It'd been a few weeks since Laura and I moved into our new house, and right now I was currently finishing up a project I had been working on for a while. It started as a Green Lantern Power Battery so that I could recharge when I needed to, but it evolved as I got more inspiration.
Right now, I was checking its functionality while I waited for the guests to come over today. I could hear the doorbell ring, and Laura came downstairs when she heard the sound. She was dressed comfortably, in a tank top and leggings. Standing up, I made my way to the door while fiddling with the device in my hand.
Opening the door, I was greeted by the two people I had expected to be coming over, Bobby and Kitty, but surprisingly Rogue was there as well.
"Hey man, this place is sick," Bobby said as he came in.
Kitty made her way over to Laura and began excitedly talking to her, asking what it was like living with me, all alone in this house. Rogue quietly came in as well, and I made sure to greet her, even if I didn't expect her to want to visit. We'd never really talked all that much, but I had an idea why she'd come.
"Hey Rogue, good to see you."
"Thank you for having me," she replied rather awkwardly as she made her way over to Kitty and Laura while Bobby and I ended up on the couch.
"So what's that thing?" Bobby asked, indicating the device in my hand. I held it up for him to get a better look at it. It was a circular disc with a metal back while the top had the design of a green hourglass on a black background.
"This is a Plumber's Badge," I started to say before Bobby interrupted me.
"Why the hell did you name it that?"
"That's what I told him, but he insisted it was tradition," Laura said as the girls paid attention to us, making their way over to the other couch and sitting down.
"It's what it's named and I'm sticking with it," I protested. "Anyway, I started out just making it as a device for me, but eventually it evolved into a whole new thing. I've actually got a few for you guys as well."
Pulling out my storage cube, four more badges appeared and were handed to the group.
"What's it do?" Kitty asked.
Grinning, I tapped the surface of the badge, causing a display to pop up in the air. "The main thing is they can all communicate with each other over pretty much any distance, so if there's ever a problem we can get in contact with each other. The thing is made out of Adamantium, so there's no chance it can break. It's also got a built-in translator for any language on Earth, a tracker to find any of the other badges, and can access the internet as well."
The group looked at the device with renewed interest. "Sweet, even if it has a dumb name," Bobby said, making sure to send one last jab.
My badge was a little different than everyone else's. I made it so that I could remotely control any of the badges to stop unwarranted people from using them, and I even added a DNA-based lock. I had absorbed the DNA of most of the X-Men, so I used that to set it up, so the ones I hadn't absorbed wouldn't be able to use it, unfortunately. Alongside that, I could use the badge like an insignia on my chest, both to have a supply of Adamantium to coat myself while also having a battery for my Green Lantern energy.
"Anyways," I said, pushing past the unwarranted hate the name was getting. It was tradition, and dammit I was sticking to it. "Ready to play?"
Bobby quickly agreed and the two of us started up a game on the TV while the girls talked. Rogue didn't say much, but she was at least listening along as Kitty told Laura about a million things.
"How're things at the Institute with the new students?" I asked.
Bobby looked excited as he talked. "Dude, there's this girl, Amara, she's stunning. I think I've got a shot with her, been showing her the ropes."
'Of course, he picks the girl with the scariest grandmother of the bunch. I personally wouldn't want to get involved with Selene, but I doubt she'd care that much if Bobby dated Amara.'
"Just don't mess it up, you tend to run your mouth a little too much."
Bobby grumbled at that, protesting that he was completely suave. We continued to play as Bobby mentioned how things were going at the Institute. Scott had apparently taken to training the new students and stopped talking to most of the team. Jean and he were pretty strange, but Kurt and Evan had managed to get him out of his shell a bit since the asteroid fiasco.
I could see Rogue was shooting me looks, and I sighed as I decided to just address the elephant in the room. "Rogue, you can just ask. You don't have to stare at me, I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking about."
That drew the attention of the rest of the room, who looked at Rogue. She wilted slightly under all the attention but took a breath and asked. "I was wondering since our powers were similar if I was even able to drain you."
I deliberated for a moment on what to say before responding. "I made sure not to let you try before because I wasn't sure if you'd get all the powers I absorbed or not. Now that you guys know about that, I don't mind giving it a try."
Getting up, I made my way over to Rogue and held out my hand to her. She took off her glove, while the other three watched with rapt attention. Slowly, she extended her hand and touched me and I could immediately feel the drain. It was like my awareness was expanded, as I'd never been able to feel my own life force, but now that I could feel it leaving I could identify where it was.
Quickly, I began to channel my own absorption, draining the life force right back, although I had to adjust my level of absorption so that it matched Rogue's, making it so that there was a net zero drain.
Rogue had looked worried when she felt the brief flow of energy from me before I cut it off and she relaxed, enjoying the sensation of touching another's skin before I pulled back. She looked disappointed, but I already could tell where this was going, and I really didn't want to deal with any of it. I'd caved because I felt bad, but this was never going to end up the way she thought it might.
"Hey, that's great Rogue," Kitty said, happy that her friend had managed to touch someone for the first time in a while.
Laura and I shared a look. She had gotten pretty good at reading my mood, and she could tell that I wasn't exactly looking forward to what this could lead to.
"Bobby, wanna see the garage?" I asked him and he quickly agreed. The two of us made our way out of the living room and headed through a few doors until we reached the garage where I kept my car. There were various bits of technology strewn around the place from my time working on upgrading it.
"So, why do I get the sense you're not exactly happy with Rogue being able to touch you?" Bobby asked.
I sighed, thinking about how I wanted to word it. "How do you think the girl who can't touch anyone is going to feel now that she found a guy she can actually touch?"
"Ah, yeah that's bad."
"You're telling me. I'm already dating Laura, and even if I wasn't, I hardly know Rogue, and I wouldn't be interested in someone just because I'm the only person the could touch. That'd be a shit foundation for a relationship when I'd be literally her only option."
Bobby listened as he made his way over to the pool table I had in the garage, setting up the balls for a game. "So why'd you let her try then?"
"I felt bad, it has to suck never being able to touch a person. I could've just let her drain me, I have to concentrate to stop it, but she's depressed enough as it is. Crushing her hope wasn't exactly an appealing idea."
I mulled the situation over as the two of us began to play a game. From what I could remember in the comics, her problems with her power were largely mental. Xavier might be able to help, but if he hadn't done so yet there had to be some reason.
The other option was I try to fix the power myself. The energy I absorbed from the Gem of Cyttorak could enhance powers if focused properly, so I might be able to make it so her power had a built-in on/off switch. Honestly, I could probably do the same for Scott as well, but I'd have to practice with the energy first.
It might even be possible that just suggesting that it would have that effect on her would help Rogue. If she believed the energy would give her control, even if I failed to do it, it might placebo her into pushing past her mental barriers.
I'd give it some more thought before I put any particular plan into action, but it'd take me some time to figure it out.
Eventually, the sky began to darken and it was time for the three mutants to head back to the Institute.
I offered to teleport them home with Kurt's power. I no longer had to train powers up from scratch now that I had the energy from Cyttorak, so I already could use the power on a stronger level. I could teleport places I had been before within a certain distance, or through line of sight, and the Institute wasn't all that far away.
The three agreed and each held onto my arms before we vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing outside the front door.
I fist-bumped Bobby and gave Kitty a side hug as the two of them made their way inside, while Rogue lingered in the doorway.
"Rogue, we should talk."
The girl looked nervous as she stood, waiting for what I had to say. "I know you are happy that you can touch me, but you know why it could be a problem right?"
Hesitantly, she nodded her head, her expression noticeably blank as she looked down slightly. "Ah get it, it's just hard, you know."
"You remember how Scott got control of his powers with Magneto's device?" She hadn't been present, but she'd heard about it afterward. "Well I drained the gem that was powering the device, so if you give me a little while to figure it out, maybe I can use it to give you control too."
Rogue looked up at me, surprise coloring her expression before she began to look hopeful. "Ya think so?"
"I should be able to, so just be a little patient okay? I'll figure it out."
Uncharacteristically, Rogue smiled and moved forward, wrapping me in a brief hug before she stepped back. "Thank you."
I chuckled and waved her off, letting her go back into the Institute while I teleported back to the house, finding Laura waiting in the living room.
"How'd it go?" Laura asked.
"Figured you were listening," I told her about the conversation the two of us had and Laura just shrugged.
"I don't know her very well, but I hope you can help her," she said before she made her way over and sat down in my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and bringing me into a kiss. "Now, we have something else to do."
Grinning, I picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, the two of us not going to bed for some time.
----
I was walking down the street in New York when I happened upon a rather interesting scene. I was by myself, Laura had gone to the Institute to visit Logan and came upon the sight of Spider-Man fighting Sandman.
Sandman had turned into a giant figure, sand swirling around the area as civilians began to flee while Spider-Man swung around him, trying to find a way to deal with him.
"Come on Sandman, I've got somewhere to be. Couldn't you pick a better time to rob a bank?"
I watched as the giant sand construct swung its arm, trying to swat Spider-Man out of the air as he swung between the buildings, using the objects that Sandman would throw at him as springboards to avoid him while using his webs to make sure no civilians got harmed by falling debris.
'Might as well lend a hand since I'm here.'
Reaching into my pocket, I took out my Plumber's Badge and put it on the center of my chest, where it stuck. Absorbing the badge, my body was coated in Adamantium while I tapped the badge lightly, causing a constant flow of energy to flow into my body. I surrounded myself in hard light, while I changed my metallic face to look similar to a mannequin to hide my identity. I then flew into the air, drawing both Sandman's and Spider-Man's attention.
"This guy's already eating into my time, please tell me you're not a villain," Spider-Man said, and I could hear from his voice that he was a younger Spider-Man.
"I'm not a villain," I said, a grin on my face.
"That's exactly what a villain would say."
Sandman seemed to get tired of being ignored as he swung his giant construct arms at me as well, but when the hand came in contact I froze it solid. He quickly cut off that part of his construct, causing it to fall towards the ground as Spider-Man swung, webbing it up so it stayed suspended in mid-air.
Blurring forward, I shot straight at Sandman and extended my hand, sending a blast of cold at the center of his body that rapidly spread.
He tried to escape, changing his shape and extending, but the cold spread too fast, and soon his entire body was almost completely turned to ice. A small bit managed to escape and reformed into a man in a green-striped shirt and khakis.
Spider-Man quickly shot him with a web to pin him to the ground, while I sent another blast, encasing him in ice.
I flew down, landing on the ground beside Spider-Man who turned and looked at me. "Thanks for the help."
"What's got you in such a rush? Got a date?"
That seemed to remind him, as he suddenly began to run. "I've gotta go, can you keep an eye on him until the police show up?"
I waved him to go ahead and he took off swinging. Thinking about the whole thing, it almost felt too easy. Sandman wasn't exactly a strong villain, but even then using Bobby's power was a direct counter to him.
'I guess that's the benefit of having so many powers. I'm so versatile that I can have the exact solution to a lot of situations.'
Eventually, the police arrived and took the ice sculpture that was Sandman. I didn't even give them a chance to talk to me before I flew away, heading back home.
'Being a hero could be interesting while I finish the designs for my ship,' I thought as I got a little ways away and teleported to my lab in the Baxter Building. Removing the badge and returning to normal, I made my way out of my room and found Sue and Reed huddled around a computer looking over some data.
"How goes the exploration?" I asked. They had made a couple of trips into the Negative Zone so far, but I had no real interest in accompanying them.
"It's fascinating. The dimension contains life, we've run into a few hostile life forms, but who knows what is in there," Reed said as he continued to browse through the data they had collected.
I sat down at a nearby desk and called out to Sue. "Sue, I could use your help figuring something out."
"Oh, you never ask for help, Casper. What's got the young genius so stumped?" Sue asked, making her way over to me. I pulled up a scanner and produced a small amount of Cyttorak energy for it to analyze.
"Yeah yeah, just not my area of expertise. I'm good with technology, but not so much with Biology. This energy should be able to help Rogue control her powers, but I'm not sure how exactly it would affect someone other than me."
She pulled up a chair, sat down next to me, and leaned in as information began to appear on the screen. "Well, I've got some time before we make another trip so let's see what we can figure out."
----
Author's Note:
So yeah, if you couldn't tell I kind of hate the cliche where the MC can touch Rogue and she's instantly in love with them because he's literally the only person she can touch. Not doing that, and Casper is just going to try to fix her power instead because why wouldn't he?
I've got a pretty good rhythm going right now between this story, Humanity's Campione, and DXD: Biokinetic Devil. Supposed to be a hurricane, so I'll probably have more time to write the next couple days since my job will be closed. Should be able to put out a couple of chapters of each story, so check the other's out if you feel like it.