Lips Like Morphine

*Disclaimer: 'Allo again everyone! Just letting ya know that my attempts to buy out the X-men rights have not been successful...so that means I DON'T OWN SHIT! Well, not "shit" but...well, you get the idea. *Dramatic sigh* I only get to have them in my mind, not reality. So no suing or whatnot...Anywho, please enjoy! Please don't forget to review, either!!!

*Author's note* Heehee, this is the newest thing to come outa my mind, and I'll be uploading the rest of it soon (and by soon, I mean as soon as I get it typed). It's based on the song "Lips Like Morphine" by Kill Hannah. So, yeah! Be sure to catch the song, it's pretty cool, and be sure to check back here often for the update!

Also, there may be some confusion in age here. I have these characters doing some very *adult* thing...i.e., drinking, cursing, and sometimes humping like deranged bunnies. I got most of my character info - such as names, ages, and odd facts - from this site:

(http://x-men.toonzone.net/index.php)

It has profiles and such on everyone, so I took the ages listed and added three years to each (for example, sweet little Jamie is listed as being thirteen years old, so add three years and voila! The perfectly legal age of 16! Mwhahaha, yes, yes, you can all bow to my genius.

*********************


Rogue hissed as she burned her finger on the flatiron once again, and quickly dropped the hair she was holding in the other hand to stick the stinging appendage under the cold water tap. Cursing her genes, she dried her hands and snatched up a tube of hair gel, squeezing a large dollop into her palm.

“Fucking humidity,” she grumbled to her reflection as she smoothed her hair into place. Finally she had all the small flyaways whipped into shape, so she switched off the flatiron and shoved everything else into the drawer of her vanity. Straightening up, she admired her handiwork in the full-length mirror attached to the back of her door.

She looked pretty much the same as she always did, albeit a bit more put together. Board-straight, skunk-streaked hair, dark clothing and pasty make-up. However, there were a few differences she’d made tonight, since it was the closest thing to a special occasion the girls of the mansion had had in a long while. It was ladies night at a club in town, so all the of-age girls were going out, and as such, she had taken more deliberation in her appearance. Being packed up against a hundred other writhing bodies meant she wouldn’t be able to dress skimpy like the other girls undoubtedly would, but she had chosen a more breathable material so she wouldn’t get too hot while dancing. She’d bought a black, lace-up “corset” at a Goth shop in the local mall the weekend before, and she wore it now with a gauzy cover up. Paired with it were flair-leg jeans and for icing, a thick, black-leather, studded belt, which went perfectly with her usual boots.

She would have much rather worn her hair in a pony tail, but she really didn’t want to go fishing for a thick choker with which to cover her exposed neck. Opting instead for the lesser of evils, she let her grown out mane hang straight and added the final touches of simple silver earrings and a small silver nose studd. She was just slipping on her gloves when there was a knock on the door, followed shortly by the head of Kitty as the girl partially phased inside.

“Good timin,’” Rogue stated and snatched up her wallet.

“Thank God, Jean’s ready to go and you know how she gets,” the other girl stated rolling her eyes. “I swear, you’d think a psychic of all people might remember how many times everyone else had to wait on her before she stats banging on people’s doors.”

Rogue “hmphed” and tried to suppress her jealousy. Kitty had no such problems with her mutation, therefore she was free to wear whatever she pleased, and as they descended the long staircase she was met with even more flashes of bare skin. She managed to shrug off the old familiar pangs that tickled the base of her skill, and forced herself to instead focus on the clucking of her fellow house-mates over clothes and other silly things. That is, until Logan descended, scowling as per usual.

Rogue crossed her arms in anticipation of his “safety-first” lecture, and sure enough, the first words outa the old fart’s mouth was something along the lines of “stay in a group, don’t drink alone...” blah, blah.... Rogue’s mind drifted and she had to wonder if it was all really worth it...the whole dressing to the nine and all the anticipation of the night, when she knew she’d be the one left alone. Still, there was the rush of adrenaline when one first stepped onto the dance floor...the rush that never really leaves until you’re at home and have been in bed for a few hours trying to remember just what the fuck it was that you did at the damn club. She hated that dazed-blur when she came down off the high...it reminded her too much of losing control. But then again, it was all for the rush.

She started when she felt Kitty poke her in the side. They were all filling out behind Logan, and Kitty was giving her an odd look. She just shrugged and followed the herd out to the van.

All the way into town she was only vaguely conscious of Amara and Tabby’s bitching about “not arriving in style”...something about getting a cool car like Scott’s to take them to town in. And Logan’s curt replies about bicycles and walking...nothing to really catch her attention. Already she could feel that deep bass beat, and her heart began thumping anxiously right along with it.

And then the van was stopping and they were filling back out, stretching and making their way to the long line of people waiting to get in. They had freedom until two a.m. More than enough time to work out all the weeks-worth of hard labor and cabin fever. She knew she had a predatory look in her eye as she flashed her id and received the stamp on her hand. As she stepped into the building and inhaled the myriad smells only hundreds of people in cramped quarters could emit, she couldn’t help but feel that this was gonna be a good night.

***

The boys all watched from the seclusion of the closet under the stairs as the girls left with Logan. It was the general consensus among them that they were to be pissed off. It was only for these outings that the girls dressed so oddly, and it was because of this odd state of dress that they acted so peculiar...and by peculiar, the guys meant that the girls were completely cold to any of the advances from those within the mansion. And now, the said advancers were preparing a counter-strike. All the boys, save for the most recent addition of students who hadn’t had time to properly settle in and get to know each other, were presently squashing each other for a peek out of the crack in the door.

“Jesus, who showered in the cologne?” Ray whined, then shimied even further into the corner as Kurt hissed and shoved an errant elbow that was inching precariously toward his left eye. “Shit, I can practically taste your aftershave.”

Sam looked sheepish and sniffed his shirt, then said meekly, “Sorry guys, the nozzle broke when I was putting it on...this was the only clean shirt I had left.”

“Yeah, because it was Crispy’s(1) turn to do laundry this weekend,” Roberto groused under his breath. The older boy glared at the insult, but as smashed as everyone was, he was unable to reach him to do any physical harm. Instead, everyone felt their hair stand on end as the electrified mutant sent a current through them.

“Knock it off,” Kurt barked, angry that his short fur was now tickling him everywhere.

“I can’t take much more of this,” Lance said and shifted his weight. “Is it fucking clear yet?”

“Dunno...” Kurt answered, cracking the door a bit more to see and nearly jumping out of his skin as the door was roughly thrown open by Scott.

“They’re gone, let’s get this mission underway,” their leader beamed and jingled his car keys jovially.

***

“I realize that this decision must have been difficult for you to make,” Professor Xavier stated as he leaned on his steepled hands and regarded his visitor. “I always wondered what kept you working for him.”

“Well, it sure as hell wasn’t the pay,” Remy LeBeau drawled. He was seated comfortably across from the professor in one of the two leather chairs. His legs were crossed, and his trench coat was draped casually over his lap. “I’m still trying to figure that out myself. I do however, appreciate you seeing me on such short notice and under the...current situation.”

The professor waved his hand dismissivly. “Think nothing more of it. I’m always glad to see a new face. Although, I have to admit we run a tight schedule here. There will be a few expectations to uphold - nothing too difficult, I assure you - it’s just that Logan is in charge of training, and he’ll insist that you take part with those activities. Also there’s Storm, a fine teacher and housekeeper - two greatly appreciated talents - and she will expect you to clean up after yourself- ” The professor stopped himself mid-sentence. He rubbed his temple as he chuckled to himself. “I'm sorry Remy, this speech is really intended for younger mutants. I’m sure you’ll fit in just fine here, and if you find that you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. My door is always open.”

Remy recognized the dismissal and nodded his head appreciatively. He rose, gathering his coat and picking up a smallish suitcase, and closed the door behind himself. As he rounded the corner he spied a gathering of people in the foyer. Keeping out of sight of them, he tried to discern who they were. He grinned when he realized what was going on.

“Oh yeah...I’ll fit in just peachy....” he thought to himself. Still smiling, he continued on to the elevator so he could get his things settled in and scope out the place a bit.

***

Rogue and the others had been dancing for about two hours straight when familiar faces started popping up on the dance floor. Annoyed, the girls had formed a small circle around their shoes and purses and were blatantly ignoring their male counterparts of the mansion (2). Most of the guys were now sitting around looking miserable or sipping beers, at least that’s what Lance was busy doing since he was old enough, and a few of the others had found a willing partner to grind along with them. Roberto had a small group of girls surrounding him, a fact which Rahne noted with disgust; Jaime had made a dupe of himself and was pretending to be twins as two ditsy girls tried to figure out a difference in their appearance; Ray was engaged in a strange new dance move with a curvy blonde, a move that looked remarkably like dry humping; and Kurt and Tabby were dancing atop a table being cheered on by a group of mostly females, who cheered even more loudly whenever Kurt flexed or shook his booty for them.

Rogue smiled as her adopted-brother’s silliness, noticing the none-too-happy look a bouncer was giving him, and then let her eyes range over the hundred or so other dancers in the building. The lights had been dimmed so the more impressive lighting displays could be seen, as well as the use of a fogging machine, but even through all the haze and the mass confusion of bodies two orbs of red caught her attention. Slowly she made her way out of the girls' close-nit circle and danced her way over to the figure to which the eyes belonged.

He was leaned casually up against a support pole, hands at his sides with one idly twirling a card, hips jutted forward, and wearing a small smirk she was barely able to make out in the near darkness. When she was a few inches before him, she continued her dance, but turned and rubbed her ass against his crotch in an up and down, side-to-side motion keeping her head angled so she could watch his expression.

“Whatcha’ doin’ here, Cajun?” she asked, continuing her gyrating as she half-turned to look up at his face directly, being careful to mask the menace in her voice. “Business or pleasure?”

“Well,” the slightly startled man answered. “Now it’s pleasure, chere.” He then placed a hand on her hip and pushed her a little further onto the dance floor and moved along with her, rubbing back against her figure in sync with the beat of the music.

“Good answer,” she stated and let him see her slip her glove back on, which he didn’t seem to have noticed given the way his eyebrows tilted and his smirk lessened. However, he never faltered in his movements.

“I took care of the business part of the trip earlier in the evening,” he continued, now speeding up his motions as the song changed.

“Guess ya don’t get out much if ya wanted to come to this playground?”

“It’s not that bad, it seems to be just far enough away that your leash doesn’t stretch too tautly, eh?”

“I’m not the one with the leash, Remy,” she said, giving him a piercing look.

“Touché.”

She smirked, relinquishing herself into the pure physical joy of dancing and not caring that it was with an enemy, or that her fellow female teammates were watching her every move and speculating amongst themselves just out of her earshot.

Too soon though she saw people beginning to clear out, signaling the approach of two o’clock. Logan would be around soon to herd them out to the van and back home to their “normal” lives. She and Remy hadn’t ceased dancing together since they’d begun, and they hadn’t shared more than a handful of words after the initial conversation. However, Remy was the first to break the long silence.

“Almost closin’ time, chere,” He muttered, once again twittering with a card.

“Yep,” she answered non-commitedly.

“Suppose I give you something...to make up for our past meetings?”

“You got me a present? Why, you shouldn’t have,” she joked, but sobered when he only smirked.

“Somethin’ like that, but more of a promise, really,” he murmured, casting his eyes to the card he held. “A promise that y’gonna be seeing this Cajun around a lot more, albeit, a bit more reformed.”

Her eyes opened in surprise, but she didn’t resist when he placed the card against her lips and then leaned in to place a lingering kiss on the other side of it. She smiled when he pulled away, somewhat in a daze, and their eyes met held one another in a silent battle of wills. A battle which neither would have backed out of if someone hadn’t lain a staying hand on her shoulder. Stunned out of her reverie, she spun, but stopped short when she found it was just Logan.

He growled menacingly at Remy and pulled Rogue away by her upper arm, shoving her - not too roughly - in the direction of the door. Confused, Rogue only made it a few steps before Logan had more girls gathered up and was ushering them, protestingly, out the door himself. Rogue stared back at the glowing eyes as she moved, leadenly, with the others until he was engulfed in the crowd.

Once outside, she came to herself a bit more, but still found herself mechanically climbing into the van and buckling up along with the rest of the girls, amidst cries of blackmail and sabotage form the others.

***

Logan re-entered the building, with the intent of scolding the other guys and ripping the vagrant scum a new one when his thoughts were interrupted by the professor. His eyes narrowed as he processed the relayed information, and then changed his tactics as the psychic conversation ended. Once inside, he hauled Scott of the dance floor and threatened a six o’clock - AM -
danger room session, if he and his posse weren’t home within the hour. The startled youth didn’t protest, and immediately hunted up the other boys. Logan paused briefly to admire his ability to switch into leadership mode, but the sight of two glowing eyes pushed everything else from his mind.

“I’ll see you in the morning, bub,” he growled. “Bright and early. Don’t think just because Chuck’s granted you admittance that this is gonna be some kind of vacation.”

His eyes narrowed even more when the other mutant only smiled and saluted him. Logan turned on his heel and marched off the dance floor and out of the building.

He didn’t relax until he’d made it to the van, and couldn’t help it as he peeled out when he maneuvered the vehicle onto the highway. It wasn’t until they were well on their way home that he registered a heated conversation going on around him...or rather, at him.

“This is so unfair!” Tabby was yelling from the back, twirling two little ball of energy between her fingers like a pair of Chinese health balls(3).

“Yeah, Mr. Logan! Why did we have to leave early?!” Kitty demanded.

“It’s not like it’s our fault Swamp Thing(4) was putting the moves on Rogue!” Tabby continued, only to be shushed by Jean as she pointed at a still dazed-looking Rogue. The argument died on her tongue as she regarded Rogue. The others also quieted down and took notice of the girl’s calm, yet oddly disoriented demeanor.

The rest of the ride continued on in silence, but all eyes darted back and forth to the gothic teenager, and to other members who nodded knowingly.

***

Remy stopped at a gas station to fill up the “borrowed” bike, and bought a six pack of beer to give to Logan to make up for the use of the bike. It did no good to make enemies angrier when one was to be in their midst for an extended period of time. However, he’d have to get used to the idea that the psycho was no longer the enemy, per se.

By the time he got back to the mansion he was fighting off sleepiness. He killed the motor and walked the bike the rest of the way into the garage so as to not wake up any light sleepers, but did so only half-heartedly as half the windows of the mansion were lit from within. Once inside the garage, he noticed that Cyclops&Co. had already made it back and judging by the heat of the hood he’d only just missed them. Thank God for small mercies. It was just one less thing he wouldn’t have to deal with until in the morning.

He deposited his gift at Logan’s door, knowing the inhabitant was aware of his presence, then made it back to his new room without meeting anyone. Plopping down on his bed, he didn’t even bother to strip off his shoes. Instead, he was too busy reminiscing about a certain dance partner, and wondering what in the hell had possessed him and knowing that no matter what, tomorrow was going to be a long day. Unbeknownst to him, he was the topic of a heated discussion going on in a corner bedroom three floors up.

*****

Kitty, Jean, Tabby , Rahne, Jubilee, and Amara all huddled together in their pajamas doing their damndest to stare down Rogue. The girl simply looked back at them with that glazed-over look in her eyes.

“This girl is so out of it...” Tabby stated, makeing the “crazy” motion with her finger and accepting a piece of gum from Jubilee. She then launched the balled up foil wrapper at Rogue’s forehead, which hit on target and bounced off. After a moment, the girl blinked and looked down at all of them.

“What?” She asked blankly.

“Urgh!” Amara stood up. “There was so something going on tonight, so spill it already!”

“Yeah,” Kitty said, and patted Rogue’s sleeve covered arm soothingly. “Just what did that guy want, anyway?”

When still the girl said nothing, Rahne rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest. Jubilee, however, smirked and looked at her mischievously.

“Well, it looked an awful lot to me like Rogue and Gambit were playing a two-man version of ‘suck and blow’(5)....” She then smacked her gum loudly and leaned back to let her sentence sink in.

“Ha,” Rahne barked. “As if Rogue would be fraternizing with the enemy!”

“Coulda fooled me,” Jubilee trilled, stretching her gum out and winding it around her finger, only to smack it loudly back into her mouth.

The others sniggered, but Rogue looked up sharply, apparently finally snapping out of her daydream at the teasing.

“I...I was NOT ‘fraternizing,’” she stated matter-of-factly. “The last I checked it was called dancin' and as far as I know it ain’t a crime,yet.”

“I was referring more to his little gift,” Jubilee stated, and pointed to Rogue’s hand. The girl looked down, along with the other six pairs of eyes in the room, to a card that was grasped in her hand. Surprised, Rogue held it up. It was the King of Hearts...the counterpart of the card Gambit had given her the last time they’d parted. She hadn’t even known he’d given it to her, much less that she was still holding on to it. She felt herself blush and wished she hadn’t already washed off her make-up.

There was a moment of silence, then all the girls burst out laughing and catcalling at their friend.

“I must be retarded,” she stated through her embarrassment, and covered her face with her hands.

Before anyone could contradict her there was a loud rapping at the door that made them all jump. It was followed by Logan’s command of, “Bedtime!” A few moments later his boots thumped as he moved off down the hall, and then they heard the “koosh” of an aluminum can being opened.

“Don’t take it so hard Rogue, we didn’t mean it,” Jean apologized. “We were just worried about you.”

“And you know we couldn’t give up the opportunity to tease you!” Kitty laughed. “I can see the headlines now: The lone Rogue in Love.”

“Haha, you guys,” Rogue mumbled and stuffed the card into the pocked of her sleep pants. “I ain’t ‘in love’...it was just a dance...I don’t know what possessed that idiot to kiss me. Prolly just playing with my head again.”

“Oh, don’t fret about it,” Jean waved her hand. “It’s not like we’ll be seeing him around again for a long time, anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Rogue admitted with a sigh and a huge yawn. “Well, you heard the man! Bedtime! I’ll see ya’ll in the mornin.’”

Everyone “good-night”-ed back and they all ambled off to their respective beds. Kitty was the last to leave. She smiled sympathetically and waved before switching off the light and pulling the door closed behind her.

Rogue slid under her covers, and once again alone with her thoughts, she pulled the card out of her pocket and held it up to examen it in the weak light streaming in from her window. Sighing, she placed it face up on her night stand and looked at it until she drifted off to sleep.

*********************

(1) Crispy...Ray Crisp a.k.a. Berzerker

(2) Dane Cook, anyone? (fuck guys, lets just dance...) A comedian, you gotta check him out, hilarious...

(3) Chinese health balls. Little metal balls coated in ceramic or whatnot...they chime if you bang em together. They were said to cure disease and keep you healthy. Either way, they’re addicting to use, and for some reason they seem somewhat erotic to me. But then again, most things seem that way to me.

(4) Swamp Thing...anyone out there remember this comic? I thought it would be funny to have someone refer to Remy as this, even though in most things I’ve read people like to call him “Swamp rat”...I kinda liked the change.

(5) Suck and blow - the game played with a credit card in the movie “Clueless”...it’s where someone uses suction of breath to hold the card to their mouth while someone else sucks it off...it’s then passed down the line until someone drops it and kisses the unsuspecting ‘sucker’ next in line.