Written for the 'Home & Harbor' Rogue and Gambit fanzine.
Sugar & Spice
by Trish Tilby
Many might not know, but in a former life—back when I was CBNC's Newsreporter of the Year—I was a pretty close friend to the X-Men. In fact, I even dated one (and wild horses couldn't drag out of me now which one it was); and at one point, I even took an unceremonious 'adventure' into outer space with a few of them, which then led to an equally memorable sojourn in Antarctica.
As it turns out, on this glorious summer afternoon I'm sitting across from two of the friends I made on that trip—Rogue and Gambit. It's been years, and they've come alongway. When I last left them, they were probably at the lowest point in their tumultuous relationship. Now they're married, and, according to theDaily Bugle, they're officially the X-Men's hottest couple.
Seated in the gorgeous Dowling's restaurant at the famous Manhattan Carlyle hotel, the two give off a level of comfort in one another's presence I never really saw before—his arm is slung casually over the top of the sofa, as if to put a surreptitious arm around her; she subconsciously leans into him a little, a cup of whipped cream hot chocolate in a gloved hand. Yes—she still wears gloves. Although these days it's more of a precaution than something that's a matter of life and death.
"My powers have evolved," she tells me almost apologetically in her charming Southern lilt. "I'm still getting the hang of them."
Rogue, of course, was always famously known for her inability to touch. And while that still stands to some extent, she's come as far in gaining control of those powers as she has in her relationship with her husband.
"Most of my life I've been unable to touch, so really I'm still learning how to do it."
"She's pretty good at it," Gambit adds with a smirk.
They are, of course, a little older than they were when we last met face to face—but they're both still as startlingly and unreasonably beautiful as ever. Photos don't do them justice (though we've tried with the photoshoot!). She has the kind of healthy beauty that radiates its own totally unconscious energy. And he… well, a man really has no business being that beautiful. I notice they both draw attention from all corners of the room. A particularly brave young woman comes up and asks them both for a selfie. They seem a little embarrassed as they pose for the camera. I get the sense that, despite their very public personas, they still value their privacy.
"How is it," I ask them, "being the X-Men's official hottest couple?"
Their response is a nonplussed look from her (I don't think she got the memo) and from him… a look that clearly says,of course we are.
"I thought Jean and Cyke were," she says, still charmingly confused.
I point out that their wedding made theNew York Times,a feat that even Cyclops and Marvel Girl couldn't accomplish.
"Ya haveta remember," Rogue reminds me seriously, "back then we really didn't have public lives. Our identities were secret—we were just private citizens who also happened to be superheroes."
Isn't that still the case, I ask her?
"It's still the case," she nods. "But nothing's secret anymore. People recognise us on the streets now."
Gambit's been studiously quiet, sipping on his flat white and listening intently to his wife. Now he pipes up with a smile:
"You know what the funny thing was about Cyke and Jean's wedding? Rogue got the bouquet, and I got the garter. But it still took us what felt like a million years to get to this point."
A lot of women tell me that his accent is to-swoon-for, but it's not as exotic in-person as you might think. His accent is pretty much the kind that you hear all over the South—but with a hint ofsomethingthat conjures up images of bayous and beignets. New York has filed down both their accents.
"Was it love at first sight?" I ask the burning question. They both look at each other as if they've been asked this question a thousand times before. The glance they share is humorous. He's the first to answer.
"For me there ain't no question about it. A hundred percent it was."
"Falling in-love's real easy for this one," Rogue comments, elbowing him affectionately in the ribs. "Staying the course is another matter."
There are many responses he could make—I'm still here, aren't I?is the one I'm expecting. Instead he throws me a knowing look and says, "Look how good she is at changing the subject. She just can't stand to admit that it was love at first sight for her too."
"All right, all right!" she sighs, adorably harried. "It was love at first sight for me too!"
He grins broadly; and I sense I've stumbled into a moment of triumph for him. I don't think she's ever admitted it so straightforwardly before. Their good-natured banter is so contagious—and loving—that I defy anyone not to smile when they hear it.
Their mood shifts when I remind them of the last time we'd talked. It's a faux pas—while my intention had been to comment on how long it had been since we'd last seen each other, fans of the couple will remember that Antarctica was not the happiest of places for them. Luckily for me, they're candid about the role it had to play in their romantic lives, rather than uncomfortable.
"Rogue and I had a lot of issues with trust for years after that," he says soberly. "But we got past it. We talk about it now as a learning experience."
They're cagey about what helped them get past it.
"There's nothing that teaches you better than a little bit of empathy, and getting inside each other's heads," Rogue says cryptically. I freely admit I'm not brave enough to ask either of them to expand upon the subject. I know they're too private to talk about it; so I quickly change the subject, asking them how their morning photoshoot went. And suddenly they're all smiles again.
"It was so much fun!" Rogue enthuses. "When Remy wasn't trying to ruin the shots!"
"Hey!" he exclaims with mock outrage. "They were asking for candid moments! You loved it! You were cackling like a hyena!"
I comment on what they'd been wearing for the photoshoots—fan favourites from previous Hellfire Galas. Rogue chuckles.
"Remy is so hot in that outfit, isn't he," she comments slyly, squeezing his knee.
"That's why the readers voted it most popular," he replies with false modesty. "You don't clean up too bad yourself either, ma chere."
She rolls her eyes as he presses a kiss to her cheekbone, grinning broadly.
UK fans of the couple will be excited to know that Captain Britain—who was once a model of some stature—gave Rogue the run of her extensive vintage wardrobe in the lead-up to the first Gala.
"They were all amazing," she gushes. "And I had fun giving them all a whirl. But they weren't really me."
"Yeah, I prefer you outta them rather than in them," he comments cheekily, to which she rolls her eyes again.
"Van Dyne Studios designs all our outfits," she says, when I ask who the designer was. It's not a surprise—as a former Avenger, Rogue would naturally patronise the fashion house of her former teammate, Janet Van Dyne (and side-note: for all you fashionistas, check out the front cover for a sample of this year's latest VDS designs). Needless to say, Gambit's ensemble for last year's Gala caused quite the sensation, and made the front cover ofHellfiremagazine, following on from his wife's cover photo the year before. I ask them what it's like to suddenly become fashion icons.
"Remy's always been a fashion icon," Rogue replies. She isn't wrong—dressed down in jeans and a simple tee, the man still looks frankly delicious. I can only admit it because I know he only has eyes for the woman sitting next to him. "Get him in a suit and I'm swooning," she adds, fanning herself.
"Rogue looks great even when she's in a trash bag," he grins.
"You always say that!" she responds good-naturedly. "But I definitely don't have the sense of style you do!"
"You don't need it. You're effortlessly sexy in anything you choose to wear. Or not wear."
He pulls her in and kisses the top of her head. Seeing them so obviously comfortable and in-love with one another, my next question comes naturally. It's a question many of our readers have been speculating on ever since their surprise wedding. Are kids on the horizon?
"We already have three kids," Gambit replies without missing a beat. "They're called Oliver, Lucifer and Figaro."
"Yeah, and they're enough of a handful as it is," Rogue adds pointedly.
They are, of course, talking about their cats, who even have their own fan club. Since they've so skillfully deflected the original question, I decide not to push it. It seems clear—children are not on their agenda right now, at least not yet.
"We're superheroes," Rogue offers unexpectedly. "Having kids in the kind of environment we live in wouldn't be the best for them. But I happen to think that, if we ever get round to it, Remy will be a great dad. He's a natural with kids."
"I come from a huge extended family," he nods. "Spent a lot of time running around a house bustling with a lot of people, a lot of kids. We was always causing a ruckus."
Rogue's experience was very different. "See, I'm an only kid, from a really fragmented family," she explains. "I was alone most of the time, and when my powers first manifested, being alone is what suited me."
Did that ever cause difficulties in their relationship, I wonder aloud? He laughs.
"Well, by the time I'd joined the X-Men, she'd been with the team long enough to come out of her shell a bit. But I think it was her powers that made her prefer solitude, more than her personality. Rogue loves touch, and she loves human contact. Didn't take long to figure that out."
Rogue nods. "He ain't wrong," she says, simply. She'd been lonely for a long time. Gambit's presence in her life was unnerving at first, and then a challenge. Later it became so much more, for both of them. "But everyone knows that story," she glosses over their torrid on-off affair with a flippant gesture of the hand.
Everyone does know the story. So I ask them both to tell their fans something theydon'tknow.
"I'm Slytherin," he declares proudly, flashing his most winning smile. "She's Gryffindor. It's the hottest combination, hands down. We make it work."
And Rogue?
"It took Remy and me a long time to get to where we are now. There was a time I thought it was over for us. But you know what he said to me? 'I'm your home and your harbor. Your end point.' I ain't sure whether I believed him at the time, but he was right. We found our way back to each other in the I wouldn't be anywhere else—or with anyone else—for all the world." ️
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