Disclaimer: X-Men Evolution characters aren't mine.
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Rogue glanced at Remy, the rose anything but forgotten, though she had let it fall unceremoniously to the ground. She could not make sense of him. Why? Surely he had seen her file, surely he knew she could not touch. Well, clearly, as the day before he had been careful to avoid touching her bare skin. So he knew. Why then? Why her? Why not Jean? Everybody loved Jean. Or even Kitty. He was playing with her, that is what it was. He wanted to get her tied around his little finger, wanted to use her to get to the X-Men. Exactly! That is why he was paying so much attention to her. He thought she was that desperate for companionship that it would not occur to her that he would be just using her. The nerve! She narrowed her eyes, glaring down at her desk, her foot sliding over to crush the head of the rose. Twisting her foot back and forth, she rubbed the flower out until each petal was thoroughly torn and ruined. The bastard would not get his way.
When class ended, Pietro rushed out of the room without looking back, without saying a word to Rogue. She furrowed her brow, confused. Weird. Shrugging, she turned to pack her bag and jumped when a finger ran up her spine, making her body tingle. Spinning around, she got into a fighting stance, looking up to an amused Remy.
"Aw, chere, why y' gon' an' do dat t' de fleur I gave y'?" He gestured towards the ruined rose, its petals blackened and crushed. Rogue huffed and finished putting her things away, hefting her pack onto her back.
"Ah didn' want it," she said simply, shoving past him to exit the classroom. He followed. "Sahdes, Ah don' tahke gifts from strangahs. 'Specially men lahke yah."
"Well, chere, dere be ways of gettin' ta know eachoth'."
Rogue turned and arched an eyebrow. "An' whay would Ah want ta get t' know ya?" Remy lifted his finger and brushed it against her chin.
"Well, Remy want t' get t' know y', ma belle fille." They stood there, frozen for a moment. Rogue swallowed, trying to slow the beating of her heart. He was doing it again. These casual touches, albeit through cloth, made her quiver, and his words, stated in such a husky, sensual voice, it kept her off balance. She hardened her jaw, lifting a hand to slap his away from her.
"Don' touch meh." She resumed walking, her strides faster. He still followed.
"Cherie, mebbe it'd help if Remy told y' a bit 'bout himself, oui?" She did not answer. "Well, Remy be from de Sout', like y', if I'm not wrong 'bout y' accent. 'Cept he be from N'awlins, down by de bayou."
Rogue snorted, and he paused. "Swamp rat," she stated simply. Remy grinned. She was at the very least still listening to him.
"Mais oui."
"So, swamp rat, what are yah doin' up heah, so fah from home?"
"Remy come t' see all de pretty women of de nort'." Rogue snorted again, and Remy adopted a sly expression. "But looks like he lucky, he found de most belle fille 'n de states." Rogue reddened and she ducked her head, acting as if she had spotted something on the hallway floor. A moment later, she lifted her head once more, turning to look at him with a frown on her lips.
"Now, listen heah, you," she stated firmly. "Ah don' appreciate all o' this flirtin', an' Ah dunno what yah want, but yah ain' gettin' nothin' from meh."
"Oh, chere, y' wound Remy. I don' want anyt'ing but t' get t' know y', dat's all."
"An' jus' whay me?"
"Remy t'ink y' beautiful, cherie." She eyed him skeptically. "Really, y're diff'rent from all de ot'ers here."
Rogue huffed, beginning to walk again. "Ah don' believe yah. That's jus' a line, an' yah got somethin' planned, ah know it." She stopped outside of the door to her next class, turning to face him. "An' Ah ain' gon' let ya fool me, swamp rat. Ya got that?"
"Mais, chere, Remy don' want t' fool y' none." Rogue rolled her eyes and turned to walk into her classroom when a hand caught her elbow. "Wait, chere, please."
Rogue jerked her arm out of his hand but hesitated, the pleading tone in his voice softening her own. "Didn't Ah tell ya not ta touch meh? Ah got ta get ta class."
"Rogue, belle, meet me aft'school, by de gym. Let Remy prove h'self."
She stared at him, pursing her lips. Letting her arms fall to her sides resignedly, she muttered, "Whatevah, no promises," and turned to enter her class, not waiting for his response, or rather a chance to keep her longer. His presence was commanding, and hard to deny. She needed to get away from him. She should keep away. As she got to her seat, she glanced up at the door, half expecting him to still be there, watching her. A mix of relief, and disappointment, rushed over her when she did not see him, evoking a sigh. She should keep away, but she was not sure if she could. Remy. He sounded sincere. But she was unsure, she did not think he should be trusted. But there was something in his voice, she felt something in his words. No. No, why was she hesitating, even defending him? He was an Acolyte, one of Magneto's goons. But then again, Pietro was Magneto's own son. How could she trust one and not the other then? Did she even trust Pietro, for that matter? She was so confused. How would she ever find the answer to her questions? Rogue reached up to clutch her forehead. What was she going to do?
Meanwhile, Remy reclined against a brick wall, having made his way to the roof of the school after deciding to skip his own class that period. After puffing on the last of his cigar, he extinguished it on the cement beside him and eyed the school grounds. It was peaceful up here.
He knew she would show up afterschool. Even after all of her words and maybe minor threats, she would show. He almost laughed when he recalled each look on her face. She was well on her way to being his. Tsk. He would have thought Pietro could have put up more of a challenge than this. If anything, he was just an annoyance. But no matter. Rogue's own skin would put up just as much trouble. Plus she was just as fiery as he thought she would be. Remy would still have some fun in seducing this one. And besides, who knows, speedy still had a bit of time left. Remy shook his head, scoffing at the thought. Amateur.
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Remy is soooooo evil. Yes, yes, it's all a game to him right now. And he's succeeded in having Rogue begin to doubt herself, in thinking he was being sincere, maybe. Hey, he's good at what he does! And while Rogue is feeling semi-attracted to Remy, she has yet to really have any feelings of the kind for Pietro. I hope I'm portraying how her mind is full of Remy and hardly of Pietro well enough. To just show how Remy is seducing her and Pietro is fumbling, at least in romantic terms. Pietro's done good in gaining a pseudo-friendship, and in that area, things are going well... but that's not exactly his intention, is it? At least, for the moment.
I had trouble with this chapter. I don't do too well evilly, I don't think. I like playful much better. Even angsty seems to be easier for me. But writing about someone evil is hard. Especially when it's a manipulative type. Cause on the one hand, he's supposed to project a good, sincere image. And me as the writer, I sometimes feel that that's making him uncharacteristic. And then when he's alone, and being true, his personality seems to jump. Makes it hard to keep his character stable. So, I can't get a hold of Remy's character just yet, it seems.
I'm not sure I like this chapter too much. :-/ I don't know how to change it though. It still seems a bit contrived, and awkward. Bah.
Next chapter will be more Remy/Rogue. But remember, Pietro's not gone. The story is unfolding in my mind and I'm excited about getting through it.
Lol, now I got a rant on pro-Romy. Ok, well, not exactly a rant because I think it can hardly compare to my own, and AJ, I assure you, you are no ranting maniac. It seems I got quite a few scared that this is going to become a Rietro, but rest assured, it's still a Romy, and it's going to stay that way. I don't say that just because you all are telling me to keep it a Romy, but because I am a Romy fan too. I just like Rietro. So relax. Tell me more about what might make the way I tell the story better, maybe. Course, y'all are still being as encouraging as can be, so what you're doing now is just as good. :) Either way, It's real nice to know that people are reading this. Thank you!
You think I should make my chapters longer? I won't be able to update it nearly as quickly. I never actively make my writing longer or shorter. I write until it feels ended. But maybe short chapters are just really choppy and stuff. Longer chapters might be more appealing, yes? Though I won't be able to update daily, or nearly daily, as it is now.
Rielyn