Note: To see where this fic falls in my timeline, check the reading list in my profile.
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From the ground, the night sky was an expanse of glittering jewels that went on forever. From several hundred feet in the air, it was still full of glittering jewels, but so was the ground.
Rogue's breath caught in her throat, partially due to the thinner air, but mostly thanks to the expanse of universe above her and the sprawl of human civilization below her.
The lights of New York City were visible in the distance, thinning out the further one got from Manhattan, but the lights of the suburbs in smaller clusters gave the impression of a neural network - she swore she'd seen something similar in a biology textbook back in high school.
She soared over Westchester county and just revelled in her new ability. As guilty as she felt for how she obtained these new powers, she couldn't hide her joy when using them. Especially when she was flying… holy shit, she could fly! The super strength was cool, and the invulnerability allowed her body to take on pretty much anything anyone could throw at her, but the flying… that was the real gift.
She'd been spending less time on the ground recently, and while Scott had joked about her coming back down to Earth once in a while, she had no intention of doing so. At least not tonight.
She'd never felt so free as when she was in the sky.
Part of her wondered if that came from Captain Marvel, who she later found out had been a fighter pilot before joining the Avengers. Obviously, these powers had been a blessing for her as well, to be able to soar through the sky on her own instead of being confined to her jet.
It certainly kept the shade of the Avenger's psyche quiet, at least. Rogue never heard a peep out of her latest mental houseguest when she was airborne. The real Marvel, civilian name Carol Danvers, had given her some tips and tricks for controlling these powers after she'd recovered from her near-possession. She was surprisingly nice about everything.
"Sorry I'm being such a bitch in there," Carol had said during their meeting. "I know I have a temper sometimes, but that's just embarrassing. I swear, I'm not really that much of an asshole."
Tony Stark had scoffed, earning a pretty good glare from Carol. Rogue had smiled weakly. Part of her was grateful that Carol wasn't holding it against her, but the other part felt like she should be getting her ass handed to her by the older woman. That's what she deserved, wasn't it?
"Don't you ever think that," Carol had said, putting her hands on Rogue's shoulders so she'd look up. "It was an accident, we both know that. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, but I don't hold anything against you, okay?"
Rogue had nearly cried, which would have been incredibly embarrassing...what kind of superhero cries in front of the Avengers? But Carol had taken her for a flight over New York City and showed her how much control she now had over her own body and how much fun she could have with her new abilities.
Doing a few loop de loops over the institute property, she caught sight of a figure on the roof, watching her. Had to be Remy, she thought. He always watched her when she flew, always with a smile on his face.
Feeling like showing off for her audience of one, she spun a barrel roll and dove straight down towards the ground before pulling up at the last second, flying straight up along the wall of the mansion before coming to a stop where Remy sat.
"Hey handsome," she said as she hovered just out of his reach. "What's goin' on?
He shrugged and grinned at her. "Nuthin' much. Thought I'd make sure you're stayin' hydrated up there." He held up a water bottle and tossed it to her.
Rogue caught the bottle and looked at it. She was pretty thirsty, now that he mentioned it. "Always taking care of me," she said as she opened the bottle and took a deep drink.
Remy's face softened and his head tilted to the side. "Know you can take care of yourself, but I'm still gonna do it," he said, holding up his hands for her to toss the empty bottle back. Instead, she hovered closer to him and handed it back.
"You wanna go for a spin?" She offered. She hadn't gone flying with anyone from the institute yet, unless you counted the other day with Storm, who could fly on her own.
Remy looked surprised. "Not gonna drop me over the ocean?"
"I won't let you fall...too far," she said with a wink.
Remy laughed, a rich warm sound that made her heart flutter. "So sassy tonight, I like it." He rose to his feet, balanced with a lithe grace along the steep slope of this section of the roof.
Rogue hovered behind him and slid her arms under his and around his chest. Remy wrapped his hands around her forearms before taking a deep breath and bracing himself.
"I've got you," Rogue whispered in his ear.
"I know," he whispered back as they rose into the air.
Rogue had to remind herself that even though her body could now withstand travelling at Mach 5, Remy's could not, so it was a much slower and leisurely flight over the countryside.
"Wanna head to the city?" Rogue asked near his ear. He nodded in reply.
As they approached the light of New York, she felt Remy's grip on her arms loosen. Slowly, he took his hands away completely, then spread his arms out. She couldn't hear it due to the wind, but she could feel his laughter through his torso.
She veered him back and forth a few times before he tapped her hands and pointed to an apartment building with a rooftop patio where a party was underway. Rogue circled the building a few times before bringing them in for a landing on the roof away from the crowd of people.
Remy hopped on the balls of his feet a few times to get used to being on solid ground again. "That was amazin'."
Trippy house music wafted over from the party on the other side of the roof, along with laughter and other chatter. "Why'd you wanna stop here?" Rogue asked.
Remy shrugged. "Figured it'd be an easy way down to the street, door'll be open and we can just walk on down."
Rogue nodded in approval. "Clever boy."
"You always seem surprised by that," he said as he slid his hand around her waist and pulled her to his side. "Let's go see what we can get up to, yeah?"
She wrapped her arm around his waist. "Lead the way.
—-
They found themselves a hole-in-the-wall Pho place in the Village, then wandered over to an artisanal bakery for fancy coffee and dessert. Remy seemed to have a knack for finding the most random and amazing places for their dates, impromptu or otherwise.
He pulled her into a small avant-garde art gallery that appeared to be holding an opening for a new exhibition. Rogue was reluctant, she didn't know much about modern art.
"Jus' grab a glass of wine and act like you belong, that's all I do," Remy told her with a wink.
Rogue sighed and picked up a glass of white wine from a table for herself and a glass of red for Remy. He pressed a kiss to her temple in thanks.
"Alright, let's see what passes for art these days," she said as they made their way through the crowd.
The art was okay, but the wine was free, so they did a few slow laps around the gallery before the size of the crowd started to get to Rogue. Crowds made her nervous already thanks to her primary power, but since she gained her new abilities it was almost worse. The sky wasn't crowded.
Remy must have sensed her unease, because he took her hand without a word and started leading her towards the exit. She smiled gratefully at the back of his head, knowing he'd pick up on it.
Out on the sidewalk there were still people everywhere, but the air wasn't as suffocating. Rogue breathed a sigh of relief.
"You ready to head back?" Remy asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. There was concern in his eyes; she didn't want him worrying about her.
"Let's walk some more first," she suggested, linking her arm through his. "Should probably work off some of that wine before take off."
"'Don't drink and fly' doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but I get what you're sayin'," he said with a laugh.
They walked in companionable silence, Rogue resting her head on his shoulder as they took in the sights and sounds of the city. As much as she liked being up in the air, being on terra firma with Remy definitely had its benefits.
She felt Remy steer her into an alley, away from the throngs of people on the streets. She looked up at the buildings flanking them to make sure no one was watching, then stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his back. Remy responded by wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"Still got me?" He whispered.
"You know it," she replied before slowly lifting them into the air.
Once they cleared the skyline, Remy lifted his head from her shoulder and looked into her eyes. Rogue nearly gasped at the way his eyes flared, and then did gasp when he pressed his mouth against hers.
If they hadn't been flying already, she wouldn't have been able to tell. Her heart soared along with her body as she deepened the kiss, causing Remy to moan as he ran his fingers through her hair.
She could have stayed in that moment forever, but she started to feel the tug of her powers and reluctantly broke the kiss. Stupid natural powers, she thought to herself.
"Should probably get goin' before we wind up on the news as a UFO," Remy mumbled as he fought off the effects of the small absorption.
"Good plan," Rogue agreed and turned to fly them home.
As they flew, Rogue had Remy facing the sky above them. She felt him move his head to watch the stars.
"This really is somethin'," she heard him say with a sense of awe.
"Yeah, it really is," she agreed.
As they approached the mansion, Rogue reduced her speed and began descending towards the roof. She felt her feet touch the shingles and went to release her grip on Remy, but he didn't loosen his.
"You know we're back now, right?" She said teasingly. "You can let go."
"I know. Don't wanna," he said, hugging her to him even tighter.
Rogue hugged him back and started swaying side to side.
"I get why you stay up there so much," Remy finally said. "It's beautiful."
"It is, but down here's pretty nice too," Rogue leaned in to kiss him.
He accepted her kiss, but stopped it before her powers could start their pull. "Whaddya say to you, me, the couch, and a blanket?"
"Sounds perfect," she said.
After all, the sky would still be there tomorrow.
—-
A/N: I really felt like Evo Rogue had dealt with enough guilt during the series that I didn't want to dump even more on her with the Carol Danvers incident. Yes, they're not her powers and she does feel bad about how she got them, but she's not going to be destroyed by the guilt.
It started out as a study in how Rogue was adapting to her new powers and turned into an impromptu date night. What can you do?
Thanks for reading!
