Raynor Blake and Theresa Sparks
It had been less than a day since they had returned from the Quantum Realm and in that time, both of them had been debriefed by some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents. While Sparky had talked with Agent Melinda May, Raynor had been assigned to Agent Phil Coulson - drastically different experiences for the both of them. May was harsh where Coulson was soft and compassionate. The team had been put up in housing at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s San Fransisco base and Raynor's room had been outfitted with a large number of high intensity therapy lamps used for those with S.A.D. But for him, the rays bathing his skin seemed to be helping to accelerate his healing rapidly. The Asgardian was lying in bed, discovering the unfortunate side effect of all that light - it made it almost impossible to sleep.
Sparky wasn't really able to sleep all too much herself. She was still not used to being outside of the Quantum Realm, not used to being in the real world. Definitely she wasn't too used to there being a lot of people around, as in the Quantum Realm there had effectively been only a few people, herself, Raynor and Janet (and technically Spider Gwen but she didn't count as she hadn't interacted with her ever). Figuring that she might as well see if Raynor was awake, Sparky left her room and went off to Raynor's to see if he was awake. She knocked on the door,
"Ray? Are you awake?" she called softly.
"Sounds like someone couldn't resist me, huh?" Sparky rolled her eyes slightly at that, poking her head into the room,
"You are kind of ridiculous... I was wondering how you were doing..." "These lamps aren't nearly as effective as one of Idunn's apples, but they're helping," he informed his sweetheart, figuring that was the information she was after.
"But they are so bright... Too bright which is saying something since my dad is the actual God of Light." The color had returned to his skin, but there were still prominent lines in his face from the physical toll the Quantum Realm had had on his body.
Sparky nodded her head slightly, walking into the room now.
"That's nice to hear," she said, referring to the lights helping. She couldn't help but giggle slightly when he said that the light was too bright even for him, considering the irony.
Raynor got a sly look on his face.
"You know what else would help though?" "Based on the look on your face I could probably guess." "Alright, why don't you guess then?" "Now why would I do that?" "Because if you don't guess, I'm not making pancakes for you in the morning!" Raynor threatened. It certainly had to be the least menacing threat he had ever made in his life - and after a moment of reflection, he recalled that the most menacing one was likely when he had held an opponent over a vat of boiling acid and threatened to drop him into the ghastly depths.
"Since when have you ever made me pancakes or anything like that Ray?" she asked, giggling slightly at his words.
"Well I guess now I never will," he said, crossing his arms.
"Probably for the best, I bet you are a horrible cook." Raynor rolled his eyes.
"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but your words can never hurt me, Sparks." "Well it's true, pretty sure you are a horrible cook. Wonder how you've survived this long if you can't cook anything," she said, sticking her tongue out at him for a moment before she couldn't stop herself from giggling even more.
"Believe it or not, but we pretty much had feasts every day on Asgard so there wasn't much of a need to cook - I learned when I came down to Earth from X..." his voice trailed off for a moment, before he forced a smile onto his face.
"Now I'm going to go make myself pancakes, since I doubt anyone here can force me back into this bed, and you'll just have to suffer the consequences of not having pancakes." "Nope!" she said, before she walked over to him and zapped him with a bit of electricity,
"You need to lay down!" The color drained from Raynor's skin slightly, turning his warm complexion to something more ashen as he fell back into bed. His chest wasn't rising and falling anymore - his heart had actually stopped beating from the electricity Sparky had sent at him. That much electricity had never bothered him before - the Quantum Realm had really done a number on him.
"...Ray?" Sparky said panicking slightly as she went over to him and put her hand on his chest before she sent another bolt of electricity through him.
Raynor gasped, his heart beating once more as he struggled to rise.
"S-S-Sorry Ray, I didn't mean to do that," she said instantly to him, before she she gave him a hug, still somewhat panicking from the thought that she almost killed him.
"It's fine, Sparks," Raynor wheezed.
"N-n-no it isn't! It clearly isn't! I'm sorry!" she said again, shaking her head rapidly.
He rolled his eyes slightly, managing to regain his breath.
"Then I forgive you, luv.... It's all fine." "See, you keep saying it's fine, but my brain keeps saying otherwise!" He raised an eyebrow, never quite getting that Midgardian expression despite all of his years there. But even as stressed out as Sparky was, he couldn't help but be happy to see her. Reaching up, he put his arms around her and pulled her down onto the bed with him, snuggling her.
"What are you doing Ray?" she asked, clearly sounding confused.
"What's going on?" "Punishing you." "Uh, what?" "You've been bad, so your punishment is you have to snuggle with me in this horribly bright room." Sparky giggled slightly at that, giving him a slight smile,
"Well it is incredibly bright in here, maybe we should get you a sleep mask to block out the light for you or something." He chuckled.
"I'm sure Dr. Chase would find some way to fight me on that - and Fireball would back her up. He was totally in love with her in that other timeline, Sparks, it was kinda funny." "...If you don't mind me asking Ray... What was the other timeline like? No one has really told me much about it..." "... I don't really want to talk about it, Sparks..." Raynor then told her quietly, the smile gone from his face.
"...Why not Ray? What happened there?" He avoided looking into her eyes, staring at one of the therapy lights as he tried to think of a way to put this.
"...Nothing good happened there... Talking about it just makes it realer than it needs to be." "You can't just pretend like it didn't happen, or you don't remember it... That will make things worse for you in the long run." "I've been alive for a long time... I've done horrible things... I tried to become a better person, someone worthy of you Sparks, but... In that timeline, I almost became the beast again." He then fell silent, not wanting to say anything else on the subject. There was a lot of his past that he hadn't shared with her yet and he didn't want to add anything.
"...If you say so, but to me I think that you are worthy whether you believe it or not Ray... I love you..." "I love you more, Sparks..." "Nope, I disagree with that, I love you more." Raynor gave her a kiss.
"So... Do you think Dr. Chase would get mad if you helped me break in this bed?" he asked with a slight smirk.
"I feel like she would considering you are supposed to be resting." "Yes but speaking as the only Asgardian in this facility, you can't say I'm lying if I say that some physical activities help to get our healing process going," he teased.
"Wow Ray, you are honestly ridiculous." He kissed her forehead.
"Is that a no?" "You are ridiculous!"
🔬 Niah Bautista 🔬, 🔥 Frederick Flynn 🔥, and 💉 Bonnie Chase 💉
Location: SHIELD Base - San Fransisco
Skills: N/A
Niah had paced about for a while before making the decision to follow through on her promise to Bonnie in the other timeline. She hadn't actually ever told Bonnie, because Bonnie had died quickly trying to protect her. She owed her. Niah just hated that it required talking with Flynn. Of course, theoretically, she could do it without talking to him, but that made things difficult.
First, she decided to talk with Flynn and make sure it was what he wanted. She looked for him and once she found him she asked,
"May I speak with you privately?" She realized it probably sounded ominous considering how much she had avoided him as of late so she tried to smile at him. Knowing that it probably looked forced, though most of her smiles of late were.
"...Alright, what is it that you want Niah?" he asked her, not too sure why of all people Niah was wanting to talk to him. She'd been avoiding him like the plague, that much was obvious.
"You can drop the forced smile Niah... Why have you been avoiding me and just now decided to talk to me about something or whatever?" Niah cringed, yeah she hadn't been subtle. She was just going to avoid answering why she was avoiding him, that would add some weird things to this conversation she didn't particularly want to have.
"When Bonnie..." She trailed off knowing he would know what she meant.
"I, uh, promised myself that I'd help the two of you get back together. Do you want my help?" She felt guilty for Bonnie's death in a way she couldn't express, but with fixing things she might be able to make sure her friend was happy again. Bonnie deserved that.
"...Sure, thanks Niah..." he said, nodding his head simply, not sure how she would think about accomplishing that goal.
"Right, I'll go talk to her." Niah nodded, not bothering to smile at Flynn. She left the room and went to the lab expecting to find Bonnie there most likely. She didn't know that Flynn was wondering the same thing she was.
Bonnie was indeed in the lab, sitting at one of the desks with her laptop out. She was reading through some recently published articles. She liked to do her best to stay on top of her field and be aware of the cutting edge research being conducted around the world. Besides that, she always found reading to be a calming and relaxing activity, only bested by drawing. She still hadn't made up her mind about Flynn. She did like him, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to move on yet - her husband's death still felt so raw.
"Hey Bonnie, how are you doing?" Niah asked as she entered the room giving her friend the small smile she had adopted as of late.
Glancing up from her laptop, she smiled as she saw Niah and she set the device into sleep mode, before closing the lid.
"Oh, just recovering a bit from the late hours and catching up on the literature - what about you?" That was a loaded question, and Niah knew Bonnie would be able to tell if she was lying. Or maybe not? They hadn't spent quite as much time together this time around. She sighed slightly,
"I've been better, but I'm pulling myself together." There was the weight of sadness about her sister now having gone missing, and the odd guilt she felt that she couldn't have prevented that.
"A lot happened in the other timeline. I need to talk to you about something specific that happened." She frowned slightly but nodded, pulling out a seat for Niah and gesturing for her to take it.
"Is it something medical?" she couldn't help but ask, wondering if Niah was going to warn her that she would develop Stage IV cancer or something equally horrible.
"No, I mean sort of. You took a hit for me." She paused and looked down at her hands.
"You died and I sort of blame myself because if I had been better at...this then you wouldn't have had to." She sighed then continued.
"Flynn didn't take it well. I can say at least it doesn't seem he has ever blamed me for it, which makes one of us. But anyway." She felt like she was rambling.
"I thought maybe you should know I think he loves you." She finished. God that was probably not the best way to go about it.
Bonnie was silent for a moment - it was a lot to take in, learning how she had died in the averted future timeline. Her skin felt cold and clammy thinking about her death, but at least it had been to save someone she cared about. She liked Niah and wanted to see her succeed, to grow and flourish into all she could be.
"Hey, don't blame yourself," she told her friend seriously.
"If I sacrificed myself so you could live, it's because I believe in you - and you did it, Niah, you changed the timeline and saved the world. That version of me might be dead, but she died a hero... All you need to do is live your life, it's what she - me - would want for you." She gave her a smile and then hugged Niah, sensing that she could use one.
But then there was the matter of Flynn... To say hearing that he loved her was overwhelming was a bit of an understatement. She had been making tentative steps towards moving on from her dead husband, enjoying the little start of a romance with Flynn.
"... I don't know if I'm ready to be in that serious a relationship," she then admitted.
"Especially with an agent, after what happened to James..." Niah sank into the hug.
"Thank you Bonnie. That means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me. I know you don't remember anything but we became good friends. You are a very good person." She wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall.
"I'm not saying that you have to step into a serious relationship, but you were happy with him. It was cute." Niah smiled at the memory of them.
"What I am saying is you should give him a chance." Bonnie kept her arms around Niah, not minding sharing a long hug with her if it was what she needed.
"Okay, I'll make a deal with you," she offered.
"I'll give Flynn a chance, but Niah... Promise me you'll go and talk to someone, okay? Don't make the same mistake I did and think you can tough it out. SHIELD has some great therapists in house you can talk to - or even get a referral to one off base if you'd prefer." Niah tightened her hug and then released stepping back but keeping her hands on Bonnie's shoulders. She gave her friend the best smile she could muster.
"I promise. Honestly, I've been thinking of taking a sabbatical or something." She dropped her hands to her sides.
"Thank you, for talking and giving yourself a chance for happiness." She nodded.
"You should - give yourself a chance to go see the world and rest. You saved every living creature on this planet... I think you've more than earned a break," she confessed, giving Niah a smile.
"... I'm not really sure how to approach Flynn, but I will talk to him," she promised.
"Yeah. I don't necessarily feel that, but I understand. I'll see you around okay. Good luck." Niah left the lab and went back to where she had left Flynn.
"She'll give you a chance. Don't fuck it up." A glint of anger flashed in her eye at Flynn before she turned and went to her room.
"So nice to me Niah," he muttered after her with a bit of an eye roll. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say to Bonnie, as what happened in the Ultron timeline wasn't exactly the best of circumstances.
In the lab, Goose had wandered in, having heard what Niah was saying to Bonnie,
"Mrow?" he said to Bonnie, before a tentacle shot out of his mouth and grabbed Bonnie by the arm, starting to drag her towards the door.
Bonnie had been deep in thought and she jumped slightly as Goose wrapped a tentacle around her arm.
"Goose, stop it," she said sternly. She knew the cat likely could kill her if he tried to, but she still was going to try to teach him some manners at the very least.
"If you want me to go somewhere, let go of me and I will follow you - otherwise I'm going to watch Perks of Being a Wallflower and eat chocolates." "Mrow!" Goose said, letting her go and heading out the door, and turning to look at her expectantly. Flynn was still trying to figure out what the hell he was going to even say to Bonnie, and he started making his way towards the lab now. He was really hoping he didn't make a fool of himself, but knowing his luck he probably was going to.
Sure, it might have been a bit silly to keep a promise to a cat, but Bonnie followed after Goose just as she said she would. She didn't really know what she wanted, but just about anyone who had been around the base for a while knew that Goose was far more intelligent than an ordinary household pet.
"If you're bringing me to a dead mouse you found, I'm not going to be impressed..." Bonnie wouldn't have to worry about being led to a dead mouse. Instead, Goose raced ahead and ran straight up to Flynn who was in the hallway, the cat was rubbing up against Flynn and purring rather loudly.
"...Goose you do remember I'm more of a dog person right?" Flynn said with a slight laugh, before he scratched Goose behind the ears, before standing straight up and seeing Bonnie there.
"Oh. hey there Bonnie." Goose was staring at her expectantly at this point.
She turned slightly pink, seeing Flynn standing there. Niah's words echoed back in her mind - that she thought Flynn had loved her in that other timeline. A bit of panic crept up in her back of her mind and for a split second, she considered turning around and running back to the lab as fast as she could... but she had given Niah her word and if she kept promises to a cat, she had to do the same with her friends.
"Hey... How are you feeling?" she asked him, referring to the extra memories in his head.
"Oh, well, uh, I'm fine thanks, how are you doing? Aside from chasing after a cat..." "...Niah, she uh, she told me that you were in love with me." "She did what now? he said looking at her. He had not expected Niah to be so blunt about anything like that, so he wasn't too sure what to say to Bonnie regarding it.
"Oh..." Bonnie nodded, feeling a little bit awkward.
"I'm sorry for your loss... She also told me what happened to the version of me from that timeline." "...Well, that timeline doesn't exist anymore... So it never happened..." "Just because something didn't happen doesn't mean the pain goes away," she told him softly.
"I can't pretend to be in love with you... A-and I don't know if I'm really ready for something intense, I haven't exactly been dating at all since my husband passed away but... I like Disney and if you want, we could watch Hercules or something and share a drink?" "It's fine Bonnie, honestly... And sure, that sounds like fun," he said, giving her a smile. Goose meanwhile felt like these two were taking too long, so went around behind Bonnie. The tentacles flew out of his mouth pushing her so she ended up running into Flynn.
"Damn it Goose really?" Flynn said with a slight eye roll, catching Bonnie slightly and he looked at her.
"You alright Bonnie?" "Yeah, I'm fine.... Goose is just playing rough," Bonnie said, trying not to blush too terribly. She hadn't expected Goose to apparently be a lover of romantic comedies - maybe Niah had somehow recruited him for this cause? There did seem to be a special connection of sorts between those two that was worth looking in to...
"Clearly..." he said with a slight laugh, before he let her go, so he wasn't holding her anymore.
"Sometimes that cat does the weirdest things." Bonnie took a step back, increasing the distance between them.
"...Well, I'm going to run on over to the lab, I have a lot of reading to catch up on," she told him, feeling a little bit flustered too. She couldn't quite get the sensation of his muscular arms on her out of her head.
"Okay..." Flynn said simply with a shrug. However, Goose was not having any of this, and the tentacles shot out of his mouth once more shoving Bonnie back into Flynn.
"Mrow." he said to them, and with his tone of voice it sounded like he was almost scolding them.
"Goose, stop it NOW." There was no doubt about it - Bonnie was scolding Goose. She had her limits and her boundaries and just having this conversation with Flynn had been emotionally exhausting. She wasn't ready for this sort of thing, even if the cat seemed to have it in his head that she was.
"MEOW!" Goose complained to her, clearly not too thrilled about being scolded. The tentacles in his mouth flailed about for a moment as he hissed at her.
"Mrow hissssss!" "That is clearly not a happy cat..." Bonnie didn't have the patience for this.
"No," she told Goose firmly again.
"You're not going to be able to bully me into playing out this fantasy of yours." "Mroooooooooooow," the cat whined, quite loudly, before he took off running, clearly more then a bit annoyed with Bonnie, he probably went to go complain to someone else.
"Well that was a bit... Awkward..."
