part of the team

teddy sat by the wall, flask in hand as he all but glared at everyone. he had worn a suit, and it looked decent given that it was him wearing it, but devyn had insisted he make an effort so here they were. with a small huff, he took another sip and sat back. “who invented dances?’cause im gonna learn how to time travel and kick them.”

“having fun, then?” m’gann jested. “honestly i’m really just here for the buffet. some of the best food i’ve had in a while.” she smiled and sat down next to the boy, far enough so as to not invade his personal space but close enough to invite conversation.”

with a grin that could only be described as wholesomely wicked, gar shifts into a large bear and lumbers forward, arms outstretched wide with a grin across his grizzly snout, “you KNOW they are!”

“oomph!” m’gann exclaimed and burst into laughter. she didn’t know what she expected from gar, but this seemed like one of the most likely outcomes. “thanks for helping me feel better. that actually helped more than you think it might.”

“just…” she lets out a long sigh, because all the things she could say have been said… or yelled. but she was tired of fighting and just wanted her friend, at this point. so she closes the distance between them and pulls m’gann into a hug, “no more lying. whatever it is, we figure it out like everything else.”

“wait, are you leaving paragon?” m’gann asked, starting to get a bit panicky. “i feel like i just got here. is it personal?”

“i feel kind of obligated to help you out at least a little bit,” m’gann said, a smile plastered on her face. “i think it would be illegal to let you try to finish all of that yourself.”

“arty, that’s not...” m’gann froze, about to correct her friend, but thought it might be better of her to stop while she was ahead. “you know what? i’ll take it.” she cracked a small smile. “I want you to know how sorry I am. I just...didn’t want to hurt you.”

Theora leaned back against the bar, holding her drink in hand. She watched the crowd around her. She raised her drink to her lips before she said, “Starting to think places like this aren’t really my crowd anymore.”

“Doesn’t really seem like my thing but I’ll definitely, like, think about it. It’s not, uh, strictly a bad idea or anything.”

m’gann honestly didn’t expect her pushing to work. most people just told her to fuck off, so she was left speechless for a moment. “thank you,” she said. “let me know how it goes when you give it a try.”

“Anyone who isn’t friends with you is missing out. I’ll tell all of them about it.” Kon chuckles a little as he looks at his friend. “Well that’s a mighty tall promise right there with that.”

m’gann concealed a smile. “i’m well aware. same goes for you, kon,” she said. “i’m well aware of that, too. honestly, i know i’m not innocent on the destruction front either, so i can be a little lenient on that front.”

❝ why would i do that when i already know how it’ll end ? ❞ skylar smile was mirthless, nothing else.

“that’s exactly why,” m’gann tried to explain. “because you don’t know how it’ll end. even if you could see the future, there’d be countless outcomes from this one outcome. i’m willing to bet most of them would be positive.”

Niko chuckled humorlessly at her joke, it was no question that he was definitely not the type to want to journal or anything of the sort. “Sorry, I’m not in touch with my emotions, I’d just rather not be.”

“Look, I get it,” she said sympathetically. “When you’ve got a lot going on in your life it’s hard to remember to take care of yourself. But trust me, you’re important, too.” M’gann knew what she was saying probably sounded cheesy, but at least she practiced what she preached.

”It really doesn’t. If the opportunity presents itself…“ A wry smile twisted John’s features. “Or if I’m in the mood, well. Too bad about those tires, squire. Or that mysterious cough that won’t go away for about a month.

“What, that I love revenge?” He snorted loudly, and rolled his eyes as he fished out his pack of cigarettes. “Like tellin’ you I’m Scouse or that me favorite ciggies are Silk Cuts. It’s not a secret an’ doesn’t say anything that can’t be figured out within five minutes of interacting with me.”

“Once again, I think it depends on what you consider an opportunity presenting itself,” she said, raising an eyebrow once she heard the rest of what he had to say. “A sorcerer, hm? What else is it you do?” she asked. M’gann gave him a knowing smile. She could tell he thought he had her right where he wanted her. “Any kind of information can go a long way in the wrong hands. Or, I guess, the right hands. However you want to look at it.”

“I’m gonna pass on that one. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.” And Amy knew what a disaster her feelings could be. She’d hurt people before, when her powers were still new. Or when they got on her bad side. She gives a sarcastic smile. “Thanks but no thanks.”

“I wouldn’t pass until you at least give it a try.” It was the advice she offered almost everyone who seemed skeptical at first. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but it always made them reevaluate. “Feelings are powerful. They need to go somewhere.”

Sam had told her shortly after the adoption that he would rather her not look into his head. At the time, he assumed that she knew everything already. And at fourteen, he was going to give plain, civilian life a try. Enrolled in school, had homework to do, started playing hockey. That sort of thing. He was experiencing it all for the first time. An overprotective, new mom picking through all of that did he not need. “Thank you.” She was one of the few people who had actually known who he was and also showed kindness toward him regardless. “I got into a fight. But-” always a but tacked on to these things, “I did not get into anything illegal. So.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “I want to trust you, Sam. I want you to trust me enough to tell me the truth and trust I won’t be mad,” she told him. There was hardly anything anymore that could make her more livid than she had already been at him, especially while she was overseeing him on probation. She didn’t think he could get into anything totally life threatening. And yet – . “A fight? Who with? About what?” Slow down, M’gann, she told herself. Even she knew she needed to work on not jumping so quickly into mom mode. “Okay, I’m sorry. Let’s start with where you were.” She moved over to the couch and sat, motioning for Sam to sit next to her.

Thalia might’ve laughed if she wasn’t so damn frustrated. Miss Martian was too nice, too caring. It almost made Thalia sick. “I didn’t come in, the dean sent me. Trust me, I’m not here by choice.” She sat back, chewing on the inside of her cheek for a moment. “Actually I do want to share something: this is all bullshit. There’s no such thing as a safe place, and no one gives a shit about my feelings or anyone else’s. This is all a bad joke and you’re the punchline.”

“Then the dean saw an issue in you. It doesn’t take a mind reader to know that you’re troubled by something, Thalia, although it would be extremely easy for me to find the exact reason for it on my own.” She didn’t like having to use that tone, to make threats like that. M’gann didn’t look at her power as a threat anymore, it was a tool. And if she was helping someone, that was a goof thing. “Low blow, but I’ve heard worse. People tend to forget I’ve been around for over a century.”