[MINGLE] One-Man Show

[sixthiteration]

WHERE: Inari Shrine and elsewhere
WHEN: 25 January 2019 through ?
OPEN TO: All opted in characters
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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.

[oorah]

His fingers work in her hair as she starts to cry, wishing he could take these horrific videos away from here. He wishes he could have done something to stop this whole process actually. But as usual: he's powerless to whatever the Observers have in store. She'll feel him tense up, body going rigid as his abilities kick into overdrive after watching all this bullshit go down all over again. Frank knows she'll have the image of him dying to contend with possibly forever now, but it was worth it for Maria. Anything is worth it to him just to see her face one last time, even the dreams he has one night after the next. He turns to press a soft kiss against Kamala's temple, opening his arm out in silent invitation for her to collapse back into his embrace.

"Sorry. Shit— sorry you had to see that." And he's sorry he put her through it in real time. He remembers that night he came home Kilgraved, and how he told her everything was good. She didn't believe him then and even though he couldn't say anything at the time, it's how he first knew he could trust her. That she was smart, but also safe. Someone he could rely on and would come to over the following months; is still relying on now even. "I'm okay, Kam. I'm fine, yeah? Gonna stay that way too, if I can help it." Barring a village-wide crisis, of course, which this is almost shaping up as. God, this is sick. Whoever's watching them must be having a real good day.

[morphogenia]

She sobs loudly once that eerie silence has dissipated, once again falling into his embrace. It's awful on so many levels. Supergirl was supposed to the children's protector in Reims. She knows now that was never the case if she clearly killed the other one. She doesn't think this was a betrayal. You can't really fake the kind of love she seemed to have for them. If Frank was out there, well, it can only mean one thing. That makes her cry as much as knowing that there was more to his death than she or the other kids initially thought. Just how many people had that purple demon sank his fangs into? She'll never know for sure.

She might have just kept sobbing if he just reminded her that it was over. He was okay. He'd actually stay that way unlike Peter. He has to keep talking. Kamala picks her head up. She's absolutely livid about that last comment. "You better help it!" She screams it in his face before she can stop herself. It's like all the anger from the incident floods back. She remembers how he just casually dropped the information he died on the network; like it didn't matter. They shouldn't care. They did. She did.

Kamala makes a fist and smacks it hard against his chest. It won't hurt and it's really not meant to. She knows losing her temper here won't leave him seriously injured like it could back home. It gives her the outlet she needs to just explode the way she couldn't months ago when she found out. Kamala keeps hitting him as she shouts. "We're not doing this again! You don't get to sneak around and get killed behind our backs to save us anymore! It's wrong! You're wrong!" She can't bring herself to care about how this looks to everyone else. For now, they're the only people in this room as far as she's concerned.

[oorah]

He doesn't flinch, doesn't jerk away, just holds out his hands away from her and lets her get it all out. A few hits, while they don't quite hurt, can be felt and he's sure that's a result of her training at the dojo. Even now, he's proud of her. Less proud of himself. He's not exactly a great role model for a kid, let alone one as good as her.

"I could tell you I'm sorry I did it, but that'd be a lie, Kam. I am sorry it hurt you, though, and for the way things shook out. But you know I'd do it again. In a heartbeat, I'd do it again if it kept that shitstain off the street for even one second."

Frank is gritting his teeth by the end, he has to force himself to calm back down, system amped up from her punching on him even if it's to no end. His fists drop ineffectually by his sides and he shakes his head.

"He's not here though, and I'm not about to do anything that stupid for anything less. So don't go getting any ideas, OK? You're stuck with me." For better or (more likely) for worse.

[morphogenia]

Eventually her hands sink back down to her side loosely, breathing heavy from crying and screaming her head off at him. It feels like a weight has finally been lifted off her chest. After so many months they finally addressed what happened in a real way. While she's not happy about the answer, it's honest. She'd still be punching him if he said anything less than that. "I know you would. You'd do whatever it takes keep him away from us." She doesn't bother keeping the resentment out of her voice. She never asked him to die for any of them. She didn't have to. For better or worse, this is who he is. He won't leave Jessica or anyone else to suffer if he can help it. She accepts that even when it hurts.

She raises one hand to wipe her face. Her expression softens as she looks up at him. Her outburst has been a long time coming, but that doesn't make it okay. He'd never hit her because he was upset. She shouldn't do it either even if he's essentially a tank. "I'm sorry I hit you. That wasn't right."

[oorah]

He nods resolutely. "That's right, sweetheart. And Jess was tryin' to keep Kara safe." By throwing him to the wolf, as it were. Even sacrifice. He swallows, knowing that won't make it any better for Kamala. He'd let the kids trust Supergirl knowing well she'd been tainted from Day One. What were his alternatives, though, exactly? "...Sure you're done?"

[morphogenia]

She doesn't make the connection that this was a calculated sacrifice. Kamala nods, heart heavy. She's not about to criticize Jessica's failure to save Supergirl. She knows how hard she tried thanks to Frank. It'd be cruel to throw it in her face. "It's not her fault Supergirl was forced to do something that got both of you killed." She thinks she's agreeing with him if nothing else. "And yeah. Unless you did something else that was awful behind our backs, I think I'm done being mad at you." She wraps her arms around herself and adds, "Besides, I'm not sure I feel comfortable getting too carried away when someone showed us this to get a reaction. Don't you think it's awfully convenient we're shown the one thing that can really hurt us?" To everyone else, this is a snuff film. To Kamala and Frank, it's a wound that's been left festering for a while. She never told him how angry she was that he didn't take his own death seriously. Frank, well, his pain is fairly obvious.

[oorah]

Oh, wow. She really doesn't get it. He swallows, his gaze flitting around. This is his one chance to come clean, but he had intended to keep this buttoned-up forever. It's just that once the dam breaks, it's hard for him to contain. The whole truth is coming out now, whether he likes it or not (he hates it, thanks.)

"I lured her out there, Kam. This was Jessica's plan, and it worked. She was free and I was—" Dead, then Kilgrave's minion in her stead. "It wasn't her fault, because we orchestrated this. We knew Kilgrave would order her to kill me if I tried anything. Thing is, I really didn't think I was gonna die. And that was the miscalculation that got me with a head full of that rat bastard instead."

He's just going to... open his arms back up so she can punch him again, honestly.

[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?"

[oorah]

Frank seems mostly at ease by the time Rhodey approaches, and all he can really do is laugh when presented with that commentary. He pushes a hand back through his long hair and shakes his head. "Kilgrave. That's the only sick, crazy asshole who knows what the point of this sick, crazy shit was." It's not entirely true, but it was too good to pass up. Convenient that now everyone wants to know his deal, that now they believe him. But that's not on Rhodey and he wouldn't put it on him after what he'd unwittingly shared with the group himself. "I led Supergirl into the woods so Jessica could snatch him and kill him. I was collateral damage." He's still smiling as he sucks his lower lip into his mouth and glances around at this psycho set-up they've found themselves in. "Was glad to do it, too. I'd do it again, even if I wouldn't come back. Actually: probably better if I didn't." Because then he wouldn't have been enlisted himself by that sick freak. But he needs a moment before getting to all that.

Operation Thread Merge

[constructionzone]

He remembers Kilgrave, from before. He doesn't remember him personally, of course, because in the last few years what the Avengers had done was what was allowed - and maybe that's as much of why he broke rank as Thanos. He spent too much time wondering what they could have all helped with if they weren't on such a short leash.

Worries for another time, though.

"There are a few people I can think of who are better off dead," Rhodey says. "So far I wouldn't count you among them. Kilgrave, though, from what I know of from back home - probably ought to be shot on sight." He pauses. "Doesn't mean you don't sometimes wish it anyway.

He had, especially around the time they've all just seen. For the cheerfulness and quipping they'd seen when it was his turn, despair had been easy back then. He's never died, he thinks; he figures, though, that there's a reason people say it's harder to live.

cw: suicidal ideation

[oorah]

"Jess killed him three times, Rhodes. Twice in that place. Didn't matter."

No one listened to them, just as no one had listened to her in New York until it was way too damn late. He blows his breath out his nose in a thin stream.

"I don't— wish it, I mean. I can't explain it, but... for a long time it's all I could think about, you know. Going to see my family. I figured that's the way it would end for me, once I finished." Once he avenged them, he means. He always thought he'd be dead afterward, but when he wasn't it was like a second birth. "But I didn't die. Maybe I couldn't, maybe survivin' was the only way I could make their deaths mean something."

His eyes well up again, but he doesn't let a single tear fall, just stares at Rhodey and makes the other man accept his truth. He gets wanting to die, but that's not what this was. This was an op that went off without a hitch.

[constructionzone]

His own gaze is steady on Frank's, and he doesn't flinch away from it. Many would, he thinks; Tony wouldn't necessarily get it, it's that soldier "culture" that Tony's never truly understood. It's not a death wish, like Tony had yelled to him more than once long before Iron Man was a thing, it's self-sacrifice. And sometimes that sacrifice is waking up every morning, breathing in and out, laughing and smiling and frowning and crying - all because someone else can't.

Sometimes you can't even say to yourself that the job went wrong, because you and your mates went in knowing that it wasn't designed for you all to come out.

Sometimes you've just got to live.

"My mama used to say that Dad was going to be sad on the day they finally saw each other again," he says. There'd been nothing to avenge with his father's death, of course, it had just been a stupid, senseless accident. "They don't want to see us; they want us to live."

[oorah]

"Maybe." He licks his lips, mulling that over. "But I dunno, Rhodes. You never saw my kids the day I'd come back. It was all they could do to try and tackle me to the ground, even when they were so small..."

It's bittersweet, of course, but right now it feels better to talk about them than it doesn't. These moments are snatched and rare so he's riding it out.

[constructionzone]

"No, that I didn't," he says. And he knows he isn't going to ever get it, not entirely. He knows he gets bits of what Frank's gone through, maybe some bits no one else gets, but he hasn't had a family in the same way. He's been the kid left behind but hasn't had his own kids. It's always going to be different.

"But if you want to talk about it, I can listen."

[oorah]

He nods at the offer, for once it's that easy. Maybe because Rhodey gets the other stuff, or maybe just because he needs someone to hear this, either way.

"My wife, she'd— she'd keep it a secret, when I was comin' back. Then I'd go to their school or wherever they were to surprise 'em. Oh, man, you'd think I was the best thing they'd ever seen. Their little faces would light up, you know? Like I was their whole world." His eyes water, but he's holding it together remarkably well considering the subject matter. "They'd squeeze me so tight I wouldn't be able to breathe, but I didn't care. That shit, that shit is the best feeling. I used to love coming home just for that moment, that look in their eyes."

[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."

[oorah]

Bruce's memory isn't much better for Frank. He may not be attached to those people, but Bruce is. He can see the devastation writ clearly across his face in present and in past versions. He hates that his death hurts anyone, that his pain does. It had been hard enough the first time when he'd blurted it accidentally on a public thread and all the kids had learned of his untimely demise. But he had guarded the fact that Supergirl (albeit under the influence) had been the one to do him in, letting everyone believe it was the monsters. That he hadn't been careful enough; that he hadn't been sent in there to die like an honest-to-god kamikaze warrior.

The man's arms around him are startling though the move had been telegraphed well enough. Frank tenses for a second, hesitating, before melting into the embrace bonelessly. One big arm comes up to bracket the man's shoulders as he hangs his heavy head against his. He's going to stay like this for a minute and try to keep himself in check, but he knows he's crying, that they both are. Goddamnit, Bruce.

"Yeah. Me, too."

[notsoangry]

Bruce has come to know and care for Frank over the months, to consider him a true friend. Up until recently, the number of friends he had could be counted on a hand, and then two, and now? Who knows. But Frank is special to him, and that means witnessing this level of trauma for the other man is devastating too. This place wasn't perfect, but it was safer. No Hulk. No terrifying sound monsters and apparently psychotic superheroes.

He made a promise quietly then, to himself, when hugging Frank, that he wouldn't let that happen to him again if he could help it. Bruce isn't a fighter, but he would fight anyway, to keep it from happening. He clings to Frank, and repeats the same thing in his head that kept him sane when he got Tony back. Alive, alive, alive. Frank is alive. They're both alive.

"I'm sorry, I thought I could guess at the level of awful it was for you, but no, no one can guess that much." Bruce thought he understood what they'd been through, or knew enough of trauma to assume. It wasn't true. This was so much worse than any imagination.

[oorah]

A big hand comes up, cupping the back of Bruce's head as he rests there for a long moment. His tears are slowly winding down, but he doesn't want to let go yet. He's not sure he can.

"It was real fucked up," he admits, startling a broken little laugh out of his own throat. "I've cut it close, you know. So many times, but that— actually dying. Then coming back with a monster in my head." Frank has to fight against the sudden tide of nausea threatening to bog him down. His other hand comes up, clutching at Bruce's arm in desperation.

[notsoangry]

Bruce usually only clings like this to Tony, but he does it because it's necessary for them both, and Frank doesn't seem to mind. Over their months together he came to rely on the quieter man and there's nothing like watching something cripplingly awful to suddenly make it clear how much someone means to you.

"I'm sorry," he says again and hugs Frank tighter. "He can't get you here. You're safe now." Bruce huff-laughs at that, because it does sound silly, all things considered. "Relatively safe." They just got teleported and forced to relive horrible things. It isn't exactly safe, but it wasn't being murdered or possessed by a monster, so. Perspective. "I'm so glad you're here, Frank."

[oorah]

"Yeah," he says gruffly, not believing a word of it until the end, but that doesn't really matter. He forces himself to pull back, thwapping Bruce on the shoulder lovingly. "Yeah, I'm glad I'm here, too." He never would have said that before meeting the other man, but now he has something of a little unit here, doesn't he? All the people in this group are people he deeply cares for, something he didn't think he would have again after Reims. Didn't think he wanted. "Are you okay?" he asks belatedly, realizing they were focused a little heavily on Frank's scene up until now.

[notsoangry]

Bruce pulls back too and chuckles at the thwap, wiping at his eyes to brush the tears away. He knew there were so many traumatic things they could have seen from him. There was no end of bad moments in his past to show, but this was the most recent, so there's that. And the worst for the entire world without question.

He sighs and crosses his arms against his chest like a self-hug, it's a soothing gesture he uses a lot for himself. "It just happened, before I came here. It's been fresh in my mind but watching it again reminds me of some details. It was less vivid and detailed in memory." And very vivid and detailed in reality. "At that time too, we thought Tony was dead, he was taken out into space. It really felt like everything was broken all at once. Even with half of us alive, it'll never be okay again."

[oorah]

Frank nods slowly, not sure where to even start with something like that. He thinks, maybe, it isn't so different from him being separated from all the people in Reims. Not knowing if they're safe - but watching your family turn to dust? It's something he can sympathize with, too. Even if his own scene had been more physically gory.

"There was a boy here, Peter. He told us about this, and a villain called Thanos."