Kitty and Rogue -- Warmth in the winter

[x-traction.livejournal.com]

Kitty and Rogue catch up in the boat house

A flicker of light broke the monotony of the darkness ahead.

Kitty coughed into her scarf as she trudged through the snow. It was a lot colder in New York than she'd gotten used to in the Northwest. She burrowed her nose into the slipshod knitting and followed the bobbing of light as it fell across the drifts. Though she knew the mansion once, it had been so long that she felt like an Arctic explorer chasing new territories. The boathouse loomed ahead, uncharted space that the woman quickly shuffled toward.

Standing on her tiptoes, she poked her nose against the glass, squinting to see what was inside.

Rogue had been avoiding the boathouse. Even though it'd been mentioned to her time and time again that she was an accomplished artist, she was finding it hard to believe. Sure, she enjoyed sketching and doodling, but an artist?

She'd safely assumed that it would be difficult, so she booked the next day off, and was in the boathouse with a case of beer -- it was almost like she was absorbing Logan on purpose, all these remnants of him in her brain. Plus, it helped her to forget the weirdness of their kiss the other night. She still couldn’t figure out what he meant. There was no one more confusing than Logan.

Rogue was happily sitting in a chair, beer in one hand, sketchbook in another when she heard a noise. Acute senses were tingling and it was all too familiar, even though she couldn't place the scent. Heading to the door, she opened it and peeked her head around.

Eyes widened in shock as she realized who it was. "Kitty?!"

"Yeah. It's just me." Kitty blinked, then her features relaxed into a smile. A face she knew--that felt rare here. Even when Scott had met her at the door, she'd felt something had changed. What it was, she couldn't define. She wondered whether Rogue felt it too.

She wrapped her arms around herself, tugging at the scarf around her neck. "So, can I come in or is this like a secret clubhouse now?" Her smile was still there but it faltered, afraid of what the years had done. Afraid that they had been as hard on Rogue as Kitty's life had been on her.

"Only if you know the handshake," Rogue stammered, blinking still at the presence in front of her. For once, she was thankful for the amnesia -- she wouldn't remember anything about Kitty so it was up to the other girl to inform her of things. "But Ah think Ah'll let ya go on this one." Rogue motioned for Kitty to come into the boathouse and immediately realized how messy it was. Cringing a little, she rushed around, clearing off spaces and a chair for her friend to sit on.

"Right. Ah was jus' lookin' at old things. Want a beer? Didja jus' get heah? Ah ain't seen ya in ages, sugah. Lookin' good!"

"Sure, I'll take a beer." Kitty laughed. "It feels strange saying that here. I wasn't anywhere near legal when I left." She glanced around the space, then straddled the chair, leaning her face against the back. She didn't know Rogue well before but she hoped that would change. That was why she'd come back to Xavier's--she'd just wanted somewhere, some place to call home.

"That's the beauty of havin' Wolverine by your side," Rogue teased, lightly tossing Kitty a bottle. "Ah never had to worry 'bout bein' legal. Ah always knew where he hid his stash." She reached for her own drink and took a healthy swig. Head!Logan appreciated the beer. Leaning back in her chair, she gave a sheepish grin. "By the way, 'afore you start wantin' ta reminisce and all, Ah should probably give mah li'l disclaimer: got me some head trauma, and Ah have some serious amnesia. Don't remember anythin' from the last ten yeahs."
"I-" Kitty straightened up, trying to look smug. "Was a good girl." Then she crumbled into laughter as she took her own swig, lifting the bottle afterwards in a mock toast to Rogue. She lowered it and said thoughtfully into the glass, "Too much of a good girl, I think. Still am."

Tilting her head, she examined Rogue thoughtfully. "I don't have much to reminisce about. We never really talked much. By the time you came around, I... well, I think I was pretty awful just before I left." Kitty shrugged, then took another drink. "It's part of being a teenager, I guess. Sometimes I think leaving was a mature decision for the time. Other times, I think it was sort of stupid." She frowned. "So...head trauma? What kind?"

Around here, one never knew.

Okay, so that cleared that up, Rogue thought. "We all do stupid things as teenagers," she responded. "Ah ran away from home and thought Ah could live in Alaska. Me. A Southern girl. In Alaska." She gave her head a good shake. "But that is in the past, and now Ah'm here in New York. Still." And always.

"As for the head trauma, well, Ah guess it had to do with M-Day. From what Ah understand," or from what people were willing to tell her, "Ah was there when the Professor had a stroke. Some residual psychic backlash or something and poof -- coma for me. It's been maybe a few months now though, so Ah don't know. Ah might be doomed to be a teenager forever."

Don't take this the wrong way but you-ah-haven't aged well." Kitty commented, then flushed. She had no head for alcohol.


Then she actually did the math. "Wait, how old are you again?"

Rogue choked on her drink. "Jesus christ," she sputtered out, laughing a bit. "You're old too, jus' for the record.". Clearing her throat, she raised an eye brow. "An' Ah'm gonna be 30 in May. Pretty sure Ah'm younger than Ah am."

"What do you mean? So you feel younger or is it just... do your memories stop there?" Kitty asked. She forced herself not to shudder--her thirties weren't exciting but she never wanted to return to her teens
Rogue toyed with her response before deciding to be honest. "Ah can't remember past 19. It's kinda lame...but ta be honest, from what Ah've gathered from people, Ah don't really act mah age anyways. so. This whole thing? Not a huge deal. Ah hate more that Ah remember nothin'."


Kitty nodded. "Maybe you should keep a diary or something in case-"