In the Rain by Yui
Author's Note: Thanks to all who read and liked what I wrote! ^.^ I know Rogue was a little OOC with Gambit but I tell you why she was in this chapter! Beware: there is language, shameless Scott bashing and Gambit shamelessly dressed in leather pants. XD (sorry, I couldn't help myself!)
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men
~*~*~*~
Chapter Three
A Meeting of Luck
Gambit was cursing his own rotten luck when he walked home in the dark. He didn't mean to run into that girl in the park or flirt with her. That it a complete and utter accident and his own fault. But when he saw her there in the soft downpour of rain, reason all but abandoned him. All he could think about was how beautiful and lonely she looked, the cursed 'untouchable one', and how he wanted to get to know her. It was like he was drawn to her and couldn't pull away for the life of him. He really didn't want to stop being drawn but it did leave him in a sticky situation. She was on the opposing team, after all, and it wasn't in his tastes to get to know the enemy and then fight them.
It wasn't in his taste, also, to have a puzzle fall into his lap and not solve it. She hadn't been a tough cookie to crack, bit, God, he wanted to know her. And he would too, if he had his way.
~*~*~*~
Sunday morning was surprisingly very peaceful and unusually quiet when Rogue woke up. Ordinarily, one or more mutants were up and making a racket in the kitchen, hurrying to get breakfast ready in time. Or sometimes a couple younger ones were out in the large yard surrounding the mansion, goofing around loudly and making enough noise to wake everyone up.
Drinking up the silence, she snuggled down into her blankets with a sigh of pleasure and lazily thought about the day. She thought about seeing a movie later or going to the mansion's gym as she lay in her comfortable bed. Frowning, she knew the serious Scott would gather them up and practice in the Danger Room. Only he, and maybe Logan and Jean, thought training was a great and practical way to end the weekend.
Then disaster struck, coming quickly with the urgent need to puke her guts out in the toilet. More than a little alarmed, Rogue jumped up and dashed to her bathroom as quickly as she could. The sudden commotion in the room roused Kitty and the girl vowed to take care of the ailing Rogue not matter what, putting off going to the mall with Kurt and Evan. And ever since early morning, Rogue was plagued with a very bad cold that left her chilled and lethargic as well as Kitty's company.
She would have been happier to be left alone to her discomfort and misery but Kitty seemed so eager to please. She brought Rogue fresh chicken noodle soup; a fresh box of tissues if the other one ran out, cold medicine, extra blankets; she even fluffed her pillows when they went limp. She turned the T.V if it was something Rogue wasn't interested in and Kitty even loaned Rogue some of her books. They were mostly romance and, although she preferred a thrilling horror story, Rogue thought the books were informational.
However, enough was enough. It was one of those times when Rogue wished she could use her own powers to knock herself out. Somewhere between staying home, sick as a dog, and having Kitty fuss over her like a mother hen, her patience all but evaporated into nothing.
"Do you need anything else?" Kitty consistently asked Rogue, who was buried underneath her covers with a stuffy nose and a pounding head.
"I'm fine, Kitty," the other girl muttered in a rough voice in her fortress of blankets. "I don't want anything. I just want to rest."
"Are you sure? If you're, like, hungry I can make you some more soup."
Rogue shuddered involuntarily at the mere mention of Kitty's 'soup' and drew her blankets tighter around her curled form. She knew Kitty meant well but the younger girl had no skills whatsoever in the kitchen. How an intelligent student like Kitty could make a disaster out of the simple recipe like chicken noodle soup Rogue had no clue. The soup had been thick, chewy, and nearly inedible. When Rogue didn't immediately dive into eating it, Kitty thought that she didn't like people hovering about when she ate. So Kitty left for a while and Rogue dumped the repulsive broth into the wastebasket. Rogue would stave before she had to eat that again.
"Kitty, why don't you go to the mall?" Rogue asked the younger girl. "I can take care of myself. With the way you are carrying on, it's like I'm dying."
Kitty smiled, her face reddening in embarrassment. "I just hate to see people sick," she confessed. "Besides, I don't mind."
But I do, Rogue said in her mind with a frown. "You've been at my side all day," she replied instead, not wanting to insult the concerned girl. "I need some time by myself, ya know? Plus, you don't want to get my cold, do ya?"
"I really don't get sick," Kitty answered, failing to get the hints dropped by Rogue. "It takes a lot for me to get sick. Do you, like, want another book to read? I have plenty of magazines, too, if you're interested."
Frowning, Rogue peered up in the girl's face, ready to tell her to leave, and saw how exhausted the younger girl looked. She had been constantly running up and down the mansion's stairs all morning just to make Rogue as comfortable as possible. Rogue felt guilt settle in her heart but it wasn't like she had intentionally begged Kitty to play nurse!
"No, I'm fine," Rogue answered, quieting a cough. "Just sit down and take a breather, alright? You've been up since 9:00." And I'm sick of you, she added in the mind as an afterthought.
She heard Kitty yawn. "I guess your right. I'll just sit down for a few minutes." She moved to her bed and laid down. "If you, like, need anything, Rogue, just tell me. Okay?" She fell asleep before Rogue could answer.
Rogue sighed in relief. Finally, she had some peace! She lay in her bed, cherishing the peace that came with silence, and settled herself deeper in her warm blankets. Then her nose started to run. Damn it! Frowning, Rogue reached out of her cocoon of warmth to her side table where a box of tissues sat. However, it was completely empty. Great!
Rogue glanced at her sleeping roommate and sighed. Fighting off the weight of fatigue, she pulled herself up slowly so that she was sitting upright on her bed and swung her legs over the edge of the mattress. Her head became hazy as she pushed herself to her feet to stand next to her bed and she was a little wobbly and sore from lying down all day too. Stretching the tender muscles in her arms and neck, Rogue struggled to pull on a black, zip-up sweater over her gray undershirt to stay warm. She also slipped on her black gloves.
Quietly as her socked feet would allow, she made her way to her bathroom in search of some toilet paper to help her stuffy nose. But there was none. That's just great, she thought to herself, moving to another bathroom down the hall. No one was out so they didn't see how disheveled she looked with her hair in tangles, her eyes puffy, and paler skin than usual without her trademark make-up. However, the other bathrooms of the mansion were empty too! In fact, there was no toilet paper or Kleenex anywhere in the mansion! The only thing they had was paper towels and the really cheap toilet paper that was too rough to use on tender noses.
Rogue knew that beggars couldn't be chooses but to hell with that, she thought grimly. I don't want my nose to fall off my head! Well, I guess I'll just have to go to the store and get some, Rogue told herself as she moved back to her room.
She couldn't believe that everyone was gone for the day (that hardly ever happened!) and she didn't have the heart to wake Kitty up to go for her. She'd just have to do it herself. Besides, her body was feeling a little less sore from her stroll around her home but her head still a little light. But the walk to the store was a short one. She could do it. Plus the exercise would be could for her.
Pulling on her black boots over her socks as well as a scarf and a light jacket, Rogue headed out after grabbing some money from her drawer. She knew that she wasn't very pretty looking, dressed in dark sweat-pants and a wrinkled jacket and a paler face than usual but she couldn't care less if she looked like shit. She was too sick to worry over her appearance. Sniffing and shivering miserably, she closed that mansion's front door behind her and made her way to the drugstore, three blocks away.
When her walk began, the fresh, cool air revived Rogue. She was only a block away from her destination, however, when it felt like she was going keel over and die. She was shivering as the quickly chilling wind blew through the city streets and her head felt hot like there was a fire in there. She was getting dizzier by the minutes and her stomach was staring to act up, too. Maybe walking to the drug store hadn't been a great idea after all. She should just rest a minute on a bench and wait until she felt better to head on.
Keeping her head lowered and arms crossed or her chest, she walked quickly and ignored the people who shared the sidewalk with her. Being sick and without her dark make-up to cloak her face, she felt a little vulnerable. Ever since she could remember she had always put on dark make-up. She didn't know why though. She liked the look and she liked to look fierce so people would be too intimidated to get close to her. Maybe she wore it to keep people from seeing how defenseless she was, like it was a mask or something, and end up hurting her. But that how reasoning was completely thrown away since someone had managed to keep close to Rogue, closer than she would have liked.
Moving a bit slower now with her eyes on the ground before her, Rogue heard a faint hum in the distance. It grew as seconds passed but she ignored the irritating sound and continued to walk. The low rumble, like thunder, followed her and was soon as her side. A little annoyed because the sound was causing her head to throb, Rogue peeked over her shoulder to see what the noise was and frowned in resentment as her heart stopped beating for a moment.
"Bonjour, chère," Gambit smiled to her as he rode his motorcycle slowly by her side in the street. He was wearing his long brown trench coat but, unlike yesterday, was dressing (gulp) leather pants and a dark shirt with back gloves as well. He looked absolutely delicious to Rogue with his devil-may-care smile and wild, wind-tousled hair. "Gambit didn't recognize you without your black make-up."
Her frowned deepened and made it a point not to stare into his handsome face or other things but to turn away sharply and quickened her pace on her wobbly legs. But ignoring him didn't make him go away.
She was proud of the fact that she hadn't thought about Gambit one bit that day. Of course she had been easily distracted but even as she read those cheesy love stories, his face didn't come to mind at all! She decided last night that she would not worry about that boy. If she ever saw him again, she would just ignore him. There was no way they could be friends or more than that. He was the enemy and her powers were put her and him both a risk.
Besides he had worked down her impenetrable defenses like they were nothing and she didn't appreciate that. In fact, that scared her. No one could turn the rogue into a blush, babbling idiot but him. If Gambit told her to do something she probably would, she was that pathetic and that careless around him. She already knew that he could hurt her badly if he wanted too. So, Rogue would not play his game. She would quit early to save herself the pain. She didn't want to play with fire and get burned.
"Quel est mauvais, chère?" Gambit questioned from the street, the concern in his voice was thickening his seductive accent. (What is wrong, dear?) She knew enough French to know what he was asking but instead of replying, Rogue looked over her shoulder again and glared. It was his fault after all that she was sick!
Rogue was slightly pleased when shock made Gambit's demon eyes widen and mouth drop. "Où l'enfer vous pensez que vous allez? Jésus, vous avez l'air de vous êtes prêt à passer hors!" (Where the hell do you think you are going? Jesus, you look like you are ready to pass out!) He looked a little annoyed as he stared at her.
"What?" Rogue asked, defensively.
"You're too sick to be walking around town."
"You're a quick one," she muttered sarcastically.
"Where are you heading too?" Gambit replied innocently.
"To the drug store."
"You will pass out before you get there, chère."
"I can make it. It ain't that far, ya know," Rogue answered hotly. "Now, will ya leave me alone? I ain't in the mood to entertain."
"And Gambit ain't in the mood to leave a damsel in distress," he said, playfully dropping his own lush accent to pick of her own. "Now what do ya need there?"
She glowered at him dangerously and yelled out, "Fucking tampons! I need some tissues, idiot. I have a cold after all!" Several people stopped and looked at Rogue. Some seemed embarrassed but others looked insulted at her brazen tongue. Gambit, however, just laughed, his intense eyes sparkling with humor.
"And it's all your damn fault, too!"
He immediately sobered up. There was a small pout on his mouth that would have made her chuckle a little if she let it. "Pourquoi?" (Why?)
"Because of yesterday," she shouted at him, exasperated. "You kept me out in the rain and I got sick from that!"
"Do you want Gambit it kiss you and make it better?" he asked in a deep, sexy voice, not missing a beat. There was a seductive smirk on his lips when she turned to glare at him. A warm stir in the pit of Rogue's stomach made her frown as she began to shiver from the cold air, still trying to get away. "No! Just leave me alone, will ya?" She hoped that she didn't sound desperate.
"Sorry. Gambit can't."
"Why not?"
But he just smiled and changed the subject, saying, "You will exhaust yourself.".
"Shut up!"
"Grognon!" Gambit murmured in French before pulling over into a parking spot. (Grouchy!) "Get on."
"What?" Rogue stopped walking and turned to look at him. Her eyes were darting between him and the cushioned seat behind his own. "No! I'm fine walking."
"Get on," Gambit repeated. There was no place to argue in his hard voice but Rogue still crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "No."
"Trust Gambit for once, fille têtue." (Stubborn girl)
"I said I ain't gonna get on."
Gambit turned his motorcycle off and placed his hands on his hips. He looked as stubborn as she did! "Get on the bike before Gambit hulls you over his shoulder like a sack of pommes de terre and makes you do it, chère." (Potatoes ^.^ The true translation of potatoes from French to English means 'apples of the earth'! The French are funny, non?)
Rogue gasped, taken back by his threat. He really did look as if he might do it, too. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Gambit would," he replied seriously. To make his point clear, he stood up, about to swing a leg over the side and gather her up in his arms.
Rogue jumped and quickly said, "Fine! You win! God!" She walked over to the shiny red and black bike and climbed on behind Gambit without his help. She was sure not to get too close to him. "Don't be blamin' me if I cough and sneeze all over your back though!"
His rich laugh warmed Rogue. "De coat is washable. But you will need to hold on to Gambit, bien-aimé," he told her, looking over his shoulder. (sweetheart) Their faces were so close that Rogue frowned and looked away, her heart pounding in her ears. "Don't worry. Gambit don't bite none." He winked at her as he kicked the bike into gear. The loud roar made Rogue jump and she quickly moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt Gambit chuckle and she squeezed him, hard in retribution.
"First time on a bike, chère?"
"It is that obvious?" She didn't mean to sound so miserable.
"Seulement un petit," Gambit murmured. (Only a little) "Just hold on to Gambit and he will take care of you."
Rogue sighed and closed her eyes as they took off together. Because the wind was so strong on the open bike and because it was chilly, she leaned in a bit closer so that the Cajun could take most of the power of it. Sitting so close, she was careful not to think too much of the way Gambit was put together underneath his clothes as she clung to him but she knew that he had some nice abs. (wink, wink)
When Rogue finally opened her eyes, Gambit had pulled into the parking lot of the drugstore and was about to turn off the bike. She was stunned that they got there so quick! Gambit turned off the rumbling bike and quickly climbed off of it.
"Gambit will run in and get what you need. Just stay put," he told her, pulling off his trench coat to reveal a black shirt that all but clung to his chest. Rogue wasn't sure if she was drooling or not so she just looked away. Despite her protest, Gambit wrapped the coat around Rogue's form. It was large, warm, and smelled like Gambit's spicy cologne.
"I can shop for myself," she snapped.
"Like Gambit will let you do that in your condition," he replied sarcastically. "Stay there and keep warm. Now, what do you need?"
Frowning, Rogue took the twenty out of her pocket and gave it to him. He resisted. "Take it or I'll punch your nose in," she threatened and he quickly pocketed the bill. "I need a couple of boxes of tissues. Make it the nice, soft kind. A bottle of Tylenol and a bag of M&M's."
Gambit took note of everything and smiled at her when she was done. "Candy?"
"Shut up. I'm hungry."
"Vous êtes si doux que vous n'avez pas besoin du bonbon!" Smiling, Gambit turned and walked away, saying, "Gambit will be back soon!" (You are so sweet you don't need any candy!)
"Hey!"
He turned around at the sound of her voice. "What, chère?"
Rogue pointed to his face and quietly asked, "You're not going in there with your eyes…like that, are you?"
He shot her a smirk. "Why not?"
"It might cause some trouble, ya know?"
"Is the little fille worried about Gambit?" he cooed and she glared at him. "Don't worry. Gambit can handle the trouble." With that, he turned and continued to the store. In spite of herself, Rogue watched him leave, her stormy eyes trailing down his back to his ass where his dark leather pants clung in all the right spots. Very nice, she thought to herself with a guilt-free smirk. With that smug swing in his step, he was probably expecting her to look.
~*~*~*~
He was back in less than ten minutes. "Voilà, chère," he told her, handing her the plastic bag of goodies, and climbed on his bike. "Do you want Gambit to take you home?"
"Sure. I ain't gonna walk." I just hope no one sees, she thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't you want your coat back?"
"Nah," he replied, kicking the bike into gear. "It looks better on you than on Gambit. Besides Gambit don't want ya to be cold." They rode out of the parking lot and down the streets.
"You will need to take a right at the lights and then a left at the stop sign," she told him, hoping that he could hear her above the wind. "After that, keep going straight. You really can't miss my house."
"Alright, chère," Gambit replied.
They were at the institute in a matter of minutes. Gambit pulled over in front of the front gates and shut off the bike. Rogue got off carefully. The vibration of the bike had made her loose some feeling in her legs.
"This is it, non?" Gambit was looking at the large building, his face unreadable.
"Impressed?"
"Oui."
Rogue pulled of his trench coat and handed it back to him. "It ain't that nice living there with everyone else," she told him, picking up her bag. "No one really gives you any privacy."
"Well it's better than living off the streets," Gambit told her, looking back at her with a rueful smile. Rogues quickly bite her tongue and looked away, thinking she might have struck a chord.
"I guess you're right. Anyway thanks for the ride," she murmured, beginning to walk away.
"You will probably see Gambit tomorrow, chère," he said, turning the bike on and roaring up the engine.
Rogue looked over her shoulder and frowned at him. "Where?"
"It will be a surprise, non?" He flashed a smile and drove away, leaving Rogue standing alone, watching him go. When she turned around, she saw shocked to see a very unhappy Scott, frowning at her behind the iron gates with his arms crossed. He had been a little irritated that she had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend yesterday but now he was more like pissed off since he probably saw her with Gambit.
"God! Why does everyone do that!" Rogue exclaimed, jumping back a little in surprise.
He ignored her and immediately asked in a stoical voice, "Who was that?"
Rogue shrugged, pulled open the gate, and walked passed Scott towards the mansion. "What the hell were you doing? Spying on me?"
"I just got back," he told her. "I was in the yard when I head a motorcycle. Thought it was Logan."
"Whatever."
"Who was that with you?" he asked again. But she didn't reply and kept walking. "I asked you a question, Rogue."
"And I don't care to answer it, Scott," she snapped back, looking over her shoulder to glare at him. "It ain't none of your business," So stick to what you know, she thought, your perfect girlfriend and the six-foot stick you got shoved up your ass. Scott had always been nice to her. He really didn't deserve her sass but when push comes to shove, Rogue always fought back. (A/N: I'm not much of a Scott person either! -.-;)
"Do you want me to take this is the professor, Rogue?"
"That man has enough to deal with right now," she told him. "He doesn't have the time to hear you whine. Now stay out of my business, Scott."
"It's for your own good that…"
" 'For my own good'?" She spun around to face him, forgetting that she was sick for a moment. Instead she could feel her angry start to rise. "How the hell do you know what's good for me? Are you suddenly telepathic or something?"
"I'm older, Rogue."
"That's crap," she spat out. "You are only two years older. Big fucking deal!"
"Rogue, he is the enemy!"
"Don't you think I know that?"
"Then why were you with him? Are you switching sides or something?"
"Hey! I'm sick so he gave me a ride to the drugstore to be nice, alright?" Rogue told him. "Now it's, like, oh my God! I'm all chummy with Magneto! That ain't gonna happen. I ain't that shallow, Scott. Thanks for thinking so highly of me."
"Sorry. I just don't think it was a good idea," he said after a moment.
"Why? You don't think I can't take care of myself? Why can't I talk to him when Kitty gets to talk to Lance all the time?"
"It's not like that!"
"Then what's it like, Scott? Please tell me!"
Scott sighed and ran his hand through his hair in agitation. "I just don't want you to hurt yourself, you know. Your powers…they limit you…you need to be careful."
"I always have to be careful everywhere I go! Why can't you guys just trust me!" she shouted out in her anger and desperation.
"We do. It's just that…"
Rogue glared at him, her lips set in a menacing scowl. She could handle the Professor talking to her about this. He had trusted her to do what was right completely. But Scott was telling her, not trusting her, and she didn't like that one bit. Even thought she was still pretty confused when it came down to Gambit, she knew that she had to stay away from him. But when someone told her to do something, she did that exact opposite.
"Listen, buster. Stay out of my life, all right? I ain't gonna listen to ya because right now you are just a kid same as me," Rogue told him. "I have to listen to ya order me around in battle but not here. I can take care of myself."
"Rouge!"
"Just leave me alone, Summers! If I wanted your opinion I would ask for it!" She yelled back, running into the mansion and away from Scott.
To be continued…. (dun dun duuuuun)
Author's Note: sorry it took so long for me to update. Boy, this chapter was hard to write! (Nah, I just really wanted to keep leather Gambit with me and not share. ;-)) So sorry if the characters are OOC. But I hoped you liked what you read! Please review! I'll have Gambit in leather in another scene if you do! Chapter four in on the way!