Chapter 25: Rouge Green Tea
Kara teleported onto a rooftop, stretching as she scanned the city below. She had been randomly jumping around for the past hour, testing out how far she could go before the teleportation started feeling inconvenient. So far, she was loving it. No wind resistance, no need to aim for a landing spot—it was just instant movement, as easy as blinking. What she hadn't figured out yet was where she wanted to eat. She was craving pizza, but New York had about a million different places, and she had yet to find the perfect one.
Just as she was about to teleport again, her super hearing picked up something—a woman calling for help. Her brows furrowed. The voice was soft, desperate, and coming from an empty alley about five blocks away. She tuned in closer, hearing another voice, deeper, growling something menacing. A heartbeat later, she was there.
The alley was dimly lit, enclosed by tall buildings that cast shadows over the cracked pavement. A mutant—tall, hunched, with glowing red eyes and clawed hands—was leering over a girl backed against the wall. She had a white streak in her auburn hair, and her green eyes were wide with fear.
"Please," she whispered. "Ah don't wanna hurt you."
The mutant let out a low chuckle. "That's funny. 'Cause I do wanna hurt you."
Kara appeared behind him, arms crossed. "Well, that's just rude."
The mutant barely had time to register her voice before she punched him. It wasn't even a real punch—just a light jab meant to knock him away.
He exploded.
A fine red mist sprayed the alley walls, the sickening sound of vaporized flesh filling the air. Kara blinked, staring at where the mutant had once stood, then at her fist. "Okay," she muttered, rubbing her neck. "Yeah, I really don't know my own strength anymore."
She turned to the girl, who was staring at the bloody mess with wide eyes. "You okay?" Kara asked.
The girl slowly looked up at her, expression shifting from shock to something softer, something more calculated. "Ah… Ah think so," she said, her Southern accent thick but sweet. "That was… quite somethin'."
Kara grinned. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was just trying to knock him back, not—" she gestured at the red mist. "Turn him into abstract art."
The girl let out a nervous giggle, stepping forward, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Ah'm Anna Marie," she said, smiling shyly. "But folks call me Rogue."
Kara tilted her head. "Nice name. I'm Kara."
The moment Rogue got close, she caught Kara's scent—something intoxicating, overwhelming, addictive. It hit her all at once, a primal urge surging through her veins, a need to claim this woman standing before her. She barely kept her expression composed, schooling her features into soft admiration rather than the burning obsession she suddenly felt.
Kara, completely unaware, just smiled. "You sure you're okay? You looked pretty cornered back there."
Rogue gave a small, nervous laugh, lowering her eyes. "Ah… yeah. Ah guess Ah just ain't much of a fighter."
That was a lie.
Internally, Rogue was already assessing everything. The sweet, timid girl act had worked perfectly—Kara had bought into it immediately.
Rogue had spent years mastering this role, the fragile, helpless damsel. It was how she had lured in her victims, how she made them drop their guard. She played the weakling, the outcast, the misunderstood girl who needed protection. And then, when they least expected it? She took everything from them.
She had done it countless times before—absorbing their abilities, draining their power, leaving behind corpses and missing persons cases that no one would ever solve. She fed on mutants and humans alike, pretending to lose their abilities over time when in reality, she kept everything.
But Kara… Kara was something else entirely.
Rogue had been planning on touching her, just a brief brush of skin, just to see what she was working with—but now, she wasn't sure if she wanted to drain Kara's power or drown in it. The scent, the sheer presence of this woman was making her head spin.
Her fingers twitched, but she curled them into fists, forcing herself to keep up the act.
"Well," Kara said, breaking the silence. "Now that the gross murder is out of the way, you hungry?"
Rogue blinked, caught off guard. "Ah—what?"
Kara grinned. "Pizza. I was looking for a good place before I found you. Wanna come with?"
She had barely finished the sentence before Rogue internally screamed. Yes. Yes. YES.
She forced herself to blush, look a little flustered. "Ah, well… Ah wouldn't wanna impose…"
Kara laughed. "Nah, it's fine! You seem cool."
Rogue felt something deep and deranged bloom inside her chest.
Cool? Kara thought she was cool?
Oh, she was keeping this woman.
She gave a hesitant nod, making herself look shy, innocent, unsure. "Well… if ya really don't mind…"
Kara smiled. "Of course not. Let's go."
And just like that, Rogue knew she had won.
The pizza place Kara had chosen was a small, dimly lit hole-in-the-wall spot, the kind of place that smelled like melted cheese and freshly baked dough. They took a booth in the back, and Rogue kept herself composed, playing her role to perfection.
Kara stretched her arms, glancing over at her. "So, Rogue. What's your story?"
Rogue tilted her head, smiling softly, making her voice just a little more fragile. "Ah guess Ah just go where the wind takes me."
Kara chuckled. "That's kinda poetic."
Rogue laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Ah guess so. Ain't got much else to do these days, truth be told."
That was another lie.
She had plenty to do. Plenty of people to kill. Plenty of power to steal.
But Kara… Kara was different.
She picked up a slice of pizza, chewing slowly as she observed her target. Kara was strong. Carefree. Unbothered. She had no idea how utterly addicting she was.
Rogue's fingers twitched.
She wanted more.
By the time they finished eating, Rogue had already solidified her plan. She wasn't letting Kara go.
They walked outside, the air cool, the city lights reflecting in Kara's blue eyes. Rogue forced herself to hesitate, to fidget, to look vulnerable.
"Hey, Kara?" she murmured.
Kara glanced over. "Yeah?"
Rogue bit her lip, looking down. "Would it… would it be okay if Ah stayed with ya for a bit? Just till Ah figure out my next move?"
Kara blinked, surprised, but then grinned. "Sure! I've got space."
And just like that, Rogue had won again.
She smiled, soft and sweet. "Thank ya, sugar. That means a lot."
Internally, she was grinning like a maniac.
Kara was hers now.
She just didn't know it yet.
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