#brxghtestday

By the time he got back into the city, the chaos of the blackout had been over. Dick had read about it online, had seen it in the papers across all three of the cities he spent his time in. There were different theories here and there, some more plausible than others, but... Dick knew what a Green Lantern construct looked like. He’d narrowed it down in his head, tried to remember who was on Earth and who wasn’t. In all honesty? His first instinct was that it was Hal. Maybe it was because Earth’s first Lantern was still the one who came to mind first for Dick, most of the time, but regardless, that had been his gut feeling. 

And it had been wrong.

He heard it through the usual grapevine not long after his plane landed, the murmurs reaching his ears with quiet certainty. Kyle Rayner. And it felt like his damn heart skipped a beat. Kyle was a kid. And whatever had happened... Dick knew it was going to be rough on him. For all his shit luck, something like this had never happened to Dick before. He’d never been mind controlled or body snatched or whatever must have happened to make Kyle do what he did. He’d always counted himself lucky for that. And he felt guilty for that, just a little. He felt guilty for being lucky where other people weren’t.

So... he did what he usually did when he felt supremely guilty. He showed up uninvited to insert himself where he probably wasn’t wanted. Foolproof. 

Leaning against the wall, Dick rapped his knuckles against the door. “Hey, Rayner? I brought a six pack. Wanna open up?”

When he was a kid, Simon used to tell his sister he was planning on growing wings one day. He’d been so sure that, with enough determination, he could trick biology into giving him a little something extra to get him off the ground. It had all seemed pretty harmless until he jumped off the roof of the garage, positive that the shock to his system would sprout him a pair of feathery things that would keep him from hitting the ground.

Needless to say, biology was a little harder to fool than Simon had anticipated.

He wound up with a broken ankle and a lecture, tears in his mother’s eyes as she switched between English and Arabic so quickly it made his head spin. (Though, in retrospect, the head spinning could have been due to the pain of the broken ankle, too. Who knew? Maybe it was a combo.) He remembered Sira’s anger, quieter than their mother’s and far too mature for a fourteen year old, remembered how she’d dragged him, crutches and all, into her bedroom as soon as he was home from the ER. You can’t do that anymore, she’d said. You can’t try to fly when I need you on the ground, okay? We gotta stick together. 

Fifteen-odd years later, and here Simon was, flying without wings. He might have felt bad for breaking his promise if Sira hadn’t broken hers first. She didn’t need him on the ground anymore, as it turned out.

Simon flipped lazily in the air, cross-legged as he hovered. “Are we going to see some action,” he asked, breaking the silence for the thousandth time, “or is this more of ‘sit and observe’ kind of mission? Because you know I’m bad at the ‘sit and observe’ kind of missions.” 

A rubberband was only meant to stretch so far before it inevitably snapped back or broke. That’s how Jason felt with the time and time he had given Kyle. He thought out of all the people on the planet that Jason would understand more than most. The feeling of destroying something and the pangs of regret echoing around you as you sat in the ruins. It wasn’t the same. Not by a long shot, and Jason knew that, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t tired of waiting. Staring at a phone that never rings, looking out a window and the familiar green glow nowhere to be seen. 

Jason didn’t think Kyle would answer the door, especially if he knew it was him on the other side of the door. So, naturally, as a determined bat, he took to the fire escape window. He shoved it open and swung his leg over it, pulling himself through. “How long are you going to keep hiding? Don’t freak out it’s literally just me—” He huffed, talking into the entirely too quiet apartment. “I didn’t think you’d answer the door. Surprise.” He deadpanned, something in his voice that he couldn’t exactly name, unsure if he wanted to. (Longing, maybe. Pining, if he really had to put a name to it.) “Are you going to keep ignoring me?”

Okay...Now THIS is exactly what River needed. The man had a blissed out look on his face as he leaned against the wall. If a man or woman had passed by, they might assume that he was on something...That the young man was partaking in drugs or something of the sort. Which was not the case. River would never take something off the streets or not needed for a medical reason. He was a villain...And a SMART one. He wasn’t going to let his brain get jumbled and scrambled by some lame ass weed. 

But the one thing that might make people realize that the drugs weren’t the only weird thing about the situation? Was the pile of dead bodies that littered the ground around him. River knew that he should be getting ready to go on clean up...To hide the bloodless bodies now that he’s had his fix and fill. But the boy was ready to relax a little bit. To take a moment to just breathe. The high that came after absorbing blood was always the best experience River has ever had...So why water that down right now with being productive?

“Ugh…” He realized why the moment he saw that he wasn’t alone. “Can’t you go wonder off somewhere and act like you didn’t see this?” River asked as he blearily looked up at the figure as he pushed himself up into a standing position and shook his head. “Would you believe me if I said that I found them this way?” 

Jason was spending a lot of time with people. And it was strange. Not because it was unnatural or wrong but — he was like her. Strained when it came to relationships that were more than just friendship. Hard to be friends with as well. (Just like her, in so many ways. Keeping the world at a distance. Slow to warm. Quick to ice people out.) But someone had slipped through the cracks while Natasha was away. A man who was bright and funny and smiling. And so, unlike herself or Jason that it was almost funny.

It would have been funnier if he hadn’t reminded her of Clint. A brightness that she hadn’t expected on her return trip. Unexpected but not unwelcome. And she knew that if she asked Jason about it, he’d dodge the question and act like she was making shit up. But Kyle seemed softer. She wouldn’t be prodding him violently, and after all that she had learned about him, she figured it wouldn’t be hard to talk to him either.

“I’m a friend of Jason’s.” Friend was a stretch. Jason would have never used that word. But it was all she had to describe their relationship. Comrades felt wrong. Partners didn’t fit. And he wasn’t an informant — labeling him as anything specific felt strange considering who they were. But she let the words settle all the same, a thin smile on her face as she looked over Kyle. “Natasha Romanoff.” There was no secrecy in her identity anymore. But she wasn’t like the others — closer to Barton than Thor who stood by their side. Without superpowers (but never powerless) and fading into the background because she wasn’t the person to create miracles from nothing. She wasn’t geared to test people’s morals. She could try and measure them, to try and tell if people were good or not, but it had never been her place to judge. Not with the roots she had. Her test of worthiness was far simpler. “Have you ever taken a container ship? I’d go to Jason, but guns only help so much.”

Even if Peter's memories of Earth were hazy, he definitely knew nothing like this had happened when he was young. He was not sure what the hell had happened, but something big had gone down. and now everything had just gone crazy. Considering he had no idea what was going on, he had no idea whose side--if any--he was supposed to be on. Look, I'm not even from here. I mean, I am, but I'm also not, but the main thing is I don't wanna get involved, and-- He had been rehearsing what to say if anyone approached him when a guy did come up to him. Startled, Peter took out his blaster, which was probably not a good idea if he wanted convey that he did not want to get involved, but obviously it was too late for that.

"Ok, look, I'm not from here and I...aw crap." So much for his lines. Shaking his head, Peter lowered his blaster. "Look, I've really got nothing to do with this. I don't know who's fighting who or what the hell is even going on. I haven't been on Earth for years until now, so please don't make me fight over something I don't even understand!" It seemed like the guy did not want to fight though. Actually, it seemed like he might actually get what Peter was blathering about, because he went and introduced himself as a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Which might not actually be a good thing; considering they were basically space cops, Peter would not be surprised if he was on their most wanted list. "Oh, hey...yeah...that's cool!" He nodded quickly. "So you, uh, trying to keep the peace here too? 'Cause I don't know if you've looked around lately, but that might not be working out too well."

@brxghtestday 

Colleen had been in fights like this before — fighting in the streets — or close enough to it, with the Hand. But normally, she had Danny right behind her helping, or Misty. Hell, she would have even gone with Claire. (She was good at fighting, good at protecting people. Good all the way around — it was why she got out before anyone else.) She was solo tonight, running through the city and trying to make sense of the chaos that had taken over.

Taking them down as quickly as she could, Colleen was quickly realizing for each one she took down, a few stepped into their place. There was no goal here — just violence. (And they hadn’t identified themselves — were they simply rioters looking for a fight? We’re they mutant supporters who knew she was an enforcer?) She turned around and deflected one attacker but another came in swinging just as quickly — Colleen had her arms up in defense — but it wasn’t that what stopped the impact. 

It was someone else.

In green.