This is argueably the weirdest thing I've ever written, except for that one Digimon thing, but that ain't ever seein' th' light of day. And the weirdest thing is probably that Ultimate!Toad is the least attractive of the current Toads. But then again, the last vision of him we got was courtesy Chris Bachalo, who does to men in comic books what Driver's License photos do to the rest of us. I mean, the man made Jono Stars more look icky. Angelo (my baby!) I could understand, but Jono?
Anyway, if you want a better idea of the version of Toad I'm keeping in mind while writing this, try going to deviant art and putting "/view/5585157/" after the address. That's the best I can do, I can't make this thing like me type an address.
As for the whole Toad/Rogue thing, I was intrigued when Toad seemed to be trying to protect Rogue during their capture, and even moreso by the way Rogue got all pissy on him for it. So, yeah...product of staying up waaaay too late. Here goes.
She's all alone, just sitting there. Even if everyone else was awake, she'd still be alone. I can't figure it out, but something about her makes her aloof, separate...beautiful, in a way. Her powers make her so untouchable...and that makes her alone.
Maybe she likes being alone. Looks that way often enough. Or maybe she's just been alone--untouchable-- for so long that she doesn't know how to be with other people, so it's just easier to stay apart.
That sounds familiar.
Toad sighed and shifted on the stool where he crouched. From her position, sprawled out on the couch watching the news, Rogue glanced up with an irritated look.
"What a' you lookin' at, Toad?" He blinked, jolted from his thoughts.
"Nuffin." When she looked skeptical, he grinned sardonically and added, "'Least, nuffin' much." She narrowed her eyes and turned back to the television without comment. Toad hunched forward, his long arms crossed over his knees. He meant to watch the news, but the flickering pictures failed to hold his attention so late at night and he found himself staring at her again. Unaware of his gaze, she fiddled absently with the white streak in her hair and tucked it behind her ear. Toad wondered, not for the first time, how her hair had gotten like that and then, before he could catch himself, what it would be like to touch it--if her hair really was as soft as it looked. He shook his head quickly and glared at a far-off corner. God, he really was pathetically lonely thinking like that. About a teammate. About Rogue. About someone who would have probably rather anyone but him be in the group of renegades that had left the Brotherhood...
"Looks like Pietro's group blew up another laboratory somewhere in Africa," Rogue called from the couch. "Again."
"Stupid git. Can't he think of better things to do?"
"At least he's doing something. When th' hell a' we gonna do anything?"
"Hey, we're just startin' off. We don't go' the means ta do anything big yet. You know what the Brotherhood was like when we started off?"
"Ah'll bet y'all weren't sittin' in some cheap motel room, eating leftover takeout from Chi-Yun's Noodle Hut," Rogue muttered. Toad frowned.
"Look, you think you can do better, you're welcome to try."
"Whatever." She flopped down further onto the couch. "How much longer 'till dawn?"
"A coupla hours. Y'can get some sleep now, if y'want. I'll finish up th' watch alone."
"Don't do me no favors," she grumbled into a pillow, but she took him up on the offer, muted the television, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
With only the hum of the otherwise-silent television and the stillness of the sleeping room to keep him company, Toad's less welcome thoughts returned as his gaze again fell on Rogue.
I wish I could touch her. Just once. Gah!--Stop this, already, ya green moron!
She hated him, he knew. Of course, she pretty much hated everyone--she was drunk on her newfound freedom, making up for lost time as an angsty teenager, mistrustful, angry...so angry. Always snapping at someone, always acting like she was above everyone, like she was doing the renegades a favor by being there.
So why was he so drawn to her? He passed a hand over his eyes, trying to clear his head. Maybe it was because when they had pulled her and half-a-dozen of her comrades from the hell of the Weapon X program and he had seen her, scared, shivering, but defiant --a mutant who'd had her life stolen from her, who knew what it was to hate and fear humans in a way that most people couldn't imagine-- when he'd seen her like that, he'd been reminded so much of himself, all those years ago. He'd been younger then, much younger than she was, but he knew the same things going through her head. And then to watch her at the base--alone, angry, untouchable. Even fellow mutants shied away from her touch...and that, too, he could understood.
And so somehow, he'd seen a kindred spirit in her. Someone he wanted to protect. He'd never wanted to protect anyone but himself before. But when he looked at her...
...and then he'd look at himself. Disgust that once he'd been naive enough to hope he wouldn't see among other mutants, showed clearly on her otherwise beautiful features every time she looked at him. And, he thought with a sigh, he couldn't blame her. But still, it hurt in a way he thought he'd long gotten over. The way she managed to make his name sound as loathsome as the warty creature that had inspired it, like he was nothing but some piece of filth that had crawled from the muck and learned to speak. The few times they would accidentally touch--pushed against him, a hand on an arm for balance-- she'd shudder and pull away, regardless of her gloves, as if she'd put her hand in a sewer.
He was just wallowing in a new load of self misery when he heard a soft moan from the couch. Before he even thought about it, he was there, by her side. He mentally cursed himself for being so..so whipped, for God's sake!--when she cried out again.
"No, Doctor Jasper...please...I told ya everah-thin'...please don't..don't..." Tears and sweat rolled down her cheeks and she tossed around on the couch. Toad stared at her, unsure, then laid a hesitant hand on top of her head. Rogue had never talked about anything that had happened to her at the Weapon X program, but he knew, like the rest of the Brotherhood, that she still had nightmares. Cautiously, he stroked her hair, well aware of what would happen if she woke up to see him there. To his surprise (and secret delight), she calmed under his touch, her moaning protests dying down to small whimpers, and then nothing.
Her hair really is soft... Toad didn't move, terrified of ruining something so precious. Just like it looks. I don't think I've ever been this close to her on purpose. She smells nice. And when she's asleep, she doesn't look angry at all...just...beautiful. Her skin's so warm... It wasn't until then that he realized his hand had moved from her hair and was now gently caressing her cheek. He snatched it away, as if burned. For a long, tense moment, he sat there, without moving, cradling his hand. Then...
"I didn't...it didn't..." Carefully he put his hand to her cheek again. Her expression flickered briefly, then went still. After what seemed an eternity, Toad released a prisoned breath and took his hand away.
"I can touch you," he whispered. He took another deep breath and looked back at Rogue. She slept peacefully, unaware of the miracle that had just occurred. "I can touch you," he repeated.
Toad crouched there, his hand resting lightly on the warm curve of Rogue's cheek for a long while.
Okay, I guess I owe y'all an explanation or a theory. After all, Rogue absorbed Toad's powers when they were trying to escape. So how can he touch her. My theory: Toad can touch Rogue because his mutation creates a natural slime on his skin that acts as a barrier of sorts, protection and healing against potetial outer hard. When Rogue touched Toad, he had just broken his ankle, so all of his body's natural healing things were rushing to that area, leaving his skin vulnerable. There, see? . ... Yeah, I know it's a load o' crock, but I'm not sayin' this could ever really happen in the comics. Or that it should. ...just that Toad should be drawn better.