What Makes You Different

By Yasashii Tsubasa

Summary: Rogue/Bobby. Because of her powers, a classmate is in hospital and Rogue is miserable with guilt. Then, Bobby decides to tell her how he feels…and how beautiful he thinks she is. Fluff galore, surprise ending!

A/N: This story takes place between the movies, and it's my idea of how Rogue and Bobby got together. Please, tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: the song " What Makes you Different' is by the Backstreet Boys, and X-men doesn't really belong to me, even though I wish it did. But doesn't everyone?

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~ You don't run with crowd
You go your own way
You don't play after dark
You light up my day
Got your own kind of style
That sets you apart,
Baby that's why you've captured my heart~

 Bobby stood in the infirmary hallway, hidden by the shadows, watching Rogue, who was sitting on the floor beside the doorway. She held an unused Kleenex in one gloved hand, and tears ran down her face in a steady stream from her reddened eyes. It was Rogue's eyes that concerned Bobby the most: those beautiful eyes were dead, lifeless, staring into space and seeing nothing. It was if she was possessed.

 But god, she was beautiful.

 Bobby knew that people thought he was crazy for feeling that way, but he couldn't help it; Rogue was one of the most beautiful and mysterious people he hade ever known. She seemed to be so strong, but underneath she was broken, completely isolated because of her power, and the horrors it caused.

 As he stood there watching Rogue cry hopelessly, Bobby knew that behind the infirmary door lay a telepathic girl named Jacqueline Switzer, who had recently come to the school and was now on the brink of death because Rogue had bumped into her on her way to retrieve her gloves that morning. Bobby had been walking with Rogue, and had seen the entire thing: he had seen Rogue, forgetting her bare hands, reach out to steady Jackie; he had heard Jackie gasp in pain, and Rogue scream in terror. He had been there, but Bobby knew he would never truly know how Rogue felt.

 Bobby had never been one to believe in love at first sight, but he had never felt this way about anyone else—not about Kitty, whom he had casually dated for a week last year, and certainly not for the girlfriend he'd had when he was thirteen, before he ran away: nobody.

 But he loved Rogue; Bobby knew that very deep in his soul.

 He always would.

~I know sometimes you feel
Like you don't fit in
And this world doesn't know
What you have within
When I look at you
I see something rare
A rose that can grow anywhere
And there's no one I know that can compare…~

 " Rogue?" Bobby stepped out from the shadows into her view, and was relieved to see her dead eyes snap to life again and catch his own. " Rogue, are you okay?"

 " Bobby, what are you doing here?" her voice was a hoarse whisper from crying, and he saw mascara streaked down her face.

 Bobby sat down beside her, his back against the wall. " Why wouldn't I want to come here?"

 Rogue looked away, a fresh stream of tears beginning to flow. " I'm a freak. Nobody wants to go near me, not even the professors. They said that Jackie might not make it through the night, and it's all my fault, because I'm worse than anyone. I'm a monster," she began to sob again.

 Bobby felt his heart break for her. " Oh god, Rogue, you're not a monster," he whispered, and without a second thought he pulled Rogue to him, putting his arms around her. She sobbed into his corduroy jacket and Bobby gently touched his lips to her hair, holding her, careful not to touch her bare skin.

 They sat that way for minutes that seemed like hours, both of them sitting on the floor in that deathly still corridor. Outside of the hall, Bobby knew, there were people going about their lives; he could vaguely hear the sounds of a soccer game outside; Dr. Grey was watching Jackie; the girl's friends were sitting vigil for her in their rooms; the teachers were in a meeting.

 Inside the hall, though there was nothing but the beautiful girl Bobby held in his arms; no sounds but her sobs, and no feeling but her delightful warmth. If asked, he could have stayed that way forever.

~ What makes you different
Makes you beautiful
What's there inside you

Shines through to me
In your eyes I see

All the love I'll ever need
What makes you different
Makes you beautiful to me ~

 Finally Bobby felt Rogue stop shaking, and he released her reluctantly. She looked away from him, visibly ashamed.

 " I'm sorry, Bobby," she whispered. " I…I don't deserve you."

 " Marie," Bobby said her real name clearly in the still air; he took her gloved hands in his bare ones. " Marie, you are not a monster. You're different—so are we all. It doesn't make you any more freakish than I am. You couldn't possibly be a monster—you're far too beautiful."

 Rogue was watching his eyes, unbelieving. " I almost killed her," she whispered. " I'll never be able to touch anyone, do you understand? I can never have children. I can never be kissed. I will always be a freak, even if I am here at this school. What good could possibly come out of my mutation? My first boyfriend, David, was in a coma for three months. I never found out where he survived. My parents were too frightened to look at me, and I finally couldn't take it anymore and ran away. They don't care about me. No matter how you look at it, I'm a freak, a monster, and I don't deserve anyone," she finished. Bobby shook his head firmly.

 " I don't care about what you can do, or what you have done. You still deserve to be loved, no matter what you believe, and to me, you're beautiful. I don't think I would have given you a second look if you hadn't been a mutant. I…I love you, Rogue. I think I always have."

~ You got something so real
You touched me so deep
See, material things
Don't matter to me
So come as you are
You've got nothing to prove
You won me with all that you do
And I wanna take this chance to say it to you ~

 The look on Rogue's face at this statement almost made Bobby want to cry himself. She shook her head.

 " No, Bobby…no, you don't love me. You can't love me. It's not fair to you—you should have someone that you can touch, someone who can love you back. How can I kiss you? How can we touch without death being the result?"

 Bobby grasped her hand in a desperate grip.

 " Rogue, you love me back. I know you do—I can see it in your eyes. I do love you—more than anyone I've ever cared about. I won't find somebody else, because there is nobody else, only you. Do you understand me? I love you, Rogue. I can't express how much in words, but I do. You have to believe me."

 Rogue's face was inches from his, her eyes deep and gorgeous.

 " I do believe you," she murmured softly, her other hand cautiously rising to touch his face. Bobby closed his eyes. " I really do. And I love you, too."

 He opened his eyes and saw Rogue, beautiful and completely without flaw. Without thinking at all, Bobby leaned in, closing the short gap between their faces, and kissed her.

~ You don't know,
How you've touched my life
Oh in so many ways I just can't describe
You taught me what love is supposed to be:
It's all the little things that make you beautiful to me ~

 Kissing Rogue was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Her skin was gloriously soft, her touch ecstasy, and, however surprised she had initially been, she kissed him back.

 The kiss lasted only a few moments, too short for Bobby's liking, but Rogue suddenly pulled away, frightened and shocked.

 " Bobby…you didn't…you're still…but we…"

 Bobby smiled, feeling his love for her take over his heart. He gently stroked the white streak in her hair, and murmured.

 " I love you, Marie."

~ What makes you different
Makes you beautiful
What's there inside you

Shines through to me
In your eyes I see

All the love I'll ever need
What makes you different
Makes you beautiful to me…

You're beautiful to me. ~

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A/N: How was that for my first X-men fic? I definitely won't be my last, but please review!