Chapter Text
Rogue was impatiently awaiting the return of the other half of the X-Men in the kitchen. She and Kurt had had plans today which were abruptly canceled by Scott calling a selection of them out for a mission.
Rather than attempting to find something to do with her day she opted for anxiously pacing and sipping at more caffeine than even Remy would have been on board with.
He too had been called out on the mission, their need for stealth and agility the entire reason she'd been left back at the mansion.
With a frustrated sigh she drained yet another cup of coffee and moved to leave the empty dish in the sink.
The sound of Kurt's teleportation startled her before she could set the mug down and it clattered loudly in the metal sink.
When she whirled around he looked panicked, fur ruffled and eyes wide.
"Get Beast, Scott has been injured," was all he said before vanishing again in a puff of smoke.
Rogue set off at a run, knocking on doors and grabbing whoever could help. She found Beast in the danger room mid-session and hit the emergency power down on the controls.
Still in uniform he followed her out to the front of the mansion where the rest of the crowd had gathered.
They were on the front steps, Jean holding Scott's hand and hers while he leaned against her side.
Kurt had teleported Jean and Scott back quickly while the rest of the team followed in the blackbird. Rogue could almost hear the hum of the engine as it approached along the horizon.
The team flew quickly into action, Beast instructing them on what he needed, when to help, when to stay back.
Rogue kept her distance, knowing full well she didn't have the gentle touch necessary for this kind of work.
It looked bad, but not deadly - at least for a team as experienced in injury as the X-Men. The skin on Scott's side was charred and peeling where his uniform had been burnt away and there was a slow trickle of blood running from the side of his mouth.
Jean gently reached over to wipe it away.
Kurt returned with a stretcher that they lifted Scott onto before pulling it away in the direction of the med-bay.
The crowd cleared just as fast as it had formed, some of the team following Beast and Jean to stay with Scott, and the others being ushered away by a grumbling Logan.
Rogue stayed outside, luxuriating in the way the wind rustled in the leaves of the trees scattered around the property. She watched as the blackbird made its landing - likely Morph's work judging by the way all of the proper safety procedures were ignored.
The Professor was the first one out of the jet, Warren trailing behind dutifully. The X-Men filed out, all in varying states of worry and disarray.
Remy was the last one out, which in itself was already abnormal. Anybody else would have assumed he was just giving the rest of the team space but Rogue knew her man better than that.
"Hey chére, saw da chaos I presume?" he asked casually, nudging her gently with his elbow.
"Ah sure did," she replied, following him down the empty hallways of the mansion. They were headed towards his room and she figured he must have been eager to pull off his uniform. "Scott'll be just fine, he's in good hands." Remy just nodded. "Now what about you sugar? You okay?"
Rogue already knew the answer but decided to give Remy the option of choosing honesty.
"Me?" he shot her his signature smirk, "I feel like a million bucks."
She hummed disapprovingly and rolled her eyes when he stopped gazing at her. "Yeah, sure, ah believe ya."
Remy stopped short outside the door to his room. "Y'sure y'wanna join me chére? I ain't such good company right about now."
"Yer always bad company, cajun," she remarked and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the room and shutting the door behind them.
He often mirrored her own stubbornness. It'd been a process getting to know each others tells - when to push and when to leave the other alone. After so many years of this, she knew Remy didn't want to be alone.
She went to flick on one of the small lamps Remy had scattered about the room, she knew large harsh lights had a tendency to give him migraines.
While she busied herself with fetching the first aid kit he had stashed in his bathroom, he pulled off his trench coat, tossed it over the chair at his desk, and threw himself exhaustedly onto his unmade bed.
Why he never tidied up his room she'd never understand. (smthn smthn his life on the streets he never learned or cared about picking up belongings once he actually had them :( )
"You'll get the sheets all dirty," she scolded him halfheartedly. When he didn't move she climbed into the bed with him.
He reached out a hand to her and she sighed, opting to start with stripping off his gloves.
It was a process they'd done a lot lately, the stripping of layers both physical and metaphorical. A show of trust between two people who had never given such a thing easily.
He relaxed further as she moved closer and when she went to run a hand through his hair he rolled over and laid his head on her lap.
"Sugah, ah gotta get ya outta your uniform," she prodded. Rouge moved to take off his cowl, stopping abruptly when he flinched slightly. He'd tried to mask it, but a flinch from Remy Lebeau was not something she took lightly.
"Ah'm gonna ask ya again, cuz ah know you lied the first time, are you okay Remy?"
"Naw, not really chére. Got knocked around a whole bunch. Gambit's only got so many ribs da bad guys can break."
Carefully he helped her remove the rest of his suit so he was left in his boxers.
Rogue winced in sympathy at the hefty array of bruising spread across his ribs, and the sluggishly bleeding head wound that had made him flinch previously. The blood had matted some of his hair and Rogue frowned before ducking into his bathroom to fetch a wet cloth.
She dabbed gently at the gash on his head and he closed his eyes, trusting her to take care of him. She worked quietly while he leaned against her.
"Sometimes I feel fragile," he started, breaking the silence. "I forget I'm one a' da only ones who break so easy. Can't take a hit like da others."
"Ya just human, Remy. Ain't nothin' wrong with that, sugah."
Rogue finished tidying him up, wrapped his ribs, and tucked him gently into the covers of the bed. She laid down next to him and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
"Ah love ya soft, sugah. Don't eve' try to be anythin different."