only a matter of time

With: Joaquin Aurelio Liu ( @mincedoaths )

It's so early in the morning. Stupid early. Anna stands outside of Joaquin's hospital room for exactly five seconds before she knocks. She's due at the zoo after this, but she can spare five seconds to make sure her game face is on; five seconds of breathing through her new nose and reminding herself that yelling is not, in fact, the solution.

Joaquin sits stock still in his hospital bed, the room completely silent except for the rhythmic beeping from the medical equipment still strapped onto his body regardless of how much he had protested. The Soma Medical staff had been less willing to hear him out than the staff at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, though he supposed that the extent of his injuries and the fact that his medical record made note of his previous hospital visit didn’t do him any favors.

But it wasn’t as if he was really at liberty to leave; the F.B.A.I. agents in their starched suits that had visited him earlier in the week had made that abundantly clear, though they had never said the words directly. They were digging into him for something other than The Cleaner. He could tell from the sly smiles, the double-talk, and the ambush questions they dropped apropos of nothing. They had spent hours trying to catch him on a lie, and then shamelessly switched to trying to trick him into thinking that they were on his side when he wouldn’t give them an inch.

Unusually, in the middle of the interrogation, the agent in the slate gray suit had announced that they had other responsibilities to attend to, but the one in the light gray suit had paused at the door and promised that they’d be back with a wink. Joaquin was sure they would be but, unless they were planning on arresting him, he had no intention of entertaining any more of their questions.

In his lap a new prepaid flip phone sat heavy like a stone, its notification light blinking ominously to alert him that new messages had come in. He refused to open it. Refused to give Ronnie the satisfaction after the ‘solution’ the other had suggested; a photo of a fake passport, a screenshot of a confirmation email for a one way flight back to the Philippines, and a message that read: 有我喺度，冇有怕。

Joaquin wasn’t going to run. He would face the consequences. He owed it to all the people who were now out of a job due to his mistakes. He didn’t care what Ronnie thought about the situation, he couldn’t force Joaquin to do anything he didn’t want to and Joaquin wasn't about to let himself turn out like—

A sudden sharp knock on the door startles him, forcing his body to tense almost painfully, the beep of the heart monitor accelerating. He knew that the nurses wouldn’t be making their rounds for another hour at least, so this was either a visitor or the agents coming back for round two.

Straightening his posture, he feels relieved at the arrival of a vaguely familiar looking young woman encumbered by various gifts. His body instinctively twitches in an aborted attempt to get up to help her that is stopped by sting of pain that shoots up his leg and the weight of the cast currently on it.

He smiles politely at her and mumbles a quiet ‘thank you’ hoping that his expression doesn’t give away his discomfort as he looks at the gifts in her arms. While he appreciated the presents and well wishes, they felt wholly unearned, completely undeserved. The fact that some people were sending him donations, despite his protests, made his stomach churn. He didn’t need it.

Slipping the flip phone beneath the blanket he cleared his throat and lifted his gaze to look at her face. “ If there’s any money among the gifts, please accept it as a tip, thank you. ”

“Don’t you know? The universe listens to what we say and makes it happen,” Sarah says fondly, before her eyes flicker to his smile and a sense of satisfaction settles on her chest at the sight. There it is, the smile she had wanted to coax from him. “And even if it doesn’t, at least saying as much made you smile, didn’t it? Glad to see it’s as pretty as always.”

People look their best when they are smiling genuinely, she believes, and her ability to bring those smiles into existence is one of the things she is most thankful for. Of course, nothing gold can stay, and soon it’s replaced by a quick flinch of surprise as Ajay realizes how close they are, and then by a frown that she can’t quite understand. Still, she accepts the squeeze from him with bemusement, lacing his fingers with hers and turning to face him, letting their hands fall between them still connected.

“Hard to not sell myself short when you have over a foot on me,” she says with a snort, trying to lighten the mood as she realizes her self-deprecation had been noticed. Internally grimacing, she brushes her thumb across the back of his hand absently to sooth him. “But thank you,” she adds, her smile turning shyer at the compliment. “And I am sure you would make an amazing Boy Wonder, but I do have to ask, do you think you have the legs for the leotard or are you going for the Robin uniform with legs?”

As she speaks, she subtly clears her throat glancing away from Ajay to pretend that her cheeks aren’t burning because of the compliment that she is desperately trying to believe in. It’s good that she does, because suddenly she realizes that there is a crowd around them, leaving just enough space for them to make it into the building. Some are even half-calling her name but pausing as their eyes fall on Ajay. 

A snort escapes her as she looks back at Ajay and gestures towards the crowd with her chin. 

Ajay shakes his arm slightly so that Sarah’s is wiggled where they’re hands connect. “ You know I don’t believe in superstitions. ” He teases, giving her an exaggerated pout just to be a contrarian.

The frown is short lived though, as a smile twitches at the edges of their lips. They struggle to fight the instinct to let a grin split their face in two at her joke, somewhat embarrassed to find something so cheesy funny. He snorts at her follow up question and shakes his head, nose scrunching at the mental image of his body in the classic Robin outfit. “ Nah, I think I’d go with the Damian Wayne look. ”

His expression softens when he turns to look at Sarah and sees the bashful look on her face, happy that she seems to have taken some of it to heart. He wished that he could do more for her, but after years in the industry, Ajay is acutely aware of how big of a role marketability played into steward ranking, regardless of the company line the F.B.A.I. shilled.

He wasn’t exaggerating when he said she had the innate skills to climb up the ranks, but he knew it was all dependent on the higher ups deciding to giver her a push. He watches her eyes flick away and follows with his own gaze, matching eyes with someone nearby who jumps slightly before raising a hand to wave. The person standing next to the onlooker grabs their hand and pulls it down, hissing something too quietly for Ajay to hear from where they stand.

They click their tongue, they knew when they agreed to this that there would be a crowd, but they didn’t think they’d get surrounded this fast; or that the audience would be filled with a bunch of eavesdroppers who had all the subtly of a bull in a china shop as they lifted their phones to sneak pictures.

Ajay is all at once markedly cognizant of the fact that their hands are still intertwined with Sarah’s and a wave of guilt overtakes them. For all his talk about looking out for her, he was current taking advantage of her kindness and their friendship; using her as a shield to muddy the waters when it came to the ‘*Flarenix’* issue by waving one of his known platonic relationships in front to the public to make the clips of him and Flare look less damning in comparison.

Giving Sarah’s hand one final squeeze and a smile, they gently disentangle their fingers from hers and then stuff their hands into their pockets.

“ Let’s head inside first so we can get all our ducks in a roll before we gotta start interfacing with the public. ” They finished their sentence with a pointed look at their audience.

Damn, sometimes it was just too freaking easy to get under Phoenix's skin. Being so close to them, Flare noticed everything, as the red flush was written all over their face. Even when they seemed to be trying so damn hard not to react, their body betrays them showing everything that Flare can confirm. She hot and makes them nervous. Fucking good. A slow, dangerous confidence was brewing in her, settling a little into her chest, knowing that here she had all the power. Maybe this wouldn't be dull after all.

As she walks ahead, Phoenix dares to overtake her, even to shoulder check her. She manages to keep herself steady not falling back as everyone knew that she was stronger of the two. How easily she would beat their ass in any form of combat. If height was their only advantage then it was already a loosing game and Flare never loses. Especially the likes of assholes like Phoenix. Flare exhales sharply through her nose almost amused, running her tongue over her bottom teeth, as he arrives first. Fucking fine by her. Just because he reached the marker first, wasn't going to make him number. It was going to take a whole lot more than that.

And Flare was gonna mess with him.

Calling out to her, Flare rolls her eyes, not going to chase after Phoenix, as stands taller walking with a poised grace, reaching her marker at her own pace. As they thanked the crew, Flare added onto it in her own fashion. Pointing a few finger guns at those blurred faces of the crew, who's names she had totally forgotten, "Pleasure to be working with you folks again." Like her team taught her, polite blanket statement that could boost moral was always a perk.

"Good this are very much worth the wait," Flare comments under her breath, taking her place on her marker, hands on her waist, as she looks around at the cameras that had been set up. Her tongue in her cheeks as her eyes do a once over on Ajay, who was bouncing on their feet. Brining her arm over to stretch a little limbering herself up for all the possible poses. Yet one question comes to mind, how to make herself look good whilst making them uncomfortable on camera? Flare analyses quickly: close proximity and not allowing their height to be an advantage.

Her coy smirk twists on her face, keeping her voice low and controlled, stepping off her own marker, adjusting herself a little closer to his. "Just follow my lead Phoenix." She looks over at the team, "Is it cool if we try something, yeah?" It was more a statement than it was a question as few would dare to tell her no. Looking down at Ajay's legs to see which one was more exposed, since more skin exposed was always a selling point, and she was not about to be the covering up point for what could be his USP for the shoot. Not that it mattered to Flare which side she was on, all her sides were her best angles. There wasn't a single terrible photo of her out there. Look it up if you don't believe her.

Without saying a word, Flare, rest one arm on Phoenix's shoulder, tilting back, resting most of her body weight onto him, so she was resting on him. With her other free hand, placing her hand on her waist creating a triangle, remembering something she was told to make photos look slightly more dynamic and interesting. Her eyes glance to the camera, seemed to look good. "How's this pose?" She calls out to the crew allowing them to take a few shots. "Or how about something like this?"

Ajay rolls their eyes as Zaya literally shot a greeting to the staff members; it was legitimately crazy how they only had a five year age gap but her idea of being “friendly” was just defaulting to elder millennial humor.

They weigh the pros and cons of yelling “put some hustle into it, meemaw” as she saunters on over. On one hand, it would be funny and they’re surrounded by a bunch of innocent bystanders so he wouldn’t immediately find himself splattered against the walls, on the other this was Flare and they knew she could hold a grudge. They roll the idea in their head for another couple of seconds before deciding to tamp down the impulse lest he end up having to look over his shoulder until Flare got even.

As she takes her place on the maker, he hears her mutter a "Good this are very much worth the wait" and they’re forced to close their eyes to avoid rolling their eyes out of their head. How was it possible that they were born in the same generation?

He’s rolling a few snide remarks around in his head, debating how much they’re willing to lose to get Flare to drop the Cool Girl™ persona long enough for there to be picture of it, when they hear her address them directly. They squint at the smile on her face, suspicious of whatever she had in mind but unwilling to make a scene (yet).

They jump slightly at the feeling of her arm coming to rest on their shoulder and the feeling of her weight at their side. They open their mouth to hiss a ‘what the hell are you doing’ when her but she’s already calling out to the photographer.

Turning their gaze to the monitor, Ajay stuffs their hands into their pockets and extends the leg that isn’t supporting Flare forward; tilting their chin up the way they’ve seen models do in ads. And while they have to admit that the mirrored image of their bodies on the screen doesn’t look half bad,they’re annoyed that the pose highlights their exposed skin more than they would have liked.

They hear the shutter of the camera go off a couple times and then Flare is speaking again. Though they weren’t particularly happy about it, they were more willing to follow her lead this time as she changes the pose; assuming, perhaps naively, that she probably didn’t have any malicious intent.

Flare rewards his moment of weakness by proving that ever singular bad thing they’ve ever thought about her was, in fact, correct.

His heart is beating rabbit quick in the confines of their chest, but more than anything they were angry. Okay so she did notice and was now getting a kick out of pushing their buttons.

This was a pissing contest now, and Ajay was good at those. They knew this was not a war they would win, but they were going down swinging.

The redness of their cheeks couldn’t be helped at this point, but they were going to roll with it now. They’d play it off as a choice the Makeup Department had made in anyone asked; that flushed from exercise look or something.

They barked out a sardonic " Yessum ” before wrapping both arms around Flare’s waist. Leaning forward slightly, they ducked their head down so only their eyes could be seen from over her shoulder and glared at the camera.

Sab was already pissed off by the time the bus dumped him four blocks from his usual stop, but walking was still faster with pedestrians packed this thick like canned mackerel. No way these people gawking at the sky were actual New Everwickers. Locals would've ignored it and kept moving. Sab shoved between two eediats taking a picture in the middle of a red‑light crosswalk, causing traffic to stall.

His dress shoes snapped against the hot pavement, as if the floor were lava, and his stomach dropped when he saw how jammed the next stretch was. Sab needed a breather, so he carved out a tiny pocket of space beside some guy taller than him, wearing a dark mask over the lower half of his face. A mask in this heat? The thrill of Manhattanhenge dragged the sick out of bed too?

Despite his reservations, the guy was here first so Sab asked if he could loiter for a bit. The man's expression flickered neutral before the smile returned. Even with half his face covered, Sab could tell he was probably some kind of model. A small crowd hovered around him, stealing glances like he was a landmark.

"Plenty of room? Really?" Sab said, dripping sarcasm as he tried to turn and immediately got shoved forward. Maybe the man was a glass-half-full sort, the opposite of Sab Lenworth. "If you think this is spacious, your landlord is robbing you blind."

He kept his eyes on the horizon, waiting for any gap he could slip through before the crowd sealed again. The stranger nudged him. Sab shot him a raised eyebrow, the universal message of do you mind?

Bunmi’s eyes widen at the — random and completely unreasonable —  attitude the stranger lobs in his direction. His practiced warm smile morphs into something much more tense and strained under the mask; head shaking almost imperceptibly, silently overcome by rage and disbelief.

In an attempt to compose himself, he blinks rapidly, fighting an internal battle to not say the most scathing thing he could to the man in the business slacks who had the audacity to ask to squeezed in next to him and then bitch about it.

Years of media training were the only thing that held his tongue; he wasn’t about to throw away a twenty year career to clap back at a some mid businessman who was so ill-bred he probably embarrassed his mama on a daily basis.

Letting out a soft and breathy canned chuckle, Bunmi lightly jostles the other man’s shoulder with slightly more force than necessary, but not enough to look like anything more than a friendly shove. Like rough housing between friends. Like he didn't want to square up and see the other guy tuck tail and run. “ Hey now, it’s not like I begged you to come out to meet me here. May I remind you that you talked to me first? ”

By the look on the other’s mug — sour and bitter — Bunmi guess that perhaps the businessman had got caught up in the crowd on his way to or from work. Sucks to suck, but it wasn’t like it was Bunmi’s fault huge crowd showed up to watch the sun set. Blame the New Everwick Tourism Department for managing to come up with another overhyped tourist trap. Dude should have checked the calendar before stomping on over like every single person here coordinated to ruin his day specifically. Talk about an ego.

The other man was still droning on about something, but Bunmi’s already tuned him out as the sun nears the horizon. He pulls out his phone — a still unreleased model in a white shell with gold accents, a promotional item custom made just for him — when he notices faces in the crowd looking in his direction reflected on the phone's screen. He tunes back into the other guy’s yapping in time to hear something about people moving in.

Bunmi looks to the left and right and realizes that a crowd has started to form around him; a mix of people sneaking glances or blatantly staring, some whispering, some pointing.

After a beat, someone in the throng of people finally pipes up, “Luminary?” At the sound of his moniker, his head turns in their direction without consciously meaning to. In that split second it's like an unspoken truce has just been broken and the crowd surges forward.

Ruh-roh. He’s been made.

Bunmi is acutely aware that right now is not the time to create some sort of incident in the middle of Manhattan. Not after all the trouble Shika got into. Not when Jaylen's also made headlines by landing himself in the hospital.

Focusing on his desire to protect his career, Bunmi snaps his fingers and creates a platform only large enough to fit him and uses it to lift himself up a few feet off the ground. The crowd oohs and ahhs. He should get the hell out of Dogde, but would be really be The People's Darling if he didn't give them a little bit of fan service?

Magnanimous as always, Bunmi removes his hood and mask to show his face. The crowd begins to scream in excitement. He laughs and begins to make the construct rotate slowly with a flick of his wrist.

He’s done a ninety degree turn when he finally spots him — the business man — surrounded by the crowd.

Based on the distance the rest of the herd was keeping between themselves and him, Bunmi could tell that his audience were absolutely under the incredibly wrong impression that this random guy was with Bunmi. Fuck.

He could see the headlines now. “We’ve been knew!: All the signs that Luminary was rollin' with the LGBT” “First Siren, Then Luminary: Which Celestial✧Clubs™ member will soft launch their new beau?” “OPINION: Luminary didn’t deserve to get outted, but can we all agree that he’s actually a terrible person for abandoning his date?”

Goddamn it. He couldn’t just leave him there now. David would have a conniption, and at his ripe age that might very well kill him.

Groaning, Bunmi unzips his hoodie and the crowed erupted again, he ignored them this time. Tossing the garment over the man’s head before creating another light construct in front of him, Bunmi extends a hand towards him. “ We gotta go. Now. ”

jaylen picks up his right away when he sees the name "🌞" flash on his screen. he winces, the angle and torque was not ideal, and his still-healing leg gives him ample complaint. still, he re-positions himself on his hospital bed and opens the text. it's been two days, but who's counting? bunmi ( and the rest of the guys ) probs have more to do considering jaylen's off the grid, so he tries not to psyche himself out when he texts back.

JAYLEN: oh :~( sorry to hear that mate JAYLEN: was it our mouthpiece again?

he meant the crew's smooth talker: the one who could sweet‑talk a wall but still butcher a sentence on the regular. whatever flavor of chaos they were serving today.

A rush comes over her as she as takes a seat, her cheeks a little flushed from having her moment of introductions. Still in shock and nerves to what she had just confessed about herself to everyone and the cameras. With one hand, she fans her face trying to cool herself off, for now was the spotlight from the very beautiful Benny. Another fellow N.E.S.T member that she had seen in passing but had never really had a full conversation. At times she had heard their voice but when he began to speak and she could certainly hear the chimes of a British accent seeping through, her head defiantly perked up, along with her interest. Maybe it was just her guilty pleasure of watching Bridgeton, but Viola was a little more interested on what had to be said.

Unknowingly, her head is slowly bobbing along to every word that Benny is saying. Even though at times it seems like he was a little bit jumpy, though this seemed to be a self awareness, as he mentioned that he was a little bit scattered brain...though rather curious to why he said at times. Hearing that he was a professor of theoretical physics was rather interesting. Certainly, the way that he was publicly talking, jumping around with the occasional click and laughter here, was most rightfully screaming professor energy. Though perhaps one of those professors that you would have to make sure that you were awake and alert in order to keep up with the rapid movements of his energy and pretty fast notetaking skills.

A little bit of her peaks over to Rosalind....lowkey wondering her reaction. Two beautiful people. Two beautiful minds. That could certainly be a match there based on it alone. Viola pauses for a moment, wait had mother asked Benny to be here as a third to create the work place romance trope or something in hopes her or Rosalind would be paired with them? Either way....Viola wasn't complaining all that much. After all...the reason why she was on the show was to help N.E.S.T...not catch feelings or something like that.

Though Viola did happily admire it. Trying her best to keep up with the energy that Benny was certainly projecting, with a hint of nerves that was obviously creeping in. And ahh, there it was again him admitting that he was normally better at public speaking. It was kinda nice to have others actually admit their nerves. Honestly, it made people a lot more human and honest.

If anything, their presence on the show would only work to his benefit—he didn’t have to worry about accidentally leading someone on anymore.

His eyes widen at her question, a bark of pleasantly surprised laughter escaping his lips, which he quickly covers with a hand. He chuckles a little, mouth still concealed, the smile lines around his eyes creased as his eyes twinkle with gaiety.

How charming. He can see why Vaimiti picked her.

“ Oh, no—that’d be a little too intense for me, honestly. ” He responds, finally lowering his hand and shaking his good naturedly, the grin still splitting his face. “ While I think the concept is certainly romantic—connecting with another so closely that you basically become one—I think I value my independence too much to get into something like that. I also think I find myself more attracted to those who are dedicated to their own goals or crafts. ”

As he speaks, he brings up his right hand to stroke his beard, his gaze drifts to the side as he thinks. “ I think a certain level of… hmmm, separation between yourself and a romantic partner is necessary to adequately support one another. So that one of you can stay strong in the others time of need. ” He concludes, nodding to himself before his eyes shift back to Sabryna. He smiles at her again, his crinkling up into eyes dark crescents. “ That was a good question, thank you. Your professors must be quite fond of you—but I’m sure it'd be harder to be unaffected by you. ”

As soon as Rosalind had been told the theme of her first date, a burst of amusement had settled on her chest. Fate, if it exists, seems to favor her to some degree, if the theme is anything to go by. While she tends to run on a relatively tight budget, she still occasionally chooses to visit antique shops all across New Everwick out of curiosity, if nothing else. In an ideal world, where she had enough money to splurge while continuing doing what she loves, most of her furniture would probably be antiques. As it is, her apartment is an eclectic, yet tasteful, mix of old and new, entirely based on what she has managed to find at a good price over the years. 

She arrives first to the date spot, of course she does. First to arrive, first to introduce herself, and first to leave. Even if they were staggering their exits, it makes sense she is still the first one to arrive to her first destination, even if it does mean she has to stand and pretend to not be awkward for a while. Usually, she would use the time to read a book or two on her kindle app, but the show-provided phone didn’t have the app, so all she could do was sit in a bench right at the beginning of Amboy Road and wait. Elbow pressed against her thigh and chin in hand, Rosalind idly watches the passerby’s and the camera crew setting up, all while wondering who she had ended up matching with. It would be nice if it’s Sabryna or Keegan, she thinks. She values their friendship greatly, so she doesn’t think the date would be awkward if that were the case, and admittedly, she does have very pretty friends so as long as it wouldn’t make things awkward in the long term, she doesn’t think giving it the good old college try would be a bad thing. 

Humming under her breath, she taps her fingers against her cheek rhythmically as she waits, sounds coming to a stop as she hears another car approach and raises her head in its direction, eyes keen on trying to see who steps out of it. As the car comes to a stop, she hurries to stand up and runs her hands over her outfit as if trying to wipe away any creases. Once that is done—  and after giving a quick look to make sure everything is in place— , she begins moving towards the car, slowing down as the door opens and Benedick steps out. 

Huh. Somehow she didn’t expect for it to be the very pretty Manhattan branch N.E.S.T. volunteer. Still, at least it is a semi-familiar face. 

With that in mind, she waves with a smile and finishes her approach. 

“It’s good to see you,” she admits with a small grin. “Even if I am a little surprised. Did they tell you what our date is going to be about?”

A cluster of wind chimes hanging near the shops front door clink together as he steps out, and he snorts, looking away from Mercedes to glance at the groupings of shells, glass, and metal dancing in the wind. His eyes crinkle cheerfully, before returning to Mercedes.

Standing up fully, he takes a moment to adjust his clothes before reaching out his arm to offer Mercedes a handshake.

He licks his lips and then opens his mouth to speak. “ Likewise. Makes us comrades in more ways than one. ” He answers her question with a knowing look, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“ And, yes, they did let me know, ” Grinning widely as he says this, Suman pulls out a crisp white envelope from the inside breast pocket of his jacket and presents it to Mercedes.

“ I take it they already gave you your funds, but you can have mine as well. ” He gently, but firmly hands her the envelope, his expression shifting to grim seriousness.

“ I’m on a strict no-buy challenge for the rest of the month so I need you to keep me on the straight and narrow. Even if I find a book in there I really want. No matter how much I beg—even if I get on my hands and knees in front of you—You have to look me in the eye and say ‘Benedick, no.’ ” He declares somberly, his gaze dipping down to the envelop and then back up to Mercedes.

He stares at her for a beat, the morose expression still on his face, until a corner of his mouth starts to twitch upward, then the other.

The afternoon meeting with Scotty had left Keegan rattled. It had been the same tired script — his low-leveled mission completion stats, negligible social media gains, petering engagement metrics — followed by the usual line about “needing to work on opportunities” and “limited options with your digital footprint” whenever Keegan had asked about getting more minutes on RealHero TV. The last time he’d appeared on-screen this week, it was the back of his head in a blurry clip, assisting Phoenix in taking down bank robbers on Ninth Street.

The meeting was wrapping up with the familiar promises — keep grinding, stay patient, your time will come. Five years and counting, your time will come. Keegan had thought they were done when Scotty went quiet, glanced at his phone, and frowned. Then he gave Keegan an unsettling once-over with a slight smile, not the big reassuring grin that had kept the worries at bay.

“ You’re not going to be too busy with missions in May, Atlas. ”

“ Oh! I don’t know— ”

“ I do. You won’t, because.... ”

Ajay’s heart plummeted to the pit of their stomach at the sight of Keegan's face, then sped into overtime when they saw his eyes dip down to the phone in their hand. A flush of embarrassment rose up their neck and they quickly hid the phone behind their back. They cringed as soon as they realized what they had done, feeling like a child caught by a parent looking at something they shouldn’t at the internet. Their mouth opened and closed like a fish, excuses and explanations dying in their suddenly parched throat before they could form on their lips.

Keegan was talking to them in a slow, steady voice, like he was trying to calm down a spooked animal, like he was trying to talk Ajay off of a ledge. Ajay’s mouth audibly clicked shut, their top and bottom teeth clinking together with the force of the motion. Clearing their throat they stiffly squared their shoulders.

“ It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Just some bullshit internet rumors, you know how it is. ” Keegan absolutely didn’t know how it was. Couldn’t know. He had been allotted the gift of anonymity that Ajay never had the chance to even try for. But it was a blessing, someone as sweet and kind as Keegan wouldn’t be able to handle the type of media shitstorm anyone with even the smallest semblance of fame had to handle at the height of this godforsaken hyper-connected era. And the less he knew, the better.

She exhales through her nose, amused despite herself, and stands up so she can look for a recycling bin. Her cup is just melted ice at this point, and she needs something to do with her hands.

Joaquin smiles at Anna, somewhat confused by her reaction but happy that he hadn’t come off as some kind of arrogant gasconader. His mouth falls open slightly at her explanation of the word ‘mask moths.’

“ Oh, you mean admirers… ” Heat rises up to his cheeks and he’s forced to look away. She wants to know if anyone ever propositions him at the get-togethers. His brain sputters to a halt and then tries to restart itself; belatedly he thinks that his ears are probably bright red. “ Um… ” What would be the correct way to answer a question like that? ‘Actually, you’d be surprised at how many people hit on me in front of their kids?’ No. No way he could say something like that to Anna.

But would saying nothing be misrepresenting himself—?

Joaquin cringes when he hears Anna incorrectly surmise that he doesn’t have any… enthusiasts. It would be better to say something than be a liar by omission.

He turns back to face her and is startled to see that she has begun to walk away from him—his instinct is to follow but he’s unsure if he’s been dismissed. His body swivels in her direction and twitches in multiple false starts as he internally debates on whether or not he’s meant to follow. He makes eye contact with a group of mom’s hovering nearby who enthusiastically motion to him to follow Anna by waving their hands in the air and mouthing 'Go.'

He bows awkwardly at them and bounds after her, catching up after a few strides due to their height disparity.

Joaquin listens attentively as Anna continues to speak, nodding his head and humming along in response. He valued her willingness to offer him advice as someone who had had managed to make a name for herself without the help of a talent agency. His smile wobbled at the mention of RealHero—bad memories resurfacing like sand buried shipwrecks at low tide—but it returned tenfold to hear Anna discount the show so quickly.

He’s beaming at her, smile lines at the corner of his mouth creased deeply with the force of his delight. He’d always suspected that Anna had no interest in fame, unlike many other stewards in the indie scene, but the confirmation brings a spring in his step. They hadn’t really had a chance to talk one-on-one like this before and he was curious to know her thoughts on the industry, what her goals were for her career as a steward.

“ Um, would you like to—? ” Joaquin starts to say at the same moment Anna begins to talk again. He grins and motions for her to continue, feeling embarrassed about almost interrupting with a question while she still had more to say.

He is viscerally unprepared to hear her voice say Ronnie’s name, anxiety sliding down his back like a cold bucket of water—the giddiness from before washed away by a remorseless typhoon. “ Ronnie? Oh, that’s—um… ” His eyes dart away towards the shadows in the tree line, sweat gathering on his brow as Anna begins to list possible connections. “ Ronnie, is, he’s not, um— ” He blenches at her last guess, eyes wide, his eyes flick back towards the sidewalk, looking for an exit plan. “ No, um, he’s— ”

The sudden switch in topic and the bewilderment he picks up in the tone of her voice pull his attention back to her face. He blinks at her, surprised. Did she really not know? “ Yes. I mean, as far as I know at least? ”

The exact parameters of his permutation were mystery that even his designated proctors didn’t fully understand—his power initially being categorized as simply ‘enhanced strength’ until he managed to prove that it was something else. Or what it his father’s last name that gave him the luxury of disagreeing and being heeded?

He grimaces as Anna continues to as questions in rapid succession; some of them striking still healing wounds with pinpoint accuracy. It’s not like she could know about that, she was just curious.

“ Don’t worry, it’s totally okay! ” He said, finally finding his voice again. “ But yeah, um, I guess I don’t know for sure that it works the way I think I do. Ronni— ” Red alert, red alert! Divert! “ Uh, some people I’ve spoken to about it think it could be a sort of placebo effect? But as far as I’m aware, if I’m friends with someone, and they’re in danger I gain the strength to protect them? ” ‘ Like those stories of moms who can pick up a car to save their babies! ’ “ Like… those stories of mothers who get an adrenaline surge and can lift cars off their children? ” His eyebrows furrow slightly, unsure of himself as he repeats someone else’s explanation of his power.

Anna starts to move again but Joaquin knows to follow this time, taking short but quick steps to keep up with her pace. “ It’s fine, I don’t mind! Um, whether the placebo theory is correct or not, I find it helps if I tell people how it works. Like, uh, we both have to agree to the rules for it to be real, if that makes any sense? ” He was floundering and he knew it. His explanation was probably causing more questions than it was answering. He should change the topic.

Like always, Anna is two steps ahead of him, probably sensing his ineptitude and giving him an out.

He’s smiling again, but it’s softer this time, his heart warmed by her sincere concern for him. “ I promise not to talk any unnecessary risks, Anna. Promise. ” Without thinking too much about it, he reaches his right hand towards her, fist closed except for an extended and crooked pinkie finger.

He’s blushing lightly at the mention of the stickers, he had completely forgotten about that—had they been there the entire time?

“Why did you have to go on and say that,” she groans playfully, using her elbow to tap him on his side a couple of times. “Haven’t you seen Saturday morning cartoon’s, man? Every time someone says ‘it can’t get any worse’ it does get worse!”

She is whining playfully, trying to distract them from whichever heavy thoughts have settled over their brow, but at the end she can’t quite manage, she notices. Not when their next words give her a hint of what they are worried about. Yeah, the article is an issue, and one that will likely haunt him for a bit, but she invited him out because of it, not in spite of it… Not that he knows, so she guesses his concerns are valid. 

“Ajay,” she begins slowly, her usual overemoting gone as she looks up at her friend with a serious expression, a hand raising to fall on theirs and squeeze reassuringly. “I promise I know what I am getting into. I asked your PR team permission for a reason. And really, her fans like me well enough! The smarter ones know I helped her get out of that PR mess during our time as a ‘team’ of sorts, and the less smart ones either shipped us a little or thought we were a pseudo-Batman and Robin group. I am not likely to get into the crosshairs at all. I might be popular with my fans, but I am not important enough for her fans to react too much.”

The sudden prod of Sarah’s elbow at his side and her gentle chiding draw a genuine chortle out of Ajay. He ducks his head and turns away from her face to stop a full blown guffaw from escaping his lips as he feels her continue to nudge at him as she speaks.

Grinning, he nods, “ Yeah, no, you’re right. That last thing I should do right now is invite any more misfortune by, like, speaking it into existence, or something. God forbid. ” Something about the absurdity of the concept pulls another series of chuckles out of him and he turns back to face her; a wide smile pinching at the apples of his cheeks.

Bathed in the warm glow of Sarah’s convivial presence, Ajay felt some of the stress he had been carrying for the last couple of days melt away. Camaraderie bubble up like carbonation in his entire being, a childlike giddiness Sarah had a knack at exhuming no matter what kind of catastrophe he was currently enmeshed in.

He’s trying to come up with a quip of his own to keep the lighthearted banter going when he’s started by the feeling of her hand cupping his. His eyes flick down in time to see her give him a gentle squeeze before returning to meet her gaze.

She was closer than he had expected, looking up at him with her large, brown eyes that sparkle in the setting sun. He feels a flush of heat spread across his face and his lashes flutter in surprise. Woah.

Flushing, he leans back slightly, blinking rapidly trying to figure out if that had been a subconscious activation of her power or if his brain had chosen the worst possible time to remind him that his friend was strikingly beautiful. His gaze dips involuntary down to her lips then back up to her eyes as she continues to speak.

His eyebrows furrow, the edges of his lips dipping down as a lour overtook his features. He didn’t like the way she was talking about herself, self-deprecation proponed as fact. To an extent, he could understand her point of view— but it was limited by her own experience, or lack there of.

He turned the hand still held in hers and return the squeeze from earlier. “ Hey, I get that you’re trying to make me feel better, but stop selling yourself short, okay? You just need the right push, alright? ” He meant it, genuinely. Sarah was on a shortlist of stewards whose potential Ajay felt was being squandered by Valerian in favor of egomaniacs who were one scandal away from self-imploding.

“ I serious, okay? You’re better than half of the narcissists I have to deal with on the daily. ” Flare included. “ Honestly, if things had been even just a little bit different; if you had been scouted earlier—who knows? I might have been your Boy Wonder. ”

where: manhattan, nk

when: may 30, 2022

cw: none

It's crowded as hell, and sources say it'll only get more crowded as the years go by. Manhattanhenge is something that feels like it's fake, like a conspiracy theory or psy-op made for social media stories and keeping people distracted, because of how buzzwordy it sounds. But it's on the bucket list all the same, and if the timing is perfect, why miss out on the opportunity? On the curb of the street, there's an opening to squeeze in, but only if the other person's willing to share.

As the sun continued in its descent, the crowds excitement was palpable. Bunmi, for his part, was just happy to be doing something that didn’t include two to three unwanted tagalongs. He’d only managed to sneak away because he’d promised main bodyguard that he’d do a personal video call for their niece’s quinceañera.

Subconsciously, he adjusted the position of the black cotton mask that covered the bottom half of his face and pulled on the drawstrings of his jacket’s hood. Shifting his footing he tried to get the best angle of the setting sun. Amused, he wondered how much his fans would freak out when he posted photos of Manhattanhenge on AlterEgo.

The thought is cut short as a voice at his side asked a question. His smile faded and he wanted to respond with a pithy, “ Yes, actually, I do mind ”—but there was still a chance that someone in the crowd would recognize him, despite all his precautions. Plus, with all the infighting currently going on between him and the boys, there was no way he was going to be the one caught slipping.

Taking a deep breath to center himself, Bunmi forced a canned smile to crinkle his eyes believably. Tyra was full of shit and smizing wasn’t real.

Turning to face the interloper, he was pleasantly surprised to see that at the very least they were pretty cute. Small victories and all that jazz. Shrugging, he stepped slightly to the side and inclined his head in acknowledgment, “ Nah, go ahead. Plenty of room. ”

He knew he should probably leave this interaction at that—the less he said the less likely it was that anyone would identify him among the other voice in the crowd; but he rarely had the chance to interact with people where he could pretend he was just a regular person.

Playfully nudging the stranger with his elbow, he asked a question of his own. “ So, you actually think this thing is worth all the hype? I heard this was a good spot to get some nice pics but now that I’m here… feels like people are making a mile outta a mole hill. ”

Anna makes no attempt to stop him stumbling through his explanation -- the “get‑together among friends,” the hopeful “I posted about it online,” the realization she wasn’t here for him. She is not built for this level of earnestness and has to bite her lip to keep from smiling back. This is how he gets people. He’s so earnest, it’s almost disarming. Almost. She’s still fresh off of being clowned in the group chat about following one awkward steward with a nice smile; she’ll be damned if there's another.

Anna was magnanimous as ever, smoothly sidestepping his fo paux with an ease he couldn’t help but envy. “ Oh, no, I usually only do it when someone asks, ” He replied, letting out a laugh that came out sounding a little too self deprecating even to his own ears. “ It’s mainly the kids who like it. ” He quickly tacked on.

He nodded as she continued speaking, a grin on his face growing wider as she expressed her confidence in his abilities. “ Yes, I’m not very… ” He struggled to find a word that wouldn’t paint him as someone only interested in fame. “ …accomplished as a steward, yet. But having an established group of people who will cheer me on will help if I ever get signed with a talent agency. ” He laughed and then cringed, realizing that was probably the worst thing he could have said.

“ What I mean is, um, with my power I have the potential to be very… ” He paused, chewing on his bottom lip as he tried to find the right word. “ Useful to the people of New Everwick. I work out because it helps me look the part, I guess... ” His words trailed off inelegantly, the explanation didn’t come out as eloquent as he would have hoped.

He knew he lacked the quick wit that most respected stewards seem to innately possess, but he was trying to work on it. It also probably didn’t help that he was talking to Anna, who was more perspicacious than he could ever hope to be.

At a loss as to else he could say to clear things up, he averts his gaze to the carousel. A handful of children waved at him from atop of their painted animal mounts; warmth bloomed in his chest. It didn’t matter that he fumbled with his words as long as they believed in him. He returned their greetings cheerfully with both hands, beaming up at them with slightly misty eyes.

Anna cleared her throat and pulled his attention back, his smile wobbles a little at her statement.

“ Oh, um, I’m not afraid of bugs and I don’t wear a mask so, I’m not sure that’s a problem I’ve ever dealt with? ” His reply is more like a question, his head tilted to the left in confusion. He wasn’t sure why the topic had turned to clothes moths. Maybe it was a joke he didn’t understand? Not wanting to come off as even more of an ingénu that he most like already did, he decided to commit to shifting the conversation back to his career as a steward.

“ As for hecklers, ” He paused, thinking back to his previous get-together. “ When I was first starting out there were some, yeah. Mainly because some people don’t think my permutation is real, and it did upset me greatly, at the time. I almost thought about quitting because if people don’t believe in me, my power doesn’t work” Ah, no, he shouldn’t make it sound like he’s weak-willed. “—But then Ronnie told me not to let those type of things get to me, and so I took that to heart and changed my mindset! There might still be some these days but I’ve learnt how to “roll with the punches! And so, I guess I don’t really notice anymore? ” Did that make him sound too pigheaded? He should talk about something else.

“ Um, normally I don’t get into fights— ” Did that make him sound ineffective? Uncool? ” I mean, like, I’ve read online that deescalation is usually a better option so I generally try to do that... ” His words faded out feebly. Okay, so maybe talking about himself was the wrong choice.

Clearing his throat, he tried again, hoping he would find his footing, “ Um, about “the problem management is saying doesn't exist” do you mean the cleaner guy? I haven’t personally run into him or seen an attack, but I believe that he exists because people are getting hurt. He might be avoiding me, maybe? ”