[MINGLE] One-Man Show

[sixthiteration]

WHERE: Inari Shrine and elsewhere
WHEN: 25 January 2019 through ?
OPEN TO: All opted in characters
WARNINGS: Please warn in the subject line of your comment as needed, and remember to move anything turning adult to a new post.
IMPORTANT NOTES: Final reminders and informational links are here. Please label all top-levels clearly so that there is no confusion who they are open to and what they are for, and DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR TAG!
Have fun and ask questions here!

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Closed to Group: Hotdog, Rhodey, Nat, Kamala, Bruce

[oorah]

Kamala's (future) vision

[morphogenia]

The memory starts in the halls of a high school that has seen better days. The floors are covered in glass and rubble. It looks like it's been attacked recently. A large, older dark-skinned man with salt and pepper hair, mustache, and professionally dressed rushes into the crumbling office of the school nurse with a small dark-skinned woman in a hijab trailing behind him. “Beta, what have you done to yourself this time?!” He shouts before slamming the door behind them. The woman stops to cross her arms and glare down at the girl sitting in front of the nurse’s office, visibly fuming with anger: Kamala Khan in a blue-white hoodie with a golden lightning bolt and blue jeans.

Kamala doesn’t look up at the woman as she starts to yell at her. “Why weren’t you looking out for your brother? You know he always has his head in the clouds! How could you let this happen?” Kamala curls in on herself, clearly growing more agitated. She looks up at the woman and seems to realize something. “I’m waiting!” Her mother demands.

(At this point the resemblance is impossible to miss. They have the same big nose, eye brows, and skin tone. Her stance even matches Kamala when she’s demanding something happen.)

Kamala rises to her feet. She may be one of the shortest in the village, but she’s an inch or two above her mother here. She bows her head apologetically as she takes her mother’s hands into her own, expression meek as she regards her mother. “Ammi, I---” She struggles. It’s clear she is trying to confess something. She’s scared but determined to get out. “There’s a reason I couldn’t get to Aamir in time to stop what happened to him. I was—I was fighting with some looters and trying to save some kittens. Which is pretty much what I do every night now.” Her mother interjects here, eyes wide. “What are you saying?!” Kamala sobers up completely, gazing at her mother with conviction. This is her truth. “I have something to tell you. I’m telling you now because I might not ever have a chance to tell you again, and I don’t want--- I don’t want to die without telling my Ammi. I don’t want the last thing the angels write in my book to be a lie… I am Ms. Marvel.” Her mother drops her hands leaving Kamala looking absolutely panicked in the second it takes for her Ammi to reach out and touch her face. She smiles knowingly up at her daughter. “Oh, beta…” She moves forward to hug a stunned Kamala. “…I know.”

She pulls back leaving Kamala to anxiously grab at her curls. In sharp contrast from the moment before, she looks so young and unsure. “You… you know I’m Ms. Marvel?!” Her mother takes her hands this time, trying to console her frightened daughter. “I’ve known for several months now, Kamala-jaanu. I started to suspect something was different the night you asked for your swimsuit at 10 P.M. I know you, beta. I notice when something has changed. I started to pay closer attention. And I noticed that every time Ms. Marvel was in the news, you were sneaking back into the house at fajr time.” Kamala anxiously grabs at the ends of her curls again and whispers loudly. “You knew I was sneaking out?! But I was so quiet!” Her mother holds up her hands, again mirroring a mannerism of Kamala’s. “Shhh! No need to inform the school of your bad behavior!” Kamala can’t stop panicking. “Does Abu know?” Her mother frantically looks around. “No, he doesn’t, but he will if you keep causing such a fuss.”

Kamala grabs at her mother’s hands again, still upset. “Ammi—are you mad? Please don’t be mad. I know it seems super weird, but being Ms. Marvel--- it’s meant so much to me—” Her mother cuts her off. “I’m not mad.” Kamala finally calms. “Wait… what?” The older woman continues calmly, once again taking her daughter’s hands. “I said I’m not mad. You’re at a difficult age. Your father and I were worried you would get involved with drugs or with friends who were bad for you.” She takes her daughter’s face into her hands. “If the worst thing you do is sneak out to help suffering people--- then I thank God for having raised such a righteous child.” Kamala must look away, unable to handle the acceptance and such sincere praise. She quickly crumbles against her mother and holds onto her for dear life. “I’m proud of you, beta.” Her mother says as she returns Kamala’s embrace. “Th- thanks, Ammi.” The scene ends with their embrace amidst the rubble and broken glass at the high school.

[oorah]

Predictably, there are tears shining in his eyes by the end of the scene and without noticing, he'd gotten the necklace she'd made him from under his clothes and is now worrying it between thumb and forefinger. He smiles at how sweet her mother is, but then he has to look away, eyes tracking down even as water threatens to fall down his face. His fingers reluctantly leave the necklace as his sleeve comes up to brush budding tears away, knowing he can't begin to fill the void Kamala has in her heart where her parents should be. It's the same void he has, shaped like Frank Jr. and Lisa, which means the pieces are jagged and won't fit together. And still he tries, he thinks they both do, to force it. To be a family unit. It's dawning on him just how wrong that is now. "You okay, sweetheart?" he manages under his breath, his other hand reaching out for her arm and his index finger moving back and forth across the sleeve of her jacket like a nervous tic that's somehow meant to calm the both of them down. He's obviously not okay, but like, what else is new, right?

[morphogenia]

She's crying quietly. Kamala is a mess of emotions. Most of what she feels is very positive. She knows without a doubt now that her mother not only knows who she is, but accepts her completely. There is no greater gift you can give a teenage girl. She is of course happy to see her parents again even if it's from a time that is yet to come or maybe especially so. Maybe this is proof their reunion is once again inevitable. There is no truth to this clone business. The rest is an unbearable sadness at all the time she continues to miss with them. The loss of the Khan family hits her so hard that breathing might be impossible if not for Frank rooting her to the present.

"I think so." She turns to him without bothering to hide her tears. Kamala smiles weakly at him. "I guess I don't know Ammi as well as she knows me." She never even suspected her mother knew much less approved of what she did.

[constructionzone]

His identity's never been a secret; War Machine - or Iron Patriot, in that brief, embarrassing period - has always been known to be James Rhodes, Air Force colonel. Rhodey knows damn well that's the exception in their line of work, that for most of the people he knows and works with keeping the secret had at one time been paramount. It makes this vision all the more poignant, he thinks. It's the kind of support that so many of his friends don't often get.

Something else is poignant, too: Kamala's ammi reminds him of his own mother.

"She's right, you know," he tells her. "You do a lot that's more than worth being proud of."

[morphogenia]

The support honestly touches her. Yes, she'd prefer not to be outed at all. Kamala thinks if anyone can hear a teenager is out fighting crime and be cool about it, it's an Avenger. His support means a lot. He may not be her top three, but Kamala respects War Machine. She wants him to approve of what she does. "You fight all kinds of serious bad guys. I mostly fight small stuff." She retorts shyly. She's not that great! "But.... thanks. It means a lot. Seriously."

[notsoangry]

Bruce never had that kind of relationship with either of his parents. His psychotic father or his scared and passive mother. His uncle and aunt kept him at arm's length too, so this kind of sweetness was never his. He appreciates it deeply because of that. It's wonderful that anyone got that type of support...except what it also does is remind him that Kamala is far from home. She's here with them. It's been a long time since she saw her family. So as sweet at that moment is, it might very well remind her how far she is from them.

"For what it's worth, Kamala, we're proud of you too."

[morphogenia]

She's settled down a little by now. This is a good kind of sad. It's nice to see her mother again. Kamala has missed her so much.

Bruce is right about how she must feel. It does remind her of how far away she is from her family. That never gets any easier. If she's a little somber, he can forgive her for that, right? "It's worth a lot. What I do seems so small compared to you guys." Kamala crosses her arms over her chest. It's more complicated for him. That's how she feels all the same. "I couldn't ignore those people so it's good to know she never hated me for it." Maybe that sounds crazy, but Kamala always wondered.

Rhodey's Memory

[constructionzone]

It's a memory none of the others would have seen before, and there's something bittersweet in his smile as he sees himself, and Tony, and that damn first iteration of that brace. He watches himself fall, he watches himself push into a sitting position, and he hears his own words. 138 combat missions. The Accords, and he had believed in them, deeply. It just had gotten to the point where he had to believe in something else.

And then, of course, there's his personal hero, the best FedEx delivery driver in the history of mankind, and Rhodey's smile blossoms into a full grin. Tony Stank. "He's probably gonna figure out a way to blame me for this," he says.

The memory hasn't faded yet, but what can be seen on the screen is Rhodey dragging himself across from The Vision. In the distance, meanwhile, they can hear Tony talking. Patch him through, Tony says, and then when the pompous piece of shit that is "Thunderbolt" Ross starts talking: Oh! Got to put you on hold for a second.

Never going to get old, Rhodey thinks. Not ever.

[oorah]

Frank snorts at Rhodey's quip, though nothing on screen is really that funny. It twists him up behind his breastbone, reminded of Curtis and how he'd lost his leg. Something he still blames himself for when he thinks too hard about it - something he tries his damnedest not to do. It makes sense now, Rhodey's psychosomatic pain, and all the rest. Is there really anything he can say that won't be completely lame? Just watching Tony and Rhodey together is like seeing his own life and he finds himself swallowing it back: how much he misses Curt but he hopes to hell that guy doesn't miss him. He shouldn't, Frank only ever fucks his life up. And yet he probably does, because he's a dumbfuck. Frank's favorite dumbfuck in the world. "You ever think about ditching him? Stark?" It's asked casually despite the gravity of the question. Because he already knows the answer. No matter how difficult Tony makes Rhodey's life, he can't let go. It's the same for Curt, he assumes, since that idiot keeps saying yes to him. "You know, I've got a friend like that too - like you. Don't deserve one scrap he ever threw me and yet he gives me the whole bird just for showin' up." It's a compliment, in his weird, roundabout way. He pats Rhodey's shoulder and looks away, still thinking about the VA. How those guys are doing without the Punisher in the city. Maybe they're better off, right? Maybe everyone is. Are they better off without Iron Man? He doesn't think so, but he can't look at things objectively anymore either.

[constructionzone]

To most people, there's nothing light about this moment. He gets that. Even people who've lived and died through similar, the way he'll soon learn Frank has, there's nothing light about the fact that he couldn't walk, and even with the brace it was months of work. There's nothing funny about the compound empty of everyone except he and Tony and the Vision having a teenage moment. Nothing's funny.

And yet, it is, and not just the Mr. Stank gag. "Nah," he tells Frank. "Don't get me wrong, he's not easy, and sometimes he's been a rollercoaster, but I think he's been ready to kill for me if he had too since he was eighteen. You don't throw that baby out with the bathwater."

[notsoangry]

Bruce didn't see the in between. When he left earth, Rhodey was fine, and when he came back, he was standing and it wasn't until he saw the braces that Bruce got an explanation. It's hard to express the amount of regret from an outside point of view, when there was nothing really to say. Still, Rhodey's ability to stay strong and push through a situation even this bad is admirable. It's what makes him Jim Rhodes and special.

He cringes briefly at the sound of Ross' voice, even if it is very brief, a ripple of anger going through him and then gone. If he lets himself linger over his frustrations over what happened, it'll be all he thinks about. Rhodey here paid the price. Bruce smiles faintly at him. "Tony Stank?"

[morphogenia]

The memory is definitely a bittersweet watch even if the FedEx guy is totes hilarious. Kamala makes her way over the Rhodey once the others have talked to him. It's mostly to check in. That was kind of a vulnerable moment they were shown even if the rest was kind of nonsense to Kamala. "Hey! You okay?" She laughs self-consciously. "Sorry, I just feel kind of weird about being forced to invade your privacy like that."

Bruce's Memory

[notsoangry]

Bruce really thought he remembered this handful of minutes well, but now that he was seeing it again, he saw all the ways his mind was shielding things. It was crisper now, more vivid in color, more devastating in the every look and expression on the beaten and shocked faces around him.

They were on Wakanda. Thor struck Thanos with an axe out of no where, but that loud, distinct snap could be heard. Everyone was silent at first, confused, as Thanos disappeared, and it was disturbingly quiet, outside of the pants of the injured Avengers. The wind whistled, and a quiet Steve draws attention. And then Bucky Barnes collapses into dust, leaving a stunned Steve behind to touch the place he just was.

One by one the people in Wakanda watched as others turned to dust, including T'Challa, Groot, Wanda, and Sam Wilson. The remaining Avengers stand shocked and devastating, with Steve on the ground next to the cold gray body of Vision. Bruce himself is in Veronica, watching, as the country grows even quieter before the sound of mourning can begin.

[constructionzone]

He didn't need to see this so soon, Rhodey thinks as he stands next to Bruce, stock still. And yet, somehow, Bruce is right in what he's thinking - their minds had shielded them, and besides that Bruce had seen different things than he had. He's pale under his dark skin. His lips are tight, and when he draws a breath it's a little hard to get it through his throat.

"You doing okay?"

Better to focus on someone else, after all, even if that someone else is probably feeling some of the same damn things as he is.

[morphogenia]

Kamala's reaction is understated if only because she doesn't see any of this coming. Thor killing a bad guy? Not the most pleasant watch but, she gets it. They all have their own morals. She isn't going to judge how Thor handles a guy who just shows up from space to cause trouble with a ton of aliens on her earth here and there. No, what surprises her is that he succeeds since that version of events is so thoroughly been erased from existence on the 616 Earth. Only Deadpool and some cosmic heroes will ever know it happened now.

She lets out a gasp when Bucky collapses into dust. There's no big reaction after that because it's too shocking. This is how Peter died. This is how all these people are dying. The only thing she does manage is this: "I can't believe he won."

frank's mem } cw: gross monsters, murder, gory death(s), mind control, child death (mention)

[oorah]

The scene opens cinematically just after nightfall, the shape of a bulky man in a tree looking through a pair of infrared binoculars. The most notable thing is the silence. No wind rustles through the branches, no crickets chirp in the distance, and there's something eery about the complete stillness of the place. There's a glint of teeth and the man freefalls to the ground, covering his mouth to suppress his own grunt of effort as he lands with the barest noise in what appears to be a random pile of sand on the ground. He crouches, the hood over his head now visible as he looks up at the sky just as a whir passes overhead. Is it a bird? Or maybe a plane? No, it's literally fucking Supergirl, I'm serious.

His eyes shine brightly and even though the angle isn't close enough to get his expression, it's obvious he's trying not to be seen. The truth is Frank is terrified at this moment, his heart speeding into his breastbone loud enough he's sure either Kara or the Soundeaters will surely be able to hear him. When nothing happens, however, he smears some sand with the toe of his boot to creep along the treeline, confident in his ability not to get caught... for a time. Would he like to not die? Honestly, for the first time in a long time, the answer is irrefutably 'yes.' But is he willing to die? Oh hells yeah. And he'd told Jessica as much right before she'd ordered him out here.

All it takes is one tiny miscalculation, one misstep, and the man will die. There's a tension to the whole event though it's not clear yet what's taking place. That red cape circles overhead, swirling in menacingly closer and closer and Frank feels bile rise in his throat at the same time he knows Past Frank in the video is feeling sick. If the others aren't already feeling worried about the man on the screen, Frank steps towards Kamala and gestures for her to hide her face against his arm, holding the back of her head if she'll allow it. She shouldn't have to see this. Hell, he doesn't want to see this and he already lived it once. By the time the second video played, he knew what they were in for and assumed it would be flying bullets, screaming children, his babies dead in his arms for the millionth time. It's fucked up that he'd prefer that right now, but he's dreamt it enough times that he's used to how it feels, even if he could never get used to the loss. That aching cavern inside his chest where his family used to live (both of them.)

A twig snaps and it's like it could be a sonic boom for how loud it sounds. Frank grimaces in the present and on the tape, finally there's enough moonlight to see his face, clean-shaven but obviously himself. Apparently, that was enough to catch Kara's attention, but not enough for the monsters who still haven't made an appearance. She's on him in an instant, flying parallel to the ground as her eyes glow a sinister red. He starts to run now, full-out and uncaring of sandpaths, leaves crunching under his shoes though they inexplicably do not squeak. His considerable speed might be surprising for a man of his build, but it won't be enough, extreme heat trailing from Supergirl's eyes into the ground behind him, a fire springing in its path to chase Frank as well. Red laser-light zips around even faster than the hero, one slicing clean through his arm like butter as well as the large oak in front of them. It's almost comical the way his arm falls off and rolls away, the wound instantly cauterized by the laser, and he just keeps running.

It will be the tree that does both of them in, a resounding Crack! echoing across the forest as the trunk fractures at the site of Kara's brutal attack. The massive plant slides apart, falling onto Frank's torso just as he passes underneath, still trying to get away from the woman puppeted by Kilgrave. There's no time between the noise and their appearance. There's the tree breaking and then they simply appear as a herd, their own limbs cracking and shuffling around as they gnash their terrible teeth and inflict their terrible voices onto the night. Frank can be seen as a backdrop, crushed by the tree as he chokes on blood, his eyes turning milky even as he watches. This will be the last thing he sees before he dies, the last thing he hears Kara's blood-curdling scream as she's plucked out of the sky and quite literally ripped limb from limb.

He remembers seeing Maria then, and she appears in the middle of the clearing to beckon him towards the too-bright beacon behind her. The light drowns out the remainder of Kara's bloody death and Frank takes his hand away from Kamala's eyes so she can see his wife. She's just the way he remembers her on that day in the park and the man gurgles around the wet wod of shiny red trickling from his lips. "Yeah. I'm comin' home, Maria. I'm done. I'm comin' home."

[morphogenia]

It is the silence that tips her off. Almost a full year from her arrival in that horrible place, she knows it still. Kamala may have never walked this specific path, but it didn't matter. This place is a part of her whether she likes it or not. Kamala hugs herself as the horror that she is back in any form sinks in. It's only a memory. Kamala knows this by now. She still looks small and scared as she watches Frank and Supergirl; two people who comforted her the day of her arrival. (She'd know that dark form anywhere and who else could be remembering this?) A part of her knows this is going to end badly before Frank even signals for her to come in closer.

It should speak volumes that normally a girl that doesn't fear anything doesn't hesitate to quietly creep over the rest of the way to Frank and bury her face against his arm like a shield. His hand comes to rest at the back of her head and she makes no move to dislodge him. She knows even if it's not a conscious thought how this shakes out. He died once. She's already seen a lot of people die in these memories.

She flinches at that twig snap. Kamala outright shakes when the tree falls because it only means one thing. Supergirl's screams and the sound of them confirm it. The spot where her head rest goes warm with her tears almost instantly. She doesn't move until his hand does. Kamala turns to very slowly look at an angel-- No? Yes? The dying Frank confirms it. Maria Castle. She really is beautiful.

As hard as it is to see Frank in such a state, she really needed to see this part. She's glad he wasn't alone in the end. The look she spares the current Frank says as much. She can't speak a word until this truly ends.

[constructionzone]

He likes to think he's seen some shit in his day, and he has, but every once in a while, Rhodey's reminded that some people have seen and lived some shit that's hard for even he to imagine. His stomach churns in the same way it used to when he saw little kids who were victimized by war or disaster, but he doesn't approach Frank, not immediately.

He watches him hug Kamala first, calm her down, and then when he steps up it's almost casual.

"This is some crazy shit," he says. The tone's matter-of-fact; Frank's not the kind of person you ask outright if he's okay. "Some crazy, sick shit. What's the point of it?"

[notsoangry]

In his head, Bruce realized there was something wrong very, very quickly. It could be that Frank was tense, or that the quiet stillness was just downright creepy, or that Bruce's paranoia existed on all planes of existence. Needless to say, he was thrown off big time. There was no controlling what played out in front of him, and not for the first time, he was so thankful the Hulk didn't exist here. This would have instantly triggered him into violence.

It was flat out terrifying to watch this happen to anyone, but especially to someone he cared about. His friend. He knew Frank went through a terrible ordeal, but this was worse than what he imagined. When he came to he was trying to breathe deeply, his heart racing so hard he could feel it pounding in his chest. He knew there were tears in his eyes, on his cheeks, and he didn't care. It was one of Bruce's active nightmares, watching a friend die, and having more friends now made that more possible.

Bruce is typically hesitant with affection, which means people think he doesn't like it, but the opposite is true. He just learned to stop needing it when being around him was death. He steps forward to Frank and hopes he won't mind that Bruce tries to hug him, the pain in his heart still feeling very real. "I'm sorry."

Nat's memory

[tothefly]

The scene fades in on a group of people all sitting around a table, grouped on couches and chairs, talking and laughing. Some faces may be familiar to those gathered here. Some may not. They seem to be discussing a hammer sitting on the table in the center, attempting to lift it with varying degrees of failure. The failure doesn't bother any of them, though; it seems to be a game of sorts, and the group as a whole seems closely-knit, the atmosphere warm and friendly.

Natasha watches the whole exchange, and there's a smile on her face throughout; something small, a little sad, maybe, but with a fondness that isn't typical for her. When it's over, she shakes her head a little, maybe, arms folded, but she says nothing. There's nothing to say. It was a long time ago, that dream. But it was a good one.

[notsoangry]

This is a familiar moment for him. Memories can be faded or they can be bright, and too much of the time Bruce allows the bad ones to fix brightly and cruelly in his mind. But this was a good night. This was when they felt less like colleagues and more like friends, like family. It's bittersweet, now that he knows they might never get back to this place. Here in the village, they might. It's what he hopes. He remembers their talk, just before this, that led to that particular flirty look between them, and he smiles.

He glances over at Nat and steps over so he's right next to her. He doesn't want to bring attention to inner turmoil she might be feeling by taking her hand or touching her, but his quiet level of support is simply standing close, letting her lean into him or away if she chooses. "Hi," he murmurs, all his attention on her. "Remember everyone's face when Vision lifted it easily?"

[constructionzone]

He remembers that night, too. He hadn't been one of them yet, not really an Avenger - that had come a little later - but he'd been Tony's best friend, and he'd done some of his own thing. And yeah, he'd tried to lift that hammer, and the memory of it's enough to make him smile.

"You were the smart one that night," he says. "Well, you and Maria, but she's always been, like, terrifying that way."

[morphogenia]

Kamala's takeaway is very different. She's clearly enjoying the show even if she totally boos when Steve only moves it an inch. "Oh my God! We both know you can lift it! Stop lying, Cap!" were her exact words during that moment. It's a fun show to her. By the end, she's running up to Nat like the overzealous fan she is to get this off her chest. "Oh my God! You could have touched Thor's hammer! You're so lucky!"

[oorah]

It's sweet in a way he didn't expect, maybe. He's never sure how much of the Avengers is tabloid nonsense and how much is true. Truth is, he didn't care that much before he started sailing around the multiverse meeting every version of Natasha Romanoff it could think of spitting up.

"So, you uh, refuse to pick that thing up 'cause you can or 'cause you can't?"