It's Good To Be Bad [Bobby, Open]

[pyro]

It was fantastic to be part of the Brotherhood, best choice he'd ever made. People feared him, they knew who he was when he walked around... he was one of them.

He felt dangerous, he felt that everyone was in awe of him and his powers but even better than that, he felt like he belonged.

As he walked down the streets of Manhattan, playing with the lighter in his hand and casting people dirty glances if they dared to even come near him; he realized that life was good.

Bobby Drake may have won the battle, but they had won the war. As much as he kept telling himself that, he wasn't happy. Defeat dug at him like someone trying to pull his fingernails off. He scowled, glancing at his reflection in the window of a barber shop.

Maybe causing some inner-city panic might make him feel better.

[Bobby Drake]

If there was only one good thing about being an X-Men was the ability to go down to the lower levels without getting in trouble. Not to say that Bobby hadn't made it down to the forbidden lower levels of the Mansion before, but it felt so much better being actually able to go down by himself and without having to be covert about it.

Also, the other thing was the fact that anything that the teachers called their own, was by Bobby's viewpoint, his as well. He pulled up his uniform like the rest of them, didn't he? It shouldn't matter that he was still a student.

AT least, that's what Bobby told himself as he sped out of the Mansion grounds on one of Scott's bikes. And with the altered motorcycle, it wasn't long before Bobby found himself in Manhatten. The feeling was different, Bobby thought instantly. People were afraid, no, people were TERRIFIED. All because of one crazy old bastard and a little gene.

Parking the bike on the street, he pocketed the keys with a frown. It felt good to get away from the Mansion. It was almost smothering, being at the school. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Being in Manhatten reminded Bobby of the time he, Kitty, Jubilee and St. John had all been out on a school field trip to the Empire State Building. They couldn't have been more than 13 or 14...but things had been better. Innocent.

Speak of the devil...

Instantly, Bobby wanted to have a go at round too with St. John, however, he realised instantly as his hand clenched into a fist at his side, that he no longer had his powers. Like hell that meant he was going to back down from St. John. "Hey!" he called out to Pyro, watching as the man turned around. Why the hell did both of them have to be so proud? He could almost hear Hank McCoy's voice in his head. Fire and Ice, indeed.

And when Pyro turned, Bobby could see that look in his eye. "Man, just--don't you think this has gone on long enough?"

[pyro]

Pyro had just started playing with the fireball he was manipulating in his hands, daring to send it flying into a coffee shop when he heard someone call out to him.

Who would dare...? Anyone that tried interrupting him would have another thing coming to them, that was for sure. But then he noticed who it was.

His face fell. His pride still wounded from the last time he saw him. He could win that pride back now, send the fireball his way, blow up half the street in the process.

The corner of his lip went up in a smirk, contemplating this.

And when Pyro turned, Bobby could see that look in his eye. "Man, just--don't you think this has gone on long enough?"

Pyro stepped forward, he wasn't backing down - not when Bobby Boy was virtually helpless. "What?" He began, the incredulous undertone thick, "It should just go back to how it was before? I should just come back to Xavier's and be a good boy like you?" He laughed scornfully. "And be a loser like you?"

He laughed again and extinguished the flame, making it look like he had already beaten Bobby, at least in his mind. "Go back to school, Drake. The world doesn't need you anymore."

[Bobby Drake]

"What? It should just go back to how it was before? I should just come back to Xavier's and be a good boy like you? And be a loser like you?"

"You stayed at the same school, you goddamn idiot!" Bobby yelled, frustrated at what had happened to his friend. "You were right there with me, and--and then some old geezer comes along and you just instantly pack up and say screw it?! Do you know how STUPID you sound, St. John?"

He wanted to smack Pyro upside the head. He wanted punch him over and over and over again and make him see. "You're killing people, man! There's one thing going after people, lighting their asses on fire, but you KILLED people. What--" Bobby was at a loss for words as he watched his old friend. "What the hell happened to you, man?! A month ago--a month ago everything was fine and--and you were betting me on which one of us could get into Jubilee's pants first and now you're killing--what the hell happened to you?"

It was almost sickening to watch him. "You can still come back, man. It's--you can still come back. It doesn't need to be like this, man. You can just walk away from all of it, right now."

[pyro]

St. John. Pyro bristled at the name. He almost lost control of his temper right then, but knew that burning Bobby Drake to a crisp wouldn't even give him the satisfaction. "Don't you dare call me that..." His eyes burned.

"I'm not killing anyone that doesn't deserve to be killed. You see the way they look at us, man... you see the way they fear us. They should fear us. We're special. We're not freaks. They just don't know how else to react to power." He began spewing Magneto's speeches to him. They were truth to him. He'd just never seen it before when he was brainwashed by Professor X.

"What the hell happened to you?" He turned the question back. "We were going places iceman... and you had to turn into a pussy. What when the going gets tough, iceman gets packing? It's freaking loser speak, that's what it is. You're brainwashed and you need to get out of that school. But hey, maybe it's too late for you. Maybe you don't have a chance to be free of that crap they used to teach us about harmony and peace..."

He closed his eyes. Winning Bobby to the dark side might be nice, but was it as satisfying as kicking his ass? Time would have to tell. But one thing was for sure, he was never going back.

[Bobby Drake]

"Listen to yourself! You're just like a damn record for Magneto! You used to have a brain for your own, you stupid ball of flame! Now he's just replaced it with his own twisted logic. Man, don't you think that this is a little Nazi-ish? You're blindly following him to kill people just because he says they're bad! You used to have a fucking brain in your head, man! He took that away from you."

Bobby sighed out harshly, bringing a hand up to press against his head. "This isn't what you're supposed to do with your power, John. You can't use it against people like this; they can't defend themselves! What's the use of being in a fight if all you do is knock people down? It's all going to your head, man. Magneto is just gonna end up killing you in the end when you don't serve a purpose anymore, you know that, right? You'll just be another thing to crush under his boot. You can't be there."

[pyro]

Bobby kept going. Kept talking. Pyro tried to block it out. St. John tried to block it out. But he couldn't. Maybe it's because what he was saying had some element of truth in it, he didn't know. But what he did know is that he had to shut him up.

He grabbed him roughly by the collar of his hoodie. "You have no idea what the hell you're talking about" he growled, staring him straight in the eye for a split second before throwing him aside like he was the trash that the Brotherhood thought he was.

"You want to tell me how to use my power, huh?" Flicking his lighter quickly, the palm of his hand lighting up with it. He stepped towards Bobby again, who he had thrown to the sidewalk. "You're wasting your breath. How about you tell me just one good reason why I shouldn't flame your ass right now?"

[Bobby Drake]

"You have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

Fingers clenched onto Pyro's jacket as Bobby felt himself being grabbed roughly, and then shoved violently to the side. He knocked over a trashcan as he slammed to the ground. His brows narrowed deeply as he watched Pyro's hand light up. Shit. he thought silently, knowing that if Pyro did decide to flame him, he'd be burnt to a crisp.

"One good reason?" Bobby asked, lifting himself up to sitting as his fingers felt something against him. Something hard. "Because you can't do it, St. John." Bobby hurled the glass bottle towards the boy's hand, hoping to knock the lighter out of his hand. Grabbing another bottle, he wished like hell that he could freeze something, anything.

His breath hitched up as he rolled up to his feet, body tense. "And you forget that I used to kick your ass in a snowball fight. I don't want to do this, man. I don't want to fight you again."

More so, he didn't want to fight without his powers. Nor did he want to run away.

[pyro]

Pyro ducked as the bottle came in his direction. He was not going to be thrown off by Bobby Drake. Not this time.

As he got to his feet, Pyro enclosed in. "You really think I can't do it?" He challenged, "You really thing so huh?" His hand was still burning, his eyes dancing with fire too, in an almost evil fashion.

Slowly he came to a stop right near him, extinguishing the flame. The bastard was right. Not a bastard literally... Drake had a loving family... making him the bastard. But either way, he couldn't kill him. "Your lucky I'm having a generous day" he remarked. "Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind."

[Bobby Drake]

As John moved, stepping towards him slowly, Bobby clenched his fists at his side, staring his old friend down. He could almost see the fire in his eyes, however, Bobby wouldn't allow himself to be backed into a corner. However, when John said that he was lucky, Bobby's face shifted only briefly in surprise.

"See, that's it right there." Bobby pointed out, watching John. "Dude, you can't do this, man. You can't do this. Professor Xavier, Professor Summers, everyone will understand. Look, dude...honestly? I don't want you to die. I really don't. 'Cause we've had some amusing times and it would just really suck if you were dead."

And it was true. It was the reason why Bobby had covered Pyro in a layer of ice to keep him from the flames before he had lost his powers. No matter how much he hated St. John, Pyro had been the first one to welcome him to the school. He had been the first one that he played tag football with. He had been the first one that he betted with on the colour of Jubilee's panties that one day when she had worn a super-short skirt.

Even though some might have thought it trivial, mutants like them only had moments like that. Because normal people...well, normal people weren't like them. They didn't understand.

[pyro]

Couldn't he take a hint? He wanted to be alone... well... as alone as he could be flaming the coffee shop and seeing running, screaming people. Yet, still alone from other mutants.

"Who said anything about me dying?" Pyro glared at him, and dared to laugh. "Cause I'm having the time of my life."

He supposed somewhat deep down they still were friends... it was a bond that couldn't be broken, no matter how much hatred he had for the guy. He stuck his hands in his pockets now. The threats gone, and his anger wearing down. There were some amusing times. "It can't go back to how it was Bobby. I belong in the Brotherhood. It's where I'm meant to be. So just leave it."

[Bobby Drake]

Perhaps it was just his stubborn nature. Perhaps it was the fact that he didn't have his powers anymore. Either way, he couldn't let it go. Wouldn't let it drop.

"God, you're such an idiot, St. John!" Bobby said frustratedly, until he saw a woman who's eyes widened. She instantly turned, darting to turn the corner quickly, afraid of both Bobby and John.

"You can't keep these people in fear, St. John." He paused, and then sighed out. "Tell me, if I decided to come with you right now, what would you do? I don't have powers, but if I told you that I would be willing to go with you, what would you do?" Honestly, Bobby knew that he'd never go with Pyro, but he was interested at what St. John would say.

[pyro]

"I'd say that you were finally coming to your senses and seeing the bigger picture in all this" Pyro said with a grin.

It didn't seem like he would though, but Pyro liked to remain optimistic. Cautiously optimistic. "These people need to be kept in fear. Fear is healthy. Think they have a hope of defending themselves without fear?" Think they have a hope of defending themselves with it?

He kicked at the sidewalk. "What's it going to take for you to get all this through that ice-block head of yours? The world is changing now... you'd just better be sure you're on the right side." He'd said it before, but kept hoping Bobby would change his mind. He would be a better friend than enemy, after all.

[Bobby Drake]

"Fear isn't healthy, John!" Bobby protested. "Fear is--fear is what gives old people heart attacks and makes people have high blood pressure! Fear is what makes people cower away, it doesn't make them stronger!" Of course, there was those reports of people lifting cars off of people in moments of panic, but that wasn't the way to go! "John, if you keep people in fear, man, they'll just turn against you. You won't be in control anymore, you'll be DEAD."

"I'm on the same side that you were not even a year ago! We were on the SAME SIDE, you dumbass! And now just because someone comes along with some fancy words and a false promise of a 'better life' or whatever the hell Magneto's offering you, you instantly turn coat. What happens when you get bored with this, St. John? Who the hell are you going to turn to next? Or more importantly, what happens when Magneto gets bored with you? I mean, dude, you can't do anything without your lighter. What happens when Magneto finds someone else that can do the job better? You gonna try to kill him, too? Are you that stupid or just power hungry?"

[pyro]

"Or more importantly, what happens when Magneto gets bored with you? I mean, dude, you can't do anything without your lighter. What happens when Magneto finds someone else that can do the job better? You gonna try to kill him, too? Are you that stupid or just power hungry?"

Pyro felt his eye twitch, he wished he would just shut up... he wanted to make it stop. He just wanted to show him what he could do with his lighter. There couldn't possibly be any more anger in his eyes at this point. Flicking it, a spark coming from the small lighter and his hand started burning up again, a fireball swelling and growing until he shot it in fury at the coffee shop, sticking out his palm in one quick attack move.

Screams and fire. Just what he'd wanted, but somehow it still didn't make him feel any better. The fireball burst all the windows, and everyone inside were probably burnt to a crisp. Those few on the seats outside where screaming and running for cover. He wished he could smirk at his own accomplishment but he was still far too angry.

He turned to Bobby, his eyes dark. "You come near me again, Drake and next time, it'll be you." He warned him, stalking off in the other direction.