Chapter 27: La Femme NiKitty and the Woes of Captain One-Eye
Remy walked up to Kitty/Rogue's door and knocked, Geometry and French book under one arm, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, his boots, and the black leather gloves everyone was getting used to seeing him in. They really did pull his look together. Why had Kitty asked him to come tutor her in the dorm room? Maybe Rogue had something to do with it... But no, she wouldn't be that obvious, he thought.
Kitty opened the door, wearing something other than her usual school outfits. She was determined the set the stage with a khaki mini skirt which exposed as much leg as possible without being slutty, and a pink strap tank top. Casual enough, but far more revealing than anything Rogue owned.
Rogue sat in the back on her bed, books scattered in front of her. She was wearing the usual long pants, long sleeved shirt and gloves. Kitty chirped as she stepped back to her bed, leaving the door open for Remy to enter.
"Hi Remy! I'm glad you're here. I'm having such trouble with this..."
Remy chuckled as he stepped in and closed the door behind him. He shot a quick smile toward Rogue and grabbed a chair, then pulled it over to Kitty's bed. He set his books down and rubbed his hands together.
"All right, den, chere, wha's de problem, hm?" He leaned forward a bit and waited for her to give him whatever was wrong so he could fix it.
Kitty sat on her bed, rather closer to Remy than was really necessary. She started showing Remy a paragraph she was working on about the plot of some romantic movie, passing him more than a few coy giggles as he helped her translate the summary.
Rogue resisted the urge to watch. She knew Kitty was probably acting on the 'threat' she'd made on the roof the other night, but whether she was sincerely interested in Remy or not, she couldn't tell. Either way, she convinced herself Remy wouldn't be having any of it. He was loyal to her.
Kitty made it a point to brush the skin of his arm that the tee shirt afforded.
"Hey Remy, did anyone ever tell you that you, like, have really romantic eyes?"
Remy arched a brow at that comment. What as wrong with this girl? He thought she had a thing for the blue fuzzy one... 'Dueteronomy forbids games of chance', blah blah, whatever... Weird kid, but he still seemed nice enough. What was all this about, then? And with Rogue right in the room...
He chuckled and smiled, not wanting to give away that he was troubled in any way.
"Dat's real nice of yo' ta say, chere'. Yo' a cute li'l t'ing yo'self, an' Remy sho' yo' find yo'self a nice boy." He nodded and patted himself on the back, that was a good way to go.
She giggled, "I think I found one already." She didn't elaborate however. Rogue hadn't even flinched a bit, but Remy didn't reject the compliment either. What was going on? They were just hiding it.. She'd have to press harder.
"Writing about movies is totally boring.. Hey, I heard they're showing a French movie at the cabaret!" Kitty gave Remy a shy, coy smile. "We should go. It'd be, like, educational."
Across the room, Rogue paused in her writing, but quickly resumed as she caught herself. So what if he said yes? There was nothing wrong with him hanging out with Kitty, she was his friend too.
Remy blinked and gulped, then chuckled.
"Remy would love ta, chere, but he ain' a big fan of French movies. Maybe dat furry boy would like ta go wit' yo'. Den' yo' woudn't even need a ticket, he could jus' teleport yo' in!"
Remy nodded and looked back at the French lesson, hoping that would end the discussion.
Kitty saw her chance slipping away, and decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. If this didn't a rise out of Rogue, nothing would. Waiting until Remy was looking elsewhere, Kitty leaned in and pecked him on the lips.
Rogue barely caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, but froze upon seeing what happened. Maybe Kitty was serious after all. And she'd just kissed him - again. Feeling like she'd snap if she didn't get out of there soon, Rogue stood from her bed hastily, grabbing a random piece of paper before stalking towards the door. She mumbled about typing something before shutting the door roughly behind her.
Kitty looked at the door, trying to figure out if she'd been successful.
Remy was taken by surprise, and he felt quite guilty when he saw Rogue's reaction. Surely she didn't think he'd not stopped her on purpose?
"Whoa, chere, Remy t'hink yo' got de wrong idea..." He leaned back a bit and cleared his throat. "Not dat Remy don' like yo', he jus' like yo' as a friend... He a bit too ol' fo' yo, don' yo' t'ink, chere? He sho' dere are plenty of boys yo' age dat jump at de chance fo a date wit' yo'..."
Kitty leveled her gaze at him, appearing more curious than offended. He'd have to tell her the reason why he wasn't interested, right?
"Why, is it because you like someone else? I promise I won't tell anyone, just between you and me.." Still, Kitty wasn't a master of contrivance.
Remy chuckled and shook his head.
"No, chere, he ain' lookin' fo' a relationship jus' know... He ain' in dat kinda place, yo' know? Wha' about yo', Remy sho' he can't be de only boy yo' like... Like dat furry boy Remy mentioned!"
Kitty just looked at him, searching for any trace of a lie. But Remy was just too good. She sighed a bit, though it wasn't from rejection. Rogue must be upset with her, whether she was going out with Remy secretly or not.
"Huh, Kurt? Oh, you know him.. always eating." She tried to steer the subject in another direction. "Well, hey, thanks for helping me with this. I think I'm done with French for now." She closed her books, feeling a little sheepish about what had just transpired.
Remy smiled and kissed her forehead.
"Dat's fine, chere... Remy jus' gonna go find yo' troublesome roommate ta teach him 'bout dat worthless math, he see you latah."
He patted her on the head as he grabbed his books and got up, showing himself out and off to find Rogue. He'd have to explain that what had happened had been completely Kitty...
As Rogue walked down the hallway she looked at the paper that she'd grabbed.. a old math worksheet. Not exactly something she could fake having to type. She sighed, crumpling it in her hands.
Did this mean Kitty liked Remy, now? Rogue tried to remind herself she wasn't the jealous type, but the little voice in her head that was the one to doubt Remy - though it had grown smaller by now - make her question how Remy would react. He'd said he wanted to be with Rogue even though he couldn't touch her, but why should he feel the same way when there was a girl whom he could have a normal relationship with? No. Rogue forced the voice into silence, trying to convince herself she had nothing to be jealous about.
Remy jogged right up behind her and, seeing that no other students were around, slid an arm around her waist and fell into step with her. With a grin he leaned in to whisper,
"Dat li'l girl sho' is persistent... Remy had ta leave befo' she jumped on top of him." He chuckled and glanced back toward Rogue's room. "He don' know wha' came ovah her..."
Rogue blinked at his comment, keeping her eyes ahead of her. Was Kitty really being that forward with him? She forced a slight laugh.
"Heh, right.. She's-"
She really didn't know what to say to fill the silence. Alright, fine, so maybe Remy hadn't gone with it. Rogue scolded herself mentally for ever having doubted him. She always did, and he never deserved it.
"Ah'm sorry for stormin' out like that."
Remy shook his head and chuckled again.
"Yo' don' have ta apologize, p'tite... Remy flattahed dat yo' would get all mad an' jealous fo' him. He feel so special."
He grinned and pulled away from her, just in case she decided to hit him, and partially because they were approaching a corner and you never knew who might be around one.
Rogue sighed. As usual, he forgave her with no hesitation at all. She opened her mouth to voice her guilt before they neared the corner. In the adjacent hallway a crash resounded.
"Jean, it's the FIFTH time he's called you this week!"
"You're so paranoid, Scott, Duncan's just a friend! Don't you trust me?"
"I don't trust HIM!"
Rogue cautiously peeked her head around the corner just in time to see Jean slam her bedroom door in Scott's face, who promptly began to bang on it.
"Get back out there! Oh, FINE! Be that way."
Remy blinked and frowned, then whispered to Rogue.
"Yo' t'ink Remy should go some othah way?"
It sounded like a rather bad fight between their favorite leader and his oh-so-perfect telekinetic girlfriend. She was usually so nice and sympathetic, too... Scott must have done something really bad to get her even close to being mad...
Rogue ducked back into their hallway as Scott stormed their way. What could Scott have done to upset Susie Psychic? She remembered how he'd been so obviously jealous of Duncan - the star quarterback - all last year. She gave Remy a quick, regretful nod, and pointed down the hallway towards his room.
"Yeah, ya'd better. Ah'll just sort of.. go this way."
Remy turned and headed quickly back the way they'd gone. He decided it would probably be best to get out of sight, so ducked into Rogue's room. Kitty blinked as he came back in. "Like, what are you doing now?" Remy grinned and leaned against the door.
"Captain One-Eye an' his amie had demselves a li'l tiff... Remy retreat, so he gonna hide heah fo a bit..."
Kitty grinned and pushed him out of the way, then leaned her ear against the door to see if she could hear anything. This was far more important gossip than Remy and Rogue dating... at least for now.
Rogue, waiting a little till Remy had disappeared, walked out into the hallway. Her timing had been a little off, though, and she nearly colliding with Scott. He jumped back, started after being so deep in his argument with Jean.
"Oh, Rogue."
She tried to look as if she had no clue about what was going on. "Hi Scott."
He looked at her uncomfortably. "You must have heard the whole thing."
So much for playing dumb. She shrugged, looking sympathetic. "Yeah.. Are ya alright?"
He nodded vaguely and gestured for her to walk with him, wanting to put more distance between him and Jean's room.
"I'm alright.. It's just that Duncan's been calling her all week, and she keeps rushing off to hang out with him. It's not like she's his servant." He sighed as he realized he was rambling. "Now she thinks I don't trust her and won't talk to me. Do you think I'm out of line?"
Rogue made no immediate effort to fill the awkward silence that followed. Normally she wouldn't have given a damn, but some part of her that had a crush on him before invoked her sympathy. She didn't want to make him feel worse.
"Well, Ah think ya have a right ta be at least a little suspicious.. She's showin' an interest in him if she's eager ta hang out with him, right?" What part of that was supposed to make him feel better? Well, it was either that or tell him he was being paranoid, which wasn't very nice either.
Scott nodded. "Exactly! But, if she wants to throw away everything we have for some quarterback, then fine! I don't need her..."
He thought for a moment, back to when he'd talked with Bobby... It must have been over a year ago. Something about Rogue having a crush on him. She was pretty cute, and he was sure she'd jump at a chance with him... To hell with Jean. Scott looked over at her and smiled.
"I think it's time for me to move on, anyway. She obviously isn't who I thought she was... I need someone like you, Rogue, you're straight forward, I like that."
Let Jean get mad, he didn't care, she could throw herself at Duncan for all he cared... He had Rogue here.
Rogue blinked, but the part of her that once had a crush on Scott piqued. She'd spent a year falling for him, moved on, found someone new, and NOW he decided to show some interest? That didn't make sense.
"Look, Scott. Ah think ya might be over reactin' a bit. Ah'm sure she won't stay mad forever. Maybe ya should try talkin' about it civilly first."
Scott snorted. "She can talk with Duncan all she wants if he keeps calling so much, I don't need the hassle." He looked over at her with a smile. "The best thing to do is just put it behind me and get along as soon as I can... Maybe you can help me out, huh? We could go to a movie or something, or out to dinner..."
Remy had by now snuck back out into the hall, followed by Kitty, and was being as quiet as he could as he walked far behind them. Kitty had a hand over her mouth to keep in any squeaks as she listened as hard as she could to catch every word.
Rogue stopped walking and turned to Scott, her amusement at the absurdity of the situation masking itself as a friendly smile.
"Listen, Ah like ya and everythin', but Ah think maybe ya should take a day to cool down and think before ya go makin' any decisions. By then ya'll know the right thing ta do."
Rogue smirked inwardly at herself. Since when had she taken to giving out advice?
Scotted stopped to, then sighed and nodded.
"All right, you're probably right, Rogue... But that won't work if I still think it's time to move on tomorrow. Then I won't take no for an answer." He smiled and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. "Take it easy, all right?" With that he turned and continued on his way away from Jean's room.
It took all of Remy's control not to blow his cocky, preppy ass up right then and there. That wouldn't look too good in front of Kitty, though, she'd probably get suspicious, not to mention he might get in trouble.
"See ya."
Poor Scott. He must have been really upset if he was so desperate to take her out. Any other day she would have been angry at his arrogance, but still - that little tiny part of her that liked Scott - she knew he was just trying to distract himself. Remy wouldn't like this. Taking a few steps back, Rogue turned around to see who else but Remy and Kitty. She quirked a brow at them.
"Hello."
Kitty perked up immediately, whispering excitedly even after Scott had disappeared into his room.
"Like, oh my god, Rogue! This is so great!"
Rogue just looked back at her, clearly confused. Kitty rushed forward to seize the girl by the hands.
"This is, like, what you've totally wanted since last year! Scott wants to take you out!"
Rogue was about to protest before she remembered her secret. She was ready to deny her thing with Remy, but that didn't mean she had to pretend she still had a crush on Scott, did it? She just looked at Kitty blankly.
"Ah guess.."
Remy frowned and snorted.
"Yea, chere, jus' wha' yo' been waitin fo', de big date wit' Scott Summahs. Amazin'." Sarcasm dripped heavily from his words and he shoved his hands in his pockets. Kitty blinked and looked back at him, then looked at Rogue curiously.
"You are, like, gonna go, right?"
Rogue hesitated, stealing a glance at Remy and his obvious displeasure. He must be furious with her. If she told Kitty she didn't want to go out with Scott, coupled with Remy's sarcasm, it would make her suspicious of the two of them - they were as good as exposed to the biggest gossip in the school. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kitty, but sometimes the girl was her own worst enemy when it came to her mouth. But if she went out with Scott, Remy might never speak to her again. Turning her choices over in her mind for a few moments, Rogue made a decision.
"Sure, Ah mean.. why not?"
Kitty jumped up and down, though it still seemed a little odd to her. "This is so great! I can't wait to do your makeup!"
Rogue ignored even her last comment to look past her at Remy, her eyes pleading. Please, please don't let him be angry.
All it took was one look into her eyes and Remy melted. He sighed and gave her a smile, then a quick nod. He understood that she just had to play along, and wouldn't hold it against her. Besides, she was with him; he didn't have any reason to worry. He walked up to them and cleared his throat.
"Remy still have his Geometry lesson comin', non? All dis drama didn' change dat, right?"
Rogue shook her head, trying to clear her head of all that had happened.
"Yeah, we still need ta do our homework. Come on guys."
Rogue walked past Kitty and Remy back towards her room, but Kitty had other ideas. The girl hung back as she watched them go.
"Actually, I think I'm gonna go find Rahne, her room's right next to Jean's. She must have heard, like, everything!" And so she vanished in pursuit of gossip.
Rogue didn't speak until she and Remy got back to her room. She shut the door behind them, leaning against it with a weighted sigh.
"Just so ya know, Ah have no intention of goin' anywhere with him. Ah just wanted ta get Kitty off my back."
Remy grinned and started to move Rogue's books, then laid down on her bed and scooted against the wall, and patted the bed next to him.
"Remy t'ougt somet'in like dat... besides, Remy all ready got yo', right, chere? He figure dat mean any othah crushes yo' had be pretty much ovah with."
He chuckled at that , obviously quite secure in his ability to keep a girl.
She dropped her hands to her sides, walking to her bed. Remy's apparent engagement to Belladonna hadn't been so lightly brushed aside, Rogue noted, feeling even worse. She crawled into her bed, stretching out beside him, and snaked her arm around his waist.
"Ya always so forgivin' of me, an' Ah been so horrible ta ya. How can ya be so sweet?"
Remy shrugged and slid his arm around her shoulders.
"I's Remy's philosophy... Yo' can't control everyt'in, especially de past, so yo' jus have ta move on an' accept t'ings... Dat really applies ta othah peoples faults or mistakes, cause everyone makes dem, so Remy ain' one ta criticize... Besides, ain' like yo' done nutting really horrible."
He smiled and toyed with her hair a bit, glad that Kitty would be distracted for awhile so they could have some alone time.
Rogue sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, relaxing. If she could have been as forgiving as he was, maybe they wouldn't have gotten into so many fights as they did. But there was a world of time to make it up to him. Still, she didn't think he realized just how much he had to forgive her for.
"But what about when Ah accused ya of workin' for Trask, or of bein' a two-timer.. Ever since ya came here Ah been inventin' news ways ta be suspicious of ya."
Remy just chuckled and used his free arm to fluff the pillow up a bit beneath his head.
"Yea, dat's true, p'tite, but yo' always been wrong. How can Remy feel angry 'bout bein right, hm? Besides, like Remy say, he make mistakes too. I mean, he was 'bout ta get real mad back dere wit' yo', but den he remembah dat Remy jus' too sexy fo' yo' ta leave him." He grinned and closed his eyes, snuggling up with Rogue.
Rogue chuckled and pinched him in the side.
"That's what ya think, but ya're totally clueless." This coming from a girl who had been clueless about his feelings for the longest time. "Ya may may be handsome an' charmin', but thats why anyone else would like ya. Not me."
She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent and thinking about his auburn hair and breathtaking eyes, not to mention his well-built form. Yes, he was most definitely handsome.
"Den why do yo' like Remy, hm? He really wanna know..." He rolled onto his side and slid his free arm across her stomach and pulled her into the same position, so they were face to face. He half-opened his eyes, a dreamy smile on his face, and watched her. "Remy didn' t'ink he had many othah good qualities aside from his looks an' charm, ma belle fleur..."
Rogue shifted easily into his arms, moving her hand from his waist to his face, tracing a gloved finger along his jaw.
"Ya put yaself down too much.. Despite what ya say, or what others may think, you're good person. Ya put on a show for some people, but when ya bein' honest you're more sincere than anyone." Rogue smiled as if she were daydreaming. "Ya too cocky for ya own good sometimes, but ya always so thoughtful. An' despite what ya geometry teacher says, you're intelligent. More so than a certain recently-dumped guy Ah can think of."
Remy grinned at that and his hand slid up along her side and he brought two fingers to his lips and kissed them, then pressed them to Rogue's lips.
"Yo' such a sweetheaht, p'tite, Remy surprised dat yo' don' have bumble bees followin' yo' around, cause yo' words is like honey."
Remy was glad that she hadn't decided to actually study. He'd much rather spend his time flirting with her... It really was getting to be one of his favorite hobbies.
Her gaze softened at the gesture. Any closer and she'd run the risk of grazing his neck or arm. If only he'd worn longer sleeves.. No, she couldn't bear the thought of Remy having to cover up like she did. He didn't deserve that, and the gloves bothered her enough. Trying not to think of it, Rogue forced a small smile as she ran her hand through his hair, studying the impossible shades of his eyes.
"Ah learn from the best."
Remy chuckled and reached back behind him. His hand slid into one of his pockets and grabbed onto something as he pressed his body against hers, gently moving her onto her back with him above her.
"Remy got a surprise fo' yo', p'tite... Close yo' eyes, hm?" He asked in his best pleading voice.
Rogue's cheeks flushed as she positioned her on her back, hands falling around his shoulders. It wasn't as if he'd be able to try anything, but even if her skin wasn't a factor, she trusted him. But this was the worst yet position for them to be in if Kitty decided to walk in. Still, her curiosity was piqued, and so she obliged him by closing her eyes, a small smile playing her lips.
Remy pulled out a large square of sheer, white silk he'd bought just after school. He'd been wandering around the market and found some cheap fabric, which had inspired this. He laid the silk over her face and leaned in, his lips pressed to hers through the thin barrier. It wasn't quite the same, but he could still feel her through it, and it was better than nothing at all, right?
Rogue's body tensed slightly under his, the feeling of his lips through the material barely a shadow of what she'd been able to feel before. Indeed, it wasn't the same. Her heart wrenched at his efforts, though, but the fact remained; he'd spend the rest of his life thinking around ways to almost touch her, and eventually it would drive him over the edge. If only she could be absolutely sure that she was able to develop the same control over her powers as Carol had, then maybe it would make the waiting more endurable. But how could she find out? Maybe if the Professor...
Rogue couldn't continue like this, but indulged in the feeling for a short while anyway, kissing him back as best she was able before pushing him away slightly, slipping the material off.
"We can't have Kitty walk in on us like this..."
Remy sighed and smiled slightly.
"Remy sorry, chere, wasn't de same... Yo' right, maybe we should actually get ta some Geometry, hm?" He sat up and his smile brightened "If de teachah was as pretty as yo' den Remy sho' de class be a lot easiah... At least on Remy's eyes." He chuckled and grabbed for his book.
