Marvel Imagines

11. In The Closet (Bobby Drake/Iceman)

   "Liz, can I come in?"
   Bobby's voice was followed by two soft knocks on the closet door, and I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes. It was pitch black where I hid, so as long as he didn't somehow coax me out, hopefully he wouldn't notice my red eyes and tear stained cheeks. I had been hiding and crying for a good hour now and, fortunately, everyone else had left me alone. I knew Bobby wouldn't, though.
   When I didn't respond, he simply opened the door and crouched down to look at me. "Hey."
   I started crying again. I couldn't even imagine what he thought of me right now, and I ducked my head to avoid his blue irises. He dropped to his knees and scooted closer to me, our legs touching.
   "Lizzie, you can't keep it locked up. At least tell me what happened." He requested. "Please?"
   I took a shaky breath. "I began drawing the oxygen from the room little by little, but I did something wrong, because it formed into a tornado thing and I couldn't stop it. I tried, but... I-it took all of the oxygen, leaving the other trainees suffocating, then it exploded and threw them all into the walls behind them. I was the only one left standing a-and uninjured."
   Bobby hesitated for a minute, processing my words. He knew about as much about my mutation as I did, since I was new to the whole thing and still learning. I knew he'd still be disappointed in me, though. I dropped my head again, trying to stop crying.
   "I already went and apologized to all of them. Most of them hate me right now." I mumbled.
   "Suffocating is scary." Bobby mused, gently taking one of my hands in his own. "Just give them some time to catch their breath, it'll be okay. And I'll talk to X and see if you can train with me. You won't take my breath away, right?"
   I knew it was a joke, so I punched his arm lightly, but more tears welled up at that. He saw this and quickly hugged me with a quiet apology.
   "We'll get you trained, Liz. Don't be afraid. If things get weird, we'll just get X to help you control it. We'll help you, baby." He assured me.
   "Thank you." I lightly kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

(Published August 28, 2021)