#edenhymns

he wakes as the sun peeks through the curtains,  the scent of coffee drifting through the only apartment jamie could afford outside of mutant town.     he has that luxury;   to blend,  to settle down in a part of the city that isn’t just dirt and crime.     his alarm had been set an hour earlier than necessary;   if this was his last morning with her,  he was gonna make it count.     jamie wanted sixty minutes of silence,  of looking down at the woman he loved while she dozed in his arms.  

the ringing never comes,  though.     all he hears is gentle rustling from the kitchen and he sits up,  touched by panic.     a quick swipe through his phone tells him his alarm has been turned off and he blinks at hal from the bed,  the comforter hugging his waist.     ‘   hal,  what’re you—   why didn’t you wake me up ?    you’re gonna miss your train.     ’     jamie doesn’t want to send her off to someone who’s not worthy of her forgiveness but he’s played a part in shattering her too so he bites it back,  every time,  and sits with nolan instead.     he tells him he’s proud,  calls him a good man for letting her go.     jamie never hears a word.

he tosses the blanket,  already scanning the room for his jeans,   but hal just moves toward the bed like they have all the time in the world.     like this isn’t the worst day of his life.     the mattress dips as she takes her place beside him,  steam curling around the mug he got her the day he hired her as a receptionist,  and fuck he’s confused.     he wants her to live,  to not feel chained to the circus that is his life.     but she doesn’t rush to gather her things,   doesn’t seem to mind that the train’s about to take off without her.     she just finds his eyes and makes the sun shine again with only a sentence.     somewhere,  her ticket is folded and tucked away.     ‘   no  ‘ you’re gonna break my heart again  ’   ?   ’

this is what it feels like to catch hal anders.     the girl who has went through some of her darkest moments alone.     the girl who feels safer that way.    he sinks against her chest,  her presence soothing the ache in his bones.     hurt is untangled by her trust in a man that has left her empty on chipped steps once before and the mug in her hands is a promise of tomorrow.     ‘     i love you.     we all do.     ’     he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before she has the chance to do it herself.      she feels like peace and smells of the late nights in the office to come.     jamie softens under their sheets,  smiling like someone who has found the strength to carry on because hey   —   even the heroes that suck at being heroes can get the girl.

not  a  single  word  is  uttered  as  the  door  cracks  open,   the  boy  tumbling  into  a  brief  silence  because  it’s  a  long-shot;   hal  may  be  family,   but  it’s  been  a  part-time  gig.      ‘   hey.   i  know  we  grew  up  in  different  worlds,   i  know  we’re  not  that  close,   but…   i  was  wondering  if  it’d  be  cool  if  i  stayed  here.   i  was  wondering  if  you  wanted  a  brother.   ‘ 

a mutant’s unique touch has empowered hal and they’ve made their own danger room in the woods.   leaves are turning autumn-brown,   the air is cold,   but jamie is undeniably warm as she takes her new tricks for a spin.   she’s glowing,  no longer the lone human amongst the gifted.     ‘   how does it feel  ?   being like me.   ’

‘     once a year,   we celebrate the day the walls were built.     ’     in the lab,   kaidan reaches inside his backpack.         ‘     everyone looks forward to it.     it’s a way to forget about how bad things are,  i guess.     ’     eden has transformed tonight,   its residents raising their glasses with warm smiles,   yet she remains in isolation.     he slowly pushes a faded dress that’s seen better days into her arms,   the two of them alone in this dreary,  clinical room.     no place for someone like her.     she’s beautiful   -   the kind of beautiful you wouldn’t think you’d find at the end of the world.     ‘     i just…   didn’t want you to miss the ball.     ’

so he had scouted the area out, followed the tracks, searched for more signs of life and slowly but surely he had begun to catch up with whoever was near until he spotted them -- a small group, armed and wearing protective gear. perhaps scouts or a patrol  .  .  .  and nate had waited, waited until one of them got far enough away from the others that he could sneak up on them.    nate moved quickly and smoothly with trained ease, grasping a hold of the man in front of him and dragging him into a covered alley where he shoved the barrel of his rifle into his face.    “  don’t.  ”   as far as first impressions went it likely wasn’t the best, but nate had no interest in signing up with a bunch of killers if he could help it. the guy was tall -- well built and clean enough, which meant that there was definitely a place that they were hauled up in that had food, maybe even running water.

@edenhymns​  sent :   "Excuse me, but I think I dropped something... my jaw!" from miles i -