Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.
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"You're staying, aren't you?"
It had been the question they had been running from, putting the miles behind them on the blacktop with nowhere to go but where a tank would take them. Stalling his answer with another bite of burger, John stared down Bobby daring him to try and convince him otherwise. Drake was always the voice of reason, the one to try and talk him down from doing something reckless.
"It's not like I belong there. If it ain't today, then someday. At least I got some friends this time." John admitted an unvoiced truth, Xavier's had never become the home to him that it had for so many others.
The words hurt to say, and Bobby flinched to hear them, frost clawing its way across his can of coke more telling than the way his eyes fell away to look somewhere, anywhere other than John. Rocking back in his chair and wiping his hands clean with a napkin, he threw it with the rest of their litter and looked around the roadside restaurant that offered a view of the Pacific. There was no beach to be found here, just a cliff that the surf crashed against.
"Want me to send your stuff?" Bobby asked with a hint of a smile.
"Got everything I need."
Finding his lighter and giving a tap against the table, his duffle back off in Malibu had everything else that mattered. Pictures, some CDs, a favourite pair of jeans and a few shirts. Life had taught him to pack light.
"Mister Summers won't know what to do with all his free time." A joke with just as much truth in it, Bobby looked across the table and found a wry smirk there.
"Hey, you served just as much detention with me." John shot back, shaking his head at the memory of them all.
"I keep bad company, what can I say? Maybe Lorna will help keep me out of trouble." Bobby mused aloud, though his eyes looked to John to catch him looking thoughtful in that moment.
"What the hell are you looking at?" John barked as he noticed the watchful gaze, pushing off from the table and stalking out into the gravel parking lot.
He had another reason for staying behind, not just because he had made friends with Remy ever since before the Empire State Building. He was looking to meet someone who could put him to shame for cussing off Mister Summers and getting into trouble, if the stories Remy told weren't straight up bullshit. He'd caught glimpses, snatches of this girl time to time, all too often scowling after catching him staring. He wanted to get to know Jubilee better, and it'd be a lie to say he hoped just maybe he might someday find her smiling back instead much like Lorna did when she looked to Bobby.
"Pole."
"What?" John snapped, turning to look at Bobby only to have something bring him short and knock him low.
Laying in the gravel looking angrily about, John saw the pole he had just blindly walked into, so lost in thought he hadn't noticed it. The only thing that was wounded was his pride, and just maybe the palms of his hand where a bit of grit and sand had bit hard. Offering a hand, Bobby helped him up and gave a nod to just where his lighter had tumbled off to.
"Suns going down." Turning the conversation away from everything it had been before, about leaving and all his reasons for it, John stood at the edge of the road and looked out on the Pacific.
"Think we should head back?" Spinning the keys in hand, Bobby looked back to the sporty little thing they'd been loaned.
Looking to Drake, John thought about everything that waited for them once they wound their way back up the drive. Friends kept waiting and a couple of cute girls, but there was something else. Whoever long the night ahead lasted after the setting of that very sun that hung low on the horizon, it would rise again on a new tomorrow and all the days after it. They'd have to say goodbye, and for all the promises they might swear...only time would tell how many of them they could keep.
"Think fast Drake."
Now it was Bobby's turn to be caught off guard, hastily snatching for the thing thrown at him. Maybe a bit worse for wear since the Empire State Building, the finish scarred by the battle there, it was John's trusty shark toothed zippo. Cracking the lid open once, then twice, he gripped it tight and offered his friend a smirk. It said enough, it said see you around sometime and stay safe in the meantime. It was something to remember him by, a touchstone for all the good times they had together. Thinking on that, Bobby threw the keys to John and ran for the car.
"Shotgun!"
"That's the most redundant shotgun I've ever heard Drake!"
"Shut up and drive."
Peeling out with dust in the air and the sound of the tires tearing up the gravel, they had a half tank of gas and a whole night ahead of them to make some more memories to see them through the goodbyes the morning would bring. Cranking the radio and driving with the windows down, they were just two friends out for a drive and everything else could stay in the rearview, their eyes were for the road ahead.
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"Not going out for a swim?"
Sitting off at the edge of the water just enjoying the feel of the waves lapping at her feet, Rogue hugged herself as if cold though the night was warm. Dressed in her bikini and sarong, sheer fabric draped about her shoulders and hid her arms, hid her skin away. Sitting down with her, Cynthia looked out to where Jubilee was showing off with a bit of surfing on the sedate waves.
"Maybe in a bit." Rogue lied, the thought of being so exposed with the others sent a real shiver through her, goose bumps dotting her arms.
"Your always welcome at my pool."
Memories of that pool party came back to her, the music and the laughter that echoed in this moment. And just like the last time, Jubilee was out showing up the boys who had their manly pride to protect.
"Thanks, I just might have ta take ya up on that." Thinking back to all the fun she had learning to skateboard, Rogue wondered just what fun she could have in that old pool turned skate park.
This was what she had been looking for on that very first night in Los Angeles, sitting down at the very edge of America and staring out at the seemingly endless ocean. It felt wrong to not see the stars as she knew them, speckled with the luminous light of the milky way running on and beyond the horizon. Memories of nights so cold and clear that she thought she could just reach out and pluck them came to her, memories of the dancing lights and the world washed white.
"Shit..." Rogue gasped, startled by memories that weren't hers.
"You alright?" With the patience of someone showing themselves to be no threat, Cynthia held a hand out and only after a permissive nod did she lend a comforting touch made safe by the sheer fabric.
"Yeah, just...found a bit o' something pretty in a whole mess of ugly."
"Welcome to LA again for the very first time." Cynthia said making a joke of the moment, but there was the telling scent that said she was worried, easily told by how forced the light laugh was.
There would be other nights to tell all about everything that had happened in New York, maybe spent out on the balcony with a bottle of Scotch between them as the laid their scars out. Cynthia had shared her own and that was a trust she wanted to repay, but for now...this night was for remembering how to have fun again like she'd been taught anew.
"Whatever they're cookin' smells damn good, ya hungry?"
It was an invitation that was readily accepted, rising together to travel off back into the light of the bonfire where Scott manned a barbeque in swim trunks, flip flops and an apron. Lounging nearby, Jean and Ororo offered them waves as they neared, all while keeping an eye on the surf where now it looked as though Lorna was getting a crash course on surfing.
"Anyone seen Remy?" It was a question she asked before, and the answer hadn't changed this time.
Just as the other times though, Ororo looked to be teasing a secret for the hint of a smile she had, and for how serene she seemingly appeared her scent told of anticipation. Finding a drink in her face, Rogue looked to find Scott playing host for her and Cynthia alike. A sidelong glance to Jean had her raise her own glass in unspoken toast. It was fruity and refreshing and just coyly sweet, just the perfect refreshment for the warm night. Clinking glasses, she laid down and watched the games taking place out in the surf.
"She always was a show off." Cynthia said at the sight of Jubilee trash talking John, the pair of them paddling out to wait for another wave.
"Ya got it, flaunt it my gramma always said."
"That be some good advice, neh?"
Choking on her drink, a growl rose from her breast that ran through the night that was its home. Out of the darkness he came on quiet feet with the wind not telling of his presence, his eyes glowing red as any predator hunting prey. Her blood ran hot at the feeling of being hunted, challenging her in some unspoken way that she would rise to meet. Finding her composure anew and laying back down upon her lounger, Rogue looked off and away into the night though she had ears for the nearing tread of his feet that forgot their quiet step now that he had announced himself.
Dressed in jeans and a long sleeved button up shirt, he teased his chest with a scant few left undone, settling down next to her though enjoying her view. He smelt of motor oil and grease, of a quick shower and a splash of aftershave that...yes, his usual stubble was gone. His hair was still damp, twisted and frayed by the wind with just a hand run through it to make himself presentable.
"Just where'n the heck have you been Mister?" Rogue asked over her drink, sipping slowly and long and feeling her heart hammer away as his red gaze fell on her.
His smile was flirtatious, told of a promise he had made to her before everything had happened, one she was ready for. Slipping an ice cube past her lips, she bit down hard and swallowed, the cold in her belly welcome for how hot her blood was running. Angry feet stomping up the beach announced their third, fate incarnate that had tied them together, and watching as Jubilee glared down at Remy she had to laugh as he held his hands up in his defence.
Any angry words Jubilee had for this boy from New Orleans were voiced with a punch to his shoulder, spinning on her heel and stalking off to the cooler where cans of pop and bottled water laid chilling. But the real thing to bring another of the many welcome smiles to Rogue's lips was watching as Scott handed off a bottle of cool but not cold juice to the angry girl.
"Thanks." Jubilee grumbled, grudgingly accepting the juice and cracking the lid for a sip.
Scott said nothing as he walked back to the grill. Yet his patient efforts were told by the petite shadow he had following him and looking over all the meaty bits being seared and cooked while veggie kabobs slowly roasted to bring out their natural sweetness that would be so complimented by the smoky taste.
"Dinner in five." Scott announced, and from the surf came the last of their party.
Lorna walked with Bobby, whispered words shared between them, snatches carrying on the night currents that told of just how they'd spend what turned out to be their last night in Los Angeles. Watching John try and play at casually walking up to Jubilee was a game enjoyed by many, though it was a game he was slowly mastering. With an ice cube in hand, he slipped it down Jubilee's shirt and in seconds had her stalking after him.
"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Jubilee shouted, a finger stabbing John in his chest as he backed away from her all while cracking his can of grape crush open.
"Anyone tell you you're cute when you're angry?" John said in answer to the threat.
Pursing her lips in anger as she struggled to find some retort, Jubilee settled for a kick that was easily dodged, only to stalk off after. But it was just to who she settled beside that was telling, and watching it play out Rogue looked to Cynthia with a secret smile. Ororo found herself with an urchin beside her, Jubilee sitting with her knees drawn to her chest and her chin resting on them, glaring off after the boy who had earned her ire.
Out of them all it was telling that she was the one who was safe, the one who had saved her at the Empire State Building. Looking to Remy, Rogue saw she wasn't alone in thinking of that debt, and as their eyes met they didn't need anything so clumsy as words to tell the other what they were thinking. Conversation and laughter came back as dinner was served on paper plates, and somewhere in between it all the lines in the sand had been drawn.
Jean and Scott ate apart from the rest just as herself and Remy did, and on either side of her Jubilee found herself with Ororo and Cynthia talking over her head as much in metaphor or reality. And a trio sat near the bonfire with Bobby and Lorna entertaining John, though he had eyes and ears for all the conversation of the one girl whose ire he had earned with his gamble of getting her attention.
"So..." Rogue started, plucking a slice of pepper from her kabob.
"You want to know just where I 'ave been, non?" Remy was playful as he looked up to her from his seat upon the sand, popping away a roasted cherry tomato.
"Well, ya got a promise ta keep Mister."
"You think this be how I dress for a date?" Remy asked with a look to himself, though his smile was there for her to see in his eyes.
"Well if ya do, I reckon it's the kind o' date I'd be plenty interested in."
Never had she swallowed all that tripe about dresses and nervous boys come knocking at her door that Hollywood had sold. Rocks thrown at windows would have earned the beau a baseball thrown back at them, but a trouble maker showing up late smelling of aftershave and exhaust...that set her heart aflutter. It spoke of adventure, and somewhere back in Meridian she wondered if all her maps were still up on the walls of what had been her room.
"Just maybe you and me, we go sneak away once we sure Petit in good hands, non?"
It hurt and stung to think of ever leaving that little troublemaker alone again, but all it took to know she would be in good and welcome company was a look around. No big bad wolf would be knocking at the door tonight, they were safe to enjoy a night like they had before that grim fairy tale had played out.
"Oui." Rogue teased, just as a smile did so to her lips.
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"If that's another ice cube I'm gonna deck ya."
John smirked thinking he deserved that, revealing his hidden hands to show the skewered fruit he'd brought as a peace offering. Fresh pineapple, strawberries, and tiny stars of watermelon were tantalizing enough that she took one to nibble at. A kick without any force behind it was the price he had to pay to sit beside her.
"So what's there to do for fun around here?" Said like any other tourist, he threw her a sidelong glance.
"Why, looking for some fun on your last night in town?"
The vacation was over and already she had helped Lorna pack up her bags between getting dressed for the beach. As much as Cynthia had badgered her otherwise, she'd settled on one of the two piece suits she picked out but thrown a shirt overtop of it just to spite her. Kicking her heels and munching on a piece of pineapple, her tee was still damp from all that time spent surfing weak waves and right now with the breeze blowing she felt goose bumps dotting her skin.
"Nah, just trying to figure out how I'm gonna keep myself busy." John admitted, and that had Jubilee looking at him from the corner of her eye.
"What, not going back to Mutant High?"
Shrugging off the question, he looked down to where Bobby and Lorna sat at the bonfire. Jean and Scott weren't far off and a mirror of the teens, past and present mixed together in a moment. He'd seen enough photos around the school, the old graduating class back when the Professor still had hair. Deep down somewhere John figured Bobby would be better off without him stirring up trouble, and with how serious things were already getting with Lorna in the mix he felt like a third wheel more than ever.
"...maybe I could show you around sometime. But you owe me lunch, like, somewhere that I pick!" Her voice just indecisive mumbling at first, Jubilee finished strong on the point of lunch.
"Deal."
Offering his hand, her own was small in his and he was gentle as he shook on that promise. Once, twice, he was loath to let go and surprised to find she wasn't jerk away and put some space between them. With idle hands he toyed with his skewer now stripped clean. Once upon a time he would have found his lighter, lit it up just to watch it burn and bend the flame to his will. Now he just sat there bending it until it broke, throwing it off at the surf and sand that laid below their retreat.
A firecracker pop shocked him out of his fugue, the breeze heady with smoke and ozone. Grinning impishly at him with her finger like a pistol, Jubilee looked smug and he felt his blood run hot. Theatrically snapping his fingers and pointing to the smoldering mess of bamboo, a flame blazed to life, brief and all consuming and leaving behind only ash. It was her turn now to look shocked.
"Dude..."
An impulse took him and he snatched her skewer from her, stripping it clean and shoving the last bit of strawberry past her lips to silence her sudden protest. Holding it between his fingers, he caught her gaze and threw it after the first. Unerringly she shot down the skewer, a blaze of light in the night that flared bright in blues and pinks and a firecracker snap. Calling on his gift and letting the heat of his blood engulf the scrap of wood, the flame was brief but blinding and ash rained down on the sand.
"We're in so much shit!" Jubilee squealed, laughing hard and looking back at the bonfire where the others looked their way in shock and for one man, dismay.
Even from this distance John could see the flames dancing in Mister Summers sunglasses, he could imagine the firm set of his jaw he always had when a detention was about to be handed out. But that was Westchester and this was LA, and even if he was about to get in some last bit of trouble under the man's watch it was worth it just for Jubilee's laughter that soon turned to manic giggles.
"Totally worth it!" John barked aloud to the night.
Yet what happened next surprised him, nothing he ever imagined but still everything he hoped for. That small hand took his and all he could do was jump to his feet and run with her. The laughter was back joined by his own, sounding every kind of right as he ran with her.
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"What should I wear?"
Rogue had no idea where she was going, just that Remy had said out. Her shopping still sat on the bed, her street wear strewn about the floor right where she left it when getting changed. Hers, Jubilee's, and Lorna's alike were tossed about haphazardly and she remembered the fight Cynthia had to get Jubilee into something she deemed less suitable for the tomboy she played at being.
Looking through the bags with a sinful smile, Remy browsed through her shopping and with a finger plucked an unmentionable from one bag that set her cheeks ablaze. Letting it fall back where he found it, a pair of jeans was picked out and tossed her way.
"And?" Rogue asked with an arched eyebrow, expectant to see just what he would add to finish her ensemble.
A few lazy steps closed the distance between them and he looked down on her, standing so close she could feel the heat of his skin and every breath was a treat to savour. Never had she been so aware of how he loomed over her, caught in his eyes that burned red as embers in the darkness of her room. The light spilling in from the window was enough for her to see clearly, and in his eyes she saw how wide and deep hers were. They were the eyes of a feral beast, a stalking huntress from the savanna caught looking on something unknown but so very tempting.
"Let me be the one to cover up tonight, be the one to wear the gloves, it be a night for you to feel the wind in your hair and over your skin." Remy whispered, his hand ghosting against her cheek so near she fooled herself into believing she felt his touch, soft and gentle.
His nearness was a promise, his trust shown with his cards laid out while hers were kept near her chest. Tipping her hand and letting the river come and decide their fates, she reached and ran her hand through his tussled hair, gripped it tight and held him in her thrall. A shudder ran through her as she ghosted her lips near his, every breath taken given freely by him. It was a child's kiss between them made bashful and quick because of her hungry skin.
Dancing away she let the sheer fabric fall with the cast off clothes, her sarong tossed without a care to land where it would, dressed just in her bikini to play at being modest. The night was warm, but if anyone made mention of how her body betrayed her after that kiss she would have blamed it on a sudden breeze giving her a chill. With a shimmy and a shake she slipped into the jeans and did up the button fly.
A pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars were tossed her way, and with a look over her shoulder she saw him sitting on the bed waiting for her. Feeling bold, she made a show of lacing them up, bent over and knowing the effect she had over him with her first breath. A creak of bedsprings announced him, but his hands on her hips and finding their way into her pockets was something unexpected and enticing.
The house was empty as they left her room, but as they neared the doors a firecracker pop startled her. Again it happened but this time with an engulfing blaze that brought the aroma of ash to her nose, but it was the laughter made near by her sharp senses that brought a smile to her lips.
"Now don't you be getting jealous." Remy whispered as he lead her through the door, and the reason for it sat out on the drive.
Chuckling, she didn't know for who he had truly said that, but the bike was a thing of beauty. For how his hand ran over the leather seat, she felt a pang of that green eyed envy as she longed to know such a touch so gentle trail down her back. She sat astraddle with him, embracing him and feeling the beat of his heart against her. It was overtaken by the thunderous rumble of the bike being brought to life, but it was something she wouldn't soon forget as she held tight to him as they rode into the night.
Rogue didn't know where the road lead as Remy gunned the engine, she didn't care, like him she had something to go back for. She wasn't running anymore, not from herself or everything that had happened to her all because of a kiss. The road ahead felt new and wondrous, full of adventure and memories waiting to be made.
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