The Wonder of it All
2 - Flight
"Come, take a trip in my airship. Come, take a sail 'mong the stars.
Come, have a ride around Venus. Come, have a spin around Mars.
No one to watch while we're kissing, no one to see while we spoon.
Come take a trip in my airship and we'll visit the man in the moon."
~ lyrics from 'Come Take a Trip in My Airship' (1904)
Aboard the Alpha Flight ship...
According to the clock, it was still early morning back in New York. Dawn would not yet have crested the horizon and depending on the day, he'd either just be getting back from a job, or waking up to prepare for another early morning training session. When their honeymoon was over, Remy would need to do something about his schedule. Waking this morning with Rogue (his wife!) snuggled in his arms was a much too wonderful sensation to regularly be leaving her in bed alone.
His arms already ached to be holding her again and he had only left their bed a few minutes ago. Needing less sleep than the average person and unaccustomed to days without a myriad of obligations demanding his attention, he had woken early and found he was unable to fall back asleep. Unwilling to wake his wife from her slumber, he reveled in the intimacy of their embrace. Rogue's face was so peaceful as she snuggled against him, and her body relaxed in a way he only ever observed when she was up in the air flying for the pure enjoyment of the act. With a featherlight kiss brushed against her temple, he carefully slipped out of bed and headed for the ship's small galley. If he couldn't sleep, he could at least make them breakfast.
While the coffee brewed, Remy slipped into the pilot's chair. At the moment, the large screen which covered the majority of the front wall of the bridge was filled with the external view of the ship. The screen also doubled as a communications center, though he'd be happy if it never showed them anything other than variations of the stars presently gleaming and glittering across the black expanse.
Presently, a planet partially filled the screen as their pre-programmed course brought the ship into its orbit. Over his previous adventures in space, he'd never been to this particular planet, though the ship computer offered him a summary of the planet's statistics and other information which might interest an interstellar traveler. The promise of beaches with white sand and turquoise water might be enough to tempt them off the ship for a bit.
Remy switched the ship from autopilot and took control of the piloting. He could leave the whole trip to the autopilot. The smart technology of the ship was more than capable of taking them where they needed to be, but he enjoyed the opportunity to be the one flying. He loved to fly. Though, unlike Rogue, he required external means to do so. He'd never told her—or anyone, really—that he loved it when she flew with him in her arms. The freedom she experienced when she was in the air transferred to the way held him. Her muscles were more relaxed and she was less vigilant about holding everyone at bay. She held him closer, whether she noticed it or not. And, he cherished every stolen moment in her arms.
A giddy grin spread across his face as a new idea popped into his mind. When they returned home, he would buy a plane. That way, he could return the favour and take his belle chère flying whenever they wanted. They could use the plane whenever they wanted (or, needed) to get away from chaos that was their lives for a bit. It didn't need to be a big plane. Actually, something small would be better. That way they wouldn't be conscripted into hauling the team around whenever someone wanted a lift. All he and Rogue needed was something big enough for just the two of them. Yes, that settled it. He was going to buy them a plane.
"Remy?" Rogue called sleepily from the bedroom.
"'M up front, chère." He made adjustment on the console so they would orbit the planet for a bit instead of simply passing it by. "Coffee will be ready soon."
"Sounds good." Rogue's voice was close behind, though muffled by a yawn.
Looking up, Remy caught her reflection in the screen. Her hair was still mussed from sleep and the curls were attempting to reclaim their wildness from days gone by. A blanket from the bed was draped over her shoulders to ward off the slight chill in the air, while under the blanket she wore little more than one of his shirts. A sensuous grin tugged at his lips. "Not half as good as you look, mon coeur."
Rogue laughed. The sweet, sensuous sound filled the early morning silence. Her hips swayed in a seductive manner as she crossed to him. Stopping beside him, she rested her hand easily on his shoulder. He never wanted to take such casual touches from her for granted; he knew the cost of each brush of her hand. At the same time, he wanted her to always feel comfortable enough around him to freely touch him in any way she pleased.
"Whatchya grinnin' about, swamp rat?"
"You." It was with a giddy delight that Remy wrapped his arms around his wife as he pulled her onto his lap. Rogue squealed in delight and only offered a token protest out of habit. They'd been married for less than forty-eight hours and he couldn't stop grinning—an actual, genuine, for-real grin that was rooted in the very core of his being. He rested his head against her arm and chuckled. "B'sides, like you're one t' talk. You're grinnin' like a Cheshire Cat."
"Can' help it." She pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Her fingers ran through his hair and down his spine. Whenever her explorations came across his exposed skin, her touch lingered and savoured the sensation. She was still wearing the inhibitor collar and apparently she wasn't ready to stop touching him yet. "What else is a gal supposed to do when she's obtained her heart's desire?"
Heart's desire.
"Well, I have a few ideas, mon coeur." Would she ever know just how much he loved her? When he first thought of loving her so completely, he had considered running in the opposite direction. Yet, now all he could think about was holding her closer and never letting her go. His fate was bound to hers.
She squirmed on his lap in an attempt to maximize the amount of skin contact between them. Desire coursed through his body while his fingers skimmed the hem of her—his—shirt. Moving upwards, he traced her full, luscious curves. She moaned in response to his caress.
"Mmm, tell me about them...or, better yet, show me..." A possessive, predatory gleam shone in her eyes.
Toying with the ends of her hair, he inhaled her sweet scent which he associated with home. He loved her hair. How many times had he run his hands through her hair in lieu of touching her skin? Over the years, touching her hair had become an increasingly intimate gesture. His fingers snagged in the loose more-wave-than-curls. She could do whatever she liked with her hair, but a part of him missed the wild, cinnamon and white curls spilling out of control over her shoulders and down her back. Course no matter how she tamed her hair, her spirit would never be similarly tamed.
Fingers still woven in her hair, he pulled her in for another kiss, she responded with her whole body. She wrapped herself around him, closer than he would have ever thought possible. Her hands travelled eagerly over his skin and down the front of his shirt. She picked at the buttons, undoing them one at a time, fumbling with insatiable desire. His heart raced in time with hers.
Taking a ragged breath, Remy placed a hand over hers, interlacing their fingers. With his free hand, he reached around her and adjusted the controls on the console. "Just a moment, chère. I want t' show you somet'in' first."
The planet they were orbiting filled the lower portion of the screen. Clouds swirled over unfamiliar landmasses of green set among seas of turquoise. The remainder of the screen was filled with a star studded field which shone like the finest diamonds. If such a thing were possible, he would steal a handful of the glittering stars and offer them to her. Even among such rarified company, she would outshine them all.
"That's pretty and all, but nothin' Ah ain't seen before." She peppered kisses along his jawline.
"Patience," Remy murmured, his words reverberating in his chest and into her. He held her close, wanting to see her face. "De sun's 'bout to rise."
A corona of brilliant golds and reds surrounded the blue and green sphere—so much like Earth while still being entirely alien. One of the planet's three moons, rose above the planet's horizon. The sun cast the natural satellite in shades of champagne and coral.
Rogue gasped in awe. Her small inhalation of breath was echoed by his own. He had been no more prepared for the magnificence of the moment than she had been. This wasn't their first time in space, but they had never gone simply for the sake of being in space. Before, it had always been on a mission, saving the galaxy. They had always been so busy that they could never simply stop and take the time to appreciate the wonder of it all.
After a moment, the screen automatically dimmed, allowing even his sensitive eyes to watch as the flare of sunlight heralded a new day for the continent below. The warm golden rays filled the cabin and illuminated the love of his life. He cupped her cheek with his hand. Her skin was warm under his fingers as the sunlight gilded her pale complexion.
Remy gestured to the planet. "We can go down dere, if you like."
"Ah'd like that, but first..." Her gaze drifted away from the screen and her fingers returned to playing with the buttons on his shirt. "...Ah think ya have somethin' ya wanted to show me up here."
"Oui, mon coeur. Whatever your heart desires." A mischievous light gleamed in his red eyes. He returned the ship to autopilot and scooped Rogue up with arm around her back, the other under her knees. In return, she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck. Her bare skin resting against the sliver of bare skin between his hair and collar. He grinned as he remembered how many times he reveled at the opportunity to caress that same tantalizing spot of skin on her while she flew with him in her arms.
"Well then, Ah desire you, swamp rat." Rogue raised her head towards him with her full lips parted, and her verdant eyes half-lidded in an open invitation.
Remy's heart soared as he returned the no longer forbidden kiss with reckless abandon. Mon Dieu, he loved this strong, vivacious woman with all his heart. He could never have enough of her. At one time, the thought of truly loving her had sent his head spinning, now it was the diametrical opposite. Loving his Rogue had proved worth all the risk it posed to his heart. He had laid it all on the line, and had gained more than he ever dreamed possible.