A/N- Okay guys... So, I meant to post this yesterday, and I ended up having the WORST day. Let's just say that I now know first hand what bastards bullies are, through the form of an ebay seller. Who threatened to burn down my house over a $10 game. I've gotten no sleep (I'm not actually worried, I'm just so mad) and I'm stressed to the MAX. So I need some reviews guys. I need you to rodeo clown me into staying calm.
That being said, I'm sure you will enjoy this chapter... (Ps. overies before Broveries is from Parks and Rec. I didn't come up with that gem.)
It was Remy's favorite night of the week; Sunday night. His night alone in the kitchen to make whatever the hell he wanted. And this particular Sunday, he was alone. Blissfully alone. No annoying roommates to bitch about the heavenly aromas wafting throughout the apartment. No annoying roommates to try and worm some of his artfully prepared dinner away from him. No annoying roommates period.
He'd just finished preparing his Stuffed Peppers - just like his tante Mattie used to make- and was slipping the baking dish into the oven when there was a knock on the door. He worked the muscles in his jaw irritably as he went about cleaning the kitchen, opting to ignore the door, assuming they'd just go away eventually. What he didn't expect, was to hear Rogue call out from the other side of the door,
"Kitty? It's me." She began knocking again, "Don't make me stand here all night."
He moved over to the door, pulling it open and knitting his brow at her, "Since when do you knock?"
She gave him a dry look which told him that she wasn't in the mood for playful banter before looking past him into the apartment, "Can you just tell Kitty that I'm here?"
"Nope. She ain't here." He replied, "It's just me."
Her shoulders slumped and a frown crept onto her face, "Oh."
"She went to the library or something about an hour ago. Pete gave her a lift on the way to pick up his date." He pushed the door open and gestured for her to come in, "You wanna wait?"
She stepped past him silently, glancing over to the kitchen when she reached the scent of dinner in the oven, "Sunday."
He closed the door with a grin, "Stuffed Peppers. Have you eaten yet?"
"No." She said simply, dropping down onto the suede sofa and kicking her feet up on the table, "I came straight here after I finished up working out lesson plans with Logan. I wanted to surprise Kitty and take her out for dinner to celebrate."
"Celebrate?" Remy frowned as he moved back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.
"Yeah, you know... she got that job at the bridal salon. They called her yesterday." Rogue explained.
Remy shrugged in response and Rogue rolled her eyes, "Well it's good to see I'm not the only one Kitty leaves out of the loop."
The corner of Remy's mouth twitched upward as he wiped the counter down, "You feelin' neglected, Roguey?"
"Please don't call me that." Rogue grumbled under her breath. "Wait, you said Kitty went to the library?" She frowned, "Are they even open on Sundays?"
"Shit, girl. Do I look like the type of guy who knows when the library is open?"
Rogue pressed her lips together into a smile, "You've probably never even been in a library."
"Well that's not true." Remy frowned defensively, "I dated a librarian once. And let me tell you, the fantasy holds up." He let out a low whistle and nodded, "When she took off those glasses and let down her hair..."
Rogue laughed, "You're a disgusting pig."
"Uh huh... Don't act like you don't love it." He smiled as he pulled a couple of beers out of the fridge, crossing over to join her in the living room. "Did Kittiot tell you about her relapse with Avalanche?"
Rogue's eyes snapped towards him and she watched him sit down in the tan chair adjacent to her, "No..." She furrowed her brow and let out a breath, "This is exactly the kind of thing you're supposed to be telling me about. Remember? Our agreement? When you told me you'd keep an eye on her for me-"
"Relax, we took care of it." Remy rolled his eyes and handed Rogue a beer, "Besides, you've been pretty busy lately with that double tall low fat latte of yours, hmm? What was I gunna do, interrupt your date to let you know that Avalanche has been giving our girl hickeys?" He smiled before taking a swig of beer.
Rogue pressed her lips into a thin line as she twisted the top off of her bottle, "That's not exactly going to be an issue for the time being."
Remy knit his brow questioningly, "No?"
"We're um..." Rogue shrugged and tossed the bottle cap down onto the table by her feet, "Taking a break. Just you know, for the time being."
He frowned, leaning forward to set his beer down on the table and gave his head a shake, "Why?"
"I told him. About... my powers." She began, her mouth tugging up into a half smile, "He took it fairly well actually, better than I'd expected. But you know, he just needed to step back and digest this new information, which I totally understand."
"What an idiot."
She turned and blinked at him, clearly caught off guard by his sudden declaration. "He is not an idiot." She replied defensively, "I'm glad he didn't decide to get rid of me right then and there, I can deal with him needing his space."
"Needing his space for what?"
"You know... to decide if all of this is worth the hassle."
Remy stared at her with a bewildered expression and gave his head a shake, "Are you... listening to yourself right now, Rogue? You're not some defective product he bought at Walmart that he needs to exchange. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me? Everything, Remy! Everything is wrong with me. Because I'm not just a normal girl, I'm a freak. It doesn't matter if I have control of this or not, I'm nothing but a damaged freak, and that's all it ever comes down to in the end. So yes, I'm happy that he didn't run for the hills the second I told him I had the capability of draining his life from him while he sleeps. Because he's already leaps and bounds better than all the other guys I've tried dating."
"Then you're obviously dating the wrong types of guys." Remy snapped.
"Oh! This is rich!" Rogue slammed her beer down on the table and sat upright in her seat, "You're going to lecture me on relationships now? Oh yes please Remy! Please tell me what type of man I should be dating! Because you have such high standards for your bed mates." She snorted, "Sandy just shows up in a tight shirt and some work hours to switch and your pants drop faster than a drunk on a unicycle."
"Her name is Cindy." He narrowed his eyes, "And if the guys you've been dating are all willing to lose you over something so stupid, then obviously you do need a lecture on relationships."
"Is it really that stupid, Remy? Not everyone's got a death wish." She clipped.
"Jesus, Rogue!" He threw his hands up into the air, feeling his voice raise a notch, "You are gorgeous, you're fun, and funny, and smart, and sexy as hell. So yes, it really is that stupid. Because this thing, is just one tiny part of you, no matter how big of a deal you make it. It's just one part. And if Starbucks can't see that, then he absolutely is an idiot. He should have been thanking his goddamn lucky stars. And I told you, I don't have a death wish."
"So what are you saying?" Rogue shouted back, "I should be dating you?! You think you're better boyfriend material?!"
"I could be, if I wanted to!" Remy cried, "I've just never found a girl I actually like spending time with after the screwing is over, until you. I actually like you. I like everything about you, including your ability to kill me in my sleep, and that does not mean I have a death wish. And the fact that this stupid Starbucks ass hole didn't even remotely appreciate you for how incredible you are makes me... pissed as hell."
Rogue's eyebrows perked up and she blinked at him silently, before pressing her lips into a thin line, "...Do you... actually mean that?"
"Yeah. Of course I do." He said, leaning forward until their knees touched.
"So what are you saying?" She repeated quietly.
He stared at her, his eyes quickly scanning over her face as he considered her question. What was he saying exactly? Rogue was his friend. He loved spending time with her, and if he was being perfectly honest with himself, he'd have to admit that he'd missed having her around. And not just because she was terrifically easy on the eyes, but because he genuinely missed her. She was amazing. She was... perfect.
He leaned forward, smoothing his hand around to the base of her head before closing the space between them. Their mouths met, and he slid himself closer to her, pressing her back into the couch.
"You're gunna need to be more clear." She breathed against his lips, and he pulled back enough to look at her,
"I'm bein' pretty clear, chere." He said thickly, moving to close the space between them again. She slipped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer, shifting so that their bodies were flush against one another.
"This is crazy." Rogue pulled back to look him in the eye, "Kitty would lose her shit if you and I actually got serious."
"You really think I give a shit about what would upset Kitty?" Remy scoffed impatiently, "Everything pisses Kitty off, she'll get over it."
He moved back in, slipping his hand around her waist and finding the warm bare flesh of her hip underneath her shirt.
"If we're actually going to do this, you have to meet the others." She said softly, tipping her head back as he trailed kisses down the hallow of her throat, "They're my family and I won't have them thinking I'm doing anything wrong. I have nothing to be ashamed about, right?"
"Fine." He murmured against her collar bone, "You think they scare me or something?"
"I think they should." She said as she raked her hands down his back before pushing him back enough to look him in the eye, "Your dinner's burning."
"I don't care." He said, pressing his lips back against hers. Their mouths moved together slowly and Rogue let out a breathy little sigh which seemed to snap Remy back to awareness.
He pulled back quickly and frowned, "Alright, I do care." Rogue chuckled lightly, helping Remy push himself up to his feet, "Just give me a minute. These stuffed peppers are worth it, I swear."
X-X-X-X
Remy stepped out into the hall, quietly closing his bedroom door behind him with an extra little bounce in his step and a happy grin on his face, coming to an abrupt stop at the end of the hallway.
"'Morning." Kitty muttered with a mouthful of cereal, "I made coffee."
Which meant that it was either weaker than a 3 day old kitten or strong enough to degrease an engine.
Pyro looked up from a heaping pile of eggs and knit his brow, "Well well well, look who's decided to grace us with his presence."
Remy knit his brow at Pyro as he crossed the living room to sit down at the island counter next to Piotr, "What's his problem."
"You left a huge mess in the kitchen last night, that's what's his problem!" Pyro snapped, "Ohhh but you're so quick to point out whenever I might happen to forget to wash the cheese off of a plate before it hardens. But the rules of the kitchen don't apply to his highness."
Piotr gave his eyes a roll, "It was a couple of plates and a baking dish in the sink. Nobody made you wash them, Martha Stewart."
"Oi, I'm just sayin' it's the principle of the thing." Pyro pouted.
Remy turned his attention to Kitty as she chugged back half of her coffee in one gulp, "You look nice today, goin' anywhere special?"
She put her mug back down on the counter and frowned at him, "Yeah, I start my new job today. Duh."
"Job?" Remy raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.
"Oh please, I totally told you I got a new job." She glanced at Piotr through the corner of her eye quickly, "Didn't I?"
Piotr shrugged, taking a sip of coffee and doing his best to hide the grimace on his face as he forced it down.
"It's at a bridal salon." Pyro supplied, obviously no longer offended by the mess Remy left, "I'm pretty excited about it too, Sheila. Do you think I could come visit you while you're working? Maybe hang out for a bit from time to time?"
"I'm training for the first couple of days... but after that, I suppose it's probably okay..." Kitty knit her brow, "Wait, you don't work for a competing bridal salon, do you? I'm not going to lose my job over this, right?"
Pyro snorted, "Yeah, right. It's a great place to pick up chicks."
Piotr narrowed his eyes, "At a bridal salon."
"Yeah! Think about it! You got your dewy eyed bride tryin' on all those gowns while her best friend sits on the sidelines. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, an' all that. It's even better than pickin' them up at the actual wedding!" Pyro shook his head happily, "I'm just surprised I never thought of this before."
"Just... stay out of the way. And try not to creep any of the customers out, alright?" Kitty grumbled.
"You do realize that not all of the bridesmaids are gunna be single, right?" Remy pointed out as Piotr poured him a cup of coffee and slid it across the counter to him, "Or hot. They're definitely not all gunna be hot."
"Hot is in the eye of the beholder." Pyro scoffed, waving Remy's argument away.
"Just don't get me fired. Not all of us have what it takes to be a professional figure skater, Pyro." Kitty smiled and took a sip of coffee.
"They're called ice dancers." Pyro said tersely, "And I'm not an ice dancer. I have weak ankles."
Kitty choked on a laugh and gave her head a shake, "That just tells me that you've at least considered it."
"He probably likes the outfits." Remy grinned into his mug before taking a sip of what could only be described as hot turpentine. They definitely needed to put some kind of child lock on the coffee machine.
"Oooh! He probably designs the outfits! All that spandex and-" Her laughter came to a sudden stop as her eyes focused on Rogue, standing at the end of the hall, wearing a pair of Remy's flannel pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt. "... Seriously?!"
"Here we go..." Remy muttered, spinning around on his bar stool to look at Rogue, "Good morning, chere. Sleep well?"
"Are you kidding me right now?!" Kitty reached across the counter to smack Remy on the shoulder, "You promised! No more sleeping with my friends!"
"She doesn't count! It's the same friend!" Remy cried defensively, swatting her attacks away with the swipe of his hand.
"You made him promise?" Rogue snorted as she crossed the living room to the kitchen, turning her attention to Remy, "And you actually agreed?"
"Come on!" Kitty gaped at Rogue, "I thought you were finished with the Candyland mambo! This is so not cool guys..."
Pyro laughed as he forked another pile of eggs into his mouth, "Candyland mambo."
"It's not like that." Rogue rolled her eyes as she came to a stop next to Remy, "We had a long talk and we... decided to... I don't know..." She smoothed a hand across the back of his shoulders with a smile, "Branch out from desert foods."
The corner of Remy's mouth quirked up and he twisted in his seat to slip an arm around her waist, "I told you healthy food can be just as good. Those stuffed peppers, hmm?"
"Oh yeah, you stuffed those peppers real good." Rogue purred.
"Ew! No!" Kitty slapped her hands over her ears.
"What Rogue was trying to say is-" Remy paused to pull Kitty's hands away from her ears, "What Rogue was trying to say is that it's different this time."
"Yeah, I got that. You've moved onto... meat and potatoes." Kitty grimaced.
Piotr let out a laugh, pressing his lips together apologetically when Kitty turned her grimace to him.
"No." Rogue said impatiently, leaning her body into Remy's as she hooked her arm over his shoulder, "We're... serious, this time."
"Serious." Kitty repeated skeptically, watching Remy's hands rove around Rogue's hips with another grimace. She looked back up at Rogue, "With him."
"Yes with him." Remy scowled, "Thanks, by the way."
"Are you kidding me right now?! It was bad enough when you had some disgusting Twizzlering "agreement" or whatever but actually dating?! Dating, Rogue?!
"Kitty, calm down." Rogue sighed.
"This is bullshit." Pyro piped up suddenly, jabbing a fork full of eggs towards Remy, "What happened to bros before hoes?!"
"Hey!" Kitty snapped.
"Relax, you're a bro."
"I think you should re-phrase it." Piotr advised with a pointed look and Pyro let out an exasperated sigh,
"Fine, roommate then, alright? You don't date girls a roommate is related to, a roommates ex... the rules, Gambit. The rules!"
"What the hell does this matter to you anyways?" Remy rolled his eyes, "You're just pissed that your online dating ploy hasn't paid off."
"Yet." Pyro clipped irritably.
"Regardless," Rogue cut in before she had to listen to Pyro go off on any tangents, "I'm not related to Kitty and we've definitely never dated-"
"A roommates best friend, another roommate, someone they've called dibs on..." Pyro ticked the items off his fingers, "It's the rule."
"Yeah! Bros before hoes Rogue! Ovaries before... broveries!" Kitty jabbed a finger towards Rogue, "What am I supposed to do when you guys break up, huh?! And you'd better not have done it on my couch. I own one forth of that couch!"
"Katya." Piotr interrupted quickly, "I think you are maybe over reacting."
"What?!" Kitty turned to Piotr wide-eyed.
He smiled at Remy and continued, "It is not as if Remy is dating you. His roommate. Which would probably be worse in the eyes of some." He turned back to Kitty and raised his eyebrows, "I am sure you just want your friends to be happy."
Kitty looked between Remy and Rogue with her mouth hanging slightly open for a few moments before eventually giving them a single slow nod, "Yes..." She clamped her mouth shut tightly and knit her brow, "Mmmhmm. I just want you to be happy. That is... what is important here."
Remy squinted at Kitty questioningly, glancing over to Rogue and noticing that she wore a similar look of confusion, "You feelin' bipolar today petite?"
"I just..." She lifted her chin and let out a breath, "I lost sight of what really matters, you know? And I think maybe we... as a society, put too much emphasis on these "rules"." She said, rolling her eyes as she air quoted, "Like, really. You know? Who came up with these "rules" anyway? Right?"
Remy frowned, "Is this about decorating the living room, again? Because I told you already, we're not getting another afghan. Pyro burned the old one, that's it. End of discussion."
"No, it's not-" She rolled her eyes and let out a breath, "My point is, that yes; I am upset. But I am letting it go... because of your happiness." She said, holding Remy's stare completely, "I forgive you."
Remy noticed Piotr glance at the clock through the corner of his eye as he continued to stare at Kitty in total confusion.
"You are going to be late for your first day."
"Oh crap." Kitty jumped off her stool and smoothed the wrinkles out of her skirt, "Remember, I forgave you. Right? So... we're all cool? Just... no sex on the couch, please..." She sneered at the thought before phasing through the counter and heading for the door.
"I am giving her a ride." Piotr explained as he followed Kitty the long way around the counter, "Her driving lessons have been... slow going."
"Wish me luck!" She called out over her shoulder, "And don't forget about my forgiving nature-"
Piotr quickly ushered her through the door before closing it behind him, leaving the three of them silently staring in bewilderment.
"That... went... well?" Rogue's face twisted up in confusion, and she turned to Remy for confirmation. He gave her an exaggerated shrug in return and Pyro snorted,
"It's a damn good thing one of us knows how to talk to the freakin' loon." He shoved some more eggs into his mouth and glowered at Remy, "And if you have sex on that couch, I will burn it."