Disclaimer: X-Men Evolution is not mine.
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Rogue tapped her foot impatiently, her arms folded over her chest. For such a ladies' man, Remy sure liked to keep HER waiting. He must have something planned. Or just planning to make a dramatic entrance. She still did not know him that well, but she did know that the cajun had a thing for flair. She looked perturbedly down at her watch; she had been standing there for a good thirty minutes now. Whatever that swamp rat was planning, he better come up with it soon. She was not going to wait forever.
Fifteen more minutes passed by and she threw her hands up resignedly, shouldering her bag and turning to leave. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hers and jerked her back, spinning her off-balance and into his arms. "Leavin' so soon, cherie?"
And dramatic entrance it was. "Soon?" Rogue scowled at his grin, shoving him away after regaining her balance. "Yah're late, swamp rat. By at least forty-five minutes."
"Mais good t'ings come t' dose who wait, non?"
She scoffed. "If the 'thing' is you, Ah'd rather not have wasted mah tahme." She wrinkled her nose and turned her head away snobbishly. "Ah don' even think Ah'm interested anymore in what ya have ta say."
Remy smirked, stepping nearer to envelop her in his arms as his voice dropped to a lower, huskier tone. "Den Remy will talk none, chere. An' on'y show y' his meanin'."
Rogue flushed, pulling herself away. "Alright, alright, enough games, cajun. What's th' plan?" Remy extended his hand invitingly towards her, grinning.
"Jus' trus' Remy."
*****
Minutes later found Rogue hooded and cloaked, clinging close to Remy on his motorcycle. To her dismay, she found that the hood prevented her from viewing the passing scenery or enjoying the wind that whipped her hair about delightfully the last time. Of course, he had made her promise not to remove the hood, so she was getting bored. Especially since the howling of the wind and the thunder of the motor beneath them drowned out any possibility of a conversation between them. As a result, she was left to her thoughts. If it weren't for the noise and the vibration of the motorcycle, she might as well have still been standing by the school gym, waiting for Remy.
She had to admit though, through his persistence and charm, the cajun had found a soft spot in her heart. She did not love him; of course not, she was sure. But she did feel warm towards him. After all, he was being so sweet to her. Her fingers adjusted a bit where they lay, holding him around his waist, and she could feel the tense, hard muscles of his stomach. A small smile formed on her lips. It did not hurt that he was very well-built either. It was not like she was blind; she saw clearly why she caught jealous stares whenever Remy paid attention to her. He was devilishly gorgeous. And he was hers. Rogue blinked, the thought surprising her for a moment. Well, at least for now. Obviously, her skin would drive him away eventually, if nothing else. She sighed, pursing her lips. Her power was such a serious downer.
Remy felt Rogue's emotions go bitter and he sighed inaudibly. The girl should never be left to her thoughts for very long. As he turned finally to his destination, he vaguely wondered what was so bad that kept bringing her down. The girl really was much darker than she seemed. And here he thought that he was just going after the ultimate virgin. He chuckled softly to himself; a sound Rogue could not hear through the wind and rumble. She did put up an admirable front, though. He almost respected her for it.
He parked the motorcycle, agilely climbing off and lifting Rogue into his arms before she had a chance to get up. "Hey! Ah have mah own legs, ya know."
"Oui, mais y' have y' own eyes too, an' Remy wan' t' keep t'ings a secret f' now." He cuddled her close to his chest as he began to stride forward. "Plus, dis ain' dat bad, now is it?" Rogue blushed and averted her gaze, playing with her fingers instead of responding. He smirked, lifting his chin. "Now, jus' relax, petite. Leave everyt'ing t' Remy." From what Rogue could see, they were walking along some sort of path through foliage thick enough to hide the way. Yet she did not feel buffered by branches or anything. Clearly the cajun knew his way. She could hear a muffled roar that got louder as they progressed, but she could not quite distinguish what it was.
After a few minutes, the foliage cleared and Remy made sure that her hood was still up when he set her down, quickly moving in front of her. He knelt to look up under the hood and reached up to hold her face gently. "I can' wait t' see de look in y' beautiful green eyes, chere..." She furrowed her brow in confusion.
"What..?" Her eyes flickered back and forth though the hood efficiently cloaked her view. "Can Ah see yet?" she asked impatiently. The muffled roar was quite distinct now.
Remy grinned and nodded, moving back slightly. "Be m' guest, cherie." Her jaw went slack slightly as she lowered her hood, her eyes widening. In the center of the clearing rested a blue-green lagoon, stirred gently by a waterfall, the source of the roar. The water poured broadly down from an overhanging cliff and smooth boulders, glistening with moisture, framed the body of water. Several butterflies sat there sunning themselves. Rogue found herself taking a step towards the pool, looking down into the crystal clear waters that lapped gently onto the bank.
"It's beautiful..."
"An' de water's fine." Rogue lifted her chin towards the voice. Remy had waded into the pool, having discarded his trenchcoat and loose belongings to the side, and the surface of the water brushed him just below his knee. He held his hand towards her with a beckoning nod. "Come on, chere."
Rogue folded her arms across her chest, giving him an obstinate look. "Ya cain't be serious. What about mah clothes?"
"Y' welcome t' discard dem if dat's what y' want..." He grinned at her. She scowled at him in reply and he chuckled. "Come on, petite. What's it gon' t' hurt?"
"Ah ain' gonna ruin mah clo- hey!" she shouted indignantly as Remy started to splash water at her.
"Never took y' t' be so uptight, chere," he teased. She backed away from him to avoid the stray drops of water.
"Oh, no ya don'. Ah ain' gonna be persuaded to join ya jus' cause ya called me 'uptight'. Ya already used that one on meh." She stuck her tongue out at him. "An' it ain' gonna work twice. Ah ain' gonna ruin mah clothes. Ah mean, what are the others gonna think if Ah show up all drenched an' mah clothes ruined? No, Ah know bettah than that."
Remy frowned at her. "Oh, y' know, y' actin' like dat Jean Grey fille, all righteous and goodie-goodie."
Rogue blinked in surprise. "Oh, no, ya did not jus' say that!"
"What?" He gave her an innocent look. "Y're lecturin' an' rantin' jus' like her."
"Alright, that does it." In one movement, she flung off the hooded cloak and launched herself at the cajun with a yell. He laughed as he caught her, but the momentum took them both down. "Ah am nothin' lahke Jean!" Rogue righted herself, scrambling to hold his head under water but he easily overpowered her, pushing deeper into the lagoon. She squealed as she struggled with him, but he just slipped his arms around her and brought her underwater with him. She wriggled out of his grasp, spluttering as she resurfaced, the water level going just below her chest, and moving to put some distance between them. After pushing her drenched locks out of her face, she readied herself to splash a wave of water towards the cajun when he emerged. However, he didn't. Rogue waited a few moments more until she began to feel alarmed. "Remy..?" A feeling of dread grew in the pit of her stomach; maybe he accidentally touched her. Was he unconscious, drowning somewhere underneath the waters of the lagoon? She had not felt him touch her, nor did she feel the rush of foreign memories that normally accompanied a skin-to-skin encounter. He couldn't have touched her; she would know if he had. But then, what if he had and was out, taking in water into his lungs? What if he died right there? She began to search frantically, her voice taking a panicked tone. "Remy? Remy, where are ya?!"
She was standing by the waterfall, her hopes of finding him alive dashed, when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her through the rushing waters. She found herself in waist-deep water, being held in Remy's arms, but before she was able to let her anger lash out, she had to stare. They were in a cove, sheltered underneath the cliff and hidden by the waterfall. Drops of water trickled down from the ceiling, and sunlight reflected from the waterfall danced along the marble-esque walls. The blue-green water itself seemed to glow, warm due to the insulation of the rock walls and the waterfall.
Her anger dissipated even as she returned her gaze to the man who held her, her reprimand dying in her throat. He had turned off his image inducer; his red on black eyes were staring at her with an intensity that beckoned, yet repelled her, at the same time. His mouth twitched into a smile as he reached up to take her face with a gloved hand, gently rubbing the remainder of her make-up away. His fingers lingered on her full pink lips.
"Y' really are beautiful, petite," he whispered, and he realized he meant it. Without the distracting shades of heavy make-up, her emerald eyes brightly reflected the light from the fluorescent water, yet they were also lit with her own inner fire. Her wet clothes clung to her shapely form, and though her hair was wet and matted to her head, she looked absolutely breath-taking. If he could, he would have taken her right then and there. For the first time, he mentally cursed her powers; he was beginning to understand her frustration.
Rogue blushed at the compliment, but could not turn her head away. His water-soaked shirt clung tightly to his torso, showing off his broad shoulders and toned chest. Her mind vaguely wondered what he looked like without it, and her hand reached up to shyly brush her fingers across his stomach. Her eyes flickered up to his again, meeting that devilishly handsome gaze. She shivered, though she was not cold, and reached up to finger the scarf that he had given her, but found that it was not there. She broke away from him, her face becoming anxious and searching. "Remy, Ah lost-" She cut off when Remy silently produced the missing piece of fabric with a smile; he had taken it earlier, when they had tussled. In one smooth movement, he placed the wet scarf over her mouth and pressed his lips passionately to hers. She tentatively ran her hand over his chest, blushing at the heat that was his body, and returned the kiss. He broke the kiss only to resume a moment later, pushing her back against the wall and pinning her there. She felt his body pressed up against hers and she murmured pleasurably at the sensations into his mouth. He broke off a second time and she almost whimpered, wanting him back.
"D' y' see, chere?"
She peered at him bewilderedly. "See what?"
"What Remy mean. D' y' feel it?"
"Well, yea, Remy, but it's through th' scarf... not that it doesn' feel good..." she added, flushing. He quirked a small smile as he continued.
"Mais non, dat's not what I meant. D' y' FEEL it?" He reached up to caress her face with his gloved hand but she looked at him uncomprehendingly. "Close y' eyes, chere." She did as she was told and he leaned forward, replacing the scarf, to kiss her slowly. He pulled back again a moment later. "Don' y' feel how Remy feel 'bout y', petite?" She opened her eyes slowly to look at him. His face was so sincere. Yes, she had felt it, the emotion in that kiss.
"Yeah..."
"Whether y' touch or not, it doesn' matter, petite." He held her face in his hands. "Y' can still feel me. Y' still feel de emotions an' dat's all dat matters."
Rogue's eyes began to brim with tears and she leaned forward to press her face into his chest. Her fingers clutched at the hem of his shirt, holding him as if afraid he was going to disappear on her. She loved him at that very moment.
Remy smiled down at the auburn and white tousle of hair and slipped his arms around her shoulders. It was all just a line, but at least it made her happy, and Remy preferred it when Rogue was happy rather than depressed. She was much more lively that way. The girl was attractive, he had to give her that, especially when she smiled. And so expressive. It amazed him to pull back the cover she hid under, and find such a slew of emotions. It affected him too; he was feeling emotions that he did not realize could be so versatile. Happiness was not just a feeling of contentment and pride, it was also joy, uplifting brightness, freedom, relief. And that still did not fully describe it. There was more to her than he thought, and he found he wanted to find out everything about her. Call it, curiousity.
*****
They lay on the bank, watching the waterfall, Remy shirtless and trying to convince Rogue to do the same. To no avail. She had removed her outer shirt, leaving her tank-top in place, and it lay drying next to Remy's.
"Mais, chere, y' soakin'. Y' clothes are never gon' t' dry dat way."
"Yea, well, not lahke Ah can remove mah pants neither, an' they're jus' as wet."
"Remy wouldn' mind if y' take y' pants off. An' why stop dere?"
Rogue stuck her tongue out at him. "No thank ya, swamp rat. Ah ain' gonna let ya ogle me. Ah took mah top shirt off, an' that's all that's comin' off."
"Ah, y' no fun, cherie."
They fell into a casual conversation, Remy rolling onto his side to look at her, being sure to keep enough distance so that she would not accidently gain another personality in her mind. They talked about a variety of things, save for the her powers, X-Men and Acolyte secrets, and his employment. However, gossip about individuals were not sacred. There were some Jean bashing, jokes about Kitty, stories about St. John aka Pyro, and soon the two of them were laughing, enjoying eachother's company. Every now and then Remy would give her a line and she would quip a playful retort right after. They both began to ease up around each other.
Soon enough, however, the sunlight began to fade on the duo. "Mm, Remy, Ah think Ah need ta be headed back home soon. They don' know where Ah am, an' knowin' them they might even send out a search party. For jus' one aft'noon, even."
"As y' wish, cherie. Dough Remy was enjoyin' himself." He handed her the cloak that she donned earlier as he put on his trenchcoat. "Y' ought t' wear this f' de ride back. Y' still wet, an' de wind'll make y' shiver." Rogue obliged, smiling warmly up at the cajun who took her hand. He started to lead her through the forest, back to where he had left his bike, when she hesitated.
"Remy..?" He turned to face her, a questioning look in his eyes. She was smiling shyly up at him while playing idly with her scarf. "Thank you. For showin' meh what Ah've been missin'." Remy just stared at her for a moment before he smiled and nodded in acknowledgement of her thanks. Turning back to the path, she followed him willingly this time, but he could not help but think how she would be doing anything but thank him later.
Inevitably, he was going to hurt her. She would hate him, and probably worse off than how he found her. Gone would be her happiness, her genuine smiles, her laugh. And he had grown to like her contentment, which was so different from her usual aloof depression.
For another first, second of the day, he regretted that he was good; he was too good at the game of seduction he played.
~~~~~~~
Good frickin' god, that took forever. Remy is falling.. falling.. falling... She'll have him soon enough. See, isandahalf, see? He's getting better! So, good thing you didn't kick him in the teeth. I'd have a not-as-attractive-cause-of-the-swollen-mouth-and-jaw Remy to work with, and that's no fun. Remy's supposed to be HOT! This story is going to be long-ish. I mean, she IS going to find out, there IS going to be a fall-out. Pietro's part isn't over. And then I have to work out how Rogue gets back with Remy in the end. I'm thinking there's gonna be an action scene somewhere in there. Wow, and I'm a drama/romance writer, dealing with the heady stuff, not Pow! or Bam, he falls to the floor type stuff. Goes too fast for me. Eh, it'll be a nice change of pace. But let's not count chickens before they hatch, have to get to that point first. This is fifteen chapters, and only now are they becoming close. Just two dates. Two dates in fifteen chapters! Come on, Remy, you're better than that. Course, fifteen chapters is like three days or so? Damn.
School is a biter, in terms of getting this fic written. Otherwise, the teachers are nice enough, and the three hours I sit there 'paying attention' (I tend to get part of these chapters written while I sit there) go by pretty quickly. How long has it been since my last update? Wah! Too long! I have a short attention span, I need to get these up and out in like a day or so. I'd stare at the stuff I have uploaded and I'd be like, come on, write, damnit. Come on, update. Just appear out of nowhere. I want to know what happens next! Course, as I'm the writer, what happens next is kinda my responsibility. Blower. Oh well, I'll just go on a power trip. Muhaha, Remy/Rogue/Pietro are under my control! Cower!
I think summer school is getting to me. Why did I ever decide to sign up? Not like I failed any classes, just decided I wanted to get ahead. Course, is it worth my summer? Waaah... Ok, I exaggerate. I actually don't mind these classes, nor the half an hour walk I have to take to get from my class to my parking lot. Both my classes, I have one a day btw, mon-thurs, are in this one building. And the frickin' parking services decide to assign me the lot all the way across campus. But the walk isn't as bad as I thought it would be. And I'm gonna get exercise!
So, I digress.
I'm cut? What? I'm confused... Man, how old are you people? You make me feel all old and I've just finished my first year of college! My little sister, she's a freshman, soon to be sophomore in highschool, and she does the ur so kewl stuff. I don't hear no you're cut! Waaaaah...
You know, it drives me crazy that I can't get back to my commentors in like the day after they comment. I sit here, reading them, and I'm like, oh, I'm going to say this in response! But, of course I don't have the chapter finished so... boooooooo...
Next chapter is going to be basically all Pietro. It won't be too long. Just a sort of 'meanwhile...' His part is far from over. Though for a bit, he's got the backseat to the major going-ons, ie Rogue/Remy developing their relationship. See, now it's clearer that it's a Romy, whereas earlier, I apparently was doing some brainwashing and getting people to feel sorry for Pietro and hate Remy for being so evil/asshole-y. Muha. I love that! I mean, I guess parts of this can/will be considered Rietro... but ultimately, it's a Romy. :-D
I've read over past chapters too, and I've caught several mistakes (like Rogue's backpack that was meant to lead to something, but then I forgot all about it and just left it on that picnic table -- you know, that chapter where Remy convinces her to go with him on that first date, her backpack was forgotten... and that was supposed to mean something, but i totally forgot!) but I'm not going back to correct them until I finish this fic completely. Then I'm going to do a once-over revision, to catch those types of mistakes as well as make my writing mas bueno.
After that, I'm considering a Rietro. Just a short fic (tho knowing me, it'll get drawn out -- this fic wasn't supposed to get past 10 chapters, really). And then, an original fic. I've really been enjoying this writing thing. I'm surprised I never really took it this seriously before as a pastime/hobby. :) :)
Damn, what's today? June 5? It's been a whole 3 days, at least, since I last updated!! So loooooong! Ok, I'm uploading this now... next chapter I've already started, and it's going to be short-ish anyhow, so it shouldn't take that long.
:)
Rielyn