Summer Beginnings
DISCLAIMER: X-Men: Evolution belongs to Marvel, Kids!WB, Stan Lee (The X God!), and whoever else owns it.
RATING: G
PAIRING: Lance (Avalanche) / Rogue
// symbolizes Jean's telepathy
***
Rogue supressed a sigh, glancing quickly from left to right before stepping out onto the Mansion grounds. The headquarters for the X-Men were always too crowded for her likes. She almost missed the Brotherhood; At least they stayed out of her sight when she was in a bad mood instead of trying to 'help her.'
"Hey, Rogue?" Rogue stilled at the voice, glancing over her shoulder at the tenative voice. Scott Summers stood in the doorway, his arm wrapped around his girlfriend, Jean Grey's, waist.
"What?" she snapped. She instantly regretted it when he tensed but her mood was far too low to apologize.
//That wasn't very nice, Rogue.// Rogue sneered as Jean's sweet voice faltered inside her. How she hated to talk telepathically. There was just something... morally wrong about her 'friend' hearing her every waking thought. Of course, Jean was too nice to do that, but still... //He's just concerned.//
//Ah know,// she responded, shrugging.
//Are you... okay?//
The words hit her hard, reminding her again of why she'd escaped to the outside world, and she turned from where she was gazing blankly at Scott and Jean. "Stay outta mah head!"
"Rogue, wait!" Scott's voice was lost in the wind as she turned and ran. Faster, faster... finally she was far away from the mansion grounds. She looked around her surroundings and noticed where she was.
It was the park. The park she and Scott and rehearsed for English class. That day seemed so far away, now... Life had been so simple when she thought she hated the X-Men, hated Scott, hated everything in the world, especially herself. Now, now... she loved Scott, was an X-Man herself, but still...hated everything else.
"Well, well, what did the dogs drag in?" Rogue started at the voice. It was vaguely familiar. "Its one of the X-freaks!"
"Lance," Rogue refrained from flinching, her emerald eyes charging with a steel glitter, reserved only for her ex-teammates.
"I'm impressed," Lance Alvers drawled, "she remembers my name!"
Rogue sighed, shaking her hair from her eyes. "Is there somethin' y'wanted, or do you take to sneakin' up on people now for fun?"
"Only freaks like you," Lance admitted, smirking. He ran a hand through his black hair, staring at her in disgust. "I always knew you were bad news, just didn't think you'd reduce yourself to joining Xavier's clones."
"Excuse me?" Rogue stiffened. She might not belong among her peers of the X-Men, but she believed in Xavier's words. And maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to help her.
"Oh, puh-leaze," Lance sneered. "You freaks never think for yourself. Gotta do whatever precious Professor Xavier lectures. 'Never start a fight; Never use your powers, unless provoked.' Blah, blah, blah."
"At least Ah have someone who cares," Rogue argued. "Mystique will sell y'all out first chance she has, if she thinks it'll get'er higher on Magneto's throne."
Lance strode up to her, staring down at her. "I'd rather think for myself and be a sellout, then be...whatever you are."
"Whatevah," Rogue stared back, sighing. She shook her head and turned away. The way Lance was looking at her, well...scared her. It wasn't bad, just...just... she couldn't explain it. It was almost... sad?
"Look, Rogue," Lance's voice was awkward, almost as if he didn't know what to say, "I don't want to fight you. We...miss you, at the 'hood. You always kept the others in line with me, and now with Mystique gone, to who knows where, its just..."
"Ah'm not goin' back," she stated, almost viciously. "Ah've worked too hard to fit in with mah new friends to just forget 'em."
"But you can forget us?" It came out in a whisper, an almost forbidden plea.
"Ah didn' forget, Ah..."
"Yes, you did," Lance interupted, roughly turning away. He wasn't going to forget his anger, but it was so hard when he was near her. He'd never felt like this about someone, not even the brief crush on Kitty Pryde, almost a year ago. But with Rogue, it was so different. She understood what it was like to be alone. To have no one care. To love someone you can never touch because of who you are.
"Ah'm sorry," Rogue whispered, staring at him in surprise and slight confusion. Did she really forget about the Brotherhood? She was so wrapped into trying to fit in, trying to forget her crush on Scott, that she did ignore her friends. Friend. Lance had once been her friend. He'd been her only friend for a long time.
At the beginning, she thought he could have been more, if her mutant power hadn't stopped her from touching. They'd come close, once, to kissing, but she'd pulled away just before they could, both mentally and physically. They had never been the same after that. It had been about that time when she'd gone on the field trip, which had changed her life for the better.... hadn't it?
She stared at the black haired teen that stood in front of her. She'd never been good with words, never at expressing how she felt about someone, never been able to ask for help. She was sorry she'd just forgotten who she was before this. Maybe it wasn't too late to make friends?
"Lance?" she ventured.
"What?" he turned at her voice, staring blankly into her emerald green eyes.
She offered her hand to him, "Ah think we should talk. Ah... Ah..." her words slowed, almost painfully coming out, awkwardly, "Ah want to be friends again. Care for a cup o' coffee?"
Lance stared down at the gloved hand and then back up at her. Her eyes were sincere, and well...he had nothing better to do. "Alright." He cocked a smirk at her, "But you're buying."
To his dismay--and maybe desire?--she nodded and smiled. Together, hand-in-hand, they left the park.