Jean Grey made her way through the mansion carrying out her normal day to day routines without any difficulties. She wasn’t a drinker, and as such last night she hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. The simple countdown to the New Year was just as it always had been with Scott. One glass of champagne before sharing a perfect kiss beneath Jubilee’s fireworks.
Viktor Creed walked by her and gave her his usual salute to her authority. Although she was never particularly fond of him, she was pleased that the professor had chosen to take him into the mansion. He seemed to be doing well here. Currently, the mansion was buzzing with people laughing and talking. But it could all be in her head, she was never really sure.
She smiled to herself briefly as she continued to look down her checklist for the day as she walked into the kitchen. “Morning Jean,” A gruff voice murmured. She glanced up to be greeted with a new expression of Logan’s face. Was he... smiling?
“Morning Logan,” She said eerily confused but pleased anyways. “Enjoy your new years?”
He smirked and grabbed a blueberry muffin from the tray of baked goods she had made earlier. “You could say that.” He murmured calmly, and walked out of the kitchen. Had she looked closer she would have noticed a rather new spring in his step.
She shook her head to herself before sitting down at the table across from Beast. He looked about as confused as she was with the Wolverine’s surprising warm welcome. “He’s been acting like that all morning.” He commented, not looking up from his crossword puzzle. “Perhaps he made a new year’s resolution.”
Jean tilted her head to the side slightly, trying to think. “I suppose it could be...” She picked at her own muffin slowly, tapping her pen against the table.
“Those sure smell good.” A southern drawl murmured from the door. “Ya’ll make the blueberry kind I like?”
Jean didn’t look up. “Yes, they’re there.” She answered before her back straightened up. “I didn’t know you liked the blueberry kind.” She allowed herself to turn to look at Rogue for the first time, and even Beast had noticed the peculiar expression Jean had on her face.
Rogue had her hair down, messily straight around her shoulders. Her cheeks were slightly red, but she wore lose plaid PJs Jean had never seen her wear before and a rather revealing black tank top. She almost thought she saw scratches on her arm before Rogue shifted slightly to retreat back towards the door. “Yeah, they’re my favourite.” She told her before spinning around and walking out the kitchen.
Jean glanced over at Hank who had a small smile on his face as he raised an insinuating eyebrow at her. He put his reading glasses back on and chuckled mildly. “The sudden secrecy makes me think their stories are linked.”
Jean’s eyes narrowed. Yes. Those were certainly scratches.
***
Jubilee and Pyro sat watching funniest home videos in the TV room, enjoying themselves as they watched different people fall down. Trampoline mishaps continued as Rogue walked in. “Havin’ fun?” She murmured with a smile as she sat down next to them.
Jubes laughed as she nodded before she realized something. Her gaze on Rogue suddenly seemed like fire, and John had nothing to do with it. She paused as though weighing out her options before she spoke. Her thoughts were collected by the end of her sentence. “Are those Logan’s pyjama pants?”
Rogue froze, glancing down at herself as though she had completely forgotten she was wearing them. (Which she had.) And stood up immediately to go to the door. It seemed she couldn’t stay in one room for long at all. “I think I’ll go take a shower.” She announced before making a mad dash away from the public’s eye.
Along the way she bumped into Viktor, who laughed as he usually does. As they awkwardly stepped around each other he reached over and pushed one strand of her hair behind her ear. “I like your hair like that girlie.”
Rogue blushed briefly, before bolting away, past Jean and Scott who stopped talking the moment they saw her. Oh dear. Mansion gossip yet again. Fantastic.
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