Disclaimer: If I owned either X:men Evo or "Every Time" by Hoku, chances are very good I would be at my ranch instead of writing this….So aren't you glad I don't?
I don't believe in true love
I am alone by nature
~~~
And mah mutation don't help much either.
Rogue thought to herself as she entered the kitchen after the other students' mad rush for food. She was never too comfortable around others, even when she was fully covered. Just in case…So she was forced to wait until the others had eaten already grabbed their food, or to wake up early. Waking up early was normally reserved for weekends- as much as she liked to sleep in, she liked having more than an apple and muffin every day. So she would get up early, grab her food, and most of the time fall asleep on the couch in the rec room. And now that the Acolytes moved in and the Pyro eats almost as much as Kurt, there's even less at the end of the week. She couldn't really complain of lack of food- that wasn't it at all. It was the selection that bothered her. There were normally two boxes of good cereal in the house at any given time, and it went fast. She grabbed her apple and headed into the rec room, picking up her book from the table in the front hall on the way, thinking of sitting in the window seat and reading while she ate.~~~
I did not want to let you in
So why does it feel so classic
Like some romantic story
Now that you're underneath my skin
~~~
Not again.
She groaned silently. Soon after arriving, Gambit had taken to following her around and was now liable to pop up anywhere, any time. "Bonne matin, cheré." He said, shifting to make room for her on the window seat."It was until I saw ya." Rogue snapped.
"Y' wound me cheré. Any other man would die to spend time with a belle femme such as y'rself."
"And that's exactly what would happen to them. They'd end up in the hospital." She said bitingly.
"There are lots of ways to get around that, ma cheré. D'you want me to demonstrate one?"
"I think Ah'm gonna hurl." She walked out of the room. Rogue hated how he did that, knew exactly which buttons to push and do it so easily.
"One day cheré, one day…" Remy whispered to the room.
~~~
Every time I speak
I speak to you
Every time I reach
I reach out for you baby
~~~
Rogue settled down under one of the trees in the front yard, watching some of the boys goof off. Evan was, of course, on his skateboard and Bobby had created some ice thing that he was controlling, and was pulling off tricks that Evan had trouble doing on his skateboard. Evan finally got fed up of him showing off and threw a spike at the ice platform as Bobby was coming out of a spin. He dropped and landed on his butt. Kurt and Ray were laughing their heads off. All of a sudden a pair of red eyes appeared in front of her. "Goddam', not again!" she swatted the air in front of her, and the eyes disappeared. "Ah need to do something." She muttered to herself.
~~~
Every time I breathe
I feel your heart beating next to mine
~~~
Rogue headed to the Danger Room and selected a level five sim, one to be picked at random by the computer. The walls wavered and she found herself in a dark warehouse, facing off against Pyro and Gambit. "Even in here!" she cried, exasperated. Dropping into a crouch, she went for Pyro first, sweeping his feet out from under him and disposing of him with a light touch. Then she turned her attention to the Swamp Rat. She aimed a punch at his face, but he ducked under it and caught her arm. Twisting around, she pulled his arm into a very uncomfortable position and forced him to drop it. They continued sparring for a while, each blocking, neither one landing a successful punch. They circled each other, Rogue and the sim alike panting. She faked an upper cut to the right and punched him in the gut. He fell over, gasping, and their heartbeats echoed and mingled in the metal room. She knocked him over and sat on him, preventing him from moving, when a smirk appeared on his face. She grimaced and once again felt the strange sensation of his heartbeat mingling with hers. "End simulation!" she called, getting off the floor and heading for her room and a hot shower. Even there she had no peace from him.
~~~
Is it real
What I feel
This time
~~~
A few days later, some of the younger students had gone out and the two unofficial leaders were on a date, and Kitty and Kurt were doing who knows what, although Rogue had a feeling she didn't really want to know. Heading into the kitchen, she pulled out some of the freshest leftovers and started to make something that would hopefully turn out edible. Sitting at the kitchen table, she saw Remy- Gambit! enter the kitchen, though he didn't seem to notice her. She would be one of the first people to say that she disliked him with a passion, although she would also be one of the first to agree he had a great body, even when he was wearing long sleeves and jeans.
~~~
I am distracted often
Running to meet you somewhere
Hoping the flowers never die
And then you leave me breathless
~~~
She quickly excused herself, dumping her dishes in the sink before seeking refuge in the library. Which wasn't such a good place, since Kitty and Kurt were there. She headed to her room and grabbed a new novel that one of the goths at school had recommended, Demon in my View. Sitting at the back of the Institute's property, she found a small clearing and sat down on the grass, propping her back up against a tree and her book on her legs. Half an hour later, Rogue found herself still on the tenth page and gave up, heading back for the mansion and whatever horrors were waiting in the form of Remy. Upon entering, she found that there was apparently no one in the mansion and she decided to look around for them. Coming up to the room where Logan sometimes worked out, she heard someone in there and decided to see if Logan had returned from his weekend trip yet. Instead, Rogue found a shirtless Remy sparring with a punching bag, and he had obviously been at it for a while, judging by the sweat on his back. Her breath catching in her throat, she quickly left before he could turn around and find her there.
~~~
Rushing to look in the mirror
Surprised to see the face is mine
~~~
Remy smirked as Rogue left, he had heard her behind him but had not turned around, wanting to know what her reaction would be if she thought he didn't know she was there. It was promising, to say the least.
Rogue entered the girls bathroom and splashed some water on her face, trying to cool the burning blush that had spread across her cheeks. Looking into the mirror, she was surprised to notice just how red her cheeks were and how bright her eyes seemed. She shrugged it off, rubbing the towel against her face to dry it. Heading back down to the rec room, she flipped on the TV, switching it to the free movie channel and started watching Ocean's Eleven. When Remy came in, she tensed, wishing Kurt would bamf, of Kitty phase, of the Professor call for her, just so she wouldn't have to sit her by herself with Remy. When he sat down on the other side of the couch, she scooted down further even though there was a pillow between them. Excuse her for being worried, but the last thing she wanted to do was end up touching him and maybe hurting him, but the worse part would be having his voice stuck in her head for a week or so, before the Professor or Jean could erase it.
~~~
So what is wrong with me
I know I should be happy
I don't feel right in my own skin
~~~
They sat in silence for the movie, Rogue getting up at the end to leave the room. Remy blocked her, forcing her to move towards the wall. They heard the door slam and then the distinct footsteps of Jean and Scott. Jean stuck her head into the rec room, seeing Rogue almost up against the wall and Gambit a few steps away, Rogue looking decidedly uneasy. "Hey guys, we're back." She told them. "You okay Rogue?"
"Yeah." She replied, twisting to look at Jean. "Ah'm good. Just dealing with a few things."
"Well…ok." And Jean was gone.
Remy took a step closer, and Rogue took a step back. "Cheré.." he said.
~~~
I'm just waiting for this whole damn thing to end
All I can think about
Is how I can just get out
Love is maddening
~~~
Rogue found herself with her back against the wall. Deciding to see whether he would move or not, she sighed and decided to talk to him. "What do ya want Swamp Rat, Ah'm kind of busy at the moment."
"Non, y'arent. Y'just standing here, talking wit' Remy."
"Do ya always have to refer to yerself in the third person?" she asked him, fed up with the way he was avoiding any subject that would allow her to ask him to move.
"Jus' an ol' habit of mine." He said, grinning at her. She glared up at him and then felt like she couldn't look away. His eyes, red on black, the devil's eyes, were right now staring at her in a way that could probably see right into her heart, and the emotion in his eyes was one foreign to her.
~~~
Love is maddening
~~~
The intensity of his gaze frightened her, and she felt like she wanted to run, except her body had stopped taking orders from her brain and she was standing there, waiting for something.
Remy was glad that Rogue had not left when Jean appeared and that she was somewhat willing to listen to him, as she had not yet caused him any bodily harm or called her brother to come get her.
~~~
Every time I speak
I speak to you
Every time I reach
I reach out for you baby
~~~
"I have to go…Kitty had something she had to tell me." Rogue said weakly.
"We both know that's not true cheré."
She sighed mentally, knowing he had called her bluff. "Ah don't want to know you Gambit," she said. "Mah life is strange enough and Ah don't need to add someone new to the list."
"But cheré, Remy not going to make your life more complicated."
"Yes ya will! Now can Ah go?" she wasn't prepared for what he did next.
~~~
Every time I breathe
I feel your heart beating next to mine
~~~
Remy closed the last step between them and wrapped his arms around Rogue, pulling her close to him. She tensed, every nerve ready to pull away if she should touch him. He put his chin on top of her head, resting it there for a while. "Remy?" Rogue's voice was muffled against his shirt.
"Oui cheré?"
"Nevah mind." She breathed in the scent of his cologne, it was the closest she had been to someone in years, and he hadn't even flinched, even knowing the risks. Remy lifted his head a bit and lightly kissed the top of her head, then, after about another minute, reluctantly released his hold on her. They had both heard the camera click at the same time and turned to see Kitty and Kurt in the doorway with a Polaroid. They snapped another picture of their shocked faces before Kurt bamfed them out of there.
"KURT! KITTY! Get yoh butts back here!" Rogue was off like a shot, chasing her wayward roomie and her brother, while Remy sat down on the couch and laughed.
"Aren't ya gonna help me?" Rogue asked, sticking her head back in the door. Remy got off the couch and followed her out of the room.
~~~
Is it real
What I feel
This time
The End.
AN: Me done! Think of it as a sort of spin off of "World's on Fire" but this one's Romy! Hope you all like it!