Rogue woke to the unfamiliar feeling of an arm draped across her. For a moment, just a moment, her heart sang because she thought it was Logan's arm. Then reality crashed in, and she was hard pressed to keep back the sobs. The last thing Scott needed was to wake and find the woman in his bed crying her eyes out. After several slow, deep breaths Rogue was able to control herself. Then she stirred, just a little, to see how deeply asleep the man by her side was.
“Mmmm...morning, Rogue,” he mumbled, and buried his face in her arm. It was endearing, and she couldn't help but smile. Somehow she always imagined that Scott would bounce out of bed, full of energy and ready for anything. It was amusing to see that he woke sluggish and cuddly.
“Good morning, Scott,” she said softly. She made sure her mutation was off then ran her fingers through his hair. It just made him curl in more, and they laid like that for a few minutes. Finally Rogue's grumbling stomach made her reluctantly sit up.
She smiled when Scott's arm tightened around her waist. “Ah'm going to go put on some clothes and get some breakfast. Ah love Saturdays,” she told him, running a hand along his arm before moving it so that she could scoot to the edge of the bed.
He raised his head a little from the pillow where it had fallen when she sat up. “I'll see you downstairs, I guess. We've got combat practice this afternoon,” he reminded her.
Rogue laughed. “And now Ah know why our practices are all in the afternoon, Scott. You just can't get out of bed, can you?”
Scott smiled sheepishly. “Not on the weekends. We have to wake up so early for classes during the week,” he complained.
Rogue shot him a look as she gathered her clothes. “Your own fault, Scott. Why don't you change the start time if you don't like it?”
He shook his head. “Nah, it's late enough. Most schools in the area start before eight o'clock, anyway. If they can torture their students, why can't we torture ours?” he joked.
She laughed. “Ah see. So this is all an evil plot, hmmm?”
“Damn straight.”
Rogue moved to his door and looked back. “Ah'll get the shirt back to you, okay?”
Scott smiled. “No rush. Have a good breakfast,” he said, then he burrowed into his pillow again as she slipped out.
Rogue almost made it to her room without anyone seeing her. It was just her luck that Ororo stepped out of her room just as she wrapped her free hand around her doorknob. The other woman stared at her in some surprise for a few moments, taking in her rumpled hair and the too-large shirt. Then she did something that Rogue had not been expecting at all. She smiled. It was a slightly sad smile, but there it was.
“Good morning, Rogue,” was all 'Ro said as she moved toward the stairs.
“Morning, 'Ro,” Rogue replied automatically before letting herself into her room. She wondered if her cheeks were as pink as they felt.
Looking into the mirror, she decided that they were. It wasn't that she was ashamed of what she and Scott had done the night before. She just hadn't expected to face any of their friends quite so soon after leaving his bed. It occurred to her that 'Ro might not have known which room she had been in, then she dismissed that. The woman's hearing wasn't that bad, and Scott's room was right next to hers. She would have heard the door.
Rogue forced herself to get dressed, spritz her hair with some water to settle it and then run a brush through it, and apply make-up. It might be a Saturday, but she felt the need to look her best anyway. She felt a little as if she was putting on armor. The make-up and clothes were just something to keep others guessing about her. For now, she was content that only Scott would see so deeply into her to realize how much she was hurting. After all, that had been the status quo for the past two months. After a month of moping, Jubilee had forced her to participate in life again, and while she realized it was for her own good, it was also a relief to have someone who knew how much she still mourned the “might have beens.”
Making her way down to the dining room, Rogue felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had no idea what was going to happen in the coming months, but she knew that she felt ready to finally shoulder life again. It was as if the previous night had been a catharsis for the part of her that seemed to constantly ache—her heart. Now, more than ever, she was able to look at life and figure out what she wanted from it.
'Ro was the only one sitting at what was affectionately dubbed the X-Table. Rogue grabbed randomly from the buffet and walked hesitantly toward the table. She sat across from 'Ro and just looked at her. Finally 'Ro looked up and met her eyes, her eyebrows arching up.
“Is something wrong, Rogue?” she asked softly.
“You're not mad.” It was a statement, not a question. She could tell that 'Ro was watching her carefully, so she took a bit of the cereal she'd chosen, realizing with a little surprise that she was eating bran flakes. Yuck. She hated those, especially if there were no raisins to sweeten the stuff.
'Ro shook her head. “No, I'm not angry with you, Rogue, or with Scott. You've both been in pain for months, and you deserved a break from reality. If that's all it turns out to be, I will be happy for you, and if it becomes more, I will be even happier.”
Rogue decided to ignore that last part as it threatened to send anxious flutters through her stomach. She looked down at that damn bowl of flakes. “But you're Jean's best friend,” she protested weakly.
“Yes, Jean is my best friend, but that doesn't mean I'm blind. What she and Logan did...there was just no excuse for it. Then they left, and you and Scott were hurting so much. I just...just want you two to heal. And you seem to heal better when you're helping each other. So I can accept whatever it takes to get my two friends feeling better.” 'Ro's voice was gentle, and the sincerity in it had Rogue looking back up.
“Thanks, 'Ro,” she said. They continued their breakfast in silence. 'Ro was standing up to leave and Rogue about halfway through with her own food when Scott entered, looking like his usual well-groomed self. Rogue grinned a little to herself when she thought about the contrast between the man she had left and the one who appeared before her now. Scott caught her eye and smiled back, causing the few students in the room to glance back and forth between them, eyes full of questions. Rogue wondered just how obvious they was being, and then she decided that she didn't care. She'd had enough angst to last a lifetime. It was time to enjoy just being content.
Scott slid into the seat next to Rogue as she forced herself to finish the bran flakes, which she'd been saving for last. She smiled at him, suddenly feeling a little unsure now that they were so close without being in bed. He smiled back and looked down at his plate. Her eyes followed his and widened.
“Man, Scott, are you trying to eat the Professor out of house and home?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Nope. I just have an appetite this morning,” he said. She blushed, sure that he had just winked at her behind the red lenses of his glasses.
“I wonder why,” Rogue drawled, forcing herself to relax. His hand found hers under the table and squeezed briefly. They continued eating in comfortable silence.
Scott looked up when Rogue rose, admiring the graceful way she moved. “I'll see you later,” he said.
“Later, hon,” she replied, absently laying a hand on his shoulder. They'd started exchanging little touches like that weeks before for comfort, and she saw no reason to stop now.
He laid a hand over hers for a moment, then they parted. The morning passed quickly for them both as they graded assignments and tests from the previous week. Scott had taken on Jean's science classes when she left in addition to his own government and history classes, and Rogue taught art part time while taking online classes. She had decided to do that instead of going off to college in the fall because she knew that the School needed her, and she needed the familiar surroundings. Now, after a few months, it was routine.
The next time Rogue saw Scott was in the training room. The team, consisting of her, Scott, 'Ro, Dr. Hank McCoy, Bobby, Jubilee and Kitty now, broke up into sparring partners, senior members against junior. Rogue and Scott, as the most advanced of either age group, in terms of technique, paired off and had fun beating each other up. It was a typical day for the team, and as usual no one mentioned the two missing members. They had even been gone long enough that no one turned to ask one of them a question, and only 'Ro looked sad for a moment at the end of the hour.
The group was just breaking up, the permanent residents leaving to go to their own rooms and shower while the visitors headed to the locker rooms, when the Professor's voice rang in their heads.
*We have a situation. Please come to my study.*
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Getting on with life.
* * = Mental communication
* * = Mental communication
Chapter End Notes:
Guess where this one's gonna lead to. Go on. Just guess.