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Chapter Forty-Two:
The next morning, Logan stood, his arms crossed over his chest, leaning back against the wall adjacent to Magneto's bedroom. His senses told him what he needed to know; Rogue had spent the night in his room as opposed to her own.
'What is she thinking?' he thought, perturbed. Eventually, someone besides him was going to notice her room wasn't being slept in. 'If she wants to keep a lid on things, she shouldn't be doing things like this,' he thought.
Finally, the door opened to reveal Rogue, dressed for school, backpack strung over her shoulder.
"Good morning, Logan," Rogue sighed as she closed the door behind her. "Look, I know I said we'd talk last night," she said.
"Yeah," he said dryly, as he stood up straight. "About the Norse god you learned magic from," he said, fixing her with a questioning stare.
"Sorry, night kinda got away from me."
"Where'd you two go anyway?" he asked.
"Out to dinner," she answered.
"Anywhere nice?" he asked.
"A little café in Paris," she answered, as he raised an eyebrow. "The duck was great. The wine was better," she smirked as she walked down the hall.
"Sounds romantic," he said dryly, as he followed her.
"It really was," she said, intentionally ignoring his tone. "I'm sorry we didn't talk last night. I lose track of time when I'm with him," she said. He let out an annoyed grunt in response as he put his hands in his pockets.
"So, Frigga?" he asked.
"Asgard's in a dimension parallel to ours. Kind've like the one that Kurt teleports though."
"No kidding," he huffed.
"I have memories of studying there under Frigga," she explained.
"Whose memories?" he asked.
"Logan," she said as she stopped walking. They had barely made it halfway down the hallway. He stopped himself and look down at her as she took a deep breath. "I ain't gonna lie to you," she said before she resumed walking. He waited a moment, hoping she was going to keep talking. His eyes narrowed.
"That's all I get, huh?" he asked crossly.
"You know what," she said as she abruptly spun around to face him. "Yeah, that is all you get. You said I could trust you," she said as she pointed directly at him. "That you wouldn't repeat what we talked about with Charles," she said as he felt his eyes widened. "And then how does he find out that Magneto and I together?" she asked as she moved her hands to her hips.
"Rogue, I'm sorry," he said.
"I warned you what would happen if he found out, how it would all fall apart," she said.
"Chuck'll get over it," he said.
"No, Logan, he won't. His disapproval will fester until he drives Magneto from this house. Do you know what happens after that? The truce ends and we go back ta fighting each other instead of focusing on the actual threats," she said.
"If this truce is so important, then maybe you shouldn't've put your sex life in the middle of it," he bit back, instantly regretting the words as they left his mouth. Her expression turned hard.
"Rekindling my relationship with Magneto is one of the few truly selfish things I've done in years. Everything else, good or bad, it's all been about keeping us safe and alive," she said. "I know it was selfish, wanting to reclaim some happiness for myself. I know everyone would be better off if I had kept my damn mouth shut and my legs closed," she said bitterly.
"Rogue, I- I didn't mean it like that," he said.
"Yeah, Logan, yeah, ya did," she said cynically, her eyes narrowed.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Ah-huh," she said dryly as she turned away from him.
"Rogue," he said.
"Forget it. It's done. What'll happen is gonna happen. Whether anyone likes it," she said as she marched away from him. "Hopefully, I can get through a few good lessons before Charles forces Magneto's hand," she said.
'Did she just- is she gonna leave with him?' he asked himself, alarmed. A door opening distracted him. He turned around to see Magneto standing in his open doorway, fixing him with an irate expression. 'Great and he heard every word,' he thought.
"Rogue," Magneto called out, concern in his voice.
"I'm fine," she said. Logan turned back to look at her. "I'll see ya this afternoon. If you're given the chance, play nice with Charles," she ordered.
"Yes, dear," he replied.
"Thank you, sugar," she said as she turned the corner and out of his line of vision.
"Wolverine," Magneto said, calling for his attention. He turned back to look at him. "The comment was entirely undeserved," he said, his tone dry.
"Yeah, I know that," he gritted, angry with himself.
"Are you going to properly apologize to her?" he asked.
"I just did-" he said.
"Considering she wasn't ready to hear it, you might feel compelled to repeat yourself," he said. His fists balled at his sides and a low growl escaped him. "For the record, Wolverine, I have no desire to leave the institute. However, if Charles continues in this fashion, he won't leave us much choice. You can understand that, can't you?" he asked.
"Yeah," he said reluctantly.
"You'll try again this afternoon?" he asked.
"Yeah," he said again.
"Good," he said with a stern nod. "Then I'll see you at breakfast," he said before he abruptly closed the bedroom door.
Wolverine sat at the kitchen table with the rest of the institute's instructors. He had a mug of coffee in one hand and his newspaper folded in the other. Magneto was abiding by Rogue's request by not speaking with Charles at all. In fact, he wasn't speaking to anyone. Charles was attempting to make eye contact with him, but Magneto refused to engage. The apprehension between the two men was palpable. One glance at those around the table and he knew the sentiment was shared. But he was fairly sure he was the only one who understood it.
'Not sure this is what she had in mind, by playing nice,' he thought to himself.
"So, do we know what Rogue's going to teach in this class of hers?" Hank asked in an ill attempt to lighten the mood. His eyes flashed to Magneto's, who let out an irritated huff.
"History," Jean answered.
"History of what?" Scott asked.
"She didn't say, but I think because of her powers, how she absorbs memories from others, that she might have some insight on events we've never heard of," Jean said.
"That's kinda cool," Scott said.
"Yeah, I think it's going to be interesting," Jean smiled.
"Magnus, has she told you anything about it?" Charles asked, his tone carefully guarded.
"I'm afraid not. However, I know she's prepared to move forward today with her first lecture as she's borrowed my computer to draw up the syllabus," Magneto answered.
"That's rather impressive to have a curriculum at the ready," he commented.
"She's a rather impressive woman if you hadn't of noticed," he replied.
"Rather difficult to, Magnus, considering the lengths she's gone to conceal her capabilities," he said pointedly.
"A necessary evil to protect herself, Charles," he said, his voice rising in volume.
"Yes, from you, wasn't it?" he asked. Wolverine cleared his throat as a reminder of Rogue's request. Magneto's eyes flashed to his a brief second before returning to Charles'.
"Among others," he bit back, however, his voice was much calmer.
"Yet, instead of seeking the counsel from those who have never wronged her," Charles continued. "It seems she'll only confide in you," he said bitterly.
"Chuck, that ain't true," he spoke up. Magneto gave him an appreciative nod.
"Yes, that's right," he recalled. "You knew Magneto was-"
"Charles," Magneto exclaimed. "Are you completely incapable of keeping someone's confidence?" he asked "Perhaps the reason she entrusts myself and Wolverine is that we, at least, attempt to keep private conversations private," he said.
"Magneto, don't speak for me," Logan said strongly, pointing at him. "But yeah," he sighed, as he turned to look at Charles. "There's a reason she doesn't tell you things, Chuck."
"So, the fault is mine?" he exclaimed incredulously.
"I'm certain no one is saying that," Ororo offered kindly.
"I'm afraid, you'll find that I am," Magneto spoke up. "You are far too eager to jump to conclusions with minimal facts. Instead, you draw from your own biases to come upon perverse misconceptions and judgments," he claimed. Wolverine raised an eyebrow at that.
"Given the means you've used in the past, to manipulate others onto your team, was it truly such an outrageous accusation?" he asked.
"Yes, Charles, yes, it was," he insisted strongly. "I've yet to hear an apology from you regarding the matter."
"An apology?" he exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yes, I believe, I'm owed one," he said.
"After everything you've done- especially regarding Rogue," he said.
"Any past transgressions I've committed against her, I can assure you, she and I have discussed at length. For the record, she didn't have to request an apology from me. I freely offered it whenever it was appropriate for me to do so. In fact, we've had multiple conversations about boundaries. Because, contrary to your belief, she and I are both adults capable of managing our own relationship. We don't need you in the middle of it. We certainly have no use for your condescension," he said.
"Magneto," Logan exclaimed. Magneto's eyes flashed away from Charles' to his.
"Alright, alright," he relented, his hand gesturing. "Charles, if you have nothing productive to discuss, regarding Rogue, then I suggest we reframe from discussing her at all. I, for one, tire of repeating the same conversation ad nauseam," he said dryly.
"Fine," Charles agreed through gritted teeth.
"Fine," Magneto said as he stood up. "Perhaps, I should simply attribute your recent irrationality to cabin fever?" he asked pointedly. Logan saw Charles' eyes widen, as confusion spread amongst the table.
'What's he talking about?' he asked himself, as he heard Hank let out a sigh.
"Hank, I'll meet you downstairs so we can continue our work," Magneto said. "We have an actual threat to deal with. Not one borne of misplaced rectitude," he commented bitterly as he walked towards the exit. As Magneto opened the door, he turned back and fixed him with a knowing look. Logan felt a low growl escape him as the Magneto left the room.
'Not good,' he thought he put his mug back on the table.
"Charles?" Ororo asked. "What did you accuse him of?" she asked.
"Repeating it might cause more harm than good," Hank pointed out.
"But what if the Professor's right?" Scott asked as he and Charles held each other's glance. "This is Magneto we're talking about," he added.
"Alright, look, he attempted to recruit Rogue shortly after she joined us here at the institute. Given the new information, I accused him of using an unsavory tactic," he explained.
'Great, just great,' Logan thought. "Chuck, he didn't know," he said aloud.
"Didn't know what?" Scott asked.
"Are you certain?" Charles asked.
"Trust me. Rogue and I've talked about it after I found out about the thing," he answered vaguely.
"Of course," he sighed. "You should have told me, Logan," he said. He held Charles' gaze for a long moment.
"No," he said, picking up his coffee mug. "No, I made the right call," he replied. "Rogue said you'd make the situation worse. And I gotta say, after watching you two go at it, she was right," he said before taking a drink of his coffee; wishing he had a harder drink in his hand.
"I- the situation is," he stuttered in disbelief.
"The Professor's just trying to help," Scott said.
"Yeah, I get that, but-" he said before stopping himself.
"But what, Logan?" Ororo asked. He let out another sigh as he made eye contact with Charles again.
"If you can't accept what both of them want. If he goes, Chuck, she's gonna go with him," he said.
"She wouldn't just leave," Jean said as she glanced over at Scott. "Would she?" she asked.
"This is her home. We are her family," Ororo insisted.
"But we've all seen how much time Rogue and Erik have been spending together, how much they enjoy each other's company," Hank said. "He helped her gain control over her powers. That's no small feat," he added.
"Rogue is young and confused," Charles said. "She'll see sense with enough time apart from him-"
"No, she knows exactly what she wants, and it's him," Logan said strongly.
"Why?" Charles exclaimed, with anguish in his voice.
"That ain't for us either of us to judge and you gotta stop doing that before you drive both of them away," he said.
"Wait- they're together? Like together together?" Scott asked, baffled.
"Yeah," Jean answered. "I don't get it but, she's been happier this last week than I've-" she said, pausing as a look of realization crossed her face. "I've never seen her happier," she said. "She used to just- I don't know- she kept to herself so much, you know? But now, she's active and talking and-"
"Magneto is the very reason she wasn't free to be herself," Charles asserted.
"Because he turned off his emotions with the enhancer, right?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, but Rogue doesn't blame him," Logan said. "Said he wasn't himself all that time."
"During what time?" Hank asked.
"Rogue said he used the enhancer on himself for the first time the night her powers manifested. The rebirth machine fixed the damage," Logan answered.
"According to Magnus, after suffering the prolonged effects of an absence of emotions, he instinctually repressed them afterwards. It wasn't until after his release from Apocalypse that he felt like himself again," Charles added.
"From what I've just gathered, Erik's only been capable of empathy since the second week of April?" Hank asked.
"Yes, more or less," Charles confirmed.
"And his first order of business upon regaining his humanity was to seek employment with you, by declaring a truce between himself and the X-Men. Thus ensuring his children's needs were being met," Hank said.
"Yes, that's correct," Charles said thoughtfully.
"Professor, wait a minute- you're saying the entire time we were fighting him, he wasn't himself?" Scott asked.
"From a certain point of view, Scott, yes," Charles replied.
"I'm starting to understand Rogue's point of view," Hank said.
"Me too," Jean said with a nod.
"However, we need to consider that he was not subjected to this experiment. The injury was self-inflicted," Charles said.
"And none of this excuses his past actions," Ororo said.
"No, but I can recognize why Rogue would," Hank said.
"Especially, if she's had a version of his conscious in her mind that was empathetic," Jean said. "Maybe he was as appalled with his own actions as we all were," she said. Logan let out a sigh as Charles met his gaze.
"Logan?" Charles asked.
"Yeah," he confirmed. "From what Rogue told me, but I ain't going into detail," he said.
"No, that's quite alright. You've said enough. Thank you, Logan," Charles said. Before he glanced away from everyone, Logan could tell he was deep in thought.
"Hmm, okay, so, where do we go from here?" Scott asked.
"For Rogue's sake, I must apologize and keep the peace between us and Magneto," Charles sighed. "I need some time to plan the best course of action. Please excuse me," he said as he moved away from the table.
Wanda Maimoff sat in fourth-period study hall, a pen in her hand which she was tapping the rim of her desk with. Her math homework was finished and didn't have her Spanish textbook. She had a notebook on her desk, which she had no further use for. Along with a copy of Catcher in the Rye, she couldn't bring herself to read. Amanda and Freddy were right, it really was dull.
She felt a finger poke her shoulder. She turned to look at her brother, who was sitting to her right. He gestured the pen now in hand, to the opened notebook on his desk. With a quick wave of his hand, a message appeared.
"Quit fidgeting. Mr. Wilson will think you're using your powers and then you'll have to deal with Kelly," he wrote. She pulled her own notebook to the right-hand corner of her desk, within her brother's view.
"I'm bored," she wrote.
"You should have borrowed some books from the library like I did," he wrote. She sighed at that. "Do you want to read one of mine?" he wrote.
"You don't need it?" she wrote.
"No, I finished this one last period," he wrote before he reached down into his bookbag and pulled out a book. He handed her a copy of 'Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs'. She took the book from him and placed it on her desk.
"Thanks," she wrote. He gave her a nod before he picked up another book: 'The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson'. She opened the book and skimmed through the table of contents. 'Alfheim, Asgard, Bor, Frigga, Hel, Helheim, Loki, Midgard, Odin, Thor,' she read to herself before yawning.
She poked her brother's arm again. He glanced over at her notebook as she wrote, "Do you have to write a paper on Norse Mythology?"
"No, just curious," he wrote before he turned back to his book.
'Well, I'm not,' she thought, annoyed as she closed the book and put it on top of the Catcher and Rye. She tried to look out the window, but, given the angle of her desk and Freddy who was obscuring her view, her only way to do that was by looking directly past Rogue.
'You're just going to get angry again,' she reminded herself, as she quickly averted her gaze. With a sigh, she turned to glance at the clock, hanging on the wall above the chalkboard, in front of the classroom. 'Eight minutes left,' she thought before she closed her eyes for a moment. All she could focus on was the mechanical noises coming from Rogue's direction.
Unable to help herself, she found her eyes open and fixed on Rogue, who was seated one row ahead and one seat over on her left. The annoying mutant in question was typing furiously on her father's lap-top, with a speed that could give her brother a run for his money.
She felt a finger poke her shoulder. She turned to look at her brother and then at his notebook.
"You're doing it again," he wrote.
"I didn't mean to," she scribbled on her own.
"Give it a rest, Wanda. Just read the book I gave you, okay?" he wrote.
Wanda once again tapped her pencil against the side of her desk, increasing in speed as she reread her brother's notes. The mechanical noise ceased. Her gaze darted up to find Rogue had turned to look at her.
"Are you okay?" she mouthed to Wanda.
"I'm fine," she mouthed back as the pencil snapped in half in her grasp. Rogue just stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Take a breath. School will be over before you know it," she mouthed her expression kind.
"Thanks," she mouthed before she let out a sigh. Rogue gave her a brief nod and a smile before she looked over at Pietro, a smirk coming to her face.
"Interesting reading material," she mouthed, winking at Pietro. Her grinning brother gave her a thumbs up before they both soundlessly chuckled to themselves. Wanda couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Finally Rogue returned her attention to the computer. Wanda glanced back down at the notebook as her hand gripped against the half of pencil still in her hand.
"I don't like her," she wrote.
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know. It's really obvious," Pietro wrote in response.
"Then why is she being so nice to me?" she wrote.
"Maybe because she's a nice person and maybe you should rethink not liking her," he wrote. She dropped the pencil onto her desk and crossed her arms over her chest.
Mercifully, the bell rung soon after.
Wanda quickly gathered her things, eying Rogue, who was packing up the laptop. Her instincts told her the other mutant would try to speak with her again, and she very much wanted to avoid that. Ignoring the concerned look on Rogue's face and the look of disapproval from her brother, she quickly raced out of the room, towards her next class.
'It's going to be a long day,' she thought to herself before a familiar voice in front of her caught her attention.
"Are you sure you're not overthinking it?" Kurt asked. Wanda glanced up to see Kurt and Amanda walking slightly in front of her.
"I don't think I am, Kurt," Amanda said. "My mom was jealous."
"That doesn't make any sense," he said.
"I know, but-"
"Maybe it was the shock?" Kurt suggested.
"Maybe, but I can't go home after school. I need to give her some space," she said.
"You can come back to the institute with me and sit in on Rogue's-" he offered as they turned down a different hallway and out of ear-shot.
"Are ya going to Rogue's class after school?" she heard Sam's voice ask, towards her right. She glanced over to see a small group of the Xavier kids walking together.
"I guess," Bobby answered.
"It seems like everyone is," Amara said.
"Even Scott and Jean?" Bobby asked skeptically.
"That's what Jean said this morning," Amara answered.
"So, what? Is Rogue an instructor now?" Ray asked.
"She sure is acting like one," Sam said as Wanda walked down a different hall towards her seventh-period class.
'Can I get out of this?' she asked herself for the countless time today. 'I don't think I can get out of this,' she sighed.
Charles Xavier made his way towards a conversation he would rather not have. 'I've practiced what to say enough time,' he thought he approached the room's entrance. 'Best to get this over with,' he thought as he entered the room. Hank and Magneto glanced over at him from their seats upon the couch. His old friend's expression was blank, emotionless, yet his body language was loose and relaxed. He let out a soft sigh as he made his way over to the couch, placing himself about six feet in front of his friend.
"Magnus, I was hoping we could speak?" he asked, folding his hands in front of him.
"If you insist," Magneto said dryly.
"I'll take a short snack break," Hank said as he stood. "Erik, want anything from the kitchen?" he asked. "A bottle of water?" he offered.
"No, thank you, Hank. I still have an errand to run in town. I may as well go now before the day gets away from me," he said.
"Alright, see you this afternoon," he said. Hank gave him a sympathetic look as he departed from the room.
"So?" Magneto asked as the door closed behind Hank. "How shall we begin the argument this time?" he asked.
"I have no intention of arguing with you again. I came to apologize," Charles said.
"Really?"
"Yes," he said. "Magnus, my disapproval of your conduct with Rogue is no secret. However, as both of you have asserted the consensual nature of your relationship, despite my personal reservations, I will make every attempt to respect that decision. Upon reflection, I believe my discomfort stems from a lack of understanding, resulting in my failed attempt to protect you both. Which, I will admit, neither of you asked for. Ultimately, my comprehension is not required and I apologize for inserting myself into your relationship," he said.
He noted Magneto's expression soften as he ranked his hand through his hair.
"That has been the core of our conflict. Thank you for admitting that, Charles. I know it must have been difficult for you," Magneto said. Charles nodded as he let out a sigh.
"Regarding my accusation yesterday, I apologize for that as well. I must recognize, my personal biases regarding our rivalry since we formed our teams. I acknowledge you were not your best self during that timeframe and I will make a greater effort to put the last few years behind us and not judge your future actions based upon that time. Which I hope will allow us to move forward together," he finished.
"I want us to work together, Charles, but I can't abide with your constant meddling in my personal affairs," he said.
"I know, Magnus, and I apologize," he said.
"I should offer you an apology of my own, for the rather deep line I drew in the sand on Asteroid M, which divided us in the first place. I regret many of my actions during that timeframe," he said.
"Well, you are not the same person now than you were then," Charles said with a kind smile.
"No, I am not," he said. "However, that doesn't excuse-" he said.
"Magnus, how about we- just stop," he offered. "We could continue to make the same points over and over again. Talk circles 'round the other, but like you said. I also tire of repeating the same conversation," he said. A small smile came to Magnus' face.
"I'd like nothing more, old friend," he said.
"Can I interest you in a game of chess?" he asked. Magneto smiled widely at that.
"I'd love to. Unfortunately, I have an errand to run," he explained as he stood.
"Oh," Charles said disheartened.
"Rogue has been- I asked her to move into my room with me. She gave me a list of items to procure so we could continue to act with discretion as we promised we would," he said.
"Magnus, I- If you and Rogue wish to make your relationship publically known, I won't stand in the way of that. Perhaps, it would be better," he said.
"Well, if that's the case, then I'll talk with Rogue about it this afternoon and I think I will take you up on that game," he smiled. Charles let out a sigh of relief as he and his oldest friend left the room and made their way to his office.
Perhaps, they could have peace after all.
Shortly after school, Wanda walked behind Kitty, Pietro, and the rest of the brotherhood as they walked in through the parking lot.
"Hey, are you guys coming back to the institute?" Kitty asked.
"For Rogue's class?" Toad asked.
'Is that all anyone can talk about today?' she thought.
"What's she teaching again?" Toad asked.
"History," she answered. "It's, like, optional, but I totally want to support her," she said.
"Sorry, Kitty, no offense, but no thanks," Lance said.
"You guys are kidding, right?" Pietro asked. "This isn't going to be some normal boring history lesson. Wanda, she said history of the universe, right?"
"Yes, she did. Whatever, that means," she said, irately.
"I think she meant the literal universe," Pietro said.
"Seriously?" Toad asked.
"No way," Freddy said.
"Let's review, shall we?" he asked as he placed himself in front of all the others. "Yesterday, people, Rogue used magic to make a functioning portal and an actual repeating time-loop. When my dad asked her where she learned how to do that, she told him, Frigga. I've been reading about Asgard, its royal family, and their wars all day and-
"Pietro, you're talking about those myths like they're real," Lance said.
"Lance, come on- Think about it for a minute, okay? You know who else was a myth? Just some hieroglyphics etched on the wall in an old dusty pyramid? A story passed down from generation to generation until it was written into obscurity?" he asked.
"Apocalypse," Kitty answered, her tone somber.
"Exactly," her brother confirmed as Wanda felt her eyes widen.
"Oh, yeah," Freddy muttered.
"Apocalypse turned out to be very real and almost killed our dad," Pietro said, looking straight at her.
"The Professor, Storm," Kitty listed quietly.
"And Mystique," Toad added.
"He would have killed millions of other people if we hadn't of stopped him," Kitty said sadly.
"That's what I'm talking about. If the nine realms do exist, maybe it would be a good idea for us to learn more about them," Pietro finished.
"Or maybe, Rogue's lying to our father about how she learned magic," Wanda said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Have you considered that?" she asked.
"But, Wanda, why would she do that?" Kitty asked.
"I- I don't know," Wanda exclaimed. "Why did she watch Savage Vendetta a million times without telling anyone it was about my father?"
"Because the movie hilarious," her brother said. "If I had known about it, I would've been watching it too. And there's no way I would've told the old man about it. Have you seen his temper?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" Wanda yelled, confused.
"Pietro," Lance said, his tone warningly. Her brother let out a very annoyed sigh.
"Fine, whatever. My point is, if half of what's in those books actually happened, this is going to be, hands down, the most interesting class we've ever taken. All of you can do whatever you want, but I'm definitely going," Pietro said.
"We have room in Jean's SUV if you want a ride," Kitty offered.
"Thanks, but I might just run there," he replied.
"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug.
"Yo, maybe, we should," Toad said, looking up at Freddy.
"I don't know. We've been spending a lot of time with the x-geeks," Freddy muttered to Toad as he scratched the back of his head.
"Hey," Kitty bit back, her hand on her hip.
"Not you, Kitty," he replied. "You know what I mean," he said.
"Yeah, sure I do," she mumbled, her tone dejected. Wanda watched Lance glance down at the disappointed look on his girlfriend's face. His expression turned hard before he looked up at Freddy.
"Apologize," he demanded, pointing toward him.
"I didn't mean nothing by it," Freddy interjected.
"Now," he said warningly, his hand forming into a fist.
"Okay- okay- sorry, Kitty," he said. The other girl kept her gaze on the ground.
"Blob, you gotta think before you speak," Lance said.
"I said I was sorry, alright," Freddy exclaimed.
"Yo, can we just go home?" Toad asked.
"Not in my ride, you're not. I'm going to the institute to check out Rogue's class," Lance said.
"You are?" Kitty asked, her face lighting up.
"Yeah, I am," he said as he put his arm around Kitty's shoulder. "You two can come with us or take the bus," Lance said.
"Okay, okay, I'll go," Freddy said.
"Way to pull a guy's leg," Toad said as they resumed walking.
"Guess, we're all going then," Wanda muttered, managing to keep herself from sighing aloud.
"Kitty, you wanna ride with us?" Pietro asked with a grin.
"Yeah, okay, since there's, like, no way I'm running," she giggled. Her brother and Lance laughed in response as they walked up to Lance's jeep.
'I just want this day to be over,' she thought to herself.
Magneto walked up to his bedroom door in a rather good mood. He and Charles were finally past their issues and had resumed their friendship. He had greatly enjoyed their chess game.
Upon entering the room, he found Rogue was sitting at his desk. His computer in front of her, the drawer where he kept the printer open and in use. He walked up behind her, resting his hands upon the back of the chair, he leaned down.
"Hi, Max," she said.
"Hello, dear," he said, before kissing her cheek. "I have excellent news," he said
"Charles apologized. Claims he's officially on board with our relationship and with us living in the same room," she said.
"Yes," he said, raising an eyebrow as he pulled away from her. "Exactly that," he said as she stood up. "How did you know?" he asked.
"Logan's comment this morning made me real mad," she said as she walked over to the bed. "And in my anger, I said something real mean back to him," she said as she sat down.
"Rogue, I overheard the entire exchange. You did no such thing," he said as he walked over and sat next to her.
"Yeah, I- yeah I did," she said, glancing up at him. "When I insinuated that if you left, I would go with you, that set a series of conversations in motion," she explained.
"Did it now?" he asked.
"I knew Charles couldn't go a meal without pushing your buttons. Logan overhearing my request to you meant he would remind you to keep the moral high ground and not engage Charles in a screaming match," she said.
He held her gaze for a moment as a smirk came to his face. He ranked a hand through his hair before laughing. "Go on," he ordered, amused.
"After you removed yourself from the conversation, Logan would have felt obligated to tell Charles the consequences of his meddling and explain my point of view about your past actions. That would have caused a difference in option," she said.
"Differences between whom?" he asked.
"Well, Ororo agreed with Charles. Jean and Hank were on our side. Logan leaned towards us, if it meant I wouldn't leave the institute with you. And Scott started on Charles side's but once he heard you weren't yourself every time he's ever fought you, he came around," she explained.
"What happened after that?" he asked.
"Charles' only choice was ta maintain peace by swallowing his pride and apologizing," she explained. "For my sake, of course," she said, her tone mocking. "I'm just a confused teenager after all," she said before rolling her eyes. He let out an amused huff at that.
"If Charles hasn't gained a newfound respect for you, then-" he said.
"He's just pretending ta be okay with our relationship. Usually, I can't read Charles this well. His priorities can shift so suddenly. It helped that I'm all anyone's talking about today. Anyway, he's hoping this is a weird phase I'm going through like I'll outgrow it or something. Which is fine- let him. It's a fake-it-till-you-make-it, type situation. Given enough time, the lie will become reality," she said before a smirk formed on her face. "Kinda similar ta how you're pretending to believe me about the days of future past," she said. His eyes widened.
"Rogue, I do believe you," he claimed immediately.
"Max, it's fine," she said, putting her hand over his. "You don't have to lie again. Though I did appreciate you listing all the reasons you should believe me," she said entwining their fingers. "The more memories you get back, the more time passes, the longer that list will get," she said.
"Rogue," he said, leaning forward.
"Really," she said, her free hand moving to his cheek. "It's fine. It such a relief that you're remembering at all. I was losing hope," she said before she leaned in and kissed him. "You still wanna be with me and you're not looking to have me committed," she said.
"Nor will I allow anyone else to take such actions," he promised before he kissed her.
"That's enough for me right now. The rest will sort itself out. I ain't worried," she said as she pulled away from him. "I mean," she said as she stood up. "I'm a little conflicted about manipulating Logan," she said as walked over to the desk and pick up the stack of newly printed documents. "Would you mind helping me staple these?" she asked as she fingered through the documents and spilt the pile n half.
"Of course," he said as he gestured for her to hand him the documents.
"It's every third page," she explained as she gave him the papers.
"You have no qualms with using such tactics on me," he pointed out as he used his abilities to open his desk drawer and call a sleeve of staples to levitate next to him.
"Yeah, cause when I explain 'em to you," she said as she placed her stack on the desk. "You laugh, you're impressed. If we have time, we have sex, and then we move on," she laughed as she searched his desk.
"Looking for something?" he asked.
"Yeah, I probably should've figured you wouldn't own a stapler," she grinned.
"Would you like a dose of my powers?" he offered.
"Yes, please," she said as she stood and walked over to him. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she leaned down and kissed him. He groaned against her as he felt the sting of her powers. She pulled back a moment later. "Thanks," she smirked.
"My pleasure," he responded in kind.
"I mean, let's face it," she grinned as she walked back over to his desk. "Political maneuvers are our foreplay of choice," she said as she sat and picked up the stack of papers.
"Are they really?" he asked, amused as they both began the task at hand.
"I remember this one time, I got T'Challa and Doom to actually agree about something. Which ain't no easy task, cause they hated each other," she explained.
"Who?" he asked.
"T'Challa is king of Wakanda. Their country's entire religion is based around their rulers becoming super-soldiers. Victor Von Doom is the sorcerer-king of Latveria. He's most likely taking a nap right now and has a doom-bots sitting on the throne in his absence," she explained.
"You're just making things up now, aren't you?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm really not," she said. "Anyhow, the sex we had that night was amazing and I'm hoping that's enough fuel for you to have real some interesting dreams tonight," she grinned.
"If you say so, dear," he said.
"Not that any of my past attempts to get you to remember our sex life have been successful," she added. He raised an eyebrow at that but said offered no comment. Instead, he focused on securing the pages together.
"How many of these did you print?" he asked.
"Turn out for my lecture is gonna be better than I expected and I ain't about ta let twenty years' experience running our country's education system go to waste," she said.
"Heaven forbid," he teased, his tone slightly mocking.
"There it is. Your true feeling finally manifest," she laughed and, he chucked. "Make as many jokes as ya want, Max. As long as you're willing to listen to me, I'm good," she said.
"My girl, I'm not going anywhere," he said. She just smiled at him, looking very pleased. "You were saying?" he asked.
"Well, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it right. For that, Max, I need your help," she said.
"With what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So glad ya asked, sugar," she smirked.
Okay- calling it here.
Mysterious Guest Reviewer: Hi! Thank you!
Review on 05/14/2021- Actually, I just like seeing Rogue in green. I wasn't even thinking about the horrible wedding between her and Gambit. I debated putting a more detailed description of the dress in the dream sequence, but I had to balance how Magneto would describe things with how they looked. Taking another look at that dress from the comics, I was picturing a deeper emerald green- Sheath column, off-the-shoulder, floor-length chiffon evening dress with textured fabric covering the sleeves/torso area in sequin-covered leaves (all the same color). I hope that helps and thank you! I am super excited and really honored to have fan art based on my fic. I told my friends and they think it's the coolest thing. Thank you! ^.^
Review from 04/25/2021: So, I actually did write a sex scene and boy was it hot, but then I took a break and wrote the flashback scene. Then I tried putting them together and I realized I had a make a choice. If I wanted the tone of the chapter to be consistent, I couldn't put both in. I ended up choose fluff over smut since that what served the plot. But not to worry, they have sex like every day, and I'll find time to repurpose the scene I've written. More to come, I promise ^.^
Little Red Dove: HI! I'm so glad you loved the fluff! I also love fluff. It was so much fun to write. It can be so satisfying! In your earlier reviews, it became apparent that I'm talking to someone who has also read all of the Rogue/Magneto 616 continuity and that made writing Chapter 41 so much easier. I knew I could reference things from the comics knowing that you could fill in the blanks and that I could just focus on the tone of the chapter and warmth between Rogue and Magneto. God damn it, I love this ship.
I'm so excited you're excited for more. So much plot- so little time. My uploads are going to slow down for a bit (I have some real-world issues to deal with- my company is closing and I'm going to need to find a new job, unfortunately) But even if I only post once or twice a month, this fic is a long way from being over. :)