rogue. (
theycalledmeacurse) wrote in
fateandfortune2016-03-28 11:23 pm
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Just a kid from Brooklyn. [For Steve Rogers]
Three months. That's all the longer Rogue had been in this world that wasn't hers, trying to scrape together a life out of nothing. She'd barely made a decent start of it when the world had tried to end on her with the Battle of New York. The city had been in chaos, was still trying to pick up the pieces two months later, and Rogue did all she could to help in her own way. In a small way.
Sure, there had been a few times she'd been tempted during the battle to run out into the thick of things and become her old self. Join the superheroes who had taken charge of the situation. But in the end she'd stayed back, because the reality was that without someone to borrow an active power from, she was just another normal person, and normal people just got others killed in fights like that.
In the weeks that followed the Battle, she'd taken to volunteering whenever she wasn't working. She'd joined an organization that worked with the elderly in various capacities, and they sent her where she was needed. Sometimes it was a nursing home to visit with the ones who didn't have families or who had simply been forgotten, sometimes to the retirement communities that put on events and could always use a few extra hands. Those were her big plans that Sunday - a party at a residential community, complete with cake, punch, music, and streamers. Lots of streamers. They'd really done the place up for the 4th of July holiday, which wasn't technically until Wednesday, with red, white, and blue all over the common room. It had taken hours for Rogue and a few others to get the decorations up and everything ready, but the smiles on the residents' faces as they were shepherded in by a fresh set of volunteers made every second worth it.
Laughing as goofy Mr. Samuels swept Mrs. Hawkins into something almost resembling a waltz, Rogue continued spooning out strawberries onto the whipped cream on top of the line of shortcakes. It felt strange to not be wearing gloves, even after months of having decent control over her mutation, but she'd still chosen a blue dress with long sleeves for the occasion. A simple dress, with sensible heels, so the sticker nametag reading "Marie" didn't look too terribly out of place.
Sure, there had been a few times she'd been tempted during the battle to run out into the thick of things and become her old self. Join the superheroes who had taken charge of the situation. But in the end she'd stayed back, because the reality was that without someone to borrow an active power from, she was just another normal person, and normal people just got others killed in fights like that.
In the weeks that followed the Battle, she'd taken to volunteering whenever she wasn't working. She'd joined an organization that worked with the elderly in various capacities, and they sent her where she was needed. Sometimes it was a nursing home to visit with the ones who didn't have families or who had simply been forgotten, sometimes to the retirement communities that put on events and could always use a few extra hands. Those were her big plans that Sunday - a party at a residential community, complete with cake, punch, music, and streamers. Lots of streamers. They'd really done the place up for the 4th of July holiday, which wasn't technically until Wednesday, with red, white, and blue all over the common room. It had taken hours for Rogue and a few others to get the decorations up and everything ready, but the smiles on the residents' faces as they were shepherded in by a fresh set of volunteers made every second worth it.
Laughing as goofy Mr. Samuels swept Mrs. Hawkins into something almost resembling a waltz, Rogue continued spooning out strawberries onto the whipped cream on top of the line of shortcakes. It felt strange to not be wearing gloves, even after months of having decent control over her mutation, but she'd still chosen a blue dress with long sleeves for the occasion. A simple dress, with sensible heels, so the sticker nametag reading "Marie" didn't look too terribly out of place.
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His girlfriend. It was exhilarating to hear her say that - and yet, it couldn't have been any worse timing on it. Steve hung his head in defeat. Christ on a cross, he was never gonna hear the end of this from Natasha.
Natasha arched an inquisitive eyebrow, seeming a little nonplussed at the information, as much as the straightforward way it was delivered. Still, she had a role to maintain. She reached out and shook Marie's hand, smiling again, more like a cat that caught the canary. "Natasha Romanov. It's a delight to meet you as well. Steve kept telling me he wasn't interested in dating yet. Apparently you changed his mind." It was a dig as much at Steve's reticence on the matter as much as it was at Marie; the 'yet' was added to see how much she knew about Steve. She was also curious on just what it was about this Marie that had made Steve decide to take the plunge into dating.
"That's enough, Natasha." He'd watched the footage of her speaking with Loki, knew how she could hold what seemed to be a perfectly innocent conversation, and at the end of it have all the knowledge she'd wanted, with her subject not even realizing what had happened.
"Steve's very protective about the people he cares about." Natasha couldn't stop herself from getting the dig in - especially if this were a new relationship, which it had to be; no one had ever seen this woman before, and it had barely been two weeks since she'd last spoken to him and Steve had been obstinate about not wanting to date anybody yet.
Unless... Unless they'd already been dating, and he just hadn't wanted to tell her. Natasha dismissed the idea, though; Steve was a lousy liar, and she would've picked up on any evasions or false fronts he'd tried to put up. No, the last she'd seen him, he'd genuinely seemed determined to wallow in grief for the foreseeable future.
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She was already forming her response to Natasha's first comments when Steve issued the order that sounded like it might be part warning. It made her wonder what exactly Steve was worried about. This was his teammate, someone he worked with and had obviously trusted to have his back - yet he didn't seem to trust Rogue to have even a brief conversation. What had he been intending to do, keep her hidden from everyone he knew? That sure was flattering.
"It's something we have in common," she informed Natasha, tightening her grip just a little on Steve's arm. A confirmation that she did care about Steve, and a warning that Natasha hadn't seen protective yet, but she would if she messed with Steve. (Just in case they weren't quite as close as Rogue assumed.)
"And we changed each others minds," she corrected, smile still in place. "I didn't think I was ready for another relationship yet, but you can't always help when these things happen." Rogue was fine with talking about all of this, but she was trying to tread as lightly as possible for Steve's sake.
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It wasn't even that he didn't trust Natasha, really. He'd trusted her with his life; he'd trusted her word, no hesitation, when she'd indicated that Barton was alright to join the Battle, after having been compromised and on enemy lines until then. It wasn't her loyalty as a teammate he didn't trust - it was the shit he was going to receive from her as a friend that he didn't want to have to deal with. And when this inevitably got back to Tony...
They'd been dating less than half a day. He was still coming to terms with the fact that they were definitively dating; he hadn't had a chance to contemplate introducing her to his friends. Call him selfish, but he kind of wanted her all to himself, for a while. At least until their relationship had evened out a little bit from the high of finding someone who seemed to fit so perfectly with them. He wanted to learn all about her, before his friends learned all about her. It was definitely selfish, but he'd never claimed to be otherwise. He wasn't trying to hide her, though. He wanted everyone to know about her. Just...not yet.
Trying to suppress a sigh of resignation, Steve quirked a smile and tilted his head toward Rogue. "Yeah. What she said." He couldn't help getting a dig of his own in, though, and glanced at Marie as he said, "Natasha is the one I was telling you about, who keeps trying to set me up on dates."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Two. Two dates, very lovely girls. Although I must say, Rogers," she grinned a little mischievously, "I hadn't realized you had such good taste, or I would've left you alone." It was a huge lie; Natasha lived to meddle, but she did like what she saw from this Marie. She knew how to hold her own, and the fire in her eyes as she'd responded hadn't gone unnoticed; she was willing to be friendly at the moment, but something in her bearing told Natasha she wasn't one to mess with lightly.
Steve really had no idea what he was getting into. And she wasn't about to tell him. It would do the Captain good to have a spitfire girl on his arm - literally, and wasn't that just Steve to a T. Maybe Marie could draw him out where his teammates had been unable to. She'd keep an eye on things, but for now, she decided she could probably back off. At least some.
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The thought of Steve with anyone else just didn't sit right with Rogue. It made her feel prickly and irritable, jealous even, and she knew right then that she was a goner. She'd fight tooth and nail to keep this man beside her, and damn anyone who tried to separate them.
"Why, thank you," Rogue said in response to the compliment on Steve's taste, her own smile turning a bit mischievous as well. She liked this Natasha, and she felt like maybe, if they got to know each other, they could be friends. That would be nice, actually, to have that sort of relationship with someone in Steve's life. She would just have to be careful about what she said around this woman in order to keep her own secret. "He does have rather good taste, doesn't he? And such a great smile."
She turned her head to press a kiss to his clothed shoulder then, unable to resist the urge and honestly not even trying. Who cared what Natasha might think about the display, it sure as hell wasn't for her benefit. Rogue wanted to touch Steve, to be close to him and express in every possible way just how much he meant to her. If that meant a few (tame) public displays, then so be it. She just hoped that didn't mind.
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Jesus, it was sickening just looking at them like this. Natasha shook her head; she'd gathered enough intel to be sure Steve was alright, for the moment, so she decided it was time to take her leave, and let them get back to whatever tooth-rottingly sweet thing they'd been up to before.
"Stark just wanted to make sure everything was alright, that you hadn't been replaced with a pod-person, or something. He doesn't seem to believe you can get any action." She watched Marie, looking for any signs that she didn't understand just who 'Captain Rogers' really was. But it appeared he'd come clean with her, which was interesting, as he'd been trying to get back in the world by being anonymous. And yet within two weeks of speaking, he'd met and begun dating a girl who knew who he was, and didn't really seem to care.
She shrugged, catching Marie's eye and smirking again; it was a smirk of female camaraderie, a sharing of the thought Yes, Captain America is gorgeous, and can get anyone he wants.
"I knew it," Steve muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes in exasperation. To Natasha, he said, "Yes, I'm fine, and whatever a pod-person is - and I can hazard a guess - no, I am not one."
Natasha nodded. "Got it. See you around." She added to Marie, "we really should get together sometime, compare notes. I'd love to know what Steve's like when he lets his hair down."
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So Tony had sent Natasha. The great Tony Stark, who certainly seemed like the nosy sort who wanted to know everything that was going on, regardless of if other people didn't want to share. Rogue didn't react to the mention of Tony's name, but she did look a little unamused at the comment about Steve not getting any action. She'd be proving Tony very wrong before too long.
And there was a movie to add to the list of things she wanted to share with Steve. Or they could read the book together - she wasn't picky.
She glanced at Steve with a little smile before turning her attention back to Natasha. "Maybe in a few weeks, when he's decided he's definitely keeping me," she agreed, setting her other hand on Steve's arm to give him an affectionate almost hug. No one had to tell her that Captain America could get anyone he wanted; she felt supremely lucky to have had him choose her. And her comment wasn't at all doubting his pledge that he wouldn't be going anywhere, it just seemed like the best way to give them a little more time to themselves before the others entered their lives even further.
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Natasha, of course, noticed, and quirked an eyebrow. "Hmm. A few weeks, got it. Hopefully you've gotten some of it out of your system by then." She had no doubt they'd still be together - unless Marie called it off, which wasn't unreasonable, of course - but Steve was clearly in it for the long-haul, already. From what she knew of him, once he'd decided on something, he never gave up, and he never went by halves. And he'd decided on Marie.
She turned and began to walk away, with Steve calling after her, "No. She's my girlfriend, not yours!" Natasha raised her hand and waved over her shoulder without looking back. Steve raised his voice. "And tell Tony to keep his nose out of my business, or it's liable to get cut off!"
He turned to Rogue, and said (only half-jokingly), "I have horrible, insane friends. Please don't feel obligated to associate with them. Ever. They'll just suck you into the crazy, too." He wasn't sure what it said about him, that he seemed to attract the kind of eccentric people who seemed bent on driving him insane. Marie was by far the sanest person he'd ever met in this new era - and she was literally from a different world.
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Steve's last words to his teammate had her grinning and holding back a laugh, all while feeling like dancing with excitement at the sound of him proclaiming that she was his girlfriend. It had such a nice ring to it.
She couldn't resist bursting out in a full laugh at his comments about his friends, though. Clinging to his arm, she nearly tumbled over from the strength of the laughter. When she finally had a grip on herself again, she straightened up and told him, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes, "Oh, sugar, I used to spend my days surrounded by a couple dozen hormonal, superpowered teenagers. I can handle crazy just fine, don't you worry."
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She had the good kind of crazy and the not so good under her belt. For half a second, she worried about the latter and how he might deal with it, but she knew what he would say if she brought it up now, so instead she tucked that worry away at the back of her mind. She could deal with it another time.
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"I can handle crazy," he continued in a softer tone, leaning down to press his forehead against hers. "I can handle your crazy. I'm not perfect either, y'know. My issues are numerous and sundry." He leaned in and kissed her, soft and sweet.
In all honesty, Steve didn't know how he would deal with her issues, either. He didn't know what all they were, yet. But he knew he could, and would, tackle it when the time came. He wanted to be with her, and he'd do whatever he had to to see that through.
His worst fear, though, was having a bad day, and taking it out on her. He'd already yelled at her on Sunday, for something she hadn't meant to do, and he was afraid some day, he wouldn't be able to hold his temper in check, even as poorly as he had then.
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When his tone changed and he leaned in, she practically melted into him. He was perfect in every way that truly mattered. Sweet and kind, caring and determined. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, sharing these little moments that meant just as much as the big ones.
"Your issues come wrapped up in a handsome, adorable package, though," she told him after that wonderful kiss, lifting a hand to smooth her fingers over his cheek. "For that, I can handle whatever you throw at me, sugar." She would take the good days and the bad, and would weather any storm that came her way, even those of his own making.
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"Y'know," he murmured, leaning in close, but not kissing her again, "there used to be a time, someone called me adorable and I'd call them out to the street. You wanna fight, Marie?" He pressed in a little further, forcing her back a step, his hands finding her hips to make sure she didn't stumble.
"You wanna find out just how adorable I am?" He continued to murmur, enjoying the lazy teasing and ease of it all. He didn't want to have to worry about what would inevitably come. He wanted to just enjoy this, right here and now. "Come on, kid. I can take you." He couldn't quite hold back the smile threatening his face, wondering how she'd react. He loved her reactions, to everything. He hoped he never stopped being surprised and delighted by her.
[I'm never sure how much someone will let me manhandle their character. Steve's stronger than Rogue, so he can push her back even if she resists. Let me know if this isn't okay though, I can change it.]
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She did, in fact, want to find out just how adorable he was. But there were much more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.
Lifting her hands, she set them on his chest for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of his strength beneath her palms, and then her fingers moved to grasp the open sides of his shirt. "You can take me anytime you want, sugar," she informed him in a low, sultry voice before tugging him down to her. The kiss was passionate and hungry, conveying just what affect his teasing had had on her. It was perhaps not the most publicly appropriate display, but go ahead, someone ask her if she cared.
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Maybe he should be trying to slow things down, pull away and cool off; they were in the middle of the park, after all. But their clothes were still on, and while he'd wrapped his hands around Marie to hold her flush against him, they were still clearly on top of her clothes, he wasn't putting them anywhere inappropriate... The thought made him tighten his arms around her, though. Imagining touching her, skin to skin, being close to her in the most intimate way possible...
Somehow, that thought broke through his lust a little, and Steve managed to slow the kiss down, before pulling away reluctantly. Panting, he pressed his forehead to hers - unable to resist stealing a quick kiss or two while his mind sorted through his jumbled thoughts. He'd been processing all that she'd told him about her past, and her powers, in the back of his mind, and now certain things were starting to get questioned. Questions of logistics and specifics, more than anything.
"Wait, wait," he huffed. "I have... well, a question, that might kinda kill the mood, but..." He cleared his throat. "This is... I mean..." God, he couldn't think straight. He wanted to be delicate, but he couldn't really beat around the bush with his questions. "Your powers... You couldn't touch anyone, before, so, how did you... Have you ever, actually..."
There was something taboo-feeling about frankly discussing sex with her. If that was the case, he wasn't sure how he'd manage to have it, but for now, he'd have to muddle through the conversation. He'd like to hope for a minimum of blushing, but wasn't holding out much hope.
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She'd apologize for it later.
She was addicted to the way he stayed close to her after the intense kiss ended, following it with little ones and the amazing way he pressed his forehead to hers. It was such a simple gesture, but it was so incredibly intimate, and something she'd never been able to experience before, not in the same way. Her dark eyes watched his expression as he struggled to get the words out, confused and a little worried until the end when it all clicked together. Oh, Steve.
Loosing her grip on his shirt, she smiled softly at him and lifted her hands to frame his face, smoothing her thumbs over his cheeks. "I have," she confirmed quietly, being as gentle and delicate about the subject as he'd tried to be. He was from a different era, she reminded herself, and he was clearly having trouble with the subject despite its importance. "Only with my husband; I couldn't anyone else enough to try. But he was nothing if not creative, and we had a healthy relationship despite the limitations of my situation."
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Steve drew in a deep breath. He could say this. And he had to say it coherently, so Rogue would understand what he meant. "I figured, when it was all over, I'd be with Peggy, and there'd be time to figure all that out. I didn't wanna just have a quick tumble with a friendly pro skirt, like some of the other boys."
He finally decided to fall back on the euphemism he'd enjoyed the most, back then, and still thought of fondly. "I gotta find the right partner, before I wanna dance. And I really wanna dance with you. Literally and metaphorically." He couldn't stop the sheepish grin that covered his face; he knew he was being a little ridiculous, but he didn't care.
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Her heart went out to him as he explained about his past, and she found herself falling even more in love with him. Waiting for the right partner, she understood that all too well, and she felt so very privileged to have earned a spot on his dance card.
"I wanna dance with you too, sugar," she assured him, pleased with the euphemism he'd chosen and running with it. "It's not difficult to learn the steps. Dancing is a bit like fighting, you go with what feels right. And you'll be my first partner I can really dance with, you know." Without having to worry about draining the life out of him, 'dancing' with Steve would be an entirely new experience for her.
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Pulling her into a hug, Steve buried his face in her hair, feeling more content and at peace than he thought he'd ever been, more than he thought possible. "I have no idea what I did to deserve you." Privately, he thought the answer was Nothing. You're never gonna do anything to deserve this woman. But you can keep trying, anyway.
From a distance away, Steve suddenly heard someone holler "No sex in the park! Totally illegal, man!"
Steve pulled back, annoyed. He turned around, unerringly spotting the guy, probably not even out of his teens, and shouted back on instinct, "It's called a hug, jackass! What kinda sex are you havin'?!"
Oh, sure. Couldn't have an open, legitimate conversation with the gal he was planning on sleeping with, but he could turn into a total New Yorker and start shouting abuse at a total stranger about it.
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I have no idea what I did to deserve you. She'd said much the same thing to him, and her answer would have very like his. He'd survived. He had struggled and fought for what he believed in, had walked through pain and sorrow, and still he was one of the kindest people she'd ever met. Whatever element in the universe had allowed her to end up in this time and place to meet him, she was so very grateful to it.
Where's Steve's first reaction was to yell right back at the kid, which amused her to no end, Rogue's would have been to stomp over and punch him in the face. That had been a hell of a hug he'd interrupted, and she wouldn't have felt one bit of remorse. Steve saved the little shit from his fate with that hilarious exclamation though, and Rogue couldn't help the stream of giggles that followed.
"Come on, sugar," she said between giggles, tugging at Steve's arm to get his attention. "Let's keep walking before the idiot gets any other bright ideas."
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That reminded him, though. "You know, we were actually supposed to discuss plans for tomorrow. Things kinda...got in the way." Thinking about the tentative plans they'd made Sunday (which felt like a lifetime ago, now), he thought they'd probably, inevitably, wind up back in his apartment. He should feel worse about that, the fact this was barely their first date, and he was already expecting to sleep with her.
But it was obvious how they both felt, and it just felt right, so why fight or delay it, just for propriety's sake?
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Rogue grinned at Steve and the reminder of one of the reasons for their meeting that day. "They did, didn't they?" She shook her head and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow again, the gesture feeling completely natural now. "Well, sugar, it's your birthday. What'll make you happiest? Just name it and I'll make it happen."
She wanted the day to be perfect for him, and while she already had a few of her own plans, if there was something particular that he wanted, then she wouldn't hesitate to make it a reality. She was also planning on clearly her schedule for the 5th, and possibly the 6th as well, just in case the night took the turn she was rather certain it would.
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Not knowing any of her plans, but guessing she might become elaborate if he didn't speak up, Steve replied, "How about... we go for a picnic. A late lunch, around 2?" He didn't need anything fancy, and he didn't want to sit cooped up somewhere, either. This way, they'd be out in the open, which served a dual purpose, as it seemed to be about the only thing stopping them at this point from jumping each other. Plus, he loved the way she looked in the sun, her hair glinting chestnut and lily-white, her face gorgeous and picture perfect. He wanted to draw her; he could sit for hours and just look at her, trying to capture her on paper. He already knew he'd never succeed, but he would love trying, over and over again.
"We can go up to the roof of mine to watch the fireworks in the evening," he continued. "And then we can...go back downstairs, for a while. If you want." Knowing they were going to sleep together, and coming right out and saying it were apparently still two different things in his head. And while they were clearly headed in that direction - at break-neck speed - he never wanted to take the choice away from her. Yes, he wanted to make love with her - desperately, all right? - but he'd never pressure her into it, or assume that just because it was that way now, things wouldn't change. Clearly, things could change very rapidly between them.
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A picnic, spending the entire day together. It sounded amazing. She loved being outside with him, and it was true that being in public was just about the only thing that had convinced her not to try ripping his clothes off by now. And if he were to ask, she would gladly agree to let him draw her for however long he wanted. It was the perfect excuse to watch him work, and she could look at that handsome face for days and not tire of the sight. Especially that beautiful blue of his eyes...
"It sounds wonderful. All of it," she assured him with a smile. She was appreciative of the way he offered her that choice - she'd been without choices for a long time, and while she had no intention of changing her mind about sleeping with him, it still meant a lot to her to have that choice at all.
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With a start, Steve realized this would be the first birthday since he was three, that he hadn't shared with his best friend. It was like missing a limb; he could forget about it for a while, until something brought it to mind, and then he'd have a phantom pain, wanting to glance around, wondering how he could continue with his life, feeling as if a vital part of him was missing.
Steve pulled the arm she was holding onto towards him, pulling her along until she was close enough he could bend his head and press a kiss to her forehead. Breathing softly for a second, he asked in a near-whisper, "Is it too early to tell you I love you?"
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And we're back to our default setting of: SAP
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