Triangle
By Lady Comet
An X-men Evolution exploration (...or fanfic)
Disclaimer: I own only my own brainchildren. Everything else I'm just borrowing and bending to my will
Pretense: This is a rebirth of my old story, Queer, under a new name and less suckyness. Characters will be better developed, there will actually be a plot, and I'll not make up my own personalities for already existing characters. So really, goodness for all.
Warnings: Femslash galore, as well as some minor slash, het, adult situations, and bad language. Viewer discretion advised. Also, please do not use my characters without my permission. Thank you.
Triangle
Part 1 – They Meet
The fog rolled in as if unnaturally, blanketing the landscape as the train cut through the darkness of the night. But for the light of the moon, you wouldn't have been able to see it, its sleek black finish made it seem like a part of the dark that covered everything. It was past midnight, a highly unlikely time for anyone to be traveling to Bayville. But someone was.
The charcoal snake rolled silently into the station, stopping with a hiss and an outlet of steam. Other than that it was silent, no one was actually there to make noise. After a moment the door to one compartment slid open, and two figures stepped out, hauling their luggage behind them. The first was a young man, of average height and built like a swimmer, clad in black and blue fishnet. His pale blonde hair hung in his face, though most would not consider it that long, the black-dyed tips of it obstructing parts of his silver eyes. He had a backpack on, also black in hue, and a suitcase in either hand. Behind him came the girl, a small wispy thing of about the same age as he, as looks could tell. She was shorter, and thin, with gently curving hips covered in layers of floating skirts. A thick cloak hid her top and the hood covered most of her head, though wisps of blonde hair poked out of it, the same blonde as her companion's. The ends of her hair were dyed pink, however. Her eyes matched his as well, though they were set in smaller features. She clung to her baggage, which looked like it had been taken from the 20's, and was so stuffed full one had to wonder if she had had the strength to close it. One bag was in her hand, the other was slung over one shoulder.
The boy stepped onto the pavement, put down the bag he held, and turned to help his twin off the train. "Sure you got that, sis?"
Wrinkling her nose in annoyance, she nodded, and joined him. No sooner than she had stepped off the train, it rolled away again, vanishing into the night.
They stared after it for a moment, and then looked at each other nervously. With their transportation gone, their situation seemed even more real. And were it not for each other, they would have felt very alone indeed.
Suddenly there was the soft click of heels coming towards them, and they looked over to see a woman approaching. She was tall, in the higher end of five feet, and dark skinned. Her pure white hair contrasted both her skin and her clothing, which was somewhat elegant, but also somewhat African in nature. She smiled beautifully as she reached them.
"You must be Day and Rosaline," she said, her voice deep and silky.
"Yeah," the boy replied. "I'm Day Jackson, and this is my sister, Rosaline." He glanced beside him, noting how nervous his companion was. Feeling it. All she could manage to do was smile shakily in response.
The woman nodded, smiling back at the girl, and reached to shake both their hands. "I'm Ororo Monroe, from the Institute. The car is waiting for us outside."
"Great." Day turned to his sister then, nudging her forward. "Let's go."
Rosaline shot a nervous glare back at him, but kept walking, letting the much taller woman take the lead.
Ororo reached to take the large bag from her; afraid she'd drop it, or tip over from the weight. She looked very much like she could. "Let me help you with that. You must be tired."
"T-thank you," the girl stuttered. Behind her, her brother smiled.
Smiling again, the woman known to some as Storm lead her new charges out of the station, helping them to put away their luggage and get into the car. As she slid into her seat, she turned to look at them again.
"You're going to love the Institute. You'll be welcome there."
Beep beep beep.
Tabitha groaned and rolled over. Ignore it.
Beep beep beep beep.
She covered her head with her pillow, burying herself in her covers. If she ignored it, it would go away.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep.
With a grumbled shout of a word that none of the teachers would have approved of, if they could decipher it, she sat up and grabbed the wretched alarm clock, hitting any button she could find until the noise finally stopped. Under normal circumstances she would have blown the piece of shit to, well, pieces, but she highly doubted that the Professor would give her money for another one. Especially since it would be her fifth time having to ask for a new one.
And she'd only been back three days.
After the battle with Apocalypse, she had been offered another chance to come back to the Institute, and this time she had taken it. Even if she wasn't ready for the lifestyle Mutant Manor bred, it sure as hell beat living in a broken building on the edge of town, robbing parking meters for change. Besides, she was rooming with Amara again. That seemed to make anything better.
Done with the clock, she lay back down, closing her eyes but unable to fall back asleep. Minutes passed, and she heard the door open, accompanied by her roommate's soft footsteps and mumbled song lyrics. Tabitha cracked open one eye to watch her. She was clad only in a red towel, her wet hair hanging around her browned shoulders. She turned on her radio, the volume down low as not to wake her supposedly sleeping roommate, and turned to the clothes on her bed. As the blonde carefully watched, Amara started dressing, artfully slipping on her underwear with her towel still on, then shedding it to put on her pants and shirt. All the while she kept her back to her friend's side of the room, a fact that Tabitha silently cursed, though she would never admit it. They were just friends, after all. Best friends. Nothing more. ...Really.
When she was finally finished, the Nova Roman princess turned again, and Tabby barely avoided being caught as she rolled over in her pretend-sleep. Smiling disbelievedly, Amara shook her head and crossed the room, shaking her roommate by the shoulder.
"Tabitha, come on, wake up. We have to be at breakfast in fifteen minutes."
She groaned in response, doing her best to act as if she had woken her. "But its Saturday."
"Yes, and the Professor told us last night that he wanted us to all have breakfast together." She went back to her side of the room then, standing in front of her dresser to put her hair in a braid.
She should do that more often, Tabitha thought as she finally sat up, stretching. It's cute.
Fifteen minutes later, Tabitha was dressed and ready, and the girls headed down to the dining hall together. They could hear the others making their usual morning noise, but didn't run into anyone until they got to the first floor. Sam was right ahead of them, apparently, and he turned around to wait for them as they approached.
"Hey," he yawned, barely covering his open mouth with his hand.
"You too, huh," Tabby smirked. "Its way too fuckin' early."
"Why do you think the Professor wanted us to all have breakfast together?" Amara asked as they proceeded on.
"Dunno," answered Sam, glancing sideways at her. "Hey, um, you look nice."
She smiled back. "Thanks."
Tabitha glared at him, but he didn't notice.
Before they could say anything else they had reached the dining hall. The noise doubled as they opened the door and stepped inside. Most everyone was already there, the older students sitting towards the front of the table with Hank and Ororo, and the other new recruits towards the end. Logan was leaning against the back wall, smoking a cigarette. They took their seats among their friends, noticing that not only was the Professor missing, but so was the food. Something Rahne seemed especially sorry for.
"Where are Bobby and Jubes?" Tabby wondered.
No sooner had she said that, the two in question came barreling through the doors, looking rather flushed. Scott shot them a look of disapproval for being late. Roberto grinned.
And no sooner had they sat down, the Professor rolled into the room, followed by the obvious reason everyone had been summoned to breakfast. All eyes rested on the young man and woman who followed him, even after they had all stopped at the head of the table. They were obviously twins, even though the boy was almost a head taller than the girl, and they couldn't have been dressed more differently. Today the boy wore silver vinyl and dark jeans, his eyes and lips done in black make-up. His sister wore a pink tank top and layers of flowy purple skirts, looking just as nervous as she had been on the train.
"Good morning, everyone," said Xavier cheerfully. "I'd like you to welcome Rosaline and Day Jackson. They're from Salem, Massachusetts. I am sure you'll all help them feel at home here."
"Is this why you got us up so early?" Bobby shouted from the end of the table, as if their collective mentor wouldn't hear him.
"Iceman," Hank warned.
"Yes, it is," the Professor answered.
Bobby smiled. "Okay, just checking."
The Professor then turned to the new students on either side of him. "Do either of you want to say anything?"
"Uh, sure," Day spoke up, waving at everyone needlessly. "I'm Day, um, I like Goth clothes and techno music and industrial, and stuff, and I'm glad to meet you guys. There." He grinned.
A few smiles returned his, but none as bright as Rogue's. Finally, someone who shared her interests.
Both men looked at Rosaline then, and she blushed. "Um, hello," she almost squeaked. "I'm Rosie."
Jamie snorted, earning him a glare from almost everyone. This made the girl blush harder, and she closed her mouth, unwilling to speak anymore.
Chairs were then put at the table for the new students, dragged over by Logan, who still chose to stand. Rogue moved over to make space for Day, and not wanting to separate them, Kitty claimed Rosaline. Tabitha craned to hear their conversation, a bit annoyed that the girl didn't come sit with them. She looked interesting.
The boys had other ideas, however, which they voiced as their breakfast finally made its way to the table (mostly through Jean's powers, oddly enough).
"What's up with that girl's skirts?" Roberto said, grabbing a croissant and smothering it with butter.
"Rosie," Bobby corrected, helping himself to some eggs. "And I dunno. She looks like some kind of hippie freak to me."
"No more of a freak than the boy," Jubilee laughed. "Is he wearing make up? What kind of boy wears make up?"
Roberto opened his mouth to answer, but a warning look from Rahne shut him right up. She knew exactly what he was going to say.
"Well, Rogue doesn't seem to mind the make-up. And more guys are wearing it lately," Ray added. "That and nail polish."
"Hmph," was all the Asian girl had to answer. She loaded her own plate with pancakes, focusing on them, but still mumbling something that sound suspiciously like 'I still think he's a freak.'
"I actually think the girl's kinda cute," said Sam, casting a glance at Amara to see if she reacted to that. She didn't. Rahne, though, did.
"I think they're both very interesting," Amara did say, turning to smile at her blonde friend. "What do you think, Tabby?"
"Huh?" Tabby looked back at them with a start, having not heard a word of their conversation. She had been too busy staring at the girl. "Oh, right. They seem pretty cool."
At that Amara forced a smile, feeling suddenly disappointed. Though for the life of her, she couldn't figure why.
Breakfast ended about an hour later, everyone helping to clear the dishes, then going on their merry way. In the kitchen, Ororo pulled Kitty aside, asking her if she'd give Day and Rosaline a tour of the mansion. So it was that the bouncy brunette bounded up to them once they were all done, and dragged them off towards the front of the mansion. No better place to start than that, after all.
Tabitha watched them leave, and deciding fast, grabbed Amara's arm and pulled her in the same direction. "Come on."
"Tabitha, what are you doing?" asked the princess.
"Nothing."
She frowned. "Do you mean to cause trouble?"
Her best friend grinned. "Actually, no. I'm just curious."
"...About the boy?" Amara ventured as they shadowed the small group.
Without thinking, or looking back, Tabitha answered. "No. About her."
And for some reason, the princess of Nova Roma blushed, but kept following her friend anyway.
They caught up with them as they were passing the living room, pointlessly ducking out of sight and peeking around the corner to watch Kitty explain the TV.
"So you just, like, push this button to turn it on, if the remote's lost, which happens a lot. I'd show you how to use it, but, like, we've gone through six this month already, so it'd be kinda pointless."
"Yeah," Day replied, trying to look as interested as possible. "...Who's playstation is that under the vcr?"
"That? Oh, that's Ray's. You can use it if you ask him first. I think."
He nodded. "Cool."
Rosaline remained silent, taking in the room. She was staring at the potted plants near the windows, shifting her weight as if she wanted to go over and look at them closer. Or touch them.
Kitty, not noticing, led them into the next room. Still trying to stay out of sight, Tabby and Amara followed them. The girl babbled on about various aspects of each room, getting dulled responses from the goth boy, but few words from his sister.
That is, until they reached the gardens.
"Ororo attends to those," Kitty explained, keeping her pace as they approached. "She doesn't have to do much, like, maybe water them if it hasn't rained in a while, but that, like' usually isn't a problem."
"They're nice," Day said, glancing back at his twin as they were about to pass the doors. He knew exactly what was going to happen.
Rosaline stopped, pressing her hands against the glass and staring in wonder at the flowers and bushes and trees. Sensing she had done something, Kitty turned, and looked at her as if she had three heads. Day just grinned.
Without turning to meet her gaze, the pale blonde asked, "Can we go out there? Please?"
Shocked at the fact that she had actually said more than two words, Kitty nodded, and went over to open the door. No sooner was the door open than Rosaline hurried out, her brother holding the door for Kitty to pass, then leaving himself.
Tabby looked at Amara, then moved to follow them outside. "Come on," she said again. Amara bit her lip.
But before they could reach the door, a bark from down the hallway distracted them, and bounding towards them was Rahne, in full wolf form and a Frisbee in her mouth. She almost ran right into them, but stopped just in time, shifting back into the russet-haired girl they knew and loved.
"There ye are!" she exclaimed, plucking the toy from her mouth. "Been lookin' all over for ye. C'mon, we're all going t'play Mutant Frisbee!"
"As in with powers?" Amara wondered.
"As in with powers," grinned the 'werewolf.' "So c'mon, ev'ryone's waiting!" She grabbed one of each their wrists then, without waiting for a response, and dragged them down the hallway with her.
Tabitha took one last glance through the doors before they were out of view, looking for Rosaline again. When she turned back, Amara was staring at questioningly. She shrugged.
"There's just something about that girl."
Outside, Rosaline had stripped off her sandals, and was already numbers of feet ahead of her companions. She seemed to forgotten they were even there. Lost within her own world, she spun in circles, reaching out to let her fingers graze the leaves and buds.
Kitty tried not to gawk, then looked to Day for an answer. He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder, his eyes still set on his sister's antics. "Ever since she was a kid, she loved plants. She spent more time in our yard than she did in the house. Then, last week, we found out why. Her mutation IS plants, she can control them, talk to them, help them grow and bend them to her will and stuff. So it makes sense when she goes off like this."
Kitty looked at Rosaline again, who was kneeling in the dirt talking to a flower as if it were a person. She then looked again at Day.
He shrugged. "Okay, it kinda makes sense."
Somehow satisfied with that, she watched Rosaline again, amazed that her mutation had this much of an effect on her life. Well, that wasn't true; Rogue's mutation affected her life a lot. But this was different. As she watched, she noticed that the plants were all turning to follow Rosaline as she danced among them, turning their stems and heads to watch her. Her blue eyes widened.
"Wow..."
Day nodded, also entranced by his sister's power. "Yeah. Wow."
Then, watching the girl, Kitty found herself wondering something. She turned to Day again. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Jean said you, like, arrived here in the middle of the night last night. Why? I mean, it just seems kinda sudden, you know."
His eyes clouded over, and he paused a bit before responding. "It was sudden, but we couldn't help it," he finally decided on. "And I'm not the person to tell you why. It's more Rosie's story than mine."
"Oh," said Kitty, a bit disappointed. As much as she tried not to gossip, she had been very curious. "Well, anyway, we should get going. We've still got stuff to see."
"Right," Day replied. "Wait here." He started towards his sister then, slowly, as not to shock her out of her world too quickly. Once he was close enough, he put a hand softly on her back, and stepped a bit closer. "Rosie?"
She spun around to look at him. Her eyes had turned brown, and the tips of her hair were now green.
"We have to go. You can come back later."
She looked sad for a moment, then nodded, slowly. Her eyes faded back to gray, and the tips of her hair to pink. As they did, the flowers turned away from her, resuming the positions they had been in before she came along. Kitty gawked again as they walked back towards her, Day reaching to open the door for the ladies.
Rosaline smiled at her, swishing her wavy blonde tresses over her shoulder. "Well come on," she said cheerily. "Let's go."
Kitty just nodded, and went back inside to continue their tour.
Later that evening, the mansion was quieter. Many students had gone out for the night. Scott and Jean were on a date, presumably, and Rogue had taken Day to her local haunts. They were quickly becoming friends, to be sure. Some of the younger mutants had gone out to the movies, and those that were still around were carefully ignoring their homework.
Tabby, Ray, and Bobby were included there. They had taken over the living room, holding a tournament between themselves on the latest racing game. Bobby was reclining in an armchair, watching the blondes battle it out and waiting her term, albeit vocally. After one of his cat-calls, Tabby had to swerve violently out of the way to miss another car, almost knocking herself off the couch.
"Bobby I swear to god if you do that again!!!"
He grinned. "Aw, you know you love me."
"In your dreams," she shot back, going back to the game. She was gonna win, damn it. No way she'd lose to a boy, that would be just humiliating, she'd have to listen to them gloat and probably put bombs in their cereal...not that she wouldn't do that anyway, but still. Arching sideways, she turned a sharp corner, and could almost see Ray's car...
...until she missed the next turn and smashed headfirst into another wall, her virtual car going up in flames just as her rival crossed the finish line.
Ray jumped up, taking full advantage of the victory dance opportunity. "Oh yeah! Take that, bitch!"
"I'll show you who's a bitch!" she grinned, playfully leaping at him. "I'll make you hurt so bad...wait, you might like that. Never mind."
Bobby laughed, and Ray looked insulted, but only for a moment. The two boys took up the controls then, plopping down on the couch for their next race. Tabby stretched, and instead of sitting down in the empty armchair, decided she was hungry.
"I'm gonna make some popcorn," she announced, heading for the kitchen. She figured the boys wouldn't miss her for long. Humming her favorite song of the moment, she swayed down the hallway, pushing open the door and heading for the cupboards.
She was halfway in before she realized someone else was in there. It was Rosaline, standing over the stove and glaring at a mug of steeping tea. She looked up as Tabby came in, and nervously smiled, looking embarrassed as if she had been caught somewhere she shouldn't have.
"Oh, hey," said the blonde bombshell, pulling a bag of popcorn from the cupboard.
"H-hello," the new girl stammered.
She put her popcorn in the microwave and turned it on, leaning against the counter to wait. Then, after a moment of thought, she moved and stuck out her hand to the girl. "I'm Tabitha."
The girl looked at it, surprised, then reached out and shook it. Through their contact, Tabitha could physically feel the girl relax. Not that the smile she got didn't tip her off either.
"I'm Rosaline. Er, Rosie, really. Hi."
"Hi." She let go, and leaned against the counter again. "So, Rosie, what brings you to the Institute?"
The small woman thought for a moment, then smiled, and pointed a finger to a small plant on the windowsill above the sink. At her movement, it coiled and grew, one small vine of it reaching through the air to wrap around her outstretched finger. "That."
"Whoa...cool," her kitchen companion replied, watching as the plant shrunk back to its normal size. Now in the mood to show off, she cupped her hands together, filling them with tiny bombs and holding them out to Rosaline. The girl's eyes widened, and she bent forward, her lips slightly pursed. Tabitha forced herself not to look at those lips, or at the cleavage Rosie's bending forward had revealed.
"Whoa," she repeated, and straightened back up. She blushed a bit too, either impressed or embarrassed again, or maybe something more.
Tabby fumbled for something clever to say. "Yeah, I make things go boom," she grinned. Then wanted to hit herself for sounding like such a moron.
Rosaline just laughed.
Awkward silence took over then, and taller blonde turned to the cupboards again, rummaging through them as if she were looking for something. Really she just wanted to create noise; the silent thing wasn't working right now. The other turned to her tea, deciding it was done steeping, and set to fixing it up. Once sufficient sugar and milk had been added, she turned again, stepping towards the door. But instead of exiting, she lingered, trying not to stare too obviously at the taller girl.
Tabitha peered over her shoulder, knowing she was still there, and their eyes met. She had never seen eyes so...gray. No, not gray, silver. With hints of blue or green around the edge.
"I should go," Rosaline said suddenly, breaking their gaze. She took one hand off her steaming mug, opening the door. But before she left, she cast one last smile at the girl. "I'm glad to meet you, Tabitha."
She grinned back. "Nice to meet you too."
She left then, and barely a moment after she was gone, Amara entered the room. She smiled beautifully as she strode towards the fridge. "Hey Tabitha."
"Hey 'Mara." The microwave beeped, and she pushed the button to open the machine and pull it out.
Amara opened the fridge door, bending down to get a drink, then straightened back up. "Um, did you talk to her?"
"Rosie?"
"Rosaline, yes."
"Yeah, I did." She opened the bag, ignoring the steam and pulling out a few pieces of the golden snack. "She's really cool, you'll like her. She's got plant powers, and apparently likes tea, and she has the most amazing eyes...what?"
Her friend's face had gone sour, her fragile features twisted into a look of either sadness or jealousy. She was trying to mask it, but it wasn't working. Somehow she knew that, so she just shook her head, and bent down again to pull out a soda.
"Amara, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she practically spat back, closing the fridge. "I'll see you upstairs." And before she could ask again, she was gone.
All Tabitha could do was stare after her, confused as all hell.
Author's note: Well, here it is, Queer reborn. Hope you guys like it. Obviously this is going to be more Tabby/Amara, but the web of involvement between, uh, everyone will still be there. So it's a bigger and better Queer, with even more fun plot developments. Squee! And less suckyness. Much less suckyness. Anyway, more to come soon, and don't forget to review looks cute