~Rogue~
“Ohhh, have you broken up with Bobby?”
Rogue, busy putting away her pen and what was left of the heavy paper she had... “acquired” from the office earlier during the night, threw her a startled glance. What would the wild imagination of this girl lead to this time?
Sharing a room was a whole new experience for Rogue, but she was sure that was not the only reason why she found the other girl a little trying. True, she relaxed more easily now in the presence of other people. She also understood the Professor’s intention of gently forcing her to rely on the tiny hold she seemed to be getting on her mutation. She just doubted Ms Munroe’s wisdom in choosing roommates.
Jubilation had been great and unselfish help earlier, but Rogue valued her privacy highly, and this commodity had certainly become something of a luxury lately.
“What would give you that idea?”
Jubilation pouted at the reaction. “Well, if you are writing love-letters to your tame werewolf...”
“That was just a note to say...” Bewilderment changed to fury. “He’s not a ‘werewolf’, how DARE you! And how CAN you think I’d... ” She knew she spluttered, but really, how completely ABSURD! It left her almost speechless.
Jubilation sat back with a smug expression on her face. Well, well, so that was how you got a rise out of Miss Pleasant Smile? She was being protective about the big bad wolf’s reputation before her own, was she now! How interesting.
But it was not a good sign if a woman didn’t know her Own Heart. The sooner her True Feelings were dragged out and examined under the light of her, Jube’s, superior judgement, the better. It would prepare her to stand up to this brute of a man. Jubes would make sure he would not get away with ANYTHING. Not as far as she herself was concerned (should he ever try), and neither with this Rogue girl who, really, had to be protected from the bad world, she was so sweet.
“Chica, you’ve got a crush on him.”
Oh dear, not even that simple thought had occurred to her. Obviously, it was necessary to spell out details to open her eyes. Jubes counted the points off her raised fingers.
“One, he’s your knight on a ... well, a battered bike, but anyway. Two, he’s the hottest guy on this globe and the next.”
She had no difficulty at all ignoring Rogue’s slightly shocked expression.
“Three, he’s also the most domineering alpha male I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot. And that makes four, you couldn’t deny him ANYthing. VERY dangerous for a girl around a guy, sweetie!”
Rogue stared at her with a frown. “Deny? Why should Ah want to? He’s not even asking for anything.”
This time it was Jube’s turn to roll her eyes to heaven. How could a girl that age be so absurdly innocent? Especially after spending months on the road, as far as she had heard?
“Oh Chica, REALLY. Nothing’s for free in this world, right? And now that he’s no longer got Dr. Grey to occupy his fantasies, who knows? He’s gotten a bit restive lately, hasn’t he?”
Rogue’s face would beat any New Year lantern, her blush was so bright.
“Jubilation Lee, you’ve got a sick mahnd on you, and Ah’m not listening.”
Even the heap of blanket looked hostile as she curled up in her bed, facing the wall. Jubes just shrugged. Ah well, it would just need a little more work to put wisdom into this girl and make her see her danger.
~Logan~
There was still a good bit of night left when he came back, pushing the bike up the driveway, not wanting to alert anyone to his return.
It wasn’t that he felt like hiding – as far as he was concerned, the woman had gotten what she wanted, and so had he. Sort of. He just didn’t want to run into anyone with the smell of that goddamn bitch on him – the two worlds didn’t mix well.
Sure enough, there was still light behind some of the curtains, so it would have to be the back way. A quick climb through ivy brought him on to the garden wall (all this shrubbery round the place was a security risk if ever he’d seen one), and a sure-footed sprint along it to the roof of the adjoining library. A pull-up and he was on the ridge.
He crouched low for a moment to check his surroundings, and also to pull off his boots for better footing. Those slate tiles made some racket when falling off. Especially when they hit the glass roof of the greenhouse right beside. He’d tested that first thing when it began to look like he’d be around here for a while. Had then loosened some of the tiles, memorizing their places. Just because he wanted as many private routes as possible didn’t mean he had to invite the world at large to take the same way.
Another pull-up to the window he had tampered with, then dropping inside and a quick roll into the shadows. Might not be necessary here, but old habits and all that. Everything as quiet as you could expect at this hour in a school with loads of visitors; no smells that shouldn’t be here. This was Rogue’s floor, another very good reason for having a quick entrance and escape if necessary.
Ah, yes, Rogue. He still had to figure out a way of making up to her – shit, he hadn’t meant to lash out like that. She had enough on her plate here; she shouldn’t think she had to tread carefully around him, too.
Not exactly his daily bread‘n butter, though, making excuses. Couldn’t buy her a drink and be done with it. That meant explanations, and what in the name of blazes would you tell a girl there? “I felt rotten hanging around, so I needed a good fuck and it turned out rotten, too?” Geezes. It wasn’t like he actually understood what possessed him, either.
For a moment he stood outside her door, head bowed, eyes closed the better to concentrate. He couldn’t (and didn’t want to) catch the low voices inside, but it sounded like they were okay in there. Good. The smell of freshly washed hair wafted out, shower gel that pretended an acquaintance with strawberries, and some chemical stink he identified as deo – that would be of the girl they called Jubes. The kid had a taste on her like you wouldn’t believe – “tacky” didn’t even come near it.
“Jubilation Lee, you have a sick mahnd on you and Ah’m not listening!”
The exasperated outburst within and the coincidence both pulled him into a reluctant smile. Well, if she could squabble she wasn’t too upset – maybe he wouldn’t have to talk to her at all.
He briefly checked for food in the kitchen – an apple, fair enough – then went on to the room he slept in. A small square of white tucked between door and jamb gleamed in the twilight. He eyed it warily for a second, then caught a faint whiff of Rogue-smell. Huh?
The bedside lamp showed him tidy ornate handwriting:
Dear Logan,
Sorry to have been a nuisance.
I did not mean to trespass.
Hope you had a pleasant evening in the end.
Rogue
He sat down heavily on the bed. “I’m sorry”, so simple. Was that how people normally behaved around each other? Taking care of these small things? And it wasn’t that she had to be afraid of him or wanted to cajole him into anything; she just treated him like she had learnt to treat any friend, innocently and without guile. Expected nothing in return. Readily accepted a responsibility that was his. He’d have to watch out for that, before it became a regular habit with her.
God, he felt stupid, this was no love-letter and him not a teenager. Thing was, here he held literally the only thing he had received from a person willingly and freely given, as far back as he could remember.
This, and Jean’s smile at times.
Something stabbed at his heart.
“Dogs are dogs and people are people.”
This was what made the difference, wasn’t it?
He sat a long time, turning the heavy paper in his hands. Tried to figure out what it was that kept him here, what this empty, pulling feeling was that chilled his soul and made the prospect of running, drifting back north again so damn near unbearable. It was hard, too; he never looked too close inside of him. You never knew if you were gonna like what you found there. Questioning yourself just made you weak.
He got it in the end, put a name to the emotion.
Loneliness. You called it loneliness.
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