Disclaimer: Don't own the X-Men!
Chapter 4: Sweet.
One would think that locating a secret superhero organization's headquarters would represent an intricate task, but for Remy, it was even easier than he had expected. Breaking into some government sites, clicking on the right folders and couple hours later, he already knew the exact location of Rogue's home sweet home.
Now, all of this also brought up something interesting: she was a mutant, too. She had to be, if she was a part of this institute for the gifted or whatever. What are the odds, that two strangers with the mutant gene meet up for sex every once in a while?
"What your power, chere? What y' do, 'sides drivin' Remy fou?"
With the tip of one of the fingers his gloves left exposed, he lit up the corner of an ace of spades, but only for a second, making it go back to its usual state right away. He kept shuffling a deck of cards as he waited in this small forest, always sneaky, like the thief he was.
If he had been curious about Rogue before bumping into her in the train station, now it surprised him a whole lot to recognize himself in this state of fixation, that was new to him. Why her and not another one of the many women he had spent the night with? He got a partial answer for this, the first time his stalking observation finally bore fruits: two people emerged from the left, walking down the sidewalk there, behind the mess of trees and branches that hid him from view. They were two girls: a younger one, brunette and with a pony tail, but that's all he saw of her, because by her side, was Rogue.
There, in the middle of a freaking forest, he couldn't help to smirk when images of the nights they had spent together flooded his mind.
He wanted more of that. And more of everything related to her.
He saw them go all the way to a nearby grocery store, then back on their tracks to the ridiculous fortress they lived in. Of course no defense mechanisms that old shack could have, were nowhere near a match for him, but still, it'd be best to meet her outside. For now.
Several days passed and he didn't see her anymore, until one day, there she was again, with a scrawny guy that no way in hell could be her boyfriend or anything like that. Had she looked in his direction, for the split of a second? He couldn't be sure. Of course as days went by, cars and a black van would also come and go, but they all had smoked windows, so not a chance there.
Then, after a whole month of this surveillance shifts that he recognized were more suiting of a middle school kid than of a grown ass master thief, he saw her again. Alone.
He saved the deck of cards in a pocket and headed to the hiding spot of his bike.
There was a slight alteration in her pace, in her posture, when she heard the engine approaching. And when he was already by her side, she kept looking straight to the front for some moments, then, her eyes went to meet his, as she turned around warily.
"Bon jour."
She looked to both sides of the street before stopping by and letting out a simple "hi".
She seemed a bit defensive, but he guessed it was mostly because of the incident the other day at the terminal and her team mates. And the fact that they should keep this whole thing a secret, of course. Many reasons for the awkwardness in her, yes. But that wouldn't make him desist.
"Where y' goin', chere? Remy can give y' a ride, then we can go get dinner and, who knows?, maybe we can have breakfast too".
Ahh, there it was. Faint and hesitant, but it was certainly there: the little smile and teasing hint in her eyes that he knew so well.
"Well yah're straight forward, aren't yah?"
"Not more than y', p'tite".
She looked down and again, the little smile, but this time bigger, just a bit. She nodded and met his eyes again:
"True".
"So, what y' say? We go?"
Another glimpse towards the left, in the institute's direction, then she spoke:
"The other day, yah made those explosions, didn't yah?"
His ruby eyes were indecipherable for some moments:
"Guess we use our powers for different purposes."
They just kept studying each other's faces. Crazy how context changes everything between two people. Then, he tapped on the back seat of his bike: "Come on, cherie, hop on".
She was about to say something but her expression changed when she saw a car approaching.
"Shit… Ah can't, some other time, 'kay?"
"Is it 'cause of those people y' live with?"
"No, well yeah, Ah mean…"
"Rogue?" the car had already pulled over and it was right besides Remy's bike: "Is everything all right?"
At least it wasn't Logan, but Colossus. That guy couldn't see a damsel in distress because he had to go all protective mode. Except Rogue wasn't exactly a damsel neither was she in distress.
"Yeah, thanks, Ah'm fine".
"Are you sure?"
He must have noticed her uneasiness, because he opened the car's door.
In his insides, Remy cursed that crétin. Those X-Men had to be the nosiest and most annoying people in the world.
"Remy, please leave".
The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable, though it seemed he had already achieved that.
"Only 'cause y' ask for it, but I'll come back".
The bike roared and sped up, right when Piotr was by Rogue's side.
"Are you okay?" the big guy asked again.
"Yeah, it was just one of those guys, catcallers, yah know".
"Yes, and I know you can take care of yourself but…"
"Thanks, anyway".
He asked her if she wanted a ride (can't a girl take a walk?) but she preferred to go by foot. The rest of her trip to and back from the grocery store, passed in a constant looking over her shoulder and a mental summing up of Remy's face, body, voice and words.
(…)
One day, Rogue ventured out of the mansion, by foot again. Kitty and Jean wanted to do some make-up shopping, so she decided she could tag along and get some for herself as well.
Two weeks had passed from their last encounter, but as she walked down the sidewalk, besides the little forest, Jean and Kit chit chatting by her side, she knew he was there. She couldn't see him, but maybe… maybe there were two intense red pupils fixated on her, insanely and disturbingly enough.
(…)
On a Friday afternoon, she exited the main gates of the mansion's lands. It wasn't too chilly that day, though the sky was mainly grey. She headed straight down the street, overcoming the four or five blocks that separated the institute from the forest, in less than ten minutes.
There was some grass there too, and benches, like a little park. She sat on one and pulled a book out of her bag. She placed it on her lap and started reading.
Well, if this wasn't an obvious invitation, then he didn't know what was.
Remy emerged from behind the trees and bushes that at this point, felt like his second home.
She heard him approach, of course, eyes still on the book, his steps getting closer and closer behind her back.
"Chere" he let himself fall on the bench, besides her: "Look what y' make poor Remy go through". His right shoe was entirely covered in mud, up to the hem of his pants.
She closed the book; there was no bookmark:
"Well Ah didn't ask yah to creep on me like a complete psycho stalker".
"Y' right 'bout that, there are other ways, bien sur. For starters, y' could gimme your number".
The little smile. He loved it. It almost actually tasted sweet, just to see it.
"Yeah, that's what Ah wanted to talk to yah about".
"Ah, oui?"
"Yeah". Right then, it occurred to her that there is some kind of universal weirdness in having a full clothed conversation in a public place, with someone you barely know and that has seen you in your birth suit and in poses that are probably not even legal. "Yah gotta stop doin'… this thing yah're doin'."
"Couldn't agree more, but what Remy get in return?"
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked in the other direction, trying to hide her own cheekiness. Then, she looked back at him:
"What do yah have on mind?"
"Could give y' a list" he smirked: "But for now we could go for coffee or something".
She looked down and turned the book over on her lap, for no reason at all.
"Nah, yah're gonna stop this crazy stalkin' and then… Ah'll contact yah. Eventually". The WTF look on him, made her laugh: "What? Not used to a girl havin' the upper hand, sugah?"
"Non, not that, I just don't know what we be waitin' for, or what we're tip toeing around. Y' married? Y' have a boyfriend, that guy the other day?"
"What?! No! Ah'm not married, Ah don't have… anyone. He's just a friend".
"'Kay, good to know" he conceded: "Then what is it?"
Then, what was it?
She had to stick to it:
"Ah know where yah live, okay? Ah'll just go there, one of these days".
She stood up and he did the same: "When?"
She shrugged: "Soon".
He had been curious; then, very interested; now, he was completely puzzled. Was it possible? Remy LeBeau, the expert in women, confused as hell by one?
"Alright, what if I'm with someone else then?" he threw a card on the table with that, but then again, hers was better:
"Ah'll just leave an' come back another day" she said this as carefree as it gets.
Huh.
"Do I have a choice?"
She smiled at him one more time:
"Bye, Remy" and walked away, back to the mansion.
"Bye."
He stared at her for a little while before going to get his bike.
Note: Okay, what do you guys think of this? Thanks for reading and please don't leave me here alone without a review (*Insert Shrek's sad cat*)