A groan resounded through the room as the sunlight filtered in, waking the unhappy mutant. The blankets shifted as the small figure moved away from the window, a well-manicured hand pulling the thick covers over a pretty face. Already, the sound of shuffling feet and loud yawns could be heard in the hallway, rousing the woman from any hope of further sleep.
Yawning, the auburn-haired woman stepped out of bed, stretching until her back gave a pleasant crack. Most of the students here, older or younger, did their stretching in the halls as they made their way to the bathroom. Rogue saw no point in that, however, as she liked to look good. Somehow, the sight of her cracking her back in the hall didn't sound too attractive to the southerner.
With one final groan of disapproval, and a glare at the unwanted sun, Rogue moved off the bed and entered her bathroom. Her room was one of the only ones with a personal bathroom, the professor's way of making her feel better during her stay here.
He might be trusting, but the professor wasn't stupid. He knew Rogue wasn't wanted by most of his students, even the young Jean distrusted the older woman, and he didn't doubt some of the trickier students would try things on her toiletries. The best course of action, he figured, to keep her hair from turning green due to hair dye in her shampoo was to give her a bathroom of her own.
Perhaps a little overdone, but what woman would complain about having a place to get ready all their own? It beat hearing the boys yell to hurry up and the incessant pounding that accompanied failure to comply.
Smiling at herself in the mirror, Rogue struck a few poses she'd seen models use in shoots. Nobody, not even her enemies in the mansion she now called home, could deny her attractiveness. Many of the boys, even those who constantly reminded her she had been the enemy for too long to be trusted, eyed her with lust when they thought no one was looking.
Only Logan showed a lack of interest in her, and Rogue guessed that was because he liked Ororo. Not that either would admit it, preferring to argue with each other over the most mundane topics. Often, the southerner wondered why nobody tried to get them together, but she supposed it made sense with Logan's temper. Few people would willingly stand up to Wolverine, and Rogue was one of them. One of the reasons why Logan respected the former terrorist.
Joseph waited downstairs for his girlfriend, smiling when he saw the southern belle descending the steps. Rogue never ceased to amaze him, and he felt more than pleased with his catch. He was attractive no doubt, but not to the extent that someone as beautiful as Rogue would stare at him with such a loving look.
The other girls in the mansion, except Emma who couldn't care less and rather liked Rogue, wondered why he would date someone who'd been the enemy. The answer, Joseph thought, was simple. He too had been ostracized, though the students tried to hide their discomfort with him. His powers resembled those of the malicious Magneto, and his accent didn't help, as it matched Magneto's when the terrorist mutant let it slip during moments of anger.
They felt he could be a second metal-controlling terrorist, and that caused great panic among the students when he first arrived. Even now, they treaded around him carefully, though the girls tended to flirt with him shamelessly. It had only grown worse since he and Rogue started dating, their desire to make the female mutant pay for her past crimes spurring them on to seduce him at greater lengths.
Just yesterday he found someone's panties in his drawer, and he thanked whatever gods existed Rogue had been gone on a mission rather than with him when he discovered the undergarments. Pretty pathetic, he thought, but the attention wasn't unwanted and so Joseph didn't particularly try hard to keep the women off him.
Rogue, a flirt herself, didn't seem to mind, so Joseph figured he could get away with it. Rogue, he knew, would never cheat on him, so he felt no desire to tell her to stop talking to other men. As long as she didn't complain about his chatting with the women, their relationship stayed a stable and rather fun experience for both involved.
Feeling lips on his own, Joseph let his thoughts vanish into more present, desirable fantasies. He wrapped his arms around Rogue's waist and led her to the kitchen where most of the occupants, which wasn't many, waited for breakfast to finish.
"Ugh! Can you believe what they're eating?" Emma asked, her arrogant tone traveling through the kitchen clearly. A few glared at her, but most ignored the rich blonde. They were used to her better-than-thou attitude by now, and her harsh words barely registered in their minds at this point. "Such fattening substances."
"Ah dunno, sugah," Rogue said. Though she didn't sound the least condescending, she received more glares from the occupants of the kitchen, and a few even took their breakfast into the sitting room to be away from her. "Ah like th' food, ya know? Reminds meh o' home."
"Hmph. I suppose," Emma sighed. She smiled at Rogue, patting the southerner's shoulder comfortingly when she saw the dark looks shot at her friend. It never ceased to amaze her how utterly hypocritical the students of this school could be, to preach for second chances and then refuse to follow through with those preachings when given the chance.
As Rogue said, though, they were young and scared. No doubt Rogue had been a dangerous enemy, harming many of their friends in battles prior to her change of heart. She'd even almost killed Logan with a deadly kiss, though she parted from him just before he would be fully implanted in her mind. Their anger was understandable.
"And what are your plans for today?" Emma asked, fixing herself a salad as Rogue helped herself to a few remaining pancakes. They settled down at the table, Joseph on one side of Rogue and Jean Grey on the other. The redhead squirmed in her seat and shot Rogue a tight smile, attempting to seem welcoming but failing miserably.
The southerner ignored the obvious distaste in her emerald-gaze and nodded once to the younger woman. The freshman turned back to her meal, obviously struggling not to leave the table.
It wasn't so much a hatred on her part, as it was an almost paralyzing fear of the mutant. Rogue had been the one person she never went against in battle because of fear alone. The idea of someone stealing her powers through touch alone terrified her, and the knowledge that Rogue would do something so heinous for someone evil only intensified her feelings.
The professor seemed content to trust Rogue, however. As he proved a stronger telepath than herself, Jean figured she would give the mutant the benefit of the doubt. That didn't change the fact she strongly disliked Rogue, and the southerner doubted it ever would.
"Ah dunno, was thinkin' o' shoppin' in town. What about you, sugah? Got a hot date or somethin'?" Rogue turned her full attention to Emma, effectively ignoring the uncomfortable redhead.
"Hah! As if I'd date any of these wannabes!" Emma adopted an insulted look, grimacing down at her lettuce. "No, dear, my tastes extend beyond the inbred morons of Bayville."
Jean made a disapproving sound in her throat. Rogue smiled at the redhead, resisting the urge to remind Jean that her "boyfriend" was a complete moron. She doubted Jean would appreciate it though, and as much as she hated the blond idiot, she wanted these students to trust her. Best to stay on their good sides, or at least as close to their good sides as she could get. For now, she'd keep her mouth shut on topics centering around Duncan Mathews.
Emma, unfortunately for Jean, was not so tactful. She glared at the younger woman with obvious distaste, already eager to fling more insults about the blond jock Jean considered good boyfriend material. Honestly, wasn't the redhead supposed to be intelligent? Why ever would she choose that dunderhead?
"Leave it be, sugah," Rogue chided softly. Emma looked at Rogue as though she were crazy, but she sighed and let the insults drop. Jean shot Rogue a half thankful, half upset look and quickly finished her breakfast. Oh, to feel grateful to the enemy, what an awful feeling!
"No, I too was planning on shopping," Emma stated simply, as though Jean had not just rushed off. Joseph remained quiet, knowing from experience the trouble he would be in for interrupting "women talk". "Unfortunately, we have a new student coming, though one our own age thankfully, and the professor asked me to be here when he arrives."
"Really?" Rogue raised a brow. She knew what was coming already. Emma hated being the one to show new students around, considering the job beneath her.
"Yes," Emma said dryly, "and I hate to think that I'd be doing the job all on my own."
Rogue rolled her eyes visibly and laid down her fork. "Alright, sugah, Ah'll help."
"Really? Oh, thank you, Rogue! I'm sure you'll take to the new guy right away. He's from the south I hear. Well, I'll be at the mall in New York City. If you need me, you know my cell number."
Joseph coughed as Emma quickly moved away from the table. He glanced at his girlfriend, not sure he liked the idea of her showing the new guy around. He planned to be gone as well, and though he normally didn't mind Rogue flirting, the men she flirted with were never residents of Xavier's. He didn't like thinking she might entice some mutant who planned to stay for a while.
"You knew that was coming, love. Why did you accept?"
Rogue sighed and leaned against the white-haired man. "You know how Emma is, honey. She would've found some way t' trick meh inta stayin'. Ah might as well say yes now."
He wanted to protest, but Rogue was right. Emma would have found some way to beg, without actually begging, Rogue to stay behind and show him around. Easier to just get it over with in the beginning, quick and painless that way.
"Fine, I'll stay too then."
Rogue chuckled and eyed Joseph knowingly. "What's wrong, sweetie? You ain't jealous, are ya?"
"Of course not!" Joseph actually looked indignant at the mere thought. He sighed and wrapped his arm around Rogue's waist. "I just don't like the idea of you with another man, all alone."
"You got no reason t' be jealous, an' you know it too." Rogue leaned against her beau suggestively, chuckling as his eyes lit up.
"Well, maybe I need a little more convincing," he said, already standing and helping Rogue away from the table. He pulled her out of the room, ignoring her half-hearted protests that she hadn't finished breakfast yet. There was time to eat later, he decided, after Rogue had...convinced him he needn't be jealous.
How great could this new guy be anyway?
A/N's:
Joseph is NOT Magneto in this. I'm sure many of you figured that out already, but just in case I thought I'd go ahead and make that double clear. He's just a mutant with powers similar to Magneto's.