xp_logs | John and Scott, backdated to Sunday afternoon

x-cyclops.livejournal.com posting in

John runs into Scott working on his bike in the garage. They do a certain amount of catching up.

A bottle of beer in his right hand and lighter in his left, John made his way over to the garage. He had spent most of the morning wondering around the school compound, taking in the sights, both old and familiar, boring somewhat, avoiding any mutant interaction, he'd had enough to last him a year and generally being in a less than foul mood, thanks to said non-mutant interaction. He fiddled with his zippo, twirling it between his fingers, occasionally lighting it up as he bypassed the machine shop and headed straight for where the vehicles were stored.

Scott, behind his bike, wasn't immediately visible from the door. It was only when he stood up to head over to the tool bench that he saw John and John saw him. Scott smiled briefly, raising an eyebrow. "Afternoon, John," he said. "I was wondering when we'd run into each other."

And there he'd been hoping he could try to hotwire one of the unlocked cars. Oh well, better luck next time. John gave good ol' Scott the standard, signature smirk of his before leaning himself against the passenger side door of a Mazda RX-8. He took a quick swallow of his drink before placing the bottle on the hood of the car. "So the bike's still working," he said, canting his head to the side as he eyed the high-speed motorcycle.

"Of course it's still working," Scott said wryly, getting the wrench he'd wanted and heading back to the bike. He rubbed at the scars on the side of his face almost absently, forgetting the grease all over his hands. "What, you don't think that much has changed since you've been gone, do you?"

John took immediate notice of the scars on the man's face. Well, that hadn't been there before. He realized something else as his eyes met Scott's own. "...did you...manage to gain control of your powers or something?" That must have been it since he hadn't been blasted to the high heavens or well, hell, in his case.

Scott glanced at him, then smiled again, briefly, as he crouched back down beside the bike. "Remember the Seattle riots?" He didn't wait for an answer; every mutant who had the slightest interest in politics remembered the Seattle riots. "We were helping the police. I wound up down one eye and up one off-switch."

"Always a catch," he remarked before lighting himself a cigarette. John glanced up and around the area of the garage, moving between vehicles in an attempt to keep himself occupied. He had trouble handling uncomfortable silences.

"You're doing a whole lot less double-taking than most of the others did," Scott said amiably, turning his attention back to his bike. "I actually don't mind it so much. I can see colors properly, now."

"...didn't think that you were color blind before this," he mumbled out. John stared at the Crown Victoria Police Special and arched an eyebrow up. "What's with the shitty cop car?"

"Garrison's car," Scott said. "Ugly as sin, yes, but apparently it runs pretty well." He could forgive a lot, for speed and manueverability.

"You mean you got a cop living in the mansion?" John stepped away from the vehicle with a frown and headed back to where Scott was at. "I think this Garrison guy mentioned something about my rap sheet. You happen to know anything about it?"

"Well, your record was wiped back when Charles had his first semi-official visit to the Oval Office, remember," Scott said, looking up at him for a moment. "Doesn't mean that the records north of the border got wiped. Remember, you were officially a mutant terrorist for a while there..."

John managed another characteristic smirk before looking away. "Great," he said. "That's going to look real good next to my resume." He kicked a foot out against Scott's tyre. Gently, of course, but the act itself managed to convey his slight frustration. "...funny how it was easier being one of the bad guys," he muttered out.

"Was it really?" Scott asked dryly, eyeing the offending foot. "Or is it just harder being a good guy who was one of the bad guys for a while?" He contemplated the bike for a moment. "I should try being a bad guy for a while. I'd be a good bad guy."

"Well, you've got the look for it now," John said, eyeing the scar again. "Go for it."

"Eh, it's so overdone, though," Scott said teasingly, tinkering with his engine. "So, you settling in okay? I noticed some fireworks on the journals..."

He let out an audible sigh at the mention of that. "...comes with the reputation, I guess." John stubbed his cigarette out against the side of a metal bin before disposing it in a trash can close by. "Right now, I'm sort of thinking of getting a part time job somewhere. Maybe move out again when I have the money."

"Is that what brought you back? Money issues?" Scott regarded him calmly, one eyebrow slightly raised.

John hesitated for a moment before giving out a curt nod. He actually had an interest in putting his theoretical knowledge of teaching to good use at the school. He could use the experience but he would have to bring it up at a later date -- once he was sure about staying on at Xavier's.

Scott wasn't sure that he bought that, of course, but he wasn't about to push. "Well, it shouldn't be too intolerable," he went on amiably. "The latest batch of kids are... pretty nice, all things considered. Much less drama-prone than the last generation."

"By any chance, would that be you and Logan?" John raised his eyebrows slightly before letting out a chuckle. "You two still fighting it out?"

"I was actually referring to your generation, John, and the one that came after that was into the whole demon invasion thing." Scott snorted softly. "And Logan would like to think we're still fighting it out."

"Well, he's not still into Jean, is he?" He didn't however, wait for an answer to that. "So how's the old man?" John hadn't seen or heard much about the Professor since he'd left for college. His opinion of the man hadn't changed much but John had reasonable respect for him.

The only reason John did not get an affirmative answer to the first question was because Logan was a teammate, and John was not. Scott merely smiled slightly in response to that first question, then answered the second. "He's good. Busy, like the rest of us, and I'd say he's been under quite a bit of stress helping the rest of us deal with our various crises, but, well... he's Charles."

"Yeah. ...Superman on wheels." John nodded once. "I know." He gave Scott a slight smile. "Well, I'm gonna head off," he said. "Got a few errands to run before dinner."

"I'll see you later, John," Scott said amiably, turning his attention back fully to his bike. "If you need anything, let me know. I'm always around."