--
"Down." Remy patted the top of his hair down, ordering it to stay down. When he brought his hand back up, his hair went back to sticking up. Oh, how he hated morning hair. He growled and continued to run his hand over the spot. Like magic, it kept popping right back up. He tried water, that didn't work. He considered using hairspray but he didn't want hard hair. Finally, he gave up. The raging Cajun walked out of the bathroom, feeling rather moody and anxious. Well, he was more moody than anxious, mind you.
"Remy?" A yawning Kitty walked out from her bedroom, dressed fully in that days attire. It was eight o'clock on a Saturday. Some of the younger students were already making their way downstairs for Saturday morning cartoons. "Where are you going so early in the morning?"
"Out." He answered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. "I'll be back in a few hours."
"Oh, all right." She mumbled, too tired to pry. "You might want to brush your hair first."
__
Bayville was a decent sized city. Unfortunately for Remy, he had no idea as to where to find Rogue. He walked past the Brotherhood's house, having a distinct feeling she wasn't there. Then again, that didn't really surprise him. Now, if he went back to the institute looking for her, then he would be out of his mind. Mutants didn't have to side up, or go to the institute and Remy felt that the Professor had a hard time realizing that.
"Here Roguey, Roguey, Roguey." He called out, his voice no higher than a whisper. "Where could she be?" He was talking out loud to himself. Like you never do that. 'Should've made a meeting spot.' He deciding, frowning slightly. 'I just hope she didn't leave yet.'
She didn't leave yet.. Did she?
__
She pumped her legs harder and harder. The young Southerner sat on a swing, enjoying the feeling of the breeze against her face. She didn't mind her hair getting slightly messy. As she closed her eyes, she allowed herself to forget about her problems.
Suddenly, someone grabbed the chains of the swing, making her come to a complete and abrupt stop. From the sudden force, she fell back into the person, feeling them buckle beneath her.
"You're a hard person to track down." A familiar husky voice whispered into her ear. Realizing it was the Cajun, her eyes slightly widened; she really wasn't expecting him. "I went walkin' all 'round Bayville until I just had a feelin' you were here. For a while I thought you might have already taken off."
She didn't answer him.
Things just got quiet. The two teenagers just sat there, unaware of what to do.
"There's no use stayin' here." She said quietly after a while. "There's really nothin' here for me."
"Never said you had to stay." He mumbled quickly, and for the first time in a long time, he actually felt nervous. Suddenly, he felt himself wanting to hang on her every word.
She sighed heavily and shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sittin' on a rock."
__
"Havin' a bad hair day?" Rogue patted the side of his head, only to have his hair go back to sticking up. She patted it down again, only this time a little harder. It went back up. She tried again with even more force, it continue to pop right back up.
Remy stared at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you mind?" They were sitting on a bench at the park. It was kind of awkward that this was where they were spending a lot of their time. Oh well. They needed the fresh air. "Not my fault it sticks up."
"Oh yeah," She said, pursing her smiling lips. "It just takes after other character traits."
He smirked, his mind wandering elsewhere. But soon, he remembered the reason he left the institute so early. It was now almost ten in the morning. "How long have you been here?"
"On the bench? About seven minutes." He gave her a look. "Ooh, at the park? Since about the time we parted last night." She smiled, shrugging it off like it was no big deal. "Did Professor Picard tighten your leash?"
"Actually we had a long talk."
"What a punishment." Bitter sarcasm.
"I told him I was thinkin' 'bout headin' back down South."
"You're comin' back down with me?" She asked, nearly choking on her own saliva and tongue.
"It'll be nice to go back to my own neck of the woods. But I need to patch some things up in 'Orleans."
Her brows raised in interest. "Really? So you're ready headin' back.. for good?"
"Yes." He answered, suddenly feeling slightly confused. "Aren't you goin' back too?"
"Yeah but I don't want ya to go back just 'cause of me."
For the first time he seen her like the fragile, lonely, sixteen year old girl that she was. He stared deeply into her eyes, nearly loosing himself by doing just that. Suddenly, he felt her gloved hand cupping his cheek. He half expected to feel the warmth and the smoothness of her hand but just felt the thick leather against his cheek and the slight leather smell coming from it. He had the urge to lean in, to gently press his lips against hers but the reminder of her powers lingered in the back of his head. It would be worth it, a small kiss for the price of getting absorbed, but he knew Rogue wouldn't like that. She had already absorbed the ragin' Cajun enough.
"I like you." He admitted, placing his hand over hers. Her sudden smile became contagious, causing him to smile right back at her.
"I like ya too."
It wasn't an "I love you" and it was not as equivalent as one, but it meant a whole lot more.
__
"Ugh, you can't make me go in there." Remy practically had to drag Rogue through the gates leading to the institute.
"Rogue." He groaned sounding annoyed, but his small sly smile told her else wise. "Don't make me carry you."
"You wouldn't."
He glanced at her, both brows raised appraisingly. "Want to test me?"
"No." She grumbled, causing him to smirk. "But we ain't stayin' here long."
"'Course not. I just want to plan out things a little."
"And while ya do that, I'll stay out here."
"Just how stupid do you think I am?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Rogue asked, shooting him a look as she blew white strands of hair out from her face.
"No." He answered with a soft chuckle. "Not really." He practically had to force her into the mansion. "C'mon, it's not like they're goin to kidnap you and goin' to perform experiments on you."
"That's what you think." He shot her a look. "All right, all right. I'm kiddin'. I trust y'all."
"No you don't." He stated matter-of-factly.
"So? At least you got me in here."
"Whoa!" Kitty walked out from the living room, staring at the two with large astonished eyes. "Hey Gambit, Hey Rogue.. you're actually joining us?"
Rogue nearly gagged at the younger girls' sugar sweet smile. "No. Actually Remy and I are—"
Remy cut her off by gesturing her upstairs. "Are about to get some business done."
"Oh." Kitty said, shrugging it off. "Sexual stuff?" She asked, ever so casually.
"No!" Remy snapped at her, as he and Rogue made their way upstairs. Kurt suddenly appeared out of nowhere besides Kitty.
"Wow."
"What?" He asked, stuffing a Twinkie into his mouth.
"I think I just embarrassed Remy."
The German choked on his Twinkie.
__
"Nice room. You have a blue cat or somethin'?" Rogue asked, making a face at the blue hairs everywhere. She sat down on Remy's bed, making herself comfortable.
"No." He, too, made a face at all the fur. That was something he wouldn't miss. "Kurt sheds a lot in the heat."
"Sheesh. At the boarding house all you get is the Blob's B.O on a high level, in the heat, along with a dehydrated Toad."
"Sounds wonderful."
"Oh, it is." She mumbled, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "Oh, what's this? A diary?" She dangled a familiar notebook in the air. "Let me guess, you're actually a nice sensitive guy inside." He snatched the book from her. "Or not. What are ya hidin'? Is that were you write all of your murderous plots and ideas?"
He gave her a look. "How did you know?" He asked, sarcastically. "It's just a journal."
"Ooh, you write about me in there?"
"No." Grumble grumble.
"Aww, you're the misunderstood type." She laid back on his bed, closing her eyes when her head hit the pillow. "How sweet.. If I didn't know how you really were with all of your vague memories in my head, it would be considered a turn on.." Rogue drifted off, smiling, as she slowly fell into a slumber. What she had said made little of no sense, mostly because she was exhausted. What? Haven't you ever gone on rambling nonsense when you were tired? Gee, I do it all the time.
Remy just stared down at her, grinning. Her little senseless rambling amused him greatly. After continuing to stare at the sleeping Southerner for a few more minutes, he started to pack up his things in a duffel bag, making sure his notebook was the first thing to go in so it would be piled over with other junk.
When he was done, he quietly left the room, wanting to talk to the Professor.
__
"How do you plan on getting there?"
"Train."
"Do you have two tickets for a train?"
Remy smirked. "Don't need 'em; I got my ways."
The Professor chose to ignore that part. "You will always have a room here, Remy." Short pause. "And Rogue is always welcomed."
"Yeah, well, I have a feelin' we'll be back. Maybe not in a few hours, days, months, years; but we'll be back."
"Foreshadowing?" Charles asked, raising his brows.
The Acadian shrugged. "Just a feelin' Prof'." He turned on his heel and started walking towards the door.
"Remy?"
"Yeah?"
"Take a vehicle, that doesn't belong to Logan, in the garage. I don't want you getting in trouble for sneaking on a train."
"If you say so." He mumbled, walking out of his office. 'Although I've never got caught before.'
'First time for everything.' Xavier admonished telepathically to him.
__
"You're leaving?" Kitty practically yelled at Remy, who was standing outside his room. He immediately knew she had been eavesdropping on his short conversation with the Professor. "You an X-Men! You can't leave."
"Sorry, Didn't know I was branded." He stated coldly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Everything for you is, like, a cover-up, isn't it?" She asked quietly, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Go away. Come back someday and be yourself."
He rolled his eyes. "Who am I now?"
"A jerk."
"Ooh. A shot."
"Oh, go screw yourself." She snapped, jerking past him. "I hate you, Gambit."
He stared back at her, feeling her emotions slip into his veins and circulated around him. She felt sad, and betrayed. He didn't believe her harsh words.
"Sorry Kitty." He whispered to her, walking into his room to find Rogue fast asleep. He sighed heavily, closing the door behind him as he walked in and sat down at his desk. He still had a lot of decision making to do, starting with if he would go crawling back to the Thieves Guild.
__
"I don't care! He can leave." Kitty said to Kurt. She sat on her bed, looking possessed. "Really, I don't care!"
"All right! My own room." Kurt said, trying to cheer her up. How exactly he was trying to cheer her up by saying that was unknown to anyone. She shot him a look. "Sheesh. Don't worry about it. You told me you were surprised he stayed this long so he was bound to leave sooner or later." She stared down at the ground. "What, cat got your tongue?" She merely sighed ever so softly. "Wow." He sat down next to her. "You must really like him."
She shrugged, feeling her face get hot. "Don't know but I'll miss him."
__
It was weird watching her while she slept. Not a bad weird, mind you. Remy sat at the edge of the bed, staring down at her relaxed face. The corner of his lips tugged back as he leaned down and softly kissed her forehead through white strands of hair. Her eyes immediately opened. He froze there, his head just hovering an inch above hers.
"You're invadin' my personal space." She whispered, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "I can't get you out of my head."
"You like me that much?"
"I mean it quite literally." She stated, sitting up.
"I was thinkin'."
"Did it hurt?" She teased, poking his shoulder.
"Yes and I'm surprised you didn't smell the smoke." He said, rolling his eyes, knowing she might say something equivalent to that next. "When you said you wanted to go back down South.." He got tongue-tied, not certain on how to word what he wanted to say. "I'm headin' to Louisiana. You live in Mississippi.."
"Lived." She corrected him. "You want to know if I want to say in New Orleans with you, right?"
"You're a psychic."
"No, you're just easy to read."
"You say the most caring things, chérie."
"Only for you."
__
"Don't tell me you're goin' to go visit everyone and have an emotional goodbye." Rogue complained, as she put her gym bag into the black X-van they were taking.
"Nah. If I tell Cyke he might start cryin' from happiness." Remy said, smirking. He had talked to the Professor and announced that he was leaving now. Kitty had just stopped him in the hall, saying 'bye' and then just walked off. Kurt also stopped him and gave him a Twinkie, he also wished him good luck or something but Remy couldn't understand him with a burrito shoved into his mouth. "You ready?"
Rogue stared at him as she got into the passenger side. It was a stupid question. "The sooner we get out of Bayville, the better."
He got into the drivers seat and put the key in the ignition. "I couldn't agree more."
Rogue just shrugged at his words, becoming quiet. Something told her he didn't exactly want to leave but she ignored the feeling. As she leaned back and closed her eyes, her only thoughts were finally getting away and being with the person who actually made her happy. She didn't even have to absorb him to shut him up..
Remy's thoughts weren't on leaving the institute; they were on what would happen back home. He could only hope things would be better there, like they were once. Before he joined the X-Men. As he glanced sideways at Rogue, he knew some things would get better and some wouldn't.
"Remy?"
"Hmm..?"
"Are you a drug dealer?"
__
The end.
Don't like it? Yeah, well, quality over quantity, or is it the other way around.. I don't know. They both look the same when you're half asleep.
I am planning to do a sequel. Someday.
I did have a small subplot about the notebook Remy wrote it. I just forgot about it but I'll explain more about it, and what he writes about in it in the sequel.
I spent a week writing this chapter alone. I worked extremely hard on it so please, if you don't want me to have a mental breakdown, don't review and tell me that it wasn't the best I could do because I know that and don't complain about anything.
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