Title: Sparks
Author: breathless_dawn
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Remy Lebeau/Gambit, Jubilee; kindofsortofnotreally Gambit/Jubilee
Disclaimer: I'm only playing in Marvel's sandbox for a while.
A/N: I think this is seriously the first piece of writing I've posted in a YEAR! And it's for the X-Men fandom. Surprised? As am I. I'm operating mostly in the 90's cartoon X-Men the Animated Series universe. This is a short, dialogue heavy, pure fluff piece. I was just trying to get a footing with the characters here, so there's not a whole lot going on emotionally or otherwise, so I hope it's not a total flop. Also, Gambit's accent...I tried, you guys, I really did D:
“You aimin’ to be a human bug zapper, petite?”
At the sound of Gambit’s rumbling voice, Jubilee nearly falls off the tree branch she’s been lounging on for the past half hour, sending sparks from her fingertips zooming after flies. “Jesus, Gambit!” she breathes, clutching at her chest. “You should warn a girl next time! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Gambit chuckles, “Sorry, chère. But what exactly you be doin’ up dere, anyway?”
She sighs before saying in a flat voice, “Nothing. There’s nothing to do inside, but there’s nothing to do out here, either.” She sends a few sparks whirling around Gambit’s head, who shoos them away with a wave of his hand. “I’m just so bored!” she moans, flopping limply over the tree branch.
“TV lost its appeal, eh? Seems like only last week your eyes was glued to da screen, and you was pleadin’ to anyone who’d listen to make you popcorn so you wouldn’ miss nonea the show.” Remy leans his back against the tree trunk and lights a cigarette. He takes a long pull on it and blows the smoke up toward Jubilee.
“Ahh, Gambit, will you quit that?” She coughs pointedly and waves her hand to clear some of the smoke. “You’re gonna give yourself lung cancer, y’know.”
“You don’ have to worry ‘bout Gambit,” he says, taking another drag. Jubilee frowns and burns up the rest of the cigarette between his fingers with a tiny spark.
“Ow!” Gambit cries, bringing his burnt finger to his mouth. “That wasn’ very nice, petite.” His red eyes glare up at her. She responds very maturely by sticking her tongue out at him.
“That’s what you get for smoking, Cajun. I keep telling you it’s bad for your health.”
“I t’ink you’re bad for my health, Jubilee.” He bends down to pick up a small pebble, making a show of throwing it in a wide arc above him and snatching it out of the air a few times.
“Gambit,” Jubilee says slowly, not liking the devious glint in his eye, “don’t you dare blow that rock up in my face.”
No sooner do the words leave her mouth than the rock glows bright red as it leaves Remy’s fist, arcs through the air, and explodes loudly by her left ear. She screams and jumps so violently at the sound of the impact she unseats herself from the tree and topples backward. As she falls, her gymnastics training kicks in and she’s just able to calm her flailing into a passable back tuck, landing squarely on the grass in front of Remy.
He whistles through his teeth and grins at her. “Dat was impressive, chère!”
She glares and punches his shoulder. “You made me fall out of a tree, swamp rat!”
Remy raises his hands in surrender. “Whoa, girl, you know Gambit didn’ mean you no-Swamp rat? Since when you call Gambit swamp rat, petite?” His eyes narrow. “You been hangin’ ‘round Rogue too much.”
Jubilee shrugs and folds her arms across her chest. “I thought the name was justified, considering you tried to kill me just now.”
“Aww, c’mon, petite. You know I wasn’ tryin’ to kill you. I don’ think anyone could manage that. ‘Sides,” he says, holding out his hand to show her the small pink burn on the inside of his index finger and the scorch mark on his glove, “you started it.”
He is pouting. Remy Lebeau is actually pouting, a feat she would not have thought possible had she not seen it with her own eyes. She manages to contain laughter for exactly twelve seconds before it bursts out of her. “Wha’s so funny?” Gambit asks, his brows furrowing as he watches her double over and clutch at her sides.
“You, Remy,” she says when she’s composed herself. “I can’t even stay mad you. You’re just so cute!” She pinches his cheek.
“Stop it, chère!” he says, gently slapping her hand away.
Jubilee giggles and takes his injured hand in hers, gently pressing her lips to his burned finger. “I’m sorry I burned you. Can you forgive me?”
“I t’ink so,” Gambit says thoughtfully, “so long as you promise not to do it again.”
“I’ll only promise if you promise me something, Gambit.”
“An’ what’s dat, Jubilee?”
She pokes a finger at his chest, “You quit smoking and I’ll quit burning your cigarettes-slash-fingers. Sound like a deal?”
Gambit laughs. “No, I don’t t’ink so, petite.” He drapes an arm around her shoulders and presses a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Good try, though.”
“Stubborn swamp rat,” Jubilee mutters as they walk back toward the mansion.
“Not half as stubborn as you, petite,” Gambit says with a grin. “Not half as stubborn as you.”