8/13
She didn't have her powers anymore. Rogue's powers were gone. She's . . . normal. Just like everybody else out there.
Scott stared at the ceiling of his room. It had been a week since Rogue's . . . normality, and Scott couldn't just get used to it. And he had no idea why.
It's not like he wasn't happy for her, no. Of course he was. Rogue was happy and since he was her friend, well, it just goes that way. He felt that he had somehow lost some kind of a bond that he shared with her.
It was a widely known fact that they had those talks, the ones that got him a pat on the back from the Professor, for getting the Goth to actually talk. They mostly talked about their powers, but sometimes they went for the normal stuff. The stuff that normal people talked about.
And now she's one of them. One of the normal people.
Scott Summers got out of his bed and walked out of his room. He didn't know what time it was but he knew that it must have been a little bit before dawn because the mansion was all but dead. There were no lights left on, no sound left on the corridors.
Except for one familiar room. He was actually surprised that his feet had led him here, of all places, without him really acknowledging it. Yes, Scott Summers was once again standing by the kitchen entrance. He figured that since he was already here, maybe a glass of milk, warm or otherwise, just might do the trick of making him sleep.
He walked inside, and wasn't that surprised to find the one person plaguing his mind seated at the marble counters once again. Just like before, only this time, Scott felt that everything was different.
"Cyke," she greeted.
He didn't reply. He just stood there, studying her features. She was still wearing an oversized shirt, the exact color unknown to him and just like that night way back when, and she wasn't wearing the make-up that hid her young face from all the people surrounding her.
She shifted under his gaze. "I got some ice cream," she started. "Want to eat it with me?" She jumped down from the marble counters and took a seat at one of the stools.
Scott blinked and slowly smiled. Yes, maybe this would be just like the old times. He walked over to the cutlery drawers, got another spoon and walked over to the counter and sat on the stool that sat beside her. "I'd like that,"
Silence. He couldn't really label it to be awkward, but it wasn't the comfortable silence that they once had either. It was in the air, the change that had transpired.
"So," he started. He really wasn't eating the ice cream, just playing with it using his spoon. "Long time no talk,"
"Yeah," she replied. "We haven't really had that much of a chance to talk ever since--"
"Ever since you became normal," he finished hastily for her.
"Yeah,"
Silence, and this time, it really was awkward.
"So," he began, grasping at straws to dissipate the silence. "How does it feel?"
It took a while before she actually replied. "It's . . . nice."
"That's it?" he asked, his voice raising a notch or two. "You've pined for this ever since your powers kicked in and 'it's nice'? That's it? All that work and 'it's nice'?"
She suddenly reached out and touched his hand. He jerked away, initially, but remembered that she didn't possess the power to hurt him, or anyone for that matter, anymore. He relaxed and she turned his hand over, palm side up.
"Yes," she said slowly, her face lighting up with a smile, as she traced the lines on his hand. "It's nice,"
Scott Summers privately agreed. So that's what Rogue's hand felt like. It was still smooth, somewhat surprisingly, since it was encased in rough leather glove for who knows how long. Scott relaxed even more when she stood up and both of her hands traveled upwards to touch his face. He didn't even notice that he was smiling.
He closed his eyes as Rogue's pale hands touched the contours of his neck and face. Her hands traced his jaw, his lips, his cheeks, and for some reason, took particular notice of his nose. She took off his ruby shades and he didn't even find himself protesting. Her hands went over his eyes slowly.
"You have nice eyelashes," she breathed. "Just like Warren's,"
And like a bucket of ice-cold water, those three words ruined it all. Whatever it was, it was gone. Scott jerked out of Rogue's gentle touch and quickly reached for his sunglasses. He put them on quickly, stood up and walked away from the marble counters.
Why can't she just have one conversation with him where Warren doesn't come up? Is she really that much in love with him that she just can't help but talk about him? Scott can still feel the warmth of Rogue's hands on his cheeks. He regretted pulling away from her touch, but he really couldn't take the fact that she had compared him to Warren. He didn't know why, but that really irked him. It really, really did.
"What's wrong?" she asked meekly, after a few seconds of awkward silence had passed.
It took a while before he looked at her and when he finally did, he noticed that the color of her cheeks was uneven. Was she blushing? "Nothing," he said, his voice low because he was fighting to keep it controlled and even. "It's just that--"
"Just what?"
"Can't you just have one freaking conversation with me that doesn't involve Warren?" he asked, his voice rising even thought he tried his best to prevent it. "I mean, I know that you're in love with the guy, but one, just one--"
"What?" she asked, her voice rising up to meet his. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on, Rogue!" he shouted. He didn't care anymore; he just needed to say this, even if he woke up the whole mansion in the process. "Everybody in this place knows about it! And why wouldn't you like him, right? He's perfect, for goodness' sake!"
Rogue glared at him.
And since Rogue wasn't doing anything to stop him, he continued on his rant. "I mean, who wouldn't want to date multi-millionaire handsome gentleman such as Warren, right? Compared to me, your old friend, the one who was there for you way back when, it really wasn't such a difficult choice, now was it?"
Rogue opened her mouth to retaliate but Scott beat her to it.
"I don't get you, you know," he said, crossing his arms and scoffing. "I thought that you were my friend. Hell, I even thought that we could be more than that! But what did you do? A handsome guy comes along and you drop me off!"
"Well if you're acting like this, can you seriously blame me?" Rogue screamed at him. "God! How immature can you get? First of all, I didn't drop you for Warren. I just hung out with him because all of you were treating me like glass! You all pitied me! Now if you knew anything, anything at all, about me, then you'd know that I hated that! And you have the guts to call yourself my friend!"
"I am you friend!" Scott yelled, his face a few inches from hers.
"Well what a good way of showing it! Screaming and blowing at my face like this! Warren was nothing but nice to me, you know. He'd been there when you were all shying away, and he was with me when I took the serum--"
"I was there too! You were just too busy acting all lovey-dovey with the guy to notice! Oh, and speaking of public displays of affection, what do you guys talk about anyway? You do nothing but talk!"
"Why does that bother you so much?" she asked, surprising him as her voice grew a few notches softer.
Somewhere, somehow, Scott Summers knew the answer to her question, but he really couldn't find the guts to voice it out. He turned his face away and crossed his arms.
"Aren't you glad that I have someone to talk to? That I actually am opening up to somebody?"
After contemplating on his answer, Scott Summers turned to face her and meet her eyes. "I thought that you had that with me," he said quietly. And just like that, all of the things that they had been through, all of their experiences together came crashing down. And even though it didn't exactly register at that moment, the image of them being closer and maybe becoming something more, shattered to pieces.
Rogue's face looked bore the expression of surprise. She opened her mouth to apparently say something but nothing came out. Scott shook his head and turned around. He walked out of the kitchen.
tbc