Author's Chapter Notes:
The next couple of chapters are the ones I've struggled the most with so hope you think the effort was worth it.
Wolverine relaxed into a posture of studied boredom at the gate. “Ready to come home darlin?”

C’mon kid, drop the show and let’s beat it He silently willed her to cave in and leave without a fuss. Of course the growly voice in the back of his head didn’t want her to.

“No way sugah, I ain’t leaving until I beat every one in here stupid enough to try me.” She smirked at the crowd, which had dropped several decibels watching the infamous Wolverine and the intriguing chick in leather size each other up. “You look plenty stupid,” she taunted before swaggering back over to her stool to take a puff of her cigar.

One of MY cigars, grr.

The crowd took a collective breath at her insult, many of them aware that the famous fighter Wolverine was not one to suffer insults lightly, usually taking them with a broken bone and some agony on the side.

“What’s the matter Wolverine? Afraid you can’t beat a giiiiiirrrrllll?” she sang mockingly. Now the club had gone silent, ok silent except for the shitty rock music still going. The crowd hung around the cage, breathless in anticipation.

“C’mon Rogue, let’s go, or I’m gonna have to take you over my knee,” he leered and the crowd chuckled. Come quietly one voice in his head begged while another was growling appreciatively at her show.

“You can try!” Rogue tossed back another shot thrust to her by eager male hands, wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve. “But you’ll be the one getting spanked.” That got the crowd screaming again.

All funny business aside, Wolverine strode into the cage and glared down at her. “No more fucking around Rogue, it’s late.” He grabbed her arm and made to drag her out of the cage. Her eyes blazed.

Oh shit.

Wolverine should’ve known it was coming but the knee to the groin was something he had, mistakenly, considered too low even for Rogue. The one fucking bit of his body not protected by adamantium of course, so he felt it just as bad as any man. Actually it was a lot worse, thanks to his heightened senses.

After he manfully managed to prevent himself from collapsing and forced down the urge to throw up his testicles, Wolverine straightened up, cracked his neck like a bullwhip and said, “Ok, darlin, you just made a BIG mistake.” He took off his jacket and flung it in the face of the emcee who was now shouting for a final round of bets. Just for some added flashiness he growled loudly, which made most of the people pressed against the cage back up a bit.

Rogue just laughed like he was the cutest thing since kittens.

The bell rang and he expected to her jump at him but she was playing cagey, so he would too. The circled each other cautiously, each one feinting a couple punches and kicks to test out how serious the other one was, how well they planned to block. The crowd, used to seeing vicious haymakers from the get-go started to mutter then began shouting for them to just get to it and kick some ass. Money was flowing into the hands of the bartender as bets were placed for and against Wolverine, many people who had previously lost money betting against Rogue hoped now they’d make it back and then some.

The crowd booed the two fighters still circling each other. Rogue threw a loose punch at Wolverine, who sidestepped it with an eye roll, then tried to knock him over with a messy leg sweep at his shins. He hopped over her foot and sighed, “This is fucking stupid.” The emcee’s eyes were pleading him to get into the fight and show some of that insane bloodlust that had made the guy a lot of money over the years he’d allowed the big man to fight in his bar.

Brushing away another half-hearted punch thrown by Rogue, Wolverine strode over to the gate and said to the emcee “Screw this. She ain’t gonna to fight m-“

Wolverine was not entirely sure how he went from walking out of the cage to having his face smashed into the concrete at the seam where the floor met the fencing, and he grunted in annoyance. The bar went ballistic. He realized it was kinda hard to get up with Rogue's knee pressed into the back of his neck, so he made do with what he had and that was two free hands, one of which snaked behind him and grabbed her other leg, locking down just above the knee with crushing force. She gasped and twitched which gave Wolverine just enough room to flip under her and shove her back. He got to his feet.

“C’mon kid, enough bullshit.”

“Nah sugah, I’m just getting warmed up.” Rogue balanced on the balls of her feet, shifting her weight back and forth in a stance he’d practiced with her a million times. She was smiling again.

If that ain’t a shit eating grin I don’t know what is.

“You can’t win kid. I know every move you’ve got and then some.” He went to grab her and shake some sense into her. Her eyes flashed and for a second Wolverine thought he saw gold speckle them, then he found himself flying as she hip checked him unexpectedly, grabbed his shoulder, and levered him up and over her and onto his back. He slammed into the concrete once more.

Ow.

Rogue flashed sharpened canines and tapped one leather clad finger to her temple. “And I got everything you got.”

Wolverine snorted and got up. “Alright kid, you wanna play, I’ll teach you a new game.” And he lunged at her, catching her in the torso and slamming her into the wires of the cage, which bowed under their combined weight.” Rogue struggled against his crushing strength.

“Ready to go quietly?” he said in her ear.

Please say no.

Her knee shot up again, but this time he was prepared and moved one leg to counter the vindictive strike she’d aimed at his balls. Rogue took advantage of his off-balance position to whip around his side and nail a hard punch to his right kidney.

“I know you don’t fall for the same trick twice,” she laughed as he turned around, wincing. “I got plenty more up my sleeve.” She tugged at her gloves for emphasis. “C’mon sugah, let’s dance,” and she made a beckoning motion with one finger, grinning.

Trying to drag her out of here obviously wasn’t cutting it.

Time for another approach.

“C’mon Rogue, knock it off.” Wolverine walked towards her slowly, hands upraised. The crowd jeered at his apparent surrender. “No dancing tonight.” He held out his hand to her in a beseeching motion and the crowd booed more soundly. She hesitated just a second, her eyes flickering down to his hand.

Gotcha.

And he struck, grabbed her arm and swung her around to get her in a half-nelson, dragging one shoulder up in a painful vice while his other hand snaked around her waist to secure the loose arm that was trying to throw an elbow into his gut.

“Alright, darlin, let’s see if you know this number.” Wolverine then shoved Rogue away so hard she tripped and almost lost her balance. People laughed, ecstatic the tough little bitch was getting shown up by the Wolverine.

Rogue glared at him. “Oh yeh sugah, and it’s gonna be a slow jam.”

What movie was that from?

Before he finished the thought Rogue lept at him, throwing a dizzying combination of snake strikes to his face and kicks to his sides. He countered a couple, but she got in three good smacks to his face, one right in the mouth and he felt a tooth crack. She also nailed a crunchy sounding roundhouse kick to his gut.

Wolverine let her get close and shoved her back again and laughed heartily when she lost her footing this time and fell on her ass. Before she could scramble up, he was on top of her, grappling with her in an all out wrestling match. He managed to pin one of her legs behind her in a merciless hold, wrenching her hip in an unnatural position, and he waited for her to give, cry uncle. No such doing.

Just when he thought he had an immovable grip on her joint and was only 3 pounds of pressure away from snapping it, she twisted under him in a serpentine movement and trapped his neck between her calves, locking her boots behind his head with crossed ankles. Wolverine choked and tried to stand up, but her lower legs were frozen around his throat and she used gravity to drag him back down, twisting her body until his face was grinding into the floor and she was on her stomach.

Rogue was panting, but still showcasing that shit-eating grin. Levering herself up on her forearms, she looked over her shoulder at Wolverine’s purpling face and heckled him, “C’mon Billy Badass!” She twisted again, almost strangling him. The noise in the bar rose to jet-taking-off levels at her taunts.

Play time’s over bitch. Wolverine struggled to his feet, Rogue’s calves still locked around his neck. He grabbed her upper legs and swung her with all his force into the cage. Her head connected with the post at the corner, her legs unraveled, and she was off him, face down on the floor.

Oh shit.

“Hey, hey, Rogue.” Wolverine leaned over her, worried as shit he’d just lost control and knocked her brains out. The boot to the chin caught him off guard and he staggered back. “Playing possum,” he growled.

Verrrrrrrry nice.

Rogue growled right back, “I ain’t playing sugah.” And they flung themselves at each other again, this time throwing hard jabs, all fucking around over. Each one was out for blood and the crowd could smell it.

She caught him with an elbow to the temple and rattled his brain for a second, long enough to kick his right knee and knock it out from under him. When she raised her face to gloat at the crowd, he reached up, grabbed her ankle and twisted it savagely, bringing her down to his level. She tried to get a choke hold on him, but he broke it.

Thought you knew I didn’t fall for the same trick twice.

He punched her in the gut then rolled on top of her back, pinning down her legs with a knee grinding into the back of each thigh. She screamed in pain when he grabbed one wrist and forced it up between her shoulder blades.

“Give up Rogue! You can’t beat me!” Wolverine yelled into her ear as she flung back to try a head butt and missed. “I’m the King of the Cage darlin,” he taunted as she howled. He shook her other hand away as she clawed back, trying to reach his face. “Can’t beat this Canu-“

SNIKT! Bone claws slashed his cheek. He jumped back, holding his hand to his face, and Rogue scrabbled to her feet and unleashed the other set.

If records were still used you could’ve heard the needle scratch across vinyl when the music came to an abrupt halt. The crowd went still, all eyes on 6 pink tinged ivory foot long claws extending through the back of Rogue’s gloves. She was panting, her eyes dark and murderous. Wolverine backed up a step. He wiped the blood from his face and a murmur went through the crowd as they watched the long gouges in his face heal miraculously.

Then someone screamed.
Chapter End Notes:
Out of pre-written chapters now. Hope to finish writing the next one later this evening.
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