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xp_logsIn which Rogue helps Julian come to terms with his emotions
Now that she'd finished what she'd come down for, Rogue felt an odd sense of relief. True,she wasn't welcomed back with open arms nor was there anything involving a touching, family moment, but still. Uncertainty was gone. This was good.
What wasn't so good was the continued tension between Julian and Tandy. 17 odd hours in a car forced one to get to know each other pretty well, and it hadn't escaped her attention that for the first two days there, the two hadn't spoken to each other. There was still at least another day of vacation, and damned if Rogue would let this slide.
She slipped out of the apartment they'd rented for the weekend, following Julian who'd taken off for a walk. As she wasn't too far behind, she caught up easily enough.
"Y'all gonna tell what's going on, or we jus' gonna brood in silence?"
Quirking his lips down, Julian shrugged, "At least someone wants to talk to me today." It was a pleasantly warm day and despite being in the south, Julian knew he wasn't likely to be called out as a mutant. They walked along in silence for another few moments before he sat down at a bench along the street across from a small park in the center of a small down-town area.
Motioning Rogue to have a seat, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. About to take a drink himself, he looked to his companion and held it out to her instead.
She raised her eyebrow. "That kinda conversation, huh?" Shrugging her shoulders, she took a swig and made a face. "Not mah kinda poison." Rogue took a seat next to him, and nudged him. "Come on, fly boy. I swear, I can listen jus' as good as I can talk."
"Your parents suck," Julian stated flatly. He'd been in the next room during the conversation, trying not to get contaminated by the gravy covered fingers of Rogue's younger cousins, who Julian could only assume were named Cletus, Billy-Bob, and Junior. The stern voices penetrated the walls with ease though, he'd clearly heard some of the things said. "Just parents in general I suppose, but dude, yours...fuck them." He took a swig of the thirty-year-old single-malt highland scotch, enjoying the burn.
She gave a sharp laugh. "They adopted me as a favour for a strange woman. Said strange woman provided them what I needed. I knew that before. I jus' hoped they'd maybe miss me,or be proud of me or something. This is like my second try, and it's just as dissapointing.". Taking the flask back, she took another quick.shot before handing it back. "Fuck 'em is right."
She cleared her throat and leaned back."But we ain't here to talk bout me. I say it again, what's going on with you and the princess?"
"Any rumors of my involvement with Namor's sisters are complete fabrication," Julian smirked and shook his head. "As to Tandy Reese Bowen...I have no clue- she hasn't talked to me since we had that fight. She thought I actually liked Susan Storm- can you believe that?"
A pause. "Well, if I had to make a decision based on those pics, I believe it. Isn't that the point of those gossip rags? Why should you be bothered by Miss Bowen's opinion, when it mirrors everyone else's?"
Julian scoffed, "We planned it all out, the three of us- you know that right? She knew what she was getting in to. And I don't care- why would I care?" He took another swig from the flask, quite certain he wouldn't be taking the first shift on the drive home.
This was an interesting side to Julian, she thought. "I think you know why," she replied cautiously. "An agreement was made, and it wasn't honoured, in your opinion, but sugar, I don't think it's all on Tandy. You got something goin' on here too."
With a raised brow, he put the flask away, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I kept up my end of the bargain, even had that insufferable Prince and her punk of an ex-boyfriend convinced I was corrupting their friend." Julian sighed, "The jerks."
Oh, he was dense. Part of her wanted to just tell him how it was, but the therapist side of her said 'all in good time'. Changing tactics, she asked, "Have you ever thought that perhaps they weren't worried about you corrupting her, but instead worried about her feelings?"
"Yeah, sure, that too," he shrugged again, "like I said, she knew what she was getting into- she's a big girl." Standing up he sighed again, "It just sucks- we were having fun...."
"How was it before Sue joined?" Rogue wasn't moving until they figured this out. Correction -- until he <\i> figured it out.
"Fine," he turned to face her, "we hung out, went on fake dates- messed with the paparazzi's twisted little brains." With a shrug and a shake of his head he looked off into the middle-distance, "It was fun. Sue was brought in to spice things- bad choice of words. Sue came in to help get our profile back up, and she started getting weird." Looking back to Rogue, "Like a real-girlfriend, or something."
"Would it be fair to call that emotion 'jealousy?'"
"Yeah, that's about right," Julian sat back down. "But why would she be jealous...unless...."
The light, it was finally dawning on him. "You tell me, sugar. Why would Tandy be jealous?"
He cocked his head to the side slightly, the gears turning- no one had ever called Julian smart. "She likes me?" Realization dawned on him, "Oh." How did he feel about that?
She felt like raising her hands and yelling Halleluiah. Instead, she crossed her leg over the bottom one and leaned back on the bench. "Is that a good Oh or a bad Oh? Because I have to say, it sounds more like a relieved Oh."
"It's...I'm not...she likes me? I mean, I knew she likes me...but not like that." He was silent for a moment, "I need to talk to, Bow." Standing up, he started to put the flask back in his jacket pocket, stopped and held it out to Rogue.
She looked at the proffered flask but didn't grab it yet. "You sure you should do this now? Liquid courage only takes you so far."
"It's now or never," he jiggled the flask at her again, "best I don't have it with me, to be honest. Keep her safe for me?"
Nodding, she took the flask. She then gave him a mock salute. "Aye, aye captain. Text me later, Casanova. Jessica and I will take good care of this here flask for ya."
Now that she'd finished what she'd come down for, Rogue felt an odd sense of relief. True,she wasn't welcomed back with open arms nor was there anything involving a touching, family moment, but still. Uncertainty was gone. This was good.
What wasn't so good was the continued tension between Julian and Tandy. 17 odd hours in a car forced one to get to know each other pretty well, and it hadn't escaped her attention that for the first two days there, the two hadn't spoken to each other. There was still at least another day of vacation, and damned if Rogue would let this slide.
She slipped out of the apartment they'd rented for the weekend, following Julian who'd taken off for a walk. As she wasn't too far behind, she caught up easily enough.
"Y'all gonna tell what's going on, or we jus' gonna brood in silence?"
Quirking his lips down, Julian shrugged, "At least someone wants to talk to me today." It was a pleasantly warm day and despite being in the south, Julian knew he wasn't likely to be called out as a mutant. They walked along in silence for another few moments before he sat down at a bench along the street across from a small park in the center of a small down-town area.
Motioning Rogue to have a seat, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. About to take a drink himself, he looked to his companion and held it out to her instead.
She raised her eyebrow. "That kinda conversation, huh?" Shrugging her shoulders, she took a swig and made a face. "Not mah kinda poison." Rogue took a seat next to him, and nudged him. "Come on, fly boy. I swear, I can listen jus' as good as I can talk."
"Your parents suck," Julian stated flatly. He'd been in the next room during the conversation, trying not to get contaminated by the gravy covered fingers of Rogue's younger cousins, who Julian could only assume were named Cletus, Billy-Bob, and Junior. The stern voices penetrated the walls with ease though, he'd clearly heard some of the things said. "Just parents in general I suppose, but dude, yours...fuck them." He took a swig of the thirty-year-old single-malt highland scotch, enjoying the burn.
She gave a sharp laugh. "They adopted me as a favour for a strange woman. Said strange woman provided them what I needed. I knew that before. I jus' hoped they'd maybe miss me,or be proud of me or something. This is like my second try, and it's just as dissapointing.". Taking the flask back, she took another quick.shot before handing it back. "Fuck 'em is right."
She cleared her throat and leaned back."But we ain't here to talk bout me. I say it again, what's going on with you and the princess?"
"Any rumors of my involvement with Namor's sisters are complete fabrication," Julian smirked and shook his head. "As to Tandy Reese Bowen...I have no clue- she hasn't talked to me since we had that fight. She thought I actually liked Susan Storm- can you believe that?"
A pause. "Well, if I had to make a decision based on those pics, I believe it. Isn't that the point of those gossip rags? Why should you be bothered by Miss Bowen's opinion, when it mirrors everyone else's?"
Julian scoffed, "We planned it all out, the three of us- you know that right? She knew what she was getting in to. And I don't care- why would I care?" He took another swig from the flask, quite certain he wouldn't be taking the first shift on the drive home.
This was an interesting side to Julian, she thought. "I think you know why," she replied cautiously. "An agreement was made, and it wasn't honoured, in your opinion, but sugar, I don't think it's all on Tandy. You got something goin' on here too."
With a raised brow, he put the flask away, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I kept up my end of the bargain, even had that insufferable Prince and her punk of an ex-boyfriend convinced I was corrupting their friend." Julian sighed, "The jerks."
Oh, he was dense. Part of her wanted to just tell him how it was, but the therapist side of her said 'all in good time'. Changing tactics, she asked, "Have you ever thought that perhaps they weren't worried about you corrupting her, but instead worried about her feelings?"
"Yeah, sure, that too," he shrugged again, "like I said, she knew what she was getting into- she's a big girl." Standing up he sighed again, "It just sucks- we were having fun...."
"How was it before Sue joined?" Rogue wasn't moving until they figured this out. Correction -- until he <\i> figured it out.
"Fine," he turned to face her, "we hung out, went on fake dates- messed with the paparazzi's twisted little brains." With a shrug and a shake of his head he looked off into the middle-distance, "It was fun. Sue was brought in to spice things- bad choice of words. Sue came in to help get our profile back up, and she started getting weird." Looking back to Rogue, "Like a real-girlfriend, or something."
"Would it be fair to call that emotion 'jealousy?'"
"Yeah, that's about right," Julian sat back down. "But why would she be jealous...unless...."
The light, it was finally dawning on him. "You tell me, sugar. Why would Tandy be jealous?"
He cocked his head to the side slightly, the gears turning- no one had ever called Julian smart. "She likes me?" Realization dawned on him, "Oh." How did he feel about that?
She felt like raising her hands and yelling Halleluiah. Instead, she crossed her leg over the bottom one and leaned back on the bench. "Is that a good Oh or a bad Oh? Because I have to say, it sounds more like a relieved Oh."
"It's...I'm not...she likes me? I mean, I knew she likes me...but not like that." He was silent for a moment, "I need to talk to, Bow." Standing up, he started to put the flask back in his jacket pocket, stopped and held it out to Rogue.
She looked at the proffered flask but didn't grab it yet. "You sure you should do this now? Liquid courage only takes you so far."
"It's now or never," he jiggled the flask at her again, "best I don't have it with me, to be honest. Keep her safe for me?"
Nodding, she took the flask. She then gave him a mock salute. "Aye, aye captain. Text me later, Casanova. Jessica and I will take good care of this here flask for ya."
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