Rogue/Gambit: The Soccer Difference

Two mutant heroes find their love is tested when they disagree about the quality of a peace-promoting post-apocalyptic social activity --- the dreamy game of soccer!

I needed to return from retirement for a basic vignette about soccer-diaries. This yarn was inspired by the film Hotshot.

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Gambit and Rogue were the ideal mutant couple. They were both mutated during the Nuclear Apocalypse, and their bodies acquired extra-human abilities thanks to chemical plasticity! Gambit gained the ability to sense fears in others and could throw objects with radioactive energy he possessed in his hands and veins, so he chose to carry a deck of radioactively-charged playing-cards, since he loved gambling. Rogue meanwhile also acquired telepathic abilities and the dangerous radioactive power to destrengthen anyone she touched with her hands! Gambit and Rogue were head-over-heels in love with each other until one day when they began arguing about the allure and glory of world-soccer, an exciting and elegant sport encouraging teamwork and goal-scoring. Soccer was popular in Europe, South America, and Africa but remained unpopular in America where baseball and football were dominant. Gambit and Rogue began arguing about post-apocalyptic world-soccer and its potential to promote peace. Gambit believed world-soccer was a thing of bravado, and Rogue insisted it was a phenomenon of honor. They argued so much that they started to distrust each other. This was evil.

Of course, Gambit and Rogue were both correct. World-soccer was indeed a thing of bravado. World-soccer was indeed a sport which encouraged honor among team-mates. This rift in their views, however, drove them apart, and Gambit went looking for temporary love, in the arms of gorgeous European women who happened to be world-soccer fans. Meanwhile, Rogue fell in the arms of another mutant named Colossus whose radioactive exposure gave him metal-like strength and resilience. Colossus watched world-soccer all the time with great fervor, and Rogue felt he was focused on the honor-features of world-soccer rather than the bravado-qualities her now somewhat-estranged boyfriend Gambit was exploring! As Gambit toyed with European lovelies and Rogue indulged in the safety-and-security feelings alongside Colossus, the peace-promoting sport of world-soccer now threatened the symbolic pure love between the destined couple, Gambit and Rogue. Would this impact or affect post-apocalyptic world-soccer?

Colossus sensed the problem Gambit and Rogue were having with each other regarding the complexity of world-soccer. He realized Rogue was inciting Gambit to look 'elsewhere' for agreements about the quality and aesthetics of competitive social activities! Colossus also realized that Gambit would now try to incite Rogue as a subtle act of rage, thinking she was going to go 'elsewhere' herself seeking agreements for what she found to be true regarding world-soccer. Since Colossus did think world-soccer was honorable, he realized that Gambit would consider him an adversary, maybe believing that Colossus would not change his views on the honor-qualities of soccer, despite Rogue's clear advances towards him which threatened her bond with Gambit! Colossus came up with the plan to invite Rogue to a world-soccer match that he knew Gambit would be attending (he'd noticed Gambit at world-soccer games and took note of what teams Gambit followed earnestly). While Gambit and Rogue were both at the soccer-match, Colossus created a turbulence-diversion by lifting and contorting a mostly-empty portion of the metal soccer-stadium, compelling Gambit and Rogue to work together to ensure that none of the soccer fans/spectators were harmed or endangered. Colossus used a trick of 'death' to bring Gambit and Rogue together.

As Gambit and Rogue worked together for the soccer-stadium fix, they discovered their teamwork was quite effective and began regretting the ways in which they'd decided to part from each other because of their soccer-analysis disagreements! They decided to watch the rest of that soccer-match that day...together! They watched the two talented teams duke it out for glory and use teamwork to create great competitive (but peaceful) drama. Gambit and Rogue realized their experience watching soccer that day was something Jesus Christ would have condoned. They realized that good fortune had smiled upon them, so they'd found a way to now cheer on soccer together...as a pure loving couple in this otherwise destroyed post-apocalyptic world.

GAMBIT: I was so angry.

ROGUE: I was convinced you were a chauvinist.

GAMBIT: We worked great together during the soccer-match!
ROGUE: We made a great team.

GAMBIT: Jesus saved our bond.
ROGUE: We thought clearly about discord and concords.

GAMBIT: Soccer is a really therapeutic game!
ROGUE: It encourages basic dreams.
GAMBIT: Colossus will be both of our doctors.

ROGUE: Indeed.

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