2013.09.09 - Look at What the Cold Dragged In

Wandering about the streets wasn't a new past time for Logan. Sometimes these strolls brought about interesting fruit whether it was a fight or just a good drink. Dressed in a bomber jacket, very light brown cowboy hat, a black tank top, a pair of jeans and some boots, Logan just moved through the people. Most people glanced in his direction. Whether it was the cowboy hat, five foot-five stature with the bulky frame, or the readiness in his eyes remained to be scene. He had been used to the stares for years. They went hand in hand wherever he went and New York was no exception even if the town had a parade of different spectacles to behold, like the street performer known as: The Naked Cowboy. 
Turning down a street something caught his attention. A scent went up his nose and smacked him in the face. "What are ya doin' here?" he said quietly. Seconds later, "Sniff! Sniff!" Logan was hot on the trail. After all the years of being in foreign lands Logan knew how not to draw attention to himself when it came to movements and motions. Sure people may have stared because of how he looked, but never because he was acting suspiciously. Even when tracking people, most weren't going to cause trouble with him because of it. "Sniff! Sniff!" Logan went down the street then back up. The scent was strongest by the Baxter Building. "What have ya gotten yerself into Bobby?" Logan muttered and pushed open the door. 
The Baxter Building's main entryway was open, even this late at night, but everything else about the place was closed. The guards weren't off duty for a few more hours but there wasn't much to do besides sit around or shoot the breeze with the guard. Like all important buildings the Baxer Building had a front desk with a guard who Logan approached. With a determined stare Logan said, "I'm lookin' fer Bobby Drake. Where is he?" 
"Who?" the guard asked puzzled. That didn't fit the name of anyone that worked at the Baxter Building. 
Glaring at the guard Logan said, "I ain't playin' around. Where's Bobby?" 
"Sir, I don't know who this Bobby is-" 
Logan interrupted, "Then call someone who does." 
News was bound to travel to every member of the Fantastic Four that some short guy was looking for someone named Bobby Drake.
Bobby was surprised to say the least that someone was asking for him. He was pretty sure only Kurt and Shift knew where he was and that Shift was out of the country. And Kurt was never really a 'knock on the door or ask the front desk' type. So he was a little confused when he got the message and stepped into the elevator. Dressed in jeans, a plain t-shirt, and smelling faintly of a laundry room, Bobby looks around when he reaches the lobby. When he sees Logan, Bobby blinks. "Well, if it isn't the Thankfully Non-Naked Cowboy," he jokingly greets.
"What are ya doin' here Bobby?" Logan asked. The joke didn't go unmissed it just wasn't that funny to him given the circumstance. It wasn't every day an X-man was outside of the mansion and looking like they had no intentions of going back. The scent was too strong, too recent and Bobby hadn't checked in the mansion in a bit.
Bobby Drake pauses at the question and shakes his head. "C'mon. Let's talk over this way. He's cool, dudes," Bobby offers to the guards and heads to one of the side rooms off the lobby. He'll wait until Logan is inside and the door is closed to speak up. "You been back to the school yet or not?"
Sitting down Logan pulled out his cigar then lit it up. He didn't care of the Baxter Building was non-smoking or not. Unless someone was able to legitimately threaten him then he was going to smoke. "Not yet," he takes the first puff. A noise of enjoyment escaped his lips, "Why do ya ask?"
"Because if you go back and no one tells you how many of us are gone it's worse there than I thought," Bobby answers, leaning against a wall. His arms cross over his chest and he gives the cigar a look. He's not so much bothered by it as hoping it doesn't trigger any of the building's systems like he and Johnny did the other night. Fire-supressing foam was a pain. "I left the school. Not too long after you and Shift did."
"When I go back," Logan corrected Bobby. There was no if about it. "Who's gone?" He wanted a list of names in case anyone left between him and Bobby, Logan wanted to know who then hunt them down. "Some of the mess is my fault n' I gotta make do. That'll come. Not all of it is mine. What I can fix, I will. You and everyone else that ever wore an 'X' has a home there. You know this right?" Logan asked the question with an earnestness.
Bobby arched both brows at the correction. He didn't expect Logan to say that sort of thing. "Shift had been gone, Kurt left...Amanda and Domino took off with him. Hank's been gone since he went blue. Warren's gone, Piotr and Sam too," he explained, counting them off on his fingers. "How's this your fault?" he asks. Really, Bobby blames Scott. "I'm not so sure about that anymore with the way things have been going. For a long while."
"'Cause I did things with Jeanie," Logan confessed. No one really talked or mentioned the damage done to Cyclops given a potential lapse in Jean's judgement. Granted the days of being confined in a room with a redheaded goddess felt like another left time ago. Although for Logan, all of the carnal times were more than just pleasure to him. Scott wasn't the only one that loved her. "Rubbed Slim the wrong way. Not sayin' it's all my fault. But I got a hand some of the drama that effected you and others. Maybe it made Scott a little tenser, little stupider, whatever I caused I gotta pay for. Simple as that."
"You hooked up with Jean? I don't ssee how that messed with the team," Bobby shrugs. He then scowls, the air getting a little colder. "That's no excuse, Logan. If losing out to another guy for someone you're into is an exuse for that, I should be doing the same crap Scott is," he's been having terrible luck in love since Sam. "What happened is on Scott, not you."
Logan shook his head, "Don't excuse me fer stabbin' a teammate in the back. Shoulda done it in the front." He was still going to have Jean but maybe Logan could have been a little honest about it. "Either way it created drama Bobby. It ain't all my fault. Lot o' that is on slim. But I ain't a saint either." That's how it was to Logan. Scott deserved to have his ass kicked. Maybe he even deserved to have Jean taken. In any case Logan should have been honest about it instead of sneaking around. The drama created between Scott and Jean Logan figured to be the start of a downward spiral for Scott. Sure Scott did a lot of things on his own during the spiral, but Logan felt like he was the initial push downward.
"Unless you did it with your claws, I don't think it's bad enough to do what he's been doing," Bobby shakes his head. He goes quiet for a few moments and looks away. Eventually he looks back to Logan. "Why'd you leave anyway?"
"Payin' an old debt to a friend. Once it's done I'm back," Logan ashed his cigar on the table. It didn't have an ashtray but it would be cheaper to replace a table than a tiled floor. "Ain't even supposed to be here but I needed a moment to regain my bearin's. Caught yer scent. Here we are," he gestured to the room and looked at Bobby. "What are you doin' here?"
Bobby nodded to that explanation. It was good enough for him. The ashing got a sigh and Bobby pointed a finger at the table. A chilly beam issued forth and within a few seconds there was a little icy ashtray there. "I was staying in a hotel after I left the school. Johnny called to hang out and offered to let me crash with him for awhile. It's a lot easier on my wallet."
"You got yer own place here right? Building's so big they should rent out half of it." Logan managed to capture the size of the Baxter Building. Bobby should at least have a guest room, apartment, or house. Reed had the space. No one could have been using every room in a building this big, even Reed.
"Naw, been crashing in Johnny's room," Bobby replies with a little smile and shrug. He's not bothered by sharing the room. Johnny's his friend and the two of them have been having fun. Besides, the jokes about the two of them being a couple were funny. They weren't one but there'd been a couple people that had assumed based solely on the fact that Bobby was staying with Johnny.
Logan was about to respond with acceptance to Bobby's lifestyle when a thought hit him. He looked at Bobby, "How's Sam?" This would be the test if Bobby had a new lifestyle or was forced into a room. If Bobby didn't have his own place by tomorrow Logan was going to raise hell. Granted, this was probably a complex that he developed over time with the X-men. They looked after each other and so Logan wanted to be sure Bobby was comfy at the new place.
When asked about Sam, Bobby's expression drops and he frowns. "No clue," he replies flatly. "I haven't seen him since everything happened with Magik, him getting killed, coming back, and leaving," the icy mutant gestures vaguely. Bobby's still annoyed by the whole situation and how he got dumped.
Logan looked at Bobby, "Just go easy on this one. Give it time. If somethin' happens let it happen. Beer helps if ya wanna speed that up," he said firmly. Clearly Logan has gotten someone tipsy to help out in sexual contest. Never blind stinking drunk but one or two to loosen one's lips. Logan was not meant to give out dating advice.
Bobby looks confused at first, wondering what Logan's talking about. And then it slowly hits him and he almost falls over. "Dude!" he yelps. "Me and Johnny? No, oh man no," he laughs, running a hand through his hair. "He's straight and the view's good but me and him aren't...I'm not interested in that with him," he says. "We've just been hanging out. And I'm pretty sure his sister appreciates we've contained the destruction to just one room," he laughs. They've made messes with their goofing around and pranks.
"Fire and Ice make steam kid. Remember that," Logan rose up and offered his hand to Bobby. "Tell em' you get yer own room in two days or they answer to me. Got it?" His eyes watched Bobby while he stood there making sure the X-man understood the threat was a serious one.
"Yeah, I know. We steam cleaned the couch and carpet after we did an experiment to see how fire and ice affected the diet coke and mentos experiment," Bobby replies with a laugh. Pushing off the wall, he takes the offered hand. "Alright, alright...I'm not really planning on staying here and moochin' off 'em too long but alright.
Logan nodded, "Take as long as ya need. When yer ready to come back you'll know," he said with the weight of experience behind those words. Giving a firm grip Logan shook hands with Bobby then left. Standing outside the Baxter Building Logan put out his cigar. Anger and guilt surged through him for a second. A "Shkt!" went into the air and he slashed into the outside of the building. The adamantium bit into the stone with no problem. Everyone in the building would be upset by the claw marks and Logan didn't care. He needed to let out that anger and it would serve as a warning. Anyone that knew of Bobby's nature were bound to have a file or two on 'Wolverine.' If someone wanted to mess with the Iceman they were going to get Wolverine too. Quietly Logan slipped back into the night streets and moved amongst the people.
"I don't know about coming back but I might go hang with Kurt for a while," Bobby shrugs. He walks Logan to the door and offers a wave as he goes. There's a temptation to toss a snowball after him and run but he lets it pass. He's got laundry to finish and a prank to pull, no time to run from Logan.
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