On The Road

[x-coldhands.livejournal.com]

So, what really happened during that drive to Boston with x_coldhands, x_pyromaniac, x_snikt and x_rogue during X2?

*dramatic flourish*



Bobby: Flooring the gas, Logan accelerates down the on-ramp onto I-684, heading north for I-84.
Rogue: Rogue fumbles for a radio station with news.
John: John slumps back into his chair and whines. "Yeah, because the news service are really going to care about dumb muties getting their school shafted."
Bobby: "Shut up, John," Bobby says, almost automatically, from beside him.
Rogue: She looks over her shoulder. "Traffic report, dumbass."
Rogue: "Just making sure. They get pissy, even at this hour, when things are blocked."
John: "It's 1am in the morning and we're in the middle of freaking nowhere! Do you see traffic?"
Logan: Logan puts his foot to the floor. The RX-8 speeds along, rotary engine humming. He lets the teenagers bicker amongst themselves.
Bobby: "You were expecting 1am in the afternoon?" Bobby says with a grin.
Rogue: "You want me to come back there?" She turns around in her seat.
John: "Well, I don't, but you'd have to check with him." John grumps, thumbing in Bobby's general direction.
Rogue: "It's not him that needs a gag."
John: "Oh, I didn't know your girl was into kink, Drake."
Bobby: "Into what?"
John: John sags back into the seat. "Jesus H. Christ," he mutters, and gives up.
Rogue: Rogue slumps into her seat, grinding her teeth. "No seat ejection on this thing?" she asks, scanning the dash for buttons.
Bobby: Bobby snorts. "There's always the door."
Rogue: "Yeah," she grumbles. "But littering is a crime against the environment."
Logan: Logan's nose twitches and he sighs. "Careful, or I'll dump all of you on the side of the road."
Rogue: "What," Rogue snaps, "you're going to pull over?"
Bobby: "Yeah, don't make him stop this car."
Logan: "No," he replies. "I'm going to toss you all out the suicide doors."
Bobby: Bobby's grin evaporates. "Suicide doors?"
John: John's eyes go wide. "What he said."
Logan: "The rear doors, kid." Logan grumbles about boys who don't know anything about cars.
Bobby: "Huh. Not my era, man," Bobby says, shaking his head.
Rogue: Rogue casts a disparaging glance into the back seat and settles down in her seat.
John: "More like millenium," John mutters, and closes his eyes.
Logan: "It's a 2003." Logan rolls his eyes and shifts into sixth gear.
Bobby: "It's cool," Bobby says hurriedly. At this stage, a Buick pimpmobile would be fucking cool as long as it gets them away from Salem.
John: "How many more hours?" John asked.
Rogue: "Isn't it a little early for 'Are we there yet?'" Rogue snaps.
John: "I think it's a little too late for 'mind your own fucking business'." John snaps back.
Rogue: She pops the glove compartment open and starts rummaging through it. "You know, you'd think of all the people to keep wetnaps in the car, it'd be Scott."
Bobby: Bobby punches John's arm. "Shut /up/."
Logan: Logan looks down at his hands. They're covered in blood. "Oh."
John: John flicks his lighter open, and flicks it shut again, looking at Bobby. "Fine," he spits, and turns away as best he can.
Rogue: Rogue turns around, furious. "John, could you get the fuck off of your 'I hate Marie' horse for a little while?" She turns back. "I'll find something, Logan."
Logan: "Thanks." Logan shifts his hands on the wheel and gets even more blood on it.
John: John sticks his tongue out at her briefly before curling into himself again.
Rogue: She reaches under the seat and comes up with a white box. "Here. Med kit. Wipes." She flips it open and pulls out a packet. "Here." She hands him a wet napkin. "Want me to do it?"
Logan: He holds out one hand toward her for her to clean, then the other, shifting his hands on the wheel so she can clean it, too.
Bobby: Bobby thinks for a minute, tracing out the route in his mind. "This should take about four hours. Well," he amends, looking at the speedometer, "if we were going at my Dad's speed, it would take four hours."
Rogue: Rogue cleans his hands off, then the wheel. "There."
Rogue: She closes up the box and slides it away. "Well, I think it's going to be less," she says to Bobby after looking at the speedometer.
Rogue: "Someone's going kilometers per hour."
Bobby: "Yeah," Bobby says, his mind flicking back to the day he arrived at the school, the family car filled with his stuff.
John: "So, we get to meet the family, right?" John asks, amusement in his voice.
Rogue: Rogue looks over at Logan to make sure he's got his seatbelt on, then checks the boys in the back seat.
Bobby: Bobby visibly shrinks back in his seat, sighing. "Yeah. Fuck."
John: "Come on, Drake. It's a meet and greet. You can show off your girlfriend. They'll love the gloves." John smirks and twists the knife in just a bit more.
Bobby: "I swear to god, John, if you don't shut the fuck up..." Bobby snarls, eyes flashing.
Rogue: Rogue looks over her shoulder. "Ignore him, Bobby. Really. If he gets some kind of sick kick of reminding me that I can't touch people every five minutes, let him. It's nothing I don't know."
John: John just laughs at Bobby, and lies in his seat.
Rogue: "Or are you trying to make me cry again, John?" she asks lightly, settling down to watch the road.
Bobby: Bobby turns to John, his voice very quiet. "You made her cry?"
John: "Didn't know I did it the first time," John says easily, although he bites his lip.
Bobby: "The first time."
John: "Well, I didn't even /know/ there /was/ a first time."
Bobby: "You and I are going to have a little discussion in Boston, John."
John: Something cold and broken flashes in John's eyes. "Fine, Bobby."
Rogue: "I think he'd like some time with you," Rogue adds smoothly.
Bobby: "He doesn't have any choice in it."
John: "Yay," John adds, with clearly fake enthusiasm.
Logan: Logan groans. "Look, kids, if you can't play nice..."
Logan: He sighs and glances over at Rogue. "I could skewer him if you like."
Bobby: "Hmm, self-barbecueing kabobs," Bobby muses.
Rogue: "It's fine," she says with an expression that says it's not. "It's not like it's not true."
John: "Ha ha," grumbles John, grimacing.
Logan: Logan looks in the rear view mirror, staring at John. "My hands have been bloody once already tonight, kid. Don't make me go for twice. Leave her alone."
John: John stares back for a moment, before tearing his eyes away, silent.
Bobby: The traffic jingle crackles from the speakers. "And now, on the eights, it's Traffic and Weather Together," the ancient-sounding newscaster mumbles.
Rogue: Rogue gives Logan a grateful look and murmurs, "Logan, put your seatbelt on. I like the windshield in one piece."
Logan: Logan looks at her with one eyebrow raised, then complies, tugging the nylon belt over his shoulder and down to his lap.
Bobby: "Cyclops probably does too..." Bobby muses.
Logan: "That's enough to make me want to take it back off," Logan mutters.
Rogue: Rogue smiles at that. "Don't encourage him, Bobby."
John: John raises an eyebrow, but doesn't speak, surly.
Bobby: Bobby reaches forward, hands wrapped in the bottom of his t-shirt, and rubs Rogue's neck. "Love you," he whispers, head on the right side of hers. "Just ignore John."
Rogue: She leans back and strokes his cheek. "I try. I really do." She leans her head on his. "And I love you too. I'm glad you're okay."
John: John pointedly looks at the rearview mirror and away from them, shifting slightly under his seatbelt.
Bobby: "You too. And I do want to tell my parents about you. About us."
Logan: Logan wrinkles his nose, glancing back at John with one eyebrow raised, then returns to watching the road.
Rogue: She turns around a little so she can talk to him quietly. "They're your parents... if you think, if you're sure. Are you?"
Bobby: "Yeah," Bobby murmurs back. "I mean, assuming they don't call the cops because I'm a mutant."
John: "Great. So the family'll want to put you both on Jerry Springer," John mutters savagely, anything to stop the fucking lovebirds.
Bobby: Bobby blinks, breathes, and studiously ignores John.
Logan: Logan looks at John in the rearview mirror again, this time with less surprise and more of a vicious glare.
John: John glares back, looking both angry and frightened, and his eyes flick over to Bobby and back to Logan's, before turning into his seat.
Rogue: Rogue pauses and bites her lip. "Ignore the optimist there. It'll be okay. Something has to be okay tonight."
Bobby: "Or, well, today," Bobby says, the joke obviously forced.
Rogue: "Yeah, that." She runs her fingers through his hair. "New day and all that. It'll be okay. Really."
Bobby: "I hope so," Bobby says glumly, giving a small murmur as Rogue's fingers play with his hair.
Rogue: Rogue wrinkles up her nose at him. "Don't make me come back there, Bobby Drake. It'll be okay until it's not, and then we'll fix it. We're all in this mess together."
Bobby: "Don't give me incentives." Bobby's smile is genuine this time.
John: "I don't think there's really room back here for three," John says blandly.
Bobby: "Who says you're staying in the car?" Bobby asks.
Rogue: Rogue gives Bobby's nearest ear a tug. "Bobby. We need each other right now so can we not get into this?"
John: "Who says you've got the guts to throw me out? Christ, Drake, next thing you'll be saying Magneto was right," John murmurs with a toothy grin.
Bobby: Bobby takes another deep breath and tries not to rise to the bait.
Rogue: Rogue freezes and then turns around completely the other way in her seat to look at John. "John. Can we please just drop this? Please? I'll trade seats with you if you want."
John: John raises his hands. "I'll be good."
Rogue: "Thanks." She gives Bobby an apologetic look.
Bobby: Bobby smiles back at her, shrugging. "You get to be the level-headed one tonight."
Rogue: "Isn't that one of the signs of the Apocalypse?" she asks with a half-smile.
Bobby: "Well, I guess you could say we're four horsemen. This car is certainly a beast..."
John: "I hope I'm not pestilence," John gags.
Logan: "I'm pretty sure you're not Death, kid." Logan flexes his still-sticky fingers.
Rogue: "I get to be War," Rogue says stubbornly.
Bobby: Bobby considers for a moment. "Logan so gets to be Death."
John: "So with Death and War in front...I think I'm more Pestilence than Famine. Christ."
Rogue: "Actually," Rogue says didactically, "Conquest is one of the horsemen. The First."
Rogue: "Then War, then Famine, then Death by beast, and sword." She looks smug. "What?"
John: "I should really know this," John mutters, embarassed.
Bobby: "Well, speaking as Famine, there was just a sign for a rest stop," Bobby says pointedly.
John: John pats his shirt pocket, and grimaces when he finds it empty. "Yeah, I'm getting hungry."
Bobby: "Um. I think I forgot to pick up my wallet."
Logan: Logan snorts and veers into the right-most lane, nearly cutting off a middle-aged man in a BMW, then takes the exit for the rest area. "Here." He parks and unlocks the doors.
Logan: "I've got some cash if you need it, kid." He glances at Bobby, Rogue, and John in turn.
Rogue: "Cash is good. All I ever use is plastic. Internet shopping rules." Rogue holds out her hand and bats her lashes.
John: John shrugs and exits, closing his door and taking a few moments to stretch, taking deep breaths. "Living in the mansion you forget what car exhaust stinks like. Reminds me of home."
Bobby: Bobby gets out and turns to John. "Do you need anything, or are you coming with us?"
John: "I'll take whatever they're getting." John leans against the car, and starts tossing his lighter and catching it, before opening up the door, sticking his head in.
Logan: Logan tugs his wallet out of his rear pocket and pulls out some ones and a five, passing them to Rogue. "Get me a coffee, would you?"
Rogue: "Yep." She hops out of the car. "Let's get this done."
John: "Hey, get me something to eat," John calls out before hopping into the car.



Bobby: Bobby catches up with Rogue, walking beside her. "I am going to go insane in that car."
Rogue: She takes his hand. "Want me to sit in the back seat? Logan could actually get a good shot at John then."
Bobby: "Yeah. He might even be able to do it without taking his hands off the wheel."
Rogue: "Maybe I should buy some paper towels..." she squeezes his hand gently. "Look, forget him. I'm worried about you."
Bobby: "Why?" He realises a split second after he looks at her quizzically. "Oh. That."
Rogue: "Yeah. That. Did you want coffee or Coke?"
Bobby: Bobby thinks for a moment. "Coffee. Wonder what they have to eat..."
Rogue: "You're a bottomless pit, Bobby Drake. Go grab some cookies and chips." She waves him off.
Bobby: Bobby returns a couple of minutes later with a bag of Sausalitos, one of orange Milanos and some BBQ chips. "Do we have enough for this?"
Rogue: She does some fast math in her head. "I think so."
Bobby: "Cool." He follows her to the counter.
Rogue: She pays for everything, ignoring the cashier's glance at her gloves and picks up the tray of coffees. "Let's hope there's nothing to clean up when we get back."
Bobby: "Not that that wouldn't have its own sort of appeal."
Rogue: She grins. "John... he's such an enigma. He could be so much nicer, yet he's not. I don't get him."
Bobby: "You just have to realise that he's a total ass. It took me a while."
Rogue: She sighs and slides her free arm around Bobby's waist. "I keep trying to think the best of everyone. It's probably because you make being fantastic look so easy."
Bobby: He looks down at her, smiling as they walk back to the car. "I have a great role model in you, sweetie."



John: John looks at Logan and shrugs. "Better if I leave the happy couple to it."
Logan: Logan grunts his agreement, turning around to face John and raise an eyebrow. "Good idea."
John: "Yeah, well, I'm full of them." John offers his usual cocky grin, but it doesn't quite work.
Logan: "I can see that." Logan shrugs. He can see a bit of himself in this boy, can see that this cocky jackass routine is probably exactly what he was like as a teenager. It doesn't make him any more pleasant toward John.
John: "Who the fuck are you anyway?" John asks bluntly. "I mean, you stopped by for a bit a month or two ago, you're back, and half the staff are like, yay!"
Logan: Logan raises an eyebrow. "I'm just another mutant with too much time on his hands and not enough wetwipes to get all the blood off."
John: "You make it sound as thought most of us mutants get down with the slice 'n' dice. Which was freaking impressive, but I didn't think with what you can do you'd be the type to hang round the mansion." John looks at Logan as if he's challenging him.
Logan: "Someone's gotta make sure the idealists don't get themselves killed." Logan shrugs. "And, besides, where else /should/ I be?"
John: "I dunno." John shrugs. "I don't actually have all the answers." That smirk. "Just most of 'em."
Logan: Logan snorts. "Mm hm." He nods toward the building where Bobby and Marie are still getting food and drinks. "That's not one of 'em, huh?"
John: John stiffens slightly, glaring. "What the fuck do you mean?"
Logan: Logan shrugs. "Nothing. I don't mean anything, kid."
John: "Yeah. Cause there's nothing to mean." Except they both know he's lying, and he sounds it, too.
Bobby: Bobby and Rogue walk through the parking lot, her arm around his waist. She's carrying a tray of coffees, and he's got a bag with other bags poking out of it.
Logan: Logan shakes his head and turns back in his seat, nodding toward the approaching teenagers. "They're back."
John: "Yeah, I can fucking see that," John spits, shifting to the end of the seat, slipping his seatbelt back on.
Logan: "Careful, kid." Logan warns. "You might be one of Xavier's students, but that doesn't mean I won't tear you to pieces if you hurt her."
John: "It's not about her," John says, his usual anger gone. He just sounds tired.
Logan: "I know." Logan wrinkles his nose again, somewhat tellingly.
John: John looks at him for a moment, before sighing. "....Crap."
Logan: Logan shrugs. "Sorry." It doesn't sound like he means it, but he's not being sarcastic either.
Bobby: Bobby walks more quickly for the last few steps to the car and opens the door for Rogue. "Your door, ma'am. Actually, wait. John?" He leans into the car. "Front seat so I don't murder you."
Rogue: "Oh, okay." Rogue walks around to the other side of the car. "Here, Logan, can you take the coffee?"
John: John rolls his eyes and gets out, grumbling, back to the usual self. "Yeah, yeah." He walks round and get in. "You're just doing this so you can snuggle."
Logan: Logan reaches out to take the tray of coffee, nodding. "Thanks. Which one's mine/"
Bobby: "Damn straight," Bobby says with a smirk. "Tough luck, man."
Bobby: "Oh," Bobby says, opening the paper and pulling the chips and cookies out before handing it forward to Logan. "I brought sugar and fake-cream-stuff."
John: John almost snorts at the word choice, and snaps his seatbelt into position, shaking his head.
Rogue: "See... resourceful." She gives Logan the coffee and gets into the back seat.
Logan: Logan raises an eyebrow at Bobby. "No thanks, kid. Black is fine."
Bobby: Bobby hands the bag to John. "Sugar for your water and dry bread?"
John: "Thanks," John snorts, taking the bag and letting it settle in his lap, not eating.
Rogue: Rogue reaches up to the front seat to snag one of the coffees.
Bobby: Bobby takes the last one and picks three sugars and two creamer-things from the bag, prising off the top and emptying them into his cup.
Rogue: "Everyone buckled?" Rogue chirps, as though they were headed for the beach or something.
John: "Yo," John says, giving a brief thumbs up.
Rogue: Rogue opened up her coffee and took a sip. "Ow!" she protested. "Watch it, it's damn hot."
Logan: Logan drains a good portion of his coffee into his mouth, then drops the cup into the cupholder and shifts into reverse, pulling away.
Bobby: Bobby leans over and blows on Rogue's coffee. "Better, Em?"
Rogue: She tried it again. "Perfect, thanks." She grinned at him. "Like you."
John: "Hey, you haven't had to room with him," John quips. "Mes-sy."
Bobby: Bobby smiles, ignoring John. "I love you, sweetie."
Rogue: Rogue gives Bobby a positively devilish grin. "I know. I love you too."
Logan: Logan glances at John out of the corner of his eye, but doesn't say anything.
John: John drums his fingers on the arm of the door, and looks out at the passing terrain.
Logan: He looks up into the rearview mirror and raises an eyebrow at Rogue's actions, then goes back to watching the road.
Bobby: Bobby smiles at Rogue, flicking his eyes to the front seats with an amused grin, before leaning back, blowing over his own coffee and taking a sip.
Rogue: Rogue stretches her legs out and settles back, sipping her coffee.
Bobby: "Ooh, cooookieeeeee," Bobby says suddenly, holding the coffee between his bare knees and reaching for the bag of Sausalitos.
Rogue: Rogue giggles. "Yes?"
Bobby: "Hey, the Cookie Monster has nothing on me," Bobby says, opening the bag and holding it out to Rogue.
Rogue: She fishes out a couple cookies. "Mm. Thanks."
John: "Great. Sugar high Drake. Just what we need." He turns, grinning. "Besides, you'll start packing on the pounds, Frosty."
Bobby: "Someone wasn't paying attention in Bio," Bobby says, putting a couple on his knees before handing the bag to the front seat. "Remember me, with the homeostatic irregularities and the ADD metabolism?"
John: "I was too busy focussing on own freaky insides," John tells him, reaching in to snag a cookie for himself. "Although I know some basics, Field Medic and all."
Bobby: Bobby dunks a cookie in his coffee. "Yum."
Logan: Logan happens to glance into the rear-view mirror in time to see Bobby's cooke-dipping. He frowns. "That's not what coffee's for, kid."
John: "Bobby has no class," John muses loudly.
Rogue: Rogue makes a face at him, snuggling down further in her seat. "It is if you remember how to have fun," she says lightly.
Bobby: "And you won't get any more cookies," Bobby says to John with a smirk.
John: "Well, at least my groupies won't have to worry about the tragic story of my weight gain in the National Enquirer." John deadpans, glancing at Bobby in the rear view mirror. "I owe you one, Drake."
Bobby: "You owe me one what?"
John: "Well, keeping the cookies out of my reach and all. Never mind."
Bobby: Bobby tries to keep his face deadpan but a small smile creeps over the corners of his mouth as he grins at Rogue.
Rogue: She winks at him and shakes her head.
Bobby: He sips at the coffee, licking cookie crumbs from his fingers. "Mmm, coooookieeeee."
Rogue: Rogue kicks his ankle lightly. "Cut it out," she says, trying not to laugh.
John: "If you start bursting into 'c is for cookie, that's good enough for me', I'm gonna get my lighter out."
Bobby: "You would prefer the You Are Special song?" Bobby takes a gulp of the rapidly cooling coffee.
Rogue: Rogue makes a face but remains silent.
John: "I don't think we need to be reminded of my specialness," John grins, preening.
Logan: Logan glances at John with a raised eyebrow, but remains silent.
Bobby: "A world of no," Bobby mutters.
John: 'You're just jealous cause you don't have a lighter, Drake."
Rogue: Rogue finishes her coffee and slides over into the middle seat, buckling up the belt there.
Bobby: "Just because you're not self-sufficient, San Juan."
John: "Hey, chicks dig the lighter."
Bobby: "Well, if you were trying to score this afternoon, you succeeded. Three pointer, man."
Logan: Logan glances at Bobby in the rear-view mirror, then shifts into a higher gear as they round a curve.
John: "Yeah, well," John says, growing awkward and changes the subject. "What are your folks like anyway?"
Bobby: Bobby sighs and sinks into Rogue. "Normal. Suburban normal."
John: "Great. You got a brother, right? Nice nuclear family."
Rogue: Rogue snuggles up to Bobby with a tired sigh.
Bobby: "I really don't want to talk about it, John, okay?"
John: A muttered apology. "Sorry, Bobby. I didn't mean- Just forget I spoke."
Bobby: Bobby turns his head to Rogue, leaning against her hair and kissing the top of her head.
John: John looks at them for a moment in the rear view mirror before sinking back into his own seat and closing his eyes.
Rogue: Rogue curls up and closes her eyes with a small contented smile.
Bobby: "Cutie starts with C," Bobby murmurs into Rogue's hair, chuckling.
Rogue: She laughs softly. "So does cherish... "
Bobby: "And coffee."
Logan: Logan glances around at the car full of sleeping -- or nearly so -- teenagers and sighs, then drains the last of his coffee, settling into the driver's seat for a long drive.