[Homeplot 2009] Decompression

[forhawkeye]

See, what it all boils down to is simple: it’s been a very long twenty-four hours. Between the invasion and my own personal drama, it’s something of a relief to just relax, even if it’s only for a little while. There are still too many unanswered questions -- Why am I back? Why did they come with me? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? -- but there’ll be time to answer them later.

There are about twenty different kinds of pizza lying around -- ranging from pepperoni and cheese to some ridiculously organic vegan thing -- and the amount of junk food piled on the kitchen counters could feed an entire college dorm for at least a semester. Despite all that, Felix insisted on making enough of his 'famous chicken cardarelli' for everyone. Admittedly, it’s sort of nice having some real food to balance out everything else.

And as for Alice, well, I sent Tommy to go get her some bunnies.

It’s not a party by any means, but that’s just about the last thing we need right now, anyway, especially for the people who got a crash course in war yesterday. Copious amounts of alcohol, maybe, but a party? Yeah, not so much.

"I'm federal agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life," voice overs Kiefer Sutherland from the episode of 24 playing in the background.

"Yours and mine both, Kief," I mutter under my breath. "Yours and mine both."

Comments

[forhawkeye]

"Have you seen the courtyard?" I reply, eyebrows raised. That had sort of been the point of fixing all the statues, after all, a memorial of all those who've died. "And anyway, old tech is still designed by Tony Stark. He might be a douche but he's still a genius. The stuff rattling around upstairs won't be on the open market for years."

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

As epic as her bitchface most certainly was, Felix barreled right on, seemingly unperturbed. "I never want to nag anybody, but these things need to be said!" he said firmly, pausing to clean up some garbage from the other end of the couch. He'd never understand why some people (all right, most people) seemed so averse to simple helpful courtesies.

"I was just trying to be helpful," he added, trying not to pout.

[forhawkeye]

"How about you just try to sit down," I suggest, eyebrows raised, and my calm is quickly dissipating. "Eat something. Relax."

[halfscarlet]

"B-plus at least," Billy corrected.

They were Young Avengers. The name alone gave them the sort of visibility most B-list teams didn't have-- and they'd gone into battle side by side with Nick freaking Fury.

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

"After the day I've had?" Felix asked, incredulous. He only barely managed not to scoff at the mere notion. "Not too likely, I'm wound up like a spring! Besides, somebody's going to have to stay on the ball just to keep on top of this atrocious mess, I don't know why teenagers can't just relax neatly..." he started off before that look on her face began to get to him a bit and he raised his hands in a gesture of peace. It was a heck of a look.

"Alright, maybe I can take a small break. Just for a moment."

He'd prefer the chance to thoroughly vacuum those couches first, but he was afraid he might just have to cut his losses for now. Hazardous amounts of potential allergens or no.

[forhawkeye]

Laughing, I say, "B-plus, then."

I draw my legs underneath me so I can lean towards the table and grab my can of Red Bull. It's not the perfect drink for relaxation, but I've gone without it for so long that I could care less. I take a sip of it before I drop my voice into a conspiratorial whisper, "He's totally hot, though, right?"

[forhawkeye]

I flash him a sunny smile that doesn't quite reach my eyes, but I'm happy enough that he'll at least consider sitting down to let him off the hook. Drawing my legs under me so that I'm kneeling, I gesture to the space beside me.

"It won't eat you, I swear."

[halfscarlet]

"I'm not even gonna lie to spare Teddy's feelings," Billy answered. Not that he'd thought about it; it was just the sort of thing he noticed and then mentally set aside. "I'm pretty sure his smile could have ended the entire invasion."

[forhawkeye]

I'm not sure whether to cringe or laugh, but eventually I settle on the latter, pressing a hand over my mouth so I don't spray Red Bull all over him. "Maybe even bring about world peace," I say, shaking my head. "But seriously, Billy...he's great. Better than, even. And I..."

I trail off. I've told Nate himself that I love him, but I've yet to say it anyone else. I cover up for the aborted sentence by taking another sip of my drink.

[like-arrows.livejournal.com]

"You've got a point." It kind of sucks, knowing there's the possibility of seeing all this awesome tech, but being aware, too, that I don't have the knowledge to really appreciate it.

"Speaking of which, he's not gonna, like, turn up and toss us in foster homes anytime soon, right?" It's only half a joke, given previous run-ins with the Avengers. I'd rather enjoy the evening without having to make a run for it.

[forhawkeye]

"I'm pretty sure he has bigger priorities right now," I say, before eating another chip. I really missed chips. "Like, I don't know, cleaning up his planetary mess. I think you can go worry-free for at least a week."

[like-arrows.livejournal.com]

"Awesome." I'm totally sincere about that. It'll be nice not to have to rush and worry, though we probably will anyway. "The only times I've ever been to New York, I haven't exactly had time for sightseeing. Or, you know, relaxing." It's a nice change, even if, really, I'm ready just to see home again.

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

"Eat? No. Suffocate? Possibly!" protested Felix, but he sat himself down next to Kate anyway, against his better judgment. "I have to admit, this... world you come from has me just the tiniest bit overwhelmed," he sighed dramatically, finally allowing it all to catch up with him for a moment.

[throw-it-off.livejournal.com]

He gave her a half smile, a little wry but true, and slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Gee, thanks, babe. Love you too," Nate replied dryly. Shaking his head slightly, he just said, "I'm tired. That's all. How are you feeling?"

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't really expecting him to steal me one from the zoo." Alice laughs, shaking her head as she searches for a place to discreetly stash the now limp body of the rabbit. "That would defeat the purpose of keeping a low profile."

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

"Really?"

She does her best to act suprised, but in this world, back to how she started, Alice already knew that catch. She knows that Mikal would pick life when given the choice between death and everything else. It's the Zia option that's all headachey. "I'm sorry dearheart."

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

Alice stares at him for a moment. Just for a small moment and then she out and out laughs. It's his twitchiness and the fact that all of the thoughts running through his head making and unmaking half a dozen futures is positively hysterical.

Perhaps she should offer him an apron or something.

"Easy. I just hold them and bite. How else do you eat something? A straw is impratical."

[forhawkeye]

"Sore." There's no point in denying that much. Unlike everyone else on my team, I'm just your regular, baseline human. No superpowers means no extra resistance. Yup, I'm feeling every single blow that landed yesterday, but at least I'm alive to appreciate it. Sort of makes up for the fact that even my hair hurts right now -- not that I'm not used to it by now. It's amazing the degree of pain you can tolerate if you're just sitting still.

I hear the scrape of a chair being moved with more force than necessary, and without looking, I know exactly who it is that's stalking towards us. Well, I'll give Eli some credit. At least he waited until we weren't all about to die before making his move.

"We're about to have company," I say quietly, the warning clear in my voice.

[sink-nor-swim.livejournal.com]

Mikal shrugs, trying to downplay it even though she knows that really isn't possible. She's got a lifetime full of possibilities ahead of her now -- that is, assuming there aren't any more of those fucking Skrulls on their way -- and she should be able to enjoy that. It'd help if she didn't feel so utterly lost.

"I'll live," she says wryly, letting out a huff of a laugh, the appropriateness of the statement not at all lost on her. "Don't really know what I'm going to do yet, this isn't even the world I'm from, but hey, that's just how it goes, I guess."

[throw-it-off.livejournal.com]

"Great, so I don't have to ask why the big black guy's been staring me down this whole time," Nate snarked before finishing off his pour. He couldn't help the alcohol already in his system, and didn't want to, but somehow just holding a cocktail glass in the middle of a confrontation made you look more like a douche in Nate's mind.

Being sarcastic wouldn't help the situation either, which is why he wanted to get that out of his system now. "What's his problem exactly?"

[forhawkeye]

Can't either of them call each other by name? Nate. Eli. Really not that hard to remember. Of course, names are the least of my concerns right now, because before I even have a chance to prep Nate even little bit, Eli's standing in front of us, feigning a casual posture that wouldn't fool anyone, let alone me.

"Kate," he says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, "can I have a word alone with--" his smile becomes more forced than it already is "--Nate."

"Absolutely not."

I love Nate -- really, I do -- but Eli could beat him in a fight blindfolded and with one arm tied behind his back. Maybe even both arms tied behind his back. Hormones and superpowers -- there's a winning combination.

[throw-it-off.livejournal.com]

"Oh come on, Kate," Nate said gently, but he kept his eyes on Eli. Jack Daniels on a pretty much empty stomach was not a good idea, but too late to back down now. "He just wants a word. You don't have to babysit us while we're talking."

Yeah, Eli looked big, bad and scary, but he was a superhero and Nate figured a good amount of 'protecting the weak' went along with that. Not that Nate was exactly weak, but in this crowd he was. And you had to be a pretty giant asshole to start a brawl with a guy you didn't even know in a room full of superheroes and people after the attempted invasion of Earth. Petty pissing contests kind of paled in comparison.

There was nothing to fear if they were just gonna talk.

[forhawkeye]

"See, Kate? Even he agrees with me on this," says Eli, looking ten different kinds of smug, and I already know this is gonna go bad. Way bad.

"Yeah...no. Having a word is secret guy code for let's break out the ruler."

He frowns, crossing his arms. Well, there goes that casual posture. "I could pull rank, you know."

"Because that's worked oh so well before," I point out, rolling my eyes. "This isn't exactly team business."

"I disagree. He and all your other...friends are staying in the Young Avengers' base, and consequently know all of our civilian identities. I can't think of anything more team related than that, can you?"

I'm impressed. He actually has a point. Sure it's just a ploy to debrief my boyfriend, but presented like that, it almost seems rational. Rational enough that, against my better judgment, I actually get up.

"Fine," I say, throwing up my hands. "You guys want to have a conversation, be my guest." Then I step in towards Eli, close enough that I can whisper in his ear, "You try anything, and I will serve your super soldier ass to you on a plate, we clear?"

He's not looking at me, though, but at Nate, the smug expression back on his face. I'm not a mindreader so I can't say I know exactly what he's thinking, but I can definitely make an educated guess. "Crystal," he says, and I make a disgusted sound in the back of my throat as I walk away.

Not that I go very far -- I don't even go out of earshot.

[throw-it-off.livejournal.com]

Knowing that trying to interrupt or hold back Kate would be a lost and idiotic cause, Nate sat back and let her and Eli bicker it out. You didn't have to be a genius to see that this was more about history and personalities than Nate knowing a handful of secret identities. He just wished he knew more about the history part.

Feeling probably too relaxed and numb, Nate cocked his head and looked up at Eli. "I'm not going to snitch on you guys or anything," he said straight off. "But you gotta know that, so what's up, man?"

[forhawkeye]

Eli doesn't sit down. In fact, he doesn't so much move at all save for arching his eyebrow. "'What's up,'" he says, parroting Nate's choice of words with something of a sneer, "is that you're dating my girlfriend."

Oh, $#(!. I'm heading back before I even realize I'm heading back. "WHAT?!"