4/29 Issue: The Waiting Game

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Slarti
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4/29 Issue: The Waiting Game

Post by Slarti »

Bobby: Bobby pulled into the lot and very nearly did a donut to get right the hell back out. Fucking fuck. The red convertible's headlights made the car look like it was glaring at him from this angle.

Rogue: Rogue paused in digging through a box to stand and pull her hair into a ponytail. She wouldn't be able to find anything down here if her hair kept getting in her eyes and making it impossible to see.

Bobby: He looked at the front door of the old asylum building and then up at the nearest security camera. He really didn't want to talk to Anna yet. Possibly ever. Bobby made a face at himself. No, that wasn't true and he knew it.

Rogue: She put her hands on her hips and looked around her at the various items that she'd already pulled out and put on the work spaces. Rogue wiped at an itch on her forehead with the back of her wrist, not caring that she probably smeared dirt on herself. Maybe she should find something to put these parts in to take upstairs soon.

Bobby: A vacation he'd be staying on for a while longer. Paige had finally taken some time off work, but not at all in the way he'd hoped she would. Sebastian Shaw's money was keeping her and the kids in luxury in Hawaii, and he had another week to move the fuck out of their home.

Bobby: He'd already talked to Paige, and that had been one of the most awkward experiences of his already awkward life. She'd been pissed and worried, but mostly pissed. He'd also scared Ripley with his vanishing act, so he wasn't in any danger of winning father of the year. He was lucky Zachary was too young to really know what was going on. For all he knew, he was just on a great vacation.

Rogue: Rogue was grateful she had been able to keep some of her knowledge from Forge alive and well with consistent use, so she knew some of what Tony was looking for. Mostly. The rest was guesswork, but he would either be able to use what she brought or she would just bring it back. She pulled a few more handfuls of pieces of parts out of a junk scrap box to put on the counter then headed up the basement stairs to look for something solid to carry them in and keep her car clean.

Bobby: Maybe he could park in the other lot? That way he wasn't specifically running away with his tail between his legs. Bobby's head tilted as he considered this. It wasn't a bad plan. The back door was closer to his room! Yep, absofuckinlutely.

Rogue: She made a pit stop in the kitchen for a glass of water and leaned against the counter in thought. Was there enough tupperware here for her to ruin some with greasy mechanical parts? They could always replace them, of course. Maybe she should look somewhere else first, though. Maybe there were larger containers in the old theatre space.

Bobby: Bobby sighed and pulled his old truck into a space, throwing it into park and flopping back against the seat. He couldn't hide from Anna for the rest of his fucking life.

Rogue: After she drained the rest of the glass, she set it on the counter to use again in a few minutes. Maybe a couple of tupperware for the smaller bits, at least. Rogue crouched down and pulled open the drawer to try and find some of the old ones that still had matching lids.

Bobby: He got out of the truck and opened the tailgate, picking up the first of several boxes. Yoda was with Carol so he wouldn't have the corgi's 'help' with the move. Once inside, he tried not to look around and headed straight for the stairs.

Rogue: Rogue grabbed the first two matching ones she found and headed back towards the basement stairs to at least attempt some sort of organization of things. Her stomach did a nauseating flip as she saw Bobby at the far end of the hallway and she froze. He hadn't responded to her in days. She turned around and headed back for the relative safety of the kitchen.

Bobby: Bobby nearly missed a step. He was trying to decide if he was going to pretend he hadn't noticed her and had nearly settled on being an adult and facing her when she bolted into the kitchen. Well, problem solved. He continued up the stairs.

Rogue: Rogue heard the creaking of the stairs and took a slow breath, hoping he'd not seen her. Because, if he had, that would mean she was right and he wanted nothing to do with her anymore and that was so much worse. She stared at the tupperware in her hand and set it on the counter, deciding to come back for what Tony wanted later. Now was the time to leave.

Bobby: Bobby had gone up the stairs, and stopped at the top. He stared down the staircase, fighting with himself. Hadn't he fucked things up enough already? He needed to talk to her. It wasn't like they could just avoid each other for the rest of their lives. Unless they did exactly that. Fuck. Anna was stubborn enough to do it if he started it. Fucking hell.

Rogue: No, she promised Tony parts. She couldn't leave without any of them. Rogue picked up the containers again and made a beeline for the basement steps, picking up the pace as she neared the stairs to go up.

Bobby: The heat signature went toward the door, then back toward the kitchen again. Oh, good, were they already playing stay away? He sighed to himself and shifted his weight, before putting the box on a hall table and going back down the stairs after her.

Rogue: Rogue heard the creaking once her hand was on the knob for the basement door. She tried to act like nothing was wrong, even leaving the door open as she descended down to where she had been sorting things. They were fine.

Bobby: Bobby gave her enough time to get down the basement steps, still trying to decide if he wanted to do this. His options were to do this now, later, or never. Unfortunately, he knew how later could lead to never, so he kept going down.

Rogue: She scooped some of the small screw-sized parts into her palm and dumped them in one of the containers, trying to ignore the sound of the familiar footfall coming towards her.

Bobby: He stopped in the doorway to the little side room, sliding his hands into his jean pockets. "Hey."

Rogue: Rogue glanced up at the voice, not sure why it startled her. She knew he was there. "Hey." She wasn't sure what to say beyond that, but figured she should. "Thought Ah was alone t'day."

Bobby: "I just got here." She jumped. Jumped. They were already off to a great start.

Rogue: "Oh." She licked her lip and cleared her throat. "Sorry. Ah'll just pack this stuff up an' get outta y' hair then."

Bobby: "N-no, you're fine." He swallowed, still watching her back. "I mean, you're - it's okay. I-I was just bringing in some, uh, stuff."

Rogue: "Oh," she repeated. Rogue finished with the smaller parts and closed the container before looking up at him. And then she really saw him, barely containing her surprise. He looked completely exhausted. "Is one o' th' kids sick? Yoda? Paige?"

Bobby: He winced. "No?" He shifted his weight, clearing his throat and looking down. "Yoda is with Carol. Uh, P-Paige and the kids are-" Fucking hell. "They're in Hawaii."

Rogue: Rogue frowned at him, completely confused. "Hawaii? Why didn't y' go with 'em? Why's Yoda with Carol?" She picked up what looked like an oversized carburetor from the box she'd been digging in earlier and set it on the bench. "Playdate with Chewie?"

Bobby: She had no fucking clue. Bobby wasn't sure if that pissed him off or if he was relieved. "S-she, uh, left." He winced. "Me, that is."

Rogue: She was glad she'd just let go of the part a second before he spoke or she would have dropped it in shock. "Ah'm... She..." Rogue let herself sink to sit beside it instead. "Bobby, Ah'm so sorry. Are y' okay? What happened?"

Bobby: He watched her slide down, confused by her confusion. Was he okay? Bobby very nearly laughed. "I told her."

Rogue: "Y- what?!" She stood again, suddenly. "Why?!"

Bobby: "I had to." Back up. He frowned.

Rogue: "Y' had to?" Rogue stared at him for a moment, completely confused by him. "Nobody was threatenin' y' family... Y' coulda kept quiet 'til th' end o' time an' nothin' woulda changed."

Bobby: "Like hell I could have," he snorted. "That shit always gets out. Always. One way or the other."

Rogue: What was she supposed to say now? Rogue was at a complete loss. "Ah cain't believe she left y' 'cause o' a kiss... Ah... Bobby, Ah'm sorry."

Bobby: "Yeah... me too." He couldn't stand there and watch her stare at him any longer, so he turned to pace the room. "I'm moving in. Here."

Rogue: "Oh." Rogue slowly sat back down and watched him do the full body equivalent of his leg shake. "Do y' want her back?"

Bobby: "What difference does it make now? It's not gonna happen."

Rogue: "Ah was just thinkin' that maybe if Ah talk t' her? Ah mean, Ah'm sure y' told her it was a drunken thing an' all, but if she hears th' same thing from both sides? Like, maybe she didn't believe y'? Ah dunno..." She looked up at him, feeling helpless. "Ah wanna fix it f'r y' if it's what y' want. Or at least try."

Bobby: Fuck. He turned back toward her. She was back on the bench. "Oh, believe me, you're the last person she wants to see. Other than me."

Rogue: "It was a kiss. Marriages don't end over a kiss. That ain't th' way things work. Datin'? Sure, maybe. But not 'vows b'fore God an' man'." Unless... "Bobby, y' did tell her it wasn't gonna happen again, right? An' that Ah was drunk an' stupid an' y' stopped it?"

Bobby: Bobby looked away, crossing his arms. "I told her the truth, Anna."

Rogue: Rogue stared at him for a long moment before speaking. "What does that mean, Bobby?"

Bobby: He felt her eyes on him and flicked his own gaze at her, then back to the wall. "It means, I told her the truth."

Rogue: Her eyes narrowed at him, frustrated with his answer. "Th' whole truth an' nothin' but th' truth so help y' God?" She felt like she knew what the answer would be. "Y' take a page outta mah self-sabotage book?"

Bobby: "Yeah. Well, enough of it, anyway." Bobby shot her a quick look. "I dunno, I didn't threaten to kill a SHIELD agent."

Rogue: "What th'-?" Rogue gave a sardonic laugh and stood, going back to trying to sort things. "Glad y' got mah side o' th' story, Bobby. Y're a peach." She was setting things down harder than she should be and she flinched when a piece snapped off of one of the parts.

Bobby: "Your side? It seemed like you made that pretty clear, babe." He watched her breaking shit, standing still again in the doorway, in part to block it.

Rogue: "Oh yeah? Y' think so? Great. Glad y' only need t' hear Carol's overreaction t' think th' worst o' y' supposed best friend. Love you, too." Rogue looked around for something to put the parts in but found nothing so went back to trying to not break things.

Bobby: "She was terrified. Of you. Enough to run, enough to call Fury, enough. You think I wouldn't do something about it?"

Rogue: "An' avoidin' mah calls an' texts on top o' not gettin' mah side o' th' story is what y' call 'doin' somethin' about it'?! Y've gotta be kiddin' me."

Bobby: "After she told me, I said I would fuckin' tell Tony myself if it got you off her back. I was going to talk to you, but I had to tell Paige first. After that, I-" Bobby bit off the words with a curse and started pacing again.

Rogue: "Oh, so y' were tryin' t' sabotage mah relationship, too?! Y' couldn't just talk t' me instead?!" Rogue stared at him and shook her head. "None o' y' believed me. None o' y' trusted me. Why th' hell do Ah even bother anymore?"

Bobby: "Did you not hear me just say I was gonna talk to you?" He rolled his eyes, running his hands through his hair.

Rogue: "When? B'fore or after y' told Tony? Hell, Ah'm surprised y' told Paige b'fore him." Rogue rubbed her face with one of her hands and tried to focus on her breathing. "Ah'm sorry Paige left."

Bobby: "Before, Anna! Before! I wanted to see what the fuck you were thinking, telling Carol you'd take her powers and her memories again!" He stopped pacing to stare at her. "The two of you are friends! What the fuck?!"

Rogue: "Tony is all Ah have left, Bobby! An' she wasn't even givin' me time t' figure out how t' tell him! She was threatenin' t' blow it up! So I did what Ah do when mah family is in danger. Ah fight back until there's no one left t' hurt 'em."

Bobby: "I thought Carol was family, too!" He laughed, shaking his head. "Didn't you just meet her family and they accepted you? Despite everything? What you threatened her with is worse than a break-up, Anna, whether it's you and Tony or- fuck! - me and Paige." His last words trailed off and he turned to pace away from her again to get himself back under control.

Rogue: "Except Carol doesn't wanna be mah family anymore. She hasn't since Ah told her we kissed. An' you haven't since then either." Her emotions were the opposite of his and she sat back down on the bench again, not looking at him. "He's th' only thing holdin' me here anymore. Ah don't fit an' Ah ain't wanted. Not that Ah c'n blame y'," she added, "Ah've fucked up worse'n ever with what Ah did."

Bobby: "Is it really that, or is she just pissed and frustrated and - she has that thing for Sharky Junior." He waved a hand. "So... projecting, or whatever."

Bobby: When he heard something shift as she sat back down he turned back toward her. "What?"

Rogue: "Ah mentioned somethin' like that. She said she'd never do what Ah did. Th' great an' righteous Carol Danvers wouldn't ever kiss th' man she loves no matter how rip roarin' drunk she got." Rogue glanced up at him, "What, what?"

Bobby: "This shit about not fitting and not being wanted? What's that all about?"

Rogue: Rogue gave a scoffing laugh and shook her head, "Carol put me through a wall, Bobby, an' then you don't answer mah calls'r texts f'r a week. We've never had a fight like th' one we had th' last time Ah saw y' an' not fixed it within a day. Fury calls Tony when Carol told Fury Ah threatened t' kill her, which Ah didn't by th' way, she's th' one who said Ah should do that. So, that'd be mah job. Ain't nobody left but Tony."

Bobby: "I didn't answer anyone, Anna! I fuckin' wasn't here! I-I just fuckin' couldn't be, okay?" He stopped himself and turned for another round.

Rogue: "How long were y' gone, Bobby? Did y' leave after our fight? Go home, tell Paige, an' disappear?"

Bobby: "I needed to cool off! For fuck's sake. Didn't you? Then all of a sudden it's all death threats and drama and then my fucking wife took my kids and left for Hawaii!"

Rogue: "Ah didn't threaten t' kill her! Fuck! If y'd just fuckin' called me, y'd know that. But Carol's story is th' only one that matters, right? 'Cause she's not th' reason y' wife left."

Bobby: "Oh, no, that's all you and me, babe!" He swore and turned to pace again.

Rogue: "Exactly. Carol won't kiss Shinobi 'cause he's married, so she's pure an' righteous an' everythin' she says must be th' truth." She crossed her arms under her chest and watched him pace.

Bobby: "I kissed you! This is on me, Anna. I didn't have to do that. I didn't have to tell you how I fucking feel! IN fact, I should have just kept my goddamn mouth shut!"

Rogue: Rogue blinked at him, shocked. "Th' way y' kissed me in mah room was nothin' compared t' th' way Ah kissed you on th' roof. Y' coulda lived not havin' told Paige 'bout th' first one Ah bet."

Bobby: "How do ya think? I kissed you that day, 'cause I wanted to, because I fucking felt it, too, Anna!"

Rogue: Her stomach twisted into a knot. "Bobby..." She bit down hard on her lower lip and stayed rooted in place. "We c'n fix this. We will."

Bobby: He blinked. "Fix what, exactly?"

Rogue: "Y'r family," she said weakly. This was what she had wanted for ages. Bobby to be single so she would have a chance. But now she wasn't single. "Ah hate this."

Bobby: Oh. Of course. It made him laugh. "You ever seen Paige pissed off before?"

Rogue: "Y' remember she hates me, right?"

Bobby: "Yeah, well, that's catching now."

Rogue: "Bugs..." Rogue wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to hug him, but she knew she shouldn't touch him. "Ah'm sorry..." This was all her fault. If she had just not been afraid of things with Tony, she wouldn't have felt the need to tell Bobby how she felt. "What c'n Ah do?"

Bobby: He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, for a long moment. Finally, he shrugged. "I don't think there's anything anyone can do, Anna."

Rogue: "Ah c'n leave. Tell 'er Ah..." She licked her lips and swallowed. "Tell her Ah won't be around anymore."

Bobby: "The problem isn't you! It's me!"

Rogue: "How?! How is it you?! If Ah'd not sent that message..." She growled under her breath, frustrated with everything. "Y' were right."

Bobby: "I can't just fuckin' go on pretending I didn't know how I felt about you! Loving two people just doesn't work in reality!"

Rogue: "Y' did it f'r a long time b'fore Ah said anythin'!"

Bobby: He waved a hand. "I thought it was just me, babe."

Rogue: "Exactly! If Ah'd kept mah drunken mouth shut, y' wouldn't know it was me, too, an' y'd still be fine!"

Bobby: "Fine." His laugh was a little hysterical and he picked up the pacing once more. "Things were far from fucking fine. She was barely home. I love her, and she said she loved me, but her actions sure as fuck didn't back that up. So I don't know what the fuck was going on anyway!"

Rogue: "Then use that! If y' want y' life t' go back t' normal, that c'n be y'r way back! Of course y' gonna develop feelin's an' kiss somebody else when y' don't have it at home!"

Bobby: Bobby just shook his head.

Rogue: Rogue watched him and realized it was hard for her to breathe with her chest this tight. "Ah don't know what t' do here, Bugs... Do y' not wanna get 'er back?" Part of her wanted him to say no because if things didn't work out with Tony, Bobby would be all hers. Finally. But that was selfish and she couldn't do that to him.

Bobby: "I..." He sighed and turned to face her, putting his back to the wall to lean, arms crossed. "I think... this was gonna happen. If not from this, then something else." He was tired. That was all he knew right now.

Rogue: She slowly sat back down on the bench, elbows on her knees. Rogue stared at her hands in silence while she tried to work up the courage to tell him about Tony. "Ah... Ah told Tony." She didn't want to rub anything in his face or add insult to injury, but he needed to know. Or, she thought he did, anyway. "Ah told 'im that we got drunk an' Ah kissed y' 'cause y've always been mah constant."

Bobby: "Yeah, Carol told me." He stopped as she continued. So. She was holding back on Tony, too. "Your constant. Right."

Rogue: "What did y' want me t' do? Ah love him, Bobby. An' he loves me." Rogue looked up at him, pain showing on her face. "Last Ah knew, y' weren't talkin' t' me."

Bobby: "Would it have changed anything if I had been? Which, gonna say, I was doing it as much for you as for me, to give us some fuckin' distance. That went well."

Rogue: "We've never been good apart." She let her head fall again. "Ah don't know. Maybe? Maybe not. Maybe y'd've not felt like y' needed t' tell Paige yet so it wouldn'ta mattered anyway." Rogue peeled off her dirty gloves and let her head rest in her hands, fingers tangling in her hair. "Maybe we coulda run away t'gether this time."

Bobby: He sighed and pushed himself off the wall to walk slowly over to her. "We couldn't run - just vanish? What about Rip and Zach? Paige and Tony? The team?"

Rogue: "Couldn't we, though? Paige has Ripley an' Zach. Th' team doesn't want me anymore. Who would after th' mess Carol created?" She closed her eyes and tried to picture what it would be like. She ached to be out there again. It was easier. But she made a promise that she wouldn't leave. Her eyes burned and she took a shaky breath. "What do we do, Bobby?"

Bobby: Bobby dropped himself onto the bench beside her, bracing his elbows on his knees to rub his face. "Fuck if I know, babe."

Rogue: When she felt him sit, she turned her head a fraction so she could peek at him. "Wanna be a throuple?"

Bobby: "Ha!" He shook his head in his hands. "That's just... a world of horror and awkwardness, babe. Thaaaaanks."

Rogue: Rogue smiled a little at his reaction. "Y' welcome. Perfect world f'r me, though."

Bobby: Bobby turned his head to give her a grin. "Could you imagine the headlines?"

Rogue: "Tony Takes a Third! Three's Company for the President!" She flushed a little and looked away from him. "Rogue's Secret Love Joins the White Hot House..."

Bobby: He chuckled, then paused and sat up. "Yeah, well, guess it's not a secret anymore... except to Tony."

Rogue: "Ah didn't think he needed t' know that part..." Rogue brought her hands down and pressed the heels of her palms against the edge of the bench. "Not like we could be t'gether right now anyway, right?"

Bobby: "Yeah..." He licked his lips and made a face. "I mean, worked well with Paige, right?"

Rogue: Rogue winced a bit. "Do y' still want me? Or have Ah made everythin' so messed up that y'd rather not think o' me that way anymore?"

Bobby: Bobby swallowed, hard, his knee jumping as his nerves got the better of him. He closed his eyes, trying to think this through, but it was Anna. Fuck. "Babe," he started, then had to pause to clear the huskiness from his voice. "I don't think I've ever not wanted you. Don't think I ever will."

Rogue: Her heart was pounding in her chest and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, but she knew this time she wouldn't stop and he had no reason to stop. So, instead, she stood and moved to the table, just out of arms reach. "Y're amazing, Bobby Drake. Y've never given up on me. Don't start now. Give me a li'l bit o' time... Y' need some time anyway t' deal with y' own things, right?"

Bobby: "Well," he started with a snort. "I've got another week to get my shit outta the house..." He was wondering where she was going with this as she moved away from him.

Rogue: "Things're good with Tony. Ah don't wanna hurt him. Ah really wish Ah could have y' both." She swallowed hard. "But Ah cain't." Rogue finally looked up and met his eyes. "Ah cain't promise Ah'll be that fast in tellin' him that Ah've wanted you f'r longer'n Ah knew he existed. But Ah'll help y' move out if y' want."

Bobby: Bobby watched her, torn. Fuck, nothing about this was easy. "I'll think about it, okay? If she came back from Hawaii early and found you there... Paige's violent streak is pretty well buried but it might fucking surface for that."

Rogue: Rogue bit her lip and nodded. Her eyes looked down at the floor for a second, then back up at him. "Bobby, do y' need me t' say it plain?"

Bobby: That made him look at her with a blink. "Say what plain?"

Rogue: "Ah want you, too." Rogue closed her eyes and steadied herself, trying not to think about the future pain. "Wait f'r me. Ah'll leave Tony. Ah just... Ah need some time."

Bobby: "Oh..." He swallowed, closing his mouth before he said something stupid. "Anna. I-I... if Tony makes you happy," fuck, this sucked... "d-don't sabotage what you have."

Rogue: Rogue's face shifted from slightly hopeful to something akin to fear. "Did y' not mean it? Were y' just tryin' t' save mah feelin's?" She shook her head, not sure what to do now. "Maybe Ah should just go."

Bobby: "No, babe- Anna, t-that's not what-" He stopped himself and frowned. "I mean it. Of course I mean it."

Rogue: She looked back up at him and bit her lip. Did she really want to end things with Tony? Pros and cons of Bobby versus Tony were pretty evenly weighted. But it was Bobby. "Do y' wanna be with me?"

Bobby: He blew out a long breath and nodded once, then looked away. "So, isn't Paige better off without me?"

Rogue: "Ah think y' lookin' at it th' wrong way, sugah..." Rogue watched him for a minute. "Aren't you better off without her? An' if y'll have me still, then, would y' be better off with me?"

Bobby: "I've never been better off without you, babe." Bobby gave her a faint smile. "I-if you're sure, I'll always be here." He snorted. "Specifically here, apparently."

Rogue: Her cheeks flushed and she looked down, unable to stop the smile on her face. "We make sense, don'tcha think?"

Bobby: He got up and moved closer to her. "Everybody else saw it but us, I think."

Rogue: "We see it now," she said softly, eyes lifting to watch his face. "Will y' wait f'r me, then, Bugsy?"

Bobby: Bobby raised a hand, hesitating for just a moment before he brushed her hair back and let his thumb trail over her cheek. "I'll wait for you, Dollface."
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