Rating: T

Disclaimer: Don't own X-Men, they are marvel property.

Rain

-xXOXx-

"Eugh-! Ah knew ah should have brought a coat this mornin'!"

A frustrated growl escaped Rogue as she wrapped the pathetic excuse of a cardigan around her shivering form. The rain seemed relentless in its miserable parade. It had only just started and already the streets were peopless while the street lights stood sleak with water. The once blue and cloudless sky was now murky and streaked with greys and whites, blocking the late afternoon hour of any warmth and light it had had during the day. Sunshine had painted the cafe windows with a dash of blue skies, bringing only good business and cash flow. Buckets of rain didn't sell coffee or fresh muffins. All it did do was leave waitresses stranded until her ride arrived.

Another huff escaped her chattering lips but it quickly turned to a shiver. The shiver travelled from her head to her feet as she clamped her arms together. It was just her luck her car was still being fixed at the mansion. The grim thought brought a frown to her rain-streaked face. She turned her gaze to the sky with blame in her emerald eyes. She damned Logan for choosing to take one of his elongated trips-to-the-unknown that week. He could have fixed her car in the time it took for her boss to lock up and leave. Which she had some five minutes before the rain started. Rogue damned herself for not taking up her boss' offer for a lift.

After ten minutes, the rain refused to let up but her body could take no more. Her flesh was textured with goosebumps while her once curly hair became wet and wavy. Her unique white streaks plastered against her cold-pinched face, causing her to look more like a china doll with too much blush. She could barely feel the tip of her nose as it turned pink with the cold, matching the pair of pink stains that kissed her cheeks. It wasn't long before shifting on the spot became painful as the cold made her limbs ache with strain. A pair of stockings and a skirt were ideal for waitressing but horrible for being stuck in a rain storm. That was probably why they didn't open on rainy days. The flimsy black cardigan she wore was heavy against her arms as it soaked up all the rain water. Rogue found herself pulling up her sleaves as they slipped down her shoulders. She stood under the clear plastic sheath that hung over her head but it did little aid. The rain came from side on as the wind howled and sent shivers down her bones.

Finally, she decided that standing there any longer would only make her worse off. As she made her way down the street however, it became aparent that everyone had had the same idea; close the stores on account of heavy rainfall. It was just bad luck. Rogue was about to give up and return back to her pathetic excuse for cover at the cafe when an idea caught her eye. A sliver of an alley way caught her attention and without a second thought, she dipped into it. It proved to be a good choice as the two buildings acted as the perfect barriers between her and the storm. The high roofs above practically overlapped, thus stopping the rain from stretching its hand to her. She would've called herself content if it handn't been for the cold. No amount of brick and stone could buffer the cold. Her breath turned to mist in the dim light of the alley as she sighed.

"Damn it, Kurt. Where the hell are ya..."

She stole a glance at her watch. He should have been there some twenty minutes ago. An aggravated sigh-turned-growl shivered through her frozen lips as she wrapped her arms around her front. She shook uncontrollably as a frown marred her frozen face. She vowed silently to kill Kurt upon sight as a car drove by without so much as a glance her way. However her thoughts of torture were suddenly pushed to the back of her mind as the slightest sound of movement pinched her ears. She froze, well, became as still as she possibly could as something moved behind her. Her heart began to hammer against her ribcage when she felt something heavy drape over her shoulders. However it was short lived as she sprung into a defensive action. Turning to the darkness, she lunged out with a drawn fist and punched the air. However, instead of hitting some unsuspecting jaw or nothing at all, her small hand became enveloped by a large gloved hand. A set of fingers clamped down her fist before she could draw away. She was surprised there wasn't so much as an ounce of pain as the stranger's grip became firmer. Instinctively, her eyes darted upwards to try and put an owner to the hand.

Her mouth fell open as familarity struck her over the head.

A pair of red-on-black orbs glowed from the darkness. However instead of striking fear, they struck disbelief and shock. She felt herself take a step back, allowing the familiar pair of eyes to step into the dim light and reveal the face behind them. A warm, husky chuckle filled the air. It was like the warmth of the South had suddenly travelled up North. And in a way it had.

"Tsk tsk ma chére. Y' getting sloppy wit' y' counter reactions. Dat's not a good image for an X-Man. Non?"

His mocking words of scold were followed swiftly with a smug smirk. Rogue finally managed to clamp her mouth shut as a feeble scowl spread across her brow. She tried not to tremble with her words as she continued to shiver uncontrollably.

"Do a-all Ac-acolytes sneak up-p on girls in-in alley w-ways or- or is it jus'- jus' meh?"

Another warm chuckle escaped him but he said nothing. A moment later however, the smirk across his lips faded and a frown took its place. She didn't get the chance to ask what was wrong however as his other hand grasped her remaining free hand. He brought them together with his gloved hands and rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles as he spoke. His breath came out in puffs of mist as he whispered softly.

Vos mains sont comme de la glace ma chére."

She translated his French easily, like drinking water. Your hands are like ice my dear. She didn't say anything or more, she couldn't as his next action left her more surprised than the last. He raised one of her soaked, gloved hands to his mouth in one smooth motion, cupped them between his and blew deeply. Pleasant, warm shivers ran up and down her arms at the touch of his warm breath. The shivers continued from her fingers to nearly every bone in her body. In no time at all, Rogue felt her knees become weak. She knew if her pride was not in tact she would fall to her knees. However she wasn't sure if it was from the cold anymore. Wordlessly, he repeated the action with her other hand. The sound of air being pulled in and released was all she could hear as she stood motionless before him. The roar of the rain and thunder was deaf to her ears. She hardly noticed anything until he pulled her hand away from his mouth. She watched with a blank expression while he knelt down before her with an out stretched hand. It was only when he rose again that she realised what he had reached for. He shook the tan trench coat to rid it of the excess water and dirt before slipping it around her shoulders a second time.

It was like a parent helping a child with a coat; too large and long for her smaller frame but warm and comforting.

He gently grasped her wrists and manoeuvred her arms into the long sleaves of the coat. The heavy leather fabric hung off her small shoulders while the sleaves dangled past her finger tips. But it was warm and she had to suppress the urge to snuggle into it as he secured it around her trembling form. She gulped silently before speaking. Her voice was feeble and cold stricken as her heart rate shot through the roof. His fingers lingered gently around her waist.

"Wh-what about y-ya? Ar-aren't ya cold?"

His head shook mutely, causing droplets of rain water to flick through the air from his long fringe. Like her, he was almost soaked but his trench coat appeared to have kept the brunt of the cold away. His auburn hair appeared darker in its soaked state. She watched silently as a bead of water trailed down his face only to rest on his lower lip. He caught it with the slight peek of his tongue and it caused an odd shiver to run down her spine. The shiver had nothing to do with the cold. Another odd shiver ran through her as both his hands slipped into the side pockets of his coat. His fingertips lightly grazed her hips through the fabrics as he whispered.

"Not anymore..."

Rogue blinked once with widened eyes. At his touch, she finally came to realise just how close he was. His warm breath tickled her lips as it turned to mist in the air. Her breath hitched silently when his fingers began to run circles into her warming flesh. Another shiver coursed through her body but she took little notice. She didn't even acknowledge that the rain had stopped. All that existed at the moment was the smell of cigarettes, leather and spices and the pair of red orbs staring back at her. However, at the moment in which he moved to close the gap between them, she felt the cold hand of reality slap her across the face. She turned her head abruptly to face the mouth of the alley. A dark, dusk colour was painted across the cloud streaked sky. When she turned to face him, she found he was still close but there was evidence of disappointment in those tell-tale orbs. A saddened sigh escaped her before she spoke.

"Ah guess ah don't need this-"

She began to shrug out of his trench coat as she spoke but he didn't let her finish either of her tasks. His skilled fingers caught the coat and re-wrapped it around her form. He shook his head and put on a half smirk before replying.

"Y' need it more den I do chére."

A silence grew between them as their gazes became matched once more. Again, he eased closer to her and attempted to close the gap she had made. The thought of her absorbing him with a single touch remained untouched and forgotten in that moment. His lips were warm to her cold, trembling lips. A sigh escaped him as his grip tightened around her small waist. Her delicate fingers brushed gently against his chest as her back hit the wall. However they barely managed to brush lips against each other as the sound of a car horn blowing caught them in the act. Rogue jolted back in surprise as a pair of bright headlights blinded her. Her head whipped to the mouth of the alley way only to have her heart stop for a full blown second. Anxiety pulled at her as the familiar figure of Kurt waved from the driver's seat window.

She was surprised that he wasn't teleporting to her side and wisking her off in a panicked frenzie. She was standing beside an Acolyte; one of their presumed enemies. She was wearing the enemy's coat, and not to mention she had nearly let said enemy kiss her without so much as a thought towards her powers. She had more than passed the saying of "mingling with the enemy." With a confused, anxious look across her face, Rogue turned to back to where Gambit had been standing. However her brow furrowed deeper with confusion. He had vanished without so much as a trace. It was as if he had never been there.

"Come on Rogue! It's starting to rain again!"

At her brother's call, she stopped trying to look through the darker depths of the alley. A skeptical frown remained across her face as she finally stepped out of the alley and onto the pavement. She didn't register getting into the car or buckling her seat belt. Her eyes shifted at a dazed pace to look through the car window. The gloomy streets passed by in a blur of greys and whites as she wondered if he had been there at all. At the thought however, the smell of cigarettes, spices and leather refreshed her memory. Her gaze fell to the weathered sleaves of his trench coat only to be hit with new realisation. Her gloves were missing, and in their place her pink-kissed fingers lay exposed in her lap. Her bemused frown softened as a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Ah guess it's only fair. Ah took his coat..."

"I'm so sorry zhat I took so long. Kitty had me drop her off on zhe way..."

His excuses laid unimportant at the back of her mind as she pulled the collar of the coat to cover her mouth and nose. She took in a deep breath, taking in the smell of him that intoxicated her thoughts and tingled through her warming soul.

"Rogue?"

She answered his first question as the smell of the South tingled her senses.

"It's no problem Kurt."

She barely comprehended his bemused glance as she adjusted the coat around her.

"Where did you get zhe coat? I don't remember you bringing one when I dropped you off...?"

Kurt was left baffled by the slight smile that crept across his sister's lips. She flattened the coat over her chilled legs as she replied softly.

"A friend lent it to meh."

They said no more as Kurt turned at the lights.

-xXOXx-

A pair of red-on-black orbs watched from a far as the car turned and continued to make tracks between them. A nonchalant smile spread across the young man's lips as he dug one of his hands into his jeans pockets. The cold air caused him to shiver slightly but he continued to smile as he walked down the street. A pair of black, satin gloves peeked from his free hand as he became merged with the dark.

-xXOXx-

Now how was that? REVIEW!

-Gams