29
They had stood before Magneto and reported most of the night. Gambit had been debating waking Rogue up once they arrived at the base, but he thought it better to not keep the man who could crush them both instantly with a thought waiting. He woke her up and they went over what they would say before they entered. Most things involving Duncan and Stacy were written out.
After they told Magneto they struggled to find Rogue an opening due to it being rammed full of teenagers, nothing happened.
Magneto just sat behind his desk, his head resting on his hands as they told the story. He was quiet for most of the time and nodded once their story was over.
"There will be other times. You're dismissed," he had said.
Rogue had looked at Gambit questioningly, but he motioned to the door, not wanting the man to suddenly change his mind.
"Gambit, a word," Magneto called out just as the pair had reached the door.
Rogue had stopped in the doorway and glanced back at him. Gambit gave a slight nod of his head and closed the door behind her. He turned, expecting insult from the man. He was ready to take it. Take the verbal beating and then call it a night.
Magneto, however, still did not appear upset. He didn't even seem to be paying much notice.
"As you suspected, Mystique has disguised herself as the teenager known as Risky Wilde," he said.
Gambit rose his eyebrow at this, intrigued at what had changed the man's mind.
"How'd you find out?" he asked.
"I confronted her when returning. She is determined that Rogue will return to her. I suppose she was a reason why you found it difficult to find an opening? She refused to leave Rogue's side?" Magneto asked.
"There was that," Gambit said, his mind had moved back to his own confrontation with Mystique earlier that night. He felt like he was missing something from the day.
"Rogue is still unaware of Mystique's identity?" Magneto asked.
"Oui," Gambit said, now looking at the man.
"Keep it that way. If Rogue realises who Mystique really is, it could make her vulnerable. The shock of it could confuse her and Mystique works well with confused minds. Prevent Rogue from spending time with this Risty however you can. Who knows what she may try to convince Rogue while she's disguised? Make her seem like an untrustworthy source so that, if Rogue ever does discover who she is, she already has a suspicious mind set when it comes to Mystique. We can't afford to have Mystique play her mind games and set back any progress we make with the girl. See to it this does not happen." Magneto said.
"Oui," Gambit said, deciding not to argue about how difficult that would be.
"Your dismissed," Magneto said.
With that, Gambit left the room. As he began to make his way back to his room, it finally clicked. Rogue emerging twice from the school at the end of the day, Risty not being around her the second time she left. Mystique's power. Rogue's cluelessness. Rogue's confession. Mystique's nasty and devious character.
He'd punched the wall, grimacing as the sound echoed through the base. It was only a small thud, but when he felt the pain in his fist, he bared his teeth harder.
Mystique had transformed into Rogue after school and kissed Duncan, all to throw him off and cause issues between them. And she'd done just that. He had been taunting Rogue all night just to get back at her for that one kiss. If it hadn't been for her confessing what happened between that Cody boy and herself, they would have remained broken and it would have been harder to deduce what had actually happened.
Gambit pulled in his fist, still squeezing it as he did so. Mystique would pay for tricking him.
Xxxxx
Rogue hadn't slept too well, but it wasn't that bad a sleep either. She felt somewhat lighter and she had a feeling it was to do with telling Gambit about Cody. She'd never really had people in her life whom she could confided in and it seems that she might have found that here. Not only that, but Gambit still wanted to touch her knowing what the greater risk would be. He was either insane or really wanted to score. It felt…good though. To know someone still wanted her even when they knew what she could do.
When Rogue's alarm went off for the second time, she silenced it and sighed, still lying where she was. She was not looking forwards to going to school today and almost hoped that Magneto would come up with some mission to keep her off.
She didn't want to have to deal with Stacy buzzing about kissing Gambit or claiming how hot he was. She also didn't want to deal with Duncan again who was trying much harder than Gambit was to bed her. As she lay there, trying to think of a way to get Duncan to back off, she couldn't think of anything.
When her alarm went off for a third time, she huffed, practically throwing her clock off the bedside table and climbing out of bed to get ready as quickly as she could.
When she approached the kitchen for breakfast, she found that it was just her and Gambit again. A part of her felt shy and nervous about entering the kitchen and dealing with him. He'd seen her break down again for what felt like the fifth time and she was so sick of breaking down in front of him. It was embarrassing and awkward and it was leaving her feeling really on edge around him since he now had another thing to use against her.
Rogue sighed, deciding that she couldn't avoid him forever and if he was going to try and use last night against her, she'd just blame the fact that she was drunk.
Finally, she stepped out and approached the table that was set.
"Bonne matin," Gambit said, glancing at her from over his shoulder.
"Mornin'. Is that toast?" Rogue asked, sniffing the air.
"Oui, quick breakfast dis mornin' I'm afraid," Gambit said, buttering the toast and bringing it over to her on a plate.
"Don't hear meh complain," Rogue said, seeing that Gambit seemed to be lost in thought about something.
She began to eat her toast, looking up at him every now and again to see him still thinking.
"You, er, givin' meh a lift again today?" Rogue asked, drinking her orange juice.
This brought Gambit out of his thoughts. "Oui, we'll leave soon."
Rogue grimace at that.
"What dat face be for?" he asked, now paying attention to Rogue.
"Just not lookin' forwards to today," she said.
Gambit's face fell as well as he sat back in his chair.
"You could skip a day," he said.
Rogue shuck her head, "Don't think we could get that passed Magneto. Besides, it'll only be worse if I don't show mah face today."
"How'd you mean?" Gambit asked.
Rogue glanced at Gambit, wondering if he needed another coffee or something to wake up seeming as he was awfully slow this morning.
"Duncan?" Gambit questioned, seeming to get there.
"That's one of the reasons." Rogue said. "Not to mention Stacy's gonna be followin' meh around all day, rubbin' it in that she got to kiss you."
This instantly brought a smile to Gambit's face. "You jealous?"
"No, it's not that!" Rogue snapped at him, throwing her toast down to glare at him. "Everyone's gonna be wonderin' why I ran out last night and they're all gonna be sayin' it's 'cause I saw you and Stacy kissin'."
Gambit shrugged his shoulders. "You be quick with your tongue. Just tell em it be un famillie emergency, non?"
Rogue snorted at that, "Yeah, betcha that'll get Duncan all over meh, promisin' reassurance and comfort in some form," Rogue said, placing her head on her hand.
Gambit's scrawl grew at the mention of Duncan's name. Then, the image of his hands all over Rogue made his mood even worse. Rogue's face just fell.
"Honestly, I don't know what I'm gonna do today. He's getting' pretty… close. And I can't keep fightin' him off forever." Rogue said, deciding to confide in Gambit once again and see if he had anything up his sleeve. Although, she still did feel uncomfortable asking for help.
Gambit smirked as an idea came to mind. An idea that he'd been talking about all along. An idea which would deal with his Mystique problem, Rogue's Duncan problem and, as a bonus, get him closer to Rogue.
"I have an idea, but I don't think your gonna like it." Gambit said.
Xxxxx
Rogue sighed as they pulled up on Gambit's bike in front of the school. She was nervous and on edge about a lot of things. She looked around, seeing Duncan and Stacy sat around in their clicks at the front of the school. What Rogue really wanted to do was put her helmet back on and tell Gambit to keep on driving, but she knew that wouldn't work.
She climbed off the bike and stood nervously besides it. Gambit reached up, grabbing her arm lightly which got her attention.
"You'll be fine," he said.
Rogue snorted at that, knowing what she had to do next but having no idea what to do to put their plan in motion. Gambit, however, seemed to have that covered.
"Lean down and come closer," he said.
Rogue swallowed, leaning down towards him as he said and moving closer. When Gambit reached up taking either side of her head with both his hands and pulled her down towards his lips, she froze. Before their lips could make contact, however, Gambit brought his thumbs up, placing them against his and Rogue's lips. His hands shielded their pretend kiss.
Rogue's eyes were wide as she stared at Gambit's face. Her breathing became quick, especially through her nose and she made quite odd sounds through it. She couldn't help it. She felt like she was shaking and she was trying her best to keep still just encase her lips did graze his. She still didn't want to touch anyone. Not after what she learned.
Gambit felt how stiff Rogue became under his touch and knew that she was really struggling with this.
"Calm down. I have it under control. Close your eyes, reach down and embrace me," he instructed.
She did as he said, only closing her eyes after she had reached down and pressed her gloved hands on his chest lightly.
"Pay attention to how stayed moi heartbeat be," he continued to instruct.
Rogue did. It took her longer than usual to realise that his heart was beating at a normal speed. It wasn't racing like hers, it was just steady. No nerves or anything at being so close to a coma.
Paying attention to his heartbeat, somehow, clamed her down a little. If he could be this close to her and not be scared, then he must have been pretty darn sure nothing was going to happen. It was reassuring in it's own way.
As she grew calmer and Gambit moved their heads from side to side to imitate kissing, she started to pay closer attention to what was actually happening. She could feel Gambit's breath hot against her lips and his thumb gently rubbing her lips. A part of her wished there was no thumbs there at all. The way his fingers were so long and gently entangled in her hair, made her want it more.
Gambit, himself, couldn't actually believe Rogue had agreed to what he had approached her with, but he took full advantage of it before she could back down and change her mind. He kept hold of her for as long as he could. Instructing Rogue on when to sigh and when to move her head to match his and make it look like a make out session. It was quite a turn on and a huge tease as well. A part of him wanted to pull Rogue back onto the bike behind him, drive off and find a private place where they really could work out how to touch without the unconsciousness side effect.
Finally, he moved his face away from hers and made a big deal about staring into her deep green eyes, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She was pulling off looking breathless really well to the point where Gambit really did feel like he'd kissed her.
As his hands slide down her hair, he felt her arms move up his chest and around his shoulders. He couldn't help but let a natural chuckle go at how she was beginning to open up and explore a bit more and he would keep offering to be her guinea pig for as long as she wanted. His hand fell down to Rogue's hip as he continued to stare into her eyes. He knew this was what she had been wanting from the moment he meet her.
"Have a good day, non?" he said, beginning sure to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her into his chest.
"OK," she muttered back, adjusting his technique to make it look like she planted a chart kiss upon his lips. Gambit was happy with the progress.
Finally, she began to pull away.
Taking a huge inhale, Rogue turned around to see that Duncan's eyes and Stacy's were on both her and Gambit. Neither looked happy. She exhaled, trying not to look as uneasy as she felt, but hearing Gambit's bike engine behind her driving off made her confidence shake.
Rogue was soon joined by Risty who didn't look too happy either.
"We need to talk. Now," Risty demanded rather than asked, taking Rogue's arm in hers and pulling her along.
Rogue was a little taken back by the bluntness and obvious upset of Risty, but she did notice that Duncan didn't make his usual move towards her. Instead, he turned back to his group of friends.
XXXXX
Once in the bathroom, Risty released Rogue's arm and turned on her.
"Alright, spill. What the heck was that!" she demanded to know.
Rogue hadn't thought about what Risty's reaction to her and Gambit was going to be. She was taken back and a little uncomfortable to say the least.
"Huh?" Rogue said, as she tried to quickly think of something in her head to say to Risty.
"What do you mean huh? What was that between you and Remy? Last night, you could barely stand to look at each other and now today, your snogging each other's face off? What did I miss?" Risty asked.
Rogue glanced away from Risty and decided to go with the innocent act. She didn't like the idea that she was about to lie to Risty, but she just told herself that she wasn't completely lying. Just not telling the full story. She let a small smile grace her face and forced herself to blush which wasn't hard as all she had to do was think of the near kiss she and Remy had just performed.
"I don't know. It just happened," Rogue said.
"OK, I don't think your understanding me here. Last night, he was making out with Stacy in front of you. Don't you remember that? You stormed off after seeing that? I told you he was a player and he proved that last night. So how, in less than twenty-four hours, have you ended up with him?" Risty asked.
"I know," Rogue said, now finding her story easier to place after Risty gave her a starting point. "But, I think, after seeing Stacy kissing him, something just clicked in me. After I took off, he followed me. We had it out and I just realised that… well, I didn't want to see him with any other girl. I kinda just realised that I was crazy about him and he was crazy about me."
"Hello," Risty said, waving her hand in front of Rogue as if she was testing if she was blind. "Alright, I get that you realised you had feelings for him, but he was literally snogging Stacy's face off at Duncan's party. Can't you see he's just playing you?"
Rogue frowned deeply, not liking Risty's attitude. She expected to get some grief today, but she didn't expect it from her, supposedly, best friend.
"I'm not blind. I saw the kiss and I saw him tryna push her away. I was too mad to see it at the time, but when Remy explained that Stacy jumped him and he was tryna push her away, it made sense. He explained a lot of things actually like the only reason he accepted Stacy's invitation to that party was because he wanted to be close to me and, yeah, try and make me a little jealous. But he never actually wanted to get with Stacy. He wanted me. Always has and I believe him." Rogue said, figuring that was the story she wanted spread around the school. It was the one she and Gambit had come up with this morning in a haste.
Risty sighed, still looking disappointed.
"Rogue, he's a player," she said.
"Will ya stop sayin' that! I know what he is. Better than you do. Gawd, I'm happy Risty. I thought you'd be happy for meh too!" Rogue snapped at her.
She really couldn't believe she was getting this kind of response from her friend. She understood that Risty was just trying to look out for her, but she was coming across rather harsh with her opinion and Rogue didn't like that.
Risty seemed unmoved in her disappointment.
"I want you to be happy Rogue. But I just don't think you'll find that with him. I honestly think this is one of the biggest mistakes you've ever made," Risty said.
"Gee, thanks," Rogue spat out bitterly.
There was an uneasy tension in the room as Rogue and Risty just stood there, near glaring at each other.
"How is he even able to touch you? I mean, with your skin condition?" Risty asked.
Rogue shrugged.
"He's known me a while. Knows what he's doing and how to touch me. He's probably one of the only guys in ma life who's ever gonna know how ta touch meh," Rogue said.
Risty's disappointed look faded into a sad one.
"He really makes you happy?" Risty asked.
Rogue nodded her head.
Before anything else could be said, the bathroom door opened and Stacy came in followed by two other cheerleaders. She really didn't look happy and shoved Rogue as she entered.
"Hey Rogue, what were you doing with my man earlier?" Stacy asked as she got close up in Rogue's personal space.
Rogue felt her defences go up immediately and tried her best to ease the tension in her fists at being shoved. Rogue breathed deeply through her nose, trying to calm down as she tried to figure out the best way to handle this.
"He isn't your man Stacy. I should have found a better way ta tell you, but, well, after the party, Remy admitted his feelings for me and I realised I felt the same. It just happened from there," Rogue said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Oh, it just happened?" Stacy said, her irritation and anger becoming more obvious as she reached out to shove Rogue by the shoulder again.
Rogue fell back into Risty who managed to catch Rogue and keep her on her feet. Rogue huffed, trying her best to keep a lid over her anger that was starting to bubble over extremely fast.
"No, actually," Rogue said, her anger beginning to get the best of her. "It didn't just happen. We've had a thing goin' for a long time and it took ya throwin' yourself at him ta actually get us together, so thank you for that."
"You little bitch!" Stacy spat out as she went to slap Rogue across the face.
Rogue moved her arm up, blocking Stacy's ungloved hand from touching her bare check, but Stacy had other ideas. She quickly moved that blocked hand to Rogue's hair and pulled roughly at it. Rogue cried out as she felt Stacy start to shove her towards one of the stalls.
Rogue reach out, using her hand to stop her from being pushed into the stall. She figured out what Stacy was going to do and she became enraged by it. Rogue lifted her elbow, hitting Stacy in the face and making her ease up a little.
"Rogue!" she heard Risty cry out.
Rogue glanced over to see that the two other cheerleaders had took an arm of Risty's and was holding her back. Risty was trying to struggle her way out, but couldn't break free.
This made Rogue pause for a moment, realising that Risty was at risk too. She could easily break Stacy and the two other cheerleader's arms in time to save Risty from any harm, but it would draw attention on her and her abilities. If she used them, the whole jig was up and she'd be facing bigger consequences. Rogue slowly felt her anger deflating as she struggled to figure a way out of this without using her abilities.
Stacy kneed Rogue in the back and Rogue yelped. Stacy took that opportunity to shove Rogue into the stall and position her head into the toilet bowl. Rogue managed to hold her breath just before Stacy flushed the chain. She wanted to scream. She could so easily fight Stacy off rather than take this embarrassing crap, but she couldn't. Rogue tried to keep still and stop her struggling as struggling just seemed to prolong things.
Stacy finally lifted up and Rogue removed her wet head from the toilet bowl, coughing.
"Don't you dare ever imply that I'm a slut again, you hear me!" Stacy snapped at Rogue.
Other things were said, but Rogue didn't listen. Stacy and the other's left and Risty was by Rogue's side as she helped her off the floor.
"Rogue, are you alright?" Risty asked.
"Just peachy," Rogue said, moving towards the bathroom sinks.
She grabbed hold of the sink, still focusing on her breathing. She didn't see Risty's eyes glower yellow as she glared at the door the cheerleaders had left through.
Risty's attention soon fell back to Rogue.
"Your all wet," she said.
"Thanks for statin' the obvious," Rogue said.
"I've got a spare top and towel in my locker. I'll go get them for you now and we can sort you out before class, yeah," Risty said, rubbing Rogue's back as she glanced down at her, with motherly concern.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Rogue said.
After Risty left, Rogue finally lifted her head to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. She was furious. She'd had concerns about this new plan backfiring, but she hadn't had time to consider all of the outcomes. She mentally kicked herself at how stupid she had been letting herself be put in that situation and fought back the tears of embarrassment.