#failedcrown

Butcher dialed the number and stared at his phone for a good few minutes before he hit the button to actually call. The diagnosis was still weighing heavily on him, even if he tried to act normal. He'd nicked the number from Starlight, and he knew that the woman on the other end of the phone would probably tell him to fuck off and leave her alone the second she heard his voice. But. He had to tell someone. And MM was still so angry, so hurt. MM wanted to hate him. Frenchie and Kimiko were doing their own thing, living their own lives. Getting Frenchie clean. He wondered how long that would last. Starlight wanted absolutely nothing to do with him and only tolerated him because of Hughie.

And Hughie would just look like a kicked puppy if he said anything, and Butcher couldn't bring himself to do that. At least not now.

So. There was only one other person who might give a damn about him, and even so, she probably didn't want any reminders of what she left behind. But he was calling her anyways, because as much as he wanted to pretend like he wasn't, he was dying, and he needed someone to know that.

        “ If its for your boyfriend, mine don’t make milk. “

       THE WORLD OF MAN IS DARK AND GRIM  in a way that chills diana to her core.  it reminds her of hades in a way,  the smell of death in every corner and its' people walk with their feet dragged.  men and women alike look sickly as a whole,  passing by the pair in their impractical clothing.  this is not at all how she imagined things to be.  mother gaia must be reeling at what her creations have become.  

       despite this,  she tries her best to see the good in it all.  her guide walks ahead quick in pace,  manuvering the crowds with ease.  diana is not so graceful.  she bumps into the passerbys with loud,  genuine apologies  (  "   ἄφες (μοι) —   ἄφες (μοι)!  "  )  as she catches up with maeve.  she places a hand upon her friend's shoulder roughly,  though she was aiming for something gentler.

“ ‘m fine. ”

pain is weakness leaving the body. i remember seeing that on a sign leaving an mma gym after an interview, the place doused generously with the floating stench of body odor evolved into soaking towels. it was a useless quote. i snorted and rolled my eyes at it, maybe unrealizing what a hypocrite i was for that. alcohol is a wonderful cure for hipocrisy. i’m fine, despite the morphine pumping through my veins so strangely that i feel pushed into the icebox and swarmed with bees. i blink sluggishly. i feel the way the iv does, chugging along. i can barely see her through my own haze and my hand twitches. i know. i feel my thumb. i know the morphine is because there’s a long line of a horrific degree burn i don’t know the technicalities for, but the morphine definitely is. 

but there would be a lot of people in this room if this is how i meet my end. not because i’m overwhelmingly popular; just because everyone would be doing chest compressions. that’s what always happens on television, anyway. 

“ ‘m so fuckin’ fine. might be the best i ever been. ”

she's well aware of the fact she isn't always the easiest to get along with ------------ all it takes is a five minute conversation with her old superior to see she has no issue being a thorn in someone's side ( when she feels it's justified, of course ). with that in mind, it still surprises her that more of her reputation hasn't found its way over from SHIELD in the shuffle. not that it's from a lack of trying, of course; but the chaos that she'd left behind in the wake of a total and complete meltdown ( not that vought seems like it's got it's shit together any more than SHIELD did -------------- they just seem a lot better at hiding it ) makes it more difficult for her personal record and all those red marks to pass from one entity to another.

so she's long been expecting this particular topic to come up with someone; hardly even sparing a blink when 'i don’t like you' gets tossed into the conversation, aimed at her specifically. the fact that it's @failedcrown​ making it much more amusing than it should be, all things considered, the revelation coming fairly late into her tenure as a not - so - newly minted member of vought international. ( especially because it's maeve ----- she hasn't exactly made the effort to back up that statement with action. )

          "that's a bummer," she says with a half - formed smirk; strategically planted on the side she won't be able to see ------------ all maeve gets is a raised brow as sharon's eyes stay focused on the grainy CCTV footage on the screen in front of her, posture bent and hunched over the computer as she opts to stand and lean instead of sitting down properly. "i must really be losing my touch. last time it took about a week for another agent to tell me they hated my guts."

ryan   sits   with   maeve   on   the   carpet   of   the   little,   cozy   house   --   legos   spread   all   over   the   capret.   his   mother   does   not   fully   approve   of   this   ‘   friendship   ’   --   ryan   thinks   she’s   just   trying   to   protect   him,   and   that’s   alright,   of   course.   but   maeve   is   strong.   and   kind.   she’ll   protect   him   if   he   needs   it!   besides,   he’s   already   dumped   out   the   rest   of   his   legos   on   the   coffee   table,   he   can’t   ask   her   to   go   away   now.   not   when   they   have   a   tower   to   build! he’d   be   chattering   on   about   his   mom   and   their   little   family.   first   he   tells   her   a   story   about   his   mom,   and   about   some   of   her   favorite   movie.   his   tone   changes   when   he   brings   up   his   dad.   .   .   and   that’s   when   maeve   speaks:

"I   had   someone   I   wanted   to   start   a   family   with   once."   She   says   it   before   she   can   think   of   the   consequences.   It's   dangerous,   to   speak   like   this   to   a   child   who   might   have   an   allegiance   to   Homelander.   She   coves   her   slip   up   with   a   smile.   "Legos   again?"   @failedcrown​ tilting   his   head,   ryan   sits   on   the   floor   in   front   of   the   table,   gesturing   for   maeve   to   have   the   couch   if   she   wanted   to   be   a   little   more   comfortable--   their   half-finished   fantasy   version   of   vought   tower   was   about   halfway   done.   “   yeah?   what   was   their   name?   what   were   they   like?   ”   he   asks,   genuinely   interested.   he   wonders   what   kind   of   partner   maeve   would   have.   .   .   he   hopes   it   was   someone   supportive.   someone   that   helped   her   relax. “   you   know,   i   think   you’d   make   a   good   mom.   i   mean,   you   do   build   good   lego   buildings.   ”