sixthiterationlogs | open | we always are together

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open | we always are together

WHO: Kamala Khan
WHERE: House 6
WHEN: Dec. 13th; late afternoon aka KAMALA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
OPEN TO: residents of house six, assorted cr of Kamala and the other house six residents - basically everyone who knows Kamala, Frank, and Jessica and is on good terms with them. It's basically everyone.
WARNINGS: Possible mentions of horror settings or past trauma since Kamala does live with Frank Castle and Jessica Jones who are their own warning. Honestly this is a rated G birthday log.

She wakes up super stoked to be alive. It's not unusual for her honestly. Kamala is more excited than usual if only because it's not every day you get superheroes coming over for your birthday. Granted she's seeing them more as ordinary people who do incredible things sometimes. That's a positive change as far as she's concerned. It doesn't change the fact that Kamala from like age seven and up would have seen this as a dream come true. Who is she to question the wisdom of tiny Kamala?

She spends a decent portion of the day (following breakfast) getting ready for guests. She styles her new, shorter hair cut as elegantly as she can, dresses in the hunter green dress and pants outfit given to her by the Observers because screw them it's pretty and they can't ruin it with what they pulled after.

By the time she finishes, it's time to greet guests and see what Frank's done with the rest of the house while she's been hiding out in her room to obsess over her appearance. She'll go around greeting whoever shows up, shoving food at them, and generally be grateful they came. It's her seventeenth birthday. She's away from her home, childhood friends, and family. Having anyone here today means a lot more than she lets on. It's about the only thing allowing her to feel happiness instead dwelling on what she's missing.

(ooc; ~~top levels will be posted by Frank in like five minutes for setting info. please hold for those!~~ feel free to tag those or make your own starter ~~once they're posted~~. I'm flexible.)

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[ he laughs, an ugly watery sound as the clue lines up with the paper he can just barely make out the writing on as it flutters to the floor. ]

Obviously I needed you as a partner.

[ since he hadn't gotten anywhere. but they had fun anyway and maybe that's all that matters. actually, that's definitely all that matters on a day like today. frank gets the little wooden necklace charm kamala made him for his birthday weeks earlier out of his coat and rubs it between two rough fingertips, not noticing the tic as a tear finally rolls down his face hotly. ]

Sorry. [ bruce really has no idea. they'd told him, but it was another thing entirely to experience reims for yourself. he wipes the back of his hand across his eyes and tries not to lose it completely. ] Your day's coming up, isn't it?

Next time, maybe. [ He had a feeling they would make a very good team at a lot of things. Bruce watches Frank and shakes his head.] You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm not someone uncomfortable with emotions. [ No, Bruce wears his heart on his sleeve and he couldn't help that if he tried.] I used to want children, but that's not in the cards for me. I know no father could be prouder of her than you are.

[ He nods.] The 18th. I don't usually celebrate it, outside of when I lived in Stark Tower and they wouldn't let me get away with not celebrating. [ Bruce smiles and shrugs. He allowed it of course. Who could say no to that? He was bashful the whole time thought.] I just lost a few years. I'm not really sure how old I am anymore. I'm rounding to fifty. I was out in space for awhile.

[ that really isn't a good thing to say to get him to stop crying and a few more raucous sobs escape his chest before he manages to get a handle on himself again, his hand reaching out to clasp bruce's arm solidly. ]

We're not gonna let you get away with it here either, asshole.

[ hopelessly affectionate, considering. and hypocritical, of course, since he hadn't told anyone about his own birthday weeks earlier. ]

I lost my kids, you know... You know that. [ everyone knows that, don't they? he's not thinking all that clearly about what bruce knows about him, honestly. ] And this is the second time she's been separated from her family.

[ they'd gravitated towards each other in reims and here they're a unit. for survival, yes, but it's obvious to see it's more than that as well. he can't not regard her his own after everything they've been through. ]

[ Bruce isn't often comfortable with physical contact, except when it's from a friend and then he's a very tactile person. He let Frank take his arm and put his other hand over it, firmly grasping, letting him draw what comfort he might need from Bruce's solid warmth. He is a very stable influence most of the time.

He looks genuinely shocked when Frank says that about his children, because no, he didn't know. It gives layers to why this means so much to him too, to have his adopted daughter of sorts thriving. Still, that is very heavy information.] I didn't know, I'm so sorry. [ I'm sorry was such a useless thing to say to against something that painful, but he meant it all the same.]

You're her family now, Frank, and she's yours. You two might have lost a great deal, but you found one another, and that means a great deal.

[ the hand on his arm is grounding and he's able to take a deep breath, reset himself to zero before letting go and wiping the tears from his eyes. ]

Yeah, me too.

[ maybe he'd tell bruce the whole story - another time, then. ]

I know. For a long time here... all we had was each other, so. [ he swallows, nodding his head as his eyes dart around. ] I'm glad everyone showed up for this.

[ Bruce holds on until Frank is ready to let go and his empathy is burning, feeling for this man who lost so much and still gets up every day to get on with his life.]

I think things are getting better here. People are talking more. They're working on more projects together. It's never going to be a perfect system, since we're all making it up as we go, but it's becoming a community.

[Bruce prefers a community to a team. The team meant saving the world, and that was good, but it meant the Hulk and adrenaline and always fighting. Community was simpler and yet stronger. People leaning on each other. Bruce is at heart someone who does his best in group work. He always liked being a part of scientific teams and projects. He can work quietly on his own, but getting obsessed on his own was what led to his bad mistake. Other people could have stopped him.]

I know that was something you were hoping to see and build.

[ frank hesitates. the tide is turning, and that's due in large part to bruce and tony's efforts. he would never take that away from them. he's grateful for it even for the spotlight it's unwittingly shined on himself. ]

Something I wanted to see, anyway.

[ he doesn't want credit and he doesn't want responsibility, but he knows that isn't what bruce is saying. he's helped, despite his best efforts. and don't worry: jessica has yelled at him every step of the way. ]

It's better. [ a gentle confirmation. there's still a long way to go, but he's still trying to find his own limits. ]

No one person is responsible for it. Everyone has to buy in. When the Avengers were at their best, it was because we all actually wanted things to work.

[ Bruce takes responsibility when things go wrong, not when things go right. He sees a success in the community as a group effort, not something he's created or done.]

I called us a timebomb in the beginning. Nat teased me about that, when things started to look okay. [ Unfortunately he turned out to be right in the end anyway. The smallest mention of Nat changes him in ways that are blatant. The curl of a sweet smilie at his lips, fondness in his tone, the flutter of warmth he felt in his chest. He's an easy one to read.]

I'm glad you think it's better, Frank. It was important to me, that you got some back up.

[ he quirks half a smile though it doesn't really reach his eyes. still, bruce's support means something to him. it's hard not to give something back. ]

My unit was like that, you know.

[ that's not a story he needs to get into. he loved all his brothers and life had shit on him. but at the mention of nat, he perks up some. ]

You two are close then? [ he tries to make it sound casual but the 👀👀📝 is palpable tbh. ]

[Bruce flushes. He's a grown man who actually blushes occasionally, take pity on him.]

Uh, yeah, we're .... [How is he still so flustered talking about her? His smile is so sweet and shy, looking to the side.] Dating? It's new. It's um, actually old, we almost tried it out but I got stuck in space for a few years so we never got closure. The real dating is new.

[Bruce rubs a hand over his burning cheeks, laughing at himself because really now.] Sorry, I feel and act like a teenager when it comes to her.

[ they're dating OMG bestill his heart. for once, he had no idea. he really needs to step up his nosiness game around here. ]

Don't be sorry, man. It's good. [ he "punches" bruce's arm if it can even be called that. it's an extremely gentle tap of his fist, more like. ] Hey. I'm happy for you guys.

[Nat and Bruce as a couple can be surprising, they are very different people, but he believes at least that they're very complementary to one another. She seems to agree, so far. He's ridiculously happy about it. He emanates from him in a moment like this, unfiltered as he smiles at the tap on his arm.]

I am too. So far so good. [He usually is more cautious than optimistic but he's failed at it.] We knew each other for awhile before she hinted that she wanted more. She's the only one the Hulk really listens to, which is as big a sign as you can get for how much I trust her. [If one side of him liked someone, chances were the other side would.] It didn't work out because I ended up trapped in space without any closure between us, and time passed. I didn't think she'd still feel that way about me. [He of course didn't change when it came to feelings like that.]

But I'm lucky and she does.

[ he nods, it seems like as reasonable as anything he hears anymore so it doesn't even faze him. ]

You are lucky. Come on, let's drink to that.

[ frank touches at bruce's shoulder to try and stear him towards the alcohol. ]

[perfect!]

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