[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

[halfscarlet]

It was a pretty obvious distraction tactic, and despite knowing that, Billy looked anyway.

He paled.

"...why?"

[forhawkeye]

"She's a vampire who sparkles," I deadpan, glad that he's taken the bait for the time being. "Don't question it. Just be glad she's not eating you."

[halfscarlet]

Billy looked away with a grimace before he got a live and in color view of what a vampire looked like when they took a bite out of a poor little bunny they'd just killed.

A vampire who sparkled. What?

"You've made some pretty weird friends," Billy decided, stretching over half the couch to set his half eaten pizza and plate on the arm. He wasn't so hungry anymore.

[forhawkeye]

"I'm still not convinced Felix is real," I admit, and then I take a big bite out of my pizza in demonstration of how unfazed I am by the whole bunny thing. I missed junk food way too much to let a little something like that get in the way of eating. "Really, Alice seems more normal by comparison."

[halfscarlet]

"Yeah," Billy said slowly, watching Felix flit about the room doing something that looked suspiciously close to cleaning. "Maybe he can be our Jarvis."

[forhawkeye]

"I think he might actually have Jarvis beat when it comes to the whole cleaning thing," I say thoughtfully, lips pursed. "He's kind of...insane. But in a good way. A good...insane kind of way." I throw up a hand. "He defies words is basically what I'm getting at."

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

"So are people. Would you like me to eat you?"

Alice is pretty certain that Felix wouldn't taste very good. All sorts of stress and other additives flowing through the bloodstream. There is no way that can be good for a person.

"Cooking them is barbaric. I feel bad for lobsters. They're still alive and boiled no less! They squeal!"

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

Alice waves a hand. "I did."

Holding the squirming bunny, she gestures to Kate. "I was telling Kate how in addition to eating cougar, I am technically a cougar. As in the sexual slang term."

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

"Like what?"

Alice has ideas all right, but her ideas have always been limited by what is best for others. Other peoples limited futures are things she has to be considerate of.

Taking a moment, she tilts her head, really thinking and really looking. "I do. I think."

[forhawkeye]

"...yeeeah, I wouldn't hold my breath on that one," I say, shaking my head. Collateral damage comes part and parcel with the East coast.

[forhawkeye]

"...yeah, it's a real riot, alright," I say, biting back a laugh, and I take another bite out of my pizza. For his benefit, I even wipe my mouth with the napkin right away, wiping off nonexistent crumbs. "So, alien invasion aside, how are you liking the future?"

[like-arrows.livejournal.com]

I laugh, unable to help it. This place seemed a world away when I was little. California was so peaceful in comparison. It still is, but... "At least we aren't Jack Bauer."

[sink-nor-swim.livejournal.com]

"Well, you've got a long time ahead of you," Mikal points out with a wry smile, trying not to think too hard about the fact that one of her closest friends is now immortal. That's just fucking weird, a whole lot moreso than the rest of this, even. She can't imagine what that would feel like. "So, what, then?"

[halfscarlet]

"So, we have a vampire that sparkles," Billy started, counting each off on a finger, "a kind of insane pseudo butler, your new boyfriend, Cable, of all people, and...okay, so, why is Nico still here? I thought the Runaways went back to California."

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

Nodding approvingly at her attempt at manners, Felix turned his thoughts towards the bigger picture for a moment. "It's honestly as if I've stepped into one of those old 'World of Tomorrow' attractions from the '50s, only with less plastics. Everything's so oddly foreign, but New York is somehow still the same... I feel so out of touch," he sighed.

Of course, Leonard and Edna had always accused him of being out of touch back in the present anyway, so maybe there was more to that than just the year. At least he'd known how to operate everything he came into contact without assistance.

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

Felix wasn't about to argue her first point for fairly obvious reasons. He was very cute.

"That is actually an urban myth," he said with a finger in the air. Blind, unreasoning horror was no reason not to be informative when he was able, after all. "That's just the sound of heated air escaping from the carapace as it turns to steam." He paused, thinking about it for a second.

"It is still kind of sad, though. Even if they're not particularly cute."

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Strangely enough."

Alice isn't certain how she feels about that. Or if she feels about that. She does have plenty of time to sort that out.

Shrugging she absently strokes the bunny. "Dunno. Wait?"

[asinglechange.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't know. I've never actually cooked a lobster. I've only watched Julia Child cook one."

On the television, with a sort of fascination that can only come from watching but being unable to enjoy.

"Most humans aren't particularly cute either."

[forhawkeye]

"Yeah, I've got nothing when it comes to that particular mystery," I admit, nose crinkling. "My only explanation is that whoever sent us back got some of the details wrong. I mean, Felix and Nate and Yorick...they're all from New York, just not this one. And Nico and Chase were here before they ended up on the island. Which doesn't explain Alice, Karolina and Mikal -- or, uh, Cable -- but it's a theory, I guess."

[forhawkeye]

I'm having trouble imagining Felix ever being in touch, but I keep that to myself. There's no need to make fun of him, considering what we've all just inexplicably survived. So instead I smile a bit, and say, "I don't think you're the only one feeling out of touch. Even the people from this time look a little...dazed."

[forhawkeye]

"Oh, didn't someone tell you? We have to disarm a nuclear bomb in--" I look at my nonexistent watch "--four hours."

[halfscarlet]

"Huh." Billy didn't have a single idea about it either, but then again that could be attributed to the fact that he'd just helped fight off an alien invasion. "So...you had all of them there, but...none of us?"

Billy tried imagining being stuck somewhere strange without any of the others, let alone Teddy...he had his parents, but the rest of the Young Avengers were family too.

He suddenly wanted to offer the group hug again.

[forhawkeye]

"Not a one."

It's something I had to deal with by necessity, but I can't say I never got my hopes up each and every time someone else from home showed up. When that big group landed themselves in dino territory a few months back, I thought for sure one of the Young Avengers would be with them. You can imagine my disappointment when none of them were.

"It sort of sucked."

[halfscarlet]

That made the decision for Billy, and for obvious reasons, he didn't bother to include Kate in the process before putting an arm around her shoulders and tugging her closer for a hug. "I'm sorry you had to spend six months on an island with a hot boyfriend without us."

[forhawkeye]

I draw my knees up to my chest so I can lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. I'm not usually this touchy-feely with people who are not my hot boyfriend, but I've missed Billy and all of them so much, that I have a lot of lost time to make up for.

"Me too," I sigh, looking down. "There weren't even any other Avengers."