(Twelve)
Rogue stood in the darkened bedroom, peering out of the window into the night. It had been a long and trying day for her. She had truly thought Remy was gone when the small band of X-men had been kidnapped. Now she had to deal with her conflicting feelings. She hadn't missed him as much while he was gone, but seeing him and hearing his soft gentle voice brought up a surge of regret and anger. She cursed him softly for being so secretive and sly that she could never fully trust him or any other man again. She had been stupid to think he could be replaced so easily.
Rogue's new lover snored gently behind her, out cold on the bed. She was naturally restless and a light sleeper, but Manny was an early bird and fell asleep quickly after they'd made love. He dropped off fast and deep, something she had never been able to manage.
She turned to look at his calm, angelic face. She was thrilled to have finally found a man who could touch her without being covered in latex, but she couldn't help but feel a sense that something was lacking. Manny was a hoot, but he wasn't reckless or wild the way she usually preferred her men. He was a nerd, plain and simple, just as every good teacher should be.
"Not like Remy, you mean," she muttered softly to herself.
Manny was sedate and safe, certain to never get into trouble or hide secrets. She would never have to worry about what he was doing when she wasn't around or trying to lie about his past. In fact, Manny had spent a great deal of time laying out his whole family history. Unlike most mutants, Manny had a loving and supportive family. They supported his move to the Mansion and had even come out to visit the place a couple of times. They were normal quiet people, good stable folk.
Rogue's mutation caused her significant pain and suffering. She was cursed to never know the full and complete touch of another person. If she touched them, she would be flooded with their memories, drowning out her own until she didn't know who she was anymore. She still had a few fragments of other people rattling around in there, torturing her with their constant chatter.
In the case of mutants, she could also absorb their powers for a short time. Once, the touch had been so prolonged, the transfer had been permanent. She now had the ability to fly and was mostly invulnerable herself. The price for that was a couple of years spent as a split personality with the memories she'd taken from her victim. The Professor had been instrumental in her regaining her mind and control back.
Manny was the closest she could get to full contact, but even he wasn't perfect. There was still a kind of dullness to his touch because of his protective field, but at least she could sense the true heat of his skin and indulge in some of the more intimate forms of sex she'd had to give up, even in spite of Remy's skill and cleverness. Even so, he lacked Remy's wildness and willingness to try anything in spite of the risk. He was a decent lover, but not in Remy's class by far.
She dressed quickly and left Manny behind in his room, not wanting to brood any more. She went down the stairs to the kitchen for a bite to eat. She paused outside of the large common room when she heard Remy laughing loudly.
"You de worse' pool player I ever did see, little brother," he complained with playful impatience. "You truly suck!"
"Maybe it's yer teachin', huh? Soon as I figger this stupid shit out, I'm gonna kick yer ass!" Kimble boasted through hearty laughter of his own.
Rogue poked her head in the door and watched the two of them, fascinated. Kimble's problem wasn't the teacher, it was the beer. Several open bottles were strewn about and she could see Kimble swaying unsteadily, hopelessly drunk. He was standing - sort of - at the edge of the common room's large pool table. It was his turn to break, but it didn't look like he was going to manage it in his condition. He giggled and snorted when he was too unsteady to line the pool cue up properly. He shoved the stick and missed the cue ball completely. He was quite intoxicated and silly now, cackling at his inability to do anything.
Remy leaned casually against the jukebox machine, snickering. He had his stick in his hands, propping himself up, and watched. He was amused by Kimble's horrible co-ordination and drunkenness. It amazed him how little beer it took for Kimble to get wasted but the result was hilarious. Kimble's laughter was infectious and cheered him considerably from his low spirits. He had spent the last part of the day checking out some of his informants for information about Jael but so far had come up with nothing. It wasn't worrisome, it had only been his first day looking, was still early. It was Rogue that had been troubling him, not his job.
"You a silly, silly boy," Remy teased and walked over to the pool table as Kimble went down. Kimble's legs had given way from laughing so hard and he fell on his ass, letting the stick fall with a clatter. Remy stepped around him unfazed, gently kicking a furry foot out of the way, and lined up his stick. He gave the white cue ball a hard, skillful knock. He broke the set balls expertly and most of them fell into pockets, clunking satisfactorily. He was a top notch player, but Kimble wasn't offering much in real competition.
Kimble snatched at his runaway pool cue and used it to haul himself to his feet. He swayed and hiccuped loudly, patting his hand over his stomach contentedly. He giggled and grinned like a drunken sailor, reaching out to the pool table before he toppled over again.
Remy shook his head. "You officially cut off, cher. No more beer for you!"
Kimble just grinned and shuffled off to the jukebox, still hitching. He peered inside and squinted drunkenly, trying to read the titles. The letters were too blurry but he found one he could make out and pressed the button. Remy laughed again when he heard the Rednex come on. He knew why Kimble had chosen it.
"What's dis? You can't even play pool, now you want to dance?" Gambit teased.
Kimble snickered, snorting through his nose again, and shuffled a mangled parody of the steps Remy had showed him so long ago in another place and time. This time he danced almost as poorly as Fallen had. Still, Kimble was having a blast. Unable to resist, Remy lay his stick down and stood next to his friend. He cut in and they danced.
"They make a cute couple," Logan teased, grunting in Rogue's ear.
She jerked, startled. He was so quiet, she had never heard his approach. "You gonna give me a heart attack, Sugah, creepin' up on a girl like that!" she hissed quietly, not really mad. The jukebox was blaring and the two dancers were still unaware they were being watched.
"Sorry, darlin'. Some habits're hard to break," he grumbled. He watched Remy and Kimble play, noting the happy glow in Remy's eyes. It hadn't been there this morning. At least Remy had found something to amuse himself with instead of taking off. Logan wondered if Remy had actually gone to see the Karen Richards lady. He doubted it. Remy had no intention of going just like himself. Logan had his fill of shrinks, he didn't need another.
Logan sniffed at Rogue and watched her as she spied on her ex-boyfriend. It was hard to get anything past Wolverine. He hadn't been all that impressed with Manny, but knew Rogue's hang ups enough to know why she would go for him. He was safe and quiet, not her usual fare. The thing was, he could see the way Rogue was looking at Remy now and just didn't understand how she thought it was worth it.
Rogue watched Remy and Kimble dance and was shocked by how jealous she felt. Remy had slung his arm over Kimble's shoulders, holding him up. Kimble was laughing wildly, tears streaming down his face. He could barely stand, but was still trying to make his feet obey. He gasped for breath and squealed with joy like a small child when Remy's own laughter brought the two of them down to the floor in a twisted heap. They fell on top of each other and lay tangled, both silly now as they laughed and laughed. Rogue couldn't remember the last time she had seen Gambit like this and it made her heart ache for him in the worst way. He might not have been able to touch her, but he could make anything fun and was a kick to be around. She missed this.
"I t'ink we all done now," Remy wheezed as the song finished and he extricated himself from Kimble's limbs, pulling a stray wing from his face.
Kimble sat up, still hiccuping and snickering as he sat back against the jukebox. He purposely slid his hand over Remy's thigh as the Cajun joined him against the machine, making it look like an accident. He snorted with gruff amusement when Gambit tossed it away and rolled his eyes at him.
"Oh, sure. Now you make a pass at Gambit when you too wasted to be any good to 'im," Remy joked, wiping his own tears from his eyes.
"I ain't never too drunk fer that," he protested merrily, but his eyes were heavy. He knew Remy didn't mean what he said, it was part of the game. He leaned his head on Gambit's shoulder and yawned, tired now.
"Oui, uh huh. Gambit can see dat. You even gonna make it back to de hanger, little brother?"
"Shure," Kimble mumbled and fell asleep where he sat, a smile still on his lips.
Remy looked back at him and grunted again. "Some date you are, cher," he said softly but with affection. He slid out carefully from Kimble's dead weight and scooped him up, carrying him the short distance over to the sofa. It was helpful that Kimble didn't weigh much, he was feeling a little tipsy himself and staggered a little. He lay Kimble down and started covering him up with a knitted afghan. He startled noticeably when he saw his audience standing in the doorway.
The light that had been in his eyes dimmed, but that teasing smile was still in place. "Oh, hey, chere. You enjoyin' de show?" Remy said, a hard edge in his voice.
"You sure it's a good idea gettin' him drunk?" Logan criticized, just for something to say. He was watching his two teammates with interest as they regarded each other with open hostility.
Remy just shrugged. "Look at 'im. 'E ain't doin' no harm. We jus' 'avin' some kicks, is all. Look at 'im, de boy can't hold 'is liquor worth nuthin'."
"If he pukes, yer cleanin' it up," Logan grunted and slipped back the way he had come.
"You two looked cute together. Maybe you should be lovers," Rogue said, unable to hide her jealousy. She didn't know Kimble at all and didn't understand his flirtation was just a game.
"P'etetre. Mebbe 'e teach me a trick or two, eh, chere? 'Course mebbe, I teach 'im some t'ings. I got lots of experience workin' round a difficult situation, n'est ce pas?" he teased sharply.
The blush that came to her face told him everything he wanted to know. Manny could touch her, but Gambit was in class by himself when it came to pleasing her. No one had ever taken the time with her or the care he had, certainly not with the same devotion behind it. He could make her squeal like nobody else.
"Enjoy," she said lamely, knowing he had seen right through her. She turned on her heel and stalked off, not wanting to be around him and those soft red eyes.
Remy snickered without humor and sat on floor, leaning his back against the sofa. He grabbed an open bottle and drank from it, chuckling softly when he heard Kimble start to snore behind him. Feeling victorious, but oddly empty, Remy clicked the T.V. on and watched numbly, not really paying attention. He hoped Rogue would think about him and see by her jealousy who she really wanted. He might not be the smartest man, but even he could recognize that love was much more important than the sexual act. When she got bored with Manny's listless manner, she would come back crawling and when she came in his arms, thundering with the stormy climaxes only he could give her with his love and skill, she would never make this stupid mistake again.