Issue #14
For the rest of the ride back to the Institute, Jack was in a bad mood. It was made even worse by Emma and Stella's teasing.
"Oh. Julian is a good kid. That's why I made him the field leader. Laura could do worse," Emma said with a smirk after Jack looked at the pair for the 17th time during the 17 minutes they had been driving.
"Kevin also isn't bad. Isn't he being extra careful to make sure that he doesn't harm Melody?" Stella added on
Jack glared at the two women who were getting back at him for not letting Melody join either of their teams. Rachel sat next to Stella and pretended that her headphones were on while she listened to how the women made Jack suffer.
When they finally got back, Jack quickly gave everyone back their powers before he went to his room with Emma. That frustration turned into sexual frustration which Emma was more than glad to accept. The upside of now being a goddess is that she no longer needed beauty sleep to maintain her looks.
The next morning, Emma was left in bed while Jack decided to go to get himself some breakfast. But on his way done, he saw Rogue all dressed up in her hero costume. The young woman was trying to sneak around so that got Jack curious about what trouble she was about to get into.
Jack teleported behind Rogue before he whispered in her ear.
"What are you up to?" Jack's warm voice brushed against Rogue's ear, startling her and causing her to reflexively slap the man that got too close. It was when Rogue's hand was about to touch Jack's face that she remembered that she was not wearing gloves.
But when her hand came in contact with Jack's face, she did not feel as if she was taking something from him with warm energy flowing into her body. Instead, it was a type of warmth that she had not felt for nearly 7 years.
Rogue kept her hand on Jack's face and enjoyed the feeling of being able to touch someone. She enjoyed it so much that had subconsciously started moving her hand around to touch as much as she could.
Jack was shocked that Rogue was groping his face so openly but when he thought about how she had been unable to touch anyone directly in years, he decided to stay still and not do anything about it.
It took Rogue about 30 seconds to come out of her trance but the moment she did, she hurried to back away, her face blushing.
'Damn! Did ah really just harass a man? A half-married man at that?! And we are not even in any sort of relationship!'
Jack smiled when he saw the shy expression on Rogue. Rogue usually made everyone else blush and never blushed herself. The woman was known as the team tease but Jack knew that this was just how she was raised. Rogue was the typical southern belle. She was very beautiful and flirtatious but was also chaste.
"So where were you sneaking off to?" Jack asked, brushing over the previous situation
"Huh? Oh, right! Ah was on my way to visit Carol. I still feel bad about what happened," Rogue was glad that Jack did not mention the previous incident but when she mentioned Carol, she still felt bad
Rogue knew that she had changed in the year since that incident happened, but she still needed to apologize to Carol in person. And she had just gotten word that Carol had returned from wherever she had been hidden away.
"Need some company?" Jack offered to visit along with Rogue. He and Carol were FWB so he wanted to check on her now that she was back. He could also act as a mediator if needed.
"Yes!" She did not allow Jack a chance to go back on that statement. Rogue did not want to visit Carol alone but there was no one she could ask for. Luckily for her, she had run into Jack on her way out the door.
Jack and Rogue ate a light breakfast together before they took to the sky.
As the pair were flying through the air, Rogue would occasionally send glances to Jack before looking down at her hand and feeling several complicated emotions in her heart.
Rogue was glad that she finally found someone to touch but when she thought about how he already had a fiancee so it would be inappropriate for her to get too close to him, she felt her mood get worse and worse.
'Shucks. Ain't this just as useful as tits on a bull,' Rogue complained in her mind
The pair landed atop the Avengers Tower helicopter pad where they were immediately met with several SHIELD agents pointing guns in their faces.
"Halt! No intruders are allowed! Leave now or be met with force!" the commander of the group ordered
Jack and Rogue shared a look before walking forward.
Seeing that they were not going to accept his warning, the agent ordered his men to open fire. The sounds of bullets leaving their chambers created a thunderous choir.
But the pair were not disturbed by this. Each bullet was able to make contact with the pair but instead of piercing through them, the bullets flattened against their bodies before falling to the ground. Even after emptying full magazines, Rogue and Jack were unperturbed.
Once they got to the door, Rogue pulled out her told Avengers card and was granted access to the building. But before they could take one step through the doors, they were surprised to see a few familiar faces on the other side of the door.
Tony Stark stood proud in his suit with several of the more powerful shield agents behind him. The moment they saw Jack, one of the women went on guard while the other woman and the man smiled at Jack.
"Sup, Jack. Wish the Earth's Mightiest Nanny was still around. Kids have been going crazy without you around," Clint teased
"Hmm. Still the worse nickname I have had to date. You a lapdog for Tony now?" Jack questioned
"More like a lapdog for my wife. She said that if I wanted any chance of getting back with her, I needed a more stable life. And since SHIELD agents don't fight demon gods as often this was the better option," Clint admitted to his struggles, trying to get his wife back
Jack nodded in understanding. He knew that some sacrifices had to be made for his family. He then turned to the other woman that was smiling at him.
"How are you doing, Mel?" Jack asked the white/pink-haired woman
Melissa Gold was a SHIELD agent even when Jack was an Avenger but she was one of the most powerful agents. She had even competed against several Avengers during the usual tournament and beat them.
"Same old, same old. Can't really complain. I just got a new promotion though," Melissa admitted
"Oh wow. That's amazing. Congrats," Jack sincerely congratulated the woman. Getting promotions in SHIELD was not easy
Jack continued to chat with the pair for a few more minutes since he noticed that Tony was getting angrier and angrier. But before Tony could blow his lid, Jack made an excuse before grabbing Rogue's hand and rushing past the group so they could enter the base.