BEHIND DARK EYELINER



Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Yadda yadda.

Ok, this just a short Rogue fic that sort of came to me while I was waiting for FanFiction.net to get their act together and let me post the next chapter of my other fic, 'Healing.' Soon as you're done reading this, go read that if you want : ) I always wondered why the heck they made Rogue a goth. Southern bell and goth just don't make much sense to me...not that I have anything against goths, and im sure the two do mix, but you know what I mean. R/R pleeeeeease. I thrive off of reviews hehe.

~*~*~*~

Placing her hair dryer on the vanity's surface, Rogue roughly pulled a brush through her striped tresses. She smiled a little at her reflection in the large mirror before her. She ran a finger over her slightly pink cheek, then glanced down at the sprawl of make-up before her. Her smile melted as she picked up her compact.

"Rogue, we like, totally need to hurry else we aren't gonna have like, a ride. Hurry up and cake that stuff on so I can like, get to the mirror!"

Scowling, Rogue turned to her room mate, "Howa bout you actually git yowself ready while Ah'm in the showah?"

Kitty maturely stuck out her tongue at the older girl and began lacing her shoes.

Turning back to her mirror, Rogue opened the compact and glared at its contents. The thick goop was too many shades too light and too thick for her particular skin type, but that's how Rogue had to have it. The thicker the better. She dipped the sponge into the pale gunk and began to spread layer upon layer over her face. Satisfied, she reached for her eyeliner. Starting at her cornea she slid the pencil across her lid and brought it to a stop just past the edge of her eye.

It was a meticulous process; one that the young mutant performed religiously every morning, complete with touch ups during lunch hours. Her gothic appearance was expected, and no one had ever really questioned it. Even if they had, her answer would have been a curt and harsh. 'Cuz Ah like it that way!'

Pressing her lips together, ensuring the color was evenly spread across herthem, Rogue felt Kitty start to drag her away from the mirror.

"It like, looks fine. Very 'Git the heck away from me,'" she said in her best southern accent, "Now pleeease let me have the mirror."

Annoyed, Rogue pulled her arm away from the eager teen. "Would ya calm down a sec deary? Mah goodness."

She pulled on her boots and headed out the door.

*~*~*~*~

Rogue sighed, and slouched into her chair. The only word she could come up with for first period was 'crap.' She despised math first of all, but solving equations would have been almost bearable if it weren't for a particular young man who sat next to her.

"Morning Marie."

Rogue narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth. "It's Rogue." she spat. Looking up she glared at Pietro. "Rrrr-ooo-uuu-ggg-eee." She said it agonizingly slow, knowing that nothing annoyed the silver haired boy than a sluggish tone, or anything else that took longer than 10 seconds for that matter.

"Aww come on Marie. The other kids don't go by their silly little code names all the time now do they? So why do you?"

Rogue closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten. This was normal for the speed king; constantly berating her with stupid questions, some much too personal for his knowledge. She had no idea what made Pietro so arrogant and made a mental note to find out one of these days.

"You shouldn't hide your own name. Wear it proud, like me." He grinned at her and raised his hand as the teacher shouted his name for role check.

Rogue snorted into her power bar breakfast and looked skeptically at Pietro. "So Magneto's last name is Maximoff? I thought it was Lehnsherr."

Her comment struck a nerve and she could tell the young mutant was thinking at hyper speed to try and cover up his shocked reaction. She had to admit, she was curious to know what Pietro thought of his father, and why he hadn't taken on his name. (AN: No really lol, why is his last name Maximoff? Anyone know? LoL.)

Pietro had recovered and was now trying to keep Rogue's breakfast from making it into her mouth. Glancing around, he checked to make sure no one was watching and using his super speed he swatted the granola bar away from her mouth. Exasperated Rogue chucked it directly at his face. Caught off guard by her boldness, Pietro didn't duck in time and the power bar struck him in the forehead. Rogue chuckled and batted her eyes innocently at the spoiled brat.

Still not ready to abandon his mission of annoying Rogue, Pietro continued to whisper to her while the teacher droned on at the front of the class.

"So, Marie, what's up with the whole goth-freak thing?" Pietro smiled at her, plastering on his fake 'You can't touch me and I love it look.' In his head though, he wasn't nearly so confident. He was secretly nervous around Bayville's only goth, and not because she could suck him dry at the slightest touch. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he wasn't sure he didn't like it either. Annoying her was his automatic reflex. Being able to think at a mutated speed, he couldn't lose a battle of wit. Knowing this helped him ease his nerves around Rogue.

Rogue rolled her eyes and cast him an annoyed glance.

"Awcomon!Tellmetellmetellme!"

Rogue's annoyed glance become one of intense irritation.

"If yowre gonna be a pain, at least do so in an understandable way," she muttered.

"Tell me." Pietro slowed his speech just enough for her to make out what he was saying. He'd hoped none of the other kids had noticed his outburst.

"Mr. Maximoff." The teachers voice broke his train of thought. "Would you be so kind as to answer the question?"

Pietro hadn't been paying the least bit of attention and the teacher knew it. He glanced at the board to see a row of problems. He switched his brain into hyper gear and scanned the first four problems. They had already been answered. The fifth was longer and more complicated than the other four. Glancing over it, he looked back at the teacher, who was watching him with a smug look on her face.

"83."

He smirked at the disappointed look on the teachers face as she nodded grimly that his answer was correct.

"And the next one is 3 over 4."

He had answered both correctly in less than three seconds, much to the teachers dismay.

Turning his attention back to Rogue, he secretly hoped she had been impressed. If she was, she certainly wasn't showing it.

"Where were we? Oh yes, you're make-up and fashion problem."

"Drop it Pietro."

"Hmm," Pietro pretended to weigh the idea, "Nah."

Rogue concentrated on her paper, trying to figure out how Pietro had gotten 83. She was getting really irritated. It wasn't any of his business why she dressed the way she did.

"Come on Marie, why would you want to hide that face of yours under all that crap."

Rogue pressed her pencil harder onto her paper, causing it to crack a little. Her thoughts wondered back to this morning, and her make-up less face; slightly tan despite the large amount of concealer that blocked the sun's rays; her eyes, so bright and big without the thick lines of dark shadow surrounding them.

"Ah do it cuz Ah like it that way, you annoying little punk. Now drop it!"

Pietro tilted his head at the girl and his smirk deepened. It was a rare thing for Rogue to actually show how ticked she was, and it only fueled his desire to get a rise out of her.

"What's the matter? You got some kind of crazy scar you need to hide?"

Rogue tightened her grip in her pencil, making a vain effort to block him out.

"Or is it some deep symbolism thing where you're like trying to wear a mask or something. What's the real reason you pretend to be all dark and creepy Miss Marie?" Pietro was delighted to see his comments were having an effect on Rogue. Her knuckles were turning white around her pencil.

"Pietro, Ah'm warning you!" Rogue whispered fiercely.

"Come on Marie. I'm just curious how a southern bell like yourself turns to black eyes and a white complexion."

Faster than lightning, Rogue spun around and gripped Pietro's wrist. The silver haired boy blinked. Up until now, he was not aware that people could move as fast as Rogue just had, with the exception of himself of course. He could easily get out of her grasp with his quick speed, but too many people were beginning to watch the pair. His eyes darted nervously from Rogue's face to her glove covered hand.

"N-now Marie, you really oughta calm down a little ya know? Wouldn't want to do anything irrational now would you." He squirmed and tried to keep himself as far away from Rogue's exposed wrist as possible.

"Ya wanna know why Ah wear all this make-up? Ya wanna know the truth?"

Pietro just looked at Rogue, trying to cover up his fear of the girl. He wasn't afraid of her when he knew he could easily avoid her, but the mutant was now mere centimeters away from knocking him into next week with her life sucking powers.

"Rogue!" The teacher's surprised voice echoed off the walls as she noticed the two teens staring daggers at each other; Rogue's grip clearly not a friendly one.

"This will only take uh minute ma'am." Rogue replied, still not taking her eyes off of Pietro.

Stunned, the teacher just gaped. Rogue had always been extremely polite, and had never talked back to her, or even spoken much at all for that matter.

"Ya wanna know why Ah've got all this putrid gunk on mah face Pietro? I'll show ya exactly whah."

She yanked Pietro's wrist, forcing him close to her face. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at what she was about to do. She leaned in and kissed Pietro right on the mouth.

Stunned, Pietro tried to wiggle out of the Rogue's grip. He waited for the pain of her absorbing all his power and memories to come, but to his complete shock, it never did. If it hadn't been for his fear, or the fact that there was absolutely no emotion coming from Rogue's end, it might even have been a nice kiss.

Breaking away from him, Rogue looked as though she may lose her power bar from earlier. "It's the same reason Ah cover everithin else. Just in case one day, someone'll wanna do that with me, in some romantic and spontaneous way and not hafta worry about wether or not Ah'll kill 'em in the process."

The new knowledge fell on Pietro like a ton of bricks. He hated when his stupid teasing and prying went too far, even if it was with one of the X-Geeks. Too stunned to say anything, he just sat there with his mouth hanging open like an idiot.

"Ah'm sorry ma'am. May Ah please go to the ladies room? I can promise you that nothin like that will EVA happen again."

The teacher nodded, still gaping at Pietro and Rogue as though they'd just dropped in from mars, as was the rest of the class. Pietro turned to face the front, his pale skin now burning bright pink, while Rogue made her way to the door.



~*~*~*~

In the bathroom, Rogue studied herself in the mirror. Her makeup was noticeably thinner around her lips, where the light base had been rubbed off onto Pietro. Gagging slightly at the memory of his lips on hers, she pulled out her compact and began to reapply a new layer of concealer, a new layer of protection for those around her.

"Ahhh," She said to her reflection, "the burden of Mutants. Kurt has his holo watch, Scott's got his glasses, and me...Ah've got mah make-up."

She looked at the compact and idly turned it over and over in her palm. "I just kissed Pietro over you." she told the inanimate make-up. "Whayh of all people, did Ah tell PIETRO?" She shuddered and put the compact in her pocket. Taking one last glance in the mirror, she sighed, and headed back to her class.

~*~*~*~

The End. This is what happens on boring summer days lol. Please let me know what you thought even though it's a pretty pointless fic. Thanks.