“What is with you?” Rogue asked calmly as a very jumpy Logan exited the Danger Room and walked towards a small locker room to shower. She observed that he was nervous and tense about something. He casually stripped of his shirt as he walked down the hall (Rogue observed that too). “What are you talking about, Marie...” he said softly.
“Don’t avoid me!You were lunging at anything that came 5 feet in front of me. Though you may think of me as “the kid”, I’m perfectly capable of dodging a rock.”
Logan’s muscles were tightning as she spoke. What he had heard in the control room bothered him more than it had previously. They came to the door of the locker room and he put his hand on the door in anticipation of ending the awkward conversation.
“Look, I’ll lay off....if that’s what you want.” he said, not emphasizing the latter part of his sentence. Sensing his pride had been hurt, she laid her gloved hand on his arm.
“Logan, I’m an adult now. You can protect me, just differently.” she smiled and walked away.
Rogue’s poignant way of speaking left Logan thinking that she could probably read his mind regardless of her powers.
XXX
Friday night, movie night. The school’s adolescent population was filing into the auditorium. Bobby unexpectantly took Rogue’s hand in his and she jumped.
“Are you okay?” he asked warmly, clearly concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine. Her run in with Logan had confused her. Everything about him was confusing her. Rogue had asked him to protect her differently but he was protecting her differently in the Danger Room. He was protecting her like someone he truly cared about and not just some kid he had taken a liking to.
They all sat down in foldable chairs. Peter and Jubilee were pretty cozy before the movie even began. Kitty was desperately trying to get John’s attention, despite her shyness. The idiot just kept lighting pieces of popcorn on fire. Bobby put his arm casually around Rogue as soon as the lights went off. Peter and Jubilee moved into a more...”intimate” embrace and Kitty giggled.
The movie went along like any normal movie. The guy becomes a hero and gets the perfect girl. Rogue wished it was that easy. That you just had a perfect match waiting to sweep you off your feet. Her stomach didn’t feel well all of the sudden. She got up and left, telling Bobby she was tired.
XXX
Rogue wandered into the kitchen where she found Logan on a barstool with a beer.
“Can’t stand stupid movies, either?” he asked. Her stomach ache had gone away so she nodded in agreement. She sat down next to Logan and drank a Dr. Pepper. She waited for him to start conversation.
Maybe it was the light intoxication Logan actually could feel or maybe it was sheer cockiness. Amusement flickered in his eyes and Rogue’s brow furrowed, wondering what he would say. He smiled and asked “So is Marie satisfied with popsicle boy?”
She seemed taken aback by Logan’s topic of choice.
“What do you mean by satisfied? It’s not like we’re dating.”
“Oh really, I guess I was just imagining when I saw him put his arm around you.”
“Spying on me Logan? How fatherly of you.” She said, dissapointment souring her speech, and got up to leave. He got up as well and held her shoulders so she faced him.
“I am not your father, Marie. The sooner you realize that, the better. So, are we friends or are you going to be hung up on that “dad thing”?”
Rogue looked shocked but a smile crept back on her face. “I guess we’re friends than.”
“How about we seal the deal, and go for a ride?” he asked.
“But we can’t-“ Rogue protested.
“Oh, come on we won’t get caught.”
XXX
As they rode down the road at “God knows what” speed, Rogue held on to Logan tightly. She smiled to herself. The opinions she had so vehemently voiced to her friends flew out of her mind like the leaves on the road they were riding on. Maybe...just maybe, she had been wrong about everything.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I hope the W/R gods are entertained :)