Authors note: I suddenly realised that, since the first chapter, I haven't
done any disclaimers. I hereby disclaim all of my past chapters, and all
of the future ones, so please NOBODY SUE ME!!! I own nothing
(unfortunately) ^^ I'm sorry that this story is taking so long, but I
PROMISE that in the next chapter I'm finally going to have Kurt and Rogue
meet up with Mystique. It's taken me ten chapters, but I'm finally going
to do it! Thanks to you all for sticking around.
Kurt was the first to wake up.
It was a nice, gradual awakening, softly slipping between sleep and consciousness. He could feel the heat of sunlight on his fur, and he instinctively knew that it was going to be a beautiful day. A warm contentment spread through him, passing in a tingling wave over his skin. He kept his eyelids tightly closed, knowing that if he opened them, this peace would have to end, and he would be faced with the daunting prospect of another day at school. He smiled softly to himself, wriggling his toes in happiness. It wasn't often that he felt this good on a Monday morning.
His pale eyes suddenly snapped open as his memory returned, his pleasant feeling quickly evaporating. Mystique had sent him a letter; she wanted to talk with him. How could he forget something like that??
He had spent all day yesterday worrying about it, finally venting his problem to Rogue in the early hours of the morning. The night hardly seemed real now, but he vaguely remembered talking with her for a long time. And he had come to a conclusion. He was going to meet with Mystique. And Rogue was coming with him.
Rogue.
She lay peacefully on her side facing him, duvet pulled up past her breasts and one hand resting beneath her head. Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose with even breathing. Kurt was curled up next to her, not close enough to be pressed against her, but close enough. One of his legs had become sprawled over her knees in the middle of the night and now he gingerly withdrew it, shifting his weight carefully so as not to awaken her. He shuffled back in the bed a bit, putting a bit of breathing space between himself and the young girl.
Underneath his dark fur, Kurt was blushing furiously. He silently cursed his stupidity. If he had so much as brushed against Rogue ------
He paused, relaxing a little. She looked peaceful when she was sleeping. He would have likened her to an angel, but her ever-present gothic makeup put a downer on that. It suddenly struck him that he had never seen her without her makeup. The longing to see her real face was overpowering, and he almost reached out his hand to try and clear some of the black paint from her features. But he resisted. For one thing, it might have killed him, and secondly, he respected her privacy. He wore his mask, and she wore hers. Plus it would have woken her up.
Still, she looked very pretty, and not for the first time he found himself watching her admiringly. The sunlight shone pale gold against her ivory skin, her hair splayed out in a dark halo across the pillow. He felt something tighten in his chest. There it was again. That weird feeling, like someone crushing his lungs in a vice.
It felt nice though.
Kurt had made a lot of friends since he came to America - good friends. Scott, Evan, Kitty, Jean, Tabby ----- he cared about them all, and, in his own humble way, he loved every one of them. But Rogue was something else. It was strange and he couldn't explain it, but he felt a kind of subtle connection, an unspoken understanding. He'd never felt like that before.
Careful not to waken her, he crept out of bed, pausing to pick up his discarded t-shirt from the floor. He'd have to wake her up eventually - they had school soon - but not just yet. He figured that she deserved a lie-in.
Casting her one final, lingering look, he turned and bamfed into the bathroom.
Rogue didn't like school much. She never had. She didn't know when it had started, but as far as she could remember, she had never fitted in at Junior School. She had been pale and quiet, the little girl that didn't have a mommy or daddy --- the odd one out. That feeling had followed her into Middle School, where she had learnt to act the angry teen. She was still an outsider, but at least then she was one because she chose to be.
Now she was a freshman, and things didn't seem much better.
Sometimes school frightened Rogue. Sometimes she failed at it, or it failed her. Sometimes it confused her and left her behind. Every morning she woke up and a thousand different battles lined up in front of her ----- will my homework be in on time? will I have a partner for Phys Ed? will Scott Summers notice me today?
Best days of your life? However said that was sadly deluded.
The gothic painted beauty took a halfhearted swig from her soda can, grey eyes roving darkly around the cafeteria. The place was packed and noisy with kids on their lunch break, but somehow she and Risty had managed to end up on a table by themselves. Rogue rested her chin in her hand, a deep scowl lining her white brow.
"Do they think we've got cooties or something?" she joked sullenly.
Risty didn't look up at her but continued to prod her lunch suspiciously with a fork. "I'm not surprised," she muttered "One look at the expression on your face would put the fear of God into anybody. What the heck do you think they're feeding us?"
Rogue glanced down at her tray. The mess on her plate sure didn't look like food. "The lunch lady said that it was meatloaf," she said, pushing her plate away.
The other girl arched her eyebrows. "Really? I thought that she was just being sarcastic." She was silent for a moment, watching her friend with consideration. Finally, she tilted her head to one side. "So how come you're so cheery this morning?"
Rogue shrugged, running her fingers round the rim of her soda can. "Ah nothing. I didn't get much sleep last night."
"Oh? Do tell!"
"Not like that," she shot her friend a look of disgust.
Risty laughed, light and silvery. "Why on earth not? You've got your choice of good looking guys over at that Institute!"
The paler girl leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "Name one."
"Scott Summers."
Despite herself, Rogue felt her cheeks darken self-consciously. "Cheap shot." She looked across to the dinning hall to a red headed figure sitting on a crowded table of jocks and cheerleaders. "I reckon he's too busy mooning after Queen Jean to notice someone like me."
Risty smiled sympathetically. "You're worth fifty Jean Grey's, and if he can't see that, then it's his loss." She gave up on the meatloaf and picked up a sugared donut, amber eyes resting on the girl sitting opposite her. "Plenty more fish in the sea, luv."
Rogue sighed grimly. "Yeah. Sure."
Evan Daniels stood in the lunch line, pushing his tray along the rack in front of him. His narrowed gaze passed quickly over the displayed food, apparently not impressed.
He pointed. "What's that?"
The lunch lady's deadpan expression didn't change. "Mystery meat," she informed him blankly.
Storm's young nephew felt someone nudge his side to hurry him along. "Sounds great," Kurt enthused, holding his plate out, "Pile it up!"
Walking away to find a table, Evan wrinkled his nose. "Man, how can you eat that stuff? It looks like something a dog threw up."
Kitty joined them from the salad bar - her own tray filled by a modest array of vegetables. She laughed, "Ewww, you're not wrong there." Her glossy lips pulled into a teasing smirk "Why don't you try something healthy for a change? It wouldn't kill you, you know."
"And it wouldn't fill me up either," the raven haired boy informed her airily "I need manly food!"
She swung her dark ponytail over her shoulder. "That's the kind of attitude that's going to give you heart disease." Standing at the edge of the cafeteria, she suddenly pointed. "Hey, looks like Scott and Bobby have saved us some seats." Waving to the seated boys, she began to walk away.
Evan made to join her, paused and turned back. "Hey Kurt, aren't you coming?"
The pale skinned boy was looking away from him, eyes focused at a distant table. He frowned apologetically. "Actually --- I think I might go and have lunch with Rogue ---- that okay with you guys?"
Evan blinked, surprised. "Sure, I guess. I'll catch you in class."
Kurt grinned, a little relieved. He didn't want to ditch his friends, but he needed to talk to Rogue. Nodding goodbye to Evan, he turned and walked swiftly towards the two girls sitting in the corner.
Risty licked the sugar from her fingers and put down the remaining half of her donut. Brushing a strand of purple hair from her eyes, she looked up suddenly as the boy dropped his tray unceremoniously next to Rogue. Rogue glanced over in surprise, a warm smile of recognition passing quickly over her features.
"Hey Kurt," she greeted, pushing her plate away to give him more room.
He grinned. "Sorry to impose myself on you, but Kitty's on a health binge. I don't think I could deal with a lecture on nutritious eating so soon after a math lesson."
Risty rested her chin on a fist, eyebrows pulled together uncertainly. "Of course you're welcome here. Contrary to popular belief, our table isn't infected with some kind of contagious virus, though I'm going to have to ask, exactly what that is on your plate?" She peered closer "It looks hideous!"
Looking around him, as though he were afraid someone was listening in, Kurt leaned forward across the table. His voice lowered to a conspiritive whisper. "I hear that they serve us the science experiments that go wrong," he told her earnestly "and just cover it with gravy."
Risty grimaced. "Gross! You're not seriously gonna eat that are you?"
"I certainly am!"
She made a yakking noise in the back of her throat. Rising to her feet, she folded her arms across her chest and looked down at the two teenagers. "As much as I'd love to stick around for that, I'm just going to nip to the ladies," she ran a hand through her thick hair, "I'll be back in a sec."
Kurt nodded, loading a forkful of mystery meat. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, his head tilted in consideration. As Risty passed him, he swallowed, a bemused expression on his face.
"I didn't think it was possible, but it actually tastes WORSE than it looks." Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, his pale eyes flicked to Rogue's untouched plate, "Hey, are you going to eat that?"
The girl shrugged. "Knock yourself out."
He pulled the meatloaf towards him, pausing to shake some salt over it. He glanced up at her. "Actually, I'm kind of glad that I caught you. I ---- I wanted to talk to you about last night."
Rogue pressed her darkly painted lips together and nodded. Last night seemed like such a long time ago, distant and dream-like compared to the reality of the school cafeteria. One thing remained clear however. Mystique had sent Kurt a letter - she wanted to see him, to tell him about his past. And he had decided to go.
"Have you changed your mind about wanting to meet with her?" Rogue asked quietly, not unhopefully.
He sighed and pushed the gravy around with his fork. "No."
She nodded. That was the answer she had been expecting.
"What I meant," he continued after a moment "Is that I wanted to ask you to keep what I told you a secret. I don't want anybody else knowing about this."
"Yeah, I guessed."
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, still playing distractedly with his food. "Its not that I don't trust them," he explained, "I do. But I don't think they'd understand why I need to do this. They'd try and stop me."
Rogue raised an eyebrow. "You can't exactly blame them, can you?"
"Of course not."
"Heck I'm pretty tempted to stop you myself."
Kurt smiled, shaking his head slowly. "You won't."
Rogue watched him intently. "What makes you so sure?"
"Because if someone had written you a letter offering you the answers to your past, then you would be doing the exact same thing as I am."
She held his eyes for a moment, searching. Finally, she sat back, apparently satisfied. "Maybe you're right. I don't know. But just as long as you're still going ahead with this, I'll come along for the ride."
"Thanks," he smiled sincerely "I needed to hear that."
They were silent, a moment of understanding passing between them. Tapping his paired fingers together nervously, Kurt looked away, dark eyes intent on the floor.
"Rogue, I-"
Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence as Risty returned, whatever he was about to say forgotten. The purple haired girl sat down heavily, gaze darting from one to the other. Rogue tensed, wondering how much of the conversation she had heard. There was definitely a look of suspicion on her face.
"Not interrupting anything am I?"
Kurt recovered quickly, mouth curving into a false grin. Now that she had gotten to know him better, Rogue found that she could quite easily tell when he was really happy and when it was just a show he put on. It often surprised her how he pretended.
"What would you be interrupting?" he asked innocently. He pointed to the mystery meat with his fork "You were right about that by the way. Its completely inedible."
Risty reached over and took Rogue's can of soda, taking a small sip. Her amber eyes watched them over the metal rim. However, whatever doubts she harboured secretly, she didn't share them. She turned to the gothic girl opposite her, "Hey guess what?"
Rogue blinked. "Surprise me."
"There's going to be a Monster Truck Rally in town tonight. One night only, according to Arcade. What do you think?"
"About what?"
Risty gave an exasperated groan. "About going to watch it! Are you listening to me at all?"
Rogue snorted and pushed a strand of her behind her ears. "Now why would I want to go and waste my time on something like that?" Her darkly painted lips curved downwards "Its really not my thing."
"You are joking?" Kurt interjected suddenly, staring at her in disbelief "Monster Trucks are everybody's thing! What's not to love? Big cars smashing little cars ---- its genius!"
Risty beamed. "There, you see! Listen to the German kid."
Rogue's frown deepened, dark lips pouting. "If you two are so big on them, why don't you go together?"
The purple haired girl sighed. "I really want to, but I'm going to visit my family this evening." Her face suddenly brightened. "Hey, why don't you guys go instead?"
Kurt looked at the girl next to him hopefully, but she wasn't impressed. "Uh-uh, sorry. I have plans."
"Like what? And sulking in your bedroom doesn't count." She grinned.
Rogue scowled. "Why not?"
"Oh come on, Rogue. You're always saying that you want to get out more!" Risty looked desperately to the boy, "Tell her, Kurt!"
His dark eyes looked pleadingly into hers, like a child begging to stay up past their bedtime. "It'd be really fun, I promise."
Rogue looked from one to the other, obviously reluctant. Finally, she sighed in weary resignation. "Alright, alright! If you're going to make a big deal out of it, I'll go!"
Kurt beamed happily, a look of elation making his cheeks dimple. "Great!" he grinned, turning to the other girl. "What time does it start?"
Risty took another sip from the soda can, dark hair falling over her lowered eyes. "About seven I think, down in that patch of waste land behind the mall. There's a big tent - you can't miss it."
Rogue shook her head. She hadn't been kidding; Monster Trucks were definitely not her forte, but seeing how excited the promise had made Kurt, she couldn't help but look forward to it just a little. A very little.
He clasped his hands in front of him. "Wunderbar! It's a date!" Looking over to the amber-eyed girl sitting opposite him, he shrugged apologetically, "It's a shame that you can't come too." It wasn't totally a lie, he guessed. She did seem nice. Kurt and Risty hadn't hung out much since she arrived, but he could see why his friend spent so much time with her. All the same, he was looking forward to being alone with Rogue. There were some things that he needed to get off his chest.
Risty rested her chin lightly against her hand. "Yes, I suppose so. But, like I said, I'm visiting family. I don't get to see them that often, it's a pretty big deal for me."
The raven-haired boy took a bite out of his meatloaf. "We can buy you a souvenir?" he offered helpfully.
"What? A giant bucket of popcorn?" She laughed. "I'm sure that I can live without."
Kurt made is if to say something, but stopped short. His face crumpled into a look of distaste. "Eugh!" he exclaimed, pausing spit something into his napkin, "And I thought that the mystery meat was bad!"
Rogue leaned away from him. "Gross Kurt! Couldn't you just swallow it like normal people?"
He frowned. "You didn't taste it," he informed her curtly, crumpling his napkin and dropping it on his full plate. "I guess I'll just have to pay Burger King a flying visit before class starts."
"You don't have time. Class starts in ten."
Kurt grinned, standing with his tray. "I'll take that bet my friend!" Balancing the tray with one hand, he paused, scratching the nape of his neck self-consciously. "So ---- I'll see you back at the Institute?"
Rogue nodded. "Sure. See you later."
He smiled shyly. "Toll." Turning to leave, he nodded to Risty, "I hope you have a good time with your family."
"Good time isn't exactly what I'd call it, but it should be interesting. Enjoy the Monster Trucks" she ran a hand through her purple hair, letting it flop back over her forehead. She watched him leave silently, eyes fixed on his back until he melted away into the crowd. After a moment, she turned back to her friend, eyebrows raised slightly.
"That Kurt Wagner seems like a really nice guy," she started, nursing the soda can in her hands.
Rogue shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "Sure, he's a good friend." She gave a hard laugh. "Just about the only guy worth talking to up at the Institute."
Risty continued to observe her closely. "You two seem pretty close."
Rogue thought about that for a moment. Finally, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess."
"You want to know what I think?"
She shrugged again, standing to pick up her tray. Risty did the same and they began to walk slowly towards the cafeteria doors. "Not really, but I get the feeling that your going to tell me anyway."
Her friend's mouth curved in amusement. "I think he's got a crush on you."
"Who? Kurt?"
"Yup."
Rogue actually laughed. "Don't be disgusting, he's like my brother!"
Risty paused for a moment, blinking. Then she shook her head. "Are you sure he sees it like that?"
Rogue rolled her eyes as she deposited her tray onto the side. "I'm like the only girl at the Institute that he HASN'T had a crush on." She chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, "The guy sits with me for one lunch break and your already marrying us off. I think you're looking a bit too much into this."
"Trust me, I know about these things."
"Obviously not as well as you think you do. Kurt and I are good friends, but it DEFINITELY ends there. He is so not my type."
Risty smirked, "Unlike a certain Mr Summers?" she teased.
Rogue scowled. "Will you quit it about Scott? It was just a stupid crush. Kitty has a new one every week - I don't see you making fun of her about it."
"Sorry, sorry. I just think its cute is all." She grinned and gave her friend a playful shove. "No need to go so huffy about it. Come on, I've got to return a book to the library before lunch ends."
Rogue glanced over her shoulder one final time, not really listening. Across the dining hall, Scott Summers was sitting at a table with some other kids from the Institute. Someone had made a joke - Evan probably - and he was laughing. Oh, he looked cute when he laughed. Curtains of thick hazel hair flopped over his forehead; lean cheeks dimpling. Not for the first time, Rogue found herself wondering what colour his eyes were. Such a small thing, but so personal. For some reason, she'd imagined them green. She'd always had a weakness for men with green eyes.
"Hey? Are you coming?"
Sighing heavily, Rogue turned away from the boy in the shades. Wrapping her arms around herself in a consoling hug, she followed Risty down the hall.
Risty Wilde walked down the corridors of Bayville High, books clasped to her chest. Rogue was walking alongside her, locked in a considering silence. It half occurred to Risty to wonder what she was thinking about. Maybe she was daydreaming about the unattainable Scott Summers, or perhaps she was considering Kurt and the problems that he was facing. It pleased Risty that Kurt and Rogue had established such a close friendship, though she couldn't help but be amused by the boy's confused feelings. Teenagers were an entertaining study, though their hormone driven antics got tedious after a while. Her own adolescence had been very different ---- but that wasn't something that she liked to dwell on.
Actually, Rogue was probably thinking about the class they had next. Mr Turner for History. What a jerk. Risty loathed going to these ridiculous lessons. She could do the work in her sleep, and having to act like a fifteen-year-old was tiring. She had to be careful, ever vigilant. One slip of the tongue, and Rogue would guess her little secret. That couldn't happen. She had worked too hard for too long to lose it all now.
Still, after tonight, that wouldn't be a problem.
Rogue, who had been watching her quietly for some time now, spoke to her suddenly. "What are you smiling about?"
Risty heard a voice speak through her mouth, but the voice was not her own. It was young, light, clipped English accent making the words lilt strangely.
"Nothing," Mystique assured the girl walking next to her, "Nothing at all."
Kurt was the first to wake up.
It was a nice, gradual awakening, softly slipping between sleep and consciousness. He could feel the heat of sunlight on his fur, and he instinctively knew that it was going to be a beautiful day. A warm contentment spread through him, passing in a tingling wave over his skin. He kept his eyelids tightly closed, knowing that if he opened them, this peace would have to end, and he would be faced with the daunting prospect of another day at school. He smiled softly to himself, wriggling his toes in happiness. It wasn't often that he felt this good on a Monday morning.
His pale eyes suddenly snapped open as his memory returned, his pleasant feeling quickly evaporating. Mystique had sent him a letter; she wanted to talk with him. How could he forget something like that??
He had spent all day yesterday worrying about it, finally venting his problem to Rogue in the early hours of the morning. The night hardly seemed real now, but he vaguely remembered talking with her for a long time. And he had come to a conclusion. He was going to meet with Mystique. And Rogue was coming with him.
Rogue.
She lay peacefully on her side facing him, duvet pulled up past her breasts and one hand resting beneath her head. Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose with even breathing. Kurt was curled up next to her, not close enough to be pressed against her, but close enough. One of his legs had become sprawled over her knees in the middle of the night and now he gingerly withdrew it, shifting his weight carefully so as not to awaken her. He shuffled back in the bed a bit, putting a bit of breathing space between himself and the young girl.
Underneath his dark fur, Kurt was blushing furiously. He silently cursed his stupidity. If he had so much as brushed against Rogue ------
He paused, relaxing a little. She looked peaceful when she was sleeping. He would have likened her to an angel, but her ever-present gothic makeup put a downer on that. It suddenly struck him that he had never seen her without her makeup. The longing to see her real face was overpowering, and he almost reached out his hand to try and clear some of the black paint from her features. But he resisted. For one thing, it might have killed him, and secondly, he respected her privacy. He wore his mask, and she wore hers. Plus it would have woken her up.
Still, she looked very pretty, and not for the first time he found himself watching her admiringly. The sunlight shone pale gold against her ivory skin, her hair splayed out in a dark halo across the pillow. He felt something tighten in his chest. There it was again. That weird feeling, like someone crushing his lungs in a vice.
It felt nice though.
Kurt had made a lot of friends since he came to America - good friends. Scott, Evan, Kitty, Jean, Tabby ----- he cared about them all, and, in his own humble way, he loved every one of them. But Rogue was something else. It was strange and he couldn't explain it, but he felt a kind of subtle connection, an unspoken understanding. He'd never felt like that before.
Careful not to waken her, he crept out of bed, pausing to pick up his discarded t-shirt from the floor. He'd have to wake her up eventually - they had school soon - but not just yet. He figured that she deserved a lie-in.
Casting her one final, lingering look, he turned and bamfed into the bathroom.
Rogue didn't like school much. She never had. She didn't know when it had started, but as far as she could remember, she had never fitted in at Junior School. She had been pale and quiet, the little girl that didn't have a mommy or daddy --- the odd one out. That feeling had followed her into Middle School, where she had learnt to act the angry teen. She was still an outsider, but at least then she was one because she chose to be.
Now she was a freshman, and things didn't seem much better.
Sometimes school frightened Rogue. Sometimes she failed at it, or it failed her. Sometimes it confused her and left her behind. Every morning she woke up and a thousand different battles lined up in front of her ----- will my homework be in on time? will I have a partner for Phys Ed? will Scott Summers notice me today?
Best days of your life? However said that was sadly deluded.
The gothic painted beauty took a halfhearted swig from her soda can, grey eyes roving darkly around the cafeteria. The place was packed and noisy with kids on their lunch break, but somehow she and Risty had managed to end up on a table by themselves. Rogue rested her chin in her hand, a deep scowl lining her white brow.
"Do they think we've got cooties or something?" she joked sullenly.
Risty didn't look up at her but continued to prod her lunch suspiciously with a fork. "I'm not surprised," she muttered "One look at the expression on your face would put the fear of God into anybody. What the heck do you think they're feeding us?"
Rogue glanced down at her tray. The mess on her plate sure didn't look like food. "The lunch lady said that it was meatloaf," she said, pushing her plate away.
The other girl arched her eyebrows. "Really? I thought that she was just being sarcastic." She was silent for a moment, watching her friend with consideration. Finally, she tilted her head to one side. "So how come you're so cheery this morning?"
Rogue shrugged, running her fingers round the rim of her soda can. "Ah nothing. I didn't get much sleep last night."
"Oh? Do tell!"
"Not like that," she shot her friend a look of disgust.
Risty laughed, light and silvery. "Why on earth not? You've got your choice of good looking guys over at that Institute!"
The paler girl leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "Name one."
"Scott Summers."
Despite herself, Rogue felt her cheeks darken self-consciously. "Cheap shot." She looked across to the dinning hall to a red headed figure sitting on a crowded table of jocks and cheerleaders. "I reckon he's too busy mooning after Queen Jean to notice someone like me."
Risty smiled sympathetically. "You're worth fifty Jean Grey's, and if he can't see that, then it's his loss." She gave up on the meatloaf and picked up a sugared donut, amber eyes resting on the girl sitting opposite her. "Plenty more fish in the sea, luv."
Rogue sighed grimly. "Yeah. Sure."
Evan Daniels stood in the lunch line, pushing his tray along the rack in front of him. His narrowed gaze passed quickly over the displayed food, apparently not impressed.
He pointed. "What's that?"
The lunch lady's deadpan expression didn't change. "Mystery meat," she informed him blankly.
Storm's young nephew felt someone nudge his side to hurry him along. "Sounds great," Kurt enthused, holding his plate out, "Pile it up!"
Walking away to find a table, Evan wrinkled his nose. "Man, how can you eat that stuff? It looks like something a dog threw up."
Kitty joined them from the salad bar - her own tray filled by a modest array of vegetables. She laughed, "Ewww, you're not wrong there." Her glossy lips pulled into a teasing smirk "Why don't you try something healthy for a change? It wouldn't kill you, you know."
"And it wouldn't fill me up either," the raven haired boy informed her airily "I need manly food!"
She swung her dark ponytail over her shoulder. "That's the kind of attitude that's going to give you heart disease." Standing at the edge of the cafeteria, she suddenly pointed. "Hey, looks like Scott and Bobby have saved us some seats." Waving to the seated boys, she began to walk away.
Evan made to join her, paused and turned back. "Hey Kurt, aren't you coming?"
The pale skinned boy was looking away from him, eyes focused at a distant table. He frowned apologetically. "Actually --- I think I might go and have lunch with Rogue ---- that okay with you guys?"
Evan blinked, surprised. "Sure, I guess. I'll catch you in class."
Kurt grinned, a little relieved. He didn't want to ditch his friends, but he needed to talk to Rogue. Nodding goodbye to Evan, he turned and walked swiftly towards the two girls sitting in the corner.
Risty licked the sugar from her fingers and put down the remaining half of her donut. Brushing a strand of purple hair from her eyes, she looked up suddenly as the boy dropped his tray unceremoniously next to Rogue. Rogue glanced over in surprise, a warm smile of recognition passing quickly over her features.
"Hey Kurt," she greeted, pushing her plate away to give him more room.
He grinned. "Sorry to impose myself on you, but Kitty's on a health binge. I don't think I could deal with a lecture on nutritious eating so soon after a math lesson."
Risty rested her chin on a fist, eyebrows pulled together uncertainly. "Of course you're welcome here. Contrary to popular belief, our table isn't infected with some kind of contagious virus, though I'm going to have to ask, exactly what that is on your plate?" She peered closer "It looks hideous!"
Looking around him, as though he were afraid someone was listening in, Kurt leaned forward across the table. His voice lowered to a conspiritive whisper. "I hear that they serve us the science experiments that go wrong," he told her earnestly "and just cover it with gravy."
Risty grimaced. "Gross! You're not seriously gonna eat that are you?"
"I certainly am!"
She made a yakking noise in the back of her throat. Rising to her feet, she folded her arms across her chest and looked down at the two teenagers. "As much as I'd love to stick around for that, I'm just going to nip to the ladies," she ran a hand through her thick hair, "I'll be back in a sec."
Kurt nodded, loading a forkful of mystery meat. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, his head tilted in consideration. As Risty passed him, he swallowed, a bemused expression on his face.
"I didn't think it was possible, but it actually tastes WORSE than it looks." Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, his pale eyes flicked to Rogue's untouched plate, "Hey, are you going to eat that?"
The girl shrugged. "Knock yourself out."
He pulled the meatloaf towards him, pausing to shake some salt over it. He glanced up at her. "Actually, I'm kind of glad that I caught you. I ---- I wanted to talk to you about last night."
Rogue pressed her darkly painted lips together and nodded. Last night seemed like such a long time ago, distant and dream-like compared to the reality of the school cafeteria. One thing remained clear however. Mystique had sent Kurt a letter - she wanted to see him, to tell him about his past. And he had decided to go.
"Have you changed your mind about wanting to meet with her?" Rogue asked quietly, not unhopefully.
He sighed and pushed the gravy around with his fork. "No."
She nodded. That was the answer she had been expecting.
"What I meant," he continued after a moment "Is that I wanted to ask you to keep what I told you a secret. I don't want anybody else knowing about this."
"Yeah, I guessed."
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, still playing distractedly with his food. "Its not that I don't trust them," he explained, "I do. But I don't think they'd understand why I need to do this. They'd try and stop me."
Rogue raised an eyebrow. "You can't exactly blame them, can you?"
"Of course not."
"Heck I'm pretty tempted to stop you myself."
Kurt smiled, shaking his head slowly. "You won't."
Rogue watched him intently. "What makes you so sure?"
"Because if someone had written you a letter offering you the answers to your past, then you would be doing the exact same thing as I am."
She held his eyes for a moment, searching. Finally, she sat back, apparently satisfied. "Maybe you're right. I don't know. But just as long as you're still going ahead with this, I'll come along for the ride."
"Thanks," he smiled sincerely "I needed to hear that."
They were silent, a moment of understanding passing between them. Tapping his paired fingers together nervously, Kurt looked away, dark eyes intent on the floor.
"Rogue, I-"
Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence as Risty returned, whatever he was about to say forgotten. The purple haired girl sat down heavily, gaze darting from one to the other. Rogue tensed, wondering how much of the conversation she had heard. There was definitely a look of suspicion on her face.
"Not interrupting anything am I?"
Kurt recovered quickly, mouth curving into a false grin. Now that she had gotten to know him better, Rogue found that she could quite easily tell when he was really happy and when it was just a show he put on. It often surprised her how he pretended.
"What would you be interrupting?" he asked innocently. He pointed to the mystery meat with his fork "You were right about that by the way. Its completely inedible."
Risty reached over and took Rogue's can of soda, taking a small sip. Her amber eyes watched them over the metal rim. However, whatever doubts she harboured secretly, she didn't share them. She turned to the gothic girl opposite her, "Hey guess what?"
Rogue blinked. "Surprise me."
"There's going to be a Monster Truck Rally in town tonight. One night only, according to Arcade. What do you think?"
"About what?"
Risty gave an exasperated groan. "About going to watch it! Are you listening to me at all?"
Rogue snorted and pushed a strand of her behind her ears. "Now why would I want to go and waste my time on something like that?" Her darkly painted lips curved downwards "Its really not my thing."
"You are joking?" Kurt interjected suddenly, staring at her in disbelief "Monster Trucks are everybody's thing! What's not to love? Big cars smashing little cars ---- its genius!"
Risty beamed. "There, you see! Listen to the German kid."
Rogue's frown deepened, dark lips pouting. "If you two are so big on them, why don't you go together?"
The purple haired girl sighed. "I really want to, but I'm going to visit my family this evening." Her face suddenly brightened. "Hey, why don't you guys go instead?"
Kurt looked at the girl next to him hopefully, but she wasn't impressed. "Uh-uh, sorry. I have plans."
"Like what? And sulking in your bedroom doesn't count." She grinned.
Rogue scowled. "Why not?"
"Oh come on, Rogue. You're always saying that you want to get out more!" Risty looked desperately to the boy, "Tell her, Kurt!"
His dark eyes looked pleadingly into hers, like a child begging to stay up past their bedtime. "It'd be really fun, I promise."
Rogue looked from one to the other, obviously reluctant. Finally, she sighed in weary resignation. "Alright, alright! If you're going to make a big deal out of it, I'll go!"
Kurt beamed happily, a look of elation making his cheeks dimple. "Great!" he grinned, turning to the other girl. "What time does it start?"
Risty took another sip from the soda can, dark hair falling over her lowered eyes. "About seven I think, down in that patch of waste land behind the mall. There's a big tent - you can't miss it."
Rogue shook her head. She hadn't been kidding; Monster Trucks were definitely not her forte, but seeing how excited the promise had made Kurt, she couldn't help but look forward to it just a little. A very little.
He clasped his hands in front of him. "Wunderbar! It's a date!" Looking over to the amber-eyed girl sitting opposite him, he shrugged apologetically, "It's a shame that you can't come too." It wasn't totally a lie, he guessed. She did seem nice. Kurt and Risty hadn't hung out much since she arrived, but he could see why his friend spent so much time with her. All the same, he was looking forward to being alone with Rogue. There were some things that he needed to get off his chest.
Risty rested her chin lightly against her hand. "Yes, I suppose so. But, like I said, I'm visiting family. I don't get to see them that often, it's a pretty big deal for me."
The raven-haired boy took a bite out of his meatloaf. "We can buy you a souvenir?" he offered helpfully.
"What? A giant bucket of popcorn?" She laughed. "I'm sure that I can live without."
Kurt made is if to say something, but stopped short. His face crumpled into a look of distaste. "Eugh!" he exclaimed, pausing spit something into his napkin, "And I thought that the mystery meat was bad!"
Rogue leaned away from him. "Gross Kurt! Couldn't you just swallow it like normal people?"
He frowned. "You didn't taste it," he informed her curtly, crumpling his napkin and dropping it on his full plate. "I guess I'll just have to pay Burger King a flying visit before class starts."
"You don't have time. Class starts in ten."
Kurt grinned, standing with his tray. "I'll take that bet my friend!" Balancing the tray with one hand, he paused, scratching the nape of his neck self-consciously. "So ---- I'll see you back at the Institute?"
Rogue nodded. "Sure. See you later."
He smiled shyly. "Toll." Turning to leave, he nodded to Risty, "I hope you have a good time with your family."
"Good time isn't exactly what I'd call it, but it should be interesting. Enjoy the Monster Trucks" she ran a hand through her purple hair, letting it flop back over her forehead. She watched him leave silently, eyes fixed on his back until he melted away into the crowd. After a moment, she turned back to her friend, eyebrows raised slightly.
"That Kurt Wagner seems like a really nice guy," she started, nursing the soda can in her hands.
Rogue shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "Sure, he's a good friend." She gave a hard laugh. "Just about the only guy worth talking to up at the Institute."
Risty continued to observe her closely. "You two seem pretty close."
Rogue thought about that for a moment. Finally, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess."
"You want to know what I think?"
She shrugged again, standing to pick up her tray. Risty did the same and they began to walk slowly towards the cafeteria doors. "Not really, but I get the feeling that your going to tell me anyway."
Her friend's mouth curved in amusement. "I think he's got a crush on you."
"Who? Kurt?"
"Yup."
Rogue actually laughed. "Don't be disgusting, he's like my brother!"
Risty paused for a moment, blinking. Then she shook her head. "Are you sure he sees it like that?"
Rogue rolled her eyes as she deposited her tray onto the side. "I'm like the only girl at the Institute that he HASN'T had a crush on." She chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, "The guy sits with me for one lunch break and your already marrying us off. I think you're looking a bit too much into this."
"Trust me, I know about these things."
"Obviously not as well as you think you do. Kurt and I are good friends, but it DEFINITELY ends there. He is so not my type."
Risty smirked, "Unlike a certain Mr Summers?" she teased.
Rogue scowled. "Will you quit it about Scott? It was just a stupid crush. Kitty has a new one every week - I don't see you making fun of her about it."
"Sorry, sorry. I just think its cute is all." She grinned and gave her friend a playful shove. "No need to go so huffy about it. Come on, I've got to return a book to the library before lunch ends."
Rogue glanced over her shoulder one final time, not really listening. Across the dining hall, Scott Summers was sitting at a table with some other kids from the Institute. Someone had made a joke - Evan probably - and he was laughing. Oh, he looked cute when he laughed. Curtains of thick hazel hair flopped over his forehead; lean cheeks dimpling. Not for the first time, Rogue found herself wondering what colour his eyes were. Such a small thing, but so personal. For some reason, she'd imagined them green. She'd always had a weakness for men with green eyes.
"Hey? Are you coming?"
Sighing heavily, Rogue turned away from the boy in the shades. Wrapping her arms around herself in a consoling hug, she followed Risty down the hall.
Risty Wilde walked down the corridors of Bayville High, books clasped to her chest. Rogue was walking alongside her, locked in a considering silence. It half occurred to Risty to wonder what she was thinking about. Maybe she was daydreaming about the unattainable Scott Summers, or perhaps she was considering Kurt and the problems that he was facing. It pleased Risty that Kurt and Rogue had established such a close friendship, though she couldn't help but be amused by the boy's confused feelings. Teenagers were an entertaining study, though their hormone driven antics got tedious after a while. Her own adolescence had been very different ---- but that wasn't something that she liked to dwell on.
Actually, Rogue was probably thinking about the class they had next. Mr Turner for History. What a jerk. Risty loathed going to these ridiculous lessons. She could do the work in her sleep, and having to act like a fifteen-year-old was tiring. She had to be careful, ever vigilant. One slip of the tongue, and Rogue would guess her little secret. That couldn't happen. She had worked too hard for too long to lose it all now.
Still, after tonight, that wouldn't be a problem.
Rogue, who had been watching her quietly for some time now, spoke to her suddenly. "What are you smiling about?"
Risty heard a voice speak through her mouth, but the voice was not her own. It was young, light, clipped English accent making the words lilt strangely.
"Nothing," Mystique assured the girl walking next to her, "Nothing at all."