Through Sickness

Bib:

With the whole mansion coming down with a bad flu, Rogue plays nurse and takes care of everyone. That is, until she falls ill herself.

Story:

A vicious cough escaped Rogue as she curled up in bed. She felt like she'd been run over by a car and then it reversed and ran straight back over her again. There had been a nasty bug going around the X-Men. A lot of the members had caught it last week and Rogue had helped out nursing the others back to health only to catch it herself. Logan hadn't had time to let her absorb him since the Professor and the other teachers were now down with the bug too and he was running the mansion single handily.

Rogue opened her eye slightly as she heard a knock on her door.

"What?" Rogue grumbled, thinking that almost everyone was in school at this hour.

The door opened and Remy popped his head in. She looked worse than what he imagined. Paler than she had been the last time he saw her. Her hair was a mess and full of sweat, clinging to her face and her breathing was deep and slow as if the natural action was exhausting.

Remy stepped into the room, staying by the doorway. There was a reason he hadn't caught the bug going around. He didn't much fancy catching it now after a week of avoiding everyone who had it.

"Well, you look like crap," he said.

He heard Rogue attempt to snort.

"Thanks!" she hissed out. "Make meh feel so much better. What'd ya want?" she demanded to know.

Remy tilted his head to the side as he asked, "There be anything I can do to help speed up de recovery? Chicken soup, perhaps?"

Rogue's face cringed up at the mention of food and she began to turn around in her bed so her face was away from him.

"No, just leave meh alone ta die," she said.

"Don't think you gonna die, chére. It just be la grippe," Remy said.

Rogue grumbled at that but Remy couldn't make the words out. His frown deepened as he watched Rogue's breathing ease a little as she fell asleep. Closing Rogue's door, he wondered around for some time.

"Hey, Cajun," Logan called out to him. "How 'bout you stop skiving and start helping me take care of the sick, huh?"

"I be doin' just dat Monsieur Claws," Remy replied, being sure to give Logan a wide berth as he noticed he'd just come out of a sick Storm's bedroom.

"Roaming the halls aimlessly ain't helpin'!" Logan snapped at him.

"Not takin' up un autre sick bed be helpin' everyone mon ami," Remy said, walking off and leaving Logan behind.

Xxxxx

The next day or so, Rogue felt slightly better. She was still sick, but no longer falling in and out of consciousness. She felt cold, when she guessed she was hot. Her body told her she was hungry, but the thought of food made her feel sick. She could sit up now without having the dizziness, but not for too long.

Kitty and Jean had been in and tried to help clean her up a little with a flannel, but she still looked like crap. She'd managed to eat some of the chicken soup Jean left, but not all of it.

A while after the two left to go see to the other women they were assigned to take care of, there was a knock at her door.

"Yeah," Rogue called out, sitting up a bit in her bed with her eyes glazing over.

It was Remy again.

"Feelin' any better?" he asked.

"Does it look like ah'm doin' better?" Rogue shot back at him.

Remy stepped a little further into the room, again, staying a good few feet away from her.

"Y' look slightly better than y' were doin' yesterday. Y' don't feel it?" he questioned.

"No," Rogue said, closing her eyes and wishing he'd just go away.

"Y' ate your soup dis time," Remy said, noticing the half empty bowl.

"Gotta eat somethin'," Rogue said.

Remy frowned.

"Least you be off school, non? Dat be bien," he said.

Rogue snorted at that.

"Ah think ah'd take bein' at school ta bein' stuck in this bed with nothin' ta do. Ah'm bored outta mah skull!" Rogue said.

Remy raised his eyebrow at that. When he said nothing, Rogue went to glance at him, but found he'd left her room without saying anything.

xxxxx

Not two minutes later, Rogue's bedroom door burst wide open and in came Remy with his TV. He'd found a stand with wheels on it and was wheeling it into her room.

"Voilà!" Remy said, placing the TV at the end of Rogue's bed. "I bring classique entertainment right t' your chevet. So, what y' feel like watchin'?" Remy asked Rogue from the end of her bed.

"What are ya up to swamp rat?" Rogue questioned.

"What it look like?" Remy shot back at her.

Rogue sighed as she loosened her grip on her pillow and began to sit up some more.

"Y' really lendin' meh your TV?" Rogue asked.

"It be de reason I went t' de efforts of bringin' it here," he said, messing with the plug and a couple of the buttons on the TV. "Now, ce que tu regardes?" he asked.

"Erm," Rogue said, just staring a Remy in question.

He had his back turned to her as he tuned in the tv.

"Well?" he asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "What it be?"

"Oh," Rogue muttered, feeling herself become warmer.

"Whatever. Anythin's bettah than sittin' here in silence," Rogue said.

"So, de Christian channel, hmmm?" Remy questioned, a smirk growing on his face.

"No!," Rogue snapped out, then began to fall into a coughing fit as she had stressed her voice too sharply too soon.

Remy just watched her cough, a frown deepening on his face.

"There, err," Rogue said, clearing her throat and avoiding Remy's eyes. "There was this TV series ah was watchin' before all this, but ah've missed a few episodes now."

"Y' mean de one with de witches an' vampires in it?" he asked.

"Hmmm," Rogue said, lying down a little bit more in her bed so she could watch the TV in comfort. "No point tryna watch the latest episodes now ah've fallen behind though," Rogue explained.

Remy contemplated this and then walked towards Rogue's door.

"Where ya goin' now?" She found herself asking.

"Tu verras," Remy said, closing her door behind her.

Rogue stared at her closed door, waiting.

Xxxxx

Five minutes turned into an hour. When her bedroom door next opened, Rogue shuck, startled from her sleep.

"What the hell ya doin'?" Rogue questioned, a little confused, but glancing at her clock, seeming to know what was happening without her mind fully being there. "Where've ya been?" she continued to question.

"Désolé. Had t' make a few errands," Remy explained.

"Ah meant why ya in mah room? Y' walked outta here 'bout an hour ago, not sayin' anythin'," Rogue explained.

Remy raised his eyebrow at her.

"Oui, I did. Y' sure y' be gettin' better?" he asked.

Rogue sighed, rolling onto her side and burying her face into the pillow.

"Yes, ah'm recoverin'. Just didn't know what ya said when ya left," Rogue said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Thought dat be obvious," he said.

Rogue lifted her head up from her pillow slightly, and saw Remy pulling out some videos from his coat pockets.

Rogue sat up, squinting her eyes as she tried to get a better look at what he was holding.

"That's…" Rogue muttered, then looked straight up at Remy . "Y' got them for meh?" Rogue asked.

Remy shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know anyone else who be interested in watchin' dis. Do you?" He questioned.

Rogue's smile just grew as she watched Remy insert the first video into the player.

"Thank you," Rogue said.

"Y' be more den welcome, chére," Remy replied, glancing her way and catching a hold of her eyes that smiled up at him.

He held her gaze for sometime, then pulled away, setting up the final few things on the tv. Rogue dropped her eyes too, holding her neck as she felt very warm there. She began to pull her blanket up to her chest, feeling, somehow, exposed to Remy even though he wasn't looking at her.

"And there y' go. All set up," he said, throwing the remote down onto Rogue's bed then heading towards the door. "Enjoy y' series," he said.

"Wait, what..." Rogue mumbled out.

Remy stopped at the door, turning to glance at her over his shoulder.

"Probleme?" he asked.

Rogue stared at him for a moment, then a smile that didn't reach her eyes appeared on her face.

"No, no problem," she said.

"Bien," he said, "be seein' y' when y' feelin' well," he said before closing her bedroom door behind her.

Xxxxx

Remy lay sprawled out on his bed, his arms behind his head and the ceiling keeping his attention. He'd watched the light fade from it and shadows replace it. Sighing inwardly, he turned to glance at his door.

Xxxxx

She was just near the beginning of the fourth episode when she heard a knock on her door.

She called out for the person to come in, staying lay on her side with her back to the door, not really caring who it was.

"Y' be needin' some company, chére?" Remy asked as he slipped his head inside her room.

Rogue paused her show, turning to glance over her shoulder at him questioningly.

"Didn't y' say ya didn't wanna get sick?" Rogue questioned.

"Oui, rather avoid it if I can," he said, opening Rogue's door some more, then leaning against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest. "So, 'bout dat company?" he questioned.

Rogue stared at him for a long moment, then shrugged and said: "Make yaself at home." She returned to watching her show, ignoring Remy and his large smirked as he entered her room.

Rogue expected him to pull up a chair or something of the sort. So when she felt her bed dip deeply, she became unearthed from her comfort.

"What are ya doin' swamp rat!" Rogue demanded to know, turning and seeing Remy sprawl out on her bed, putting his hands behind his head and kicking his boots off.

"What it look like? Now, y' gonna catch moi up on what been happenin' or not?" he asked, turning his attention to focus on the TV.

Rogue turned slightly in her bed as she glared at Remy half-heartedly. Realising she now wasn't comfy since Remy had took up most of the space on the bed, she began to sit up. As she did this, she found that Remy's elbow was blocking the access to her head bored.

"Move ya arm, would ya?" she demanded.

"Y' said t' make moi-même à l'aise," Remy said, smirking down at her.

Rogue continued to glare at him, but he wasn't budging. Rogue huffed, deciding to take a leap out of Remy's book and make herself comfortable. She leaned back, letting her head and shoulders rest against his bent arm. He didn't seem to mind, but it did take Rogue sometime to become fully comfortable as she felt all of her side pressing up into his. She folded her arms over her chest and tried to take deep breaths without making it obvious.

A moment of silence passed the two as they watched the episode together.

"Who's dat?" Remy asked.

"Ah ain't explainin' everythin' that's happened. Should'a been here from the start. What were ya up to anyway? 'causin' trouble for Logan again?" Rogue asked, glancing up at him from the corner of her eye.

Remy's smirk grew and Rogue watched it. Her eyebrow raised as she wondered more and more what he'd done.

"T'ink dat be une histoire pour another time," Remy said, never taking his eyes off the TV.

Rogue turned back to watch the episode as well, believing that was all she would be getting out of him.

Remy then decided to move. Rogue felt his elbow push forwards so she leaned forwards too, expecting him to drop his arm after having the weight of her head and shoulders crushing it. He didn't pull it into his chest, however. He began to move himself down the bed a little more instead. Rogue became even more out of sorts as she watched him move lower down the bed. Just as her irritation neared its breaking point, she felt his hand grabbing her shoulder and putting pressure on it.

"What-" Rogue asked.

"Makin' us both comfortable," Remy said, reaching his other arm out and grabbing her under her knees. A gasp caught in Rogue's throat as Remy forced her knees up and used the movement to pull her body down the bed with him.

"There, that be beaucoup mieux, non?" Remy said, leaning back against Rogue's head bored again and making himself snug.

His arm had slithered from grabbing her shoulder to moving around Rogue's shoulders. He tilted her body towards his chest slightly. Her head was resting in the crook of his underarm now, rather than being bent back slightly from resting against his arm like she had before.

Of course, Rogue wouldn't make it easy. She lifted herself up slightly so she could get a better look at him.

"Y' can't-" she began to say.

"Can't we just relax an' enjoy de series?" Remy asked, staring at her solemnly.

His look captured her for a time. After a time, she seemed to cave, moving her head back to where it had been under his arm and wrapping her other around his body. It took her a good while to get over the heat in her stomach and the flush of red that had entered her cheeks. Remy didn't push it. He just waited, feeling the tension within her body slowly leave her with time. By the end of the episode playing, Rogue had relaxed into his side fully at ease and both enjoyed the series.

Xxxxx

Rogue came home from school and headed straight upstairs. She had to wait in hiding for a time as Logan shooed other girls like Jubilee and Kitty away from Remy's room in his rugged way.

Rogue grimaced, then, got an idea. She entered the library, opened the window to the balcony and began hopping along from balcony to balcony. It was a little terrifying and a part of herself wondered half way through jumping balconies why she didn't just climb up on the roof instead, but it was a little too late to turn back.

Luckily, she didn't come across anyone in their rooms when she was jumping balconies and no one outside noticed her. Rogue jumped to the balcony she wanted then climbed down from the ledge.

She peeked her head in, seeing Remy lay on his front with his head buried in a pillow. He didn't look too good.

Rogue then kicked herself as she realised, unlike when Remy did this to her, she didn't know how to pick locks.

She noticed movement in the room and saw that Remy had lifted his head up slightly to glance at her. Rogue shot him a small smile and waved, not too sure what to do now. She felt guilty as she saw Remy practically crawl out of the bed on his hands and knees and stumble to the balcony doors. His chest was bare and Rogue found herself staring at it as he got closer.

"What you need, chére?" he asked after opening the balcony door.

"Erm, just thought ya might of wanted this," Rogue said, pulling out of her trench coat a collection of videos.

Remy smiled as he saw the TV series they had been watching when she was sick in her hands. He stepped aside so she could come in and she took the offer.

"Y' want meh ta set it up?" Rogue questioned.

"Please," Remy muttered as he grabbed a shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head before face planting his pillow.

Rogue moved to the end of Remy's bed, setting up the video on the TV that had been moved back into his room soon after she recovered. As the series began to play, Rogue stepped away and found it hard to look at Remy. It almost felt like she was seeing him at his most vulnerable and that this was a private thing she shouldn't be seeing.

"Well, it's set up for ya. Ah guess ah should go. Leave ya t' heal and all,-"

A mix between a moan and muffled words came from his lips. His hand reached out as if to claw at something.

Rogue raised her eyebrow at Remy , confused.

"Does that mean go?" She asked.

Another sound seemed to come from Remy . This made Rogue smirk and fold her arms.

"Does that mean stay?" she asked.

"Oui," she heard him say as he shuck his head against the pillow.

Rogue let out a muffled chuckle at Remy's moany attitude. She glanced around for a chair and went to move it to be near the end of his bed. When she got it close, however, Remy was back to muttering something that went off into a French rant. His arm shot out and grabbed hold of Rogue's, pulling her into the bed with him. Before Rogue could do anything, Remy had made himself comfortable, wrapping his arm around her lower waist and snuggling up to her side.

"Careful!" Rogue snapped out.

"Always careful," she heard him mutter.

After Rogue calmed down from the shock of his arms shooting out towards her, she reached to take off her boots (Remy still wrapped around her as she did), then kicked her feet up and got comfortable against the head rest. At her effort to get comfortable, Remy just moved further into her lap, not even seeming to realise what he was doing as he was half dead to the world.

Rogue watched him for a time, seeing his back rise and fall slowly as he breathed deeply. She was pretty sure he had fallen asleep within moments of making himself comfortable.

Rogue began to brush the few strands of hair that had fallen into his face and put them behind his ear. She watched him sleep for a time, never remembering seeing him so at ease since she'd known him. When she felt her blush making her too hot, she turned her attention back to the TV at the end of Remy's bed and played the episode they were on. Her fingers played with Remy's hair as he slept and she hoped he wouldn't wake up to find her doing that. She let her worries go as she gave all of her attention to the TV series she knew Remy was never interested in watching from the start.

xxxxx

French Translations

Chérie - Darling

Grippe - The Flu

Un autre - Another

Mon amie - My Friend

Non - No

Bien - Good

Voila - Here

Classique - Classic

Chevet - Bedside

Ce que tu regardes - What you watch (What do you want to watch)

Tu Verras - You will see

Désolé - Sorry

Probleme - Problem

Moi-même à l'aise - Myself at ease

Une histoire pour - A story for

Beaucoup mieux, non - much better, no