I do not own the X-Men... I wish I did though lol
The sun was starting to rise above the horizon in London, even if its rays were pale and cold in the cloudy,] Autumn sky. The dark blue velvet curtains blocked most of the new day's light, but the crystal chandelier kept the apartment's living room well-lit.
Scott sat next to the fireplace of the living room of the hotel apartment he and Xavier were staying. Even though the fire was long gone, the heat still lingered, making Scott comfortable. His sleepiness was surely tempting to give into. It had been nearly six hours since he had told Charles he would only give another quick read at the police's reports about the missing mutants. However, each time he read it, the less sense it made, and the more he felt he was missing something.
He yawned and stretched, trying to release the tension from his back. He put the report he had been analyzing on the side table, stood, and poked the embers with the fire iron. As he moved his hands towards the inviting heat, he listened carefully to check if there was any sound coming from Charles' bedroom. They were in a very traditional hotel, in an apartment that consisted of a small living room and two bedrooms, and also a bathroom. It was antique but very cozy.
Apparently, Charles was still asleep, which was no surprise. The whole trip had been exhausting and he had stayed awake until late making phone calls, taking notes, contacting relatives and friends of the missing ones. Scott was amazed at the energy his mentor had showed.
After ordering his breakfast, with strong coffee instead of tea, Scott sat by the round oak table. A glance at the scattered papers on it made him give a frustrated sigh. 'What do you have in common, besides being mutants?' He wondered, eyes fixed on the photographs of the missing people. Three men, two women; very different ages; only two of them went to the same university; not much in common in their lives. The first victim, Linda Reed, an Archaeology teacher, sixty years old, not much of a social life but dear to all her students and colleagues, her mutation was merely a physical one. The last, Doug Ramsey, a Computer Engineering student, seventeen years old, an introvert genius thanks to his mutant abilities, which were unknown to his friends, according to his own parents. 'Nobody knew this boy was a mutant, except his parents. How could this be a mutant-hate crime? What am I not seeing?'
"I can't, Pete. Lorna and I are going dancing tonight." Bobby Drake answered when Piotr asked him to go bowling that night. As he said that (slightly louder than necessary, and giving a glance to Rogue, who sat on the opposite side of the kitchen), Lorna moved to stand behind him, put her hands on his shoulders and rest her chin on the top of his head. It was breakfast time in the Institute, and Bobby, Piotr, Sam, and Lorna were making plans for later, after they were done eating.
Piotr only gave a discreet nod and smile in return, always the one that didn't like to make questions about people's life, but Sam asked straight away: "So, you two are going on a date?" He then winked at Lorna. She opened her mouth to answer, looking to her friend but Bobby answered first.
"No, no. We're just hanging out." He seemed embarrassed for a moment, not really sure of what else to say. At that remark, the joyful glow disappeared from Lorna's face.
From her seat, next to Jubilee and Rogue, Kitty sipped on her orange juice and watched the scene. "Poor Lorna." She whispered. Rogue was too entertained checking the messages on her mobile phone, but Jubilee gave her a quick uninterested glance, which turned to an inquiring look when she saw Kitty's pitiful face.
"Why?" Jubilee asked, straightening herself on the chair. Kitty tried to indicate the couple with her eyes. Jubilee stared at them for a while, popped her gum, and raised her eyebrows. "What? I don't get it."
"Jubs, I thought you were a little more perspicacious than this." Kitty muttered under her breath, apparently trying not to be heard by Rogue, and Jubilee was only able to understand most of the sentence by reading her lips. "Don't you see…?"
"They are dating, right?" Jubilee cut her off. "And trying to hide it. Of course I saw that! And why the heck are we whispering about it? Rogue doesn't mind it, right?" She poked Rogue, who raised her eyes from her mobile.
"Mind what?" When Jubilee pointed, she twisted her lips and shrugged. "Not at all. We broke up, right? So… he's moving on. Ah just didn't think it would be this quick… well, actually, Ah did. Deep inside, he was longing for this freedom. He just didn't want to admit it at first. But Ah ain't blaming him, honestly. Ah wonder why they are still pretending there's nothing, when they are clearly going out almost every day now, though." Another message arrived on her phone and she chuckled, then typed an answer. "Ah already told y'all Ah don't care. There's no going back for us… It wasn't working anymore, no matter what we did."
Kitty tapped on the table absently, lost in thoughts, while Jubilee tried to take a peek at Rogue's mobile phone. "See, Kitty? Rogue is fine. It's only a matter of time until Bobby realizes that and makes his dating with Lorna official."
With a heavy sigh, Kitty shook her head slowly and gave a significant look to Jubilee, but it ended up being ignored. She tapped her fingers on the table a little more anxiously when Lorna wrapped her arms around Bobby's neck, trying hard to hide her indignation at the scene. 'This is going to end bad.'
'So, where did you disappear to this time?' Rogue typed back to Remy. It seemed lately he had been disappearing quite often. This morning, she had gone to his room to wake him up and found the place empty. Her two phone calls were unsuccessful. After checking the whole mansion, including the roof, and asking some people about him, only to get negative responses, she had a solution that nearly made her slap her forehead at its simplicity. She opened the garage's door and confirmed his Harley Davidson wasn't there. She shrugged her disappointment off and met her friends for breakfast. A while later, he sent a good morning message to her mobile phone and they started to chat.
'Got a call from an old friend last night. Came to visit him while he is in town.' He answered not long after.
'Him or her?' She typed, and felt dumb after sending it. Why did that question pop to her mind?
'Him. An old man. Don't worry, Rogue, he is not that attractive. As far as I like white hair, I prefer it on women. Brunette women. Green eyes are a plus, too.'
She couldn't help but laugh at his witty answer. 'Charmer.'
'Seriouly, though, chérie… I only came because he really needed to see me. But I'll be back in time for our dinner. I even got you something you might like.'
Rogue shifted on her chair, curiosity striking her. 'Mind tellin me what it is?'
'At 6 p.m., look for me in the library. If I'm not there, go get ready and we'll meet in the entrance hall at 7 p.m., ok?'
She read the first line again. The library? It didn't make sense at all to her. If he wanted to give her something, why did it have to be in the library, specifically? And then there was even the possibility he wouldn't be there! Weird, but the mystery of it pleased her. 'Ok, swamp rat. See you later.'
6:15 p.m. He definitely wasn't showing up. Rogue tapped her foot impatiently on the floor, checked her clock one more time, even if it hadn't been even one minute since she last looked at it. If she waited any longer, she wouldn't be able to get ready in time for the dinner. With one last frustrated sigh, she went upstairs to her room. 'What if he doesn't show up later too?' Rogue bit her lip, not sure if what was giving chills in her stomach was anger or apprehension.
She turned on the lights of her room and her eyes immediately fell on something black sprawled over her bed. "What the heck…?" She approached the bed and gasped. 'Damn!' A little note written on a Joker card laid on her pillow: 'Sorry for getting your dress dirty. Want to get dirty with this one?' Rogue rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the beautiful night dress.
Unlike many night dresses though, this one didn't steal the attention to itself. There wasn't anything sparkly, colorful, or extravagant about it. It was just a well-cut black dress. But that was exactly the thing about it. It seemed to be sewn in a way to highlight the person who wore it, the person's body, and any accessory the person might wear. It was like a white canvas waiting for an artist. She took off her gloves and touched the fabric, fascinated. She had to try it on right away!
Rogue rushed to get a shower, perfectly aware she was probably going to be late. After doing her make up, with dark eyes and crimson lips, and tying her hair in an elegant bun, she slipped into the dress carefully. Her reflection in the mirror was enough to steal a delightful moan from her lips.
The dress had a deep cut sweetheart neckline that made her grow hot at the mere thought of Remy's intention in giving it to her. However, even if it was provoking, it was classy too, showing some but also leaving most part up to the imagination. It tightened around every curve of her body, but it didn't give anything away. It was knee length and her thighs were only a brief and tempting suggestion beneath the fabric. The deep cleavage was covered by a very thin black gauze that went from her neckline to her wrists. She suddenly realized she wouldn't have to worry about covering up with a coat or long gloves to avoid skin contact; the dress had its own form of protection without hiding her at all. 'Smart.'
"Rogue, it's nearly seven!" Jubilee knocked on the bathroom's door. "And I gotta use the bathroom too! Hurry!"
"Ah'm ready." Rogue said, opening the door and making a sensual pose on the doorframe. That outfit created an atmosphere of its own and she couldn't resist but play along.
Jubilee squeaked. "Rogue, you're amazing! Wow, this dress looks expensive." She said, touching the fabric.
"It probably was." Rogue admitted, getting a little worried about how much Remy must've spent.
"I would like to stay here and admire it, but I really have to use the bathroom. Just remember to text me as soon as something happens! Have a good date, chica!" Jubilee shot her a bright smile and rushed into the bathroom.
"Nothing's happening! It's a friend's meeting!" Rogue yelled back. She took a little while choosing nice earrings and a bracelet, and then put black gloves on. After putting her high heeled ankle boots and grabbing her purse with the coupons in it, she left the room, with a feeling of anticipation growing at each step.
Curious stares from other students followed Rogue's every movement as she walked downstairs, and Tabitha even jokingly asking where she had been hiding all that time. She was having a hard time already keeping her breathing steady without that attention, a thing she definitely was still trying to get used to. Anxiety made her feet heavy, and she could swear she was stumbling around instead of walking. Going out with Remy LeBeau, the annoying charmer with no sense of personal space, the perverted swamp rat who didn't seem to acknowledge her mutation, the man that put most of the girls of the Institute in a stupid frenzy. Going out with him, all alone, for the first time. 'Who'd ever say?' The irony in it made her grin. 'The most annoying man… my friend.' That last word eased her nervousness. 'We're friends. There's no reason to be all stressed out, Rogue.' There was nothing more to that… meeting; those butterflies in her stomach didn't make sense. It was a friends' night out, like when she went out with Piotr or Sam. 'It's exactly the same thing. If it was meant to be something more, he would be going out with someone else, not me… his untouchable friend.'
Strange as it may seem, the inability to touch gave her a boost of confidence. She stepped in the entrance hall with her chin up and a smile on her face, which faded away as soon as she realized there was no one there.
"He just left." Came a woman's voice from behind her. Rogue turned around and saw Alison leaning on the Rec Room's doorframe, eyes fixed on her clothes.
Rogue felt the air being knocked out of her lungs. "What?" 'He left?! Why would he leave? He made me dress up like this for nothing?!' She wanted to feel angry, but all she did feel was lost and confused.
"You missed him by a second." Alison said, putting her hands in her pockets and giving Rogue a pitiful look. Pitiful and slightly scornful. Truth is both girls had never really gotten along. They were completely opposite in everything, and while Rogue used to be really reserved and closed, Alison was one of those girls that were always in the spotlight and loved it, always lively, always dazzling. The memory of Alison sneaking into Remy's room, purring his name, made something burn inside Rogue's chest. In that moment, Kitty popped through the wall of the Rec Room, looking from one pitiful face to a dumbfounded one.
"She's talking about Bobby." Kitty said in a low tone, the sides of her mouth creeping up, realizing the confusion Alison had just made. Those words were enough to make Rogue's color go back to her face.
"Of course. Bobby, who just went out with Lorna. Who would I be talking… about?" Alison's jaw dropped slightly, and Rogue followed her gaze over her shoulder.
There he was, jumping the last three steps of the staircase and rushing in her direction. He was wearing tidy black jeans, a white button-up shirt that suited his olive skin perfectly, and a black coat over it. Rogue felt secretly slightly disappointed he had shaved his usual scruffy face, but the different look was great nonetheless. Somehow, it made him look a little younger, and even a bit innocent, or at least as innocent as a man with that smirk and those eyes could look. He ran a hand through his hair to try and control his wild auburn locks, that apparently were as stubborn as him and went back to their previous place, smoldering his face, just as he smiled to the girls in front of him. "Good night, belles! Ma chérie, I'm sorry f'r my lateness." He put his hands together apologetically, his eyes now fixed on Rogue.
Rogue let out her breath, trying to steady her heartbeat from the scare Alison had given her, unsuccessfully; his voice had been another injection of adrenaline in her heart. "It's alright. Ah just got here too."
Alison was still staring at the couple, apparently very shocked, when Kitty poked her. "Come on; let's make that popcorn before the movie starts. Come." She dragged the blonde by the arm, leaving Rogue and Remy alone.
Rogue was about to make a witty remark, but when she saw Remy's expression, her voice died. His eyes burned. They burned like coals, and her thoughts flew before she could keep them under control, whispering in her mind, asking her how would it feel to be consumed by that fire, to open her arms and let it consume her like a piece of paper thrown in the fireplace. Her knees weakened but then he spoke and she held on to his voice. "Y' are a vision, chérie." Whiskey voice. And there she was, drunk and burning. "T' be honest, I'm a little speechless here."
'Ya tell meh?' "Thanks, sugah. And thank ya so much for the dress. It is… wow. You didn't need to do this." She whispered, glad the sentences made sense.
He stood in silence for a little longer, then slowly took off the glove from his right hand. Rogue watched with a racing heart as he moved his hand closer and his fingertips touched her arm softly through the dress' gauze. A gauze as thin as a breath. 'So warm…' She would've closed her eyes, if she hadn't found herself completely frozen. On the outside, at least. When she didn't step back, he took a soft grip on her forearm and caressed it. She swallowed hard and only then realized she had her jaw clenched, trying to fight a gasp from coming out of her mouth. The feeling… it was almost too overwhelming. A drop of water glided down her face. 'Am Ah melting?' Remy raised his eyes to her face, and for a moment seemed as lost in admiring it as she had been in watching him touch her arm.
"Thank you." Rogue whispered hoarsely, a little more emotional than she had intended to be.
Remy nodded, coming back to the present moment. "I'm happy y' liked it, chérie." He murmured, while taking off his other glove and putting it in his pocket. "No gloves for me tonight, unless my hands start freezin'." He picked up the single tear before it dripped from her chin. If only she knew how badly he had wanted to taste it as soon as it rolled over her lips…
Rogue smiled awkwardly at his last word. Remy took that as a positive sign and smiled too, relieved he hadn't ruined everything with his impulsive gesture.
"Tears in our first five minutes… That's either a very good sign, or a very bad one." He said and Rogue chuckled.
"We have the rest of the night to decide which it is." She answered lightly, looking at him from under her long lashes.
"Let's hope for the best." Remy offered her his arm, she took it, and he led her to the garage.
They walked in, and Rogue was about to get the key to one of the cars the students shared at the mansion when she heard a car next to her unlock. When she laid eyes on it, her mouth dropped. "This car?!"
Remy played with the keys in his hand and opened the door of the red convertible Mercedes. "Y' don't like it? I knew I should've rented a limousine." He sighed in fake frustration.
"Silly. What Ah meant was… are we allowed to take it?"
"Chérie, you offend me. I'm a teacher; dat means I'm responsible enough t' take it!"
Rogue chuckled and punched him on the chest. "No, that means people think you are responsible enough to take it."
"Works all the same." Remy shrugged with a smirk, helping her get into the car.
"Why do Ah get the feeling Scott would still flip out, if he was here?" Rogue asked when Remy sat by her side and turned on the car. She felt the excitement running through her veins, though not sure if it was because of the motor roaring like a beast when Remy accelerated or because of his rich laugh.
His eyes were narrowed with his grin when he answered. "He flips out over anythin', belle. But it's jus' like Logan says… if we keep makin' him snap 'bout the things we do, at some point he will become numb and won't snap 'bout it anymore. We'll get there eventually, you'll see."
Inside, Ororo was comfortably sitting on a couch in the living room when Logan came in laughing. She raised her eyebrows, interested. "What are you laughing about Logan?"
"Nothing. Just happened to hear some Cajun talk…" He shrugged.
"It seems you're finally taking it easy with the boy. It was about time!" She said, crossing her legs and turning the page of the new report Scott had just sent her. "I was getting tired of your growling."
"He's not so bad. Though I'm sure he was cheating at the poker table, last night." Logan was about to light a cigar but stopped at Ororo's death glare.
"Just admit he played better than you."
Logan grunted and flung himself on the couch next to her. "I'm still not very happy about his insistence in hanging around Rogue all the time, either. Not happy at all. Told him to stay away about three times already but he just won't listen. I guess I'll need to have a more drastic…"
"Logan!" Ororo hit him on the arm with the thick report. "You better mind your own business, you hear me? Leave them alone. Rogue is already a grown woman, and responsible enough to choose her own friends."
"She's twenty two!"
"She's got her head in the right place. Anyways, twenty two is still more than twenty one. Although, I think you'll act the same way even when she's thirty." She reprimanded him with a glare. She knew Logan was only trying to protect Rogue but, in Ororo's opinion, pushing Remy away was pure silliness on his part.
At first, she had been worried about the constant proximity between the Southern couple too. But Ororo Munroe wasn't blind. Rogue's mood and attitude lately had changed nearly drastically, and to the better. Remy also seemed to be much more relaxed and interested in things around him than when he had arrived. Ororo didn't have a heart made of stone either. On Sunday, by accident, while she checked on her plants one last time before going to bed, she had witnessed something that made her heart melt. She wouldn't get in the way of those two when they seemed to have such a positive effect on each other, nor she would let Logan do that.
"I once promised to take care of her. I'm not one to break the promises I make." He muttered.
"You know?" Ororo rest her forearm on his shoulder, playfulness lighting her face. "You are a grumpy gentleman, Logan."
Logan snorted. "A gentleman?!"
"Yes. In a very twisted way."
"You sure you haven't been drinking, 'Ro?"
"Just coffee." She nodded to the cup on the side table.
"If you want, we could share a pack of beer."
"You know drinks are not allowed in the school, Logan."
"We could go out, then." He suggested, not so subtly. Ororo sat straight on the couch, a bit flustered. "Teammates should interact a little, beyond training sessions and missions, ain't it? Or at least, that's what Mr. Boy Scout would say." He made an offensive noise with his mouth and smirked.
Ororo pointed to her report, still a little taken aback. "Logan, we've got work to do, remember? Where is your report, by the way?"
"Somewhere in my room, I think." A frown darkened his features. "Ok, since you don't want to, I'll drink by myself." He stood all of a sudden and walked to the door, leaving a startled weather goddess behind him. "And before you complain, I can drink and read at the same time!"
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