that little bit further, asking Bob about her despite his almost total ignorance (something else he’s still not above ribbing… because despite dating for 6 months they might as well be strangers and all) rather than ask her to her face. It was something he’d done a lot more when she was new on the scene, almost pretending it was still just him and Bobby and refusing to acknowledge the interloper once it was established that she had no interest in, and wasn’t especially interesting to, him… but it still held good for an occasional dig. ”Your girlfriend get here before or after the whole ‘getting rid of…?”
< … the cold’ experiment…
”Exactly” John shivers at the memory, a weird combination of grave-walker and actual cold shiver, because that had been… fucked up, to say the least. Definitely pushed freezing to death even further up the *ways not to end things* list. ”Yeah, no repeats here, thanks. Fairly attached to my bits in their un-frostbitten condition.” It’s then that he gets up, because it’s not worth getting left behind over, a surrender he covers up with more of the usual. If ignoring her is one of his handles on Rogue then the opposite works on Bobby… any sort of flirting, however heavy handed (heavier the better, usually, to make sure Mr. Golden Boy gets the point, subtleties of that sort usually passing him by, poor innocent Ice-boy), any reference to him-and-Rogue (which was how it was going to play out until Bobby’s stupid ice-rose stunt… but hey, worked out okay in the end. Saved him from having to date poisoned-skin-girl and deal with the not-touching… which is good. Yep), anything like that, usually gets him to, er, loose his cool (heh!) and an irritated Bobby is like an enraged puppy… far too entertaining. ”Going to need them to console poor ol’ Roguey here when she finally gets fed up and goes after someone who’s not afraid to play with fire ‘stead’a tiptoeing round it.”
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Post by Rogue on Jan 3, 2007 2:31:12 GMT
”Such concern for my nuts, Drake? Wow. Can Rogue start worrying now? Or should I reassure her that I’m flattered but it could never work between flame and a snowman regardless of whether I swung that way?”
She barely responds at all, just a slightly annoyed eye roll and a sigh. It’s not totally un-amusing, but it’s not quite amusing enough to get past the annoying quality to it, either. The mention of this “getting rid of the cold experiment” draws a raised eyebrow and a curious look cast towards both, though. “Can’ say I was, no…” And she’s not totally sure if she wants to know, either, but she doesn’t add that.
”Yeah, no repeats here, thanks. Fairly attached to my bits in their un-frostbitten condition. Going to need them to console poor ol’ Roguey here when she finally gets fed up and goes after someone who’s not afraid to play with fire ‘stead’a tiptoeing round it.”
She rolls her eyes once again.“…Right.” She knows better than to think much of his weird almost-flirting – he’s trying to get Bobby annoyed, now, and she’s not in the mood for anymore arguments (especially a pointless one over her). “Now that ya’ve boosted y’own ego t’impossible heights, Johnny, can y’stop actin’ like an ass so we c’n jus’ get some da*n ice cream?”
Ooh. Right, so that was snippier than intended…. Whatever, though, she’s just not in the mood. She absently leans into Bobby a little more, almost wearily. The sooner they get in there, and sit down, and start acting somewhat civil, the better.
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Post by Bobby Drake on Jan 3, 2007 4:19:43 GMT
> "Such concern for my nuts, Drake? Wow. Can Rogue start worrying now?"
“Jealous, Sparky? Just don’t want to hear you complaining all night, is all." That’s what he should say. But as always with John, he only thinks of the comeback long afterwards. Even with the entirely predictable implying-he’s-gay routine, which John keeps using over and over, Bobby just kind of freezes up. Which is ridiculous, because he’s supposed to be training to be some kind of superhero or something, so he’s supposed to be able to provide witty banter under stressful conditions, right? Except it doesn’t seem to work that way.
He’s a bit relieved at Marie’s reply, therefore, as it saves him the need to come up with a comeback. He’s not really annoyed by John’s antics… or, well, OK, he sorta is, but more because John is pulling this shit in front of Marie than anything else. It’s embarrassing! But at the same time, John’s his best friend, and he and Marie do sorta seem to get along, in a weird snipey kind of way, and… Bobby shrugs. Truth is, he doesn’t understand it himself. All he knows for sure is that somehow his friendship with John and his relationship with Marie have gotten all tied up into some weird three-way thing and he’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad.
> " Fairly attached to my bits in their un-frostbitten condition. Going to need them to console poor ol’ Roguey here when she finally gets fed up and goes after someone who’s not afraid to play with fire ‘stead’a tiptoeing round it. "
That stings too much to ignore, though, even with Marie around. He turns angrily. "You can play with your own damn fire whenever you like, John, just keep it – "
> " Now that ya’ve boosted y’own ego t’impossible heights, Johnny, can y’stop actin’ like an ass so we c’n jus’ get some damn ice cream?"
Bobby blinks as she cuts him off, then chuckles. Yeah. What she said. He can’t resist a triumphant smirk in John’s direction as Marie leans into his shoulder and he holds her a little tighter, before turning back around to head towards the ice-cream parlor. " Join us or stay out here, John… up to you."
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Post by Pyro on Jan 3, 2007 4:43:13 GMT
A victory? Why yes. Totally. Duh…
… okay, maybe not so much the bashing from Rogue (though that’s obviously nothing he can’t handle… once he comes up with something like a comeback, at least), nor the way it seems to have cued up some more cutesy, or at least semi-functional, couple-stuff, which… ick. But pushing Bobby into proper anger? Always fun, both because riled up Bobby’s genuinely amusing and because, well, John being John he can’ t resist making any sort of fire flare like that. And good for a few points, though it’s starting to feel increasingly like he’s the only one keeping score… which isn’t right. They’re not meant to be the ones leaving him behind here, not when he’s the eldest and the ring-leader and everything.
… maybe not a total victory, because it still ends up with him either semi-meekly following them in (hah… okay, that’s an image. Him, meek. Never going to happen) or being out here. Alone. Which is bad… which is why he’s still hanging around when all *normal* laws of these sorts of things argue that he should bugger off and leave them to be a *couple* instead of their… whatever this is…
… and he’s still… not winning back any points. Shit. Erm… angle....
”Stay behind? And miss out on the incredible beta-male in action?” – yep, smirk still firmly in place, of course (though this is the semi-tempered hey, I'm still your mate... smirk rather than the full-on one the rest of the world gets treated to), as he slots back into place on Rogue's other side – ”Yeah right. Best ego boost a guy can get, watching you slide under her ball-breaking thumb… You’re still paying, right?”
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Post by Bobby Drake on Jan 3, 2007 6:23:29 GMT
> " Stay behind? And miss out on the incredible beta-male in action? Yeah right. Best ego boost a guy can get, watching you slide under her ball-breaking thumb… You’re still paying, right? "
The funny thing is, all the insults ought to be pissing him off. From anyone else, they would be. But they aren’t. Or, well, they are, but… well, it’s different. Bobby doesn’t really understand why, but it is.
Part of it, he supposes, is that he knows it’s an act. Or, not exactly an act maybe, but something like it. John always makes himself look worse than he is… less educated, less thoughtful, less friendly, less decent, less intelligent. Bobby’s not sure why he does it, but in the last year or so that they’ve been friends it’s pretty much been the most reliable thing about the guy. No matter what the situation, the best way to predict what John’s going to do is to figure out what he thinks will make him look most like a thoughtless jerk. In a weird, demented sort of way it’s refreshing: most people seem to bend over backwards to make themselves seem better than they really are… smarter, more educated, kinder, friendlier. With John, it’s the other way around.
And part of it is just that he feels bad for the guy. When Marie showed up and Bobby started spending time with her, it always seemed like he wanted to chase her off… like he was jealous. It took Bobby months to figure out that he was really John’s only friend around the Institute, and he just didn’t want to be alone… not that he’d ever admit to it. So he started inviting John along… or, well, not kicking him out when he invited himself along. And after a while he’d switched from trying to chase her off to trying to edge Bobby out… except Bobby’s pretty sure it isn’t that at all, that’s just the way he wants it to look.
All of which is sufficiently roundabout to give him a headache, but the bottom line is that John follows them around because he hasn’t got anywhere else to be, and Bobby knows it, and John knows it, and rubbing the guy’s nose in it is just mean. Not that any of that stops him from wanting to punch John in the face … but it does stop him from doing it.
"Yeah, I’m still paying. "
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Post by Rogue on Jan 3, 2007 16:58:35 GMT
She smiles a little in response to Bobby’s smile, almost apologetic that she cut him off. She hadn’t meant to, but, seriously, she was just…getting more than a little tired of it. And he doesn’t really seem to mind too much, anyway.
"Join us or stay out here, John… up to you."
”Stay behind? And miss out on the incredible beta-male in action? Yeah right. Best ego boost a guy can get, watching you slide under her ball-breaking thumb… You’re still paying, right?”
"Yeah, I’m still paying. "[/color]
Due to the quick change of subject, she doesn’t have time to interject a protest at the ‘ball-breaking thumb’ comment, but there’s still time to hit him without it seeming totally random and unrelated. So she does, though it’s not too hard, or anything…
“Now, y’all aren’t allowed t’fight.” She tosses a pointed look towards John (since he seems to be the one that causes more of the trouble, anyhow) “At all. For th’rest of the day, y’gonna get along, whether y’like it o’not.”
And, okay, her taking charge and insisting like that isn’t totally normal. But, seriously, it’s been going on for far too long, and not just today. So it’s about time she stopped it (as best she can anyway).
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