Remy Etienne LeBeau (_gumbo) wrote in marvel_prep, @ 2013-08-24 22:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | gambit, rogue |
Log: Full Circle
Characters: Rogue and Remy
NPCs: New Yorkers
Location: The mechanic shop, streets of NY, top of The Empire State Building
Timeline: Sunset [backdated to before the MDC craziness]
Description: Fully recovered from the last traumatic attempt, Rogue takes Remy to the top of the city's tallest building to face his fear again. This time with better success.
Rating: PG-13
How had he agreed to do this? How in all hell had he convinced himself that going to the top of New York's world famous Empire state Building to stand on the side and look over was a good idea? 102 floors above the streets. 1,454 feet. Remy knew all the facts. He had also hoped it would be closed for visitors after dark, which was when Rogue got out of work, and he'd have an easy out. But the damn building was open until 2 in the fucking morning. Goddammit.
But Gambit didn't show any apprehension as he pulled up at Rogue's job on his motorcycle. It was like a repeat of the night he'd fallen, except this time he was stone cold sober. In fact, Gambit hadn't had a taste of alcohol since that night. Between pool hall fights, Rogue's maneuver at the restaurant with the ID, the ban on alcohol in force at the school, and how busy he'd been with getting back into sharp practice with his profession, Remy hadn't had the time or the occasion to tip a bottle back. Sobriety wasn't a new thing to him, but lately it was a rare occurrence.
Tonight he had precious cargo to carry, though, and he parked his bike off the street and shut off the motor, sweeping his leg and long jacket over the seat. Pulling the helmet off to leave behind, Remy took long strides towards the garage. The hair, well. There was nothing to be done about that. Wind blown and mussed from the helmet, Remy didn't even try to fix it besides a sweep with gloved fingers through the shortened locks as he approached one of the open bay doors.
Gambit didn't trespass, he paused just under the rolling door and propped his shoulder against the brick, patiently waiting, scanning for Rogue's lightning white streak of hair and her thin frame.
---
Loud pipes saved lives, or so the adage went, Rogue had grown accustomed to the particular sound of Gambits bike especially since she had been using it frequently to tool around to get up to whatever it was that Rogue's got up to when they were by themselves. Mostly just that, though, joy riding, since anywhere she needed to be in a hurry, or long term, was better served by flying. She was glad he had glad he had the good sense to park the thing off campus though, since the less people aware of, well, their comings and goings, now wasn't it, the better.
The time must have escaped her though since she was still elbow deep inside of a car, a cigarette dangling precariously from her lips, the ashes stacked long since she hadn't flicked it in a while.
"You can come in," she shouted knowing he would hear her and see her once he finally turned the corner. Her boss, her co workers, in other parts of the garage at the moment. "Ah'm just finishin' somethin'," she called out and plucked the cigarette from her lips to ash it into an old, broken piston that now served as a communal ashtray. Rogue ground out the butt and pulled from her backpocket a rag to wipe her hands. "Two seconds."
Her hands were mottled, but that was nothing new, but she needed to grab her stuff and moved towards the lockers against the wall and started to forage. "Don't look so bleak," Rogue said with a smile and pulled out a stick of deodorant to dab on her underarm, underneath her t-shirt work shirt unbuttoned and open, and not before giving herself a sniff. What? "It'll be fine, we'll be all enclosed in." She exchanged the workshirt for a small women's riding jacket, which she tossed on and zipped up, replaced the gloves on her hand and starting filling her pockets with things.
After that Rogue backtracked to the door that separated where they stood to the other parts of the garage and yelled out, "Ah'm leavin'! My ride's here!" Which was met with heckles and jeering, but everyone was too busy otherwise to come and give shit in person. "You ready?" She asked, moving to the car she had been working on, moving the piston-ashtray and shutting the hood.
---
"Always seem to be waiting on you, chere," Remy teased, having not moved from his position at the roll up door. He wasn't keen on interrupting her work or on meeting her co-workers on the off chance that things weren't always peachy keen. He did lean in to see where she had wandered off to, though, and caught sight of Rogue changing out of her work shirt and into the jacket. Well now, that wasn't a bad view.
He smirked and pushed off the wall to hook his arm around her shoulders when she approached, "You make a right fine grease monkey, you know dat? Got a smudge here, though," Remy pointed out, using the knuckle of his gloved hand to wipe at her nose to get rid of a dark smear that had been left there. Then he tapped her jaw and pulled her into his side briefly in another of his half hugs that didn't last long as they headed to the bike.
"Remy's always ready, by the way. Just ain't looking forward to it, is all. Something I gotta do. Dat's all." He fished in a pocket for the key and glanced at her. "You gonna make me do it, non?" Like last time. Minus the falling. Enclosed space or not. He'd also looked up the number of people who'd fallen to their deaths from the top of the Empire State Building. It happened.
---
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... Ha ha, thanks," she said when Remy wiped the smudge from her face. "Lookin' forward to a shower later." But wait? What was this? Since when did they start giving hugs, what was decided unbro-like behavior, in greeting? Rogue only met the gesture by clapping him on the back and gave him a good-natured shake while she had him by the scruff. Nothing too hard, but she did give him a jostle. She might have been grinning, she might have been amused but her tone was dry.
"Yes. You're gonna go. You're gonna look. You're not gonna fall. An' we'll go 'Ooo' and 'Ahh' and that'll be that. End o' story. 'Sides, Ah already got the tickets." Which were safely not in her wallet but hidden someplace else that Remy would have to spend time seriously investigating if he wanted to pull another trick like he did at the restaurant with her I.D., which she still hadn't gotten back. Not that Rogue was planning on saying anything, just yet. She biding her time and waiting for an ideal opportunity. Or, you know, a little luck.
---
"Your peptalks were always so damn inspiring," Remy replied with a light sarcastic tone and smirked at her, letting go of her shoulders long enough to push his spare helmet into her stomach to catch. Rogue didn't know this side of Remy. She hadn't been his friend when it was around before, and probably didn't understand that, while a half hug was a half hug, it was also a lot of other things when it came from a Cajun Dirge. Pick pocketing aside, Remy's close contact affection was reserved for the people he trusted, and Rogue had earned a place on that list. The tactile thief made no qualms about bro-ships or awkward situations others might find. Remy did what he wanted. What came natural.
"Let's get dis show on de road, den." Pulling on his own helmet, Gambit straddled the bike and tipped it upright, holding it with his legs as he buckled the strap under his chin and waited for Rogue to join him. Sooner they got there, the less likely he was to find a reason to chicken out.
---
"If you can't take the heat, Ah'd stay outta the kitchen, little groundling," Rogue remarked coolly, catching the helmet. Bro behavior aside, touching wasn't something that Rogue did often, or rather often enough. But she found she didn't mind when Remy did it. He did it so frequently that she had just come to expect it, or maybe didn't want to fight him on it any more. Picking and choosing her battles, as it were. But still, she didn't ever hug John. Or Jean. Or any of the rest, only sparingly. It carried weight for her and it made Rogue wonder if he understood, but probably not because she had never told him.
She really didn't want him in her head, accidentally or otherwise, she just wanted to get to know him like a regular person. And besides he had already taken residence there anyways. Secrets upon mysteries upon enigmatic conversation; maybe he did know. But when was this dam going to break? Rogue foolishly clinged to the hope that it wouldn't. That would just mess everything up, now wouldn't it?
Rogue sat the helmet on her head, but not before tying back her messy hair, it was always messy, into a sloppy knot. Then, when Remy pitched the bike upright, she settled behind him perched high as her feet rested on the pegs, her slim thighs only lightly cradling his. Yeah, yeah, yeah, bad touch indeed. "Yeah, lets go."
*
The Empire State building was hopping when they arrived just before dusk, then again when was it not being the Holy Grail of tourist attractions in New York City and, hell, maybe the world that it was? What a fine pair they were—Remy with his fear of heights, Rogue with her uncomfortableness in large crowds. Though, Rogue was probably getting the better end of the deal judging by the way Remy was fidgeting.
The queue moved fast, maybe thirty minutes, and before they knew it it was time for them to board the elevator that would take them to the top of of the building. Slipping her hand inside of her jacket, and inside of her shirt at that, Rogue retrieved the envelope containing the tickets from their hiding place inside a certain undergarment close to her chest. She gave a sheepish smile and handed the tickets to the usher. But Remy wasn't moving and so Rogue pitched herself behind him to dislodge him from his spot and pushed him forward into the filling elevator, wedging herself into the back corner with Remy pulled in front. See? She needed him in that moment just as much as he needed her, though those weren't the exact words she prescribe to the situation. But the worry only flickered before it faded from her face, replaced with warm, reassuring smile as she looked up at him, "This is goin' to be fun."
And then the elevator doors closed.
---
Bike stashed, a few deep breaths and a quick glance up at the imposing heights of the city's tallest building was all Remy allowed himself before they were inside. His sunglasses hid his dark mutant eyes and he stuck close to Rogue both because it was a crowded place at this hour, the magic hour of sunset, and because he remembered the last time they were in the streets together. She seemed to have come along a ways since then, judging by how much better she was handling herself, but he thought maybe a part of that was because she was here for him, to help him face his own fear for once and for all. He smiled at that thought and moved with her through the line.
But ah hell, an elevator. Remy wasnt claustrophobic or anything, but that tiny looking box was going to take their group 102 stories up. Nope. He wasn't moving. Gambit was mid thought process on how he could talk Rogue out of being the good supportive friend she was when she came up behind him and simply pushed him onto the elevator, effectively eliminating his options. He didn't even have time to make a teasing comment on her hiding place for the tickets before they were on board and the doors were closing.
He had his back to Rogue to watch them get sealed inside, that sinking feeling starting to grow when he saw all the numbers lining the walls. Numbers that started to light up when the elevator began its ascent. The sure footed acrobatic thief was not so steady in that moment, and he turned away from the numbers to face Rogue in her corner, bringing his hands up on either side of her against the walls of the elevator box.
He could only shake his head at her comment on it being fun. No. This was not fun. They were going higher and higher and he could almost envision the elevator shaft beneath them as a narrow black hole that grew in depth the further and further up they went. Surely at any moment there would be a mechanical failure and the box would drop, plummeting them all to the basement and certain death.
Remy shuddered and dropped his head, fingers curling against the wall beside her, "Fuck. Dere an off button for dis ride?" He murmured softly to keep the quaver from showing too much in his voice.
---
"Long two minutes, huh?" She said sympathetically when Remy turned to face her. She kept her attention split between his pale face and the numbers on the digital display and how they climbed. "You can do anything for two minutes though, right?" She whispered. "You're missin' it. They're goin' up by tens now," she teased. "Do you feel it? Do you feel the car swayin' back an' forth?" It wasn't, but Rogue was just trying to mess with his head because, well, when did she ever get the opportunity to? Logically speaking he shouldn't be afraid, how many elevator trips did this car make where no one died? "An' do you know what to do in the even the cable snaps? Ah'm bein' dead serious..." Rogue couldn't keep the grin off her face. Poor Remy.
"He's scared of heights," Rogue said, looking at the people standing nearest to them, explaining Remy's severe emotional reaction to the elevator ride. "Look, Remy, she's not scared," Rogue pointed out the little girl standing next to them, who was no taller than his hip. She gave him a big, toothy, or rather toothless, as she was missing her front teeth, mad grin and Rogue laughed.
Comfortingly, she ran her hand up and down his bicep and gave it a squeeze. "Its okay, its okay... Look we're almost there. Here..." Rogue unstuck one of Remy's hands from the wall and held it in her gloved hand, protective. Rogue wasn't going to let anything happen to them. Then, dipping her head to catch his eye, "An' if you tell any of the fellas we were holdin' hands, Ah'll beat you up. Ah gotta rep to keep," she said lifting her shoulders and lifting her chin. If she had a collar she would have popped it. "'Cause Ah'm double hard." Now she was just being jokey, trying to get him to forget that they were 102 stories up in the air.
And then the elevator chimed to announce their arrival.
---
"Yeah, I know what to do. When de elevator car falls, you grab de girl who ken fly and carry it and everyone in it to safety." Remy replied, an attempt of a smile on his face. By tens. Really. Logic didn't enter the mind of the phobic. Or at least not for long enough to quell any fears. But Rogue's joking did, and Gambit met her eyes through the tinted lenses of his sunglasses and gave a more sure sign of a smile. The brat. Sure, even a little girl could handle an elevator ride up into the sky without fear of doom.
"Nice of you to share wit everyone, chere." He squeezed her hand and moved in closer, the distraction she was providing enough to pull his mind away from the height long enough to return tit for tat. "I woulda gone wid us being up here for romantic purposes, see. It's a romantic destination, I hear. You wanna know how many marriage proposals are made a year up top?" He weaved his fingers in between hers, lacing them together with a teasing smile. Double hard. Sure.
But the door chimed and opened and people started to file off the car. Gambit glanced over his shoulder and the brief but confident swagger of a flirt faded from his expression.
---
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, a group of strangers you ain't probably ever goin' to see again all know you're afraid of heights. Reckon about half the people in this car are afraid of heights," she whispered back. Then Remy did something that confounded her, by lacing their fingers together. And then coupled with his words? Rogue gave him a dark look that suggested maybe he was near treading upon dangerous ground. But she tried to shake it off, that he rankled her, by keeping her tone light. "Yeah?" She asked, lifting her chin. "All Ah gotta do is to say somethin's a date to get you to go along? Ah hope you didn't bring a ring or else yer gonna be seriously disappointed, mister."
Her new mentality was that she was a stone. And stones were only good for one thing... Who wanted to get married anyways? Idiots, that's who. Why did Remy always have be poking at her and reminding her of all of the things she was never going to have anyways? One day it was going to seriously piss her off, but for now she just shrugged off his babbling as that of an insane person driven mad by his own fears. Deeply disturbed.
When the bell chimed, Rogue took in a deep breath and straightened up from where she had been leaning against the wall, her smile fixed back on her face. "Its now or never, sugar," she said moved from the elevator toward the observation deck. "Oh, quit bein' a ninny," she grinned. "You know, one day, you might even thank me for this," she said and doubled back to bring her arm around his middle to literally move him out onto the open air—Did Rogue say it was enclosed? Oops.—Observation deck.
It was a little cool for summer, but better than it being too hot, too. And they had gotten there just in time to see the most spectacular sunset as well as an eagle eye view of New York City. Rogue, being the slim thing that she was, snaked them through the crowd, her hand locked on Remy's, pulling him along to get as close to the side as she could so that they could get a better view. "Look, look, look..." Rogue pointed out. "Look how far you can see. You can see all of it." New York. It was massive. "Reckon you can see out to Westchester from here." Rogue looked up at Remy, an actual honest to goodness smile on her face. then the smile faded slightly as she remembered the reason for them to be up there in the first place.
"Do you see that there?" Rogue pointed out the Chrysler building to him. "Ah have a story for you."
--
It was a good thing Rogue doubled back to drag him off the elevator. Remy wasn't trying to be difficult, but his feet literally wouldn't move when he told them to. The view, when they stepped off the elevator box - which now seemed like a safe haven - was wide open and only separated by a row of tall bars to keep jumpers from going over, and there were nets to keep people from throwing things over the side. Never was still an option, right? Never going through with this sounded like a great idea just then, especially as he followed Rogue's figure through the crowd, guided by their linked hands and his feet that trusted her, even if his head was dizzy.
Remy avoided looking over the side, focusing on Rogue. But then they were at the edge and she was pointing. All things considered, especially compared to the last time he was up above the streets, never mind being 102 stories up, he was handling it well. The Cajun braced himself and looked, sweeping his shaded gaze over the sprawling landscape of buildings after buildings and more buildings beyond those. Left and right, more of the same. And there was the Hudson.
Remy's hand started to loosen on hers. That river and that night over a month ago would always be a memory he'd relive. But Gambit had come to peace with it, in different ways. It was a settling feeling that helped ground him, so many feet above any actual ground, and the spinning cityscape stopped, slotting into place. Losing still hurt, heights were still scary, but he was going to be alright.
Gloved fingers tightened on gloved fingers and Remy gave her a glance, smiling softly, gratefully, "What's dat, petite?"
---
For a long time Rogue didn't say anything, just stared out at the Chrysler Building and the eagles there, eyes squinting in the dying light of day—the reds and oranges that streaked across the sky, the gold color that clung to the clouds and outlined them in still bright light; the blue that faded into pink and then white and the midnight color that was creeping up on it all; the fiery orb that hung low in the sky. She thought she was being quiet while Remy adjusted to the heights, or whatever it was he was going through, but really, she needed the time for herself. She was thinking about the last time she had visited the Chrysler Building was to ask her friend for forgiveness and the conversation that resulted. A conversation about the very person she was with today, holding her hand. She felt it go slack and then tighten on hers and for a brief glimmer she wished he had just let her go. If only she hadn't been holding on so tight...
It kind of made her want to cry, to be honest, when she thought about telling Remy the words she shared and the resulting emotion was what ultimately prevented the words from tumbling out of her mouth. Rogue's throat felt tight and her mouth dry. She shouldn't be here with him. This had to have been in violation of some kind of transcendental bro code. Somewhere. Somehow. How could she do this to her friend's memory? Just let go... let go... It was her new mantra and it seemed to be serving her well. Because then she did. Her hand loosened around Remy's, but only to bring her fingers up to her eyes to skim away some of the tears that had formed there.
When she looked back at Remy she realized he had asked her something and looked on expectantly. "Hmm? Oh... Um, Ah actually forgot what Ah was goin' to say. Ah was just..." Then steeling herself with a quick breath, she gave Remy a quick smile and then looked back out towards the sunset. "Some view, huh? Whatcha reckon? Worth the price of admission? You got your phone on you?" She asked.
---
“Another time, den,” Remy said, easily letting it pass. Rogue’s expression, the swipe at the tears on her eyes, were not things that could be easily missed with how close the two of them were standing. But like with most things, unless there was a pressing need or he was just really pissed off, Remy didn’t push. People had secrets. It was a fact about life that he knew better than most. Daily, sometimes, it was a struggle with his own secrets. His own skeletons that haunted his closets and made regular living in an honest world a challenge. Being friends with honest people who trusted you to do the right thing, the moral thing, the heroic thing, even. He wasn’t that guy. The day they found that out, he’d be screwed. Someone like him didn’t deserve friends like this.
But maybe it would be better that way. This farce would be over. He could watch them all turn their backs on him and walk safely away.
For now, though. For now. Right now in this moment, it was a helluva view. Dark pasts and darker futures could just fucking wait a minute. He pulled his phone out, clean and empty, just like his room at the school, and handed it over to Rogue.
---
Rogue tipped back and looked at Remy, gave a smile and nodded, happy that he didn't press her for details. "Yeah, thanks," she said, not denying that she was holding something back. "Like when we're both shitfaced," she smirked. "Peppermint Schnapps. Its my only weakness." Which wasn't true, it wasn't her only weakness, but Schnapps had a way of creeping up on her, like flicking a switch. Sober, sober, sober, then the bottle was gone and—insta-drunk.
She took the phone off of him and looked at the slim device, turning it over, glad to have her hands be doing something other than holding his. "What kind of phone is this?" She asked. "Ah really want to get one." A real phone, with a permanent number, and one with a camera. Memories. She was the keeper of them, but it would be nice to have some of her own, as well. But Rogue and money only had a temporary relationship and between all of her large purchases lately, couldn't seem to hang on to any to spend on herself. One day.
"Here, can you turn the camera on?" Rogue passed the phone back to Remy without snooping through his things, other than a few idle swipes of the screen through the apps that didn't mean much to her at the moment, to test the responsiveness with her gloved digit.
---
Remy watched her with the phone, marveling that a teenager, in this day and age, could not know how to use something as basic as a smartphone. But he didn't say anything, knowing Rogue had a particular way about particular things, especially phones and attachment to permanent things, and he simply took the device back and tapped the camera on, handing it back over with a smirk.
"Can't say I know." Because he didn't pay for it. It was jailbroken and the SIM was jacked. He couldn't even say which network it connected to. But he'd just not mention all of that to her, avoid any follow up questions that he couldn't answer either, and just gave a shrug.
“What you gonna do?”
---
Rogue rolled her eyes at Remy when he said he didn't know what type of phone he had in his possession. Hmmm. That was interesting. Or something. Rogue was particular, not stupid. "If Ah asked you to get me one, would you?" She asked and gave him a knowing look, but then just grinned. Rogue snapped a few shots of the sunset before stepping away and tapped a stranger on the shoulder, a young woman with what looked like her younger sister.
"Ah'm sorry," Rogue said to start, dipping her head slightly. "Can you take our picture?" The woman was more than happy to oblige, took the cell phone and held it up while Rogue got into position. She seated herself on the ledge of the building, behind Remy, and pulled him into that gap between her legs for the photo.
"Say cheese!"
Rogue gave a goofy smile and from behind Remy raised her hand to fix him two rabbit ears jsut as the photo was being taken.
---
"Figure maybe I can." Remy smiled at her knowing look. "Maybe." He held up a finger before leaning against the railing to admire the sunset and the view, adjusting to the heights little by little while Rogue took some pictures. He even looked down once or twice. It was easier, he figured, seeing as there was the rail, the bars, the safety precautions the building had taken to ensure visitors didn't fall or leap to their deaths.
When Rogue addressed a stranger for a photo, he played along, resting his arms back against the girl's knees to lean into her casually for the picture with a ready smile of his own.
Retrieving his device, he thanked the woman with another smile, and took a gander of their picturesque selves, nudging Rogue in the side when he saw the bunny ears. "Real sweet, petite." And it was. Sometimes Rogue could be pretty endearing.
Maybe he'd keep the photo around for a while. Maybe some memories were worth having the evidence to show for it. Besides, it was proof he'd made it to the top.