Sooooo . . . you don't want it to be Rogue who's with Nate . . .
interesting. (*takes a conspirational look*) wwwwweeeelllll . . . I'll see
what I can do. (Muahahahahahah!)
***********
Chapter 24:
Nathan woke up to the sound of someone pounding on his bedroom door. He opened his eyes, but didn't look at anything in particular as he just listened to the person behind the door, that he recognized as Max.
"Nathan! Nathan, open the door!" he was saying. "I need to talk to you. We need to talk seriously. Please, come on, open the door! I know your in there! Your supposed to stay in the med lab!"
Nathan shut his eyes, now completely ignoring his friend. He pushed the blanket covering him, staying in a sideways position in his bed even if he was dieing to sleep on his stomach. He couldn't afford letting his wound get even more damage.
He looked on the little side table next to his bed, more precisely at a clock that now showed nine thirty in the morning. He heard his stomach rumble, a proof of the imminent hunger ravaging through his abdomen. In normal time, he would have already been up in the kitchen, eating with the rest of them, but now, he couldn't erase the faces he had seen back in the dinning hall the previous day. The look he knew everyone was going to give him from now on.
A few minutes passed and Max must have left because the pounding stopped and no sound could be heard from the hallway. After a while, Nathan realized that he must have left to go get someone else to try and open his door. That person was Rogue.
"Nathan?" she said with her calm and comforting voice. "Can you let me in, please?"
For first, she wasn't knocking on the door while talking.
"Ya know, the others are all wondering if you're all right," she continued. "Can you at least prove to me that you're okay, and then I'll leave you alone?"
Nathan didn't move from his bed, just listening. Somehow, her voice relieved him.
"Okay, then should I go get Kitty to walk through the door to check on you?" she said.
Nathan's eyes widened a little. He didn't want Kitty to see him like that. Not at all.
He growled lowly as he got out of his bed. Scratching his head with one hand, holding his bandaged chest with the other, he walked to the door, and leaned on it.
"I don't want to see anyone right now, Rogue," he said.
"I don't think that's the truth," Rogue answered through the door. "I think you just don't want anyone to see *you*."
Nathan smiled a little. She was smart.
Knowing that she wouldn't go away until she was satisfied, Nathan reluctantly unlocked the door, and opened it just a little. Before he could stop her, Rogue pushed it open and walked in. She shut the door behind her.
"Man!" she exclaimed. "It's so dark in here!"
With that, she walked to the window and pushed open the curtains. Immediately, a strong light filled the whole room. Nathan hadn't looked up since she had entered, but now he was even more uncomfortable.
She turned around from the window and he could feel her looking at him. At first, he kept his eyes on the floor then on the sides, but always avoiding looking at her even if he wondered what would be her stare when looking right into his eyes. She didn't move, and Nate didn't want to check at what she was looking. He started fidgeting uncomfortably, playing with his earring.
After some moment, he saw her feet walk towards him and stop right in front of him.
Unable to do anything else, he looked up cautiously to her face, noticing that she was a little smaller than him.
She was smiling a little, a look of undefined look of sympathy, curiosity and straight understanding in her eyes. She raised her right hand, gloved as always and reached for his face, pushing away a wisp of his hair that fell across his forehead.
"I . . . I find it looks good on you," she said, looking at his eyes. "It's nice," she added, trying to hide her cheeks going red.
Nathan's eyes widened and he tried to hide his embarrassment. He looked down.
"Well, at least you like it," he said. "I mean, now everyone will know I'm a mutant."
"Don't be ashamed of that," Rogue said. "I thought the same thing when I got my white streaks of hair, but I kind of like it, now. It shows that you're different, but you should look at it in a positive way. At least your skin didn't change colour and you didn't grow scales. Some mutants even grow fur, or something even worse happens."
Nathan smiled weakly and walked away a bit, looking out the window. He saw Rogue from the corner of his eyes, looking around his room.
"Are these your parents?" she asked, pointing at one of the pictured on his table.
"Yeah," he said. "Did your parents kick you out of your family when you became a mutant?"
" . . . No," Rogue answered. "I ran away."
"Don't you find its inhuman to turn against your kid when something happens to him, when he's in most in need of their support?"
"Yes, but it's also because they're scared," Rogue answered, looking around at his things.
Nathan just mumbled something incoherent, then noticed that his portable computer, right next to Rogue, was showing the list of things his clients needed him to get during the next month. He walked not too discretely to it and shut it off.
"What was that?" Rogue asked, seeing what he had done.
"Work I've been doing," Nate lied, vaguely pointing towards his science books.
"You like science?" Rogue asked, opening one of the covers of one of the books.
" . . . Yeah," Nate said. "But my favourite class in school was history."
"Yes, Ororo gives history classes here," Rogue said. "Are you going to stay?"
There was a moment of silence as Nathan turned away from her.
"I don't know," he said finally. "I'm not sure yet."
Rogue looked unsatisfied, but she tried to hide it the best she could.
"Well then, I'll leave you alone," Rogue said, walking slowly to the door, followed by Nate.
She turned the handle, opened it a little bit, but left it ajar, turning back to face Nathan.
"There's just one thing I have to tell you before I leave, though," she said, looking more at the floor than towards Nathan. "I wanted to thank you for what you did at the docks. If it wasn't for you, I think I'd be dead by now."
With that, she looked up at him, smiled and then did something that not many people had ever received from Rogue. She placed one of her hands on one of his cheeks and kissed the other for barely a second, not wanting to steal the energy he needed to help nurse his wound.
"Than you," she said, walking out of the door and closing it behind her.
A few seconds later, Nathan still hadn't moved as a little smile formed on his lips before he thought of Kitty, then of Rogue again.
"Nathan," he said, talking to himself. "You're in deep deep shit."
***
Walking down the hallway, Rogue kept both her hands clamped on her face, a wide smile on her face. Not exactly looking at where she was going, she ended up on the second floor. She walked around there for a while, then decided to go back to her dorm room. Jubilee and Kitty were there when she entered and she tried to be not too suspicious, but it didn't work and both her roommates noticed that something good had happened to her. Kitty somehow didn't seem too happy.
"What happened?" Jubilee asked. "You talked to him? Did you see him?"
Rogue just nodded positively still smiling to herself.
`"Well, what happened?" Jubilee continued.
"Nothing, nothing," Rogue said vaguely. "We just talked."
Kitty looked at her suspiciously for a few moments, then went back to talking to Jubilee, glancing once in a while in Rogue's direction, seeing that she was still smiling, gloved hands on her red cheeks.
**********
Yeah. Nate's in deep shit. He doesn't like breaking hearts.
***********
Chapter 24:
Nathan woke up to the sound of someone pounding on his bedroom door. He opened his eyes, but didn't look at anything in particular as he just listened to the person behind the door, that he recognized as Max.
"Nathan! Nathan, open the door!" he was saying. "I need to talk to you. We need to talk seriously. Please, come on, open the door! I know your in there! Your supposed to stay in the med lab!"
Nathan shut his eyes, now completely ignoring his friend. He pushed the blanket covering him, staying in a sideways position in his bed even if he was dieing to sleep on his stomach. He couldn't afford letting his wound get even more damage.
He looked on the little side table next to his bed, more precisely at a clock that now showed nine thirty in the morning. He heard his stomach rumble, a proof of the imminent hunger ravaging through his abdomen. In normal time, he would have already been up in the kitchen, eating with the rest of them, but now, he couldn't erase the faces he had seen back in the dinning hall the previous day. The look he knew everyone was going to give him from now on.
A few minutes passed and Max must have left because the pounding stopped and no sound could be heard from the hallway. After a while, Nathan realized that he must have left to go get someone else to try and open his door. That person was Rogue.
"Nathan?" she said with her calm and comforting voice. "Can you let me in, please?"
For first, she wasn't knocking on the door while talking.
"Ya know, the others are all wondering if you're all right," she continued. "Can you at least prove to me that you're okay, and then I'll leave you alone?"
Nathan didn't move from his bed, just listening. Somehow, her voice relieved him.
"Okay, then should I go get Kitty to walk through the door to check on you?" she said.
Nathan's eyes widened a little. He didn't want Kitty to see him like that. Not at all.
He growled lowly as he got out of his bed. Scratching his head with one hand, holding his bandaged chest with the other, he walked to the door, and leaned on it.
"I don't want to see anyone right now, Rogue," he said.
"I don't think that's the truth," Rogue answered through the door. "I think you just don't want anyone to see *you*."
Nathan smiled a little. She was smart.
Knowing that she wouldn't go away until she was satisfied, Nathan reluctantly unlocked the door, and opened it just a little. Before he could stop her, Rogue pushed it open and walked in. She shut the door behind her.
"Man!" she exclaimed. "It's so dark in here!"
With that, she walked to the window and pushed open the curtains. Immediately, a strong light filled the whole room. Nathan hadn't looked up since she had entered, but now he was even more uncomfortable.
She turned around from the window and he could feel her looking at him. At first, he kept his eyes on the floor then on the sides, but always avoiding looking at her even if he wondered what would be her stare when looking right into his eyes. She didn't move, and Nate didn't want to check at what she was looking. He started fidgeting uncomfortably, playing with his earring.
After some moment, he saw her feet walk towards him and stop right in front of him.
Unable to do anything else, he looked up cautiously to her face, noticing that she was a little smaller than him.
She was smiling a little, a look of undefined look of sympathy, curiosity and straight understanding in her eyes. She raised her right hand, gloved as always and reached for his face, pushing away a wisp of his hair that fell across his forehead.
"I . . . I find it looks good on you," she said, looking at his eyes. "It's nice," she added, trying to hide her cheeks going red.
Nathan's eyes widened and he tried to hide his embarrassment. He looked down.
"Well, at least you like it," he said. "I mean, now everyone will know I'm a mutant."
"Don't be ashamed of that," Rogue said. "I thought the same thing when I got my white streaks of hair, but I kind of like it, now. It shows that you're different, but you should look at it in a positive way. At least your skin didn't change colour and you didn't grow scales. Some mutants even grow fur, or something even worse happens."
Nathan smiled weakly and walked away a bit, looking out the window. He saw Rogue from the corner of his eyes, looking around his room.
"Are these your parents?" she asked, pointing at one of the pictured on his table.
"Yeah," he said. "Did your parents kick you out of your family when you became a mutant?"
" . . . No," Rogue answered. "I ran away."
"Don't you find its inhuman to turn against your kid when something happens to him, when he's in most in need of their support?"
"Yes, but it's also because they're scared," Rogue answered, looking around at his things.
Nathan just mumbled something incoherent, then noticed that his portable computer, right next to Rogue, was showing the list of things his clients needed him to get during the next month. He walked not too discretely to it and shut it off.
"What was that?" Rogue asked, seeing what he had done.
"Work I've been doing," Nate lied, vaguely pointing towards his science books.
"You like science?" Rogue asked, opening one of the covers of one of the books.
" . . . Yeah," Nate said. "But my favourite class in school was history."
"Yes, Ororo gives history classes here," Rogue said. "Are you going to stay?"
There was a moment of silence as Nathan turned away from her.
"I don't know," he said finally. "I'm not sure yet."
Rogue looked unsatisfied, but she tried to hide it the best she could.
"Well then, I'll leave you alone," Rogue said, walking slowly to the door, followed by Nate.
She turned the handle, opened it a little bit, but left it ajar, turning back to face Nathan.
"There's just one thing I have to tell you before I leave, though," she said, looking more at the floor than towards Nathan. "I wanted to thank you for what you did at the docks. If it wasn't for you, I think I'd be dead by now."
With that, she looked up at him, smiled and then did something that not many people had ever received from Rogue. She placed one of her hands on one of his cheeks and kissed the other for barely a second, not wanting to steal the energy he needed to help nurse his wound.
"Than you," she said, walking out of the door and closing it behind her.
A few seconds later, Nathan still hadn't moved as a little smile formed on his lips before he thought of Kitty, then of Rogue again.
"Nathan," he said, talking to himself. "You're in deep deep shit."
***
Walking down the hallway, Rogue kept both her hands clamped on her face, a wide smile on her face. Not exactly looking at where she was going, she ended up on the second floor. She walked around there for a while, then decided to go back to her dorm room. Jubilee and Kitty were there when she entered and she tried to be not too suspicious, but it didn't work and both her roommates noticed that something good had happened to her. Kitty somehow didn't seem too happy.
"What happened?" Jubilee asked. "You talked to him? Did you see him?"
Rogue just nodded positively still smiling to herself.
`"Well, what happened?" Jubilee continued.
"Nothing, nothing," Rogue said vaguely. "We just talked."
Kitty looked at her suspiciously for a few moments, then went back to talking to Jubilee, glancing once in a while in Rogue's direction, seeing that she was still smiling, gloved hands on her red cheeks.
**********
Yeah. Nate's in deep shit. He doesn't like breaking hearts.