1/23 Issue: Hormonal House Call

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Esynthia
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1/23 Issue: Hormonal House Call

Post by Esynthia »

Timeline: A couple of days before Crowd Control

Rogue: Rogue sifted the flour into the bowl and wiped her forehead with her wrist to get her hair out of the way. She set the sifter aside and mixed the dry ingredients with one hand while turning the bowl slowly with the other. A slight frown crossed her face as soon as she realized she'd not gotten a bowl out for the wet ingredients yet.

Rogue: Maybe it wouldn't have been a bad idea to let Tony build kitchen bots for her, but she really loved doing this the old-fashioned way. Even when she forgot to get everything out before her hands got dirty.

Bobby: Outside, Bobby sat in his truck about a block away. Hopefully, he was out of range of Tony Stark's infamous AI. He'd compiled a list in his head of all the ways this was a terrible idea. Yet, here he was. He drummed his fingers on the wheel for another long moment, then shifted the truck into drive.

Rogue: She finished mixing the dry ingredients and shook her head at herself, brushed her hands together to try and get the majority off, then wiped the rest on her jeans. "Go 'head an' start pre-heatin' th' oven please?" The house answered her with a polite 'yes, ma'am,' and Rogue stooped to dig through the bottom cabinet for the bowl she wanted. She heard the oven beep behind her and she smiled before ducking her head in to reach the one she wanted at the back.

Bobby: He pulled up in the driveway and whistled under his breath. Fucking hell it was big. And fancy. Big and fancy and... kind of looked like the old school. Weird. Bobby sat for a moment, just staring, then got out and dragged himself to the porch to knock, waiting for the AI to scare the shit out of him - or shoot him. That was always a possibility too, if Tony had gotten any hint of their little secret.

House: "Ma'am?"

Rogue: Rogue jumped when the voice sounded right beside her and she knocked her head on the upper shelf.

House: "Apologies. We have a visitor."

Rogue: Her eyes searched the inner walls of the cabinet and she laughed when she saw a tiny speaker. "If it's Shaw, send 'em away. If it's a package, tell 'em t' leave it. Anybody else, Ah'll be right there."

House: The AI waited for Bobby to raise his hand to knock before speaking. "The lady of the house will be out presently. Please wait here."

Bobby: The lady of the house. His eyebrows rose and his hand fell, balling into a fist at his side. "Ooookay. Will do. Not creepy at all." He looked around until he spotted the camera over the door and attempted to smile at it, sure it was more of a grimace.

House: "He's waiting for you ma'am."

Rogue: This time, Rogue was ready for the voice and set the bowl down on the counter. "Thanks!" Here's hoping it wasn't anyone from the political world who needed her to be prim and proper because she was far from that right now. She swiped her hair with her wrist again as she headed for the front and froze in the entry as she saw the truck through the window.

Rogue: Rogue took a breath and forced herself to go the rest of the way and open the door. "Hey, Bugs!"

Bobby: Don't be weird, Drake. Don't make it weird. He'd almost convinced himself of that when the door swung open and Anna was standing there with a swipe of something white across her face. "Heeeeey."

Rogue: Her heart started to race a little and her smile faltered. Did she look bad? "Ah'm a mess... Ah was cookin'. Ah'll go change." Rogue turned to walk away then abruptly turned back. "Come in first, though! That's... C'n Ah getcha somethin' t' drink? Or a snack? We got Doritos?"

Bobby: His eyebrow twitched. Okay, good to know he wasn't the only one being weird. "Doritos?" Bobby couldn't help but smile. "Nah, babe, you don't have to do that. You've just got, uh... something..." He gestured at his face even though he wanted to reach out and wipe it off. "There."

Rogue: Her eyes shifted towards her hair line and she gave a nervous chuckle. "Flour." Rogue brushed her hand off on her jeans again and tried to wipe at her face. "Makin' bread. Did y' wanna come in? Th' offer t' show y' 'round still stands. Ain't let any other friends come see it first. Not that anybody else is really talkin' t' me right now."

Bobby: Awkwardness not avoided. Bobby made a face at that. "You mean Tony's not talking to you?" He moved to follow her inside, resisting the urge to swipe off the flour she'd missed. Touching her was a terrible idea. That was near the top of his list.

Rogue: "Oh! No, he's talkin' to me. Ah meant friend-wise." She wrinkled her nose. "Not that Tony ain't also mah friend. Y' know what Ah mean." Rogue sighed and shut the door, taking the moment she was turned away from him to make a face at herself. "So... This is th' foyer... Tony found this house 'cause it reminded him o' Xavier's mansion. First place Ah felt at home. So, it's got a similar layout. Kinda."

Bobby: Bobby wasn't at all sure how he felt about that. He could not give her a mansion, that was for sure. "It's a nice foyer, as foyers go," he babbled. "Does it have a danger room?"

Rogue: That made her grin over her shoulder at him. "Nah. But Tony's got a workshop that has enough tech t' give th' danger room a run f'r her money." Door re-locked, she turned and led him in the direction of the kitchen. "Ah'm glad y' came."

Bobby: Of course it did. He forced himself not to watch her ass as she walked, but couldn't help but return the grin she gave him. "Well, I'm told I should get out more."

Rogue: That grin sent butterflies through her abdomen and she quickly looked away. "Y' should. Gets lonely here when Tony's back in D.C." Rogue hoped the AI wasn't offended by that... "Sorry, house...? So.... Here's the living room. Kitchen's right through this way."

Bobby: Bobby looked up toward the ceiling questioningly when Anna apologized to the house. "Isn't it kind of weird... to have AI always watching?" He looked at the living room and the sofa that probably cost more than his truck. This room could fit his living room several times over.

Rogue: "He doesn't look if we don't want him to." She glanced over her shoulder at him as she picked the bowl back up that she'd set down earlier. "Ah don't think? Leastways, that's what Tony told me."

Bobby: Bobby's expression told her what he thought about that. "Fun," he deadpanned. "Still weird, babe." He dragged his attention to the bowl in her hands. "Making bread, right? I can... if you want to concentrate on that, I can come, um, some other time..."

Rogue: Already? "No, don't go!" Rogue set the bowl back down. "Ah c'n do it later." She hoped she didn't sound too desperate about it, but she didn't want him to leave. Things felt...quasi-normal at least. "Did y' not come over t' just hang out?" She laughed disparagingly at herself. "Course y' didn't. Ah shoulda known better. What happened? Do Ah need t' suit up?"

Bobby: "Nah, I'm not here for work... I, uh, really did just come for a visit." He swallowed. "I told ya I'd come see the place, right?" Bobby tried to give her a smile, hoping it didn't look too forced.

Rogue: Her eyes lit up a little at his admission, but then the smile made her question things again. "Y' did," she agreed softly. "So y' want th' grand tour, then?"

Bobby: "Yup, absolutely, tour away." Her expression told him everything he needed to know about his own, so he relented. "Sorry, I'm just - I got served my divorce papers a couple days ago."

Rogue: "Holy cow..." She stepped closer to him, wanting to reach out and take his hand, hug him, anything really, but stopped herself before she actually lifted her arm. "Ah... Ah don't know what t' say. Ah'm so sorry, Bobby... She's really doin' it then..."

Bobby: "It's'okay..." He wanted to hug her when she stepped in, but knew he didn't dare. After a moment, he swallowed and reached for her hand. "Thanks," he said, giving her a sad smile.

Rogue: After a half-second of hesitation, her bare hand wrapped around his and she held it tight. "Ah really hoped she'd change her mind. F'r y'r sake, ya know?"

Bobby: "Yeah, well, she didn't." He sighed and squeezed her hand, his smile a little more real at the touch. "I've talked to the kids, but I haven't seen them yet."

Rogue: "That y'r choice? Or hers?" Rogue squeezed back and then tugged him behind her towards the kitchen table. "Did... Did y' want her t' change her mind?"

Bobby: "Hers. Rip kind of gets what's going on, but Zach is just confused." Bobby let Anna lead him and sat down at the table, looking up at her with a faint smile. "Nah, it's... for the best." He swallowed, trying not to get lost in her sympathetic eyes. "Right?"

Rogue: She sat next to him, legs over the side of the chair so she could keep facing him, still holding his hand. A few different ways to answer him were going through her brain, but she wasn't sure how to answer with the house listening, so she just settled for, "If it's still what y' want, then yeah, it's f'r th' best."

Bobby: Bobby raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what exactly that meant. "Yeah... okay." Licking his lips, he looked away. "I got served at the nuthouse with Carol right there, so that was fun."

Rogue: His reaction made her screw up her face and pull her hand back, not before giving it a slight squeeze again, though. "Oh, great. Ah'm sorry, sugah. How many times did y' hafta endure her sayin' Ah'm a horrible person?"

Bobby: Now he didn't have her hand and that made him frown slightly, but then, he shouldn't kid himself. This was Tony fucking Stark's girlfriend, not his. Maybe she never would be his. "No more than usual. Just... she'll get over it." Maybe.

Rogue: "Ah ain't concerned 'bout if she will." She licked her lips and looked down at her empty hands. "Ah'm concerned with whether'r not you will."

Bobby: "What?" That genuinely confused him and he looked at her with a cocked head. "Babe, I'm not mad at you. What happened between me and Paige..." He licked his lips and looked around the room for the AI, as if he could see it watching. "I don't think you're a horrible person," he said softly.

Rogue: She flicked her eyes up to him, watching his face from under her lashes. "That makes two then. Th' two men that it affected." Rogue let her fingertips brush his hand lightly. "Ah hate that Ah did this t' you."

Bobby: Bobby caught her hand and held it, meeting her eyes. He stayed there, hoping she could read his thoughts. "It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault."

Rogue: "Bobby, Ah..." Rogue held his hand like a lifeline. "Ah wish it coulda been avoided," she finished lamely. It wasn't what she wanted to say, but it was true nonetheless. Because now there will be more people hurt.

Bobby: "Yeah... I get it." He gave her a half smile and kept her hand, AI be damned. "I know." The look on her face made him doubt his cynicism.

Rogue: "Y' do?" Her eyes were full of hope, but she hated that because she was in the kitchen that Tony bought for her. And she did love Tony. A lot. But, Bobby.

Bobby: He swallowed and let his eyes fall to her mouth for just a moment. "I do."

Rogue: Rogue watched his eyes and let her own lower in tandem. Her heart was beating a little faster and after a hesitation, she forced herself to let go and sit up. "When y' gonna get t' see th' babies?"

Bobby: Blowing out an uneven breath, Bobby sat up as well. "Um, next week, after I meet my lawyer. Carol wants to help me pay for a good lawyer since Paige has Shaw in her corner, but I said I can handle it."

Rogue: "Ah'd help, but..." Things being what they were, probably wasn't the best idea. "This might be a bad question, but... C'n Ah see 'em anytime soon? Or should Ah not?"

Bobby: He nodded, then gave her a faint smile. "When we get a schedule set, sure you can. I don't want them to have to suffer any more for my mistakes." Mistakes might not be the best word, and he made a face when he said it, but, well. "My, uh, decisions." Better? Not really, Drake.

Rogue: Rogue winced a little. He wasn't wrong, except he was. "Mah decisions," she murmured. "Will Paige let me see 'em? Or will she put somethin' in th' custody papers that say Ah ain't allowed?" That would break her heart more than anything, but she knew it was a real possibility.

Bobby: He huffed, but didn't argue. "I don't know what Paige is gonna do, babe, but I'm going to do my best to keep the kids out of our train wreck."

Rogue: "Ah hate that Rip's life has been derailed again... If there's anythin' Ah c'n do..." Though she wasn't sure what, she wanted to do something. "Ah feel so bad just sittin' on mah ass while y'all're goin' through this." Of course, she still was trying to figure out how to tell Tony, so it wasn't like she wasn't doing anything at all.

Bobby: Bobby gave her a shrug. "It is what it is, babe."

Rogue: "No," she said emphatically and turned back to him. "No. Ah refuse t' just let it be 'what it is'. Ah've never been good at that an' y' know it. This whole thing is just... Messed up."

Bobby: "Maybe, but this ain't the time to talk about it, babe." He let his eyes wander to the corners of the room, then back to her.

Rogue: Rogue clenched her jaw shut. "Yeah, Ah know..." She set her elbows on the table and dug her fingers into her hair. "When's y' court date?"

Bobby: "Next month," he said with a sigh, giving her a faint smile. "So! How's mansion life?"

Rogue: She peeked out at him from between strands of hair and chuckled. "Y' want th' honest answer, Bugs?"

Bobby: "Always," he said, ramping up his grin to full bullshit mode, but glancing at those corners again meaningfully.

Rogue: "Ah love it. Ah mean, it's lonely when Tony leaves f'r DC since th' place is so big, but," she was cut off by the sound of the AI clearing its throat and she laughed. "But, Ah'm never really alone."

House: "Thank you, madam."

Rogue: "Y' welcome." She rolled her eyes good naturedly and sat up to face Bobby again. "Ah mean, have y' seen this kitchen?! It's amazin'!"

Bobby: Bobby swallowed and nodded, looking around at the kitchen. "Yeah, it's something. It really does remind me of the old school." Of course she loved it, this place was a fucking palace.

Rogue: "That was th' first place Ah'd called home since Ah was thirteen... First place Ah'd felt safe." Rogue caught his eye and smiled, "First place Ah made a best friend."

Bobby: That made his smile a little less forced and he resisted the urge to take her hand again, his own twitching. "We had a lot of good times there."

Rogue: "Yeah... We did." Her eyes danced over the kitchen again before returning to his face. "Wanna go f'r a li'l flight? Ah could show y' th' grounds."

Bobby: Bobby swallowed. That was the worst best idea she'd ever had. "I'm, uh, sure there's more to see in here, yeah? Three living rooms? Formal dining room? Billiard room? Conservatory?"

Rogue: "Yeah, there's a bit more." She wrinkled her nose and pushed to stand. "We c'n see th' grounds another day, Ah guess."

Bobby: He made a face at her wrinkled nose, but what did she expect? Tony's AI was watching them, as the creepy thing had to remind them. Plus, her carrying him? That close? Bad idea. "Yeah, another day..."

Rogue: She had expected they could find a place to talk without the AI, but since that wasn't an option she gave him a tight smile. "Is there anythin' y' want me t' make f'r th' asylum kitchen? Ah've been tryin' t' make sure there's somethin' home cooked over there every so often."

Bobby: "That's appreciated, since I don't think anyone there can actually cook. I can make hot dogs and mac and cheese?" He gave her a weak grin, sensing she was annoyed. "I'm good with whatever."

Rogue: "'S better'n nothin', at least." Rogue forced the tension out of her shoulders. "Ah'll make sure t' ship some Doritos over then."

Bobby: He laughed. "You can't go wrong with Doritos, babe."

Rogue: "What c'n Ah say? Ah know what y' like." She winked at him and stood, offering him her hand. "Ah don't have a Danger Room, but Ah do have a gym. Wanna spar?"

Bobby: "That you do," he said. And that was a blessing and a curse. Sparring was also a terrible idea, but maybe less terrible than flying off with her unsupervised, so, he took her hand and got up. "I'm sure it's a fancy gym. Sure thing, sounds good. Gotta keep those reflexes, even though we haven't had any missions yet."

Rogue: Rogue smiled at that response. Maybe it would help ease things between them. Maybe get things a little bit back to normal. Maybe... "That's kinda good, though, don'tcha think? Or do y' think it's a bad sign an' th' other shoe's 'bout t' drop?"

Bobby: "I dunno, babe. I mean, there has to be stuff going on that we just don't know about. Things only stay quiet for so long after all." He shrugged, but returned her smile.

Rogue: "We know plenty. Osborn's an ass an' his li'l strumpet wants t' bone mah boyfriend." Rogue winced at her wording. "Sorry..."

Bobby: Bobby snorted. "Nothing to be sorry for. That senator wants to bone Tony? That has to be some kind of conflict of interest."

Rogue: "Since when has that stopped hormones? Or ulterior motives? Never as far as Ah'm aware." She gave his hand a squeeze and a small tug. "Let's get some adrenaline pumpin', sugah."

Bobby: "I guess not." He shook his head and laughed. They were walking poster children of poor hormone control, weren't they? Adrenaline pumping? Also sounded like an opening to bad decisions. "Let's go."

Rogue: Rogue beamed when he got up and she led the way through the mansion, pointing out the library when they passed by. "And that is where Ah got verbally attacked by Sebastian. He's an absolute peach."

Bobby: "Always is. Of course he's bank rolling Paige's little Hawaiian vacation and apparently he's offered to help her with a lawyer, too." He made a face.

Rogue: "Ah hate him," she said succinctly, still looking into the library. "An' Ah wish he wasn't Tony's best friend." Rogue took a breath and kept walking, "Y' wanna see Tony's workshop? Or just straight f'r th' gym?"

Bobby: "Yeah, I can imagine that's fun." He thought about that for a moment. "Got anything fun in his workshop?"

Rogue: "He's workin' on some body armor that's really cool. He's a li'l attached to it, though. Ah joked about it not bein' allowed in th' bedroom an' Ah'm not sure if he was teasin' back'r not when he sadly agreed."

Bobby: "I bet he wasn't," he snickered.

Rogue: "Do y' wanna see it...?" Just because it was made to specifically form-fit to Tony didn't mean he wouldn't want to see it. "It's shiny red an' gold."

Bobby: "Sure," he said with a shrug, then laughed. "Only Tony Stark would make shiny body armor."

Rogue: "It's really impressive. Has all kinds o' new tech in it." She punched in the code for the door and grinned over her shoulder at him when it made the whooshing noise they used to pretend the Danger Room would make.

Bobby: "Haaaaa, holy shit." He looked at the door in amazed wonder and laughed, following her in.

Rogue: Rogue led the way down the steps into the room and gave him a broad overview, "Work bench, works-in-progress, failed toys, snack drawer..."

Bobby: "Hooooly shit. It's nice to be rich." He shook his head, but he kept looking around all the same.

Rogue: "And this..." She punched in the separate code for the giant case then took a step back to let it open, "Is Mark III. Ah feel like Ah might be competin' f'r affection with this one."

Bobby: Bobby let out a low whistle. "The fuck is it? This is not body armor. It's like... a mecha. Tony a closet anime fan?"

Rogue: "It's got tech in it an' his AI talks t' him." Rogue frowned and tilted her head at the suit, wondering if it was based on anime. "Ah... Have no idea."

Bobby: Bobby raised a hand in front of the face plate and waved at it, half expecting it to grab him.

Rogue: The eyes lit up briefly and Rogue grinned, "Hi, darlin'. He's kinda an AI all on his own, too."

Bobby: "And he's 'darlin?'" Bobby snorted and snapped his fingers. "Of course he is... so it's like a giant flashy robot bodyguard, that he can wear?"

Rogue: "What? He's cute," she defended with a tongue poked out at Bobby. "An' yeah. An' he can control it... Him. Mark III." Rogue looked back at the suit and smiled. "He's like th' son Tony'll never have."

Bobby: "He's got Hope, and her balls are bigger than mine, so I think he's good." He laughed at the tongue poke and returned the gesture.

Rogue: "But he didn't get t' raise her. Mark, he's built from scratch." Rogue blew the suit a kiss and moved to shut him back in his case. "An' it ain't like Ah'm gonna be able t' give him any, so this is th' best he's got. It's kinda cute."

Bobby: Bobby snerked at the kiss, then wrinkled his nose at the mention of kids. He cleared his throat. "There's always adoption."

Rogue: Rogue shrugged one shoulder, "Maybe. But it'd be kinda dangerous f'r 'em if they weren't mutants. An' doubly so if they were." Once the case made the obligatory locking noises, she turned around and gave him a bright grin. "Let's go beat each other up."
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Remy: he feels lust for everyone
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