So. This was supposed to be an entry for the last I Heart Rogan challenge but obviously I missed the deadline by what, a month? Wonderful because that way I got around a few of my terrible prompts.
Thanks go out to JohnPaulGeorgeandRingo who created the community and the challenge and is partially responsible for me writing Rogan at all. She is also responsible for me being sleep deprived today but that is another story. To be precise, that will be a Sabretoothy silly oneshot. No, not silly. Shiny. Anyway.
I have to go to work and be a good girl. Why aren't you a good girl and leave a review before leaving? I tried very hard to not be silly. But I will not beg for reviews, oh no!
Enjoy. That is an order!
Rogue sighs and puts down her book, officially having moved on from countless romance novels-just because they had been written a century ago didn't change the fact that that was what they were, sugary sweet fluffy love stories-to Palahniuk's "Snuff". Though there was a red line, it was also about…. How did the lovely Mrs. Grey-Summers put it… fornication.
She loves the book. It speaks to her in ways none of the other books could. Maybe it is the Wolverine inside her…
Don't you wish, kid.
"Shut up lughead."
He talks to her frequently, but he keeps those other voices at bay. John has long ago given up and even Magneto had backed away. From time to time she hears a remark in her head, but it is mostly friendly advice, as friendly as Magneto can get. She chalks that up to her inner Wolverine but the truth is that she just doesn't want to hear them so they keep quiet. All but one. But if she could ever manage to be honest at least with herself, she would have to admit that she doesn't want him to shut up. She likes having him with her at all times. That is imperative for her sanity, especially now that he has been gone for two months, hasn't called in three weeks, two days and… She checks her watch. Five hours, ten minutes.
Aren't we a little too obsessed, child?
She can feel Magneto shake his head but it doesn't matter. She misses Wolverine. Logan. He has been gruff enough to gain the nickname "grumpy", but only when he is out of earshot. Quite a few students found all sorts of nicknames but never dared to use it when he was in the mansion. She has rarely seen him, he has been in and out of missions, and teaching classes for the older students, those who are most likely to become part of the team after graduation. And he has given her private fighting lessons, not only teaching her all he knows about hand to hand combat, but also fighting with assorted weaponry. She has enjoyed that a lot, in spite of the pain she went through every day following the sessions.
Speaking of. Don't you have something to do, kid?
Unfortunately for her his voice is also her inner little reminder. Before he left, this time seeking her out to say goodbye, he left her with a task instead of his tags, he had left them at the bottom of Alkali Lake-once more she wished he hadn't left them there with Stryker. No, instead he had told her to keep up her training, "Expect a test when I come back" he'd said with that smirk of his that made her want to melt into a little puddle to his feet.
That was his way of assuring her he would be back.
With another sigh she stretches her limbs tentatively and shoves the book further away from her to the edge of her bed. In her lap, a fluffy red cat begins to purr and she smiles to herself. Usually the kids don't have any pets here at the mansion, but the professor has made an exception for her, the one with the poisonous skin. There is no way she could kill that little guy with all his hair. She just has to watch out for his nose, that is all. So that little guy she found in the woods a few months ago has become her companion and barely leaves her side. Except for a week after she had him castrated because his mood and temper had been enough for everyone around. Logan had clearly felt for the little guy, making her heart ache with a number of feelings.
Her workout clothes are already out on her chair, waiting to be put on. It has been hot all day, which is why she has put it off until now, preferring to stay inside with a light, short summer dress and a book instead. There is no way anyone could get her outside in this kind of weather, all covered up, and they never ask her to.
Reaching for her utility belt, handcrafted and referred to as her Batman belt, she glances out of the window. Rain. Beautiful, wet rain. That means she will get wet, but that also means it won't matter that she is wearing cut off grey sweatpants and a black tank top, nobody will be outside anyway. Her belt already holds her iPod and a few training weapons, all she needs is a fresh bottle of water from the kitchen and she is ready to go.
On her way to the front door she passes Bobby's room and her senses, still slightly enhanced, pick up some weird noises from the inside. She can't help but wonder what is going on in there.
Fap, fap, fap ungh!
Shut up fireball.
The voices talking among themselves are always a little weird to her, especially since she sometimes can hear sounds, too. Like that punch Logan just threw at Pyro. She doesn't know if she is adding those or if they really live inside her head like it is a little apartment they are stuck in. Either way, she still has to laugh at both John's comment and Logan's reaction. Those two have been bickering constantly. Laughing quietly to herself she runs down the stairs and literally busts through the front door, a gleeful smile on her face, ready for the endorphins kicking in as she makes her way to the woods. There is a certain path she loves because it reminds her of quite a few morning runs in the company of Logan. It had aggravated her at first when she couldn't keep up with him and she was thankful for his personality-he just wasn't one for talks and so they spent an hour together in silence, nothing audible but the sounds of their feet and their breathing. It was better than meditation, grounded her and the knowledge that she would spend at least four hours with him alone each week made her happy to a point where Jubilee, her best friend and only female student who wanted to share a room with her, declared her legally insane.
Sure, there were many girls at the mansion who would love some alone time with him, at least in their fantasies. In reality? Not so much. Getting your ass kicked by him? Hell no. Having him push you to your physical boundaries, making you sweat and leaving you with an ache you will enjoy for a few days after? Sure. But not like that.
Her iPod is on, but the volume is low. She wants to hear the sound of the woods, the rustling of trees, the sound of her feet on the mossy path. She loves the way the ground feels beneath her, the smell of the woods in her nose. Logan's heightened senses have worn off mostly, but she has been enjoying the different smells, too. Today all she smells is the woods, a combination of all the plants, the fresh air, and the rain. She knows that he would smell so much more, the tracks of all the animals crossing this path, the scents of mutants who have used this path in the past week or longer, depending on the conditions. And her sweat. She has no idea if that affects him at all, but she does know that the scent of his sweat is worse than any aphrodisiac known to humanity.
Of course there is no way for her to tell if the feeling she has running and working out with him compares to sex in any way, after all she has never had any. But his intoxicating scent, along with the fact that they are alone, and the brief touches, his skin brushing against hers during sparring, make it an experience as thrillingly close as it gets for her. Because to her, every touch is special, intimate and she won't allow just anyone to come that close to her. Just like he doesn't let anyone be around him if he doesn't have to, like during missions or in class. He spends most of his spare time working in the garage or being away from them all, everyone but her. Needless to say that this doesn't exactly help her feelings for him.
All personalities she has absorbed have rubbed off on her taste of music, the longer the touch the stronger the pull towards it. Magneto has left her with a broad knowledge of classic music and there are times when she finds herself enjoying some Ravel, Beethoven, Vivaldi. Names she has never heard of before. John has a certain affinity for rock music, even metal. She loves that for her workouts when she is alone. Bobby, as embarrassing as it was even when they were dating, loves 80s music. A Flock of Seagulls would make her retch any given day but she has found that she likes to listen to Queen, Bowie and, Bobby's favorite band, Journey.
Logan is a different story. She couldn't pick out anything specific that is him. Aside from complaining about horrible pop songs, but he is just not a music person in general. He prefers natural sounds, the quiet of the woods and as for unnatural sounds, the purring of an engine. Something deep inside her has connected with that, making her remember long summer days she has spent all by herself back home in what now seems like another life.
Finally she arrives at her favorite spot, a small clearing where Logan has set up a little training field. Obstacles to climb, targets, dummies, you name it he had it miraculously appear there. It was a nice change to the everlasting danger room sessions where there was no fresh air, no real fresh air at least and no matter how advanced the technology was, it always smelled like old socks and sweaty sneakers.
The music changes from soft electronic tunes to harder ones and she smiles as she hears the Deftones, that one is definitely John. the volume is been toned down so she could hear the sounds around her while running, but now she turns it up and launches herself at the obstacles, smile firmly in place. She doesn't need a stopwatch to know that she has cut her best time Logan had last taken in half.
After the obstacle course she feels a lot better, there is no telling if she has worked up a sweat or not because it is still raining. Her black tank is clinging to her just like her shorts. Strands of her hair have slipped out of her ponytail and are sticking to the delicate skin of her neck, one of almost white is lying across her forehead. She doesn't mind, doesn't notice. She is too enthralled by her workout routine. It is almost as if she can feel him watch her moves intently, studying her so he can give advice on how she can get better after. And so he knows how she moves in combat because that was his condition after she graduated. He would not let her on any missions alone and they would always fight as a team.
He had a promise to keep he said.
Grinning like a fool she stretches a little before turning towards a few dummies at the edge of the clearing. One of them turns just slightly and she skids to a halt and rips off the headphones. Someone is here after all. Trying to filter out a scent she breathes in, but to no avail. Logan's powers have faded, all she is left with are still unrefined combat skills and her deadly skin.
You better kick some ass there kid. Don't let anyone play with you like that.
Yeah you go girl, wohoo!
You know you can take on anyone with that remarkable talent of yours, child.
The voices, her companions, cheering her on calm her nerves a little, though she still is on high alert, with every muscle in her body tensed, ready to strike. There is a bush rustling to her right and her head snaps around immediately. Her right hand slowly moves up to her belt where two small throwing knives are securely fastened to it with a strap she can remove in the fraction of a second, she has practiced well. Speed to make up for the fact that her aim isn't as good as she would want it to be, but enough to throw off an attacker. Soon her fingers graze the cool metal grip and prepare to close around it when a hand takes hold of her wrist and she screams.
A barely audible chuckle behind her gives away the attacker before he speaks up.
"I see you have practiced. And even though those tiny knives can't kill me the way you throw them I really wouldn't appreciate having one of them stuck in my head."
Furious she turns around, fists that look tiny compared to his body flying at his chest, bothering him about as much as the raindrops still falling.
"You stupid asshole! What the hell are you trying to do, kill me?"
He just looks down at her, smirking, and lets her vent.
"If you didn't listen to that horrible music you would've heard me. I made sure to be extra noisy."
She finally stops pounding his chest, exhausted, and allows herself to calm down.
"And then you saw me wearing headphones and thought hey, why not give that girl a heart attack?"
An eyebrow hitches up along with one corner of his mouth, as close to laughter as it gets for him.
"Something like that."
Catching her breath she puts her hands on her hips and takes in the sight of him, even though his clothes are soaking wet his hair once more seems to defy any existent laws of nature. She is suddenly very aware of her bare skin and instinctively takes a step back.
"Seems like you worked on your switch, too."
Confused by that statement she tilts her head.
"What do you mean?"
There is that eyebrow again and he reaches out to grab her wrist-she suddenly realizes he had grabbed her wrist to keep her from throwing her knives. Her very bare wrist. And now he is touching her again.
"I haven't… but… I…"
Genuinely puzzled she stares at his fingers that still close around her wrist. She waits for the all too familiar pull to start, for Logan's face to twist in agony, but nothing happens. All she can feel is a slight prickling, tiny sparks dancing across her skin where he touches her, but she isn't sure if that is really her mutation or just the fact that he is touching her. The first real touch in years, and she always wished it would be him. His other hand reaches up to her face and she closes her eyes tightly, willing him to touch her wherever he pleases-and hoping, praying it will work.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful."
His voice is barely audible over the downpour of rain around them and the rushing of blood in her ears. All tension falls of her as his fingertips graze her cheekbone and nothing happens. Only the same little sparks dancing across her skin, goosebumps spreading across her neck and a shiver running down her spine. With a gasp she opens her eyes just to find that his are watching her intently, a few shades darker than usual. His face is mere inches away from her and she feels his warm breath on her wet skin that makes her notice how cold she really is.
Logan's other hand leaves her wrist and lifts up to her face, both hands now carefully encasing her head. When she realizes that there is still nothing more than the slight tingle she smiles, finding it echoed on his face. Closing her eyes once more she relished the feeling of touch, his touch. She gasps as his lips brush her, barely enough for her to register and her eyes fly open.
"Come on, let's get you out of the rain."
He takes her hand and they find their pace, just as they always did when they went running together. As they emerge from the woods the rain gets even heavier and they speed up. Finally they bust through the front doors, both of them soaking wet, clothes clinging to their bodies. Marie throws back her head and laughs out loud, for the first time since her mutation surfaced she feels genuinely happy. Logan pulls her closer and kisses her again.
She does not know why her mutation does not affect him and if it will work for others, too. But for now she doesn't care. All she knows is that she won't spend another rainy day being sad.