X-men Evolution Fan Fiction ❯ Starting Today ❯ Chapter 9

AN: There was a coffee house called The Pour House in Derry, NH. Very cool place once upon a time. I don't know if it's still there now. Everything else belongs to Marvel, except for Remy's dust bunnies.

O-o-o-o-O

The Pour House was a little coffee house on the outskirts of town; not the worst neighborhood, but you wouldn't want to spend too much time around any of the dark alleys there either. The focus of the room was the coffee bar in the middle, set up much like a regular bar, but to provide caffeine rather than alcohol. Intimately small tables were scattered around the room, and two couches and a recliner created a kind of nook in the back; where there was a bookcase that people were free to borrow from and read while sipping their favorite concoction. The atmosphere was laid back and friendly to both those arriving with others or just those who wanted to be alone. This agreeable attitude made it popular with the local mutant population and those who just didn't fit in normally. Nobody cared who you were there, which was what had attracted Remy to the place ever since he first came to Bayville. Here he could sit back and relax, people watch if he wanted, and basically not worry about what those around him thought. Naturally it was the perfect place to take someone as uncomfortable with people as Rogue was.

The past few days hadn't been easy. He didn't want to give Rogue an excuse to get mad and back out on their date so he had been a good boy for once and left her alone. To say he had been bored was an understatement. The level of entertainment around the Acolyte base was so low that it made him almost consider starting up his dust bunny colony again. John had gone so far as to create a blazing shrine to his fiery X-goddess. Normally Remy would observe John's antics with a laugh but when the shrine threatened to overtake Remy's bedroom it immediately stopped being funny.

Strangely he found himself missing his little goth girl. Normally he'd retreat to his dirty little fantasies, which had not decreased in frequency or naughtiness of content over the past few weeks, but for some reason he was thinking of her in non-X-rated terms as well. Thoughts of getting her pissed off were becoming almost as fun as thoughts of getting her off. Almost. He told himself it was just because she got this gleam in her eyes when she was mad that was incredibly sexy, but any time he did this he swore he could hear this little voice in the back of his head laughing its ass off at him. He tried to ignore that as much as possible; one should not pay attention to any voices in one's head, especially if that voice is laughing at you.

But finally, it was Friday, and here was Remy on his favorite couch at The Pour House, doing a bit of people watching and looking out for his Chere. Whoever was running the stereo tonight was in the mood for Garbage and "Stroke of Luck" was playing in the background at a comfortable level. He was hoping for a bit of luck himself. As much as he enjoyed getting Rogue mad, Remy knew he'd never get anywhere with her if he couldn't make her relax around him.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, he almost missed the door opening. Looking up, he saw his vision pass through the door and into the coffee shop. She looked around the place with slightly wary eyes, but then relaxed as she seemed to find it to her liking. He hadn't caught her eye yet, so he took the moment to let his eyes move over her figure, repainting her in his memory. She didn't seem to let her mutation impede her style. On her, the soft, sheer fabrics and dark, rich colors tantalized and drew attention more than skimpier clothes did on others, at least to his eye anyway. She never seemed to receive any attention from the men around her, even those she lived with; so he supposed that they just didn't see what he saw in her. Remy figured that was their loss though; it just meant he wouldn't have to share her attention with another.

She was searching the room now with her eyes, looking for him. There. He had her. Her eyes seemed to brighten a little as she moved to the back of the room to join him.

He would have and keep her attention, whatever it took to do it.

O-o-o-o-O

Rogue had to admit, the boy had good taste. The coffee house had a nice, relaxed atmosphere that she could definitely get into. She wondered again though, what on earth she was doing here. What flaw in her anti-swamp rat defense system had allowed him to convince her to meet with him. She wasn't really worried about any nefarious plot by Magneto; Remy had had numerous opportunities to kidnap her on the various occasions he found her alone and hadn't, so she doubted he would try something like that in a public place. No, Remy seemed to be doing this for himself, but she couldn't figure out why a player like him would bother wasting his time with her. He had to realize that if he was looking for an easy lay, she was a dead end in that department. But that was his problem. If he thought he would get anywhere with her, he had another thing coming; in the meanwhile she could enjoy her eye candy and have a laugh at his expense at the same time.

Even though he had left her alone the past few days, she still hadn't stopped dreaming about Remy. If anything, the dreams had gotten worse. They grew from the R to the NC-17 rating and she often woke up sweating from the intensity of what he had done to her in her imagination. She told Kitty they were nightmares, and in a way they were. Lusting after Magneto's Cajun lackey was sheer torture. Even if she could act out her fantasies, there was still the opposite team issue. Though he didn't seem interested in world domination, she doubted he would join any team out of the goodness of his heart.

So why was she here again?

Hell if I know

She glanced around the room, looking for the object of her nightmares. She found it sitting in the back of the room, reclining comfortably on a couch, gazing at her. He gave her a wink as she started towards him, as if he knew what she had been thinking.

"Nice little place Swamp Rat, come here often?"

"Merci, Chere, I thought you'd like it. I found this place when I first came to Bayville. Their coffee's the best around." He reached for her hand but she kept it out of his way and sat down on the couch, keeping a good space between them.

"So what would you like to drink? Remy's buying."

"Are you ever going to start using my name, Swamp Rat?"

"Non, Chere. It suits you so much better than Rogue. Besides, last time Remy checked his name wasn't Swamp Rat."

"Fine, Remy . So are you saying that if I start using your name you'll start using mine? And I'll take a chai."

"Non, I never said that. I still like Chere better than Rogue." He gave her a wink and left to get her drink.

"Argh! Damn Cajun." Rogue settled back into the cushions of the couch and sulked. She couldn't let that cocky man get to her. Nothing wrong with stealth ogling though; admiring the view he presented from behind as he walked up to the coffee bar.

He returned a few minutes later with her drink, and after handing it to her, sat back down on the couch, this time a bit closer to her. Seeing as how Rogue was already sitting at the end of the couch, she didn't have anywhere else to go and so was somewhat trapped. Rogue leaned back into the cushions to give herself some space and sipped her drink, the sweet spice of the chai smoothing her mood a bit.

"I'll make a deal with you, Cajun. You stop talking in that damn annoying third person and I'll stop calling you Swamp Rat."

"So you don't want me to stop calling you by your new nickname?"

"No, I figure you'll do it anyway, no matter how many times I ask you to stop." She didn't want to admit that she was getting used to the endearment.

"Anything for you Chere", he smirked.

"So why are we here Remy? What do you want with me?"

"See, now was that really so hard? I like the way my name sounds coming from your mouth." He smirked again, then relaxed against the cushions and sighed. "Is it really so hard to believe that I just want to spend some time with you, get to know you a little better?"

"Frankly, yes it is. Why would you waste your time with someone you know you can't get anywhere with?"

"Rogue, you are more than your skin. You seem to forget that." He wasn't smirking anymore; in fact he actually looked serious for once. "You don't seem to let anyone else forget it either. Damn me for daring to look past your little mask, but I see something more than a poison shell and I want to see more of it."

Rogue was shocked. Ever since she came to the Institute, no one had talked to her like this. Other than Kitty, the other people in the mansion seemed content to stay within the boundaries Rogue set for them and didn't make any real attempts to get past her barriers. She narrowed her eyes.

"Did you ever think that maybe there's a reason for that? People get hurt when they get close to me."

"But your friends know about your mutation and they know to be careful. You shouldn't have to take all the responsibility on yourself. Besides, I can understand your not wanting them to get hurt, but since you don't like me you really shouldn't care whether I get hurt or not, now should you?"

"You're right, I don't like you. That doesn't mean I want your thoughts in my head. It's crowded enough in there as it is already."

Remy smiled. "I never thought you to be a liar, Chere. But surely we can just talk without any danger of my getting into your head. See, here we are, on a couch together, and no one is getting hurt. Now where is the harm in that?" He used his gloved fingers to brush a stray lock of white hair out of her face. She fought the urge to flinch as his fire lit eyes glowed warmly at her.

How could she explain to him how hard it was, the temptation she fought when people were close to her? Touch was such a simple thing to others, but to her it was the bane of her existence, and every person around her was a reminder of what she couldn't have.

She finished her chai. "It's not that easy Remy. You're a thief; imagine being in a jewelry store surrounded by beautiful diamonds and gold, but not being allowed to steal a single thing. That's what it's like for me Remy. I just find that it is much better for everyone if I stay out of the jewelry store." She got to her feet. "Thanks for the drink Remy, but I think I'd better go now."

With a tiny, wistful smile she turned and walked out of the coffee shop, leaving a thoughtful-looking Cajun behind her.