Excessive Thirst

Posted on Wed Jan 31st, 2024 @ 12:53pm by Bobby Drake & Ethan Hale

Mission: Episode 3: X-Tra Ecclesiam
Location: X-Mansion
Timeline: August 22st, 1990 - night

After his unexpected moment of vulnerability with Kennedy in the kitchen, Bobby didn't know what to do with himself. He felt hot and cold and numb all over. Going outside didn't help. The pool was unappealing. Then came the itching. Converting to ice form, Bobby glided a circle around the mansion and felt it do nothing.

There was one person who might be up at this hour. While their midnight adventure the other night didn't end the best, Bobby still had a great time. Maybe he would see what other trouble they could stir up.

Scratching came at Ethan's window. By the time Ethan looked, there was a frosted image distinctly in the shape of male genitalia with the letters HA HA drawn onto the fogged glass.

For years Ethan had been forced to be up early, often at 4 am. It had become a habit for him, just something that was a way of life. Lately, though he'd become something of a night owl. He was sitting on the edge of his bed trying to learn how to play the harmonica when he heard the tap at the window, and then saw Bobby's crude drawing.

Laughing he opened the window. "If that's supposed to be mine, the dimensions are a little small."

"Whatever."

Bobby wasn't visible but the snowball flying straight for Ethan's face was.

Ethan was quick. He had superior reflexes. He'd been through more than one training exercise on avoiding incoming attacks with far more dangerous weapons than a snowball.

The snowball hit him directly in the face and he was out the window in a flash looking for his frenemy.

"Gotta be faster than that, Gryphon!"

Another snowball struck Ethan from a blind spot to the side. Perched on one of the eaves was Bobby in full iceform, ready for action.

"F you Bobby," Ethan called out, but it was a good-natured retort with no venom behind it. He flew directly toward his teammate, then shot straight up in the air as fast as he could fly. "Come and catch me if you can."

A funnel of frosty wind shot over Ethan, crystalizing his wings with heavy ice nodules. Despite his flapping, flight was starting to become more of a controlled crash than anything else.

Bobby appeared at his side, gliding downward on his ice sled at a more or less even pace. "We havin' a problem?" The cocksure grin on his face was almost vexing.

The look of amusement vanished off of Ethan's face as if it had never been there in the first place. He was struggling just to maintain his current attitude and was failing miserably. "Bobby, this isn't funny." He got out.

He managed to get himself turned around and dove toward the ground, trying to shake the ice off his wings as he did so.

"Chill out, dude." Bobby formed a corkscrew ice slide that twisted Ethan in circles before putting him more or less safely on the ground. "I wouldn't let you fall." He poked Ethan in the shoulder and laughed triumphantly. "Caught you."

"Yeah, you did, asshat. And give me a heart attack in the process." He pushed his teammate. He'd meant to be a good-natured response. But the shove was a little harder than he intended.

"Don't be a pussy, assface." Bobby shoved him back but only half-heartedly. "You didn't get hurt one bit, did ya?"

Ethan shrugged his shoulders. "No, I guess not. I have to admit though, it was scary as hell." He remained silent for almost a minute before continuing "Getting my wings wet is my biggest weakness, and I was caught off guard. Maybe we could try it again sometime, with a little warning first. It would be good to see if I can get rid of that weakness or at least lessen its effects."

"Nah, I did it to Warren all the time and he never could find a way around it," Bobby said. "Dude was an asshole sometimes, though, so I never felt guilty. Sorry, I freaked you out."

"It's okay. I should probably be the one apologizing to you. You were just being Bobby. There's nothing wrong with that. So, tell me more about Bobby. Were you two close?"

Bobby actually blushed and looked away. "No... I mean. No. We were teammates. Scott was our leader and was my first real friend but Warren was the bravest of us all. I kind of looked up to him." The fact he was talking more about Warren than himself was rather telling. Bobby didn't often talk about Bobby.

"Bobby, it's okay," Ethan said putting his hand on the other man's forearm. "I wasn't assuming, or suggesting that you and Warren were anything more than friends, if that's what you're thinking."

"Right..." Bobby said awkwardly. "Not like I had unwanted dreams and thoughts about him in the shower or anything..."

"Why don't we go to White Castle? I'll buy. I need a break from all this."

Bobby perked up. "That sounds great! I won't even race you this time. Lead on."

"Hopefully, it will be a nice quiet evening without shotgun-wielding assholes," Ethan said as he turned and started flying toward the city at an almost leisurely pace.

"That was Albany," Bobby said, ambling back and forth as he kept the same speed while ice gliding. "Probably have Uzis and death rays in the City."

Ethan arched a brow. "I want you to know Bobby, I haven't said anything about what happened to anyone but the professor. And I never will. Your secret is safe with me."

"What secret?" It was absolutely ridiculous for Bobby to pretend not to know what Ethan was talking about but that didn't stop him. "You didn't tell him about my hooch stash, did you?"

"That wasn't exactly the secret I was talking about and you know it. Look I get it if you want to stay in the closet, or if you haven't even made up your mind when it comes to that. I just want to be your friend Bobby. No strings. But you should at least be honest with yourself."

Bobby's face filled with sullen if fake offense. "Hey, I'm not in the closet! You're in the closet!" That sounded even dumber out loud than it did in his head. "No, you're not, you're loud and proud. Shit..." Bobby looked down at his feet and then all over, anywhere except at Ethan. "You want me honest? Honestly, I don't know! Just... sometimes... when I look at people... any people! I... get feelings. And I don't understand any of it!"

"I've known I was gay since I was thirteen, maybe even younger if I'm being honest, and I still haven't figured things out. Not fully and I don't know if I ever will."

"Maybe you're bi. I don't know. I'll help you figure things out. Or just be there and listen if you want. No strings, no expectations. I will point out however that you're a damn good kisser."

"Yeah, whatever," Bobby said dismissively. "Thanks for being so cool about it. I know I'm an asshole sometimes and it drives people away. Like Lorna. She was my last relationship but it went nowhere fast."

"Do you want to talk about it? About her? Oh and everyone's an asshole ever once-in-a-while."

"No." Bobby grabbed Ethan by the shoulders and pulled him sideways so they were face to face. "No, I don't." And he kissed Ethan again, fervent like before with the sort of abandon that would lead someone over a cliff.

Bobby's kissing him, especially after what had happened before, was a shock. It was the last thing he expected, but definitely not the last thing he wanted. He quickly recovered from his surprise and returned the kiss with even more heat than Bobby was delivering. He even experimentally pressed his tongue against Bobby's lips.

The experimentation was rewarded by a jet of cold shooting through Bobby's mouth into Ethan's. Frosty tendrils from Bobby's tongue leeched heat away from Ethan's. Each point where Bobby's fingerprints became a heatsink that pulled warmth out of Ethan's body.

Ethan wasn't entirely sure if this reaction was a reward, a punishment, or just a natural reaction. But it didn't matter to him, he liked it. He liked it a lot. He let the kiss, let Bobby continue to pull heat out of him for a full minute.

"Wow," he said, "Wow, that was just amazing. You never need my permission to kiss me again, especially like that. It was even better than I remember. So, what now? Do you still want to go to White Castle?"

"Yeah." Bobby wiped his mouth with his sleeve and kept walking. "I'm starving. Let's eat." After he started marching and Ethan kept pace, he asked, "Why do you like me so much? Nobody else does."

Ethan's left brow rose to his hairline. Bobby's picture had to be in the dictionary under mercurial. First a very passionate kiss and then seconds later he was walking away as if nothing had happened.

"I could be a smartass," he answered, " and say it was because I think you're cute. While that's true, I like to think I'm not that shallow. Under all that rough exterior all the issues that are going on, you're better than you think you are."

Though Bobby didn't respond, Ethan's words went deep. It made him want to argue. It made him mad. It made him want to cry and run away.

Ethan stopped and put on the center of his teammate's chest. "You're kind of a hot mess right now, but you have a good heart. You just need a friend who can help you see that."

"What do you want from me?" It was an abrasive question but there was a touch of desperation in Bobby's voice. He really didn't know. "I'm not a good friend. I say and do everything wrong and eventually, everyone just goes away and forgets about me. You'll be no different. Just wait. I can guarantee it because I'm my own worst enemy."

"I am not going anywhere Bobby, I promise you that. I want to be your friend. Maybe more if it goes that direction but at least your friend and friends don't leave each other."

"I know you have issues, Bobby, maybe we all do, but you're a good-looking guy. You could pass for a normal human if you wanted. Look at me, without my costume, I look like a freak. No one would ever mistake me for being a normal human. They fucked with me, fucked with my DNA, fucked with my mind turned me into a monster doing their bidding."

That sounded awful. Bobby grimaced at the ghastly description of the torture they put Ethan through.

"You want to know what I see in you? You don't care about those things. You're the only guy since Ryan, Catamount that kissed me without looking at me like I'd just escaped from a carnival."

Ethan hesitated for just an instant then drew Bobby back to renewing the kiss they'd broken off just moments before.

The kiss made Bobby grunt. He had been the one in control before. Now Ethan had kissed him for a change. After indulging for a sad, confused moment, Bobby pulled away. "I was trying to shut you up," he lied. "I... I..." He closed his eyes and bobbed his head left to right, not knowing what to think.

And then iceform overtook him. Rather than a layer of ice over his face, there was the fanged monstrous appearance with horns. "All I see is a walking corpse. Everyone is dead and just doesn't know it yet."

A block of ice formed under Bobby's feet that pushed him ten feet high. He fell backward onto an ice slide that carried him away.

A bit daunted, but not to be denied, Ethan took off after the other man. "Bobby," he called after the fleeing figure. "None of us is dying. Come back here."

"Death comes for us all! Bobby shouted into the night. The frozen vapor trail circled back to the nearby lake. Running purely on instinct, Bobby went straight for water where he could hide from the world and all the feelings it contained.

Ethan watched as Bobby dropped into the water and disappeared. It was the one place he couldn't go. If he did, he would no doubt drown. There was a torrent of mixed emotions running through his mind. He liked Bobby. He didn't like, like him though he was open to that possibility. But, he did care for him. He was right though, he could be a dick.

"God damnit!" he shouted his frustration showing through, even though he knew he should be showing compassion.

After a few quiet minutes, it became clear Bobby wasn't coming out.

"Well, fuck," Ethan breathed out. "Bobby I know you can hear me. I'm going to the White Castle on 8th Avenue. I'll wait there an hour."

Silence.

So, Ethan did the only sensible thing he could do. He flew away.

When Ethan finally returned to his room that night, there was a message on the window spelled out in frozen icicles.

I'M SORRY