CHAPTER NINE: CRAZY IN LOVE

“So you took my advice,” Yukio said then.

Taking in the soaked floor, the abandoned dishes. The blushing Rogue who was pressing her chest tightly against Logan’s back, trying to hide her nakedness- Not that she really could. The girl’s breasts were hanging over the edge of her pulled down tee, her bra swinging merrily off the tap to her left- right where Logan had thrown it. Too far away for her to reach without flashing the room an eyeful and Yukio knew her better than to think she’d do that. Remy was grinning smugly from the doorway, eyes lit up and neck craned exaggeratedly to get a better look-

An action he abandoned hastily when Logan let his claws loose, holding them protectively in front of Rogue. Turning away from them, careful to keep his frame in front of the girl and shielding her from view. Marie made some little sound- Yukio wasn’t sure whether it was from embarrassment or disappointment at being interrupted- and immediately Logan turned to her, wrapping his big arms around her and tucking her head under his chin. His lips grazing her forehead, voice comforting and soft as he pulled her t-shirt straps back up onto her shoulders and righted her skirt. Despite herself Yukio felt a twinge of jealousy: He’d never touched her like that-

But then that’s why you dumped him, she reminded herself sternly.

You play second fiddle to nobody, not even Marie.

And from the moment she’d first seen the pair of them together it was obvious that second fiddle was all she’d ever be. What Marie and Logan shared wasn’t so much a mutual affection as mutual brain-damage: From the way he smiled every time he laid eyes on Rogue to the way he got bent out of shape when she had a boyfriend, Logan’s feelings for the girl were about as subtle as a truck. And the way Marie looked at her when she first met her! Like the urge to be nice and not go feral on her ass was nearly killing her- Which Yuki suspected it was. The Japanese thief couldn’t understand how they kept their hands off one another: After all, Rogue was hardly a child anymore. But then perhaps that was the problem. Logan’s libido might have recognised when Marie grew up but the rest of him was taking its own sweet time. Which was nice and sweet and honourable and all, but no use to Yuki- Who was far too hot to be the Other Woman in some mutant soap opera, no matter how good Wolverine looked in a pair of jeans. So she’d bid Logan farewell, even doing him the favour of pointing out how he felt, the better to get his ass in gear. And the better to get as far away from his and Marie’s brand of melodrama before she lost her mind. A plan which had worked fine until Remy LeBeau decided to make her the centre-piece in Operation Get Into Rogue’s Knickers And Piss Off Logan-

“Heya Yuki,” Marie’s voice chimed from behind Logan’s shoulder-blades then.

“So nice t’see ya, have a nice flight?” The younger woman was still blushing scarlet, and once again Yuki repressed the urge to thump Gambit.

After all, the awkwardness was his fault.

“I didn’t fly,” she replied wryly instead, “My friend Yoshi was coming here for business and he teleported me. But it’s nice to see you too, Marie.”

Gambit’s head flicked up. “Ah paid nearly $900 for a flight from Kyoto for you,” he sputtered.

“I know. I had no intention of taking it, I just felt you should pay for the honour of my company.” And she grinned sweetly at Gambit’s indignant reaction, causing Logan to throw her a smile. Marie visibly stiffened as he did it and Yuki repressed the urge to give the young woman a thump- If Rogue thought anyone was going to get between herself and Logan when Yuki and her way with whips couldn’t then she was clearly blind. “I thought I’d just come to New Orleans,” the thief continued after a moment, “After all, it’s not every day that the head of the Thieves’ Guild-” she inclined her head towards Remy- “Gives an invitation to a solo contractor like me.” She shrugged. “I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew, let alone you-”

“So you didn’t come to see Logan?” Marie asked tentatively. Her blush was fading, now she was back inside her shirt. She sounded suspicious.

Yuki made sure to look directly at her, her voice firm. “No, my friend, I’m not here to see Logan. I was invited by Remy for what I thought was a business trip. Though I must say-” she gestured to Marie and her former boyfriend, “It’s good to see that you two finally got together.” Remy’s eyes did a little dance of rage and she grinned. “I thought Logan would never get his ass in gear and tell you.”

Marie’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me what?”

“Why, how he felt about you, of course.” Yuki tried not to sound too smug. “I mean, I did point it out but I figured it’d take longer for him to own up to it-”

“You told him how he felt?” Marie had gone very still, the way she did when she was about to engage an opponent. It was a manoeuvre most of the Brotherhood feared on sight. She turned so she was staring at Logan, her expression incredulous. “So that’s why you’re doing this?” she demanded. “Because Yukio told you to?”

“Marie,” the feral growled, “I can explain-”

“Explain what? That the only reason you’ve finally noticed Ah’m a grown woman is because your ex hand-picked her replacement? What am Ah? Your, your training wheels?” And she jumped down off the sink, her expression angry. Remy gave a pleased little chuckle and Yuki stood on his foot. He pouted. “Ah thought you’d finally decided Ah was the one you wanted,” Marie was saying. “Ah thought you’d finally opened your eyes-”

“You are what I want, darlin’,” Logan growled. “You’re so much what I want that it’s making me nuts.” He shook his head, not sure how to say what he wanted: Verbal dexterity and he were hardly bestest buds. “I just needed to hear someone say it to me,” he said. “I just needed to hear someone say I wasn’t imagining it and I wasn’t too damaged fer you and I wasn’t a dirty old man. You were so young when we met, just a kid-”

“Ah’m not a kid!” she snarled.

“I know that!” he snarled right back. “You think I’d do what I just did to you if I thought you were a kid?”

“Ah think you went and felt up your hand-picked rebound girlfriend!” Marie bit out. “Ah think you only went for me when you got permission, like Ah’m some sort o’ helpless little girl!” She pushed him away, shaking her head. She looked livid. “You’ve never needed to be given permission to do anything in all the time Ah’ve known you,” she was muttering. “You take what you want and you don’t give a shit. So now Ah’m supposed to believe that you were waiting for permission to take me?”

“I wasn’t waiting for permission,” he growled. “And I didn’t “take,” you-I’m not a fucking animal-”

Marie crossed her arms. “Then what do you call what we just did? Making love? In a sink surrounded by dirty dishes? Because that sounds pretty animal to me-”

His head whipped up to look at her. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that!” he snapped. “It was a mistake-”

“So Ah’m a mistake now?”

“Trying to fuck you on a kitchen counter was, yeah.” A horrified look flitted over her face and immediately he shook his head, but he couldn’t help it: The words were out there now, there was no way to take them back. Any more than there was a way to change what Marie thought they meant. “Look,” he was muttering, “I won’t lie: This wasn’t how I imagined this. I thought there’d be, be sheets and music and a bed and shit. And candles. Lots o’ candles. And, and pot pourrie, or whatever other girlie shit you’d want.” Rogue went to interrupt him but he rushed on regardless: clearly he felt like he was on a roll. “I just saw you there and I- You smelled like LeBeau, y’know?” He shook his head helplessly. “Even after all that dancing you still smelled like LeBeau. And you shouldn’t smell like him, you’re mine Marie, mine and nobody else’s-”

“So that’s finally got your butt in gear?” Marie said. Her expression could have withered a red-wood, let alone an oak. “That you had proof another man wanted me? You’re unbelievable.” And she shook her head. Hands balled up into little fists at her side. “Ah am not a Barbie doll, you got that?” she was saying. “Ah am not some possession you get to paw like a caveman or order around. And if you actually cared about me then you wouldn’t have waited until another man was interested to try and get me. You wouldn’t have waited until your ex-girlfriend told you it was fine to make your move.” She finally pulled away from him, lip wobbling, eyes glassy. Logan looked like he wanted to shoot himself for having caused her pain. “In fact, if you wanted me Ah know there’s nothing that coulda stood in your way- So cut the bullshit Logan.” Her gaze darted to Remy. “Because Ah’ve heard enough o’that for one night.”

And with that she stalked out of the kitchen, head held high. Slamming the door behind her. Leaving Yuki nonplussed and Logan heart-broken and Remy shaking his head. “That’s not exactly how I planned that,” the Cajun muttered softly then. He looked guilty as Hell.

“Really?” Logan growled. He looked monumentally pissed. “Hey Remy, what’s that on your jaw?”

And without a word of warning Logan’s fist connected with his face, knocking him flying. Snarling and watching him hit the floor, waiting only long enough to ascertain that his blow hurt like Hell and then he stalking out.

“I hope you know you brought this on yourself, Gambit,” Yukio drawled. She couldn’t help smiling.

“Remy know, petite. Remy know. What can Ah say? Pretty women make me stupid.” And with that he hobbled out.