in the hospital bed [for Martini, Rictor and possibly Mystique, but open to visitors]
Following her conversation with Julio over the phone, Rogue had attempted to sleep and found it far too difficult. She had bits of his memory floating around, the nightmares were almost as bad as with Carol. She'd expected something like this, but she'd never expected the depth of despair that she'd found. Rictor masked a lot of things with his
( Read more... )
Since Spokane, she'd been entertaining all kinds of contradicting thoughts. She wanted to see him, but at the same time she didn't. She wasn't sure if he'd be upset with her for hurting Ric or if he'd be as understanding as Julio was being -really, she should've known better, because this was Mark and he was possibly the only person who understood her powers like she did.
"Ah'm bored outta mah mind an' flirtin' with girls that pulled a non-existent bullet outta mah leg. Ah'm pretty sure Ah've been worse, but it just don't mount up t' this." Conflicting memories tended to do that. "Y' dodge the illness bullet then, sugah?" Really, all she wanted was his company, and it was just his in general.
Reply
His face was sympathetic as Rogue explained her fractured state. He knew what it was like to have the voices and conflicting memories that came from the psyches that weren't her's. But always it had been strangers. What was it like having her brother now mixing in with them? "I just hope you didn't picked up too much of his stupidity. That'd be a terrible thing to possess." His voice was light, but internally, Mark was terribly worried for both of them. Not physically, of course, since both would heal up fine. But mentally was another story. He hadn't seen this coming and had no idea where the situation was now going.
He pulled up a chair next to Rogue's bed and sat down in it. "Of course. I simply refused to get sick and end up in this horrible place like it seems everyone else has." It was for the best. Mark would have taken out half the camp with his powers if he was terrified while ill.
Reply
"Ah'm filterin' it out. Keepin' the good bits, Ah hope." For the most part, she didn't mind having Ric in her mind at all, he was a comfort at times, he was friendly in ways Carol and Cody never were. But at the same time, it was a lot to sift through, and the nightmares were horrible. Jumbled and mixed with her own and Carol's and Cody's now and she was struggling to remember who she was half the time.
It was probably for the best that Mark hadn't gotten ill to begin with. After all, even in control of his powers things got a little crazy at times, as her powers had faded, Rogue's control had dwindled on the residual powers left imprinted. If it had been him, who knows what could've happened. "Probably for the best. They already got Julio t' deal with, they don't really deserve t' have you all twitchy and power crazy with sickness." And Rogue tentatively reached out to pat his knee, careful in case the hair ruffle had been an automatic response to her rather than comfort.
Reply
The hand on his knee caught his attention and he flashed Rogue one of his usual happy smiles. She never touched anyone, knowing what could so easily happen, so this gesture could only mean one thing. He put his large hand on top of her own smaller one. "So I take it this means at least one good thing has come outta being sick?" He knew a fever and cough would be a small price to pay for Rogue to be able to touch someone, even if it was only temporary.
Reply
"It ain't so bad," turning her hand over under his, she stared slightly at their hands while shifting to thread her fingers through his, "Ah mean it'd be nice if Ah weren't all locked up in here, an' Ah could enjoy it an' not be sick or something, but..." It gave her all these possibilities, and she had to watch them pass her by because she was in quarantine.
"Ah'm probably the only one happy 'bout it though."
Reply
"Statistically, someone had to be happy about all this." He nudged her playfully with his shoulder, since he wasn't letting go of her hand anytime soon. "I'll bet the only reason you don't like the quarantine is because now you can't go around kissing every guy in sight and then breaking all their little hearts."
Reply
Because she has these memories; slow easy kisses in the garage in cold Russia, frantic needy kisses against a wall in the same place, the comforting, soft kisses on the plane to Washington, lying out on a bed and just enjoying the tender, loving embraces. They drive her wild because she knows those kisses, she remembers every one of them, but she's never felt them.
Reply
"Hmmm.....That handsome Cajun?" Mark was completely oblivious as to what was going on in Rogue's head. He knew that the transfer had left her with Ric's powers, memories, and feelings, but he had no idea how strong they still were, dwelling within her psyche.
Reply
"No, Ah- no, Ah don't think Ah'll be kissin' him." Not with Rictor throwing a little tantrum in her head. "It's a lil' complicated, darlin'. So Ah'm best just sittin' here an' talking and not worrying about mah first kiss without mah powers or nothing in the way."
Reply
"Well, if you don't wanna talk about that, let's find a new subject, yes?" His brow furrowed in thought and then he shrugged. It had been an extremely dull few days with everyone sick. No one was having any romantic drama or getting into fights with one another. "I got nothin'."
Reply
She had memories of them being boyfriends after all.
"The place is that quiet without Julio out there makin' problems?" She wasn't actually listening to anything she said, she was in fact simply focusing on the soft feel of his thumb against her skin, of his hand in hers, and really, a girl could only fight her own wants for so long.
Without really thinking about it, Rogue shifted the distance between her and Mark, and pressed her lips against his, playing on all those memories and making one of her own.
Reply
Since the number of sick in the medical center increased Ric knew the chances of Martini showing up would decrease and really he didn't blame his boyfriend at all. Having convinced the nurses to unplug him from the drip just for a couple of hours, Ric takes it upon himself to go see Rogue and keep her company. Especially seeing as she said she was feeling lonely.
Ric can hear Rogue talking, catching the tail end of Julio out there makin' problems? and the Mexican can't help but smile to himself as he opens the door to her room, debating how best to announce his arrival.
But he freezes, words caught in his throat as he stares at the sight of Rogue, leant up with Mark's lips pressed against hers and Mark's hand laying over Rogue's with such a casual touch. And Ric? He just lets out a strangled noise of shock and confusion, door still propped open by his hand.
Reply
He whirled around at the noise coming from the direction of the door, standing up with such force he almost knocked his chair over. Seeing Ric there, Mark felt a stabbing pain he knew couldn't possibly be real somewhere around his gut. He wore an expression on his face like a deer that had been shot by a hunter but wasn't dead yet.
"She--we--I didn't--and then--kiss--" His incoherent sputterings ceased as the stress of what was occurring threatened to overwhelm him entirely.
His mind, responding to his frantic state, snapped him back to Spokane. Mark had been fairly calm then, despite the situation, mainly because he knew he'd revisit the scene in all its anguish later. Unfortunately, later had become now. Despite knowing at some level he was still in the hospital room with Ric and Rogue, he was gone, lost in a past moment that was far worse than his present.
Reply
It wouldn't work, not with how she felt about Mark still pounding in her head.
Staring at Rictor, noting the way Mark seemed off, the coldness on her hand where he had been touching her, Rogue didn't offer anything to Rictor at all, just sitting on her bed, watching him and watching Mark.
Reply
He cuts himself off, glancing at Mark who is clearly lost a memory. There’s the temptation to shake Mark out of it and demand that he explains what the hell was going on but he knows that’s not the best idea. Ric feels sick, his heart is pounding and his insides are knotted because he can’t forget the sight of Rogue and Mark kissing, their fingers interlaced and it hurts. That’s his boyfriend and his sister who he has walked in on and the anger just won’t subside.
Swinging his arm out Ric sends the jug of water and half full cup that were stood on the bed tray clattering across the room, sending water across the floor. There is nothing Ric wants to do more than make the building shake but his mutation is gone and left is just a very emotional and angry guy. “Why were you two kissing Rogue?! WHY!?”
Reply
"Ah can't exactly help it when Ah got some sexed up Mexican tellin' me we ain't done it in a hospital bed an' Ah ought'a try. Can Ah?" Rogue didn't exactly blame Rictor for her current issues with him in her head. But going from her own repressed nature to his overly affectionate, overly intimate nature was like an emotional rollercoaster that Rogue would be dealing with long after her powers came back. "Y'r throwin' a tantrum over one kiss when y'r nearly always pawin' at folks an' flirtin' up some storm with everyone in camp? Ah mean, seriously?"
She didn't want to start a fight, and it was lucky she was just as powerless as he was, but it wasn't how she wanted things to go.
Reply
Leave a comment