Speeding Up

Pietro zipped up the stairs of the Boardinghouse and came to a stop inside his sister's room. After a few tense moments of speed-fidgeting, he decided to just jump in with both feet and hope for the best. "I finally did it, Wan," he announced.

"Did what?" Wanda asked distractedly, rifling through her music collection. "Have you seen my Linkin Park CD?"

"I think Lance borrowed," Pietro said restlessly. "He wanted to try playing 'In The End' on his guitar and was listening to it for hours yesterday."

Wanda shrugged. "I'll track him down later then. So what did you mean you finally did it?" She smirked. "You and Rogue finally do the nasty?"

Pietro flushed. "Ah…no… I meant that I finally told off Magneto." He cringed, waiting for the explosion.

Which never came.

Cracking open one eye, Pietro saw that Wanda, far from holding that look in her eye – and a hex-bolt in her hand – which heralded explosions (which is how he thought she'd react) was just looking at him contemplatively.

"Good for you," she pronounced.

"You're not…upset?" Pietro asked disbelievingly.

"Why would I be?" Wanda asked.

"Well, I mean…I should've talked to you about this first…it affects you too…" Pietro rambled.

Shrugging, Wanda tossed her bangs out of her eyes. "It had to happen sooner or later. You know that as well as I do. Yeah, I would have liked some warning so I could have prepared – so I could have packed – but things being as they are, it's not the worst way it could have happened." She arched an eyebrow. "I assume ol' Buckethead is still in one piece?"

"Last I saw of him," Pietro said vaguely.

"He wouldn't have been if it had been me," Wanda said seriously. "So, I suppose that's…for the best," she admitted grudgingly.

Pietro nodded. "So," he said at length. "What do we do now?"

After pondering for a moment, Wanda said, "Get out the Classified section of the newspaper and start looking for an apartment – and jobs."

Which was exactly what they did. And for once, luck – or maybe just Wanda's hex power – was with them. One week later they had a modest two-bedroom apartment across town, Pietro was delivering packages three afternoons a week and Wanda…

Well, Wanda had used her hex power to convince the manager of a nightclub that she was of legal age so he'd hire her. To do what, she never said. Pietro didn't know exactly what it was she did there – tend bar, waitress…strip – but she assured him that aside from her being underage, it was nothing illegal.

Rogue was at first alarmed that Pietro had undertaken such a risky venture, and then supportive, though still worried for his – and Wanda's – continued safety. She kept tabs on them as the twins started out on their new living arrangements, wanting to know if anything went wrong. She even helped them move their belongings into their new apartment.

Not that there was much that needed to be moved, especially on Wanda's part. And what did need to be moved was mostly handled by Wanda's hex power. Still, it was the thought that counted. Wanda seemed to warm up to the other Goth girl that afternoon.

Pietro, as a consequence of his new job, had less free to time to spend with Rogue, but she didn't mind. It was enough just to know that Pietro was out from underneath Magneto's thumb.

And now that they didn't have to worry about hiding from the Brotherhood, she could visit Pietro at his and Wanda's apartment pretty much whenever she wanted, so it wasn't like they were spending all that much less time together.

Things were going great. Rogue didn't even dare to wonder if perhaps they could be better…

How could they be?

Well, foh one thing, they could be better if we were goin' a bit faster, Rogue thought grumblingly. Flopping back on her bed, she sighed. She knew she was the one who'd wanted to take it slow, but seriously. They were practically moving at a snail's pace since that night. They hadn't progressed at all beyond a little necking.

She frowned. That was mostly her fault, though… She kept holding back – holding him back.

It was so hard – no pun intended! – to keep pushing him away. Whenever they were together, all she wanted was to pull him closer. Instead, she kept trying to keep him at arm's length. To keep herself safe, though she'd never felt safer than when she was with him.

For all the good it did her, considering that no matter how innocent her intentions, by the end of the evening, she and Pietro were wrapped around each other like leaves on a vine, devouring each other mouths like they needed each other's air to breathe.

And her resolve to take things slow was starting to seem a little…constraining. She didn't want to take things slow any longer.

So…maybe she should speed things up.

With that in mind, three weeks after Pietro moved out of the Boardinghouse, she made her way up to her shared room, a plan forming in her mind. Pietro would be coming over again the next night, and she'd finally – finally – decided to speed things up.

It was partly because she was tired of waiting – hey, girls had hormones, too! – but it was mostly because she'd finally realized how deep her feelings for Pietro ran.

And how deep his for her were, as well.

He'd left the Brotherhood for her. Admittedly, not alone – hell, the Brotherhood didn't even really exist anymore; it was just that only the Maximoff twins had actually mutinied. Lance, Tabby, Freddie and Todd were only staying there since they had nowhere else to go.

Xavier would have taken them in, but they were wary of any kindness on the Professor's part – and with good reason.

The X-Men were nicer, had better uniforms and living conditions, and didn't want to use violence to help their cause. From the Brotherhood's point of view, those were the only differences.

Big differences, but none of them were all that good at trusting people.

And she'd never trusted Pietro more; even before he'd moved out of the Boardinghouse. It had just taken his leaving for her to realize it. She didn't need Pietro to join the X-Men to prove how much he cared about her. She hadn't even needed him to defect from the Brotherhood, though she hadn't realized it until today.

She should have realized it a month ago, when he'd first claimed her as his. A tingle had gone through her whole body he'd said, 'You're mine,' with such fiercely protective possessiveness.

He didn't need to change for her – but if he wanted to change with her…

Well, who was she to hold him – or herself – back?

Slow was good…but faster would be better. A little faster, anyway. She only hoped Pietro would be 'up' for a little skinny-dipping.

"Wow," Pietro breathed, awe-struck.

Rogue blushed, having to fight hard to keep her arms from crossing over her bare chest. She hadn't worn anything underneath her cover-up tonight, and when she'd taken it off…

Well, Pietro was obviously appreciative.

"Ah thought…maybe we should try goin' a little fastah," she said softly, clasping her hands behind her back to help fight the urge to cover herself up.

"Fast is good," Pietro agreed vaguely, eyes roaming over her body. They came to a stop on her breasts, and the speed demon seemed to snap out of his nakedness-induced daze. His icy gaze snapped up to her own green orbs. "But are you sure?"

Gathering her courage and every one of the few ounces of seductiveness she possessed, Rogue allowed a coy smile to settle on her lips. "Ah'm sure of you, sugah," she purred, padding over the terra cotta tiles to stand in front of him. Her hands twisted together behind her back, the only outward sign of her nervousness. She wanted to do this; to make love with Pietro.

But did he want the same thing?

Or, rather, Ah know he wants meh, Rogue thought mirthfully, noticing the growing bugle in the boy's swim trunks. But wantin' meh, and bein' ready ta have sex with meh are two completely different things.

After all, she'd wanted him pretty much from that first night. But she hadn't been ready until tonight…

Was he?

A shy smile crossed his face. "I have no clue what I did to deserve you in my life, but you are definitely the best thing that ever happened to me," he mumbled under his breath, before pulling her into an almost chaste – considering their mutual lack of clothing – kiss.

She smiled and pulled him over to the pile of blankets on the lawn nearby that she'd set up for just such an event. She'd had a feeling they wouldn't get to the swimming part of the evening. And she wanted a soft place for their mutual exploration.

Slow and steady won the race, after all. And delayed – and subsequently multiplied – gratification was the prize.

After that, their midnight swims converted to midnight trysts. But with school ending, the students stayed up later, so in order to continue to hide their nocturnal activities, they had to postpone their meetings for a few hours. So it was more like two o'clock in the morning trysts.

And, also with the coming of the summer months, Logan, King of Ruining Kid's Fun, extended his perimeter checks to later in the night.

Unfortunately, like all security measures, unless it directly impacted their lives, the students were told nothing of it. Consequently, Rogue had no clue that Logan would be anywhere near the pool area on one certain Tuesday night, about a week after her and Pietro's relationship 'sped up'.

She was really glad they still had their clothes on when the Wolverine showed up. Otherwise Pietro might not have lived long enough to speed away, back to the hotel he'd been staying at with Wanda.

She couldn't help feeling, though, that he should have stayed with her to face the music – and the rabid Logan. But at least she knew he was alive, which was more than she could have said had he stayed.

Now all she had to do was wait for dawn to break – and for the Professor to wake.