Chapter Text
Rogue's eyes burned, more from the tears than from the dull glow of the little bit of Scott's powers that she had picked up when he'd touched her.
She was in the same position he'd left her in, only her head was bowed more now. Her tears were sliding down her cheeks and onto her nose, and she knew her face was blotchy. Her knees would ache whenever she finally got it in her to stand up, but she knew it wouldn't even come close to how much her heart hurt.
She'd always just assumed that heartache was a big exaggeration. Your physical heart wasn't related to your thoughts, after all. It was just a mass of smooth muscle, contracting and expanding, pushing blood through the body. Only hers felt like it had been replaced with a hunk of rock. It was heavy in her chest, and it made it hard for her to breathe. Briefly, she wondered if she should go to the med-lab and get a scan of her chest, just to make sure her heart was still functioning like it should be.
"Wow, sorry I'm late. Who knew you could get detention for too many late homework assignments?" Kitty Pryde had the door closed before she even glanced at Rogue. "Whoa... What happened, Rogue?"
Rogue shook her head, refusing to look up at her roommate. "Nothin'."
"Don't lie to me, I have never seen you curled up on the floor before, and I've seen you almost die!" Kitty dropped her backpack onto the floor and lowered to her knees beside Rogue. "Talk to me... what happened?"
Rogue scoffed. She couldn't tell Kitty the entire story, but... "Boys are stupid," Rogue spat, and she hated how much it sounded like whining in her own ears.
"Well I could have told you that much," Kitty said gently. Nothing more was said for a few minutes. Eventually, Rogue turned her head to see if Kitty was even still there, or if she had phased through the floor.
"So is this a chick flick and ice cream night, or what?" Kitty asked with a soft expression.
Rogue wiped her arms against her damp eyes, trying to get them dry. "Add in a box of tissues and you've got yourself a deal."
"I'll go and get one right now," Kitty said, standing up. She walked to the door and paused before she opened it. "Hey, um... Rogue?"
Rogue looked up silently.
"If you want to talk... I'm here. Okay? Whenever you're ready."
Rogue nodded, not trusting her voice, and Kitty smiled slightly and left.
-
"Seriously, why do you think I haven't dated anyone?" Kitty asked as she spooned out some ice cream straight from the container and brought it to her mouth.
"Well, I try to not make assumptions about people's personal lives, especially when it don't concern me."
"Well, Dad always said boys aren't worth dating. Once they're men, they're fine."
"What about women?" Rogue teased.
"I've considered it a few times."
That made Rogue blink. She brought another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
"But, like, really. Who needs the added drama of it? Like it isn't hard enough being a teenager and a mutant, I'm expected to go looking for a lifelong companion at my age? No thank you."
"Pretty sure 'girlfriend' ain't a lifelong title."
"You know what I mean." Kitty had another bite. "If I find someone worth the trouble... I'll think about it. But, I mean, really. If it were someone outside, I'd have to deal with worrying about falling into their skull if I so much as tried to kiss them. That would be the worst thing, like, ever. Could you imagine explaining that to them? And if it was someone in here, I'd have to..."
Rogue waited for a few seconds. "...Have to...?"
"Okay. I've thought about it sometimes... But, like, every time I do, the very next Danger Room session we have basically takes me by the shoulders, shakes me, and screams, 'hello, Kitty, they could die on a mission, or you could die... or worse, you could get them killed...' Like... who needs that stress, you know?"
Rogue looked at Kitty, noticing her tightened shoulders and tense jaw. "Hey... dating is stupid. We're X-Men. We don't need boys... or girls... or anyone."
Kitty nodded firmly and smiled. "Exactly."
Rogue smiled back and slowly took in a deep breath. "...It was Scott."
"What was Scott?" Kitty asked innocently. Rogue gave her a stern look. "Oh... Right. That. I see. Well, I don't blame you. Hard to not fall for him. The heroics, the hair, the stick up his butt..."
Rogue sputtered and laughed.
"It's true! And yet, that was something I liked about him, too."
"You had a crush on him?"
"Oh, yeah. Him, Kurt, Mister Logan..."
"Logan? You? The Shadowcat had a thing for the Wolverine?"
"Hey, for an old guy, he looks good."
"You know he's probably like... five hundred years old or something."
"No way. He can't be that old."
"Well, still. He's apparently older than the Professor. That regeneration of his..."
"Wow... well then, he looks really good for an old guy," Kitty said, trying to not laugh.
They eventually dissolved into the laughter of two teenage girls who have hurt too much to do anything but laugh. It was almost like catharsis, in a way. Rogue's heart still ached, to be certain, but she at least now trusted herself to not screw up in the next Danger Room simulation. Or on the next mission.
"Hey, Kitty?" she asked once the laughter died down some.
"Hm?"
Rogue briefly wondered if Kitty would be a good kisser. And if she would maybe be a better kisser than Scott would. She could easily imagine that where Scott would likely be a take-charge kisser, Kitty would probably be softer... Not that she would ever get a chance to see. She shook the thoughts from her mind. "Thanks for this... it helped a lot."
"Well, that's what roomies are for. And what best friends are for. You know?"
Rogue nodded with a grateful smile. "I think I'm starting to..."
Rogue set the now-empty ice cream container on the floor, drew her legs up onto the couch beside her, and leaned into Kitty's side. Kitty just shifted slightly and rested her cheek on the top of Rogue's head.
Rogue wasn't sure if the warmth she was feeling was because she was drawing in some of Kitty's mind, or if it was just Kitty herself. She closed her eyes, and decided that she didn't really care right now. It just felt good to be close to someone.