I dedicate this fanfiction to all those who believe that love can conquer all.

Author's Note: This chapter was inspired by the scene in X2 in which Logan and Bobby talk in the kitchen. Also, I do not do love triangles. For the purposes of this story, John and Rogue never dated; they are just friends. The same goes for Scott and Jean. By the way, for the purposes of my story, Jean is not the Phoenix; she's just Jean.

Warnings: This is a "slash" (same-sex) love story. If you do not like slash, please do not read this story. However, feel free to read any of my non-romance stories. There will be some violence and language later, but I think there's enough hugging, kissing, and "Aww" moments to balance this out.

Disclaimer: I do not own any X-Men characters. If I did own X-Men, I would have lots of money. I don't have lots of money; therefore, I do not own X-Men. Only some of the plot is mine.

#

Of Fire and Ice

By Geek Squared 1307

Chapter One:

New Changes and New Friends

The students at the Xavier Institute for the Gifted often listened to Professor Xavier talk about change. After all, genetic changes -– mutations - in the typical human genome had made them what they were: mutants. The Professor had taught them that these mutations were not sinister, as much of the public and many politicians claimed, but were actually a normal part of the evolution of life on Earth. The X-Men believed that these mutations and the powers that had resulted from them were independent of morality by themselves. Whatever ends that mutants used their powers to achieve would determine the morality of the power-holders, but not of the powers themselves.

By this code, the X-Men had learned to live with the genetic mutations, but some changes were even more difficult to adjust to. The mansion - after an epic battle - was now home to some new students and teachers. Some former members of The Brotherhood of Mutants had moved into the Institute, and the fighting among the students had begun.

#

The door of Professor X's office - usually open at all hours in case any of his students needed him - was closed that entire Saturday. The X-Men had woken up to find their mortal enemies rooming with them, and the Professor had offered no explanation except a request to "behave civilly". According to Wolverine, Storm, and Beast, the Professor was talking with Magneto, but even they did not know the exact nature of the conversation. Everyone was eager to know what the conversation was about.

Inside the Professor's office, Professor X and Magneto were sitting across from one another by the fireplace.

"Oh, come now, Charles," said Magneto, in his usual tone. "Throughout history, humans have sought to gain superiority and dominance over others. They have made scapegoats of those who were different, torturing and killing to further their own quest for power. This, you cannot deny."

"I have never attempted to deny this, Magnus. To do so would be gravely mistaken and unbelievably naive. I'm just saying that humans can change. Use of violence will only encourage non-mutants to be afraid of us. Showing them that we wish them no harm is more likely to work."

"You can only control and yourself, Charles. You cannot change other people. They have already shown that they are not willing to change. Are you willing to wait for a future that will not come if we don't bring it about?"

"How can we expect our future to be good if we don't do good in the world we call home?"

"Are they doing good, Charles? You've seen the news. They've started talking about a new Mutant Registration Act. No one will help you when they come here, take all your children, and lock them up in cells. Their kind don't care for our survival. They fear us. They'll try to exterminate us."

The conversation continued for many hours, much the same as it always had between the two old friends.

#

Wolverine was standing in the elevator, going back up to his room after a training session in the subterranean Danger Room. The gashes left on his hands by his now-retracted claws were already healed, but the deeper wounds on his face, neck, and chest were still open. He bent his neck to the right and then to the left, which made a loud cracking sound. He tried not to think of the pain as his wounds healed much faster than anyone else's could.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened to reveal a long hallway. Logan was about to walk to his room when he heard noise from outside. His sharp hearing enabled him to identify the voices as several students.

"Damn kids," he grumbled while walking out the front door. He found the same situation outside that had occurred frequently in recent days. The X-Men students and the ex-Brotherhood students were fighting.

"Hey, what the hell's wrong with you," said Wolverine, getting into the middle of the fight and separating the students.

"They started it."

"We did not. They did."

"It's your fault. We didn't do anything wrong."

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

"That's enough," said Wolverine. "Just because you hate each other doesn't mean you get to kill each other - at least not while I'm in charge. Do it later."

With that, he left and went back inside, knowing that the fighting would start again soon.

In the hall, he met Storm, who had returned from a meeting about "the mutant problem".

"Any luck," Logan asked.

"The usual," she said. "Anything new here?"

"The kids are fighting again."

"Did Iceman and Pyro try to kill each other?"

Wolverine paused for a second. "Not sure. Didn't seem 'em. They're probably trying to push each other off the cliff."

"Wonderful," said Storm with sarcasm. "I'm gonna go check on the Professor and Magneto."

"You do that. I don't think they're getting anywhere."

With that, they headed in different directions. As Wolverine collapsed on his bed and closed his eyes, he thought of what Storm had said. Did Iceman and Pyro try to kill each other? Now that he thought about it, the fact that he had not seen Bobby and John fighting amongst the other kids seemed very strange. The two former best friends were the ones who usually started the fighting. Pyro had returned to the X-Men after an extremely brief allegiance to (really a visit with) the Brotherhood that had lasted only two weeks, long before other former Brotherhood members joined the X-Men, but the their friendship between him and Iceman had not returned. Hell, thought Wolverine, they fight more than they used to. They go out of their way to fight each other.

Logan heard a soft knocking on his already-open door and a familiar voice. "You okay, Logan?"

Without even opening his eyes, Logan smirked and said, "You gonna try to help me if I say no?"

Scott smirked back and said, sounding more like Logan than himself, "Not the way you'd like me to."

Logan looked at Scott leaning against the doorframe, smirking at him, and couldn't stop himself from giving the younger man a genuine smile. "I think I've had a bad influence on you, Scott."

Scott raised his eyebrow at him and said, "You think? I know you've had a bad influence on me." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Not that I mind."

They both laughed. Scott sat down on the bed, leaning against the footboard so he could see Logan.

"I'm serious," insisted Logan.

"So am I," said Scott.

The two of them suddenly heard the sounds of fighting coming through the window. Logan groaned, "Not again." The two of them, joined by Storm and Beast in the hallway, made their way outside to stop the ensuing massacre once again.

By that evening, Magneto had taken leave of the Professor, which not only meant that the Professor was again available for his students but also that his students could feel his presence. The fighting, although it didn't stop completely, took on a new form. Instead of beating on each other in front of the school, the students made snide comments behind each other's backs and glared at each other when they thought none of the teachers were looking.

#

Over the next few weeks, Logan noticed that Bobby and John were not a part of the ongoing vendetta among the students. In fact, they seemed to be talking to each other nicely. Either they were renewing their friendship or were secretly trying to kill each other. Logan hoped it was the first.

One Friday, while the students were all settling in for the weekend, Logan heard a telepathic message in his mind from the Professor. Logan, I'd like to see you in my office.

When Logan stepped into the office, he saw Charles Xavier sitting on a chair by the fire. "Please, take a seat, Logan."

Logan sat down across from the Professor and said, "Need something, Charles?"

"Not as such, no," said Professor X.

Recognizing the Professor's tone, Wolverine said, "You need me to do something for one of the kids."

"You said you were worried about Bobby. I'd like you to talk to him," said the Professor.

"About what?" Bobby was one of the better students academically and in training sessions. Logan couldn't imagine what kind of problem there could be.

"Just . . . talk to him," said the Professor, being intentionally vague.

Logan stared. "You want me to go up to him . . . and have a chat?"

"More or less, yes," said the Professor.

"I'm not exactly good at counseling people, Charles," said Logan. "You'd probably be able to help him more."

"I think Bobby needs a friend more than a psychologist," said the Professor.

This wasn't the answer Logan was expecting; he'd expected an explanation or, at least, a topic. He also suspected that the Professor knew more than he was letting on. "Charles, are you going to tell me what this is about?"

"You'll find out when you talk to him."

"Why me?"

"I believe it will be mutually beneficial," said the Professor with a smile.

Logan had learned long ago that Charles Xavier almost always knew what he was talking about, but he had to wonder if this was one of the few exceptions to the rule.

#

Over the next few days, Logan began to think that maybe the Professor had been right again. Bobby seemed distracted lately during training sessions. Logan wondered what was wrong, but didn't know what he could do to help, even if Bobby confided in him.

Logan tried to think of how to approach Bobby. He considered asking about the weather, but decided that Bobby would probably think he was mental. There was also the problem of finding Bobby when he was not with his best friend John, which was close to never, considering that the two were roommates and spent the entire day together.

The way it turned out, however, Logan didn't have to go out of his way to talk to Bobby. One Thursday night, like every other night he could remember, Logan's horrid nightmares woke him up. He lay in bed for a few minutes, breathing heavily, and going over the images in his mind. They didn't answer any of his questions about his past; they never did. His clearest memory was of terrible pain. Just thinking about it made him want to scream.

Logan forced himself to clear his mind. He wondered about his past often, but tried not to worry about it too much. He wanted answers desperately, but knew that agonizing about it wouldn't help. It wasn't his way to get depressed or feel sorry for himself. After all, he told himself, I've got a damn good life here. I've got friends, a home, and hopefully, good things to do. My present and future are more important than my past. Then, he thought, Where did that come from? He'd felt that way for a while - ever since joining the X-Men - but he'd never mentally lectured himself before.

Logan smiled to himself and glanced at the sleeping figure on the bed next to him. It was Scott who'd done this to him - made it easier for him to deal with his problems. Sometimes, Logan's screams would wake Scott, who would wake up his boyfriend and ask if he wanted to talk.

In the beginning, Logan had always said "No", telling himself that if he himself couldn't understand the fractured and horrifying images in his dreams, there was no way that Scott could help him. As their relationship progressed, Logan had learned that telling Scott about his dreams helped him to be less frightened by them. Scott couldn't help to get rid of them, but he would always listen. Scott never told Logan to feel sorry for himself. He always told Logan that he knew Logan could deal with it, which was just the assurance Wolverine needed - though he would never admit it.

Now, Logan looked at Scott next to him. Scott had definitely had a good influence on him. Logan recalled their earlier conversation. And I've had a bad influence on him. Logan smirked. Just as Logan needed Scott to listen to him when he couldn't talk to anyone else, Scott needed someone who he could be honest with. Scott needed Logan to remind him that it's okay to be human.

Logan knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while, and he didn't want to disturb Scott, so he gave the sleeping man a light kiss on the lips before heading downstairs.

Although the hour was late, the Institute was not completely asleep. It never was. As Logan walked through the halls and rooms, he saw students doing last-minute homework while others watched television. The Professor was strict about curfew, but very lax with bedtime, as long as his students reached class on time in the morning and got through the day without falling asleep during lessons.

Logan headed for the kitchen on the first floor. When he got there, Bobby was already sitting at the table, drinking a glass of milk and looking as though he was drowning his sorrows with a pint at the local pub.

"You alright, kid," asked Logan, grabbing a bottle of soda from the cabinet, since he knew there was nothing stronger available on the premises. Bobby looked so afraid and utterly confused that Logan genuinely wanted to help him, even though he'd told the Professor that he wouldn't be able to. Charles wouldn't have told me to talk to him if there wasn't something I could do.

Sitting across from Bobby, Logan repeated, "Kid, are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine." Bobby smiled. He always liked talking to Logan, but he wasn't sure if he could talk to anyone about what was troubling him. "It's nothing."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, right." He looked Bobby up and down and said, "You look like hell. What's going on?"

"You wouldn't understand. It's - complicated."

Logan took a drink. "Try me."

Bobby looked at Logan for a moment, wondering if he should tell the truth - if he could tell the truth. Logan was a nice guy, and Bobby had talked to him before when he was upset about his parents reaction to him telling them he was a mutant. This was different, though. Logan could relate to being a mutant, but not to this. Still, it seemed like Logan was willing to listen. "Well, John and I - you know we've been friends a while - now we're - it's become different - better, I think - I just - I don't know." Bobby took a sip of milk and looked at the table. "I don't know if I can talk about it. Like I said: it's complicated."

Logan thought, Could he be...? No. There's no way. He said, "Kid - Bobby, whatever it is, it sounds to me like you're makin' it more complicated than it really is by being afraid to say something about it." He thought to himself, Where did that come from? Oh, yeah: Scott.

"That's what John says," replied Bobby, grinning as he said John's name. "Well, kind of. He says I should stop being a coward. I agree with him, but - well - it's always easier to say you're going to do something than to actually do it."

"Yeah it is," agreed Logan. "You still haven't told me what exactly you're talking about - "

"No, I haven't," interrupted Bobby.

"And you don't have to. I'm just - well, I'm here, and you look like you want to talk to someone. I know I'm not the Professor. I'm not good at understanding psychology or anything, but if you want someone to just be straight and honest with you, I'm your guy."

Bobby looked past Logan at the wall and whispered two words so softly that even

Wolverine couldn't hear him.

"What?"

Bobby took a deep breath, and repeated, only slightly louder, "I'm gay."

"Okay."

Bobby stared at Logan. "I tell you that I'm gay, and that's your response? 'Okay'?"

Logan laughed. "Well, what do you want me to say, kid? That it's wrong? That you're going to Hell? I'm not God; I don't know. Personally, I don't think being gay is evil or wrong, and I don't think God would think so either. If whatever God there is would send people to Hell for loving someone of the same sex, then going to Heaven shouldn't be your priority. You're better off in Hell. I'll see you there."

Bobby smiled at Wolverine and laughed a little. "Thanks. For not freaking out, I mean."

"Logan shrugged his shoulders, and was glad to see Bobby looking much happier than he had two minutes ago. "It's not a big deal, kid. It's just a fact, and there's nothing wrong with it."

"Most people wouldn't agree with you," said Bobby.

"Most people don't know anything about anything," said Logan. "I know I'm gay, and I'm fine with it." Logan laughed at the look on Bobby's face. "What? You look like I just told you that the world's ending."

Bobby finally found his voice. "You're gay?"

Logan smiled. "Yeah. I thought I just said that."

"No way."

"No way what?"

"You're lying. You're not gay."

Logan laughed again. "Why would I lie about that?"

Bobby shrugged. "How should I know? Maybe you're trying to make me feel better."

"Well, I am trying to make you feel better, Bobby, but I'm not lying."

Bobby didn't respond, but Logan could tell from the look on his face that Bobby didn't believe him.

"Here," said Wolverine. "Look." He pulled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt and showed Bobby his upper arm. Tattooed in black script was one name: Scott.

"You and Scott? Cyclops Scott?" Bobby sounded even more incredulous than he had before.

Logan sat back in his chair and laughed. "Yeah. Scott and I have been together for two years as of a few months ago."

"You guys hate each other."

"So did you and John, when he joined the Brotherhood for a while, and now you're together."

"We were only really fighting for a little while. We were going out before he left, too. You and Scott have always hated each other."

"We're just different," said Logan.

"I always thought you were fighting over Dr. Grey."

Logan had taken a sip of soda while Bobby was talking, and he almost spit it out. "Jean? Where the hell did you get that from?"

"It's not me," laughed Bobby. "The whole school thinks so."

Logan shook his head. "Scott and Jean were among the first students here. They've been friends for a while; they're like brother and sister. Jean and I are friends, too. Scott and I didn't get along before, but we - well, we got to know each other better, and we love each other."

"You guys still annoy each other constantly," said Bobby, recalling the many times Logan and Scott would seem to argue about nothing. Although now that he thought about it, they didn't seem to be serious about it.

Logan shrugged. "We goof around. We tease each other. It's not a mortal rivalry. Not anymore, anyway."

"Old habits are hard to break," said a familiar voice from the archway that joined the kitchen and the hallway. Bobby looked up and Logan looked over his shoulder. They both saw Scott leaning against the wall in jeans and a white t-shirt with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "I was wondering where you went," he said, looking at Logan.

"How long have you been standing there," asked Logan.

"Since your inspirational speech about going to Hell. I was waiting for you to notice I was here - with your super hearing and all." He smirked a little, reminding Bobby of Logan.

"Very funny," said Logan.

Bobby listened to their dialogue, noticing for the first time that there wasn't any real malice in the words. He had been glancing back and forth between the two men, observing their interaction, and was startled as Scott suddenly addressed him.

"Bobby." Iceman looked up at Scott's shaded eyes. "Logan actually knows what he's talking about, as surprising as that may seem. Don't worry so much about being gay. It's just one thing about you - just one fact, and it's not a bad thing, no matter what anyone may tell you. You just have to try to be a good person."

"Now you know where I learned to be nice all of a sudden," commented Logan.

Bobby and Logan laughed.

"Just don't get too sappy, okay?" said Scott.

"That would be your job," retorted Logan.

"Yes, it would," said Scott, moving to stand next to Logan. He placed a kiss on Logan's cheek.

"Somehow, I think this is all some really weird dream," commented Bobby.

Scott laughed. "That's what I said to Logan when he asked me out."

"You're lucky," Bobby said to Logan. "John threw fire at me when I asked him out."

Scott and Logan both laughed.

Scott was about to say something when the seven fifteen bell rang, warning students that class would start in half an hour.

"Damn," said Scott. "I've got to get down to the Danger Room." With a kiss for Logan and a "Don't worry too much, okay?" to Bobby, he left in a hurry.

"I'd better go," said Bobby, getting up.

"Yeah, me too," said Logan, moving to leave the kitchen when Bobby stopped him.

"Hey, Logan." Wolverine turned around. "Thanks."

"Not a problem, kid. Any time."

#

Later that day, Scott looked up from grading papers at his desk when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

It was John, the mutant called Pyro, who entered. The teenage boy stood with one hand in his jeans pocket and the thumb of his other hand hooked on his belt. He looked like someone trying to convey a sense of comfort and confidence he did not feel.

When John failed to speak, Scott asked, "Do you need something, John?"

John found his voice. "No. I mean, I just - Bobby told me what you and Logan said to him and, well, thanks for not telling the Professor to kick us out or something."

"John, sit," said Scott, motioning with his hand to a chair across the desk from where he himself sat. John sat down, not sure what to expect.

"First of all," said Scott, "nobody is going to kick you out of the Institute for going out with Bobby. Not me, not Logan, not Storm, not Beast, not the Professor, not anybody." He thought for a moment and added, "I get the feeling you and Bobby are forgetting we're your friends. We're a family."

"That's what Bobby always said - about being a mutant and being gay. He always wanted to tell his parents he was a mutant. Even though I told him that my parents disowned me when they found out, he still told his family. He thought they'd accept him. After what happened at his house, he didn't want to take that chance again. I wanted to tell everyone about our relationship, but I was afraid, too. The both of us don't have anywhere else to go."

Scott nodded. "I understand." John knew that Scott was being honest, recalling that the man was once an orphan who no one would adopt.

Pyro asked the one question that had been on his mind: "Did you tell the Professor about Bobby and me?"

Scott smiled. "He already knew. I'd suggest either you or Bobby start packing."

Pyro looked at him questioningly. "Why?"

"Well, you don't think he'll let you sleep in the same room anymore, do you?" Scott laughed. "At least not until you're older."

John rolled his eyes and blushed a little. "As if Bobby lets me anywhere near him.

"All the same, one of you has to move." Scott smiled at John as he spoke.

"Okay," said John, getting up to leave, "and thanks again."

"Sure. I'll talk to you later."

Author's Note: Please review. Reviews make me happy. Pyro will use all flames for target practice.

Happy reading and writing. May the Force be with you.