nextgenerationmarvel | Back in Town (Roxie)

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Back in Town (Roxie)

(Occurs after this thread.)

Joe checked the building twice over before he pulled his bike into the garage and closed the door. The last couple of days had really taken a toll on his sanity. He was holding up well but being back home was good. He went to the fridge and pulled out a few things for making a sandwich because he hadn't eaten much while he and Sammy were on the way to Leavenworth. Now that he was back, he could relax and get his head in order before he went off after Jason Landon or before Landon came after him.

He also had to talk to Roxanne about things and that reminded him to be quiet in case she was sleeping. He sat down at the counter in the kitchen and dug into his sandwich, relishing having real food again.

His mind wandered to the idea of Roxanne sleeping and thinking she probably looked like an angel. Was she a morning person? Probably not.

Finishing his sandwich and finding himself with a bit extra energy, Joe went to his room and changed into some sweats and a t-shirt with running shoes. If nothing else, he might at least get a work-out in.

He dropped to the floor and began the first five-hundred push-ups.

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Joe didn't fully blush, but he turned slightly red and a bit of a dopey grin came to his face. Hey, he's a red-blooded American male and he liked the idea!

"You like to fight, play video games and watch old movies. Seriously, if there is a line of guys outside trying to get in here, I'm fighting them all off to say I was here first." Joe joked.

Though he seriously did wonder which day he'd wake up to find out that every other guy in the world wanted to date Roxie and show up with any number of things they thought would sway her. Joe knows she's not that kind of girl but he knows that guys are not especially bright.

Personal experience, that.

"That's a fight I wouldn't mind watching," Roxie laughed. "After all, I know who I'm rooting for." It was Joe, obviously, but Roxie felt that it went without saying.

"Rest assured I'd do the same when the women of New York realize what a catch you are."

"The women of New York would have to know I exist. And there's only one New York woman I'm really interested in so I'd politely, but firmly, turn them away." Joe grinned.

"Any other favorite foods I should know about?" Joe asked.

Roxie grinned at that and looked down at her lap, blushing. She'd never really blushed that much in her life before, but then most men hadn't ever made Roxie feel the way that Joe did.

"Honestly? Besides my distaste for sushi and Vietnamese, I like everything." The distaste for Vietnamese had occurred when Ares had taken her out for dinner one night and Roxie had ordered the chicken fried rice. The plate had come back to her with a severed chicken head and chicken feet accompanying the rice. Though the daughter of the god of war, that had left something of a metaphorical bad taste in Roxie's mouth. She hadn't eaten Vietnamese since.

"Although, I'm partial to really bad chow mein and white wine on nights where I just want to kick back and relax," she admitted. "How about you?"

"Not big on sushi myself. Tommy took me out for all-you-can eat sushi and beer in Kansas City once. I spent the rest of the night emptying my stomach. It was terrible. But I love orange chicken and beef with broccoli." Joe said.

"I've never had Vietnamese food. I love spicy food, especially Mexican. And I have a weakness for kettle-cooked jalapeno-flavored potato chips." he said. Speaking of, he needed more of those.

"I can't actually imagine the sushi in Kansas City being fresh," Roxie said. "I mean, you know, in terms of freshly-caught fish and all that." Not that Roxie knew much about things that weren't located in the city of New York, but still. "See, I like salt and vinegar chips," she said. "Not everyone's favourite flavour, I know, but there's this bite to them that I love." Already, she was mentally putting together a Mexican dinner surprise for Joe.

Edited 2012-12-14 04:17 (UTC)

"Salt and vinegar is...okay, I'm sorry, I can't eat them." he laughed. "That bite you like is too much for me. What about barbecue? Do you like the food or the potato chips at all?" he asked.

"No one does," Roxie laughed. "Which is great because they're never not available." Except for the places that didn't carry them, of course.

"Big, tender, juicy pork ribs, rubbed with all kinds of spices, slowly smoked, and then glazed with a barbecue sauce?" She grinned at Joe. "I'm terrible at cooking it? But I love the food."

"Burnt ends and a huge pile of fries are great, too. I love prime rib, too. But don't feel bad. I can't barbecue either. If I could, I'd open a restaurant put all this super-spy stuff behind me." he grinned.

"What do you think your best quality is?" he asked.

"Would you really?" she asked. "Quit being a spy? Or a hero?" She'd often wondered if any of them could do that. Somehow, it seemed, every kid whose parent was an Avenger had ended up an Avenger themselves. It was safe to say that the same could be held true for the X-Men or the Fantastic Four, Roxie surmised.

"I don't...think I can judge that," Roxie answered. "My best quality. I mean, physically, sure, I can tell you, but that's because I've had everyone my entire life tell me how beautiful they consider me to be," she added, not a bit of boastfulness in her tone. While she never took her looks for granted, she also didn't stoop to pretending that she didn't realize how genetically gifted she was. "But with the inner stuff - the stuff that matters? I don't know." She pulled her throw blanket up a little higher, comfortably snuggling up under it. "What about you? What's your best quality? And what would you change about yourself, if you could change anything?"

"I thought I was trying to for awhile but when the time came to stop being a hero, I couldn't do it. Maybe if the right situation came along...I don't know." he said, sitting back and thinking it over.

"I could tell you what I think is your best quality. You live life without fear. There are millions of people who will never know how to do that or how to even start doing it." Joe said.

"As for me...I think my strong moral compass is the best and worst thing about me. I know the right thing and I do even when I know it's going to cost me a friend or someone I love." he said quietly.

"If I could change anything, though, I would get over this...desire I have to follow in my dad's footsteps. I've wanted to be Captain America for as along as I can remember but I know I'm not him. And you can't be anything less than perfect if you're going to wield that shield. You can't have an off-day. You can't afford to make mistakes because people are looking at you and counting on you every second." Joe told her.

"I'm not anywhere near his level but God help me I want to be and it eats me alive sometimes, Roxanne."

There was an impulse Roxie had, to reach out and wrap her arms around Joe and just lay there on the couch with him, comfortably snuggled under the blankets as they spoke. It was an impulse that she didn't act on.

She didn't want him to get the wrong idea and think that she was trying to move them in a certain sexual direction too soon.

"We all want to be our parents, I think," Roxie said. "I mean, most people, they worry about turning into their parents, but for us...our parents were superheroes. Idols. Icons. The best of the best. It's difficult to not want to emulate that, and it's harder still trying to reach that ideal when we've put them up on such a pedestal. Especially when it's a pedestal that's been cemented by the awe, respect, and general fanboyishness of the public," she added. "Your dad had a long time to become the person you want to emulate, Joe. He also has the mythic status of being a hero who had a second coming - and we know what that sort of thing means to a lot of people. One day, I promise you because I can see your potential so well, one day you will reach that sort of status."

She smiled at him, a reassuring smile, one that empathized with him. She got it. She understood. She had to live up to the expectations set forth by both Ares and Carol Danvers. They were not easy expectations to live up to. There was a reason why Roxie had excelled at partying, after all. "But you need to give it time, and you need to be not so hard on yourself, otherwise you'll snap."

Joe couldn't help but stare at Roxanne for a long moment as she spoke. Everything she said was so deep, so thought-provoking that it cut through all of the nagging doubt that had eaten at Joe for so long. His father was, indeed, his hero. The very definition of the word, for Joe Rogers, began and ended with Captain America. His dad was the perfect leader, the perfect warrior and the best man that Joe knew.

But Joe had also known that, unlike Joe himself, Steve Rogers wasn't born a super-soldier.

"I should also say that another of the good things about you is that you're extremely intelligent and insightful. I know that people would rather just see a party girl when they look at you, but I know there's way more to you than that." he said.

She understood him. Even Melissa never really understood him, no matter how much he'd told her about himself. He wanted to hold Roxanne but he didn't want her to think he was trying to push her further than she could go.

"Are you cold? Should we turn on some heat or something?"

"Careful, handsome. Keep on telling me good things about myself and my ego might end up getting too unwieldy." Not that Roxie was the egotistical type.

"No, not cold," she said. She was just feeling particularly vulnerable that night and yearned for contact of some sort. But she wasn't about to admit that.

"I'm being serious, you know. I believe in you. No matter where you've been or what you've gone through...Joe. I won't ever lose that faith in you. You're -" the best man I've ever known? Yes, because that's not a cliche! "- I don't really know how to put it into words."

"Your ego has never been a problem. Your singing of karaoke music at the top of your lungs when we were kids? That was a little problem." he teased.

He reached out and took her hand when she said she wouldn't lose faith in him. He'd lost faith in himself so many times over the years that he wondered if he could still have any left.

"Careful, beautiful. Keep up that faith in me and I might forget you're the goddess around here." he said.

"But thank you, Roxanne. There are a million other things I'd like to say but I'm trying not to keep your awake all night. I don't really want tonight to end. It's the most relaxed I've felt in a long time." he told her.

"Hey, we each need a few flaws," Roxie replied. It was true, though. Her rendition of "We Got the Beat" proved that Roxie pretty much did not have the beat.

At all.

At least, not vocally.

Roxie squeezed Joe's hand, enjoying the fact that she could actually use her strength on him and not damage him. Physically, he was not so vulnerable. She was working on making him stronger elsewhere, too.

"You make this place feel like home," she said. "I can't thank you enough for that."

"And you'll never have to thank me, either. You're important to me, Roxanne. I want you to be happy no matter what happens between us. But I'd definitely like to be the guy that makes you happy." he grinned.

Joe took a deep breath and made a decision. What did he have to lose?

"How about one of those hugs like the one you gave me when I got back?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

Lose? Absolutely nothing. Roxie had lost Joe once.

She was going to work very hard to make sure that she didn't lose him again.

She leaned into Joe, wrapping her arms around him and breathing in his fresh scent of soap and deodorant and, well, general Joe-ness.

"My apparent neediness tonight aside, I promise not to be one of those clingy girlfriends who turns into a whimpering wallflower whenever her boyfriend is around," she chuckled. "Not that I'm saying I'm your girlfriend, because time and patience and taking things slowly, but. You know. A promise for the future. Also, you know. I promise to give you your space and not get involved when you don't want me to." Like with the Landon thing. If Joe wanted to do that on his own, Roxie would respect it. She wasn't the type of woman who'd try to worm her way into every aspect of her life. Insecurity had never been something Roxie was altogether fond of.

"And in return, I promise, if I'm your boyfriend, that I won't be a jealous jackass that can't get past the fact that you dated other people before me." Joe said.

"You dated other guys and I know that. I'm not worried about that, Roxanne. As long as I know that our relationship is about you and me, and no one else, then I'm happy. I'll be there for you and I'll give you your space when you need it, too.

But in return, I need you to promise me that you'll let me in when things are bad. I don't mean that you have to tell me everything about everything but just don't push me away." he said.

"And I promise to always be honest with you, too."

"Good," Roxie smiled. "Because there are more guys on that list than I currently care to admit." She pressed in close to him. "But if I didn't still - if you didn't matter, then this wouldn't be, well, this."

She tilted her head up to look at him. "Don't worry. I won't lock you out or run off into space for six months without telling you or anything. You'll be in the know." She paused and thought about something for a moment. "But being with a woman who has, you know, my powers and abilities. That wouldn't be a problem for you, right? Because I know for some guys...well. I've never much cared to be the damsel in distress, you know."

"As long as you, you know, give me a heads-up before you throw me down and have your way with me, we're okay." Joe said, trying on a bit of flirting.

Did that sound as corny as he thought? Yeah, probably.

"Seriously, though...you're stronger and faster than me. You can take a lot more punishment and you can fly. A lot of guys can't handle that but I'm not one of them. In fact...I was hoping that maybe we could train together a bit. I need to know what it's like to go up against someone like you in case it ever happens in the field so I'm not at a disadvantage.

I'll leave out the obvious part about seeing you in workout gear as being a plus to that." he said, feeling a bit more comfortable as he held Roxanne. He leaned back into the couch so he could recline a little, too.

Roxie laughed. "Someone's getting comfortable," she said. "I like it!"

She shifted a little, allowing Joe to get comfortable. "I'm not saying no to getting sweaty and physical with you, regardless of what the context might be," Roxie grinned. "If you want to start training tomorrow morning, I'm all for it. Whenever you want."

He'd like the workout gear. Long-sleeved, midriff-baring t-shirts and shorts that showed off all of Roxie's long, lean, toned legs.

Joe had to restart his brain for a moment at the idea of Roxie being in workout gear. He could only imagine what she liked to wear when working out. Or when sleeping. Or when...

"Yeah. Training tomorrow morning. Bring those ancient weapons, too. I think I should learn to use something other than a gun in case the person I end up across from can shrug off bullets, like most people I know." he smiled.

Laying there with Roxie felt natural, like he was meant to do it, or had been doing it forever. He had to stifle a yawn, though. Falling asleep on her wouldn't be polite because she was great company.

"You know, if you're feeling sleepy, you have every right to tell me to detach myself from you," Roxie said, catching that yawn. Not that she would have minded falling asleep like this, because it would've been great, but she didn't want to push things.

All good things came to those who waited, and though Roxie had unconsciously waited for Joe for a long time, she could still wait awhile longer.

Especially now because she knew that it was a definite possibility.

"I don't want to be the reason you don't get a good night's sleep." She winked. "Well, for now, anyway."

"Yes, because the smart idea is to tell the beautiful woman in your arms that you /don't/ want to hold her until sunrise." Joe laughed. "I think you might be the reason I sleep a full night for the first time in years." he said.

Joe usually needed a bottle of scotch to crash, but Roxie made the scotch a non-issue. Not because she was boring, which she wasn't, but because she relaxed him so.

"I must be getting loopy. My inhibitions are lowering." he said.

Back in Town (Roxie)

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