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[color=808080][color=a8f9ff][b]#a8f9ff[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]prism[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/gPMHTRp][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [color=375a87][b]#375a87[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]nightinggale[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/46/af/38/46af380ec87c344aef0e785485f4bd19.jpg][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]rooftop garden[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Imogen stepped out onto the roof with a sigh, as if she hadn’t been able to properly breathe and take in air until that moment. The meeting was suffocating. Everything unfolded so quickly that neither she, nor June could scoop it back up and make it whole again, and her brother certainly didn’t help any. Then Ronnie and Luke… and Rune… She pressed her hands to her face, groaning into her palms as she aggressively rubbed her eyes like maybe it was all just a terrible fucking dream. If she was lucky, she’d rub hard enough that when she opened her eyes she’d be in bed with Magni’s arms around her, and the day would start over once again, fresh and untainted. But when her hands fell and the light poured through her eyelashes, nothing had changed, and she still stood just beyond the lift doors, sharp breeze whipping past her. 

Her gaze drifted across the rooftop garden having never actually set foot up there during her time at the Academy. It was far more than a little patio or seating area like she had expected. Potted plants of all shapes and sizes covered the roof with the meticulous sort of order that only an architect could have. Dense green shrubbery and rich autumn blooms covered the area from one side to the other, no room spared save for the concrete tile walkways, assorted seating, and the occasional focal points, like the large pergola and a long, narrow koi pond that trickled with a small fountain in the center. Then off to one side—as Alfred had promised—waited everything she requested: a table, two chairs, place settings for two, a food cart, and more candles than she knew what to do with. 

Imogen kicked off her heels unceremoniously, leaving them on the ground wherever they landed near the elevator. Her hand slipped into her pocket, pulling out a small elastic, and started to tie back her long blonde hair as she crossed the terrace. She stopped just long enough beside the table to rest her hands on her hips when her phone dinged and vibrated in her back pocket. As she pulled it out, the screen illuminated with a notification that June must have set up without her knowing. She clicked it and was immediately tapped into a live feed of a security camera in the conference room just in time to see Luke throw Tobias across the room into a pile of destroyed furniture. She watched, frozen in shock as the fight unfolded, half tempted to take the lift back down to try and break it up, for Tobias’s sake. Bits and pieces of the conversation and hurled insults were picked up by the microphone, but not enough to piece together proper sentences. 

Subconsciously her feet started carrying her back toward the elevator, but before she was able to press the button Luke was thrown through the window. She heard the crash a fraction of a second from over the side of the tower before it echoed in the security feed. Imogen ran to the side of the terrace and tightly gripped the glass railing as she leaned over the edge to look down at the pool below. Her blonde ponytail whipped violently in the wind as she watched the water far below settle, and beneath it, down in the dark blue depths of the deep end was Luke. She should have panicked, should have jumped over the railing in diamond form and pulled him out… But for the first time in her life, Imogen didn’t care. She just sort of watched, mesmerized in sadness and disappointment at the man she used to know, and what he had become. 

I didn’t last long. Soon enough Magni jumped into the water and ripped Luke free before he could drown. He was a better person than she ever hoped to be… perhaps that was the balance. Imogen didn’t care to watch further. She pushed off the railing, standing upright, and wandered her way back over to the various things that needed her attention, choosing to do her best to forget all about Luke, Ronnie, and her brother for the rest of the day if she could help it. 

Theo’s agreement had helped more than June wanted to admit. Somewhere between his awkward promises to help and his earnest willingness to throw himself into yet another one of her spiraling plans, some of the sharpness in her chest had eased. Not enough to fix it. Not enough to stop the exhaustion pressing at her shoulders or the image of Tobias hurling Luke through a window from replaying itself every time she blinked, but enough to keep her from feeling like the whole day had been one long collapse. Still, when she passed the conference room on her way out and caught sight of the shattered glass scattered like ice across the floor, of the dark stains left behind where blood had soaked into carpet and tile, something in her chest tightened again. The room looked like a battlefield pretending to be an office, and June suddenly found she had no desire to stand there and think about what that meant for the team they were trying so desperately to stitch together. 

So she had detoured to Phil’s office, muttered a halfhearted apology to the empty room, and stolen a bottle of liquor expensive enough that even the glass felt heavy and important in her hand.

The elevator hummed quietly as it carried her upward. June leaned back against the wall with the bottle tucked beneath her arm, eyes half-lidded as she stared at the numbers climbing one by one. The whole day felt lodged beneath her skin, splinters of it catching every time she tried to breathe around it: Bellamy’s trembling voice, Jim’s words, Imogen shrinking away from her, Luke grinning like he was born with rot somewhere beneath his ribs. By the time the elevator doors slid open, she wanted only fresh air and silence. Instead, music poured into the space before her. Loud music. Cheerful music. The kind of music that had no business existing after the catastrophe they had all just survived.

June stepped out and stopped.

The rooftop garden glowed beneath late afternoon light, candles flickering in scattered constellations across tables and pathways while flowers shifted gently beneath the breeze. At the center of it all was Imogen, blonde hair tied back and swaying with her movements as she danced around the patio with complete disregard for dignity, singing along beneath her breath while placing candle after candle into careful little arrangements. For a second June simply stared at her, caught somewhere between disbelief and something softer. 

She thought briefly about backing into the elevator and pretending she had never come up here at all. Let Imogen have this. Let her breathe. Let her grieve and unravel and gather herself back together in whatever strange way made sense to her. But then June remembered a pale hand sliding across a conference table toward her, remembered blue eyes and a quiet [i][color=a8f9ff]June, I—[/color][/i] cut short before the words ever had the chance to exist. The urge to retreat loosened instantly. Looking back on it later, she realized she had never really intended to leave.

She crossed the rooftop without announcing herself, heels quiet against the stone pathways as music and candlelight wrapped around her. Imogen was still moving when June reached her, still caught up in song and rhythm and distraction, and June didn’t give her time to notice. One arm slid around her waist, the other around her shoulders, and she folded herself against her friend without warning, pressing her face into the side of her shoulder with a tired little sound she would later deny making. The bottle of liquor hung forgotten from her fingers while she held on tighter than she usually would have dared, because the day had scraped something raw out of both of them and June suddenly felt too tired to pretend she wasn’t reaching too.

Imogen had shut her mind off the minute the music started. She didn’t need people’s thoughts creeping into her mind when she was [i]very[/i] specifically trying to ignore everything that happened, the sexual assault on Magni, the arguements, the fights, her brother’s thinly veiled prejudice… all of it. She had forgotten how good she had gotten at drowning the noises out, enough so that when arms curled around her she immediately shifted to diamond, almost like a defense mechanism or trauma response. But when she looked over and saw it was June who curled herself around her, she sighed softly and immediately returned to normal. Imogen slowly wrapped one arm around her shoulders, while her other hand gently stroked her black hair in a soft, steady rhythm. 

She held her there, unmoving and unspeaking for a handful of minutes before pulling her head back just enough to look down at June with a tired, weary smile that didn’t quite reach her heavy blue eyes. [color=a8f9ff]"You ok?"[/color] she asked quietly.

June stayed tucked against her for those few quiet moments, eyes closed while Imogen’s fingers moved through her hair in slow, grounding strokes that reminded her painfully of being younger, smaller, safer. The music drifted around them alongside the sharp wind, bass humming softly beneath the fountain’s trickling water and the flicker of candle flames. When Imogen finally pulled back enough to look at her, June squinted up at her like the question itself was offensive. [color=375a87]"Am I okay?"[/color] she echoed, incredulous and exhausted all at once, before immediately shaking her head. [color=375a87]"Are [i]you[/i] okay?"[/color] The concern landed harder than the sarcasm beneath it, and June stepped back just enough to properly look at her.

Imogen rolled her eyes while brushing loose strands of hair that had fallen from the ponytail back out of her face. She scoffed and exhaled softly though her nose. [color=a8f9ff]"I have to be,"[/color] she offered with a small shrug.

June’s free hand rose instinctively, fingers catching gently beneath Imogen’s chin so she could turn her face first one way, then the other beneath the rooftop lights as if inspecting for damage that hadn’t yet surfaced. Her brows furrowed deeper the longer she looked at her. The pale strain beneath Imogen’s eyes, the tension she wore in her shoulders even now, the careful way she was holding herself together, it all sat ugly in June’s chest. [color=375a87]"All things considered, your day was significantly worse than mine,"[/color] she muttered, voice dry with fatigue before her mouth twitched faintly at one corner. [color=375a87]"We could kill him and hide the body, you know."[/color] The offer came lightly, almost conversational, but there was enough sincerity buried underneath it to make the joke land somewhere dangerous.

The blonde didn’t argue or fight as her head was turned and examined, like every burden the day had dropped upon her shoulders added its own bruise or scar that June was able to study. Imogen knew there was nothing there, but she also didn’t try to hide the exhaustion and fatigue that weighed down the light that usually lived behind her eyes. Her shoulders sagged, losing some of its tension as she snorted out a laugh. And for a brief moment she considered it, because she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t considered killing Luke that morning. [color=a8f9ff]"Tempting,"[/color] she mused with a weak smile. [color=a8f9ff]"But I couldn’t do that to Magni… He’s still conflicted and the last thing I want to do is hurt him."[/color] Her lips pulled a little tighter as her shoulders raised in a weak shrug.

[color=a8f9ff]"I’m more trying to figure out what I ever saw in that man."[/color] Imogen’s face actually twisted in disgust, nose scrunching and lip curling like the thought of it made her sick. [color=a8f9ff]"Like… I used to [i]love[/i] him. I gave him my virginity for fuck’s sake."[/color] She shook her head like the mere thought of Luke touching her, let alone having sex, was the worst thing she could possibly imagine.

June released Imogen’s face as an expression tightened faintly at the reminder, a brief grimace crossing her face before she could smooth it away. She remembered that period of Imogen’s life in flashes more than specifics. Back then June hadn’t known Imogen the way she did now, hadn’t understood the shape of her heart well enough to realize how deeply she loved when she finally let herself. Seeing the disgust on her face now made something ache quietly in June’s chest. [color=375a87]"People change,"[/color] she said softly, looking at her carefully, hoping she would actually let the words land instead of brushing them aside like everything else that hurt. [color=375a87]"It doesn’t say anything about [i]you[/i] for who you used to love."[/color] Her gaze drifted briefly toward the horizon before returning to Imogen, darker now with thought. [color=375a87]"Something’s wrong with him. I don’t know what, but he’s nothing like what Thomas used to talk about."[/color]

[color=a8f9ff]"I should have just dated your brother,"[/color] Imogen teased softly, not ignoring June’s comment but gently redirecting it in a more tolerable lane that didn’t weigh on either of them so heavily. [color=a8f9ff]"Could you imagine how different things would be?"[/color] Her head tilted to the side, eyes squinting slightly. [color=a8f9ff]"Maybe not… It’d get real weird once you and Jim started dating,"[/color] she added with a weak laugh.

June let out a soft laugh at that, the sound catching somewhere between genuine amusement and exhaustion as she tipped her head back slightly toward the sky. [color=375a87]"He talked about you all the time,"[/color] she admitted, warmth threading through the words before the smile on her mouth turned fragile around the edges. Thomas had filled entire car rides with stories about Imogen, things she’d said, arguments they’d had, the way she laughed when she forgot to hold herself together properly. June blinked hard against the sudden sting in her eyes, but grief still rose swift and merciless in her chest, dragging old memories behind it. 

Thomas teaching her how to throw a proper punch in the cave, Thomas sneaking into her room during thunderstorms when she was little, Thomas standing between her and Bruce whenever she felt too small beneath the weight of expectation. Her first word had been his name. He had been her safest place for so long that losing him still felt impossible some days, like her mind kept waiting for him to walk through a doorway and fix everything simply by existing. [color=375a87]"I really miss him,"[/color] she whispered at last, the confession barely louder than the wind sweeping across the rooftop, her knuckles whitening around the neck of the bottle as though holding onto it was the only thing keeping her upright.

Imogen sighed softly, her gaze falling to her bare toes beneath the hem of her pants as she ran her fingers along her forehead. While there was a piece of her that was equal parts gladdened… and saddened at knowing Thomas spoke of her fondly, she mostly felt bad for bringing him up in the first place. [color=a8f9ff]"I’m sorry,"[/color] she whispered, looking up from beneath blonde bangs that fluttered in the wind. [color=a8f9ff]"I was… trying to lighten the mood and failing desperately,"[/color] she confessed with a strained laugh.

June pulled her into one more brief, tight squeeze, pressing their shoulders together for a heartbeat longer than necessary before finally stepping back fully. The late afternoon air rushed cool against the warmth left behind between them. [color=375a87]"You’re fine, I’m sorry,"[/color] she said, softer now, glancing around at the candles and carefully arranged rooftop setup with the faintest grimace of realization. [color=375a87]"I forgot you’d be up here."[/color] She lifted the bottle in her hand and gave it a small shake, amber liquid sloshing heavily against crystal glass. [color=375a87]"I was coming up here to cope my own way."[/color]

Imogen was pulled into another hug and remained there for however long June needed, not letting herself focus on how much she needed the comfort, if only to keep herself from breaking down entirely. [color=a8f9ff]"You’re fine,"[/color] she offered as she reached for more candles that rested along the table. [color=a8f9ff]"It’s silly, but—"[/color] she rapped her fingers along the ivory wax before continuing. [color=a8f9ff]"After using Cerebro last night, I was so drained. I couldn’t even walk. Magni…"[/color] A soft smile pulled at the corner of her mouth subconsciously, just the thought of him or the sound of his name on her lips bringing some warmth to her otherwise miserable day. [color=a8f9ff]"He carried me, drew me a bath, and just… held me."[/color]


She paused for a second, shook her head, and waved it off before she got lost recounting things that June likely didn’t care to hear. [color=a8f9ff]"Anyway, we spent most of the night talking and I told him I wanted to give him a real [i]midgardian[/i] date."[/color] Imogen waved her hands toward everything around her that she had spent who knows how long setting up. [color=a8f9ff]"A little over the top, but…"[/color] She shrugged with a quiet, guilty laugh. [color=a8f9ff]"Given how the world is falling apart around us, I just wanted something nice."[/color] Her bare feet softly padded along the concrete tiles as she carried the candles across the small clearing and set them alongside a cluster of others. [color=a8f9ff]"I know Jim would say it’s stupid, and that I should be [i]helping[/i], and not worrying about dating… But even when I helped he made it worth less than nothing, so what the fuck do I care about what he thinks?"[/color]

June loosened her hold on Imogen enough to step back, fingers curling around the neck of the bottle as she twisted the cap free with a soft crack. The rooftop air carried the smell of candle wax and flowers and the faint salt of the water below, but the liquor cut through all of it the second she took a long drink. Sweetness rolled across her tongue first, warm almond and dark cherry with something richer beneath it that lingered pleasantly at the back of her throat. She lowered the bottle slowly, studying the label with narrowed eyes as though personally offended by how much she liked it. [color=375a87]"Huh,"[/color] she mumbled, genuine surprise threading through her tired voice. [color=375a87]"Phil has good taste."[/color]

The humor faded as her attention drifted back toward Imogen and the heavier shape sitting beneath the conversation. June watched her, bottle hanging loosely from her fingers while candlelight flickered gold across the sharp line of her cheekbones. [color=375a87]"I’d apologize for him,"[/color] she said quietly, the words slower now, harder to place correctly, [color=375a87]"But I know it wouldn’t mean anything because I’m not him."[/color] Her mouth tightened faintly at one corner, irritation flashing hot and quick beneath her skin as she replayed the meeting in fragments. [color=375a87]"I… I don’t really know how I feel right now. What he said was…"[/color] She blew a sharp breath through her nose and shook her head once, dark hair shifting against her shoulders. [color=375a87]"Wrong. I don’t understand him sometimes. How can someone be that smart and still be so—"[/color] Her free hand cut vaguely through the air, frustrated and unfinished, like language itself had failed her patience.

[color=a8f9ff]"It’s not your job to apologize for him. You’re not his keeper and neither am I,"[/color] Imogen replied with the sort of acceptance that grew over years of growing up alongside him and only further concreted itself over the last couple weeks. [color=a8f9ff]"He…"[/color] She paused, drawing in a breath and exhaling it deeply through her nose. [color=a8f9ff]"I don’t know. I don’t claim to understand him. He doesn’t let me in."[/color] She walked back across the cool stone, stopping beside the table as she looked down at the stacked dishes. [color=a8f9ff]"You know him better than I do."[/color] Hell, at that point June probably knew both of them better than they knew each other. The reality of that knocked the wind from her lungs and cut deep enough that her hand instinctually pressed against her stomach to try and stem the ache.

The music drifted softly across the rooftop again while Imogen moved among the candles, and June watched her for a moment with something gentler settling over her expression. Candlelight warmed the blonde edges of Imogen’s hair. [color=375a87]"I don’t know…screw what Jim would think, though"[/color] June said at last, quieter now, sincerity grounding every word. [color=375a87]"I love this."[/color] Her gaze swept over the rooftop garden, and for the first time all day something in her chest loosened instead of tightening. [color=375a87]"We all need something worth fighting for, don’t we?"[/color] The question came softer than she intended, her focus slipping briefly somewhere far beyond the rooftop itself, toward absent fathers and broken teams and the terrifying possibility that love might be the only thing tethering any of them together anymore.

When she looked back at Imogen, her eyes shone faintly in the candlelight, wet around the edges but steady. [color=375a87]"I’m really happy for you,"[/color] she admitted, voice warm with an honesty she rarely offered so openly. [color=375a87]"You deserve someone like Magni. Someone who looks at you like you light up his whole world."[/color] The words lingered between them while June turned her head toward the horizon again, watching where the ocean melted seamlessly into the darkening horizon. For a long moment she simply stood there with the bottle in hand and the wind tugging at her clothes, looking painfully young beneath the weight she carried, as though she was trying very hard to remember what hope was supposed to feel like.

Imogen slowly looked back at June over her shoulder. Tears dammed against her lashes, but a smile still curved warm and grateful even through the exhaustion and pain. She ran the tips of her fingers along the tablecloth before lightly knocking her knuckles against the table. Her gaze lifted to the sky for a moment, catching on the white wisps of clouds, watching as they moved and morphed. The question came quickly and nagged at the edges of her mind. There was a part of her that knew she shouldn’t ask, and there was also another part of her that wished she could repay the compliment, but the truth was she didn’t know a thing about June and Jim's relationship. She swallowed, her throat bobbing with the weight of the words that hung off the tip of her tongue. 

[color=a8f9ff]"Does Jim look at you like you’re the center of his world?"[/color] she asked, barely above a whisper, as her gaze fell slowly until it settled on June. 

June took in a sharp breath at the question and held it there until her lungs ached around it. The wind moved cold against her face while the ocean glittered below them, distant and indifferent, and for a moment she simply stared out toward the ocean without seeing any of it clearly. Then she lifted the bottle and took a long pull from it, letting the sweet burn settle warmly down her throat and soften the sharper corners of her thoughts. The liquor tasted faintly of almond and dark fruit, rich enough to linger on her tongue while she searched for an answer she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear out loud. 

[color=375a87]"I..."[/color] Her voice faltered and she frowned faintly at the horizon, forcing her fingers to loosen where they had tightened too hard around the glass. [color=375a87]"I’m not sure."[/color] The admission came slowly, each word tested carefully before she allowed it to exist. [color=375a87]"He has feelings for me. He cares. But I don’t think..."[/color] She stopped, swallowing hard before trying again. [color=375a87]"I don’t think I’ll ever be to Jim what he is to me."[/color]

Her pointer finger began tapping softly against the bottle’s neck, steady and rhythmic, the habit surfacing automatically whenever her mind drifted too deep into itself. [color=375a87]"I’ve lo—liked Jim for a long time,"[/color] she admitted quietly, catching on the word like speaking it too plainly might make it dangerous. [color=375a87]"Since we were kids, I think. I never thought he felt the same until..."[/color] A faint warmth touched her face despite herself, softened by the memory of quiet confessions in dim light and awkward honesty shared beneath blankets and exhaustion.

[color=375a87]"We had a good talk last night. Just a talk, but..."[/color] Her mouth curved faintly around the memory before the expression faded back into thoughtfulness. The breeze swept cool salt across the rooftop, clean and sharp compared to Gotham’s stale rain-soaked air, and suddenly she missed her mother with an ache so sudden it hollowed her chest. She still wasn’t answering her calls, she supposed they would see each other at the funeral instead.

June leaned her hip harder against the table and tipped the bottle slightly in her hands while she tried to untangle thoughts that had lived knotted inside her for years. [color=375a87]"He’s so complicated,"[/color] she murmured, gaze drifting downward toward the candlelight flickering across the stone beneath their feet. [color=375a87]"The mission comes first. It has to for him. Bringing back our dads is the only thing keeping him upright right now, and everything else..."[/color] She shook her head faintly, searching for the right shape of it. 

[color=375a87]"Everything else feels like a complication he can barely process."[/color] There was no bitterness in the words, only tired understanding. [color=375a87]"It’s like he’s stuck in fight-or-flight and doesn’t even realize he’s been there so long it became normal."[/color] Finally she looked back toward Imogen, and there was something fragile in her expression now, something worn thin from carrying hope too carefully for too many years. [color=375a87]"It’s always been him,"[/color] she whispered, one shoulder lifting in a helpless little shrug. [color=375a87]"Even when I thought he didn’t... even if he changes his mind someday, even if this doesn’t work, for me it was [i]always[/i] him."[/color]

The confession settled heavily into the wind between them. June stared out toward the sky again, eyes glassy beneath the rooftop lights. [color=375a87]"I don’t know if he understands what love actually is,"[/color] she said softly. [color=375a87]"To him everything has rules and systems and outcomes. Equations. Contracts."[/color] A tired, exasperated smile tugged briefly at her mouth as she shook her head. [color=375a87]"But love isn’t like that."[/color] Her voice softened further, worn smooth by honesty. [color=375a87]"It’s the oxygen in the air. The warmth of sunlight after being cold too long. It’s the place your heart keeps returning to no matter how far away you run."[/color] She tightened her grip on the bottle once more before letting out a slow breath that trembled faintly at the edges. [color=375a87]"I don’t know if he’s capable of loving like that,"[/color] she admitted. [color=375a87]"But for him... I’m willing to find out."[/color]

Imogen listened intently, arms lightly crossed over her chest, nodding along but never interrupting. When June finished, she inhaled a slow, deep breath while trying to parse her own thoughts and how to put them into words. [color=a8f9ff]"I understand how the… crush—[i]love[/i]—thing kind of sinks its claws in."[/color] She shrugged her shoulders, ponytail slipping off her shoulder with the gesture. [color=a8f9ff]"I liked Magni since we were at the Academy together, back when he didn’t know who I was."[/color] She sighed softly through her nose. [color=a8f9ff]"I… eventually moved on with Luke—or maybe settled is a better word. Then the Academy was closed and a decade had passed. Out of sight, out of mind I guess."[/color] Her weight shifted as her hip leaned against the edge of the table. [color=a8f9ff]"Then all of a sudden the fucker lands on the lawn and I’m right back where I was ten years ago."[/color]

A quiet laugh rubbled in her chest as she crossed her right foot over her left. [color=a8f9ff]"The fact that he didn’t remember me should have probably been a huge [i]glaring[/i] red flag…"[/color] Imogen’s face scrunched slightly as she shook her head. [color=a8f9ff]"But our emotions have a funny way of rose tinting the world and we ignore things we probably shouldn’t. I was lucky that it worked out in my benefit… [i]so far.[/i]"[/color] 

It was only then that her eyes lifted from the ground and finally settled on June’s gaze. [color=a8f9ff]"As a sister,"[/color] Imogen continued, her words falling slow and measured because matters of the heart had to be handled with care, even when trying to offer clarity. [color=a8f9ff]"I am grateful that someone like you cares for my brother… Someone who is patient and loves him despite his faults… [i]and there are many,[/i]"[/color] she added with an exasperated sigh. Then her head slowly lulled to the other side as if she was weighing two sides of the same coin. [color=a8f9ff]"And as your friend, I just don’t want you to lose yourself in the process. It’s early and Jim is… emotionally stunted. I do understand that it will take time for him to reach your level. But you also owe it to yourself not to wait forever as well."[/color]

There was a long pause as Imogen’s attention slowly drifted out toward the ocean and the soft golden glow of the sun that tinged the sky amber. Then her brows creased before her gaze snapped back to June. [color=a8f9ff]"And for fuck’s sake communicate, because you know he won’t."[/color]

June listened quietly, the bottle hanging loosely from her fingers while the wind swept strands of dark hair across her cheek. Her gaze wandered between Imogen and the horizon, following the slow rhythm of waves rolling toward the shore far below the tower. There was comfort in listening for once, in letting someone else's experience fill the silence instead of her own worries. When Imogen reached the end of her advice and punctuated it with that final exasperated command, June barked out a genuine laugh, the sound bright and startled enough to catch even her by surprise. 

[color=375a87]"I know,"[/color] she admitted, grinning despite herself as she shook her head. [color=375a87]"Trust me, I know."[/color] The smile lingered for another moment before softening into something quieter. [color=375a87]"I promise... if anything doesn't work out, I'll find a way to let go."[/color] Her eyes drifted back toward the ocean as she said it, watching sunlight scatter across the water in fractured bands of gold. The words felt honest when she spoke them, even if they settled heavily in her chest. Somewhere beneath all the uncertainty, beneath the fear and confusion and years of wanting, there was still a small, stubborn hope that one day she might fit into Jim's life as naturally as Magni fit into Imogen's. She imagined reaching for him without second-guessing herself, imagined him looking at her with the same certainty Magni carried whenever his gaze found Imogen, and the thought ached in that tender place where hope and grief often shared the same roots.

The silence that followed sat comfortably between them, carried by music and wind and the distant crash of surf against the beach. June took another small drink before lowering the bottle and turning her attention fully back to her friend. The question had been circling her thoughts since the meeting ended, heavy enough that she could no longer ignore it. [color=375a87]"Are you okay with all this Luke bullshit? I mean, I know you’re not, but…"[/color] she asked quietly. Her expression tightened as she watched Imogen, searching for cracks beneath the composure she wore so well. [color=375a87]"If something doesn't change with him, we..."[/color] The words stalled. She worried at her bottom lip for a moment, staring down into the amber liquid sloshing gently inside the bottle while she searched for language precise enough to carry the weight of what she meant. The pause stretched out beneath the evening sky before she finally lifted her eyes again. [color=375a87]"Imogen, I'm a lot like my dad, especially right now."[/color]

June shifted her weight against the table, fingers tightening briefly around the glass neck before relaxing again. The rooftop garden glowed softly around them, candles flickering in little pools of gold that illuminated flowers and stone pathways alike. [color=375a87]"I don't trust Luke,"[/color] she said plainly. [color=375a87]"Or Ronnie, for that matter."[/color] Her voice remained calm, but conviction sat firmly beneath every syllable. [color=375a87]"They're both so... disruptive."[/color] It was the gentlest description she could manage for people who seemed to leave damage in their wake wherever they went. June looked back out toward the water for a second before returning her gaze to Imogen. 

[color=375a87]"I'm going to come up with contingency plans. Just in case."[/color] The admission came without apology. She searched Imogen's face carefully then, hoping the other woman would understand the place it came from—not cruelty, not punishment, but fear. Fear of losing more people. Fear of being caught unprepared again. Fear of standing helplessly in the aftermath of another disaster and realizing she had seen the signs and done nothing. [color=375a87]"I need to know that if something goes wrong, we're not relying on luck to survive it. I… feel like I have to, I have to do what my dad would do if he was here, even if it’s not what I [i]want[/i] because I know it’s right."[/color]

Imogen sighed, her gaze fixed on her bare toes that peeked out from beneath the hem of her pants. [color=a8f9ff]"I [i]used[/i] to trust Luke,"[/color] she commented quietly. [color=a8f9ff]"But after the fight with Tobias, [i]and Magni[/i]..."[/color] her voice cracked then trailed off before she could finish her thought. The muffled popping of knuckles filled the silence as her hands flex tightly where they were pinned beneath her arms. [color=a8f9ff]"I don’t trust him anymore,"[/color] she clarified as if it needed to be said out loud for herself as much as June. [color=a8f9ff]"I could have killed him. Might have if Magni wasn’t watching… Or Luke’s bullshit fucking lie."[/color]

She sucked in a sharp breath and ran her hands down her face before pushing off the table. Unable to stand still anymore, Imogen slowly started pacing back and forth across the small garden clearing. [color=a8f9ff]"I don’t know if we have the time or luxury for trust,"[/color] she confessed beneath her breath, the words landing so softly that one gust of wind might have carried them away. [color=a8f9ff]"We could be all that’s left and if we start isolating ourselves further… We might as well just shoot ourselves in the feet."[/color] She hated admitting it, but they were also past the point of desperation. As far as they were all aware this was it. The final stand. The final group of heroes trying to make a difference before their kind was snuffed from existence. It wasn't an uneasy alliance, one that would likely cause more pain before finding any solutions… But what choice did they have?

[color=a8f9ff]"Luke has ties with the I.H.A. and Ronnie… Well, I don’t actually know what she offers… [i]A distraction for Luke?[/i]"[/color] Imogen mused with an exhausted laugh, her pacing slowing as she reached the railing that overlooked the ocean. She leaned forward, resting her forearms against the glass while cupping her hands together. [color=a8f9ff]"They could be moles or they could be assholes with giant fucking chips on their shoulders."[/color] She shrugged her shoulders as her gaze slowly lifted to look up at the golden clouds overhead. [color=a8f9ff]"Perhaps my grief and anger have made me insensitive, but I almost want to keep them around because they’re bodies… They make us look larger in number, but in the end they’re just cannon fodder… [i]expendable.[/i]"[/color]

June felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders as Imogen spoke. The admission settled warmly in a place that had been knotted tight all day, easing a guilt she had not realized she was carrying. She was not the only one watching Luke and Ronnie with growing suspicion. She was not the only one cataloging every disruption, every argument, every fracture they left behind. The bottle hung loosely from her fingers now, the glass cool against her palm as the ocean wind tugged at the loose strands of dark hair around her face.

[color=375a87]"Leila Barton texted me this morning,"[/color] she offered after a moment, her gaze drifting from the ocean back toward Imogen. She remembered hearing stories from Thomas over the years, stories about Academy classes and training exercises and late nights spent studying. Leila and Imogen had both appeared often enough in those stories, though rarely together. June had never been entirely sure how close they were, only that they had known each other once upon a time, back before the world had started falling apart around all of them. [color=375a87]"I figured you'd probably want to know."[/color]

Her thumb traced the neck of the bottle as she looked back toward the water. [color=375a87]"She got our message, but she's... she's not taking her dad going missing very well."[/color] The words came quieter this time. June knew that particular kind of grief intimately, the frantic need to keep moving before the pain had a chance to catch up. [color=375a87]"She moved her family to a different safe house and left Iowa for… somewhere else, she was stingy on the details. Apparently she's taking up the mantle of Ronin instead of Hawkeye."[/color]

June grimaced and lowered her eyes to the liquor. Her fingers tightened until her knuckles whitened around the glass. [color=375a87]"She said she has a lead on something, but..."[/color] The sentence trailed away beneath the wind moving through the rooftop garden. [color=375a87]"She didn't sound good. Focused, determined, but not good."[/color] The distinction mattered. June had spent enough sleepless nights staring at ceilings to recognize someone holding themselves together through sheer force of will.

For several seconds she watched sunlight fracture across the ocean's surface. Gold scattered across the waves and vanished into the horizon. [color=375a87]"She said she'd be in touch,"[/color] she continued quietly. [color=375a87]"She hasn't heard anything from Widow or the rest of her family either, so it isn't exactly the best news."[/color] She swallowed around the ache gathering in her throat before finally looking back toward Imogen. [color=375a87]"But she's alive. We know that much."[/color]

Imogen nodded her head slowly. [color=a8f9ff]"That’s—that’s good,"[/color] she replied softly. One more person was… good, better than she could hope. Of course, the best news would have been knowing she was coming to the Academy. Anyone out on their own was at risk and Iowa wasn’t close. Even if she managed to send them a distress call, there was no way they could get there in time to help her. Hopefully with time, she would come around. While she and Leila were never particularly close, it still brought some relief to know that she was alive and safe… Even if only for the time being. 

[color=a8f9ff]"When I was in Cerebro,"[/color] Imogen started, slowly turning around to face June as leaned back against the railing. [color=a8f9ff]"Most of the mutants I saw were on Krakoa or Genosha… But there were some small dots scattered around."[/color] Her hands fell to rest against the glass on either side of her, fingers lightly strumming against the cool surface. [color=a8f9ff]"There aren’t many and they’re all over the world, but—"[/color] her shoulders raised in a tired shrug, [color=a8f9ff]"—I was thinking about going back in and telling them to come here… Or go to Krakoa. Just get somewhere safe."[/color]

She inhaled deeply, her head falling slightly as the wind blew loose blonde hairs across her face. Her hands lifted from the railing, pressing one thumb into her other palm, and running it along the skin in a slow, self-soothing rhythm. [color=a8f9ff]"It scares me… and hurts,"[/color] Imogen admitted beneath her breath, unable to look up. [color=a8f9ff]"But I think I need to try."[/color] She nodded her head slowly, as if trying to convince herself more than get approval or reassurances from June. [color=a8f9ff]"I shouldn’t be in as long as I was last night, so I think I’ll be ok… but I haven’t told Magni. He’ll worry,"[/color] she confessed. The conflict of keeping something from him was evident in the heaviness of her expression and the way she couldn’t lift her gaze higher than June’s feet. She would tell Magni immediately after… but that didn’t make it any easier.

June listened quietly, her gaze drifting from the horizon to settle fully on Imogen. The ocean stretched endlessly beyond the railing, waves rolling toward shore in slow silver bands beneath the afternoon sun. Salt lingered on the breeze and the sweetness of the liquor still coated the back of her tongue, warm and almond-rich each time she swallowed. She watched the way Imogen rubbed at her palms, the way her shoulders carried the memory of exhaustion even while she spoke about doing it all over again, and something deep in June's chest tightened with a mixture of admiration and grief.

[color=375a87]"You might be the bravest out of all of us,"[/color] she said softly. Her eyes slipped away then, following a gull wheeling above the water as she turned the thought over once more before offering it aloud. [color=375a87]"I mean that."[/color] The words carried weight because they came from a place deeper than friendship. They came from years spent learning how to read people beneath masks and smiles and practiced confidence. [color=375a87]"It scares you, it hurts, and you still..."[/color] She shook her head, a small smile touching her mouth as she looked back toward Imogen. [color=375a87]"You'll still do it anyway if it means helping even one person."[/color]

The bottle shifted lightly in her hand as she thought over her words. Wind tugged at the dark strands of hair around her face and carried the distant sound of surf upward from the beach below. [color=375a87]"You really are a hero, Imogen."[/color] There was no teasing hidden in the statement, no attempt to make her feel better. June said it with the same certainty she might have stated a fact from a case file. [color=375a87]"And if you want someone there when you do it, just say the word."[/color] Her voice softened further, turning quiet enough that it almost disappeared beneath the music drifting across the rooftop. [color=375a87]"I'll always come. No matter what it is."[/color]

Imogen’s gaze lifted slowly, carrying across the small clearing of patio over to where June stood. She wanted to argue, confess how she felt like an imposter in a tower surrounded by heroes and vigilantes and beings capable of great, immense power. And then there was her. She didn’t feel brave, she felt like a coward and useless, like she needed to prove her worth to people like Luke and her brother. A quiet sigh escaped as she ran her fingers along her bicep. [color=a8f9ff]"Thanks,"[/color] she whispered, managing the best smile she could beneath the weight of everything that clung to the corners of her mind.

June drew a slow breath and let it out through a tired smile. The admission felt easier after the liquor, after the meeting, after spending an entire day watching the people she cared about fracture under the weight of everything happening around them. [color=375a87]"I don't have a lot of friends left,"[/color] she admitted, turning the bottle idly between her fingers. [color=375a87]"Or family, for that matter."[/color] Her eyes found Imogen's again, honest and unwavering. [color=375a87]"I count you as both, so..."[/color] One shoulder lifted in a small shrug. [color=375a87]"You know. Burn the world down for you and all that dramatic stuff."[/color] A grin finally broke through, brighter than anything she'd managed all day, and she nudged the bottle in Imogen's direction as if to punctuate the absurdity of it. [color=375a87]"Within reason, obviously. Alfred would be very disappointed in me if I started any actual fires."[/color]

The blonde snorted out a quiet laugh as she tucked wild, wind-swept hair back behind her ears. [color=a8f9ff]"That’s alright, I don’t mind getting my hands a little dirty with arsen,"[/color] Imogen mused with a small guilty smile. Her right hand lifted to rest against the railing once more, tapping her nails against the glass for a second or two before continuing in a more somber tone. [color=a8f9ff]"Yeah well, I don’t really have much either… family or friends,"[/color] she offered with her own small shrug. Her attention followed a bird that fluttered overhead before gliding out over the ocean. There was a peace and calm for a moment, before she parted her lips to say something else but was interrupted by a quiet [i]ding[/i] from her back pocket. 

Imogen pulled out her phone, unlocked the screen, and navigated to her messages. Her brows furrowed when she saw the little notification tick and her brother’s name. She stood there frozen for a second, simply staring at it. Then it vibrated again and a little [i]‘two’[/i] popped up beside the small image of Jim and her in matching pajamas from a Christmas that felt like it was a lifetime ago. She cleared her throat and ran her tongue along the back of her teeth before opening the message. 

[indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent]
[table=bordered][row][cell][color=ed1c24]We need to talk. I'll find you tomorrow morning.[/color]
[right][sub][color=d6d6d6][i]4:17 pm[/i][/color][/sub][/right][/cell][/row][/table]
[table=bordered][row][cell][color=ed1c24]To apologize.[/color]
[right][sub][color=d6d6d6][i]4:17 pm[/i][/color][/sub][/right][/cell][/row][/table][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
She exhaled deeply through her nose, not knowing how to handle the simple words displayed before her. [color=a8f9ff]"He wants to apologize… [i]Jim,[/i]"[/color] Imogen spoke quietly, like the words cost something to speak into existence. She didn’t know if she said it out loud more for herself or June or maybe just to make sure she wasn’t imaging things. [color=a8f9ff]"Magni must have scared him,"[/color] she commented, looking over at June with an exhausted expression that shared more than words ever could. The anxiety and dread of the conversation had already started to knit itself across her shoulders, not to mention whatever feeling that settled heavily in the pit of her stomach at the knowledge that her brother was likely only apologizing because a big scary Asgardian told him too. But even beneath all of that, there was still the tiniest sliver of hope, the kind of hope she clung desperately too even when she shouldn’t, that maybe someday things would go back to the way they used to be. 

June blinked once, then again, genuine surprise flickering across her face as she stared out toward the dark water. The ocean rolled endlessly below them, waves breaking against the shoreline in steady white lines while the wind tugged loose strands of hair across her cheek. [color=375a87]"Wow,"[/color] she mumbled, sounding almost impressed.

A slow smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she glanced sideways toward Imogen. [color=375a87]"I wonder if Magni hit him?"[/color] The question lingered for a beat before she snorted softly and shook her head. [color=375a87]"Maybe he needs to be checked for a concussion. An apology, face to face?"[/color] Her smile widened into something more openly amused. [color=375a87]"You might want to record it. For science."[/color]

Imogen laughed. It was weak and frayed with a fatigue for something that had yet to happen. She appreciated June trying to make light of it and find humor laced somewhere through the dread that now nagged at the back of her mind. But it wasn’t able to pull her out of her heavy thoughts. She didn’t say anything, only spared her a quick glance and a tired smile. 

The humor softened as she looked back toward the horizon. June knew that look on Imogen's face. Hope was a stubborn thing, especially when family was involved. [color=375a87]"Hey,"[/color] she said quietly. [color=375a87]"Whether Magni scared him, threatened him, or dropped him headfirst into a wall, it still means he reached out."[/color] Her gaze drifted down to the phone in Imogen's hand before returning to her friend. [color=375a87]"We both know how stubborn he can be… if he didn’t want to on some level, he wouldn’t bother."[/color]

[color=a8f9ff]"Yeah… maybe,"[/color] Imogen whispered, not entirely convinced but still trying her best to see it from the other perspective. 

Then her phone vibrated a third time…

[indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][table=bordered][row][cell][color=ed1c24]Tell June I already ate.[/color]
[right][sub][color=d6d6d6][i]4:19 pm[/i][/color][/sub][/right][/cell][/row][/table][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
Imogen’s eyes slowly closed as every patience and frustration collided somewhere deep in her chest. She nodded her head with the unsurprised sort of understanding that hit hardest as she slowly walked toward June and held out her phone without saying a word. She didn’t know the meaning behind it, but she didn’t have to. Whatever plans that had been made were severed, but not even directly. Jim knew they were talking, either through security cameras or who knows, but it begged the question if he had been listening the whole time. But more than that, he texted [i]her[/i] not June… and something about that twisted uncomfortably in her stomach. [color=a8f9ff]"I’m sorry,"[/color] was all she said, because what else could she offer? 

She cleared her throat and drew in a deep breath as she slowly reached back out to take her phone. Her gaze fell back down to the screen as if the words might have changed in the handful of seconds she looked away, but they didn’t. Imogen blinked then her thumbs tapped out a cold, single word response. 

[indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][table=bordered][row][cell][color=a8f9ff]Fine.[/color]
[right][sub][color=d6d6d6][i]4:21 pm[/i][/color][/sub][/right][/cell][/row][/table][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
A second or two passed, and then because Imogen was petty with a bitchiness she was tired of tempering, her thumbs aggressively beat a second message against the screen.

[indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][table=bordered][row][cell][color=a8f9ff]You should have told her yourself.[/color]
[right][sub][color=d6d6d6][i]4:22 pm[/i][/color][/sub][/right][/cell][/row][/table][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
June leaned slightly closer at first, confusion knitting her brows together as Imogen held the phone out toward her. For a second she wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to be looking at. Then her eyes found the message. Five words. Simple. Direct. Enough to unravel the rest of the evening with almost insulting efficiency.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she looked away from the screen and back toward the ocean. Dark water stretched endlessly beyond the beach, sunlight catching on the crests of distant waves before they disappeared again into the black. The bottle rested loosely in her hand, though her fingers tightened around its neck until the glass creaked faintly beneath the pressure. [color=375a87]"I wasn't hungry anyways,"[/color] she said after a beat that lasted just a little too long.

The lie sat bitter on her tongue.

Imogen's apology landed somewhere deep in her chest, soft and undeserved. June swallowed once and stared out at the horizon, focusing on the steady crash of waves below rather than the knot tightening beneath her ribs. [color=375a87]"He shouldn't have used you as the messenger,"[/color] she said quietly. Her thumb dragged along the label of the bottle before she let out a slow breath through her nose. [color=375a87]"I'm sorry."[/color]

She couldn't quite bring herself to look back at Imogen as she said it. Not because she was angry. Not because she blamed her. Her chest simply felt too tight, crowded with disappointment and embarrassment and something else she couldn't quite name. So she kept her eyes on the ocean instead, jaw tightening briefly before she forced it to relax, and listened to the waves roll endlessly against the shore below.

[color=a8f9ff]"No, he shouldn’t have,"[/color] Imogen replied simply as she put her phone on silent and slipped it back into her pocket, not particularly interested if he sent a response or not. [color=a8f9ff]"Don’t apologize for him."[/color]

Without a word, she hooked her arm around June’s shoulders. [color=a8f9ff]"I think you should take the time to enjoy a bubble bath, angry girl music, and the rest of Phil’s [i]ridiculously[/i] expensive booze,"[/color] she suggested with a gentle squeeze and a pointed flick of her nail against the glass bottle, making it swing faintly within the girl’s grasp. [color=a8f9ff]"Maybe even a vibrator if you’re feeling especially defiant,"[/color] Imogen added with a faint devious smirk, doing her best to make June laugh… despite it all. 

June barked out a laugh before she could stop it, the sound bright and surprised as it escaped into the evening air. It caught her off guard after everything else the day had held, after meetings and arguments and grief and all the sharp corners she had spent hours trying not to cut herself on. Her smile widened despite herself, genuine now, and she shook her head as she looked over at Imogen. [color=375a87]"Never let anyone tell you that you don't have good ideas,"[/color] she said, amusement lingering warmly in her voice.

She reached up and squeezed the arm draped around her shoulders, a quiet gesture that carried more affection than she was usually comfortable showing. For a moment she stood there beside her friend and looked out over the ocean. The horizon glowed golden beneath the lowering sun, and the breeze carried the scent of salt and distant rain across the rooftop. June filled her lungs slowly, letting the fresh air push some of the day's weight from her chest, and when she exhaled it felt easier than it had in hours.

Then she slipped free from beneath Imogen's arm and started toward the rooftop door. Her heels clicked softly against the stone path between clusters of candles while music drifted around them from unseen speakers. At the threshold she paused and looked back over her shoulder, lifting the bottle in one hand and offering the other woman a jaunty wave. [color=375a87]"Enjoy your date. Seriously, you deserve it."[/color]

The smile stayed with her as she disappeared into the dim stairwell beyond the door. Cool shadows swallowed her as she descended toward the tower below, toward hot water, angry music, and enough expensive liquor to make the day seem a little farther away. For the first time since dawn, she wasn't thinking about missing fathers, fractured teams, or contingency plans. She was simply tired, and for one evening at least, she intended to follow her friend's advice.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

[center][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]