meadowlarklogs | intervention (closed)

[ If there's a slight oddity to the sound of Carolina's chopping, Maine doesn't pick up on it. He knows how Carolina moves in combat; he doesn't know how she moves in a kitchen. He finishes cutting up his vegetables, then pulls the shrimp off the stove — he'll add it to the vegetables later. That's when there's a noise at the door, and Carolina makes a joke about Wash.

A strange combination of guilt and apprehension twists in Maine's gut. He makes a quiet noise of acknowledgment. Looks over when Wash enters, sees Wash's worry plain as day, and nods in greeting. Then Carolina moves toward Wash, and Maine gratefully takes the opportunity to snatch up her vegetables, add them to his own, and start cooking the whole lot.

"Okay" might be pushing it, Maine thinks. They're alive, and they're not critically injured. They'll be fucking sore for a while: the bruises on his bare chest and torso are only going to get worse, and he's sure that Carolina looks just as bad beneath her shirt. But it's better than it could be, so maybe that counts for okay. Maybe.

Maine keeps his thoughts to himself, letting Carolina field that question. Keeps his eyes on the vegetables. Keeps doing what he can. ]

[ wash beckons and carolina doesn't make him wait, still uncertain where they stand after the argument earlier. he'd appreciated the apology, she thinks, but if he's still upset with her, she gets it. and she really doesn't want to make that upset any worse.

she raises her opposite hand to hold the ice pack in position as she comes to a stop in front of wash, her obviously ginger arm reaching, tentatively, for his hand. ]

It's nothing that won't heal.

[ her tone is light for how apprehensive carolina feels if wash lets her make contact with him. she's exhausted, a little off-kilter, and what's obviously relief at having maine here is tempered by worry about how wash is handling this moment. ]

And Maine got hungry. I wasn't going to tell him no.

[ Wash takes her hand, squeezes it and she can feel his concern intense and sharp but he's not angry anymore. At least not right now. ]

Yeah, of course. Food's good. Can I see?

[ He reaches up with his other hand to gently move the icepack. ]

Don't think that just because you're busy you're getting out of this, Maine.

[ But as he lifts the icepack his chest begins to glow brighter than just from having the bond engaged, and Carolina's pain starts to ease, become duller... the bruise is fading. ]

[ wash feels worried but not angry and even if the topic has to be revisited later, carolina feels better now.

significantly better, actually. more than the empathy bond and reassurance that wash isn't mad at her should make her feel, no matter the impact that has on her. she doesn't hide the sense of feeling better from their bond and then can't even begin to quiet the confusion that follows as she glances down at her chest. there's a lot of bruising there, the sort that she's expecting to get much worse in the next twelve hours, but some of it is fading when it should be doing the exact opposite of that. ]

Uh... [ carolina looks up, seeks wash's gaze. ] Is that you?

[ Carolina's relief gets a little smile out of Wash, but that expression also turns to surprise and confusion as he realizes what's happening. ]

Shh, shh--

[ He doesn't want to break his concentration on whatever it is he's doing or thinking or feeling that triggered the ability; the glow continues, until Carolina's skin looks normal to him, the swelling over her collarbons gone. Wash blinks, and finally looks up at her. ]

I guess it was. How does it feel?

[ carolina purses her lips together when wash hushes her, waiting until he talks again. and then she's raising her free hand, fingers prodding lightly from her breastbone over to her shoulder, her expression furrowed. ]

Like even if it's broken, I'm not nearly as bothered as I was ten minutes ago.

[ Exactly what Maine would be getting out of by being busy, he doesn't know. He doesn't ask, either, only glancing over his shoulder long enough to see Wash removing the ice pack from Carolina's shoulder. Then he turns back to the stove. Keeps his eyes on the vegetables. Keeps focused on what he's doing.

It doesn't entirely work. The mixture of guilt and apprehension still swirls inside of him, churning in an almost nauseating way. He keeps breathing. Tosses the shrimp and sauce in with the vegetables and continues cooking.

He's not going to leave. He told himself he wouldn't, and he won't.

After a pause, Carolina mentions not being bothered by something that might be broken. Maine glances over his shoulder again, but he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just the glow from the empathy bond.

He pulls the stir fry off the stove and turns off the heat. ]

Food's done.

[ Wash still looks a little shocked by what he's just done, looking from his hand to Maine and back again... then he lets go of Carolina's hand so he can step forward, beckoning towards Maine instead. ]

Hey can I... can I see where you're hurt? Really quickly.

[ That request gets a curious look from Maine, but he does as asked. Turns to face Wash without saying a word. He doesn't need to: there are bruises all over his bare torso. The worst of them is almost dead-center on his chest, and it's shaped suspiciously like Carolina's foot.

That Carolina gave him one hell of a kick is plain as day. As is the fact that if the bruising is already this bad, it's bound to get a whole lot worse. ]

[ Okay, well... Wash doesn't want to risk running out of battery or whatever without getting to the worst of them, so he'll start there. He steps in, leans a little closer and holds his hand out without touching because he knows Maine wouldn't like it but that's how people focus their powers in movies. Maybe there's actually something to it.

Nothing happens.

He frowns, and tries to focus harder but what he's really doing is getting worried he can't help and desperately wishing Maine were healed. Which is what triggers his power, his chest starting to glow again. Just like with Carolina the pain fades, the swelling disperses, and the injury is slowly repaired. ]

[ For a moment, Maine thinks that Wash is going to touch him. He stiffens, mentally bracing himself, but he doesn't move to avoid it. Doesn't growl, "No," or try to bat Wash's hand away. He readies himself for what he thinks is coming, and…

… It doesn't happen. Nothing does. Wash just looks like he's trying to move shit with his mind.

Maine waits, still tense, as another strange feeling joins the mix of apprehension and guilt. Not quite disappointment, but … something. He shakes it off quickly enough, distracted by the glow from Wash's chest — and then the change on his own.

Maine looks down, fascinated as he watches the bruise change. Bits and pieces at first, splotches of color shrinking and vanishing as though never there at all. The pain of each breath — something he'd already begun to accept as inevitable — gradually lessens as Wash slowly repairs the injury. ]

[ carolina's still absently prodding at her wounds — although some of them don't feel like anything more than distant, overworked aches — as she watches wash... try. nothing for a moment, and then his chest glows and she automatically assumes wash has activated that empathy bond maine dislikes so strongly, taking a step forward as if to intervene.

but that's not it. maine isn't distressed, just confused, curious, something like that. ]

Well, Wash, I guess you just had to complain about not being able to heal other people for it to work.

[ Wash straightens up and gives a sharp, delighted laugh, suddenly struck with the impulse to hug Maine because his friend is right in front of him and he's overjoyed -- but he catches himself. Steps back instead, looking at his hands and then back up at Carolina. ]

That'd be a dangerous power, if complaining about something got you something you wanted.

[ But she's not wrong. ]

...I did it.

[ Maine raises a hand to poke at the bruise — or rather, what used to be a bruise. Now it's perfectly healthy skin, smooth and undamaged. The only discoloration is the faint red caused by Maine poking at it.

Quietly, and with a sense of awe, ]

Thank you.

You did it.

[ it's a soft echo for wash, carolina fighting a smile at just how goddamn excited he looks. she swallows hard, tries to look a little more put together as she glances at maine. ]

Breathing easier now?

[ Wash looks back up at Maine with wide, hopeful eyes, puppyishly wanting to know if it helped. ]

It helped?

[ Maine nods, still working to process what just happened. It's the first time he's really seen Wash's power in action. First time he's experienced one of his own injuries vanishing as if by magic. It's a hell of an ability.

He looks up then, catching sight of Carolina fighting to contain a smile while Wash doesn't contain anything. His lips twitch up in a smile of his own. Without thinking about it, he reaches out, intending to squeeze Wash's shoulder as he repeats, ]

Thank you.

[ Wash reaches up instinctively to grip Maine's wrist happily, then catches himself again. Ducks his head in a tiny thank you back instead, and then gestures to the pan Maine took off the heat awkwardly. ]

I've kept you from dinner long enough, though... I'll grab plates?

[ carolina watches that little half-gesture from wash, seeking contact but stopping himself. she can guess at what that means, so she deliberately looks to maine, waits to catch his eye before nodding her head pointedly toward wash.

do something, she hopes he understands. ]

[ Maine catches that aborted gesture. Guesses the reason behind it immediately and wonders if he should pull his hand back. Before he can do so, however, Carolina gives him a Look™ that requires no explanation.

… Fuck. Fine. Time to do this.

This time, Maine purposefully doesn't think about it. He steps forward and, knowing skin-to-skin contact is inevitable, pulls Wash into a hug.

However collected and steady he appears on the surface, Maine's emotions are anything but that. There's gratitude, and there's apprehension, and there's a deep well of affection — something heartfelt and almost painful in its intensity. Beneath that lies guilt, and shame, and a trace of fear.

Maine doesn't think of anything. He doesn't let himself. If Wash lets him, he'll pull back fairly quickly and turn again to the food. ]

[ Wash is 100% fine with what he got and is ready to pull back when instead, Maine steps forward... and pulls him into a hug. Wash is frozen for a moment then his arms come up, embracing his friend, and this really is the best possible time Maine could have hugged him. He's pretty much purely happy, both from his newly upgraded power and the fact that Maine is hugging him and engaging the bond. Happy enough that the guilt and shame and fear barely phase him, since he can tell it's not about him, that was the apprehension... it's about his power, about Carolina.

For a split second before Maine pulls back Wash has the impulse to tell him they're there for him and they'll figure it out, but he settles for the brief burst of hope and gratitude through the bond as his friend steps back.

In the ends he doesn't say anything, but he's learned from using the bond with Carolina that emotions speak louder. He just goes to grab those plates. ]

[ that bit of successful nonverbal communication with maine makes carolina feel a little more settled, reaffirmed that she can help him. her and wash both can.

she really hopes that hug helped wash as much as her contact with maine earlier had.

there's no space in the kitchen for her with them both there and she's still a little woozy anyway, moving to lean against the living room wall while she watches them, waits for them to inevitably move toward the table so she can join. she has nothing to say, but she does catch wash's hand when she can, gives his fingers a tight squeeze, their bond full of loving gratitude. ]

[ Although Maine is nothing but proud of his body, he has the sense to grab his discarded shirt and tug it back on. Better to dirty it than to get food on himself if something drops. Now fully clothed, he settles down at the table with his plate. Then, just for a moment, he lets himself breathe.

Breathing doesn't hurt. Wash didn't tell him to get the fuck out. Carolina wants him here.

Marks from Carolina's fingernails still mar his right wrist. He doesn't let himself look at it. Doesn't let himself think about what it might've been like to have Church at this table, too. He swallows once, then he digs into his stir fry.

Maine doesn't enjoy cooking, but he's not bad at it. The food is simple, straightforward, and nutritious. He thinks it tastes pretty good, and he eats quickly. ]

[ Wash comes over with a plate in each hand aand two forks, setting them down for himself and Carolina before taking a seat and her hand. He gives a squeeze back, smiling -- he really is very happy right now, but he does let go of her hand before starting to eat. It just feels like rubbing things in, in front of Maine, which they'd previously agreed would be a shitty thing to do. ]

This is great, Maine. Thanks.

[ Better than he could manage flavorwise, anyway. ]

[ carolina's equally quick to let wash's hand go, needing a moment to check in with him in some way and the brief touch seeming like the best option. still, when carolina settles at their table, she's quick to tuck her legs behind wash's. it gives him and maine both a little extra space for their legs while she can sneak a little bit of extra contact with wash, even if there's no bond involved.

at wash's assessment of the food, carolina nods her agreement, finishing her mouthful before she adds— ]

You're definitely a better cook than either of us are. [ there's a pause, a glance at maine's face before she drops her gaze back to her plate. ] I'm really glad you're here.

intervention (closed)

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