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Hate Is An Understatement
by Diana Othman
shameless plug:
Edited by Vicki Lew ;)

Chapter 1

"You dare?" Rogue's emerald eyes flared with controlled rage.

Gambit grinned sardonically and drawled, "Remy dares many t'ings, chere...You be no exception."

Rogue slammed her cards on the table. She could not believe it....that was the fourth time he won, four games in a row. Rogue knew Gambit was good at bluff, she just didn't know he was THAT good.

Gambit stifled a chuckle lest he wanted to end up cold in the gutter. It felt so good to constantly win against the girl who had always been on his case ever since he joined the X-Men 5 weeks ago. The cards lay scattered across the table where the two teenage mutants, a pretty southern belle and a charming, handsome young Cajun sat across from each other.

Rogue eyed their cards on the table and muttered, more to herself but Gambit heard her "Ah hate you" comment anyway.

"Or so y' keep tellin' me dese past few weeks since I came here," Gambit shot back annoyed. "Frankly I don' give a damn."

Rogue glared at him, retorting, "Who died and made you Rhett Butler?"

"Chere, you be one weird femme....don what's it about me dat get you so mad all the time. I mean, is it my fault that you be havin' some compulsive disorder?" Gambit shrugged as a matter-of-factly and started picking up the cards.

Rogue snapped her head up and raised her voice. "Who th' hell ya callin' a nut? Did Hank just leave for some bikini line treatment and appointed ya the house doc?"

Gambit smiled sarcastically.

"Dere be no need t' be no doctor to tell you're one perverse chick chere."

"Why ya son of a...."

Suddenly the intercom clicked and they could hear Cyclops' voice booming across the halls, "Gambit! Report to the Danger Room at once, young man!"

Gambit groaned, he hated it when Cyclops treated him like a child, he was a grown man, damn it!!

Rogue snickered. "Oh yeah young man--Wouldn't wanna miss getting kicked in the ass."

"Shuddup!"

The Danger Room sequence he received that evening was a little harder than what he usually got. He sensed the Professor wanted to monitor his full potential. Swarms of robots attacked him at the same time and Gambit found himself constantly charging card after card till his hands felt sore.

"Increasing intensity," Cyclops placed his gloved hand over the lever and was about to move it upward until he felt Ororo's elegant one on his.

"Cyclops...I do not think it is necessary just yet, remember, he is only a child."

"He is a young man and has to take the initiative to start training like one."

Storm shook her head ruefully. Scott was going to give Gambit the same treatment he took upon himself when he was about Gambit's age.

"Give him time, Scott--He has been here for only a few weeks."

Cyclops sighed, "Alright...I'll lay off for now."\tab He grabbed a microphone and spoke into it. "Alright, Gambit. Training's over."

Gambit sighed and wiped away sweat that dotted his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked up to the control room and smiled at Storm.

"Many thanks, Stormy!"

Storm smiled in return and added, "Do not call me that." Gambit winked at her. Storm was one of the few people in the mansion that took him under her wing. She was like a mother to him, constantly joking and was always there to lend a sympathetic ear and give useful advice. He walked towards the door, smiling over his fondness for the weather goddess when it slid open. Rogue stood in the doorway holding a clipboard.

"Alright, Cajun, next training session's on Wednesday," She did not even look up, eyeing the charts that Gambit sensed must be the results of the training he recently survived. She smiled, shaking her head. "Pathetic..."she muttered under her breath.

"Not ev'ryone's built like an ox chere," he stressed, harshly implying her superhuman strength. But deep down inside, Gambit resented that.

Rogue was by no means unattractive. She was model slim though her chest was a different story all together. Her deep green eyes shone like exquisite emeralds when she smiled. Her lips were perfectly shaped and she normally pouted them prettily. Her straight chestnut hair was cut shoulder-length and a distinctive streak complimented her attractive mane. She often complained about her hair being so straight, disliking perms, so she got her hair slightly layered for a stylish effect. Straight, white strands fell around her face, framing it perfectly. She wore a green tank top and jeans shorts that clung to her well-developed thighs.

Gambit admitted that she was indeed attractive but it was her "in-your-face" attitude that turned him off completely. When he first arrived at the institute, Rogue was rather withdrawn--But Gambit justified by reasoning that she was just not used to being around strangers. Then she started to become more and more hostile. Gambit retaliated and their friendship, if they even had one, hit rock bottom. After living with the X-Men for sometime, he found out that not only did he dislike Rogue, he was utterly irritated by her also. She was the darling of the mansion. With a pretty face like that, and her sweet approaches to the others, every X-Man held a soft spot for her.

Wolverine was extremely protective of her and her interests. Cyclops could never say no to her...Jean practically adored her...even Storm often rushed to her defense. All she had to do was walk and the X-Men would sing praises while Gambit had to do somersaults before anyone could acknowledge him to be alive. "Rogue's so this...Rogue's so that..." he often heard. She scored A's in every subject that was taught, she was an able-bodied fighter in the Danger Room and a warm, sweet giving friend. Rogue was just so annoyingly ... perfect.

Gambit snorted, "Two could play at dis game chere," he thought to himself.

"Which is more than Ah can say fer ya," came her curt reply to his previous remark about the ox.

"Touche," Gambit shrugged, he was quite muscular but a little lanky though, like most teens his age. He took his trenchcoat off and walked pass shoving her aside with his broad shoulders.

"Hey, watch it, swamp rat!"

"Or what?" he challenged.

"Or this!" Rogue hit him squarely in the gut. Gambit doubled over in pain and in doing so hit into Logan who had been passing by. Logan almost tripped and was about show the Cajun what was what until he saw the spectacle before him. He growled irritably and continued to walk away grumbling, "Kids!"

Continued in Chapter 2.

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