100 Situations - Rogue/Pyro T2 Prompt #20: Full
Title: Renewal (10/?)
Fandom: X-Men (Movie)
Characters: Rogue/Pyro
Prompt: #20 - Full
Word Count: 947
Rating: PG
Summary: A new year begins as an old friendship is renewed.
Author's Notes: The X-Men aren’t mine; they belong to Marvel and 20th Century Fox.
Post X3, has spoilers. Cheers to scatterhearts.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
Written for 100_situations
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Marie couldn’t stop grinning as she watched John take a bite out of the cupcake. His discomfort was evident. Even after three cupcakes, he still didn’t seem able to relax while he ate them.
He raised an eyebrow at her look, swallowing down the food in his mouth. “Not exactly manly, is it?”
They were sitting on the pink sofa once again, Marie’s legs resting on top of John’s. She popped the last bit of cupcake in her mouth, tossing the wrapper on the coffee table with the others. She eyed the plate of cupcakes and thought about taking another one, but she looked back at the pile of wrappers, knowing that five of them were hers. She probably didn’t need a sixth one. And she was starting to feel full. She sighed, resting her head against the back of the sofa.
John placed his hands on her legs, rubbing them. She smiled as she looked at him, taking one of his hands in hers. She turned it over, fingers running over his palm. She traced his lifeline, and then turned his hand back over. She hesitated for a second before running her fingers over the scars. She looked up to check his reaction.
He was frowning, any sign of contentment gone. She half expected him to yank his hand away, but he didn’t. So she kept hold of it, once again running her fingers over the scars.
“How long were you held prisoner?” She shifted her gaze to watch him, unconsciously holding her breath as she waited for an answer.
His frown deepened. “It’s been what, fifteen months since Alcatraz? Then that would make it fourteen months I was held by the government.”
Marie felt a lump start to grow in her throat, and she struggled to keep the tears from coming. “Were you alone?”
He tilted his head at the question. “Not if you count the charming doctors and guards keeping me company. Occasionally I’d see another mutant, but not to talk to.”
She closed her eyes, raising a hand to try and cover them. She felt the tears start to trickle down, and hadn’t wanted him to see them. “I’m so sorry.”
He clasped her hand, his other one coming up to stroke her hair. “They cured me two months before releasing me. Guess they needed to be sure it was working. And the first month was filled with thoughts of revenge, and trying to work out how I’d get them back for what they did.”
He cleared his throat, and she opened her eyes to find him staring down at the their hands. There was that same look of hatred on his face. Dislike at showing weakness. She wanted to comfort him, but she also wanted him to keep talking. So she stayed where she was, taking quiet breaths as she tried to keep from sobbing.
“But at the beginning of the second month, this military guy came in. Not a doctor, or a guard-a ranking officer. And he made an offer. I resisted it at first. I didn’t want to give in. But he kept coming back, and he kept coming back. It wasn’t until he changed the deal slightly that I ever really considered it. Before it had just been an offer of freedom, a job, and a place to stay. What good would all of that have done me?” He took a deep breath, finally looking at her. “Turns out the guy wasn’t such an idiot. He came in one day, and suddenly the deal was freedom, a job, and a place to stay-anywhere I wanted. There had never been that choice before. My mind started calculating the possibilities, and I finally wanted to give in, but not completely. Not until they did something else for me.”
Marie’s tears had stopped, her attention completely on John. His hand shifted from her hair to wipe at the drying tears, his thumb brushing her cheek.
“I asked them to find you. I didn’t care if they knew you meant something to me, and I’m sorry if that ever comes back to bite us both on the ass. But I had to. Like I told you before, you were the only person I ever wanted to find. The only one who could help me be human. I watched you for a week. They’d told me where you worked, so on lunch breaks, and after work I used to watch the building.” He gave her a guilty smile. “But I never stalked you. I never followed you home. It’s just every time I thought about going up to you, or contacting you I lost my nerve. Can you imagine that? Me, losing my nerve?”
She gave him a watery smile, shaking her head. She could feel the tears starting again, and scrunched up her face in a vain effort to stop them. She didn’t want to cry, but it was like John’s pain, and everything that had happened recently was just bearing down on her. He gathered her into his lap, holding her head against his chest. Her body shook as she sobbed quietly, John’s hand stroking her hair.
His chest rose and fell as he breathed, and she could hear his heartbeat. That same steady beat that had calmed her down earlier once again providing a source of comfort. She took a couple of deep breaths, sniffing loudly. She raised her head, wiping at her tears on her cheek and on his chest. His hand moved to cup her cheek, tilting her head back so he could look at her. He dipped his head, kissing at the hollow beneath her eye.
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Fandom: X-Men (Movie)
Characters: Rogue/Pyro
Prompt: #20 - Full
Word Count: 947
Rating: PG
Summary: A new year begins as an old friendship is renewed.
Author's Notes: The X-Men aren’t mine; they belong to Marvel and 20th Century Fox.
Post X3, has spoilers. Cheers to scatterhearts.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
Written for 100_situations
_____________________________
Marie couldn’t stop grinning as she watched John take a bite out of the cupcake. His discomfort was evident. Even after three cupcakes, he still didn’t seem able to relax while he ate them.
He raised an eyebrow at her look, swallowing down the food in his mouth. “Not exactly manly, is it?”
They were sitting on the pink sofa once again, Marie’s legs resting on top of John’s. She popped the last bit of cupcake in her mouth, tossing the wrapper on the coffee table with the others. She eyed the plate of cupcakes and thought about taking another one, but she looked back at the pile of wrappers, knowing that five of them were hers. She probably didn’t need a sixth one. And she was starting to feel full. She sighed, resting her head against the back of the sofa.
John placed his hands on her legs, rubbing them. She smiled as she looked at him, taking one of his hands in hers. She turned it over, fingers running over his palm. She traced his lifeline, and then turned his hand back over. She hesitated for a second before running her fingers over the scars. She looked up to check his reaction.
He was frowning, any sign of contentment gone. She half expected him to yank his hand away, but he didn’t. So she kept hold of it, once again running her fingers over the scars.
“How long were you held prisoner?” She shifted her gaze to watch him, unconsciously holding her breath as she waited for an answer.
His frown deepened. “It’s been what, fifteen months since Alcatraz? Then that would make it fourteen months I was held by the government.”
Marie felt a lump start to grow in her throat, and she struggled to keep the tears from coming. “Were you alone?”
He tilted his head at the question. “Not if you count the charming doctors and guards keeping me company. Occasionally I’d see another mutant, but not to talk to.”
She closed her eyes, raising a hand to try and cover them. She felt the tears start to trickle down, and hadn’t wanted him to see them. “I’m so sorry.”
He clasped her hand, his other one coming up to stroke her hair. “They cured me two months before releasing me. Guess they needed to be sure it was working. And the first month was filled with thoughts of revenge, and trying to work out how I’d get them back for what they did.”
He cleared his throat, and she opened her eyes to find him staring down at the their hands. There was that same look of hatred on his face. Dislike at showing weakness. She wanted to comfort him, but she also wanted him to keep talking. So she stayed where she was, taking quiet breaths as she tried to keep from sobbing.
“But at the beginning of the second month, this military guy came in. Not a doctor, or a guard-a ranking officer. And he made an offer. I resisted it at first. I didn’t want to give in. But he kept coming back, and he kept coming back. It wasn’t until he changed the deal slightly that I ever really considered it. Before it had just been an offer of freedom, a job, and a place to stay. What good would all of that have done me?” He took a deep breath, finally looking at her. “Turns out the guy wasn’t such an idiot. He came in one day, and suddenly the deal was freedom, a job, and a place to stay-anywhere I wanted. There had never been that choice before. My mind started calculating the possibilities, and I finally wanted to give in, but not completely. Not until they did something else for me.”
Marie’s tears had stopped, her attention completely on John. His hand shifted from her hair to wipe at the drying tears, his thumb brushing her cheek.
“I asked them to find you. I didn’t care if they knew you meant something to me, and I’m sorry if that ever comes back to bite us both on the ass. But I had to. Like I told you before, you were the only person I ever wanted to find. The only one who could help me be human. I watched you for a week. They’d told me where you worked, so on lunch breaks, and after work I used to watch the building.” He gave her a guilty smile. “But I never stalked you. I never followed you home. It’s just every time I thought about going up to you, or contacting you I lost my nerve. Can you imagine that? Me, losing my nerve?”
She gave him a watery smile, shaking her head. She could feel the tears starting again, and scrunched up her face in a vain effort to stop them. She didn’t want to cry, but it was like John’s pain, and everything that had happened recently was just bearing down on her. He gathered her into his lap, holding her head against his chest. Her body shook as she sobbed quietly, John’s hand stroking her hair.
His chest rose and fell as he breathed, and she could hear his heartbeat. That same steady beat that had calmed her down earlier once again providing a source of comfort. She took a couple of deep breaths, sniffing loudly. She raised her head, wiping at her tears on her cheek and on his chest. His hand moved to cup her cheek, tilting her head back so he could look at her. He dipped his head, kissing at the hollow beneath her eye.
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