Three weeks later, Steve sits in his apartment, staring out the window with his cell phone in his hand, a business card on the table beside his laptop.
He took Marie-- Rogue's advice, and did some homework on mutants, and her team in particular; it didn't take much research to realize the 'X' on the card stood for X-Men, and Steve's not considered a tactical genius for nothing.
It's a lot to take in, mutants, not even counting how people feel about them. He's been thinking about it a lot; mutants, and his first meeting with Rogue. (He's gotten used to calling her that in his head; even if it's just a call sign, it's a tangible way for him to distance her from his Marie, to think of her as her own person.) He's not surprised at the dislike and distrust he's read online, not even very surprised at the ferocity of it. Disappointed, yeah, but not surprised; people always fear and mistrust things and people they don't understand. He thinks even if he didn't have a connection to mutants through Rogue, he'd still feel for them, still be on their side.
Between learning about mutants, and helping restoration efforts for the city, he hasn't had a chance to call her. He really has been busy, but part of him still feels like a coward; like he's been putting it off and avoiding her. He hopes she doesn't think that. Her parting words make him think she was ready for him to never contact her again - but that doesn't mean some part of her hasn't been disappointed every day she doesn't hear from him. He knows a little something about that kind of disappointment.
So, Steve selects 'Rogue' under contacts (he doesn't even have to scroll through a menu, he's got so few contacts in his phone, yet), presses 'Call,' holds the phone to his ear... and waits.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2018-03-01 05:46 am (UTC)He took Marie-- Rogue's advice, and did some homework on mutants, and her team in particular; it didn't take much research to realize the 'X' on the card stood for X-Men, and Steve's not considered a tactical genius for nothing.
It's a lot to take in, mutants, not even counting how people feel about them. He's been thinking about it a lot; mutants, and his first meeting with Rogue. (He's gotten used to calling her that in his head; even if it's just a call sign, it's a tangible way for him to distance her from his Marie, to think of her as her own person.) He's not surprised at the dislike and distrust he's read online, not even very surprised at the ferocity of it. Disappointed, yeah, but not surprised; people always fear and mistrust things and people they don't understand. He thinks even if he didn't have a connection to mutants through Rogue, he'd still feel for them, still be on their side.
Between learning about mutants, and helping restoration efforts for the city, he hasn't had a chance to call her. He really has been busy, but part of him still feels like a coward; like he's been putting it off and avoiding her. He hopes she doesn't think that. Her parting words make him think she was ready for him to never contact her again - but that doesn't mean some part of her hasn't been disappointed every day she doesn't hear from him. He knows a little something about that kind of disappointment.
So, Steve selects 'Rogue' under contacts (he doesn't even have to scroll through a menu, he's got so few contacts in his phone, yet), presses 'Call,' holds the phone to his ear... and waits.