You guys are the greatest for actually reading these. And for putting up with my very sporadic updates. Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favorites!

--

Shuffling Contingency: So Contagious

--

It had been one hundred and thirty four minutes already, and still he remained in the same position he began in. He knew, because he had been counting religiously.

It was entirely possible that he had never been this motionless in his entire life. And he had been on quite a few heists where moving would have gotten him caught, killed or taunted until kingdom come. But he had never experienced something like this on a heist. Those times he breathed, right now he couldn't be too sure that he was actually breathing.

He didn't think there was anything that could compare to what he experienced in this moment. Nothing in the world. Well, perhaps there was but the likelihood of it happening reached into the depths of negative imaginary numbers. And those weren't real for a reason.

Because currently, Remy was residing on the recreational room's couch with his feet propped up on the table in front of him. That was not uncommon. The extraordinary part of the situation was the fact that Rogue was lying against his upper chest, her body touching his.

And her hand was very near his collarbone.

And his arm was drape across her lower back.

And she had her face upturned to his.

And…she was fast asleep.

Remy figured that was the only possible way for Rogue to ever be caught in such a situation with him. Even more curious was the fact that Remy had woken up to find them this way. Which meant that maybe, just maybe, she had done this of her own volition.

But it didn't seem likely.

It had been just a little over one hundred and thirty four minutes since he had woken up, and Rogue had still not moved. Her breathing was as even as in the beginning, wafting up towards his neck in a torturous heated breeze making his fingers ache to touch her, caress her. Her hair was still splayed out against his chest, making her look more beautiful than she normally was. It smelled flowery, like magnolias or honeysuckle.

It really wasn't something he minded. Having her laying on him felt nice, her breath mingling with his felt nice, and her face looked peaceful. It was probably the most relaxed that Remy had ever seen her. Plus, she would occasionally let out a soft sigh that produced a tingling sensation in his stomach that he couldn't identify but definitely did not dislike.

It felt really nice.

To tell the true, it felt more than nice. It felt wonderful to have her laying there when normally she wouldn't be caught dead this close to another person, let alone him. The places where she touched him were on fire. They burned through his clothing and through the layers she wore until his skin felt scorched.

It burned, in the most excruciatingly tantalizing sensation he had ever felt.

He didn't think anyone else's touch would come close to this not-touching that was occurring.

It was addictive, but not like the addictive quality of nicotine. It was more along the lines of an addiction to oxygen, which is natural since it keeps a person alive. Rogue for all intent and purposes was his equivalent to an oxygen addiction. A good addiction.

Which was what worried him. Sure, it was fine that he was reveling in the moment while he could, but things would change once she woke up. She would be cold and distant towards him. Their current camaraderie would all but disappear behind her usual icy demeanor. She would probably hit him a few times for it too.

Worse was that nothing would make him happier than to run his fingers down her arm right now, to just trail his fingers along her spine and make her shiver with delight. He wanted to see her muscles relax while in the presence of another person. He wanted to see her lovely grey-green eyes widen so that only the green remained.

Holding her like this, he almost felt like he could do such things. It was like a glimpse at the Rogue that she would be without the burden of her powers and the manipulation by everyone in her life. It was the Rogue she should have been. And maybe if he could hold her a little longer, he could protect her from those people.

But that was just the fluttering in his stomach talking. He knew it wasn't rational, wasn't logical, but he didn't want that feeling to stop telling him things. He liked what it said. He liked the images it brought to his eyes. He liked that Rogue could cause this feeling with such simple touches.

It was just so contagious of a feeling.

And when the hand that rested near his collarbone curled to fist his shirt, Remy let out a hesitant and shaky breath. It was the first one he remembered taking throughout the whole thing. But her only response was a cat-like sigh as she nuzzled his chest and moved an inch or two closer to his body. His chest replied with a reflexive tightening as he sucked in a breath through clenched teeth.

The battle against this addiction was clearly an uphill one. And Remy was destined to lose. He wasn't a person who was built for resistance. More like instant gratification. But just this once, Remy wished that he could endure the feeling and forget how wonderful this night felt.

Because he knew it wouldn't last.

Because Rogue deserved better than he could give her.

No matter what, he would avoid the burning sensation and the contagious tendencies her touch elicited within him, because he owed her that much. If he was going to protect her from the people that betrayed her, he would have to keep his distance because he'd already betrayed her once.

What good was protecting someone when you've already committed the fault before though?

And what good was it to avoid something that was so contagious it only took one hundred and thirty four minutes to addict you?

There probably wasn't a point, but Remy was going to try anyway, for Rogue.


Author's Notes: Awwwwwww. Stutter at the cuteness that is Remy! And fallen-fast-asleep Rogue! They should be made into adorable plushies figurettes. Or you know, not. I'm not totally sure if this counts as far as the "lets try and makes these less depressing" project I've been aiming for, since Remy's a little angsty in his own way. Well that's all right, I like the bitterish ones anyway. And hopefully, as a treat to you guys, the next one will be a continuation (just another little snippet from that universe) of one of the previous installments. Oh, but which one will it be I wonder?