nextgenerationmarvel | Moving In (Roxie)

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Moving In (Roxie)

The night after their discussion, Joe followed Roxie's instructions to get into the building and headed upstairs to the apartment to check it out. He politely declined the doorman's offer of assistance as he didn't want to frighten the poor guy with the weight of his bags or their contents. Between all the clothing and weapons, Joe knew Uncomfortable Questions might be asked so he avoid the whole situation by carrying his own things.

Once he got through the door, Joe turned on some lights and checked the place out. Roxie had really good taste; the place was furnished much better than the places he'd been in the last few years. He didn't even see any rats scurrying once the lights were on. The cleanliness of the place made him realize just what kind of dumps he'd been inflicting on himself since he left Colorado Springs.

He sought the nearest empty bedroom and found it, sitting his bags down and taking off his coat. He was about to figure out what he'd sleep on when he remembered something about a rooftop garden. Now, he had to see it.

He found the access to the rooftop and stepped out, looking around at the place. Whatever he'd expected this place to be, this was so much more. Joe simply walked around a bit, getting an idea of the space. He could put a heavy bag right over there, in the corner, if Roxie didn't mind...

for a moment, Joe let all of his worries and trepidations about the world fall away and he stood near the edge of the building with his head titled back, eyes closed and just enjoyed the sounds of New York by night.

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Roxie laughed. "It's actually amusing to think of you as being intimidated by a lot," she said. Being intimidated by his father, that she could understand - even if Roxie herself wasn't. Not a lot intimidated the young Avenger. Call her foolhardy, if you must.

Glad that he'd seemingly ignored her reaction, she nodded her head as a double helix of energy sprang to life around her body, changing her from her Warbird armour to a pair of black, spike-heeled boots, a pair of deep red velvet skinny jeans, and a shiny silver tank top, paired with a black leather motorcycle jacket and black scarf.

Yes, she really did have a specific colour theme going on with her lately.

"I'd be delighted," she said, her voice coming out clearly through the energy that had momentarily surrounded her body. "It's been awhile since I've had a social meal." Since most of her meals were taken on the rooftop garden, alone. "Other than my mother, I mean."

Joe watched her change in front of him (he hadn't expected that, but it was still awesome) and noted her new outfit. The colors suited her and really brought out here hair in the darkness of the night. Joe nodded, impressed with her gear.

"Nice jacket. I like it. Can I offer you a ride to the restaurant? I know it's not as awesome as flying but...I'd like to keep up my whole 'trying to be a gentleman' thing." he said.

He offered his arm to her.

"My bike's downstairs but I can at least walk you to it. It's been awhile for me, too, on the whole social meal thing. When I wasn't eating junk, I wasn't really eating. When I was eating, it was alone and whenever I had a spare second."

Edited 2012-11-18 03:36 (UTC)

That was Roxie, full of surprises. Sadly, she could only ever go back and forth between her armour and whatever clothes she'd been wearing before her armour.

She smiled at him. There may have been a flirtatious twinkle in her eye - she looked good, and she knew she looked good - but she was also being good tonight. She'd been good for awhile now.

"I love a good bike," Roxie nodded. "Though one day, if you'd be fine with it, I'd love to take you flying." Because that was something that everyone needed to experience at least once in life.

She took his arm, curtseying a little as did so, and a silvery giggle escaped her mouth. "I'm sorry. That's just so chivalrous of you. Most of the guys I've dated act as though they've just returned from the Jersey Shore." Vincent had been one of the few exceptions there, too. "So you were all about the fast food then?" That was really no way to live.

"I saw one episode of Jersey Shore just to make sure it was as dumb as I'd heard it was. Then I decided that I was going to punch out 'The Situation' if I ever met him just because the guy is a jerk-bag." Joe said, walking Roxie toward the door to the apartment.

"And yeah, I'd love to go flying if you'd take me. It sounds like a lot of fun." he said, walking her through the house.

Once they got downstairs to the bike, a modified 2013 Harley-Davidson Road King, Joe would hand Roxie his spare helmet while he put on his own. He stepped over the bike and got settled in, then waited for her to climb on.

"You know what's cool? Hanging out with a pretty girl who could probably toss me and this bike into the ocean with one hand tied behind her back." Joe said.

But it's just nice to relax around someone again. he thought.

"They're better when their mouths are doing things other than talking, it's true," Roxie agreed. She closed her eyes and chuckled. "Oh god, I'm sorry. That might have been TMI."

"Wow...this is...this is beautiful," she said, taking the helmet from Joe and circling around the bike. "I mean, I'm nowhere near an expert on bikes, but this is...sexy." Pause. "You know what I mean," she quickly waved the statement away and slipped her helmet on. Roxie climbed on the bike and hesitated before wrapping her arms around his torso.

You know, so she didn't fall off?

"I actually did something similar to the thing I fought earlier," Roxie admitted. "After taking its head off, of course."

Wow. She'd dated a guy from Jersey Shore? Okay, Joe filed that away and just chuckled a bit. "I'll go ahead and leave that comment right there, just so things don't get awkward.

He beamed a little bit as she praised his bike. Joe had learned a lot about them from his time down in Texas working at a mechanic shop. That old place had burned down a year or so ago, though. Mr. Clayton had always treated him well.

Roxie's arm wrapped around Joe and he relaxed under her touch before kickstarting the bike.

"Yeah, I know what you mean and I think it's awesome either way." he said, regarding her comment. He was about to follow it up with a compliment but changed his mind at the last second. He didn't want to make her feel weird.

"Tell me about it over dinner?" he asked over his shoulder.

"That would be wise, yes," she nodded. Lately, she'd been a lot more guarded about the things she tended to say. Joe was bringing out an older side of her that hadn't been seen in awhile.

It felt new to her, oddly enough.

"Okay, but I also want to hear about all of your adventures." Because she really was intrigued, and she didn't want to talk the poor guy's ear off.

Joe suddenly felt like a jerk for saying that. She didn't owe him any explanations or anything. Her life was hers to do with as she chose, though he found himself more interested in that life with each passing second.

"Oh, my adventures aren't really that interesting but I'll tell you about them. You'll probably want me to stop talking after a few minutes." he chuckled.

The pair pulled out of the garage and headed toward the restaurant on 92nd Street, with Joe enjoying the feel of Roxie's arms around him the whole way (for her safety, of course). She could have flown here but she chose the slightly slower method of riding his bike, which made him feel good.

She was an awesome friend.

Don't kid yourself, Rogers. You guys aren't kids anymore. She could be more than friend if you asked her.

He clamped down on that thought immediately and pushed it out of his head.

Fifteen minutes later, the pair arrived at the restaurant and Joe parked the bike and killed the engine. He took off his helmet and then looked back to Roxie.

"This is the place. A little mom-and-pop joint I found my first night back. Had to come here and try it out." he said.

He waited for her to dismount the bike before doing so himself and he offered her his arm once again.

"I hope you'll like it here. If you don't, you get to pick the restaurant next time." he grinned.

There was a thrumming sort of tension there between them, which Roxie was attempting to ignore for Joe's benefit.

"You'd think that, but I really want to learn all that there is to know about you." Pause. "Because that doesn't sound at all stalkery," added with a laugh. "I'm sorry. It's one of those days where my mouth goes before my brain catches up."

Roxie slid off of the bike and yanked the helmet off, shaking her hair free, grinning at Joe all the while. "I'm not going to lie - that was exhilarating," she said. "I mean, flying is one thing, but this was all kinds of fantastic," she added. She'd also never really let anyone take control like that before - more often than not, it was Roxie doing the driving, so to speak.

"I'm worried you might not necessarily like my tastes," Roxie confessed, taking Joe's arm. "I'm comfortable eating from the corner hot dog stand, but then I also have a thing for some of the city's more...decadent places." Which was par for the course when you were Carol Danvers' daughter and had access to so much. "But I have no doubt that I'll more than like this place." She looked up at him and grinned. "After all, the key to a good meal is good company and I like my company a lot."

She wanted to learn more about him? Joe almost couldn't remember the last time someone wanted to know things about him that didn't involve finding out where he lived so he could be killed. There was a time, though, when he'd enjoyed telling people who he was.

Despite everything Roxie said before, though, he didn't think she'd really like him if she knew who he was.

"Hey, I just like hearing you talk so don't worry about your brain-to-mouth ratio. Watching you backtrack is cute." he said.

"I love this bike. Mom said she had to get it for me when I got back and she made some...upgrades to it." he said.

The headed inside and Joe wondered exactly what Roxie meant by decadent but his curiosity was piqued.

"Corner hot dog stands are really good but now you've got me curious about these places you go to. But you're right; I'm in great company tonight."

When they walked in, they were greeted by the owners, an elderly Indian man and woman who greeted them in accented English. Joe indicated that they needed a table for two and the woman smiled at him and ushered Roxie and him to a private booth in the back. The lighting was dim and the atmosphere was very intimate, which made Joe wonder how Roxie would take it. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea.

He pulled her chair so she could sit down and then took his own seat and looked down at the menu. The owner asked for their drink orders and Joe waited for Roxie to order first before ordering a water.

Once she was gone, Joe looked to her.

"So who's first on story time? You or me?"

He should give the girl a chance. Her father is, after all, the Olympian god of war.

"I'm glad. There was a time I would have pushed forward instead of backtracking," she smiled. "As for the places...well. You know. The expensive, trendy eateries where you pay a lot for tiny, extremely tasty portions that don't really fill you up? Those places," she nodded.

Roxie was also experienced enough with men not to get the wrong idea, but there was a small part of her that she was desperately pushing back that wanted to, well, hope.

For her part, Roxie ordered a sparkling water with a splash of lime juice and a few sprigs of mint.

"You," she said. "I'd like to get to know you before I scare you off and make you rethink your decision to be my housemate."

"I've never been to one of those trendy places before. I see them every now and then but I never go in." Joe said. "Not that I don't like them or anything, but I guess I just never thought about it."

He was going to have to change that mindset if he was hanging out with Roxie.

Joe's experience with women was very, very limited so he didn't know how to read signs and wasn't very conscious of what signals he was sending. But he figured the best way for Roxie to get to know him was to be honest with her.

"All right. Ask me a question and I'll answer it as best I can. Anything you want to know. But I get to ask the same question of you after." he said.

The owner returned with Roxie's drink and Joe's water while he prepared himself for Roxie to ask him whatever came to mind. He took a sip and hoped that he could, in fact, let her in a little.

"First crush," she asked, simply. "And be honest."

Okay, so she was starting with the easy stuff, but she needed him to get comfortable, to open up a little, before going for some of the heavier stuff that two damaged souls had the potential to discuss.

That stuff could possibly weigh more than Roxie could lift, after all, and she could lift a few tons.

"Answer well, and I'll treat you to a dinner at Butter one day," she winked.

Joe nearly choked on his water when she asked him about his first crush. Life was not fair.

"Okay...God, I can't believe this. When I was a kid, I told my parents I was going to marry your mother." Joe said, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment.

"I swear, I got over it quickly. After that, the only other girl I had a crush on...well, she was younger. It wouldn't have worked out." Joe said.

"Who was your first crush?" he asked, pretty certain that he knew who Roxie was going to name.

She laughed. She honestly laughed at that. "You and almost every other kid in our group," she said. "I think Mom would be a little mortified that she became one of the sex symbols of the Avengers," she added.

And then his question came.

Roxie paled a little and took a few quick sips of water.

"Maybe I should have started with another question?"

"I swear, it wasn't like one of those 'American Pie' things. I can't believe I just said that." Joe said, laughing at himself now. He was turning a bit redder as he sat there. Why did he agree to this?

Wait, it was just to see Roxie pale when he turned the question back on her. Now he laughed.

"Okay, if you say my dad, that means we're even." he grinned broadly.

She was totally going to say his dad.

She totally wasn't going to say his dad.

"Yeah, let's...go with your dad," she said, nodding her head. Because that was the less awkward answer, right?

And less awkward was good.

"Ha! I knew it. Your secret is safe with me." Joe said, a bit proud of his ability to read Roxie's mind in this case. He hadn't met a woman yet that didn't like his dad, especially since he was, you know, Captain America.

Everyone loved Captain America.

"All right. What's your next question? Now that we've gotten the somewhat awkward one out of the way."

Everyone did, and Roxie certainly looked up to the good Captain.

Heck, Roxie looked up to most of that generation.

Almost all of them did.

"How about you ask me one?"

Joe searched for a question that he wouldn't mind being asked and hit upon it quickly.

"What's your favorite food and your least favorite food?" he asked.

Oh, he was going so easy on her.

"My least favourite is sushi," she admitted. "My favourite...I have a weakness for shrimp lo mein. It's my go-to comfort food. You?"

Still, at the back of her mind was one little question.

Who was the girl that was younger than Joe who he thought it wouldn't work out with?

"Sushi is my least favorite, but liver and onions is my second least favorite. Mom used to make me eat it all the time. Ugh." Joe said, making a face.

"My favorite, though, is the old fashioned double-cheeseburger and a plate full of fries. If I didn't have super-soldier serum coursing through my veins and I didn't work out like a madman, I'd be screwed." he told her.

Another question came to mind.

"What's your favorite childhood memory?"

Old-fashioned double cheeseburgers and fries? Roxie was committing that to memory.

"My dad visiting me, and teaching me how to use a mace," Roxie admitted after a long moment. "Alternatively, visiting Janet van Dyne's Fifth Avenue showroom and trying on all of her amazing shoes." Fighting and fashion, those things were very much Roxie's life.

"You?"

"My favorite is when I learned Dad was Captain America. He swore me to secrecy as a matter of 'National Security' even though it was public knowledge by then." Joe laughed. "Anyway, he showed me his shield and his motorcycle. I fell in love with bikes that day. Then there was the first time I visited the Avengers' mansion." he said.

He paused for a moment to take another drink.

"Then there was time you got me a replica World War II plane for my...I think it was my twelfth birthday. That was pretty awesome. I built it. I still have it in my things. It's going in my room at home." he said.

Roxie couldn't remember a time when she wasn't aware of who her parents were. As far back as she could remember, there was her mother with her domino mask and her father with his axes and helmet. That had been normal for her growing up.

"You still have that?" Okay, she was touched by that. So very touched. "Oh my god, that was so...I really wanted to get you something, and both you and my mom loved planes so much. But I never imagined you'd still have it after all this time."

Moving In (Roxie)

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