Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution or any of its characters.
Title: The Differences Between Us
Summary: Kitty doesn't understand Rogue, and Rogue doesn't understand Kitty. But when they are suddenly thrown into the other's body, they'll have to learn to cope quickly.
Author's Note: Welcome one and all! I am so happy to present this idea because I have had it on the shelf for a while now. There really was no other universe to do this one in except for X-Men: Evolution. I chose a rating of T just to be on the safe side. I don't exactly know how this is going to turn out, but I don't expect anything terrible. Just to start things off, I am not entirely sure how this is going to play out. I usually don't have a particular ending in mind with my stories, but rather like for the readers to leave ideas and suggestions. That is to say, I do like reviews, like everyone else on here, I am sure. I also want to say that I am a total Kitty/Lance shipper and Rogue/Remy shipper. Again, I am not entirely sure where this is headed, but romance could come into play. Just one more thing before starting, I created the mutant as a catalyst for the story. Again, I don't know if this person will come into play later on, but if there is any similarity to a mutant already created, that is pure coincidence. Now, enjoy!
Chapter 1 – The Switch
"Why do you, like, always make everything so difficult?" Kitty Pryde roared at her roommate as they made their way down the road.
"Maybe I just like to see you squirm," Rogue jested, not making the situation any easier.
"Haha, like, very funny," Kitty mocked. She crossed her arms over her chest and attempted to continue their path in silence. However, it wasn't so easy for her. Eventually her arms dropped to her sides in a defeated manner and she sighed, exhausted. "You, like, always do this, Rogue. Now we have to walk all the way back to the mansion."
Rogue heard the sadness in her voice and immediately sobered up. "I-I'm sorry, Kitty. Those guys just get on my nerves, that's all. You wouldn't understand."
She really hadn't meant to start a fight with the Brotherhood, especially since they were their only ride back to the mansion that afternoon. Lance had gone out of his way to offer the gesture to Kitty and whoever else needed it, what with Scott being called away to investigate the appearance of a new mutant. Of course the boys fended for themselves, which was easy with Kurt's teleportation. So that just left Kitty and Rogue; and, this is where they ended up.
Rogue really didn't need Kitty to be mad at her again. She tried, she really did. Kitty just didn't understand. It came down to that.
Kitty hugged herself. "They, like, always do, Rogue. That's the problem. You need to, like, learn how to let things go. You take yourself too seriously. I think you're, like, the one that doesn't understand sometimes."
"Whatever you say, Kitty."
Kitty sighed again, finding herself a few feet in front of her roommate. All she wanted at the moment was time to herself—to think. She tried to include Rogue ever since she had really learned to get along with the loner. It always seemed as if her efforts were in vain, though. Rogue would always find some way to mess it all up. She just didn't understand, that was all.
"Maybe you should be angry at Kurt," Rogue tried. "After all, he was the one that left us to fend for ourselves."
"That's not, like, the point," Kitty insisted. "Lance was, like, trying to do something nice for us, and you, like, totally blew it."
Fed up, Rogue began to grow defensive and frustrated. "Listen, I'm not the one that rock-boy is trying to impress, so I could care less about making him feel welcome."
"And maybe that is, like, exactly what the issue is," Kitty said, flaring up to meet her. "You, like, don't care about anyone but yourself. Maybe if, like, you were aware of other people's efforts, you would, like, show some effort back."
"I do show effort," Rogue yelled. "I do the best that I can. You just don't understand."
"No, you don't understand," Kitty yelled with just as much tenacity.
Then the game of the cold shoulder began. They marched into the house ignoring each other completely, both set in their ways and unwilling to budge. It was like a storm cloud rolling in, and everyone in the house sensed it as soon as they saw the two.
Kurt stopped the game of indoor football long enough to inquire as to the situation. "Whoa, Kitty, what's with the tension?"
"Leave me alone, Kurt. You're, like, the last person I want to talk to right now," she stated coldly. "Well, other than her."
"If I'd have known a simple walk would cause you two to be at each other's throats, I would have-"
"I, like, don't need your help, Kurt!" Kitty interrupted angrily. She phased right through him to continue on her way, leaving him confused and rather hurt in her wake.
Kitty sat alone in the library next to one of the open windows. The fresh air did her better in there than it had on the walk home. She pulled out her schoolwork and began to slowly get through it. However, she found that the argument was still plaguing her mind, preventing her from fully concentrating.
"Stupid Rogue," she muttered to herself, throwing her pencil down for the fourth time. "Why can't she just, like, understand that I try to include her for her own good? She would, like, a total recluse if she didn't, like, have me around. She doesn't understand how much social activity I turn down for her or, like, how much I stick up for her."
She sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She was tired of fighting this battle, for it was certainly one she had fought before. She realized that they were two very different people, but there had to be some understanding somewhere. All she knew in that moment was that she couldn't keep worrying about it. She had to finish this schoolwork or else face the wrath of her teachers the next day. And, she certainly wouldn't allow that to happen.
Meanwhile, Rogue found a comfortable and quiet seat in the dining room. She cracked a window behind her to allow some fresh air to clear her mind. It was just the beginning of fall and the breeze was still bearable. She threw her bag on the table with the intention of actually doing some of her homework. However, a juicy red apple in the fruit bowl was calling her name. She grabbed it and began to snack, leaning back in her chair and contemplating the fight that had just taken place.
"Kitty thinks she is so perfect," Rogue mumbled between bites. "She doesn't see how much I constantly try. It's exhausting. She wants me to be just like her, but we can't all be social butterflies. She doesn't understand that I simply can't. I am not comfortable being so…exposed with the way that I am."
She took a large bite of the apple, masticated it, and swallowed. She plopped all four legs of the chair back onto the ground then reached into her bag and pulled out one of her school books. She stared at it unenthusiastically and sighed.
"I hate math," she groaned.
xXx
As the two roommates got ready for bed that evening, neither had given in on the argument. Yes, they fought, probably more often than friends should. However, they were usually pretty good about making up in the end. It usually only took a few hours to a day. Never longer.
Kitty glanced up from her laptop diary and over at Rogue, who was in the middle of propping open their balcony doors. A small breeze came in and ruffled the curtains. She pulled the blanket up her body, being the type of person who got cold quite easily.
Rogue peered over her shoulder at Kitty's side of the room where she sat. "You aren't going to complain about this, too, are you?"
"No," Kitty sneered. She lowered her face into her computer again.
Rogue let out a noise of disgust and pattered back to her side of the room. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Make sure you turn that light out," she reminded, talking about the bedside lamp that was on for Kitty to see by.
"I always do," Kitty said, none too nice.
She watched her roommate roll over and fall into silence. Kitty finished scribbling a few sentences then placed the computer aside on her nightstand. She found a comfortable position and snuggled into the mattress. At the last moment, she poked her head up.
"Oh," she gasped then reached over and turned out the light.
xXx
The alarm blared noisily throughout the room, waking both of its occupants.
"Kitty, turn that off," Rogue said groggily, hardly rousing. Instead, she rolled in the opposite direction and lifted the blankets over her head.
"I'm trying," Kitty insisted.
Kitty stuck her hand out toward her nightstand, preparing to cease the annoying beeping. When she tried to phase her hand through the clock and it didn't stop, though, she tried it again and then again. Still, the alarm kept going.
"Oh, for real!" she grunted, annoyed.
She brought her hand up, ready to use full force to make it stop at all costs, and let it fall like a hammer. With nothing there to even catch her hand, though, the motion carried her straight to the floor. She fell out of bed with a big thud.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. The surprise and the pain did the trick in waking her up.
She managed to gather herself into a seated position and glanced about, confused as to why everything was backward. First off, she was on the opposite side of the room, where Rogue's bed was supposed to be located. Her alarm was blaring from the other side, as well, sitting intact upon her nightstand. Even the armoire with Rogue's clothing spilling out of it was nearby versus against the opposite wall where it always was.
She rubbed her head, attempting to figure out what had happened overnight to create the change. The only thing that came to mind was that perhaps she had taken a walk in her sleep and moved into Rogue's bed. But, her roommate would have had to go along with her crazy shenanigans, which, after their fight the previous afternoon, wasn't likely.
The alarm kept going in the meantime, growing louder and louder. Finally having had enough of the annoying noise, Rogue sat straight up in bed, the covers falling off of her. "Fine!" she shouted, making sure she could be heard over the raucous. "I'll do it myself!"
As Rogue swung her legs over the side of the mattress, they caught the blanket, causing her to trip and fall while attempting to stand to fix the problem. She hit the ground hard, just as Kitty had, jarring her awake and taking in her surroundings.
Both girls surveyed the room as if it was a foreign place, steadily taking in one object at a time. Gradually they brought their gazes around to land on one another. At first they stared at each other to get some sort of answer as to who decided their room could use some feng shui and why. But then their eyes went wide in horror.
For, as Rogue glanced at her roommate, she found herself staring at, well, herself. It was her face, her pale skin, her morning hair sprawled on the floor beside her bed on her side of the room. For Kitty, it was the same, but what she saw was herself on her side of the room where she should have been. It was her body, her sapphire eyes staring back at her, her pink pajamas.
Both girls opened their mouths and screamed.