i want to believe in what you're doing

Claire Temple. [An blog for WCRHQ.]

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akafuckyou:

“You were supposed to say ‘no she doesn’t have broken bones,’” Jessica said, the frown deepening. She pulled out her phone, intending to text her sister that second, but it was dead as usual. She stowed it away with a groan. “And yeah, she’s always had good taste in wine. Doesn’t send me any, for some reason,” she murmured. “Still. You deserve some kinda medal, Temple. Along with the wine.”

She glanced back up at Claire, fighting off her own smirk. “Yeah, yeah, you’re super nurse, you know goddamn everything,” she said, sighing lightly. “It never goes well, but I keep banging my head against the goddamn brick wall. Got a cure for that?” 

Claire followed protocol when she had to and abandoned it when she couldn’t. She couldn’t really lie to a PI like Jessica Jones, either, even if Jessica wanted one fed to her—every one of ‘em made it seem like they were born with polygraphs in their brains. Cops, too. “Sorry,” Claire offered, shrugging. “You’re two of a kind, Jessica. Small wonder you guys do half the shit you do.”

“Go fight with her,” Claire proposed, cautious. It came out of her mouth as a half-formed idea, but it seemed about as smart as Jessica thought Claire was. “Or observe. Make it a field trip. She’ll...I don’t know. She can convince you she can take care of yourself, if you don’t know that already. Let her show off her skills, and then maybe you can leave the headbanging to pop punk bands in the East Village.”

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notquitehumcn:

“Lets just say that I’m not from around here.” Cir-El said as she sat down and looked at the other. “But thats not the point, how do I stop my powers from doing what I don’t want them to do?”

I am used to this stuff, Claire reminded herself, unwilling to look as shocked as she felt. The people with abilities were a dime a dozen now, and she wasn’t about to act like it was any newer to her than the day the aliens fell out of the sky and all but destroyed Manhattan.

“Practice, practice, practice?” Claire suggested, toying with the strap of her purse. She wasn’t gonna fill that stupid stereotype about mean New Yorkers—Claire actually enjoyed helping others. “You gotta find a mentor, that’s all. Somebody with...everything you have.” Your powers.

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akafuckyou:

Jessica frowned. “Uh-huh. Is that nurse speak for ‘your sister is black and blue?’” she asked, biting her lip. She sighed irritably. “If you’re patching up broken bones for her, the least she can do is rent out her panic room at a decent goddamn rate,” she muttered. There was too much to worry about, too many things in her mind to keep track of them all. Maybe she should start following Trish when she went out hero-ing. “Maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe she should quit while she’s ahead, before someone who’s already in the swing of shit gets to her.” 

Claire grimaced. “She’s not black and blue...” She’s more purple, Claire didn’t say.

Already being in the middle of it, she just gave up. “Hey, she gives me stuff. Wine, once. It was pretty good.” Mostly, Claire was just in this business so people like Jessica and Trish could walk out of her apartment on the mend. Getting paid for it—or getting a gift—made Claire a little uncomfortable.

“Something tells me you already know how that conversation’s gonna go, Jessica,” Claire pointed out, trying not to smile. It wasn’t funny (only, it was). “Am I close?”

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fe-fist:

Danny nodded slowly as she spoke the words. “Yea, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for that.”

"Good.” Claire saw more and more of these people popping out of the woodwork, but as long as they took care of themselves, she’d rest easy. “Okay. After the CT, I’ll get you to the cafeteria. I know what you hear about hospital food, but our stuff isn’t half bad.”

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notquitehumcn:

       “i’ve got to admit, this is the first time i’ve been kicked out of anywhere because of my powers ––– the time jump must have messed with me a bit because i can usually control them.”

"Time jump?” Claire asked, looking the girl up and down. “Explain, please.”

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fe-fist:

“Yea, I kinda figured.” he immediately wanted to argue as he saw the chair, but he was trying his best to play nice as best he could. He sighed as he got into the chair. “I can’t promise you that, but I’ll do my best. Hopefully no one throws a whole parking lot at me next time.”

"Hope you have some sorta...” Claire started pushing the chair, disguising her comment behind the squeak of the wheels. “Ability to fight that stuff.”

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polcris:

        “ — this is way more frustrating than it should be. forget my MID-LIFE crisis, i think i’m going to have an ongoing crisis. forever. ”

"Quarter life crisis?” Claire suggested. "How old are you?”

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akafuckyou:

“Goddammit,” Jessica muttered. Of course it wasn’t hypothetical, and they both knew it. “I told her to be goddamn careful.” Especially now, especially with the Registration, and all the bullshit Magneto and Frank had said, about her friends becoming targets, put in danger because of her decision. “How bad is it?”

So did I, Claire thought. Trish and Jessica were more alike than the other realized. "It’s not bad,” she answered loyally, remembering Trish’s defensive responses the last time they met. Claire couldn’t very well deter her from fighting the bad guys when she supported everybody else doing the same thing. “She has her Krav Maga. She’s just getting into the swing of it, that’s all.”

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hawkguybartcn:

“That’s hurtful,” Clint replied in a tone that sounded anything but hurt. “I’m not a good listener, apparently.” He eyed her hand for a moment before taking it with a shrug. “I’m fine, seriously. No need to worry, just looks bad.”

Okay, enough bullshit. Claire stood on tiptoe and reached into the dumpster, pulling up Hawkeye by the elbow. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

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widcwsbitc:

“Who’s training you?” Natasha asked curiously, returning her smile. She noticed the way Claire’s posture had straightened – it was something that she was proud of, understandably. “Good for you! They had it coming.”

"Colleen Wing. She has a pretty great dojo.”

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akafuckyou:

“This is why you’re my favorite nurse,” Jessica said, a grin twitching at the corner of her lips. She tilted her head, trying to discern how much Claire was actually kidding. “You’d be a better tenant if you stopped fishing bleeding assholes out of dumpsters,” she pointed out. “Not that Trish would mind.” The ghost of a grin faded from her face, and she bit her lip. “Tell me that’s a hypothetical more than it’s a reality?” she asked, not even bothering to be hopeful. 

A better tenant, maybe, but not a better person. The person Claire wanted and liked to be.

"Uh...” Claire started, wincing. Leave it to her to get Trish busted. She hesitated. “If it was a reality...hypothetically, how would you feel about it?”

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akafuckyou:

“Have a drink and call it a goddamn day?” Jessica quipped, the sarcasm thick. It wasn’t a great joke, but it made her smirk.

 “So Trish hasn’t told you about her little homemade fortress. Turns out being the number one talk show host in New York pays enough to indulge even the most extreme paranoia,” she shrugged. “Why, you thinking of moving into it?” she asked, raising a brow. 

"Two drinks,” Claire shot back, emphatically. She made a show of thinking about it, because she was, all kidding aside. Trish Walker’s panic room was probably high class. “Hey, I’d make a good tenant. I can stitch that girl up when she comes in lookin’ like a wreck.”

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hawkguybartcn:

“Yeah, yeah exactly!” He smiled sheepishly as the amusement fled her face. He paused in his efforts to get up when she spoke, furrowing his brow. “No, hey, look, I’m fine! Don’t worry, I do this all the time, I’m like a pro.” Okay, maybe not the best thing to brag about, but still. Counted for something, right?

"You’re a pro idiot, Hawkeye,” Claire retorted, saying goodbye to her patience. “What did I say? I said, ‘don’t argue with me’.” Irked, she extended a hand to get him out. 

“Last warning.” 

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widcwsbitc:

“Nice to meet you,” Natasha replied with a smile. Claire hid her expressions well, she was used to people’s eyes gaping at her, taking a step back. (Or the exact opposite, they looked at her admiringly, asked for an autograph. She hated that more). “I’m careful with everyone,” she said with a snicker. “You should be, too. Never know when another ninja is around the corner.”

Claire smiled wider, and a little proudly. “Ninjas don’t scare me so much anymore. I got a great sensei.” Plus Matt, plus Natasha. A boxer and a spy. “I pushed one  of ‘em out a window.”

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alexeithered:

“FORGIVE ME. I forgot NEW YORK CITY has so many CRITICS.”

"Sorry. There’s a peanut galley on every corner, seems like. Better get over it.”

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akafuckyou:

“Misguided sometimes,” Jessica repeated, shaking her head. The hint of a smirk on her face. “Gee, Temple, you really have a way of spinning things.” She paused, staring at the newstand, where her name was printed on every issue. “Trying and succeeding are two different goddamn things,” she muttered. She glanced back at Claire. “Do me a favor – this all blows up in my face, you, Malcolm, and Trish all hole up in her panic room, all right?” she asked, only half-joking. 

She smiled slightly. "Oh, I try.”

“If at first you don’t succeed,” Claire recited, reassuring. “And if this blows up, we’re all gonna be—wait. She really has a panic room?” Claire perked up. “Any nicer than my apartment?”

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hawkguybartcn:

“That’s comforting. I can’t wait to let everybody know that falling in dumpsters is a totally normal hero thing.” Man, he was totally gonna rub this in people’s faces. “Hey, next time take a picture or something so I can have proof.”

Clint blinked, considering. “Okay. That’s fair. So I’m just gonna get out of this dumpster and go home. Any minute now.” He attempted to sit up, making it about halfway there before falling back into the garbage. “Shit.”

"Pics or it didn’t happen, right?” Claire supposed, wry. The amusement left as soon as Hawkeye made a valiant attempt to get out on his own. “All right, all right,” Claire ordered, waving her hands. “Stop. I’m gonna help get you outta there, and then you’re coming upstairs. And don’t argue with me.”