[A/N]: The Second GOAL of the week is to achieve 600 Power Stones and unlock TWO more bonus chapters. Comment, share, and you know the drill 😎✨
Jay woke to sunlight streaming through the base windows and the smell of something absolutely incredible.
His body felt heavy as hell, the kind of bone-deep exhaustion that came from pushing too hard for too damn long. But the scent pulled him from bed like a physical thing. Rich, savory and exactly like home.
He followed his nose through the corridors, wearing nothing but boxers and a wrinkled t-shirt. His hair stuck up at odd angles. He hadn't bothered with shoes or anything else.
The kitchen came into view.
Domino stood at the stove, wearing casual shorts and a tank top, an apron tied around her waist. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. She hummed something off-key while flipping what looked like French toast.
The counter was loaded down. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast and fruit. Enough food to feed a small damn army.
Jay watched her for a moment. The easy domesticity of it all. Domino, who'd grown up in government labs and violence, now cooking breakfast in their home. Making something for him. The normalcy felt precious. Fragile. Like if he moved too fast it might shatter into pieces.
He pushed the thought away hard. Focused on what was real. What was here.
Jay moved silently, making his approach completely soundless. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
Domino shrieked loud.
The sound was half surprise, half laughter. She jumped, nearly dropping the spatula. "Jesus fucking Christ! Don't do that shit!"
Jay pressed his face against her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin mixed with cooking food. "Good morning to you too, babe."
She relaxed into his grip, one hand coming up to pat his arm. "You're awake. Finally."
"How long was I out this time?"
"Twenty hours straight." She flipped the French toast with practiced ease. "It's noon. I was starting to think you'd sleep through the whole damn day."
Jay pulled back slightly, looking at the mountain of food. His expression shifted to something between amusement and confusion. "Is anyone else coming over? Because this looks like you're feeding the entire damn X-Men."
Domino turned in his arms, spatula still in hand. She kissed him hard. Soft. Morning breath and all. "It's for you, dummy. My little glutton needs his fuel."
"Little? I'm insulted as hell."
"You're exhausting is what you are." But she was smiling. "Now sit your ass down. Eat. Before it gets cold."
Jay claimed a seat at the counter. Domino placed a plate in front of him. Stacked high with everything she'd cooked. Steam rose from the eggs. The bacon was crispy. The French toast was golden brown perfection.
He took a bite, and instantly his eyes went wide.
"How is it?" Domino's voice carried nervousness she tried to hide. "I've been taking cooking lessons from Max."
Jay didn't answer. Just started eating like a man possessed. Methodically working through the plate like his life depended on it. Fork moving automatically from plate to mouth to plate again.
Domino watched the food disappear. Her shoulders relaxed. "That good, huh?"
"You know me so damn well." Jay managed between bites. "How the hell did I get so lucky?"
"Luck had nothing to do with it." She leaned against the counter, watching him eat with obvious satisfaction. "You earned it by being you, babe."
They fell into comfortable silence. Jay worked through his first plate. Then his second. The Heavy Eater drawback meant his metabolism burned through calories like a goddamn furnace. Normal portions left him constantly hungry. But this? This was absolutely perfect.
Domino poured him orange juice. Made him more toast. Kept his plate full without being asked.
On his third plate, Jay's chewing slowed down. His expression went distant. Thoughtful.
Domino caught it immediately. "What are you thinking about?"
Jay set down his fork. "My talk with Peter. How everyone always needs a hero to help save their asses." He paused. "How this world doesn't give normal people a fair chance to defend themselves. Much less help others."
"That's heavy as hell for breakfast conversation."
"I know." He picked up his fork again. "Just been on my mind."
Domino moved around the counter, settling onto the stool beside him. Her hand found his thigh, squeezing gently. "Focus on the food. It's getting cold."
"Yes, ma'am."
After breakfast, they cleaned up together. Domino washed, and Jay dried. The domestic routine felt surreal and warm as hell.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Domino asked, handing him a plate.
Jay checked the time on the microwave. 12:47 PM. "We still need to meet with Xavier. Get his full report on how the Sinister raid went." His voice hardened slightly. "Can't have any loose ends with that sick bastard."
"After what we saw in that lab?" Domino's hands stilled in the soapy water. "Yeah. We can't risk missing anything with that sick fuck."
Suddenly, blue energy rippled, and space folded around them.
They materialized on the Xavier Institute's front lawn.
Surprised, Domino immediately elbowed Jay in the ribs. Hard enough to make him grunt. "At least give me time to change! I'm wearing shorts!"
Jay looked down at his own casual clothes. Wrinkled t-shirt. Sweatpants. Sneakers he'd thrown on at the last second. "Eh, it's fine. We're just here to talk. Then we go back, get more food, and sleep."
"You're impossible."
"You love it."
"Unfortunately."
They started toward the mansion. The grounds looked peaceful. Students played on the lawn. Someone was using extra hands to juggle soccer balls. Another kid breathed fire while laughing.
Then the doors burst open.
Kids poured out. All ages. Some Jay recognized. Most he didn't. They surrounded him immediately, a wave of excited voices and reaching hands.
"Mr. Jay! Mr. Jay!"
"You brought back my mom!"
"Can I get your autograph?"
"Is it true you trapped a god in a playing card?"
"Can we take a selfie?"
"Please? Just one?"
Jay tried to respond. Opened his mouth. Got maybe three words out before five more voices cut him off. Hands grabbed at his arms, his shirt, trying to pull him in different directions. Someone's phone flashed directly in his face, leaving spots in his vision.
"Wait, hold on, I can't..."
"Mr. Jay, please, just one picture!"
"My brother wants to know if you can really bring anyone back!"
"Can you sign my arm? I'll get it tattooed!"
The crowd pressed closer. Tighter. Too many bodies. Too many voices. Jay's danger sense wasn't triggering, they weren't threats, but his personal space was disappearing fast. Teenage enthusiasm was a force of nature with no concept of personal boundaries.
A girl, maybe fourteen, was crying while clutching his hand. "You saved my dad. He was in one of the buildings. Thank you. Thank you so much."
Jay's chest tightened. "Hey, it's okay, I just..."
"Can you make my powers work better?"
"Do you know Spider-Man?"
"Are you dating Miss Domino or is she your bodyguard?"
"Can you teach me that portal thing you do?"
The questions kept coming. Faster and layered over each other. Jay couldn't track who was asking what anymore.
Domino was laughing. Actually laughing her ass off. Standing just far enough away that the crowd hadn't swallowed her too.
"A little help here?" Jay called.
"You're doing great, babe!"
"Traitor."
The crowd grew even more. More students hearing the commotion and running over.
The noise level rose from excited to absolutely deafening.
Ten more minutes of chaos. Jay signed notebooks, arms, someone's cast. Took approximately fifty selfies. Answered the same questions a dozen times. A younger kid asked if he was a god. Jay said no. The kid looked disappointed as hell.
Finally, blessedly, Storm arrived.
She didn't just walk onto the lawn. The temperature dropped first. A cool breeze that cut through the summer heat. Then the wind picked up, not threatening, just noticeable. Clouds gathered overhead, dimming the sunlight just enough to get everyone's attention.
Storm's presence was immediate and commanding. She stood at the mansion's entrance, and even without saying a word yet, students began to quiet down. The wind swirled around her, lifting her white hair, making her look every inch the goddess some of them probably thought she was.
"That is enough," Storm said. Her voice carried across the lawn without needing to shout. It rode the wind itself, reaching every ear with perfect clarity. Authority and warmth mixed in equal measure. "Mr. Jay and Miss Thurman are here on important business. Return to your classes immediately."
The students dispersed. Reluctantly. With backward glances and whispered conversations. But they left.
Storm approached, her expression warm. "Jay. Domino. My apologies. The children have not been calm since the broadcast."
"It's fine." Jay's hair was messed up from a dozen hands. His shirt was askew. Someone had untied his left shoelace. "Really."
"Liar." Domino's grin was predatory.
Storm's smile widened. Then her expression shifted. Became more serious. "I wanted to thank you again. For what you did during the battle." She paused. "When the aliens attacked New York, the destruction was so vast that the Goddess herself wept. I felt Her pain in every gust, every storm that raged across the world. The Earth cried out in anguish."
Her eyes went distant. Remembering.
"But your miracle... it soothed Her wounds. The winds that had howled with grief grew calm once more. The storms settled into gentle rains." Storm's gaze refocused on Jay. "I fear the Goddess's wrath may have been unleashed upon us all had you not acted. Nature does not forget such devastation easily."
Jay processed that. He'd considered the political fallout. The social impact. The personal trauma. But he hadn't thought about the mystical side. How many supernatural entities and gods had noticed? And what effects were going to happen?
Another problem for another day.
"Glad I could help," he said simply.
Storm gestured toward the mansion. "Come. Professor Xavier is expecting you both."
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