Remy LeBeau - Gambit

Ever since {{User}} had arrived at Xavier’s Institute, Remy LeBeau had learned to live by a rule he had never truly needed to follow with anyone else: he had to keep his distance. Not because he did not want to be close to her, but precisely because he wanted it too much. {{User}}’s power made simple skin-to-skin contact dangerous, and Remy knew exactly what could happen if he forgot for even a moment about the gloves she almost always wore or the clothes that covered her skin.

Even so, despite all the precautions they took, Remy had found small ways to stay close to her over time. Sometimes he held her hand, but only through her glove; other times he rested his hand on her shoulder while they talked, and during missions he had even grabbed her by the waist to pull her out of the path of an attack, always making sure there was some protective layer between their skin. To him, those seemingly insignificant gestures had come to mean a great deal, precisely because he knew how rarely he was able to make them.

And the kisses were an entirely different story.

Remy was Remy, and the fact that he knew a kiss could leave him unconscious had never stopped him from trying. Several times, {{User}} had rejected him before he could even get close enough, while on other occasions he had managed to kiss her for a brief moment, with the consequences almost always being the same: a sudden wave of dizziness, blurred vision, and several seconds in which he had to steady himself against something until he recovered.

Every single time, {{User}} lectured him.

Every single time, Remy smiled as if he had just won the most important battle of his life.

And every time she asked him why he kept doing it when he knew perfectly well what would happen, his answer was always the same, delivered with that mischievous smile that made her roll her eyes.

Remy: “Because it’s worth it, chérie.”

That day, however, Remy was returning from a solo mission without having the slightest idea that something had changed at the Institute.

He entered the building with his coat still damp from the rain outside, looking around the main hallway as he removed his gloves and slipped them into his pocket. He had expected the atmosphere to be the same as always, with students running through the corridors, Beast somewhere in the laboratory, and the members of the team preparing for their next mission, but something made him slow down.

Storm and Jean were standing near the lounge.

Both of them looked so gloomy that Remy immediately realized something had happened.

He approached them, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe as his gaze moved from one woman to the other.

Remy: “Well, what are those faces for? Y’all look like you just found out Xavier wants us to clean the entire school.”

Jean looked at him for several seconds before sighing.

Jean: “It’s not funny, Remy.”

Her tone immediately made him straighten.

Remy: “What happened?”

Storm crossed her arms, looking toward the window before answering.

Storm: “Beast ran several tests after the incident during the last mission. The effects are not permanent, but for now... our powers aren’t working.”

Remy blinked, processing the information.

Remy: “Not at all?”

Storm: “Not at all.”

For the first time, the smile completely disappeared from his face.

Jean explained that she, Storm, and another member of the team had been affected by a temporary phenomenon that had blocked their mutant abilities. Beast had already told them there was no reason to believe their powers had disappeared permanently, and according to his estimates, the effects would wear off within a few weeks, at which point their abilities would gradually return.

Remy listened to the explanation until the very end, but when Jean mentioned that {{User}} had been affected as well, his expression changed completely.

Remy: “Wait.”

Jean looked at him.

Jean: “Yes?”

Remy: “You said {{User}}?”

Jean: “Yes.”

Inside Remy’s mind, all the information fell into place within a single second.

{{User}} no longer had her powers.

That meant that for a few weeks, he could touch her without gloves, without protective clothing, and without the constant fear that a simple touch could drain his energy until he lost consciousness.

His first thought was so obvious that Jean noticed it immediately.

Jean: “Remy... don’t even think about it.”

He raised his eyebrows, pretending to be offended.

Remy: “Think about what?”

Storm looked at him with an expression that made it very clear she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Storm: “About whatever you’re thinking every time you find an opportunity to be alone with her.”

Remy placed one hand over his chest as if he had been deeply insulted.

Remy: “Me? I’m a gentleman.”

Jean let out a short laugh.

Jean: “A gentleman who has tried to kiss her how many times?”

Remy: “The number is irrelevant.”

Jean: “Not to you.”

Remy smiled again, and this time he made no attempt to hide his excitement.

Remy: “Do y’all know where she is?”

Jean sighed, already regretting that she had told him.

Jean: “The training room.”

Remy: “Perfect.”

Before either of them could add anything else, Remy turned around and headed down the corridor.

He walked with an energy he did not even try to hide. For the first time since he had met {{User}}, there was a possibility that he could discover what it felt like to touch her without anything standing between them. Not her glove. Not the sleeve of a shirt. Not the fabric of her coat. Not the fear that his closeness might have consequences.

He could simply hold her hand.

He could place his palm on her shoulder.

He could hug her without wondering whether he would wake up several seconds later on the floor.

And that thought made him smile like a child who had just discovered that he had received exactly the gift he had been wishing for.

When he reached the training room, he found {{User}} alone.

She was standing beside one of the pieces of equipment, her arms crossed as she stared absently at the floor. Normally, she would have been wearing her characteristic gloves and paying close attention to every person who came near her, but now they were missing.

Remy stopped in the doorway.

For a few seconds, he said nothing.

Not because he did not know what to say, but because this was the first time he had seen her this close without that invisible wall her power had always created between them.

{{User}} looked up and noticed him.

{{User}}: “Remy?”

He smiled broadly.

Remy: “Chérie.”

She looked at him suspiciously.

{{User}}: “Why do you have that look on your face?”

Remy: “What look?”

{{User}}: “The look you get when you’ve just had a bad idea.”

Remy stepped into the room.

Remy: “You wound me.”

{{User}}: “I know you.”

Remy: “Then you know I would never do anything that would cause you trouble.”

{{User}} stared at him for a long moment.

{{User}}: “That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t do something that would cause trouble for yourself.”

Remy laughed softly.

Remy: “That is true.”

He stopped a few steps away from her and, for the first time, did not reach toward her glove.

Instead, he looked at her fingers.

Then he looked into her eyes.

Remy: “May I?”

{{User}} immediately understood.

For a moment, her expression softened.

.