Edward

OC marvel rp blog X-men

[edward-darius]

Private rp blog

Hey guys! So, life has been getting really busy and stressful, so I'm making this blog private. I just don't have the energy to be a full blown rp blog anymore:) feel free to dm for more info♡

Edward Darius, 24 years old, mutant.

OC for Marvel

Mutant abilties: Wings, healing powers, hands turn into talons, hears the dead/powers with the dead.

He is slowly being poisoned by his own body.

Appearance: Black slightly curly floppy hair, pale, sickly looking most times. White wings that are black at the top and streaked black down the rest of the way. Height: 5'11

Little things about Edward <- things will be added

Edward's kid Nadia

Edward's friend Scarlett

More info under cut: (brief backstory + younger Edward moodboard)

Very brief backstory: Edward was in fostercare from 1-16. Ran away at 16 with his friend, she died and Edward took in her baby. At 18 he lost the baby and was taken to a prison, experimented on/tortured for a year. At 19 went to work with Magneto. Left him at 20, ended up at X-mansion at 24.

Edward has been through a lot, he's not always the nicest when he meets someone new, but he will slowly warm up.

//Hey guys it's me again- owner of @steve-g-rogers @carlos-thatcher

Teen/young adult Edward mood board:

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I gave you your medicine, cause you were having a reaction," Tony explains, continuing to gently rock Edward .

[edward-darius]

Edward shudders and closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “Reaction? I… what kind?” He shifts and rests his head heavily on Tony’s shoulder.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I'm not sure," Tony admits. "You were spitting up some sort of black goo, Professor said it was your two mutations reacting."

[edward-darius]

Edward thinks deeply for a moment with a frown. “Two…” He wipes his chin off with a frown. “I’m fine- I just… I wasn’t expectin’ a spirit to enter me and I… I can’t remember what happened.” Edward shakes his head, clearly he forgot whatever his foster parent said to him.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He said something to you. It upset you," Tony explains. "You were scared of me for some reason. But you're safe now, I promise."

[edward-darius]

Edward blinks rapidly, pressing a hand to his forehead. “I don’t remember- and uh, sorry for all the weird… black goo stuff. The dead mutation sometimes makes me do that and apparently it does that if I get too… exhausted or overuse my mutation. Plus y’know… the poison.” He frowns and eyes Tony. “Why would I be scared of ya?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods a little. He supposes that that all.makes sense, when he thinks about it. "That soundd hard. Im sorry. And I dont know - something he said, I think."

[edward-darius]

“I hate my dead mutation.” Edward whispers, sounding absolutely devastated before he shakes his head. “I wanna know what he said- I gotta remember. Nothin’ would make me scared of you, you’re my dad!” He hits the side of his own head, frustrated.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony hates that he hates it, but he can't really blame him. He wraps an arm around Edward again, and gently catches him hands to stop him hitting himself. "I know, I know, honey. You weren't thinking clearly. It's okay."

[edward-darius]

Edward gives Tony and incredibly dirty look when he catches his hands. He flops down in his arms, taking a few shaky breath. “I need to remember- Dad I hate him! I don’t remember bein’ at his house fully but I hate him! What did he say to you?”

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[april-barnes]

April shuffles over as she hears Nadia mentioned it. That her dad was struggling, April knew. She knew it might happen, so that's why as she walks behind him. She gently rubs his back, "Hiya..." She whispers out.

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a harsh sob, not lifting his head. "I can't do it-" He whispers, his face flushed with embarrassment. He presses his face further into the table, a hiccuping sob leaving him. "I should be able to!" He sounds incredibly frustrated at himself.

[april-barnes]

April shakes her head as she looks over his shoulder, she leans on him a bit like a weight. "Hey, hey don't try to say that... It's not a bad thing you can't do..." She looks to the math. "Sweetie I can't even do calculus." She admits.

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, grabbing at his hair. "But this is simple! I... I can't even multiply much April-" He wipes at his eyes, letting out another sob.

"I never got to go to school- I should be able to help our eleven year old with her homework! It ain't that hard-" He lets out a broken sob. "I never went to school-"

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she hums. "Hey, sweetie. You don't have to be school smart..." She confessed as she sat with him.

"...I had a feeling you didn't...but that's not your fault. You were just a kid... A lot happened." She eyes him a bit, "..I can teach you a bit if you want. Don't be ashamed of it... It's nothing to be ashamed of." She softly spoke.

April thinks as she tilts her head. She remembers her dad wasn't school smart, she remembers when he couldn't help with her homework. And got upset over it too, she looks down as she gently takes his hand.

[edward-darius]

Edward cries and shakes his head, swiping at his tears. "I can't even help our daughter-" He chokes on his breath, struggling to take a deep one for a moment. "I wanted to go to school, but no one ever let me, they said I was too dumb and... and wasn't worth it."

He glances to April, his expression ashamed and embarrassed. "I am ashamed, I am- and embarrassed." He flushes and looks down, curling his hand around hers. "I'm twenty four years old and I can't do simple school work."

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she rubs his back. She eyes him for a second as she thinks. "Hey...there is nothing to be ashamed of... I promise you there is nothing to be ashamed of." She squeezed his hand as she kissed his hand.

"We can do this together.... We can do some basics together. Maybe too this'll help me... I am gonna be a teacher soon."

She eyes him for a second as she cups his face. "I know me nor none of our babies think differently of you because you didn't get an education baby... I promise you.."

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at her, tears continuing to spill down his face, which is still flushed with shame. The ghost of a smile appears when she kisses his hand. "It's not fair. It's not fair-" He whispers harshly. "I didn't do anything to make them not send me to school-"

Edward takes a shuddering breath, looking down, tears dripping onto the papers on the table. "I know... it just... it makes me feel so stupid and... and like a failure. Even if it ain't my fault I never got school. I feel... stupid. Cause that's what everyone called me."

[april-barnes]

"Sweetie. You are smart. Not school smart, but you have street smart. And that's something I can't teach our kids...that's all you dear." She tilts her head as she scoots in closer. Her knees brushed with his.

"...I promise you're not stupid... It's not fair either that they kept you from something you are allowed to do too....but we can't change the past. But I know I can help now, and with your future too..." She spoke softly as she smiles.

[edward-darius]

Edward immediately leans into April's touch, instead of pulling back. He drops his head onto her shoulder, a few tears still spilling over. "I had to be street smart." He whispers shakily, he bites his lip hard.

"I just don't understand what I did to make them hate me so much." Edward whispers, a fresh wave of tears spilling over. "I just wanted to go to school-"

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she lets him speak. She was shaking as she leans her head over his as she plays with his curls. "...I don't get it either amore..."

She hums a bit as she squeezed his waist a bit as she holds him closer. Letting his wings brush into her even as she just holds him, "it's not fair...a lot of it isn't..."

[edward-darius]

"I was a brat. But... but not as a toddler-" Edward wraps his wings around April, burying himself into her arms and just crying quietly. "I just wanna be able to help my daughter with her homework-"

[april-barnes]

"We can do it together...I promise you. It's okay my love...I promise it's okay.." April was trying to ease his worry. But she understood where it was coming from, he probably felt like he was lacking? That's what she assumes.

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs angrily, he shakes his head, curls falling into his face, his talons sliding out, he sits back and takes a few deep breaths. "I just want- It's not..." He shakes his head, unable to finish his sentence.

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she frowns. She sighs softly as she lets him speak, her eyes shook softly. "I am here for you...whatever we gotta do..."

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a shuddering breath, trying to keep himself calm, he turns and buries his face in her chest. “I know- I… I thank you-” He takes a shaky breath, tears steadily streaming down his face.

[april-barnes]

April was quiet as she stares off a bit. She was gently rubbing circles on her back, she closed her eyes eventually as she let him breathing through the cries.

[edward-darius]

About ten minutes later Edward’s cries settle, he hiccups quietly, shakily reaching a hand up to wipe at his eyes. “Sorry…” He whispers, shame crossing his face.

[april-barnes]

April shakes her head as she pecks his cheek. "It's okay.... You're allowed to cry and feel everything you do..."

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a shaky breath and nods, he reaches up and wipes some of his tears away. “I just wanna be normal in one thing for once. And be able to help my daughter.” He lets out a shuddering breath.

[april-barnes]

April eyes her husband as she tilts her head. " You say normal, as if it's the easiest thing to do. Ed, no one is normal. Especially in our lives..." She sighs softly. "Let me help please... You don't have to do this alone. Especially in the sake of our kids, our family."

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to April with watery eyes, he takes a shaky breath and nods. “I want your help. I.. I know I don’t gotta do this alone anymore, m’just… I feel so ashamed of myself, cause I can’t help our kid April. And I… I just…” He shifts and hugs her close. “I feel so embarrassed to ask for help with kids work. M’tryin’.”

[april-barnes]

April shakes her head. "How you think my folks felt... A new time era, learning about phones and technology to new school standards." She sighs softly as she rubs his hands in her hand. "Ask please. Don't be ashamed to ask..... We teach our kids to ask whenever they need help. Why would we not have that same standard?"

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to April carefully. He squeezes her hand lightly. “I… I will. Thank you… I gotta remember that, it’s just so hard…” He tips his forehead against hers, taking a few deep breaths. “I was taught so many things, to not ask for things… I gotta do better.”

[april-barnes]

April nods her head as she smiles to him softly. This was a work in progress, but that was a good sign. Edward was getting the hints and was learning how to grow from his past.

"Good... As long as we try. That's what's more important..." She beams at him as she giggles softly. "I'm proud of you."

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles back shakily, he’s trying his best. It’s hard to break so many things that have been told to him his entire life. But he is trying his best, and actually trying this time, growing. “I’ll try.” He promises her.

Edward pauses and blinks rapidly when tears appear. “You’re proud of me?” He whispers shakily.

[april-barnes]

April eyes him as she rubs her nose with his. "I am..of course I am!" She giggles softly as she kissed his cheek once again. "I love you. I'm proud of you Edward. You're really trying for us ..."

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fiddles with one of his curls, he smiles and kisses her forehead. “I love you too. Always gonna try for you.” He glances to the schoolwork and lets out a shuddering breath. “I’ll learn… it ain’t fair.”

[april-barnes]

April smiles as she looks back to this. "Again, this is algebra... I think Isabella is better at this then me..." She thinks softly. "I suck at math actually."

[edward-darius]

“Yeah but…” Edward stares down at the schoolwork and gives it a small shove. “It ain’t the fact I’m bad at it that bothers me, it’s the fact no one ever cared enough to send me to school.”

[april-barnes]

April stares at him as she hums. "Well I care enough to teach you..." She whispers softly as she smiles to him.

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, giving April a weak smile. “I…. That means a lot.” He shifts and sits at the table, letting out a slow breath.

[april-barnes]

April kissed his cheek as she hums. "Okay the basics then. I'm not the best but I can do basic..." She starts to explain just addition and subtract. Giving him time to get the jist of it.

[edward-darius]

Edward can do that okay, he fidgets with the pencil, frowning a bit as they get to multiplication. He tugs lightly at a curl, brow furrowed.

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she lightly eyes him. "Let's start with easy ones okay? The two table is easy. Just the number you multiply it by two times..." She explains and shows him.

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and looks down at the paper, carefully doing the work. “Isn’t that just the same as doing nine plus nine?” He scrunches his nose.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[sunflower-0180]

“Edward? Nadia just came in and…oh Sparkles.” *They look at him softly, rubbing his back gently as they send a wave of love and affection to him.* “Can you explain to me what’s going on

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs and shakes his head angrily. "M'fine." He doesn't lift his head from the table, his curls hiding his face from Anna. "It's nothin', m'fine-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They gently pull his hands away from his hair, and clear their throat.* “You aren’t fine. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, what happened with Nadia, because she was upset for you about something. Like that she emphasized with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pulls his hand back, he lifts his head a little, his face is tear stained. "I can't do Nadia's homework! It's an eleven year olds homework!" A sob bubbles out of him, he looks away. "I can't help her with it-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They reach over and hug him, hard.* “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s okay. Eleven year olds homework is tricky because she’s between middle school and high school subjects. But I promise you that it’s okay.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, he doesn't quite hug them back. "It's not okay! I can't do it." He shoves the homework away and drops his head onto the table again, crying harshly. "I never went to school- m'so stupid-"

[sunflower-0180]

“You are not stupid. There are so many different kinds of smart, not just academic smart. I’m not academic smart either.” *They hate how much his heart is breaking, and send him a wave of love.* Like I said, there’s way more kinds of smart than academic smart.”

[edward-darius]

Edward eyes them and shakes his head, hiding his head in his arms, crying. "But I never went to school! I can't help my own daughter do simple homework! I never went to school-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay that you never went to school. You had her to worry about, you wouldn’t have had time anyways to worry about homework and shit when you had her to look at after.” **They look at him, willing him to understand what they meant.*

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to Anna, biting his lip hard. "I never went to any kind of school, not as a kid, a teen, anything. I've never been." He blinks and looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. He tugs lightly at a curl, looking away. "I can't help my kid, Ans."

[sunflower-0180]

“But look at how far you’ve come, look at where you’ve come from.” *They look at him, sending him a wave of understanding.* “I get feeling frustrated and embarrassed about these kinds of things, but the only people that should feel embarrassed about this are the people that failed you by making it so it was impossible for you to go to school. That’s not on you, that’s on them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, yanking at one curl lightly. "I know that- but it doesn't make any of this feel better- I should be able to figure it out! I can't even help my own kid!"

[sunflower-0180]

“I….I’m sorry.” *They bit their lip, looking away, feeling like they were just saying all the wrong things now.* “Do….what can I do to help? I can……Nadia has told me that she’s wanted to play school before, so we can play school while we all work together to figure out her homework?”

[edward-darius]

"No, no Nads can't find out I can't do schoolwork." Edward shakes his head, dropping jt back onto the table. "I don't wanna... I can't-" he frowns and shakes bis head.

[sunflower-0180]

“Okay. Well….maybe we can take some classes together? Like, work on some of the easier stuff together a couple times a week?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Because if you want to be able to help her with her homework, we need to be proactive about this.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pushes away from the table, shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, he starts pacing around the kitchen. "I..." He trails off and takes a shaky breath. "It's not fair. I should be able to do this! It's not- I know... It's-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay, just take a breath, take a breath.” *They look at him, trying to keep their own breathing calm for him.* “Just take a minute, and think about what you want to do.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops and leans against the counter, taking a few shaky breaths, his eyes stuck kn the ceiling. His talons slide out and nervously tap together. "It's not fair-"

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *They whisper, looking at him carefully and start to copy his tapping with their own fingers, the tapping helping by giving them something to do.* “I wish that it wasn’t the case for you. And that I could fix it for you.”

@edward-darius

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He scrapes a talon down his face, the angry red lines fading as he does. “I just feel so… so stupid, and I hate it and it’s not fair.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry…..I…I felt stupid I’m school too. Is there an online class that you could take, that would help?” *They’re grateful that he’s starting to try to calm down, the anxiety that was bubbling under their skin starting to calm down.* “Does April have any ideas on things that could help?”

[edward-darius]

Edward stabs his talons lightly into his arms, taking a few shuddering breaths. He stares up at the ceiling with a deep frown. “Not unless I took a kids class- I don’t…” He trails off and angrily shakes his head. He shifts and bites down on his thumb. “She could help yeah, she’s a teacher.” He huffs and shakes his head again. “My wife’s a teacher and I can’t even do basic school.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think desperately for a minute, looking at him worriedly and then at the ceiling.* “Well, maybe we need to ask her for help? And have her work with you for a bit until you feel more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing?” *His energy was calming down, but they didn’t like how he was biting and stabbing himself so they lightly take his hands, like how other people stop them from picking at their scabs.*

[edward-darius]

“I’ll talk to her later.” Edward watches Anna take his hand, he immediately makes the talons disappear. He taps his foot against the floor, biting his lip hard. “It’s just frickin’ embarrassing and I… I don’t want Nadia to know. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through, and I wanna keep it that way.”

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s fair. She’s a kid, she shouldn’t have to know those kinds of things.” *They nod, agreeing with him, as they tighten their grip a little on his hands, looking up at him briefly before looking away again.* “If I was in your shoes, I would definitely feel the same amount of embarrassment, but I don’t think it’s embarrassing, it’s just unfortunate.”

[edward-darius]

“The kids are never gonna find out what I went through or what I did. Ever.” Edward’s eyes darken, he wraps his wings around himself, biting down on his thumb again. He nods slowly. “That’s a good way of describin’ it.” He sighs deeply and looks away, tears in his eyes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They wince slightly when he bites down near their fingers but refuse to let go of his hands and nod.* “They will never find out from me, I swear that to you on my life.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops biting when they don’t stop holding his hand, he lets out a slow breath and nods. “They know I was in foster care, but that’s it. And they don’t know what happened in it.” He glances towards the homework, just looking… sad.

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him and nod, humming quietly under their breath to ease both of their nerves a bit.* “I mean, that’s not something that you would really talk about with kids, whether they’re your own kids or not. That’s just…..not something that their brains should know.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his jaw, looking down at the floor, his body tensed up. He brushes a hand through his feathers, taking a few deep breaths. “No, it’s not. And they don’t need to know what I did. I just…” He looks towards a cupboard in the kitchen. “Wish I could be a normal dad, who knew how to do homework and… and… I dunno.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They continue to hum, hoping that it’ll ease some of his tension, sending him some comfort, compassion, and love.* “You’re their dad though. That’s what matters. Just because you don’t know how to do certain stuff doesn’t make you any less of a dad. You play with them, you take care of them, you show up for them, you love them, you teach them things in your own way, you are exactly the dad that they need.”

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Anna carefully, he ducks his head down as he listens, fidgeting with a few feathers. “Thanks Ans.” He mumbles, staring at the floor. “But I don’t… I just wish I could help them with their homework and… and do normal dad things like that.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Our dad was smart enough to do that and he never did. Or when I would ask for help, it would end with him getting pissed off and me feeling so much worse than when I had asked him for help in the first place. So those kinds of things are overrated, in my opinion.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at the wall, letting out a small hum. He looks down at his hands, turning them into talons and shaking his head. “I just wanna be a frickin’ normal parent I…” He sighs and turns away, digging through his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to be… keep sayin’ the same thing.” He fidgets with the pack.

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay. And you can smoke if you need to.” *They motion towards the pack of cigarettes, trying to force their lungs to relax prematurely.* “I say the same things and get caught in a similar loop all the time, so I understand how your brain just gets locked on one specific thing and won’t let go.”

[edward-darius]

Edward curls his hand around the pack. “I’ll do it outside.” He mumbles, nervously fidgeting with it. “Yeah… it sucks. Just- how could they not have let me go to school, it’s school! Anna they always said they wanted to get rid of me but they never sent me to school-“ He lets out a short breath.

[sunflower-0180]

“Because they’re fucking stupid and two faced, that’s why.” *Their voice is firm, and they nod a few times.* “Do it wherever you want to, it’s your house, this is whatever you want.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his hands and shakes his head. “I just wanted to go to school…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t smoke in the house, it ain’t good for the kids or April.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *Their eyes are understanding, not pitying, and a spark of pride goes across them.* “I’m proud of you for that. Especially since I know you’ve been really stressed recently and smoking can really help with the stress.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily. “I wanna do more but… but smokin’ helps.” He fidgets with the pack. “Can ya make sure Nadia’s okay while I go have a smoke?”

[sunflower-0180]

“Yeah, of course.” *They smile and stand on their tippy toes to kiss his forehead.* “You’re gonna be okay, Sparkles. I promise.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles weakly and nods, he goes outside with his pack, mumbling softly under his breath.

[sunflower-0180]

*They went to check on Nadia, smiling when they saw her playing with her dolls and then walk back to the kitchen and open the door to the back porch, silently sitting next to him. Not giving a shit about their lungs at the moment.*

[edward-darius]

Edward puts the cigarette out as soon as they sit by him, he drops his chin into his hands. He stares out at the backyard, his wings ruffling lightly in the breezes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They glance at him, grateful he put the cigarette out.* “She’s fine. Just playing with her dolls. She wanted me to be the villain, so I was for a little while.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fidgets with his curls. “She likes playin’ with her dolls.” He bites his lip and lets out a slow breath. “M’glad she can have a normal childhood.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m glad too.” *They sigh, looking at him and smile.* “I know that she is just happy to be where you are. That’s what makes her the happiest.”

[edward-darius]

Edward snorts and looks down, kicking his legs out. “Yeah right. I lost her for seven years.” He frowns and looks out at the yard. “I doubt she wants me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him, exasperation and fondness in their eyes.* “Are you forgetting that I can literally tell people’s emotions and words related to those emotions? That’s literally something she was thinking while we were playing. “Papa always comes back for me, no matter what” Sparkles, she was literally roleplaying as you coming back to save her. That’s what we were doing.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at Anna then bursts into sobs, looking away and covering his face. “She was-” He gasps out, his wings tucking protectively over his body. “But I failed her- I lost her!”

[sunflower-0180]

“You didn’t fail her, she was taken from you. That’s not on you.” *They sit closer to him, but not touching him.* “Even at her age now, she knows that. I don’t know how she does, I just do know it. I think it’s just something she intuitively knows.”

[edward-darius]

“I’ve never told her what happened.” Edward whispers shakily, well, he’s never actually told anyone how it truly happened. “That… it’s hard to believe, even if I know it’s kinda true.” He picks at a few of his feathers.

[sunflower-0180]

*They can tell that there’s something he’s holding back and they look at him carefully.* “Well, I’ll believe it for you until you can believe it more yourself. And you can tell her or anyone else what you’re ready to tell them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward softens when they say that saying that they both use so much for each other. He shifts and nudges Anna with his wing. “Thanks Ans…” He takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve only ever told the basics to anyone… but a lot happened that lead to me being captured and… and Nadia taken from me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They smile slightly when he nudges them, and they adjust themselves, looking at him gently.* “I’m here to listen if you want to tell me, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too. We can just sit here, talking or not talking. Whatever feels better to you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward yanks a feather out and stares at it, it’s half black half white. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have these.” He huffs and yanks another feather out, expression sad. “They tried to catch many times before they managed to when I was eighteen.”

[sunflower-0180]

“They saw the wings and then tracked you from that?” *They look at him, trying to clarify what he meant.* “I know that they got you when you were eighteen, that’s when I got adopted. Wait no, I was nineteen, I lied.”

[edward-darius]

“Yeah, mutants with physical mutations are the easiest to find because they can’t hide their mutation, like me.” He ruffled his wings with a bitter laugh. “So yeah, I was always runnin’ from them.” He looks to Anna carefully. “I would’ve been workin’ for Magneto when you were adopted.” He frowns a bit. “Huh… that’s a weird thought.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry.” *They honestly weren’t totally sure what they were apologizing for, maybe that he had the physical mutation, maybe that he had been hunted, probably both.* “That is a kinda weird thought. What would have happened if we had met then though? At nineteen instead of twenty two and twenty three?”

[edward-darius]

“Thank you…” Edward whispers, the sorry feels like… like it’s for everything he just said, and it’s comforting. He tucks his wings together and shakes his head. “Oh it would’ve been bad, trust me it’s a very good thing ya didn’t meet me when I was twenty. It wouldn’t have ended well… I wasn’t a good man then, at all.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Would you have…..have hated me then?” *Their voice is almost a whisper, looking at the ground and picking at some pieces of grass.* “Or would you have just decided to not believe me that I was your sibling?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down, guilt and shame filling his face. “I think I would’ve done both.” He whispers, sounding like he feels devastated at the thought. He clears his throat and looks away. “I wasn’t myself durin’ that time Ans.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Oh.” *Now their voice is a whisper, and they nod quickly.* “I know you weren’t. I know. You were very heavily manipulated by him, you wouldn’t have treated me that way if you had a choice. We were assholes to each other when we first met, remember? I think it’s just a sibling thing to be defensive as hell when you’re meeting someone new.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, guilt in his eyes and shame on his face. “I was different then and… and twenty is when I started drugs, hardcore. I was high all the time.” He hums and nods with a sad little chuckle. “We were jerks to each other when we met.”

[sunflower-0180]

“But you’ve never really been angry when you’ve gotten high or drunk. I mean……” *They trail off, thinking for a second.* “For the most part, you really don’t get mad when you’re drunk or high. And yeah, you spilled hot coffee all over me, and then you healed me and then I chased after you, told you about your mutation, and passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, honestly. Just that I couldn’t let go of you for anything.”

[edward-darius]

“Anna, it didn’t used to be like that. I was one of the angriest people ya could possibly meet, and the alcohol and drugs didn’t help.” Edward looks to the side, fidgeting with his feathers, he lets out a slow breath. “I was bitter, angry, and I… I had no hesitation in doing terrible things.” He bites his lip and shakes his head before smiling ever so slightly. “Yeah… I remember that.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I have something I need to tell you.” *It felt like it was an honesty hour sort of thing, and they needed to tell someone this before it burnt a hole in their chest forever.* “You seriously might look at me differently and I get it if you need space for a little while, or a long while, because I….I fucked up. Like, fucked up, fucked up. And I….I haven’t told anyone else this. The only other person that knows is Carlos, and it’s because he found me doing it.”

[edward-darius]

“I ain’t gonna look at ya different. I’ve done enough stuff I can’t judge.” Edward shrugs his wings out, staring out at the yard.

[sunflower-0180]

*They hide their face in their hands, scooting away from him a bit.* “I….oh gods….the third day I was at hydra, there was a guy who had been following me around and being really sneaky to make sure that he was alone with me, and he got me alone because Carlos had a meeting. So he tried to….touch me, and I stabbed him. And I kept stabbing him, I have no idea how many times I stabbed him before Carlos found me, but it was bad. I just know that I didn’t…..I felt fear when he was cornering me, and then I just felt satisfied. No guilt or anything else. Just satisfied.”

[edward-darius]

Edward turns to look at them, looking not shocked at all, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. “Oh well, good for you. A vile man got what he deserved. Ya should feel satisfied ya ended a disgusting man’s life. He deserved to die and ya let out your rage at all the other men that had hurt you on him.” He shrugs his wings and gives them a quick hug. “It’s fine.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They startle slightly, and look at him with tears in their eyes as he hugs them.* “But….but Carlos had to physically stop me from continuing when he found me, I wasn’t going to stop. That’s…..how does that make me better than people that have hurt me in the past if I do something like that and have to be physically stopped like that?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at them, blinking a few times. “So? He was a gross man, ya had built up anger at the other men that had down horrible things to you. Doesn’t make ya a bad person, ya wouldn’t do that to a good person, we both know that. So ya maybe let out a lot of aggression on one person and ya regret it. But that doesn’t make what ya did bad in my opinion. That nasty man deserved it. It happens.” He fiddles with a curl.

[sunflower-0180]

*A small sob of relief bubbles out of them before they can stop it, and they try to scrub the tears away, but they just seem to fall faster and faster the more they try to scrub the tears away.* “I can still feel his blood on me sometimes, especially when I get really mad at someone. It’s like this panic reflex that is telling me that I could do that to anyone and-“

[edward-darius]

Edward scoops them up carefully. “But ya won’t. I know you won’t, and I think deep down you know ya won’t either. It’s just a feeling, that’s all it is. And we work through it and we figure out how to channel it into somethin’ else, somethin’ good.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Anna I used to slam my talons into someone who looked at me the wrong way, I’ve enjoyed murdering people, I’ve done it too, that urge ain’t gonna magically go away, but ya can choose to do somethin’ good with that rage.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They struggle once as he cradles them, and then just go almost limp in his arms as they sob for a good few minutes.* “What do we channel it into? What has worked for you? It’s so…..I’m so tired of feeling his blood on me at random times, it’s terrifying.

[edward-darius]

Edward stares up at the sky, taking a few deep breaths. “I have crappy coping mechanisms. But… but I fly, I scribble on a paper as hard as I can, sparring is good without weapons, sometimes ya just gotta scream as loud as ya can. Go for a run, and… and go to someone ya trusts.” He looks away for a moment, talons sliding out. “Killing him wasn’t wrong, by the way. But I’m sorry you have to deal with the feelin’ now.” He winces and tugs at his curls.

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s not fair that I can’t fly.” *They tease him softly and then take his hand, intertwining their fingers so he can’t pull on his hair.* “Yeah, Carlos said it wasn’t wrong either, and that he had been a problem for other agent’s partners before too, not just me. But sometimes that doesn’t make me feel better, when I look at someone else when I’m pissed off and it’s like their bodies switch. Do you….do you ever have that experience?”

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto their hand tightly, fighting to keep his talons from coming out. “All the time, all the time. I get it Ans, I really do. It sucks, it does. It’s something ya gotta really intentionally work on. And it… ut sucks yeah.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry you understand what I mean.” *They look at him in understanding, and then look down at their hands, grateful that he was trying hard to not let his talons out. They didn’t mind feeling his talons, but they had a feeling they were going to cut themselves on his talons this time.* “I think I can follow some of your advice though, because that’s actually something my therapist said I should do. The running and the scribbling thing.”

[edward-darius]

“M’sorry ya feel it too.” Edward gazes over the yard again. His eyes a little empty, he kicks his feet out and ruffles his wings with a soft hum. “It really does help, doin’ those two things. I mean I fly instead of run but…” He smiles and flutters his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“How fast can you fly?” *They look at him curiously, they realized they had never actually asked him that before.* “Do you think you can fly faster than I can run?” *Now they were just trying to push his buttons, because they wanted him to chase them and fly with them for a bit. They hadn’t done that in a while, and wanted to be like a little kid again.*

[edward-darius]

“I have no clue.” Edward shakes his head with a small smile. “Oh I could definitely fly faster then ya can run.” He grins and ruffles his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“No you can’t.” *They shake their head, standing up and smirking at him as they start to walk across the yard towards the gate.* “I’m obviously way faster than you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward laughs happily and flys after Anna. He drops in front of them with a wide grin. “Not faster huh?” His curls are a mess from how fast he flew over.

[sunflower-0180]

“Nope!” *They laugh, throwing one of the kids toys at him to throw him off guard, and turn to sprint towards the front yard through the side gate. They get through it, laughing their ass off, feeling that he was close again and try to go even faster.*

[edward-darius]

Edward gets distracted for a moment before he laughs and chases after them, flying quickly, he drops in front of them with a loud ‘oof’ “Ha! I still am faster.” He sits down heavily with a grin.

[sunflower-0180]

*They yelp, falling backwards and then burst out laughing as they flop over onto him, trying to catch their breath.* “Okay, okay, I give up, you’re definitely faster than me. Holy shit, I haven’t done that in forever. Run with someone chasing you for fun, not because you’re in danger.” *They laugh again, enjoying the feeling of closeness and carefree energy they were both feeling.*

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and falls down into the grass, stretching his wings out. “It’s fun, I like bein’ able to do it with you.” He shifts and rests his wing against them. “Wish I could fly for longer, ya wanna go on a ride?”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look up at him in surprise and excitement.* “You’re serious? We haven’t done that in forever, hell yeah I want to fly with you. I don’t even remember the last time I went flying with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods with a smile. “Yeah, it’s been too long, I just gotta take breaks pretty regularly. C’mer, it’s been too long.” he holds his arms out for Anna.

[sunflower-0180]

“Who gives a shit about having to take breaks.” *They scoff playfully, and stand up, brushing themselves off and reaching towards him again.* “Okay. I’m ready now.”

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and scoops Anna securely into his arms. “Ya wanna fly over the city? I have little… spots I’ve made in roofs for breaks.” He spreads his wings out, smiling at the feeling of the wind.

[sunflower-0180]

“Sounds good. But seriously, warn me before you adjust your grip, because I haven’t done this in a while ans I’m gonna scream pretty loud if I don’t have any warning.” *They hold their finger up to him, their face joking but their eyes were serious.*

[edward-darius]

“I will, promise.” Edward smiles then slowly starts to fly, just lifting them a little bit off the ground, he holds Anna snuggly in his arms. “Good?”

[sunflower-0180]

*They know he’s telling the truth, and look down at the ground, holding onto him a little tighter.* “I’m good. You can go higher now, I’m good.”

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and flies up, holding Anna snuggly so there’s no chance they’ll fall. He giggles as enjoys the feeling of the breezes washing over them.

[sunflower-0180]

*They move one arm up and down in the wind, feeling the sensation like they were the one flying and burst into their own fit of giggles.* “I used to hate heights and now this is one of my favoritest things ever.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles and flies steadily. “Yeah, it’s amazin’!” He flutters his wings out, soaring through the air. “It’s the best feelin’ ever.”

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I gave you your medicine, cause you were having a reaction," Tony explains, continuing to gently rock Edward .

[edward-darius]

Edward shudders and closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “Reaction? I… what kind?” He shifts and rests his head heavily on Tony’s shoulder.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I'm not sure," Tony admits. "You were spitting up some sort of black goo, Professor said it was your two mutations reacting."

[edward-darius]

Edward thinks deeply for a moment with a frown. “Two…” He wipes his chin off with a frown. “I’m fine- I just… I wasn’t expectin’ a spirit to enter me and I… I can’t remember what happened.” Edward shakes his head, clearly he forgot whatever his foster parent said to him.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He said something to you. It upset you," Tony explains. "You were scared of me for some reason. But you're safe now, I promise."

[edward-darius]

Edward blinks rapidly, pressing a hand to his forehead. “I don’t remember- and uh, sorry for all the weird… black goo stuff. The dead mutation sometimes makes me do that and apparently it does that if I get too… exhausted or overuse my mutation. Plus y’know… the poison.” He frowns and eyes Tony. “Why would I be scared of ya?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods a little. He supposes that that all.makes sense, when he thinks about it. "That soundd hard. Im sorry. And I dont know - something he said, I think."

[edward-darius]

“I hate my dead mutation.” Edward whispers, sounding absolutely devastated before he shakes his head. “I wanna know what he said- I gotta remember. Nothin’ would make me scared of you, you’re my dad!” He hits the side of his own head, frustrated.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I gave you your medicine, cause you were having a reaction," Tony explains, continuing to gently rock Edward .

[edward-darius]

Edward shudders and closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “Reaction? I… what kind?” He shifts and rests his head heavily on Tony’s shoulder.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I'm not sure," Tony admits. "You were spitting up some sort of black goo, Professor said it was your two mutations reacting."

[edward-darius]

Edward thinks deeply for a moment with a frown. “Two…” He wipes his chin off with a frown. “I’m fine- I just… I wasn’t expectin’ a spirit to enter me and I… I can’t remember what happened.” Edward shakes his head, clearly he forgot whatever his foster parent said to him.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He said something to you. It upset you," Tony explains. "You were scared of me for some reason. But you're safe now, I promise."

[edward-darius]

Edward blinks rapidly, pressing a hand to his forehead. “I don’t remember- and uh, sorry for all the weird… black goo stuff. The dead mutation sometimes makes me do that and apparently it does that if I get too… exhausted or overuse my mutation. Plus y’know… the poison.” He frowns and eyes Tony. “Why would I be scared of ya?”

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I gave you your medicine, cause you were having a reaction," Tony explains, continuing to gently rock Edward .

[edward-darius]

Edward shudders and closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “Reaction? I… what kind?” He shifts and rests his head heavily on Tony’s shoulder.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I'm not sure," Tony admits. "You were spitting up some sort of black goo, Professor said it was your two mutations reacting."

[edward-darius]

Edward thinks deeply for a moment with a frown. “Two…” He wipes his chin off with a frown. “I’m fine- I just… I wasn’t expectin’ a spirit to enter me and I… I can’t remember what happened.” Edward shakes his head, clearly he forgot whatever his foster parent said to him.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I gave you your medicine, cause you were having a reaction," Tony explains, continuing to gently rock Edward .

[edward-darius]

Edward shudders and closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “Reaction? I… what kind?” He shifts and rests his head heavily on Tony’s shoulder.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[sunflower-0180]

“Edward? Nadia just came in and…oh Sparkles.” *They look at him softly, rubbing his back gently as they send a wave of love and affection to him.* “Can you explain to me what’s going on

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs and shakes his head angrily. "M'fine." He doesn't lift his head from the table, his curls hiding his face from Anna. "It's nothin', m'fine-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They gently pull his hands away from his hair, and clear their throat.* “You aren’t fine. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, what happened with Nadia, because she was upset for you about something. Like that she emphasized with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pulls his hand back, he lifts his head a little, his face is tear stained. "I can't do Nadia's homework! It's an eleven year olds homework!" A sob bubbles out of him, he looks away. "I can't help her with it-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They reach over and hug him, hard.* “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s okay. Eleven year olds homework is tricky because she’s between middle school and high school subjects. But I promise you that it’s okay.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, he doesn't quite hug them back. "It's not okay! I can't do it." He shoves the homework away and drops his head onto the table again, crying harshly. "I never went to school- m'so stupid-"

[sunflower-0180]

“You are not stupid. There are so many different kinds of smart, not just academic smart. I’m not academic smart either.” *They hate how much his heart is breaking, and send him a wave of love.* Like I said, there’s way more kinds of smart than academic smart.”

[edward-darius]

Edward eyes them and shakes his head, hiding his head in his arms, crying. "But I never went to school! I can't help my own daughter do simple homework! I never went to school-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay that you never went to school. You had her to worry about, you wouldn’t have had time anyways to worry about homework and shit when you had her to look at after.” **They look at him, willing him to understand what they meant.*

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to Anna, biting his lip hard. "I never went to any kind of school, not as a kid, a teen, anything. I've never been." He blinks and looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. He tugs lightly at a curl, looking away. "I can't help my kid, Ans."

[sunflower-0180]

“But look at how far you’ve come, look at where you’ve come from.” *They look at him, sending him a wave of understanding.* “I get feeling frustrated and embarrassed about these kinds of things, but the only people that should feel embarrassed about this are the people that failed you by making it so it was impossible for you to go to school. That’s not on you, that’s on them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, yanking at one curl lightly. "I know that- but it doesn't make any of this feel better- I should be able to figure it out! I can't even help my own kid!"

[sunflower-0180]

“I….I’m sorry.” *They bit their lip, looking away, feeling like they were just saying all the wrong things now.* “Do….what can I do to help? I can……Nadia has told me that she’s wanted to play school before, so we can play school while we all work together to figure out her homework?”

[edward-darius]

"No, no Nads can't find out I can't do schoolwork." Edward shakes his head, dropping jt back onto the table. "I don't wanna... I can't-" he frowns and shakes bis head.

[sunflower-0180]

“Okay. Well….maybe we can take some classes together? Like, work on some of the easier stuff together a couple times a week?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Because if you want to be able to help her with her homework, we need to be proactive about this.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pushes away from the table, shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, he starts pacing around the kitchen. "I..." He trails off and takes a shaky breath. "It's not fair. I should be able to do this! It's not- I know... It's-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay, just take a breath, take a breath.” *They look at him, trying to keep their own breathing calm for him.* “Just take a minute, and think about what you want to do.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops and leans against the counter, taking a few shaky breaths, his eyes stuck kn the ceiling. His talons slide out and nervously tap together. "It's not fair-"

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *They whisper, looking at him carefully and start to copy his tapping with their own fingers, the tapping helping by giving them something to do.* “I wish that it wasn’t the case for you. And that I could fix it for you.”

@edward-darius

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He scrapes a talon down his face, the angry red lines fading as he does. “I just feel so… so stupid, and I hate it and it’s not fair.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry…..I…I felt stupid I’m school too. Is there an online class that you could take, that would help?” *They’re grateful that he’s starting to try to calm down, the anxiety that was bubbling under their skin starting to calm down.* “Does April have any ideas on things that could help?”

[edward-darius]

Edward stabs his talons lightly into his arms, taking a few shuddering breaths. He stares up at the ceiling with a deep frown. “Not unless I took a kids class- I don’t…” He trails off and angrily shakes his head. He shifts and bites down on his thumb. “She could help yeah, she’s a teacher.” He huffs and shakes his head again. “My wife’s a teacher and I can’t even do basic school.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think desperately for a minute, looking at him worriedly and then at the ceiling.* “Well, maybe we need to ask her for help? And have her work with you for a bit until you feel more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing?” *His energy was calming down, but they didn’t like how he was biting and stabbing himself so they lightly take his hands, like how other people stop them from picking at their scabs.*

[edward-darius]

“I’ll talk to her later.” Edward watches Anna take his hand, he immediately makes the talons disappear. He taps his foot against the floor, biting his lip hard. “It’s just frickin’ embarrassing and I… I don’t want Nadia to know. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through, and I wanna keep it that way.”

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s fair. She’s a kid, she shouldn’t have to know those kinds of things.” *They nod, agreeing with him, as they tighten their grip a little on his hands, looking up at him briefly before looking away again.* “If I was in your shoes, I would definitely feel the same amount of embarrassment, but I don’t think it’s embarrassing, it’s just unfortunate.”

[edward-darius]

“The kids are never gonna find out what I went through or what I did. Ever.” Edward’s eyes darken, he wraps his wings around himself, biting down on his thumb again. He nods slowly. “That’s a good way of describin’ it.” He sighs deeply and looks away, tears in his eyes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They wince slightly when he bites down near their fingers but refuse to let go of his hands and nod.* “They will never find out from me, I swear that to you on my life.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops biting when they don’t stop holding his hand, he lets out a slow breath and nods. “They know I was in foster care, but that’s it. And they don’t know what happened in it.” He glances towards the homework, just looking… sad.

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him and nod, humming quietly under their breath to ease both of their nerves a bit.* “I mean, that’s not something that you would really talk about with kids, whether they’re your own kids or not. That’s just…..not something that their brains should know.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his jaw, looking down at the floor, his body tensed up. He brushes a hand through his feathers, taking a few deep breaths. “No, it’s not. And they don’t need to know what I did. I just…” He looks towards a cupboard in the kitchen. “Wish I could be a normal dad, who knew how to do homework and… and… I dunno.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They continue to hum, hoping that it’ll ease some of his tension, sending him some comfort, compassion, and love.* “You’re their dad though. That’s what matters. Just because you don’t know how to do certain stuff doesn’t make you any less of a dad. You play with them, you take care of them, you show up for them, you love them, you teach them things in your own way, you are exactly the dad that they need.”

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Anna carefully, he ducks his head down as he listens, fidgeting with a few feathers. “Thanks Ans.” He mumbles, staring at the floor. “But I don’t… I just wish I could help them with their homework and… and do normal dad things like that.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Our dad was smart enough to do that and he never did. Or when I would ask for help, it would end with him getting pissed off and me feeling so much worse than when I had asked him for help in the first place. So those kinds of things are overrated, in my opinion.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at the wall, letting out a small hum. He looks down at his hands, turning them into talons and shaking his head. “I just wanna be a frickin’ normal parent I…” He sighs and turns away, digging through his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to be… keep sayin’ the same thing.” He fidgets with the pack.

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay. And you can smoke if you need to.” *They motion towards the pack of cigarettes, trying to force their lungs to relax prematurely.* “I say the same things and get caught in a similar loop all the time, so I understand how your brain just gets locked on one specific thing and won’t let go.”

[edward-darius]

Edward curls his hand around the pack. “I’ll do it outside.” He mumbles, nervously fidgeting with it. “Yeah… it sucks. Just- how could they not have let me go to school, it’s school! Anna they always said they wanted to get rid of me but they never sent me to school-“ He lets out a short breath.

[sunflower-0180]

“Because they’re fucking stupid and two faced, that’s why.” *Their voice is firm, and they nod a few times.* “Do it wherever you want to, it’s your house, this is whatever you want.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his hands and shakes his head. “I just wanted to go to school…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t smoke in the house, it ain’t good for the kids or April.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *Their eyes are understanding, not pitying, and a spark of pride goes across them.* “I’m proud of you for that. Especially since I know you’ve been really stressed recently and smoking can really help with the stress.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily. “I wanna do more but… but smokin’ helps.” He fidgets with the pack. “Can ya make sure Nadia’s okay while I go have a smoke?”

[sunflower-0180]

“Yeah, of course.” *They smile and stand on their tippy toes to kiss his forehead.* “You’re gonna be okay, Sparkles. I promise.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles weakly and nods, he goes outside with his pack, mumbling softly under his breath.

[sunflower-0180]

*They went to check on Nadia, smiling when they saw her playing with her dolls and then walk back to the kitchen and open the door to the back porch, silently sitting next to him. Not giving a shit about their lungs at the moment.*

[edward-darius]

Edward puts the cigarette out as soon as they sit by him, he drops his chin into his hands. He stares out at the backyard, his wings ruffling lightly in the breezes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They glance at him, grateful he put the cigarette out.* “She’s fine. Just playing with her dolls. She wanted me to be the villain, so I was for a little while.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fidgets with his curls. “She likes playin’ with her dolls.” He bites his lip and lets out a slow breath. “M’glad she can have a normal childhood.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m glad too.” *They sigh, looking at him and smile.* “I know that she is just happy to be where you are. That’s what makes her the happiest.”

[edward-darius]

Edward snorts and looks down, kicking his legs out. “Yeah right. I lost her for seven years.” He frowns and looks out at the yard. “I doubt she wants me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him, exasperation and fondness in their eyes.* “Are you forgetting that I can literally tell people’s emotions and words related to those emotions? That’s literally something she was thinking while we were playing. “Papa always comes back for me, no matter what” Sparkles, she was literally roleplaying as you coming back to save her. That’s what we were doing.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at Anna then bursts into sobs, looking away and covering his face. “She was-” He gasps out, his wings tucking protectively over his body. “But I failed her- I lost her!”

[sunflower-0180]

“You didn’t fail her, she was taken from you. That’s not on you.” *They sit closer to him, but not touching him.* “Even at her age now, she knows that. I don’t know how she does, I just do know it. I think it’s just something she intuitively knows.”

[edward-darius]

“I’ve never told her what happened.” Edward whispers shakily, well, he’s never actually told anyone how it truly happened. “That… it’s hard to believe, even if I know it’s kinda true.” He picks at a few of his feathers.

[sunflower-0180]

*They can tell that there’s something he’s holding back and they look at him carefully.* “Well, I’ll believe it for you until you can believe it more yourself. And you can tell her or anyone else what you’re ready to tell them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward softens when they say that saying that they both use so much for each other. He shifts and nudges Anna with his wing. “Thanks Ans…” He takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve only ever told the basics to anyone… but a lot happened that lead to me being captured and… and Nadia taken from me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They smile slightly when he nudges them, and they adjust themselves, looking at him gently.* “I’m here to listen if you want to tell me, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too. We can just sit here, talking or not talking. Whatever feels better to you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward yanks a feather out and stares at it, it’s half black half white. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have these.” He huffs and yanks another feather out, expression sad. “They tried to catch many times before they managed to when I was eighteen.”

[sunflower-0180]

“They saw the wings and then tracked you from that?” *They look at him, trying to clarify what he meant.* “I know that they got you when you were eighteen, that’s when I got adopted. Wait no, I was nineteen, I lied.”

[edward-darius]

“Yeah, mutants with physical mutations are the easiest to find because they can’t hide their mutation, like me.” He ruffled his wings with a bitter laugh. “So yeah, I was always runnin’ from them.” He looks to Anna carefully. “I would’ve been workin’ for Magneto when you were adopted.” He frowns a bit. “Huh… that’s a weird thought.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry.” *They honestly weren’t totally sure what they were apologizing for, maybe that he had the physical mutation, maybe that he had been hunted, probably both.* “That is a kinda weird thought. What would have happened if we had met then though? At nineteen instead of twenty two and twenty three?”

[edward-darius]

“Thank you…” Edward whispers, the sorry feels like… like it’s for everything he just said, and it’s comforting. He tucks his wings together and shakes his head. “Oh it would’ve been bad, trust me it’s a very good thing ya didn’t meet me when I was twenty. It wouldn’t have ended well… I wasn’t a good man then, at all.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Would you have…..have hated me then?” *Their voice is almost a whisper, looking at the ground and picking at some pieces of grass.* “Or would you have just decided to not believe me that I was your sibling?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down, guilt and shame filling his face. “I think I would’ve done both.” He whispers, sounding like he feels devastated at the thought. He clears his throat and looks away. “I wasn’t myself durin’ that time Ans.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Oh.” *Now their voice is a whisper, and they nod quickly.* “I know you weren’t. I know. You were very heavily manipulated by him, you wouldn’t have treated me that way if you had a choice. We were assholes to each other when we first met, remember? I think it’s just a sibling thing to be defensive as hell when you’re meeting someone new.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, guilt in his eyes and shame on his face. “I was different then and… and twenty is when I started drugs, hardcore. I was high all the time.” He hums and nods with a sad little chuckle. “We were jerks to each other when we met.”

[sunflower-0180]

“But you’ve never really been angry when you’ve gotten high or drunk. I mean……” *They trail off, thinking for a second.* “For the most part, you really don’t get mad when you’re drunk or high. And yeah, you spilled hot coffee all over me, and then you healed me and then I chased after you, told you about your mutation, and passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, honestly. Just that I couldn’t let go of you for anything.”

[edward-darius]

“Anna, it didn’t used to be like that. I was one of the angriest people ya could possibly meet, and the alcohol and drugs didn’t help.” Edward looks to the side, fidgeting with his feathers, he lets out a slow breath. “I was bitter, angry, and I… I had no hesitation in doing terrible things.” He bites his lip and shakes his head before smiling ever so slightly. “Yeah… I remember that.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I have something I need to tell you.” *It felt like it was an honesty hour sort of thing, and they needed to tell someone this before it burnt a hole in their chest forever.* “You seriously might look at me differently and I get it if you need space for a little while, or a long while, because I….I fucked up. Like, fucked up, fucked up. And I….I haven’t told anyone else this. The only other person that knows is Carlos, and it’s because he found me doing it.”

[edward-darius]

“I ain’t gonna look at ya different. I’ve done enough stuff I can’t judge.” Edward shrugs his wings out, staring out at the yard.

[sunflower-0180]

*They hide their face in their hands, scooting away from him a bit.* “I….oh gods….the third day I was at hydra, there was a guy who had been following me around and being really sneaky to make sure that he was alone with me, and he got me alone because Carlos had a meeting. So he tried to….touch me, and I stabbed him. And I kept stabbing him, I have no idea how many times I stabbed him before Carlos found me, but it was bad. I just know that I didn’t…..I felt fear when he was cornering me, and then I just felt satisfied. No guilt or anything else. Just satisfied.”

[edward-darius]

Edward turns to look at them, looking not shocked at all, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. “Oh well, good for you. A vile man got what he deserved. Ya should feel satisfied ya ended a disgusting man’s life. He deserved to die and ya let out your rage at all the other men that had hurt you on him.” He shrugs his wings and gives them a quick hug. “It’s fine.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They startle slightly, and look at him with tears in their eyes as he hugs them.* “But….but Carlos had to physically stop me from continuing when he found me, I wasn’t going to stop. That’s…..how does that make me better than people that have hurt me in the past if I do something like that and have to be physically stopped like that?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at them, blinking a few times. “So? He was a gross man, ya had built up anger at the other men that had down horrible things to you. Doesn’t make ya a bad person, ya wouldn’t do that to a good person, we both know that. So ya maybe let out a lot of aggression on one person and ya regret it. But that doesn’t make what ya did bad in my opinion. That nasty man deserved it. It happens.” He fiddles with a curl.

[sunflower-0180]

*A small sob of relief bubbles out of them before they can stop it, and they try to scrub the tears away, but they just seem to fall faster and faster the more they try to scrub the tears away.* “I can still feel his blood on me sometimes, especially when I get really mad at someone. It’s like this panic reflex that is telling me that I could do that to anyone and-“

[edward-darius]

Edward scoops them up carefully. “But ya won’t. I know you won’t, and I think deep down you know ya won’t either. It’s just a feeling, that’s all it is. And we work through it and we figure out how to channel it into somethin’ else, somethin’ good.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Anna I used to slam my talons into someone who looked at me the wrong way, I’ve enjoyed murdering people, I’ve done it too, that urge ain’t gonna magically go away, but ya can choose to do somethin’ good with that rage.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They struggle once as he cradles them, and then just go almost limp in his arms as they sob for a good few minutes.* “What do we channel it into? What has worked for you? It’s so…..I’m so tired of feeling his blood on me at random times, it’s terrifying.

[edward-darius]

Edward stares up at the sky, taking a few deep breaths. “I have crappy coping mechanisms. But… but I fly, I scribble on a paper as hard as I can, sparring is good without weapons, sometimes ya just gotta scream as loud as ya can. Go for a run, and… and go to someone ya trusts.” He looks away for a moment, talons sliding out. “Killing him wasn’t wrong, by the way. But I’m sorry you have to deal with the feelin’ now.” He winces and tugs at his curls.

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s not fair that I can’t fly.” *They tease him softly and then take his hand, intertwining their fingers so he can’t pull on his hair.* “Yeah, Carlos said it wasn’t wrong either, and that he had been a problem for other agent’s partners before too, not just me. But sometimes that doesn’t make me feel better, when I look at someone else when I’m pissed off and it’s like their bodies switch. Do you….do you ever have that experience?”

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto their hand tightly, fighting to keep his talons from coming out. “All the time, all the time. I get it Ans, I really do. It sucks, it does. It’s something ya gotta really intentionally work on. And it… ut sucks yeah.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry you understand what I mean.” *They look at him in understanding, and then look down at their hands, grateful that he was trying hard to not let his talons out. They didn’t mind feeling his talons, but they had a feeling they were going to cut themselves on his talons this time.* “I think I can follow some of your advice though, because that’s actually something my therapist said I should do. The running and the scribbling thing.”

[edward-darius]

“M’sorry ya feel it too.” Edward gazes over the yard again. His eyes a little empty, he kicks his feet out and ruffles his wings with a soft hum. “It really does help, doin’ those two things. I mean I fly instead of run but…” He smiles and flutters his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“How fast can you fly?” *They look at him curiously, they realized they had never actually asked him that before.* “Do you think you can fly faster than I can run?” *Now they were just trying to push his buttons, because they wanted him to chase them and fly with them for a bit. They hadn’t done that in a while, and wanted to be like a little kid again.*

[edward-darius]

“I have no clue.” Edward shakes his head with a small smile. “Oh I could definitely fly faster then ya can run.” He grins and ruffles his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“No you can’t.” *They shake their head, standing up and smirking at him as they start to walk across the yard towards the gate.* “I’m obviously way faster than you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward laughs happily and flys after Anna. He drops in front of them with a wide grin. “Not faster huh?” His curls are a mess from how fast he flew over.

[sunflower-0180]

“Nope!” *They laugh, throwing one of the kids toys at him to throw him off guard, and turn to sprint towards the front yard through the side gate. They get through it, laughing their ass off, feeling that he was close again and try to go even faster.*

[edward-darius]

Edward gets distracted for a moment before he laughs and chases after them, flying quickly, he drops in front of them with a loud ‘oof’ “Ha! I still am faster.” He sits down heavily with a grin.

[sunflower-0180]

*They yelp, falling backwards and then burst out laughing as they flop over onto him, trying to catch their breath.* “Okay, okay, I give up, you’re definitely faster than me. Holy shit, I haven’t done that in forever. Run with someone chasing you for fun, not because you’re in danger.” *They laugh again, enjoying the feeling of closeness and carefree energy they were both feeling.*

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and falls down into the grass, stretching his wings out. “It’s fun, I like bein’ able to do it with you.” He shifts and rests his wing against them. “Wish I could fly for longer, ya wanna go on a ride?”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look up at him in surprise and excitement.* “You’re serious? We haven’t done that in forever, hell yeah I want to fly with you. I don’t even remember the last time I went flying with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods with a smile. “Yeah, it’s been too long, I just gotta take breaks pretty regularly. C’mer, it’s been too long.” he holds his arms out for Anna.

[sunflower-0180]

“Who gives a shit about having to take breaks.” *They scoff playfully, and stand up, brushing themselves off and reaching towards him again.* “Okay. I’m ready now.”

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and scoops Anna securely into his arms. “Ya wanna fly over the city? I have little… spots I’ve made in roofs for breaks.” He spreads his wings out, smiling at the feeling of the wind.

[sunflower-0180]

“Sounds good. But seriously, warn me before you adjust your grip, because I haven’t done this in a while ans I’m gonna scream pretty loud if I don’t have any warning.” *They hold their finger up to him, their face joking but their eyes were serious.*

[edward-darius]

“I will, promise.” Edward smiles then slowly starts to fly, just lifting them a little bit off the ground, he holds Anna snuggly in his arms. “Good?”

[sunflower-0180]

*They know he’s telling the truth, and look down at the ground, holding onto him a little tighter.* “I’m good. You can go higher now, I’m good.”

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and flies up, holding Anna snuggly so there’s no chance they’ll fall. He giggles as enjoys the feeling of the breezes washing over them.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[sunflower-0180]

“Edward? Nadia just came in and…oh Sparkles.” *They look at him softly, rubbing his back gently as they send a wave of love and affection to him.* “Can you explain to me what’s going on

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs and shakes his head angrily. "M'fine." He doesn't lift his head from the table, his curls hiding his face from Anna. "It's nothin', m'fine-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They gently pull his hands away from his hair, and clear their throat.* “You aren’t fine. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, what happened with Nadia, because she was upset for you about something. Like that she emphasized with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pulls his hand back, he lifts his head a little, his face is tear stained. "I can't do Nadia's homework! It's an eleven year olds homework!" A sob bubbles out of him, he looks away. "I can't help her with it-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They reach over and hug him, hard.* “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s okay. Eleven year olds homework is tricky because she’s between middle school and high school subjects. But I promise you that it’s okay.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, he doesn't quite hug them back. "It's not okay! I can't do it." He shoves the homework away and drops his head onto the table again, crying harshly. "I never went to school- m'so stupid-"

[sunflower-0180]

“You are not stupid. There are so many different kinds of smart, not just academic smart. I’m not academic smart either.” *They hate how much his heart is breaking, and send him a wave of love.* Like I said, there’s way more kinds of smart than academic smart.”

[edward-darius]

Edward eyes them and shakes his head, hiding his head in his arms, crying. "But I never went to school! I can't help my own daughter do simple homework! I never went to school-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay that you never went to school. You had her to worry about, you wouldn’t have had time anyways to worry about homework and shit when you had her to look at after.” **They look at him, willing him to understand what they meant.*

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to Anna, biting his lip hard. "I never went to any kind of school, not as a kid, a teen, anything. I've never been." He blinks and looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. He tugs lightly at a curl, looking away. "I can't help my kid, Ans."

[sunflower-0180]

“But look at how far you’ve come, look at where you’ve come from.” *They look at him, sending him a wave of understanding.* “I get feeling frustrated and embarrassed about these kinds of things, but the only people that should feel embarrassed about this are the people that failed you by making it so it was impossible for you to go to school. That’s not on you, that’s on them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, yanking at one curl lightly. "I know that- but it doesn't make any of this feel better- I should be able to figure it out! I can't even help my own kid!"

[sunflower-0180]

“I….I’m sorry.” *They bit their lip, looking away, feeling like they were just saying all the wrong things now.* “Do….what can I do to help? I can……Nadia has told me that she’s wanted to play school before, so we can play school while we all work together to figure out her homework?”

[edward-darius]

"No, no Nads can't find out I can't do schoolwork." Edward shakes his head, dropping jt back onto the table. "I don't wanna... I can't-" he frowns and shakes bis head.

[sunflower-0180]

“Okay. Well….maybe we can take some classes together? Like, work on some of the easier stuff together a couple times a week?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Because if you want to be able to help her with her homework, we need to be proactive about this.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pushes away from the table, shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, he starts pacing around the kitchen. "I..." He trails off and takes a shaky breath. "It's not fair. I should be able to do this! It's not- I know... It's-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay, just take a breath, take a breath.” *They look at him, trying to keep their own breathing calm for him.* “Just take a minute, and think about what you want to do.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops and leans against the counter, taking a few shaky breaths, his eyes stuck kn the ceiling. His talons slide out and nervously tap together. "It's not fair-"

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *They whisper, looking at him carefully and start to copy his tapping with their own fingers, the tapping helping by giving them something to do.* “I wish that it wasn’t the case for you. And that I could fix it for you.”

@edward-darius

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He scrapes a talon down his face, the angry red lines fading as he does. “I just feel so… so stupid, and I hate it and it’s not fair.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry…..I…I felt stupid I’m school too. Is there an online class that you could take, that would help?” *They’re grateful that he’s starting to try to calm down, the anxiety that was bubbling under their skin starting to calm down.* “Does April have any ideas on things that could help?”

[edward-darius]

Edward stabs his talons lightly into his arms, taking a few shuddering breaths. He stares up at the ceiling with a deep frown. “Not unless I took a kids class- I don’t…” He trails off and angrily shakes his head. He shifts and bites down on his thumb. “She could help yeah, she’s a teacher.” He huffs and shakes his head again. “My wife’s a teacher and I can’t even do basic school.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think desperately for a minute, looking at him worriedly and then at the ceiling.* “Well, maybe we need to ask her for help? And have her work with you for a bit until you feel more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing?” *His energy was calming down, but they didn’t like how he was biting and stabbing himself so they lightly take his hands, like how other people stop them from picking at their scabs.*

[edward-darius]

“I’ll talk to her later.” Edward watches Anna take his hand, he immediately makes the talons disappear. He taps his foot against the floor, biting his lip hard. “It’s just frickin’ embarrassing and I… I don’t want Nadia to know. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through, and I wanna keep it that way.”

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s fair. She’s a kid, she shouldn’t have to know those kinds of things.” *They nod, agreeing with him, as they tighten their grip a little on his hands, looking up at him briefly before looking away again.* “If I was in your shoes, I would definitely feel the same amount of embarrassment, but I don’t think it’s embarrassing, it’s just unfortunate.”

[edward-darius]

“The kids are never gonna find out what I went through or what I did. Ever.” Edward’s eyes darken, he wraps his wings around himself, biting down on his thumb again. He nods slowly. “That’s a good way of describin’ it.” He sighs deeply and looks away, tears in his eyes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They wince slightly when he bites down near their fingers but refuse to let go of his hands and nod.* “They will never find out from me, I swear that to you on my life.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops biting when they don’t stop holding his hand, he lets out a slow breath and nods. “They know I was in foster care, but that’s it. And they don’t know what happened in it.” He glances towards the homework, just looking… sad.

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him and nod, humming quietly under their breath to ease both of their nerves a bit.* “I mean, that’s not something that you would really talk about with kids, whether they’re your own kids or not. That’s just…..not something that their brains should know.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his jaw, looking down at the floor, his body tensed up. He brushes a hand through his feathers, taking a few deep breaths. “No, it’s not. And they don’t need to know what I did. I just…” He looks towards a cupboard in the kitchen. “Wish I could be a normal dad, who knew how to do homework and… and… I dunno.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They continue to hum, hoping that it’ll ease some of his tension, sending him some comfort, compassion, and love.* “You’re their dad though. That’s what matters. Just because you don’t know how to do certain stuff doesn’t make you any less of a dad. You play with them, you take care of them, you show up for them, you love them, you teach them things in your own way, you are exactly the dad that they need.”

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Anna carefully, he ducks his head down as he listens, fidgeting with a few feathers. “Thanks Ans.” He mumbles, staring at the floor. “But I don’t… I just wish I could help them with their homework and… and do normal dad things like that.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Our dad was smart enough to do that and he never did. Or when I would ask for help, it would end with him getting pissed off and me feeling so much worse than when I had asked him for help in the first place. So those kinds of things are overrated, in my opinion.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at the wall, letting out a small hum. He looks down at his hands, turning them into talons and shaking his head. “I just wanna be a frickin’ normal parent I…” He sighs and turns away, digging through his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to be… keep sayin’ the same thing.” He fidgets with the pack.

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay. And you can smoke if you need to.” *They motion towards the pack of cigarettes, trying to force their lungs to relax prematurely.* “I say the same things and get caught in a similar loop all the time, so I understand how your brain just gets locked on one specific thing and won’t let go.”

[edward-darius]

Edward curls his hand around the pack. “I’ll do it outside.” He mumbles, nervously fidgeting with it. “Yeah… it sucks. Just- how could they not have let me go to school, it’s school! Anna they always said they wanted to get rid of me but they never sent me to school-“ He lets out a short breath.

[sunflower-0180]

“Because they’re fucking stupid and two faced, that’s why.” *Their voice is firm, and they nod a few times.* “Do it wherever you want to, it’s your house, this is whatever you want.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his hands and shakes his head. “I just wanted to go to school…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t smoke in the house, it ain’t good for the kids or April.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *Their eyes are understanding, not pitying, and a spark of pride goes across them.* “I’m proud of you for that. Especially since I know you’ve been really stressed recently and smoking can really help with the stress.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily. “I wanna do more but… but smokin’ helps.” He fidgets with the pack. “Can ya make sure Nadia’s okay while I go have a smoke?”

[sunflower-0180]

“Yeah, of course.” *They smile and stand on their tippy toes to kiss his forehead.* “You’re gonna be okay, Sparkles. I promise.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles weakly and nods, he goes outside with his pack, mumbling softly under his breath.

[sunflower-0180]

*They went to check on Nadia, smiling when they saw her playing with her dolls and then walk back to the kitchen and open the door to the back porch, silently sitting next to him. Not giving a shit about their lungs at the moment.*

[edward-darius]

Edward puts the cigarette out as soon as they sit by him, he drops his chin into his hands. He stares out at the backyard, his wings ruffling lightly in the breezes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They glance at him, grateful he put the cigarette out.* “She’s fine. Just playing with her dolls. She wanted me to be the villain, so I was for a little while.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fidgets with his curls. “She likes playin’ with her dolls.” He bites his lip and lets out a slow breath. “M’glad she can have a normal childhood.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m glad too.” *They sigh, looking at him and smile.* “I know that she is just happy to be where you are. That’s what makes her the happiest.”

[edward-darius]

Edward snorts and looks down, kicking his legs out. “Yeah right. I lost her for seven years.” He frowns and looks out at the yard. “I doubt she wants me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him, exasperation and fondness in their eyes.* “Are you forgetting that I can literally tell people’s emotions and words related to those emotions? That’s literally something she was thinking while we were playing. “Papa always comes back for me, no matter what” Sparkles, she was literally roleplaying as you coming back to save her. That’s what we were doing.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at Anna then bursts into sobs, looking away and covering his face. “She was-” He gasps out, his wings tucking protectively over his body. “But I failed her- I lost her!”

[sunflower-0180]

“You didn’t fail her, she was taken from you. That’s not on you.” *They sit closer to him, but not touching him.* “Even at her age now, she knows that. I don’t know how she does, I just do know it. I think it’s just something she intuitively knows.”

[edward-darius]

“I’ve never told her what happened.” Edward whispers shakily, well, he’s never actually told anyone how it truly happened. “That… it’s hard to believe, even if I know it’s kinda true.” He picks at a few of his feathers.

[sunflower-0180]

*They can tell that there’s something he’s holding back and they look at him carefully.* “Well, I’ll believe it for you until you can believe it more yourself. And you can tell her or anyone else what you’re ready to tell them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward softens when they say that saying that they both use so much for each other. He shifts and nudges Anna with his wing. “Thanks Ans…” He takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve only ever told the basics to anyone… but a lot happened that lead to me being captured and… and Nadia taken from me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They smile slightly when he nudges them, and they adjust themselves, looking at him gently.* “I’m here to listen if you want to tell me, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too. We can just sit here, talking or not talking. Whatever feels better to you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward yanks a feather out and stares at it, it’s half black half white. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have these.” He huffs and yanks another feather out, expression sad. “They tried to catch many times before they managed to when I was eighteen.”

[sunflower-0180]

“They saw the wings and then tracked you from that?” *They look at him, trying to clarify what he meant.* “I know that they got you when you were eighteen, that’s when I got adopted. Wait no, I was nineteen, I lied.”

[edward-darius]

“Yeah, mutants with physical mutations are the easiest to find because they can’t hide their mutation, like me.” He ruffled his wings with a bitter laugh. “So yeah, I was always runnin’ from them.” He looks to Anna carefully. “I would’ve been workin’ for Magneto when you were adopted.” He frowns a bit. “Huh… that’s a weird thought.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry.” *They honestly weren’t totally sure what they were apologizing for, maybe that he had the physical mutation, maybe that he had been hunted, probably both.* “That is a kinda weird thought. What would have happened if we had met then though? At nineteen instead of twenty two and twenty three?”

[edward-darius]

“Thank you…” Edward whispers, the sorry feels like… like it’s for everything he just said, and it’s comforting. He tucks his wings together and shakes his head. “Oh it would’ve been bad, trust me it’s a very good thing ya didn’t meet me when I was twenty. It wouldn’t have ended well… I wasn’t a good man then, at all.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Would you have…..have hated me then?” *Their voice is almost a whisper, looking at the ground and picking at some pieces of grass.* “Or would you have just decided to not believe me that I was your sibling?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down, guilt and shame filling his face. “I think I would’ve done both.” He whispers, sounding like he feels devastated at the thought. He clears his throat and looks away. “I wasn’t myself durin’ that time Ans.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Oh.” *Now their voice is a whisper, and they nod quickly.* “I know you weren’t. I know. You were very heavily manipulated by him, you wouldn’t have treated me that way if you had a choice. We were assholes to each other when we first met, remember? I think it’s just a sibling thing to be defensive as hell when you’re meeting someone new.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, guilt in his eyes and shame on his face. “I was different then and… and twenty is when I started drugs, hardcore. I was high all the time.” He hums and nods with a sad little chuckle. “We were jerks to each other when we met.”

[sunflower-0180]

“But you’ve never really been angry when you’ve gotten high or drunk. I mean……” *They trail off, thinking for a second.* “For the most part, you really don’t get mad when you’re drunk or high. And yeah, you spilled hot coffee all over me, and then you healed me and then I chased after you, told you about your mutation, and passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, honestly. Just that I couldn’t let go of you for anything.”

[edward-darius]

“Anna, it didn’t used to be like that. I was one of the angriest people ya could possibly meet, and the alcohol and drugs didn’t help.” Edward looks to the side, fidgeting with his feathers, he lets out a slow breath. “I was bitter, angry, and I… I had no hesitation in doing terrible things.” He bites his lip and shakes his head before smiling ever so slightly. “Yeah… I remember that.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I have something I need to tell you.” *It felt like it was an honesty hour sort of thing, and they needed to tell someone this before it burnt a hole in their chest forever.* “You seriously might look at me differently and I get it if you need space for a little while, or a long while, because I….I fucked up. Like, fucked up, fucked up. And I….I haven’t told anyone else this. The only other person that knows is Carlos, and it’s because he found me doing it.”

[edward-darius]

“I ain’t gonna look at ya different. I’ve done enough stuff I can’t judge.” Edward shrugs his wings out, staring out at the yard.

[sunflower-0180]

*They hide their face in their hands, scooting away from him a bit.* “I….oh gods….the third day I was at hydra, there was a guy who had been following me around and being really sneaky to make sure that he was alone with me, and he got me alone because Carlos had a meeting. So he tried to….touch me, and I stabbed him. And I kept stabbing him, I have no idea how many times I stabbed him before Carlos found me, but it was bad. I just know that I didn’t…..I felt fear when he was cornering me, and then I just felt satisfied. No guilt or anything else. Just satisfied.”

[edward-darius]

Edward turns to look at them, looking not shocked at all, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. “Oh well, good for you. A vile man got what he deserved. Ya should feel satisfied ya ended a disgusting man’s life. He deserved to die and ya let out your rage at all the other men that had hurt you on him.” He shrugs his wings and gives them a quick hug. “It’s fine.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They startle slightly, and look at him with tears in their eyes as he hugs them.* “But….but Carlos had to physically stop me from continuing when he found me, I wasn’t going to stop. That’s…..how does that make me better than people that have hurt me in the past if I do something like that and have to be physically stopped like that?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at them, blinking a few times. “So? He was a gross man, ya had built up anger at the other men that had down horrible things to you. Doesn’t make ya a bad person, ya wouldn’t do that to a good person, we both know that. So ya maybe let out a lot of aggression on one person and ya regret it. But that doesn’t make what ya did bad in my opinion. That nasty man deserved it. It happens.” He fiddles with a curl.

[sunflower-0180]

*A small sob of relief bubbles out of them before they can stop it, and they try to scrub the tears away, but they just seem to fall faster and faster the more they try to scrub the tears away.* “I can still feel his blood on me sometimes, especially when I get really mad at someone. It’s like this panic reflex that is telling me that I could do that to anyone and-“

[edward-darius]

Edward scoops them up carefully. “But ya won’t. I know you won’t, and I think deep down you know ya won’t either. It’s just a feeling, that’s all it is. And we work through it and we figure out how to channel it into somethin’ else, somethin’ good.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Anna I used to slam my talons into someone who looked at me the wrong way, I’ve enjoyed murdering people, I’ve done it too, that urge ain’t gonna magically go away, but ya can choose to do somethin’ good with that rage.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They struggle once as he cradles them, and then just go almost limp in his arms as they sob for a good few minutes.* “What do we channel it into? What has worked for you? It’s so…..I’m so tired of feeling his blood on me at random times, it’s terrifying.

[edward-darius]

Edward stares up at the sky, taking a few deep breaths. “I have crappy coping mechanisms. But… but I fly, I scribble on a paper as hard as I can, sparring is good without weapons, sometimes ya just gotta scream as loud as ya can. Go for a run, and… and go to someone ya trusts.” He looks away for a moment, talons sliding out. “Killing him wasn’t wrong, by the way. But I’m sorry you have to deal with the feelin’ now.” He winces and tugs at his curls.

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s not fair that I can’t fly.” *They tease him softly and then take his hand, intertwining their fingers so he can’t pull on his hair.* “Yeah, Carlos said it wasn’t wrong either, and that he had been a problem for other agent’s partners before too, not just me. But sometimes that doesn’t make me feel better, when I look at someone else when I’m pissed off and it’s like their bodies switch. Do you….do you ever have that experience?”

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto their hand tightly, fighting to keep his talons from coming out. “All the time, all the time. I get it Ans, I really do. It sucks, it does. It’s something ya gotta really intentionally work on. And it… ut sucks yeah.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry you understand what I mean.” *They look at him in understanding, and then look down at their hands, grateful that he was trying hard to not let his talons out. They didn’t mind feeling his talons, but they had a feeling they were going to cut themselves on his talons this time.* “I think I can follow some of your advice though, because that’s actually something my therapist said I should do. The running and the scribbling thing.”

[edward-darius]

“M’sorry ya feel it too.” Edward gazes over the yard again. His eyes a little empty, he kicks his feet out and ruffles his wings with a soft hum. “It really does help, doin’ those two things. I mean I fly instead of run but…” He smiles and flutters his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“How fast can you fly?” *They look at him curiously, they realized they had never actually asked him that before.* “Do you think you can fly faster than I can run?” *Now they were just trying to push his buttons, because they wanted him to chase them and fly with them for a bit. They hadn’t done that in a while, and wanted to be like a little kid again.*

[edward-darius]

“I have no clue.” Edward shakes his head with a small smile. “Oh I could definitely fly faster then ya can run.” He grins and ruffles his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“No you can’t.” *They shake their head, standing up and smirking at him as they start to walk across the yard towards the gate.* “I’m obviously way faster than you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward laughs happily and flys after Anna. He drops in front of them with a wide grin. “Not faster huh?” His curls are a mess from how fast he flew over.

[sunflower-0180]

“Nope!” *They laugh, throwing one of the kids toys at him to throw him off guard, and turn to sprint towards the front yard through the side gate. They get through it, laughing their ass off, feeling that he was close again and try to go even faster.*

[edward-darius]

Edward gets distracted for a moment before he laughs and chases after them, flying quickly, he drops in front of them with a loud ‘oof’ “Ha! I still am faster.” He sits down heavily with a grin.

[sunflower-0180]

*They yelp, falling backwards and then burst out laughing as they flop over onto him, trying to catch their breath.* “Okay, okay, I give up, you’re definitely faster than me. Holy shit, I haven’t done that in forever. Run with someone chasing you for fun, not because you’re in danger.” *They laugh again, enjoying the feeling of closeness and carefree energy they were both feeling.*

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and falls down into the grass, stretching his wings out. “It’s fun, I like bein’ able to do it with you.” He shifts and rests his wing against them. “Wish I could fly for longer, ya wanna go on a ride?”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look up at him in surprise and excitement.* “You’re serious? We haven’t done that in forever, hell yeah I want to fly with you. I don’t even remember the last time I went flying with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods with a smile. “Yeah, it’s been too long, I just gotta take breaks pretty regularly. C’mer, it’s been too long.” he holds his arms out for Anna.

[sunflower-0180]

“Who gives a shit about having to take breaks.” *They scoff playfully, and stand up, brushing themselves off and reaching towards him again.* “Okay. I’m ready now.”

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and scoops Anna securely into his arms. “Ya wanna fly over the city? I have little… spots I’ve made in roofs for breaks.” He spreads his wings out, smiling at the feeling of the wind.

[sunflower-0180]

“Sounds good. But seriously, warn me before you adjust your grip, because I haven’t done this in a while ans I’m gonna scream pretty loud if I don’t have any warning.” *They hold their finger up to him, their face joking but their eyes were serious.*

[edward-darius]

“I will, promise.” Edward smiles then slowly starts to fly, just lifting them a little bit off the ground, he holds Anna snuggly in his arms. “Good?”

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[sunflower-0180]

“Edward? Nadia just came in and…oh Sparkles.” *They look at him softly, rubbing his back gently as they send a wave of love and affection to him.* “Can you explain to me what’s going on

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs and shakes his head angrily. "M'fine." He doesn't lift his head from the table, his curls hiding his face from Anna. "It's nothin', m'fine-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They gently pull his hands away from his hair, and clear their throat.* “You aren’t fine. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, what happened with Nadia, because she was upset for you about something. Like that she emphasized with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pulls his hand back, he lifts his head a little, his face is tear stained. "I can't do Nadia's homework! It's an eleven year olds homework!" A sob bubbles out of him, he looks away. "I can't help her with it-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They reach over and hug him, hard.* “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s okay. Eleven year olds homework is tricky because she’s between middle school and high school subjects. But I promise you that it’s okay.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, he doesn't quite hug them back. "It's not okay! I can't do it." He shoves the homework away and drops his head onto the table again, crying harshly. "I never went to school- m'so stupid-"

[sunflower-0180]

“You are not stupid. There are so many different kinds of smart, not just academic smart. I’m not academic smart either.” *They hate how much his heart is breaking, and send him a wave of love.* Like I said, there’s way more kinds of smart than academic smart.”

[edward-darius]

Edward eyes them and shakes his head, hiding his head in his arms, crying. "But I never went to school! I can't help my own daughter do simple homework! I never went to school-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay that you never went to school. You had her to worry about, you wouldn’t have had time anyways to worry about homework and shit when you had her to look at after.” **They look at him, willing him to understand what they meant.*

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to Anna, biting his lip hard. "I never went to any kind of school, not as a kid, a teen, anything. I've never been." He blinks and looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. He tugs lightly at a curl, looking away. "I can't help my kid, Ans."

[sunflower-0180]

“But look at how far you’ve come, look at where you’ve come from.” *They look at him, sending him a wave of understanding.* “I get feeling frustrated and embarrassed about these kinds of things, but the only people that should feel embarrassed about this are the people that failed you by making it so it was impossible for you to go to school. That’s not on you, that’s on them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, yanking at one curl lightly. "I know that- but it doesn't make any of this feel better- I should be able to figure it out! I can't even help my own kid!"

[sunflower-0180]

“I….I’m sorry.” *They bit their lip, looking away, feeling like they were just saying all the wrong things now.* “Do….what can I do to help? I can……Nadia has told me that she’s wanted to play school before, so we can play school while we all work together to figure out her homework?”

[edward-darius]

"No, no Nads can't find out I can't do schoolwork." Edward shakes his head, dropping jt back onto the table. "I don't wanna... I can't-" he frowns and shakes bis head.

[sunflower-0180]

“Okay. Well….maybe we can take some classes together? Like, work on some of the easier stuff together a couple times a week?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Because if you want to be able to help her with her homework, we need to be proactive about this.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pushes away from the table, shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, he starts pacing around the kitchen. "I..." He trails off and takes a shaky breath. "It's not fair. I should be able to do this! It's not- I know... It's-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay, just take a breath, take a breath.” *They look at him, trying to keep their own breathing calm for him.* “Just take a minute, and think about what you want to do.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops and leans against the counter, taking a few shaky breaths, his eyes stuck kn the ceiling. His talons slide out and nervously tap together. "It's not fair-"

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *They whisper, looking at him carefully and start to copy his tapping with their own fingers, the tapping helping by giving them something to do.* “I wish that it wasn’t the case for you. And that I could fix it for you.”

@edward-darius

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He scrapes a talon down his face, the angry red lines fading as he does. “I just feel so… so stupid, and I hate it and it’s not fair.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry…..I…I felt stupid I’m school too. Is there an online class that you could take, that would help?” *They’re grateful that he’s starting to try to calm down, the anxiety that was bubbling under their skin starting to calm down.* “Does April have any ideas on things that could help?”

[edward-darius]

Edward stabs his talons lightly into his arms, taking a few shuddering breaths. He stares up at the ceiling with a deep frown. “Not unless I took a kids class- I don’t…” He trails off and angrily shakes his head. He shifts and bites down on his thumb. “She could help yeah, she’s a teacher.” He huffs and shakes his head again. “My wife’s a teacher and I can’t even do basic school.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think desperately for a minute, looking at him worriedly and then at the ceiling.* “Well, maybe we need to ask her for help? And have her work with you for a bit until you feel more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing?” *His energy was calming down, but they didn’t like how he was biting and stabbing himself so they lightly take his hands, like how other people stop them from picking at their scabs.*

[edward-darius]

“I’ll talk to her later.” Edward watches Anna take his hand, he immediately makes the talons disappear. He taps his foot against the floor, biting his lip hard. “It’s just frickin’ embarrassing and I… I don’t want Nadia to know. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through, and I wanna keep it that way.”

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s fair. She’s a kid, she shouldn’t have to know those kinds of things.” *They nod, agreeing with him, as they tighten their grip a little on his hands, looking up at him briefly before looking away again.* “If I was in your shoes, I would definitely feel the same amount of embarrassment, but I don’t think it’s embarrassing, it’s just unfortunate.”

[edward-darius]

“The kids are never gonna find out what I went through or what I did. Ever.” Edward’s eyes darken, he wraps his wings around himself, biting down on his thumb again. He nods slowly. “That’s a good way of describin’ it.” He sighs deeply and looks away, tears in his eyes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They wince slightly when he bites down near their fingers but refuse to let go of his hands and nod.* “They will never find out from me, I swear that to you on my life.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops biting when they don’t stop holding his hand, he lets out a slow breath and nods. “They know I was in foster care, but that’s it. And they don’t know what happened in it.” He glances towards the homework, just looking… sad.

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him and nod, humming quietly under their breath to ease both of their nerves a bit.* “I mean, that’s not something that you would really talk about with kids, whether they’re your own kids or not. That’s just…..not something that their brains should know.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his jaw, looking down at the floor, his body tensed up. He brushes a hand through his feathers, taking a few deep breaths. “No, it’s not. And they don’t need to know what I did. I just…” He looks towards a cupboard in the kitchen. “Wish I could be a normal dad, who knew how to do homework and… and… I dunno.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They continue to hum, hoping that it’ll ease some of his tension, sending him some comfort, compassion, and love.* “You’re their dad though. That’s what matters. Just because you don’t know how to do certain stuff doesn’t make you any less of a dad. You play with them, you take care of them, you show up for them, you love them, you teach them things in your own way, you are exactly the dad that they need.”

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Anna carefully, he ducks his head down as he listens, fidgeting with a few feathers. “Thanks Ans.” He mumbles, staring at the floor. “But I don’t… I just wish I could help them with their homework and… and do normal dad things like that.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Our dad was smart enough to do that and he never did. Or when I would ask for help, it would end with him getting pissed off and me feeling so much worse than when I had asked him for help in the first place. So those kinds of things are overrated, in my opinion.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at the wall, letting out a small hum. He looks down at his hands, turning them into talons and shaking his head. “I just wanna be a frickin’ normal parent I…” He sighs and turns away, digging through his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to be… keep sayin’ the same thing.” He fidgets with the pack.

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay. And you can smoke if you need to.” *They motion towards the pack of cigarettes, trying to force their lungs to relax prematurely.* “I say the same things and get caught in a similar loop all the time, so I understand how your brain just gets locked on one specific thing and won’t let go.”

[edward-darius]

Edward curls his hand around the pack. “I’ll do it outside.” He mumbles, nervously fidgeting with it. “Yeah… it sucks. Just- how could they not have let me go to school, it’s school! Anna they always said they wanted to get rid of me but they never sent me to school-“ He lets out a short breath.

[sunflower-0180]

“Because they’re fucking stupid and two faced, that’s why.” *Their voice is firm, and they nod a few times.* “Do it wherever you want to, it’s your house, this is whatever you want.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his hands and shakes his head. “I just wanted to go to school…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t smoke in the house, it ain’t good for the kids or April.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *Their eyes are understanding, not pitying, and a spark of pride goes across them.* “I’m proud of you for that. Especially since I know you’ve been really stressed recently and smoking can really help with the stress.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily. “I wanna do more but… but smokin’ helps.” He fidgets with the pack. “Can ya make sure Nadia’s okay while I go have a smoke?”

[sunflower-0180]

“Yeah, of course.” *They smile and stand on their tippy toes to kiss his forehead.* “You’re gonna be okay, Sparkles. I promise.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles weakly and nods, he goes outside with his pack, mumbling softly under his breath.

[sunflower-0180]

*They went to check on Nadia, smiling when they saw her playing with her dolls and then walk back to the kitchen and open the door to the back porch, silently sitting next to him. Not giving a shit about their lungs at the moment.*

[edward-darius]

Edward puts the cigarette out as soon as they sit by him, he drops his chin into his hands. He stares out at the backyard, his wings ruffling lightly in the breezes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They glance at him, grateful he put the cigarette out.* “She’s fine. Just playing with her dolls. She wanted me to be the villain, so I was for a little while.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fidgets with his curls. “She likes playin’ with her dolls.” He bites his lip and lets out a slow breath. “M’glad she can have a normal childhood.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m glad too.” *They sigh, looking at him and smile.* “I know that she is just happy to be where you are. That’s what makes her the happiest.”

[edward-darius]

Edward snorts and looks down, kicking his legs out. “Yeah right. I lost her for seven years.” He frowns and looks out at the yard. “I doubt she wants me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him, exasperation and fondness in their eyes.* “Are you forgetting that I can literally tell people’s emotions and words related to those emotions? That’s literally something she was thinking while we were playing. “Papa always comes back for me, no matter what” Sparkles, she was literally roleplaying as you coming back to save her. That’s what we were doing.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at Anna then bursts into sobs, looking away and covering his face. “She was-” He gasps out, his wings tucking protectively over his body. “But I failed her- I lost her!”

[sunflower-0180]

“You didn’t fail her, she was taken from you. That’s not on you.” *They sit closer to him, but not touching him.* “Even at her age now, she knows that. I don’t know how she does, I just do know it. I think it’s just something she intuitively knows.”

[edward-darius]

“I’ve never told her what happened.” Edward whispers shakily, well, he’s never actually told anyone how it truly happened. “That… it’s hard to believe, even if I know it’s kinda true.” He picks at a few of his feathers.

[sunflower-0180]

*They can tell that there’s something he’s holding back and they look at him carefully.* “Well, I’ll believe it for you until you can believe it more yourself. And you can tell her or anyone else what you’re ready to tell them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward softens when they say that saying that they both use so much for each other. He shifts and nudges Anna with his wing. “Thanks Ans…” He takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve only ever told the basics to anyone… but a lot happened that lead to me being captured and… and Nadia taken from me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They smile slightly when he nudges them, and they adjust themselves, looking at him gently.* “I’m here to listen if you want to tell me, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too. We can just sit here, talking or not talking. Whatever feels better to you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward yanks a feather out and stares at it, it’s half black half white. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have these.” He huffs and yanks another feather out, expression sad. “They tried to catch many times before they managed to when I was eighteen.”

[sunflower-0180]

“They saw the wings and then tracked you from that?” *They look at him, trying to clarify what he meant.* “I know that they got you when you were eighteen, that’s when I got adopted. Wait no, I was nineteen, I lied.”

[edward-darius]

“Yeah, mutants with physical mutations are the easiest to find because they can’t hide their mutation, like me.” He ruffled his wings with a bitter laugh. “So yeah, I was always runnin’ from them.” He looks to Anna carefully. “I would’ve been workin’ for Magneto when you were adopted.” He frowns a bit. “Huh… that’s a weird thought.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry.” *They honestly weren’t totally sure what they were apologizing for, maybe that he had the physical mutation, maybe that he had been hunted, probably both.* “That is a kinda weird thought. What would have happened if we had met then though? At nineteen instead of twenty two and twenty three?”

[edward-darius]

“Thank you…” Edward whispers, the sorry feels like… like it’s for everything he just said, and it’s comforting. He tucks his wings together and shakes his head. “Oh it would’ve been bad, trust me it’s a very good thing ya didn’t meet me when I was twenty. It wouldn’t have ended well… I wasn’t a good man then, at all.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Would you have…..have hated me then?” *Their voice is almost a whisper, looking at the ground and picking at some pieces of grass.* “Or would you have just decided to not believe me that I was your sibling?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down, guilt and shame filling his face. “I think I would’ve done both.” He whispers, sounding like he feels devastated at the thought. He clears his throat and looks away. “I wasn’t myself durin’ that time Ans.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Oh.” *Now their voice is a whisper, and they nod quickly.* “I know you weren’t. I know. You were very heavily manipulated by him, you wouldn’t have treated me that way if you had a choice. We were assholes to each other when we first met, remember? I think it’s just a sibling thing to be defensive as hell when you’re meeting someone new.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, guilt in his eyes and shame on his face. “I was different then and… and twenty is when I started drugs, hardcore. I was high all the time.” He hums and nods with a sad little chuckle. “We were jerks to each other when we met.”

[sunflower-0180]

“But you’ve never really been angry when you’ve gotten high or drunk. I mean……” *They trail off, thinking for a second.* “For the most part, you really don’t get mad when you’re drunk or high. And yeah, you spilled hot coffee all over me, and then you healed me and then I chased after you, told you about your mutation, and passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, honestly. Just that I couldn’t let go of you for anything.”

[edward-darius]

“Anna, it didn’t used to be like that. I was one of the angriest people ya could possibly meet, and the alcohol and drugs didn’t help.” Edward looks to the side, fidgeting with his feathers, he lets out a slow breath. “I was bitter, angry, and I… I had no hesitation in doing terrible things.” He bites his lip and shakes his head before smiling ever so slightly. “Yeah… I remember that.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I have something I need to tell you.” *It felt like it was an honesty hour sort of thing, and they needed to tell someone this before it burnt a hole in their chest forever.* “You seriously might look at me differently and I get it if you need space for a little while, or a long while, because I….I fucked up. Like, fucked up, fucked up. And I….I haven’t told anyone else this. The only other person that knows is Carlos, and it’s because he found me doing it.”

[edward-darius]

“I ain’t gonna look at ya different. I’ve done enough stuff I can’t judge.” Edward shrugs his wings out, staring out at the yard.

[sunflower-0180]

*They hide their face in their hands, scooting away from him a bit.* “I….oh gods….the third day I was at hydra, there was a guy who had been following me around and being really sneaky to make sure that he was alone with me, and he got me alone because Carlos had a meeting. So he tried to….touch me, and I stabbed him. And I kept stabbing him, I have no idea how many times I stabbed him before Carlos found me, but it was bad. I just know that I didn’t…..I felt fear when he was cornering me, and then I just felt satisfied. No guilt or anything else. Just satisfied.”

[edward-darius]

Edward turns to look at them, looking not shocked at all, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. “Oh well, good for you. A vile man got what he deserved. Ya should feel satisfied ya ended a disgusting man’s life. He deserved to die and ya let out your rage at all the other men that had hurt you on him.” He shrugs his wings and gives them a quick hug. “It’s fine.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They startle slightly, and look at him with tears in their eyes as he hugs them.* “But….but Carlos had to physically stop me from continuing when he found me, I wasn’t going to stop. That’s…..how does that make me better than people that have hurt me in the past if I do something like that and have to be physically stopped like that?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at them, blinking a few times. “So? He was a gross man, ya had built up anger at the other men that had down horrible things to you. Doesn’t make ya a bad person, ya wouldn’t do that to a good person, we both know that. So ya maybe let out a lot of aggression on one person and ya regret it. But that doesn’t make what ya did bad in my opinion. That nasty man deserved it. It happens.” He fiddles with a curl.

[sunflower-0180]

*A small sob of relief bubbles out of them before they can stop it, and they try to scrub the tears away, but they just seem to fall faster and faster the more they try to scrub the tears away.* “I can still feel his blood on me sometimes, especially when I get really mad at someone. It’s like this panic reflex that is telling me that I could do that to anyone and-“

[edward-darius]

Edward scoops them up carefully. “But ya won’t. I know you won’t, and I think deep down you know ya won’t either. It’s just a feeling, that’s all it is. And we work through it and we figure out how to channel it into somethin’ else, somethin’ good.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Anna I used to slam my talons into someone who looked at me the wrong way, I’ve enjoyed murdering people, I’ve done it too, that urge ain’t gonna magically go away, but ya can choose to do somethin’ good with that rage.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They struggle once as he cradles them, and then just go almost limp in his arms as they sob for a good few minutes.* “What do we channel it into? What has worked for you? It’s so…..I’m so tired of feeling his blood on me at random times, it’s terrifying.

[edward-darius]

Edward stares up at the sky, taking a few deep breaths. “I have crappy coping mechanisms. But… but I fly, I scribble on a paper as hard as I can, sparring is good without weapons, sometimes ya just gotta scream as loud as ya can. Go for a run, and… and go to someone ya trusts.” He looks away for a moment, talons sliding out. “Killing him wasn’t wrong, by the way. But I’m sorry you have to deal with the feelin’ now.” He winces and tugs at his curls.

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s not fair that I can’t fly.” *They tease him softly and then take his hand, intertwining their fingers so he can’t pull on his hair.* “Yeah, Carlos said it wasn’t wrong either, and that he had been a problem for other agent’s partners before too, not just me. But sometimes that doesn’t make me feel better, when I look at someone else when I’m pissed off and it’s like their bodies switch. Do you….do you ever have that experience?”

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto their hand tightly, fighting to keep his talons from coming out. “All the time, all the time. I get it Ans, I really do. It sucks, it does. It’s something ya gotta really intentionally work on. And it… ut sucks yeah.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry you understand what I mean.” *They look at him in understanding, and then look down at their hands, grateful that he was trying hard to not let his talons out. They didn’t mind feeling his talons, but they had a feeling they were going to cut themselves on his talons this time.* “I think I can follow some of your advice though, because that’s actually something my therapist said I should do. The running and the scribbling thing.”

[edward-darius]

“M’sorry ya feel it too.” Edward gazes over the yard again. His eyes a little empty, he kicks his feet out and ruffles his wings with a soft hum. “It really does help, doin’ those two things. I mean I fly instead of run but…” He smiles and flutters his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“How fast can you fly?” *They look at him curiously, they realized they had never actually asked him that before.* “Do you think you can fly faster than I can run?” *Now they were just trying to push his buttons, because they wanted him to chase them and fly with them for a bit. They hadn’t done that in a while, and wanted to be like a little kid again.*

[edward-darius]

“I have no clue.” Edward shakes his head with a small smile. “Oh I could definitely fly faster then ya can run.” He grins and ruffles his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“No you can’t.” *They shake their head, standing up and smirking at him as they start to walk across the yard towards the gate.* “I’m obviously way faster than you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward laughs happily and flys after Anna. He drops in front of them with a wide grin. “Not faster huh?” His curls are a mess from how fast he flew over.

[sunflower-0180]

“Nope!” *They laugh, throwing one of the kids toys at him to throw him off guard, and turn to sprint towards the front yard through the side gate. They get through it, laughing their ass off, feeling that he was close again and try to go even faster.*

[edward-darius]

Edward gets distracted for a moment before he laughs and chases after them, flying quickly, he drops in front of them with a loud ‘oof’ “Ha! I still am faster.” He sits down heavily with a grin.

[sunflower-0180]

*They yelp, falling backwards and then burst out laughing as they flop over onto him, trying to catch their breath.* “Okay, okay, I give up, you’re definitely faster than me. Holy shit, I haven’t done that in forever. Run with someone chasing you for fun, not because you’re in danger.” *They laugh again, enjoying the feeling of closeness and carefree energy they were both feeling.*

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and falls down into the grass, stretching his wings out. “It’s fun, I like bein’ able to do it with you.” He shifts and rests his wing against them. “Wish I could fly for longer, ya wanna go on a ride?”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look up at him in surprise and excitement.* “You’re serious? We haven’t done that in forever, hell yeah I want to fly with you. I don’t even remember the last time I went flying with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods with a smile. “Yeah, it’s been too long, I just gotta take breaks pretty regularly. C’mer, it’s been too long.” he holds his arms out for Anna.

[sunflower-0180]

“Who gives a shit about having to take breaks.” *They scoff playfully, and stand up, brushing themselves off and reaching towards him again.* “Okay. I’m ready now.”

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and scoops Anna securely into his arms. “Ya wanna fly over the city? I have little… spots I’ve made in roofs for breaks.” He spreads his wings out, smiling at the feeling of the wind.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[sunflower-0180]

“Edward? Nadia just came in and…oh Sparkles.” *They look at him softly, rubbing his back gently as they send a wave of love and affection to him.* “Can you explain to me what’s going on

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs and shakes his head angrily. "M'fine." He doesn't lift his head from the table, his curls hiding his face from Anna. "It's nothin', m'fine-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They gently pull his hands away from his hair, and clear their throat.* “You aren’t fine. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, what happened with Nadia, because she was upset for you about something. Like that she emphasized with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pulls his hand back, he lifts his head a little, his face is tear stained. "I can't do Nadia's homework! It's an eleven year olds homework!" A sob bubbles out of him, he looks away. "I can't help her with it-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They reach over and hug him, hard.* “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s okay. Eleven year olds homework is tricky because she’s between middle school and high school subjects. But I promise you that it’s okay.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, he doesn't quite hug them back. "It's not okay! I can't do it." He shoves the homework away and drops his head onto the table again, crying harshly. "I never went to school- m'so stupid-"

[sunflower-0180]

“You are not stupid. There are so many different kinds of smart, not just academic smart. I’m not academic smart either.” *They hate how much his heart is breaking, and send him a wave of love.* Like I said, there’s way more kinds of smart than academic smart.”

[edward-darius]

Edward eyes them and shakes his head, hiding his head in his arms, crying. "But I never went to school! I can't help my own daughter do simple homework! I never went to school-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay that you never went to school. You had her to worry about, you wouldn’t have had time anyways to worry about homework and shit when you had her to look at after.” **They look at him, willing him to understand what they meant.*

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to Anna, biting his lip hard. "I never went to any kind of school, not as a kid, a teen, anything. I've never been." He blinks and looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. He tugs lightly at a curl, looking away. "I can't help my kid, Ans."

[sunflower-0180]

“But look at how far you’ve come, look at where you’ve come from.” *They look at him, sending him a wave of understanding.* “I get feeling frustrated and embarrassed about these kinds of things, but the only people that should feel embarrassed about this are the people that failed you by making it so it was impossible for you to go to school. That’s not on you, that’s on them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, yanking at one curl lightly. "I know that- but it doesn't make any of this feel better- I should be able to figure it out! I can't even help my own kid!"

[sunflower-0180]

“I….I’m sorry.” *They bit their lip, looking away, feeling like they were just saying all the wrong things now.* “Do….what can I do to help? I can……Nadia has told me that she’s wanted to play school before, so we can play school while we all work together to figure out her homework?”

[edward-darius]

"No, no Nads can't find out I can't do schoolwork." Edward shakes his head, dropping jt back onto the table. "I don't wanna... I can't-" he frowns and shakes bis head.

[sunflower-0180]

“Okay. Well….maybe we can take some classes together? Like, work on some of the easier stuff together a couple times a week?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Because if you want to be able to help her with her homework, we need to be proactive about this.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pushes away from the table, shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, he starts pacing around the kitchen. "I..." He trails off and takes a shaky breath. "It's not fair. I should be able to do this! It's not- I know... It's-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay, just take a breath, take a breath.” *They look at him, trying to keep their own breathing calm for him.* “Just take a minute, and think about what you want to do.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops and leans against the counter, taking a few shaky breaths, his eyes stuck kn the ceiling. His talons slide out and nervously tap together. "It's not fair-"

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *They whisper, looking at him carefully and start to copy his tapping with their own fingers, the tapping helping by giving them something to do.* “I wish that it wasn’t the case for you. And that I could fix it for you.”

@edward-darius

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He scrapes a talon down his face, the angry red lines fading as he does. “I just feel so… so stupid, and I hate it and it’s not fair.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry…..I…I felt stupid I’m school too. Is there an online class that you could take, that would help?” *They’re grateful that he’s starting to try to calm down, the anxiety that was bubbling under their skin starting to calm down.* “Does April have any ideas on things that could help?”

[edward-darius]

Edward stabs his talons lightly into his arms, taking a few shuddering breaths. He stares up at the ceiling with a deep frown. “Not unless I took a kids class- I don’t…” He trails off and angrily shakes his head. He shifts and bites down on his thumb. “She could help yeah, she’s a teacher.” He huffs and shakes his head again. “My wife’s a teacher and I can’t even do basic school.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think desperately for a minute, looking at him worriedly and then at the ceiling.* “Well, maybe we need to ask her for help? And have her work with you for a bit until you feel more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing?” *His energy was calming down, but they didn’t like how he was biting and stabbing himself so they lightly take his hands, like how other people stop them from picking at their scabs.*

[edward-darius]

“I’ll talk to her later.” Edward watches Anna take his hand, he immediately makes the talons disappear. He taps his foot against the floor, biting his lip hard. “It’s just frickin’ embarrassing and I… I don’t want Nadia to know. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through, and I wanna keep it that way.”

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s fair. She’s a kid, she shouldn’t have to know those kinds of things.” *They nod, agreeing with him, as they tighten their grip a little on his hands, looking up at him briefly before looking away again.* “If I was in your shoes, I would definitely feel the same amount of embarrassment, but I don’t think it’s embarrassing, it’s just unfortunate.”

[edward-darius]

“The kids are never gonna find out what I went through or what I did. Ever.” Edward’s eyes darken, he wraps his wings around himself, biting down on his thumb again. He nods slowly. “That’s a good way of describin’ it.” He sighs deeply and looks away, tears in his eyes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They wince slightly when he bites down near their fingers but refuse to let go of his hands and nod.* “They will never find out from me, I swear that to you on my life.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops biting when they don’t stop holding his hand, he lets out a slow breath and nods. “They know I was in foster care, but that’s it. And they don’t know what happened in it.” He glances towards the homework, just looking… sad.

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him and nod, humming quietly under their breath to ease both of their nerves a bit.* “I mean, that’s not something that you would really talk about with kids, whether they’re your own kids or not. That’s just…..not something that their brains should know.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his jaw, looking down at the floor, his body tensed up. He brushes a hand through his feathers, taking a few deep breaths. “No, it’s not. And they don’t need to know what I did. I just…” He looks towards a cupboard in the kitchen. “Wish I could be a normal dad, who knew how to do homework and… and… I dunno.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They continue to hum, hoping that it’ll ease some of his tension, sending him some comfort, compassion, and love.* “You’re their dad though. That’s what matters. Just because you don’t know how to do certain stuff doesn’t make you any less of a dad. You play with them, you take care of them, you show up for them, you love them, you teach them things in your own way, you are exactly the dad that they need.”

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Anna carefully, he ducks his head down as he listens, fidgeting with a few feathers. “Thanks Ans.” He mumbles, staring at the floor. “But I don’t… I just wish I could help them with their homework and… and do normal dad things like that.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Our dad was smart enough to do that and he never did. Or when I would ask for help, it would end with him getting pissed off and me feeling so much worse than when I had asked him for help in the first place. So those kinds of things are overrated, in my opinion.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at the wall, letting out a small hum. He looks down at his hands, turning them into talons and shaking his head. “I just wanna be a frickin’ normal parent I…” He sighs and turns away, digging through his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to be… keep sayin’ the same thing.” He fidgets with the pack.

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay. And you can smoke if you need to.” *They motion towards the pack of cigarettes, trying to force their lungs to relax prematurely.* “I say the same things and get caught in a similar loop all the time, so I understand how your brain just gets locked on one specific thing and won’t let go.”

[edward-darius]

Edward curls his hand around the pack. “I’ll do it outside.” He mumbles, nervously fidgeting with it. “Yeah… it sucks. Just- how could they not have let me go to school, it’s school! Anna they always said they wanted to get rid of me but they never sent me to school-“ He lets out a short breath.

[sunflower-0180]

“Because they’re fucking stupid and two faced, that’s why.” *Their voice is firm, and they nod a few times.* “Do it wherever you want to, it’s your house, this is whatever you want.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his hands and shakes his head. “I just wanted to go to school…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t smoke in the house, it ain’t good for the kids or April.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *Their eyes are understanding, not pitying, and a spark of pride goes across them.* “I’m proud of you for that. Especially since I know you’ve been really stressed recently and smoking can really help with the stress.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily. “I wanna do more but… but smokin’ helps.” He fidgets with the pack. “Can ya make sure Nadia’s okay while I go have a smoke?”

[sunflower-0180]

“Yeah, of course.” *They smile and stand on their tippy toes to kiss his forehead.* “You’re gonna be okay, Sparkles. I promise.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles weakly and nods, he goes outside with his pack, mumbling softly under his breath.

[sunflower-0180]

*They went to check on Nadia, smiling when they saw her playing with her dolls and then walk back to the kitchen and open the door to the back porch, silently sitting next to him. Not giving a shit about their lungs at the moment.*

[edward-darius]

Edward puts the cigarette out as soon as they sit by him, he drops his chin into his hands. He stares out at the backyard, his wings ruffling lightly in the breezes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They glance at him, grateful he put the cigarette out.* “She’s fine. Just playing with her dolls. She wanted me to be the villain, so I was for a little while.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fidgets with his curls. “She likes playin’ with her dolls.” He bites his lip and lets out a slow breath. “M’glad she can have a normal childhood.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m glad too.” *They sigh, looking at him and smile.* “I know that she is just happy to be where you are. That’s what makes her the happiest.”

[edward-darius]

Edward snorts and looks down, kicking his legs out. “Yeah right. I lost her for seven years.” He frowns and looks out at the yard. “I doubt she wants me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him, exasperation and fondness in their eyes.* “Are you forgetting that I can literally tell people’s emotions and words related to those emotions? That’s literally something she was thinking while we were playing. “Papa always comes back for me, no matter what” Sparkles, she was literally roleplaying as you coming back to save her. That’s what we were doing.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at Anna then bursts into sobs, looking away and covering his face. “She was-” He gasps out, his wings tucking protectively over his body. “But I failed her- I lost her!”

[sunflower-0180]

“You didn’t fail her, she was taken from you. That’s not on you.” *They sit closer to him, but not touching him.* “Even at her age now, she knows that. I don’t know how she does, I just do know it. I think it’s just something she intuitively knows.”

[edward-darius]

“I’ve never told her what happened.” Edward whispers shakily, well, he’s never actually told anyone how it truly happened. “That… it’s hard to believe, even if I know it’s kinda true.” He picks at a few of his feathers.

[sunflower-0180]

*They can tell that there’s something he’s holding back and they look at him carefully.* “Well, I’ll believe it for you until you can believe it more yourself. And you can tell her or anyone else what you’re ready to tell them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward softens when they say that saying that they both use so much for each other. He shifts and nudges Anna with his wing. “Thanks Ans…” He takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve only ever told the basics to anyone… but a lot happened that lead to me being captured and… and Nadia taken from me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They smile slightly when he nudges them, and they adjust themselves, looking at him gently.* “I’m here to listen if you want to tell me, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too. We can just sit here, talking or not talking. Whatever feels better to you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward yanks a feather out and stares at it, it’s half black half white. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have these.” He huffs and yanks another feather out, expression sad. “They tried to catch many times before they managed to when I was eighteen.”

[sunflower-0180]

“They saw the wings and then tracked you from that?” *They look at him, trying to clarify what he meant.* “I know that they got you when you were eighteen, that’s when I got adopted. Wait no, I was nineteen, I lied.”

[edward-darius]

“Yeah, mutants with physical mutations are the easiest to find because they can’t hide their mutation, like me.” He ruffled his wings with a bitter laugh. “So yeah, I was always runnin’ from them.” He looks to Anna carefully. “I would’ve been workin’ for Magneto when you were adopted.” He frowns a bit. “Huh… that’s a weird thought.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry.” *They honestly weren’t totally sure what they were apologizing for, maybe that he had the physical mutation, maybe that he had been hunted, probably both.* “That is a kinda weird thought. What would have happened if we had met then though? At nineteen instead of twenty two and twenty three?”

[edward-darius]

“Thank you…” Edward whispers, the sorry feels like… like it’s for everything he just said, and it’s comforting. He tucks his wings together and shakes his head. “Oh it would’ve been bad, trust me it’s a very good thing ya didn’t meet me when I was twenty. It wouldn’t have ended well… I wasn’t a good man then, at all.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Would you have…..have hated me then?” *Their voice is almost a whisper, looking at the ground and picking at some pieces of grass.* “Or would you have just decided to not believe me that I was your sibling?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down, guilt and shame filling his face. “I think I would’ve done both.” He whispers, sounding like he feels devastated at the thought. He clears his throat and looks away. “I wasn’t myself durin’ that time Ans.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Oh.” *Now their voice is a whisper, and they nod quickly.* “I know you weren’t. I know. You were very heavily manipulated by him, you wouldn’t have treated me that way if you had a choice. We were assholes to each other when we first met, remember? I think it’s just a sibling thing to be defensive as hell when you’re meeting someone new.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, guilt in his eyes and shame on his face. “I was different then and… and twenty is when I started drugs, hardcore. I was high all the time.” He hums and nods with a sad little chuckle. “We were jerks to each other when we met.”

[sunflower-0180]

“But you’ve never really been angry when you’ve gotten high or drunk. I mean……” *They trail off, thinking for a second.* “For the most part, you really don’t get mad when you’re drunk or high. And yeah, you spilled hot coffee all over me, and then you healed me and then I chased after you, told you about your mutation, and passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, honestly. Just that I couldn’t let go of you for anything.”

[edward-darius]

“Anna, it didn’t used to be like that. I was one of the angriest people ya could possibly meet, and the alcohol and drugs didn’t help.” Edward looks to the side, fidgeting with his feathers, he lets out a slow breath. “I was bitter, angry, and I… I had no hesitation in doing terrible things.” He bites his lip and shakes his head before smiling ever so slightly. “Yeah… I remember that.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I have something I need to tell you.” *It felt like it was an honesty hour sort of thing, and they needed to tell someone this before it burnt a hole in their chest forever.* “You seriously might look at me differently and I get it if you need space for a little while, or a long while, because I….I fucked up. Like, fucked up, fucked up. And I….I haven’t told anyone else this. The only other person that knows is Carlos, and it’s because he found me doing it.”

[edward-darius]

“I ain’t gonna look at ya different. I’ve done enough stuff I can’t judge.” Edward shrugs his wings out, staring out at the yard.

[sunflower-0180]

*They hide their face in their hands, scooting away from him a bit.* “I….oh gods….the third day I was at hydra, there was a guy who had been following me around and being really sneaky to make sure that he was alone with me, and he got me alone because Carlos had a meeting. So he tried to….touch me, and I stabbed him. And I kept stabbing him, I have no idea how many times I stabbed him before Carlos found me, but it was bad. I just know that I didn’t…..I felt fear when he was cornering me, and then I just felt satisfied. No guilt or anything else. Just satisfied.”

[edward-darius]

Edward turns to look at them, looking not shocked at all, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. “Oh well, good for you. A vile man got what he deserved. Ya should feel satisfied ya ended a disgusting man’s life. He deserved to die and ya let out your rage at all the other men that had hurt you on him.” He shrugs his wings and gives them a quick hug. “It’s fine.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They startle slightly, and look at him with tears in their eyes as he hugs them.* “But….but Carlos had to physically stop me from continuing when he found me, I wasn’t going to stop. That’s…..how does that make me better than people that have hurt me in the past if I do something like that and have to be physically stopped like that?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at them, blinking a few times. “So? He was a gross man, ya had built up anger at the other men that had down horrible things to you. Doesn’t make ya a bad person, ya wouldn’t do that to a good person, we both know that. So ya maybe let out a lot of aggression on one person and ya regret it. But that doesn’t make what ya did bad in my opinion. That nasty man deserved it. It happens.” He fiddles with a curl.

[sunflower-0180]

*A small sob of relief bubbles out of them before they can stop it, and they try to scrub the tears away, but they just seem to fall faster and faster the more they try to scrub the tears away.* “I can still feel his blood on me sometimes, especially when I get really mad at someone. It’s like this panic reflex that is telling me that I could do that to anyone and-“

[edward-darius]

Edward scoops them up carefully. “But ya won’t. I know you won’t, and I think deep down you know ya won’t either. It’s just a feeling, that’s all it is. And we work through it and we figure out how to channel it into somethin’ else, somethin’ good.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Anna I used to slam my talons into someone who looked at me the wrong way, I’ve enjoyed murdering people, I’ve done it too, that urge ain’t gonna magically go away, but ya can choose to do somethin’ good with that rage.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They struggle once as he cradles them, and then just go almost limp in his arms as they sob for a good few minutes.* “What do we channel it into? What has worked for you? It’s so…..I’m so tired of feeling his blood on me at random times, it’s terrifying.

[edward-darius]

Edward stares up at the sky, taking a few deep breaths. “I have crappy coping mechanisms. But… but I fly, I scribble on a paper as hard as I can, sparring is good without weapons, sometimes ya just gotta scream as loud as ya can. Go for a run, and… and go to someone ya trusts.” He looks away for a moment, talons sliding out. “Killing him wasn’t wrong, by the way. But I’m sorry you have to deal with the feelin’ now.” He winces and tugs at his curls.

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s not fair that I can’t fly.” *They tease him softly and then take his hand, intertwining their fingers so he can’t pull on his hair.* “Yeah, Carlos said it wasn’t wrong either, and that he had been a problem for other agent’s partners before too, not just me. But sometimes that doesn’t make me feel better, when I look at someone else when I’m pissed off and it’s like their bodies switch. Do you….do you ever have that experience?”

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto their hand tightly, fighting to keep his talons from coming out. “All the time, all the time. I get it Ans, I really do. It sucks, it does. It’s something ya gotta really intentionally work on. And it… ut sucks yeah.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry you understand what I mean.” *They look at him in understanding, and then look down at their hands, grateful that he was trying hard to not let his talons out. They didn’t mind feeling his talons, but they had a feeling they were going to cut themselves on his talons this time.* “I think I can follow some of your advice though, because that’s actually something my therapist said I should do. The running and the scribbling thing.”

[edward-darius]

“M’sorry ya feel it too.” Edward gazes over the yard again. His eyes a little empty, he kicks his feet out and ruffles his wings with a soft hum. “It really does help, doin’ those two things. I mean I fly instead of run but…” He smiles and flutters his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“How fast can you fly?” *They look at him curiously, they realized they had never actually asked him that before.* “Do you think you can fly faster than I can run?” *Now they were just trying to push his buttons, because they wanted him to chase them and fly with them for a bit. They hadn’t done that in a while, and wanted to be like a little kid again.*

[edward-darius]

“I have no clue.” Edward shakes his head with a small smile. “Oh I could definitely fly faster then ya can run.” He grins and ruffles his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“No you can’t.” *They shake their head, standing up and smirking at him as they start to walk across the yard towards the gate.* “I’m obviously way faster than you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward laughs happily and flys after Anna. He drops in front of them with a wide grin. “Not faster huh?” His curls are a mess from how fast he flew over.

[sunflower-0180]

“Nope!” *They laugh, throwing one of the kids toys at him to throw him off guard, and turn to sprint towards the front yard through the side gate. They get through it, laughing their ass off, feeling that he was close again and try to go even faster.*

[edward-darius]

Edward gets distracted for a moment before he laughs and chases after them, flying quickly, he drops in front of them with a loud ‘oof’ “Ha! I still am faster.” He sits down heavily with a grin.

[sunflower-0180]

*They yelp, falling backwards and then burst out laughing as they flop over onto him, trying to catch their breath.* “Okay, okay, I give up, you’re definitely faster than me. Holy shit, I haven’t done that in forever. Run with someone chasing you for fun, not because you’re in danger.” *They laugh again, enjoying the feeling of closeness and carefree energy they were both feeling.*

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and falls down into the grass, stretching his wings out. “It’s fun, I like bein’ able to do it with you.” He shifts and rests his wing against them. “Wish I could fly for longer, ya wanna go on a ride?”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look up at him in surprise and excitement.* “You’re serious? We haven’t done that in forever, hell yeah I want to fly with you. I don’t even remember the last time I went flying with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods with a smile. “Yeah, it’s been too long, I just gotta take breaks pretty regularly. C’mer, it’s been too long.” he holds his arms out for Anna.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[sunflower-0180]

“Edward? Nadia just came in and…oh Sparkles.” *They look at him softly, rubbing his back gently as they send a wave of love and affection to him.* “Can you explain to me what’s going on

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs and shakes his head angrily. "M'fine." He doesn't lift his head from the table, his curls hiding his face from Anna. "It's nothin', m'fine-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They gently pull his hands away from his hair, and clear their throat.* “You aren’t fine. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, what happened with Nadia, because she was upset for you about something. Like that she emphasized with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pulls his hand back, he lifts his head a little, his face is tear stained. "I can't do Nadia's homework! It's an eleven year olds homework!" A sob bubbles out of him, he looks away. "I can't help her with it-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They reach over and hug him, hard.* “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s okay. Eleven year olds homework is tricky because she’s between middle school and high school subjects. But I promise you that it’s okay.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, he doesn't quite hug them back. "It's not okay! I can't do it." He shoves the homework away and drops his head onto the table again, crying harshly. "I never went to school- m'so stupid-"

[sunflower-0180]

“You are not stupid. There are so many different kinds of smart, not just academic smart. I’m not academic smart either.” *They hate how much his heart is breaking, and send him a wave of love.* Like I said, there’s way more kinds of smart than academic smart.”

[edward-darius]

Edward eyes them and shakes his head, hiding his head in his arms, crying. "But I never went to school! I can't help my own daughter do simple homework! I never went to school-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay that you never went to school. You had her to worry about, you wouldn’t have had time anyways to worry about homework and shit when you had her to look at after.” **They look at him, willing him to understand what they meant.*

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to Anna, biting his lip hard. "I never went to any kind of school, not as a kid, a teen, anything. I've never been." He blinks and looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. He tugs lightly at a curl, looking away. "I can't help my kid, Ans."

[sunflower-0180]

“But look at how far you’ve come, look at where you’ve come from.” *They look at him, sending him a wave of understanding.* “I get feeling frustrated and embarrassed about these kinds of things, but the only people that should feel embarrassed about this are the people that failed you by making it so it was impossible for you to go to school. That’s not on you, that’s on them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, yanking at one curl lightly. "I know that- but it doesn't make any of this feel better- I should be able to figure it out! I can't even help my own kid!"

[sunflower-0180]

“I….I’m sorry.” *They bit their lip, looking away, feeling like they were just saying all the wrong things now.* “Do….what can I do to help? I can……Nadia has told me that she’s wanted to play school before, so we can play school while we all work together to figure out her homework?”

[edward-darius]

"No, no Nads can't find out I can't do schoolwork." Edward shakes his head, dropping jt back onto the table. "I don't wanna... I can't-" he frowns and shakes bis head.

[sunflower-0180]

“Okay. Well….maybe we can take some classes together? Like, work on some of the easier stuff together a couple times a week?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Because if you want to be able to help her with her homework, we need to be proactive about this.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pushes away from the table, shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, he starts pacing around the kitchen. "I..." He trails off and takes a shaky breath. "It's not fair. I should be able to do this! It's not- I know... It's-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay, just take a breath, take a breath.” *They look at him, trying to keep their own breathing calm for him.* “Just take a minute, and think about what you want to do.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops and leans against the counter, taking a few shaky breaths, his eyes stuck kn the ceiling. His talons slide out and nervously tap together. "It's not fair-"

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *They whisper, looking at him carefully and start to copy his tapping with their own fingers, the tapping helping by giving them something to do.* “I wish that it wasn’t the case for you. And that I could fix it for you.”

@edward-darius

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He scrapes a talon down his face, the angry red lines fading as he does. “I just feel so… so stupid, and I hate it and it’s not fair.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry…..I…I felt stupid I’m school too. Is there an online class that you could take, that would help?” *They’re grateful that he’s starting to try to calm down, the anxiety that was bubbling under their skin starting to calm down.* “Does April have any ideas on things that could help?”

[edward-darius]

Edward stabs his talons lightly into his arms, taking a few shuddering breaths. He stares up at the ceiling with a deep frown. “Not unless I took a kids class- I don’t…” He trails off and angrily shakes his head. He shifts and bites down on his thumb. “She could help yeah, she’s a teacher.” He huffs and shakes his head again. “My wife’s a teacher and I can’t even do basic school.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think desperately for a minute, looking at him worriedly and then at the ceiling.* “Well, maybe we need to ask her for help? And have her work with you for a bit until you feel more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing?” *His energy was calming down, but they didn’t like how he was biting and stabbing himself so they lightly take his hands, like how other people stop them from picking at their scabs.*

[edward-darius]

“I’ll talk to her later.” Edward watches Anna take his hand, he immediately makes the talons disappear. He taps his foot against the floor, biting his lip hard. “It’s just frickin’ embarrassing and I… I don’t want Nadia to know. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through, and I wanna keep it that way.”

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s fair. She’s a kid, she shouldn’t have to know those kinds of things.” *They nod, agreeing with him, as they tighten their grip a little on his hands, looking up at him briefly before looking away again.* “If I was in your shoes, I would definitely feel the same amount of embarrassment, but I don’t think it’s embarrassing, it’s just unfortunate.”

[edward-darius]

“The kids are never gonna find out what I went through or what I did. Ever.” Edward’s eyes darken, he wraps his wings around himself, biting down on his thumb again. He nods slowly. “That’s a good way of describin’ it.” He sighs deeply and looks away, tears in his eyes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They wince slightly when he bites down near their fingers but refuse to let go of his hands and nod.* “They will never find out from me, I swear that to you on my life.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops biting when they don’t stop holding his hand, he lets out a slow breath and nods. “They know I was in foster care, but that’s it. And they don’t know what happened in it.” He glances towards the homework, just looking… sad.

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him and nod, humming quietly under their breath to ease both of their nerves a bit.* “I mean, that’s not something that you would really talk about with kids, whether they’re your own kids or not. That’s just…..not something that their brains should know.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his jaw, looking down at the floor, his body tensed up. He brushes a hand through his feathers, taking a few deep breaths. “No, it’s not. And they don’t need to know what I did. I just…” He looks towards a cupboard in the kitchen. “Wish I could be a normal dad, who knew how to do homework and… and… I dunno.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They continue to hum, hoping that it’ll ease some of his tension, sending him some comfort, compassion, and love.* “You’re their dad though. That’s what matters. Just because you don’t know how to do certain stuff doesn’t make you any less of a dad. You play with them, you take care of them, you show up for them, you love them, you teach them things in your own way, you are exactly the dad that they need.”

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Anna carefully, he ducks his head down as he listens, fidgeting with a few feathers. “Thanks Ans.” He mumbles, staring at the floor. “But I don’t… I just wish I could help them with their homework and… and do normal dad things like that.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Our dad was smart enough to do that and he never did. Or when I would ask for help, it would end with him getting pissed off and me feeling so much worse than when I had asked him for help in the first place. So those kinds of things are overrated, in my opinion.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at the wall, letting out a small hum. He looks down at his hands, turning them into talons and shaking his head. “I just wanna be a frickin’ normal parent I…” He sighs and turns away, digging through his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to be… keep sayin’ the same thing.” He fidgets with the pack.

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay. And you can smoke if you need to.” *They motion towards the pack of cigarettes, trying to force their lungs to relax prematurely.* “I say the same things and get caught in a similar loop all the time, so I understand how your brain just gets locked on one specific thing and won’t let go.”

[edward-darius]

Edward curls his hand around the pack. “I’ll do it outside.” He mumbles, nervously fidgeting with it. “Yeah… it sucks. Just- how could they not have let me go to school, it’s school! Anna they always said they wanted to get rid of me but they never sent me to school-“ He lets out a short breath.

[sunflower-0180]

“Because they’re fucking stupid and two faced, that’s why.” *Their voice is firm, and they nod a few times.* “Do it wherever you want to, it’s your house, this is whatever you want.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his hands and shakes his head. “I just wanted to go to school…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t smoke in the house, it ain’t good for the kids or April.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *Their eyes are understanding, not pitying, and a spark of pride goes across them.* “I’m proud of you for that. Especially since I know you’ve been really stressed recently and smoking can really help with the stress.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily. “I wanna do more but… but smokin’ helps.” He fidgets with the pack. “Can ya make sure Nadia’s okay while I go have a smoke?”

[sunflower-0180]

“Yeah, of course.” *They smile and stand on their tippy toes to kiss his forehead.* “You’re gonna be okay, Sparkles. I promise.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles weakly and nods, he goes outside with his pack, mumbling softly under his breath.

[sunflower-0180]

*They went to check on Nadia, smiling when they saw her playing with her dolls and then walk back to the kitchen and open the door to the back porch, silently sitting next to him. Not giving a shit about their lungs at the moment.*

[edward-darius]

Edward puts the cigarette out as soon as they sit by him, he drops his chin into his hands. He stares out at the backyard, his wings ruffling lightly in the breezes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They glance at him, grateful he put the cigarette out.* “She’s fine. Just playing with her dolls. She wanted me to be the villain, so I was for a little while.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fidgets with his curls. “She likes playin’ with her dolls.” He bites his lip and lets out a slow breath. “M’glad she can have a normal childhood.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m glad too.” *They sigh, looking at him and smile.* “I know that she is just happy to be where you are. That’s what makes her the happiest.”

[edward-darius]

Edward snorts and looks down, kicking his legs out. “Yeah right. I lost her for seven years.” He frowns and looks out at the yard. “I doubt she wants me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him, exasperation and fondness in their eyes.* “Are you forgetting that I can literally tell people’s emotions and words related to those emotions? That’s literally something she was thinking while we were playing. “Papa always comes back for me, no matter what” Sparkles, she was literally roleplaying as you coming back to save her. That’s what we were doing.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at Anna then bursts into sobs, looking away and covering his face. “She was-” He gasps out, his wings tucking protectively over his body. “But I failed her- I lost her!”

[sunflower-0180]

“You didn’t fail her, she was taken from you. That’s not on you.” *They sit closer to him, but not touching him.* “Even at her age now, she knows that. I don’t know how she does, I just do know it. I think it’s just something she intuitively knows.”

[edward-darius]

“I’ve never told her what happened.” Edward whispers shakily, well, he’s never actually told anyone how it truly happened. “That… it’s hard to believe, even if I know it’s kinda true.” He picks at a few of his feathers.

[sunflower-0180]

*They can tell that there’s something he’s holding back and they look at him carefully.* “Well, I’ll believe it for you until you can believe it more yourself. And you can tell her or anyone else what you’re ready to tell them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward softens when they say that saying that they both use so much for each other. He shifts and nudges Anna with his wing. “Thanks Ans…” He takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve only ever told the basics to anyone… but a lot happened that lead to me being captured and… and Nadia taken from me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They smile slightly when he nudges them, and they adjust themselves, looking at him gently.* “I’m here to listen if you want to tell me, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too. We can just sit here, talking or not talking. Whatever feels better to you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward yanks a feather out and stares at it, it’s half black half white. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have these.” He huffs and yanks another feather out, expression sad. “They tried to catch many times before they managed to when I was eighteen.”

[sunflower-0180]

“They saw the wings and then tracked you from that?” *They look at him, trying to clarify what he meant.* “I know that they got you when you were eighteen, that’s when I got adopted. Wait no, I was nineteen, I lied.”

[edward-darius]

“Yeah, mutants with physical mutations are the easiest to find because they can’t hide their mutation, like me.” He ruffled his wings with a bitter laugh. “So yeah, I was always runnin’ from them.” He looks to Anna carefully. “I would’ve been workin’ for Magneto when you were adopted.” He frowns a bit. “Huh… that’s a weird thought.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry.” *They honestly weren’t totally sure what they were apologizing for, maybe that he had the physical mutation, maybe that he had been hunted, probably both.* “That is a kinda weird thought. What would have happened if we had met then though? At nineteen instead of twenty two and twenty three?”

[edward-darius]

“Thank you…” Edward whispers, the sorry feels like… like it’s for everything he just said, and it’s comforting. He tucks his wings together and shakes his head. “Oh it would’ve been bad, trust me it’s a very good thing ya didn’t meet me when I was twenty. It wouldn’t have ended well… I wasn’t a good man then, at all.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Would you have…..have hated me then?” *Their voice is almost a whisper, looking at the ground and picking at some pieces of grass.* “Or would you have just decided to not believe me that I was your sibling?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down, guilt and shame filling his face. “I think I would’ve done both.” He whispers, sounding like he feels devastated at the thought. He clears his throat and looks away. “I wasn’t myself durin’ that time Ans.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Oh.” *Now their voice is a whisper, and they nod quickly.* “I know you weren’t. I know. You were very heavily manipulated by him, you wouldn’t have treated me that way if you had a choice. We were assholes to each other when we first met, remember? I think it’s just a sibling thing to be defensive as hell when you’re meeting someone new.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, guilt in his eyes and shame on his face. “I was different then and… and twenty is when I started drugs, hardcore. I was high all the time.” He hums and nods with a sad little chuckle. “We were jerks to each other when we met.”

[sunflower-0180]

“But you’ve never really been angry when you’ve gotten high or drunk. I mean……” *They trail off, thinking for a second.* “For the most part, you really don’t get mad when you’re drunk or high. And yeah, you spilled hot coffee all over me, and then you healed me and then I chased after you, told you about your mutation, and passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, honestly. Just that I couldn’t let go of you for anything.”

[edward-darius]

“Anna, it didn’t used to be like that. I was one of the angriest people ya could possibly meet, and the alcohol and drugs didn’t help.” Edward looks to the side, fidgeting with his feathers, he lets out a slow breath. “I was bitter, angry, and I… I had no hesitation in doing terrible things.” He bites his lip and shakes his head before smiling ever so slightly. “Yeah… I remember that.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I have something I need to tell you.” *It felt like it was an honesty hour sort of thing, and they needed to tell someone this before it burnt a hole in their chest forever.* “You seriously might look at me differently and I get it if you need space for a little while, or a long while, because I….I fucked up. Like, fucked up, fucked up. And I….I haven’t told anyone else this. The only other person that knows is Carlos, and it’s because he found me doing it.”

[edward-darius]

“I ain’t gonna look at ya different. I’ve done enough stuff I can’t judge.” Edward shrugs his wings out, staring out at the yard.

[sunflower-0180]

*They hide their face in their hands, scooting away from him a bit.* “I….oh gods….the third day I was at hydra, there was a guy who had been following me around and being really sneaky to make sure that he was alone with me, and he got me alone because Carlos had a meeting. So he tried to….touch me, and I stabbed him. And I kept stabbing him, I have no idea how many times I stabbed him before Carlos found me, but it was bad. I just know that I didn’t…..I felt fear when he was cornering me, and then I just felt satisfied. No guilt or anything else. Just satisfied.”

[edward-darius]

Edward turns to look at them, looking not shocked at all, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. “Oh well, good for you. A vile man got what he deserved. Ya should feel satisfied ya ended a disgusting man’s life. He deserved to die and ya let out your rage at all the other men that had hurt you on him.” He shrugs his wings and gives them a quick hug. “It’s fine.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They startle slightly, and look at him with tears in their eyes as he hugs them.* “But….but Carlos had to physically stop me from continuing when he found me, I wasn’t going to stop. That’s…..how does that make me better than people that have hurt me in the past if I do something like that and have to be physically stopped like that?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at them, blinking a few times. “So? He was a gross man, ya had built up anger at the other men that had down horrible things to you. Doesn’t make ya a bad person, ya wouldn’t do that to a good person, we both know that. So ya maybe let out a lot of aggression on one person and ya regret it. But that doesn’t make what ya did bad in my opinion. That nasty man deserved it. It happens.” He fiddles with a curl.

[sunflower-0180]

*A small sob of relief bubbles out of them before they can stop it, and they try to scrub the tears away, but they just seem to fall faster and faster the more they try to scrub the tears away.* “I can still feel his blood on me sometimes, especially when I get really mad at someone. It’s like this panic reflex that is telling me that I could do that to anyone and-“

[edward-darius]

Edward scoops them up carefully. “But ya won’t. I know you won’t, and I think deep down you know ya won’t either. It’s just a feeling, that’s all it is. And we work through it and we figure out how to channel it into somethin’ else, somethin’ good.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Anna I used to slam my talons into someone who looked at me the wrong way, I’ve enjoyed murdering people, I’ve done it too, that urge ain’t gonna magically go away, but ya can choose to do somethin’ good with that rage.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They struggle once as he cradles them, and then just go almost limp in his arms as they sob for a good few minutes.* “What do we channel it into? What has worked for you? It’s so…..I’m so tired of feeling his blood on me at random times, it’s terrifying.

[edward-darius]

Edward stares up at the sky, taking a few deep breaths. “I have crappy coping mechanisms. But… but I fly, I scribble on a paper as hard as I can, sparring is good without weapons, sometimes ya just gotta scream as loud as ya can. Go for a run, and… and go to someone ya trusts.” He looks away for a moment, talons sliding out. “Killing him wasn’t wrong, by the way. But I’m sorry you have to deal with the feelin’ now.” He winces and tugs at his curls.

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s not fair that I can’t fly.” *They tease him softly and then take his hand, intertwining their fingers so he can’t pull on his hair.* “Yeah, Carlos said it wasn’t wrong either, and that he had been a problem for other agent’s partners before too, not just me. But sometimes that doesn’t make me feel better, when I look at someone else when I’m pissed off and it’s like their bodies switch. Do you….do you ever have that experience?”

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto their hand tightly, fighting to keep his talons from coming out. “All the time, all the time. I get it Ans, I really do. It sucks, it does. It’s something ya gotta really intentionally work on. And it… ut sucks yeah.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry you understand what I mean.” *They look at him in understanding, and then look down at their hands, grateful that he was trying hard to not let his talons out. They didn’t mind feeling his talons, but they had a feeling they were going to cut themselves on his talons this time.* “I think I can follow some of your advice though, because that’s actually something my therapist said I should do. The running and the scribbling thing.”

[edward-darius]

“M’sorry ya feel it too.” Edward gazes over the yard again. His eyes a little empty, he kicks his feet out and ruffles his wings with a soft hum. “It really does help, doin’ those two things. I mean I fly instead of run but…” He smiles and flutters his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“How fast can you fly?” *They look at him curiously, they realized they had never actually asked him that before.* “Do you think you can fly faster than I can run?” *Now they were just trying to push his buttons, because they wanted him to chase them and fly with them for a bit. They hadn’t done that in a while, and wanted to be like a little kid again.*

[edward-darius]

“I have no clue.” Edward shakes his head with a small smile. “Oh I could definitely fly faster then ya can run.” He grins and ruffles his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“No you can’t.” *They shake their head, standing up and smirking at him as they start to walk across the yard towards the gate.* “I’m obviously way faster than you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward laughs happily and flys after Anna. He drops in front of them with a wide grin. “Not faster huh?” His curls are a mess from how fast he flew over.

[sunflower-0180]

“Nope!” *They laugh, throwing one of the kids toys at him to throw him off guard, and turn to sprint towards the front yard through the side gate. They get through it, laughing their ass off, feeling that he was close again and try to go even faster.*

[edward-darius]

Edward gets distracted for a moment before he laughs and chases after them, flying quickly, he drops in front of them with a loud ‘oof’ “Ha! I still am faster.” He sits down heavily with a grin.

[sunflower-0180]

*They yelp, falling backwards and then burst out laughing as they flop over onto him, trying to catch their breath.* “Okay, okay, I give up, you’re definitely faster than me. Holy shit, I haven’t done that in forever. Run with someone chasing you for fun, not because you’re in danger.” *They laugh again, enjoying the feeling of closeness and carefree energy they were both feeling.*

[edward-darius]

Edward grins and falls down into the grass, stretching his wings out. “It’s fun, I like bein’ able to do it with you.” He shifts and rests his wing against them. “Wish I could fly for longer, ya wanna go on a ride?”

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony had been over while this was happening, but was busy in another room. He doesn't see it happen. "Edward?" He walks over to his son. "What's wrong?"

[edward-darius]

Edward jerks his head up, eyes tear filled. "It's nothin'!" He drops his head back onto the table, not able to stop himself from letting out an angry sob.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony comes and sits down beside him. "Clearly it isnt. Whats wrong, honey? You know you can talk to me.'

[edward-darius]

Edward's shoulders shake with sobs. "I can't do it- I can't do a nine year olds homework!" He flings back, face flushed with embarrassment, tears steadily streaming down his face.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Oh, honey." Tony immediately pulls Edward into his arms, cradling him close. "Its okay, Edward, I swear..."

[edward-darius]

Edward shifts and lets out a sob into Tony's shoulder. "No it's not okay! I never went to school, I can't do a kids homework!" He pushes away from Tony and presses his face back into the table.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony softens. "There's more to life than book smarts," he says softly. "Besides, you never went to school, know what that means? You can learn now."

[edward-darius]

"But I can't do anything after basic multiplication!" Edward looks up, gulping down a sob. "It's embarrassin' dad." He looks to Tony, tears staining his cheeks.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony brushes away the tears. "Then I'll teach you." He sits beside him. "I know you feel embarrassed, but this isnt your fault, kid."

[edward-darius]

"But it's still embarrassing!" Edward grabs at his curls, holding back an angry sob. "They never let me go to school, what did I do to them?!" He shakes his head. "I can't help my daughter do her homework-"

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Maybe. Not to me." He would never be embarrassed of Edqard. He's furious at his last 'parents' though. "You didnt do anything to deserve that, im sorry, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a harsh breath, wiping his tears away angrily. He stares down at the table for a long moment. "I wasn't worth it. Now I can't even teach my own kid." His eyes flick to a cupboard in the kitchen, his fingers tap rapidly against the table.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Hey, none of that." He moves so Edward is looking directly at him. "You are worth everything. And I will teach you, okay? You're gonna replace Nadia's teachers before you know it."

[edward-darius]

Edward avoids his gaze for a moment before meeting his eyes. "That's what they said to me." He whispers, he runs his hands down his face, oh... he still crying- "It's not fair!"

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Well, they were wrong. But no, its not fair. At all..." Tony shakes his head, furious on Edwards. behalf. Be wishes he could help more.

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, mumbling under his breath in something Tony doesn't understand. He tugs at a curl, tears still slipping down his face. "I hate it- I just wanna be able to help my kid with school!"

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns, wanting to hug Edward again. "You will. You will be able to, I promise. I'll help you."

[edward-darius]

Edward shifts and looks to Tony's arms, seeming strangely shy all of the sudden to ask for a hug. He fidgets with a curl. "Okay- okay..." He whispers shakily. "M'so pathetic- I'm twenty four years old..."

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns at the shyness, and pulls Edward into a firm hug. "You're not pathetic. Please. Don't talk about my son that way, I love him very much."

[edward-darius]

Edward dissolves into sobs when Tony says that, he wraps his arms around him and buries his face in his shoulder. He clings to him tightly, chest heaving with sobs. "I can't even- I can't..."

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony gently rubs his arm, strokes his hair firmly but tenderly. "I know. I know, and I'm so sorry. But you will. Shhh. I've got you." He keeps holding him.

[edward-darius]

Edward cries harshly, he nods shakily and clings to Tony. After a few minutes he calms a bit, hiccuping quietly. "You'll help me?"

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course I will," Tony promises. He kisses his forehead oh so very gently. "Whatever you want to learn."

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles shyly at the forehead kiss, he shifts back and takes a few deep breaths. "M'still embarrassed... but, but I wanna... I want you to help me."

[unofficially-tonystark]

"The embarrasment will go away with time," Tony promises. He ruffles his hair and sits back also. "Wonderful. I've always wondered what I'd be like as a teacher. Want to start with Nadia's work?"

[edward-darius]

Edward nods slowly, wrapping his arms and wings around himself. “Yeah… yeah we can do that.” He quickly wipes his eyes, his face flushed with embarrassment.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony smiles gently. He leans up and wipes one of Edwards tears away before he starts to slowly teach.

[edward-darius]

Edward gets about twenty minutes in, and he seems to actually be okay with Tony teaching him, even happy. But at twenty minutes he lets out an angry cry and throws his pencil down. “I can’t do it!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony is proud of him, even so soon into the teaching. He's clearly smart, just never had the opportunity to learn how to use that intelligence. "Which part is tripping you up, kid?"

[edward-darius]

Edward drops his head onto the table, trying to control his breathing. “I can’t get the stupid math.” He grabs a handful of his curls, looking to Tony. “Why am I so stupid?!” From what Tony could tell, Edward’s intelligence seems above average from the way he’s been learning.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"The stupid maths is hard." Tony gently pulls Edward's from his hair, clasping them in his own. "You're not stupid. The people who told you that were the stupid ones."

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto Tony’s hands tightly. “But I can’t do a kids homework. Dad…” He shakes his head and looks down, tears filling his eyes again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony rubs his thumbs in slow circles. "You can't do a kids homework because you never went to school. That isn't your fault. You can alrady do half of it, without any of the prior knowledge. That isn't stupid."

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Tony’s hand, he lets out a slow breath, calming down slightly. “Right…” He whispers to himself, glancing back down at the school work, just looking sad. “It’s not fair.” He mumbles, swallowing thickly. “Its not fair-“

[unofficially-tonystark]

"It's not fair," Tony echoes. He hates so much that this happened to Edward, that this as done to him. "I'm sorry. But you are learning, bud. I promise."

[edward-darius]

Edward turns and hugs Tony tightly, burying his face into his shoulder. “M’tryin’-“ He gasps out, tears soaking into Tony’s shirt.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I know you are." Tony holds him tightly, running a hand down his head. "You're doing good, kid. Really good.'

[edward-darius]

“Why can’t I just be normal-“ Edward lets out a bitter laugh and sits back, tears in his eyes. He kicks the table lightly, staring down at the school work “I… I- I need a smoke.” He chokes out, tangling his hands together.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Because people are shitheads." Tony offers hi. a smile ans then nods slowly. "Okay. Weed or a cigarette?" He asks slowly.

[edward-darius]

“They are.” Edward mumbles. He drops his head onto the table with a groan. “I want weed so frickin’ bad but I know I shouldn’t.” He huffs annoyed.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony runs a hand through Edward's hair gently. He isn't sure what he should do herre. Harm reduction, right? But still... He doesn't know what to say. "Do you want me to distract you...?"

[edward-darius]

Edward snags a box of cigarettes out of his pocket and nods shakily. “Yes please.” He doesn’t really like regular cigarettes but it feels better than doing nothing. He frowns and eyes a cupboard in the kitchen as he lights the cigarette.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony doesn't comment on the cigarette. He more than most know that it's better than the alternative. "Alright, then. You better share that," he adds, noting the glance to the kitchen.

[edward-darius]

“Ya want one?” Edward offers a cigarette to Tony, taking a long draw from his own. He looks longingly towards the kitchen again before looking back to Tony, he just looks… sad.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Not particularly," Tony says for the sake of honesty. He takes and lights the cigarette. "But I always hated smoking alone."

[edward-darius]

“You don’t have to.” Edward mumbles, fidgeting with his cigarette nervously. “I don’t like smoking’ but I… I feel likes it’s better then the other things.” He glances ti the kitchen again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I don't mind." Tony smiles reassuringly as he looks Edward over. "It's definitely better than some other things."

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and takes another long draw. “There’s booze in the kitchen…” He mumbles, glancing back down at the kitchen “Bein’ sober sucks when ya just wanna forget for a while-” He drops his head onto the table again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Let's not go there tonight, okay?" Tony reaches out and squeezes Edward's hand. He sighs and nods. "Yeah. It really does."

[edward-darius]

Edward puts out his cigarette with a deep sigh. “Yeah… let’s not.” He frowns and turns to face Tony, his hand still in his. “I mean, I wanna be sober, but it sucks.” He glances to the schoolwork again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods, and squeezes Edward's hand, putting out his own cigarette. "It does suck. But it's impressive that you'rre staying sober despite tht suckishness."

[edward-darius]

Edward gives Tony a small smile. “Thanks… it’s hard but I… I have a wife and kids and… and I want a life? I dunno…” He shifts and rests his head against Tony’s shoulder. “Thank you… dad.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"You deserve to have that life," Tony promises. He kisses his head when he leans against him. "You're welcome, kid," he says warmly. "You feeling any better?"

[edward-darius]

“Thanks…” Edward whispers, he smiles at the kiss and takes a deep breath, looking considerably calmer. “Yeah, yeah m’feelin’ better. Sorry I got upset.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony shakes his head. "You don't have to apologise for feeling upset. I don't mind. I'm glad you were with me instead of alone, honestly," he reassures him.

[edward-darius]

Edward nods slowly, shifting to sit back in his seat. “M’glad ya were here too.” He glances down one of the hallways. “I hope I didn’t upset Nadia.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony looks down the hallway too. "Do you want me to talk to here while you try that equation again?" He offers casually, loooking back to Edward with a smile.

[edward-darius]

Edward relaxes at the offer and nods. “That… that would be nice, thanks dad.” He looks down to the school work, shooting Tony a small smile. “Oh just- careful she doesn’t know much bout’ my past.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course." Tony smiles at him, and then softens. "Alright, bud." He squeezes his shoulder and then walks off into Nadia's room, knocking gently on the door. "You okay, honey?"

[edward-darius]

“Thanks dad.” Edward calls out. Nadia opens her door, eyes a little wide, she smiled when she sees Tony “grandpa-“ she hugs him quickly then frowns. “Is dad okay? He seemed upset.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony hugs her back, ruffling her hair lightly in greeting before he sits down beside her. "Your dad is okay, don't worry. He just got a bit overwhelmed, but he's alright now."

[edward-darius]

Nadia smiles and leans her head against Tony’s shoulder. She nods slowly with a small frown. “Why’d he get overwhelmed? He started saying he was stupid.” She frowns deeply.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns. He's silent for a moment as he wraps an arm around her, thinking. "You know how you were at the orphanage? Your daddy was somewhere similar, once, and some of the people there weren't very nice to him. Sometimes its easier to remember what other people say to us, even if it isnt true."

[edward-darius]

Nadia makes a face at the mention of the orphanage, she immediately snuggles into Tony’s side. “Oh… poor dad.” She frowns and tugs lightly at a strand of her hair, clearly a habit she picked up from Edward. “Did they hurt him? Is that why he freaks out really badly sometimes?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony gently draws patterns on her arm with his fingers, making sure she isn't being too rough with herself. "They weren't good to him," he hedges, "And sometimes, yes. It makes him upset."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nods, smiling a bit at the pattern. “Sometimes we have to stay at someone else’s house and April takes Dad home, and dad’s freaking out so badly he can’t even say goodbye and… and Mom says it’s fun we get to spend the day at someone else’s house but I know it’s just because dad is… is freaking out.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony listens to that quietly, sorry for Nadia. "Im sorry you have to do that, sweetheart," he says to her, voice gentle.

[edward-darius]

Nadia looks up at Tony with wide eyes. “Is dad okay? He used to do it so much-” She shifts and hugs Tony tightly, burying herself into his arms. “I hate it when that happens.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Oh, honey," Tony murmurs, hugging her back tightly. "He's okay. And when he's not, he's got me and so many other people to help him, okay."

[edward-darius]

Nadia buries her face into Tony’s shoulder. “He thinks I don’t notice but I do-” She holds onto Tony tightly. “But you help him, and Mom helps him… yeah?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course you do. But I promise it isn't your job to fix him." he rubs her back gently, soothingly. "We do help him. I promise."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nods and rests heavily against Tony. “Thanks Grandpa… I just worry about Dad.” She whispers. A knock rings out on the door and Edward pops his head in.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I know you do. You're a good kid." He kisses her head gently and then looks up to smile at Edward. "Hey, kid. All good?"

[edward-darius]

Nadia smiles and hugs Tony tightly. Edward smiles shakily, loving seeing his daughter with Tony. “Um yeah, all good. I did it.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony keeps an arm wrapped around Nadia. "Nice work," he says with a proud smile. He gestures for Edward to join them.

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles and sits beside them, tapping his fingers together, not sure what to say or do. Nadia thumps her head lightly on Tony’s shoulder.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony ruffles her hair. "You want to go back to doing your homework, sweetheart?I can cook dinner while your dad helps you.'

[edward-darius]

Nadia grins and nods, getting up. “That sounds good!” She dashes off to the table. Edward looks slightly nervous. “Ya think I can do it?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "I know you can. And if you struggle, then I'll be in the kitchen and I can help you with it."

[edward-darius]

Edward gives him a quick hug. “Thanks Dad.” He smiles and walks off to help Nadia while Tony cooks.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods, kissing his head before he leaves. He moves to the kitchen to start making his mother's spaghetti Bolognese recipe.

[edward-darius]

Edward manages to help Nadia with her homework, he’s surprised he managed to do it. “Do ya want me to set the table?” He calls out as Nadia finishes up.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "Yes, please!" He calls out, putting the finishing touches on the spaghetti. He starts to dish it up into bowls, catching Edward to murmurs, "I'm proud of you, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and sets a few forks down while Nadia gets their drinks. He looks to Tony when he catches him and smiles, almost shy. “Thanks Dad.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony smiles back and ruffles his hair. Then, he claps his hand and brings the plates to the table. "Alright, foodles time!" He announces.

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles and sits down. Nadia plops beside him and digs into her food. “Thanks grandpa!” Edward picks up his fork and stabs it into the food.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony smiles and starts eating his own food. He hasn't made this for Nadia yet, and it's been a while since he cooked it for Edward, but he doesn't mind. He loves cooking for hem.

[edward-darius]

Nadia eats it happily. “This is delicious!” She grins and eats more. Edward takes a small bite and hums happily, though his hand is shaking a little.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony sits down between the father and daughter as he eats his own food. "It was your great grandma's recipe," he tells Nadia.

[edward-darius]

Nadia smiles softly. “Really? That’s amazing.” She eats it happily. Edward takes another bite. “It is good. He munches on it for a moment before his fork slips out of his hand and clatters to the ground. Edward gasps and completely freezes, body going ridged.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"She would've loved you, Im sure," Tony adds with a smile. He looks to Edward and frowns, moving slowly. "You okay, buddy?"

[edward-darius]

“Really?” Nadia beams at that. She frowns and eyes her dad. Edward breathes shakily, he was on edge from the homework, and well… He stares down at the dropped fork, he’s gone completely still.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "Absolutely." He ruffles her hair and then focuses on Edward. "Honey, you're not in trouble. Everything is okay.."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nervously tangles her hands together as she watches Edward. Edward shakes his head very slightly, his eyes glazing over. He’s never quite reacted like this before, whenever he’s been triggered around Tony it’s loud and uncontrollable.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony isnt sure if this is better or worse than how he's usually triggered. "Can you look at me please, kid?"

[edward-darius]

Edward’s eyes jerkily look to Tony, they’re full of panic. “Dad?” Nadia reaches a hand out for him. Edward hisses and yanks his hand away from her.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Nadia, can you excuse your dad and I for a minute please?" tony asks without taking his eyes off Edward. "Edward, honey. You're safe."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nods shakily, she starts crying as she leaves the room. Edward inhales sharply and fully flinches away from Tony, he drops to the ground and crawls under the table.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony hesitates, and gets onto the ground too, but stays out from under the table. He sits their silently, unsure whay to say.

[edward-darius]

Edward curls up under the table incredibly small, he’s never been this quiet before. “M’sorry…” He whispers, shakily picking up the fork he dropped and curling back into himself.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony softens. "Honey, you don't have to be sorry. You didnt do anything wrong, its just a fork. Im not mad."

[edward-darius]

Edward winces and curls up further, his wing hiding himself from Tony. It takes a good ten minutes before he shifts with a small sound. Slowly his hand reaches out for Tony, it’s… covered in blood.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns, panic coursing through him. "Edward, what happened?" He asks, suddenly even more concerned. He takes his hand.

[edward-darius]

Edward makes a small sound, his face is hidden by his wings, his body twisted uncomfortably so Tony can see his hand. There’s deep little circle cuts in his hand that are bleeding, from the prongs of the fork. “Sorry…”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony shakes his head instantly. "Honey, don't apologise. Why are you sorry?" He takes the fork away from him carefully. "I'm not mad. I'm just really worried.'

[edward-darius]

“I dropped fork.” Edward crawls out from under the table, his hand still in Tony’s, blood dripping into Tony’s shirt sleeve. “Why are you worried?” He flinched back.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Because you're injured and clearly scared that something bad is going to happen," Tony answers, keeping his voice oh so gentle.

[edward-darius]

Edward bites down on his lip, eyeing Tony, completely out of it. “Somethin’ bad is gonna happen. I started it… sorry, I did what you ask.” He nods towards the marks in his hand that are still bleeding. It’s rare to see Edward with actual injuries since he usually heals them quickly.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Edward, nothing bad is going to happen," Tony promises. What did he mean 'I did what you ask?' Tony hadn't asked anything like this of him, and it worries him even more.

[edward-darius]

Edward’s eyes flick past Tony, staring at something just past him. He winces and his hand clenches in Tony’s. “I need to be punished for droppin’ it.” He shudders and his entire body twitches.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"no, you don't," Tony says instantly. God, he feels like hes with Bucky or Winter , he hates that Edwards mind goes there. "It's only a fork, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward shakily points past Tony, at… nothing. “He’s tellin’ me too.” He whispers, and Edward looks absolutely terrified.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony is twice as worried now, too. "Edward, who are you looking at? Who are you talking to?"

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a scared sound and points again at nothing. “Him! My- my foster- gotta be quiet, bad-” He shivers violently, body almost seizing.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Can he see me?" Tony asks, dropping his voice to a whispered. He'll have some words for empty air if he does.

[edward-darius]

“I don’t know-” Edward cuts himself off with a sharp cry of pain, falling backwards and seizing violently, his eyes turning solid black. He sits up slowly, blinking a few times. “Oh… who are you?” He sounds off.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony curses silently when Edward sits up. The strange voice... he assumes he's possessed. "Im Edwards father," he answers.

[edward-darius]

Edward, or, not Edward right now, tilts his head then lets out a short mocking laugh. “Edward’s father? No one’s going to adopt that boy.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Well, I did. Almost six months ago now, actually. He's my son. I wouldnt change that for the world." His tone is fierce.

[edward-darius]

He frowns and makes a face. “That kid’s a brat, hate taking care of that little stupid kid. Why do you even what him?” He glances down and laughs when he sees the bloodied hand. “Oh… he still remembers what to do… good.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He's a wonderful kid. I love him. You're a fool not to see that." tony shakes his head then looks at the hand too, snarling. "You're a bastard."

[edward-darius]

The man’s snorts. “Oh am I? The dumb kid dropped everything, always too noisey too. The only way to make him stop was to have him punished. Stupid child.” The man smirks down at his hands. “I don’t get what you see in him. I mean… he’s fun to mess with…” He gives Tony an absolutely sick look.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He was dropping things!! Children do that! Adults do that!" Tony sounds disgusted and he is. He snarls and he'd hit the man if he wasnt in Edwards body. "You sicko, you get off on hurting children? Bastard "

[edward-darius]

“Oh shut it, you’re a playboy, you haven’t exactly lived a straight nice honest life. Piss off. Edward’s never going this amount to anything.” the man smirks sickly, Edward’s body tenses up for a moment, trembling. “Ugh, brats trying to come back.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Sure, I don't abuse children, though," Tony counters. "And he will. He's an amazing person. Get the fuck out of my son."

[edward-darius]

“It’s not the first time I’ve bee-” He’s cut off by a loud scream from Edward, he drops back and seizes for a moment before his eyes clear, he coughs violently and spits up black liquid. “Dad-”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony's blood runs could at even the half finish sentence and he's really glad for his self control. "Edward!?" He instantly pulls his som close.

[edward-darius]

Edward coughs violently and falls against Tony’s chest, wincing and gagging up more liquid, that’s never happened after a possession before. “Dad- Dad, m’okay-”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"That man, I wish-" He cuts himself off as he rocks Edward in his arms. He can't bear to let go of him.

[edward-darius]

Edward groans softly in pain and massages at his forehead with one hand, leaning heavily into Tony. “Oh… did ya meet a foster parent?” He winces.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Yes." Tony's tone is a little curt as much as he tries to soften it. "Wr didn't get along all that well."

[edward-darius]

“I imagine ya didn’t.” Edward winces and takes a few deep breaths. “I’ve been seein’ him off and on all day, put me on edge.” He flushes and looks to Tony. “What did he do?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course. im sorry." He sighed and looks away. "He just said some assholeish things about you that I hated..."

[edward-darius]

Edward frowns and shifts so Tony has to look at him, brow furrowed. “Like what?” He looks… nervous.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony hesitates. He doesn't know if he should be honest or not. He decides to evade. "Nothing I'm sure you haven't heard before, and certainly nothing you need to hear again."

[edward-darius]

Edward rubs his forehead, frowning a bit. “No, no I wanna know what he said to you.” He bites his lip. “My time with him is… is fuzzy, what did he say?” He coughs and spits up a little black liquid.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course it is," Tony mutters. "He... said that he didn't understand why I adopted you. That he was the one who taught you to.. punish yourself like that." he nods to his hand, feeling sick.

[edward-darius]

“What do ya mean of course it is?” Edward eyes Tony, he looks like he feels a little sick, his eyes flick down to his bloodied hand, he gasps softly and winces, quickly healing the wounds. “Sorry- he… he had me punish myself.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He... just seems particularly cruel. It's no wonder you blocked it out." He really doesnt want to tell him the rest of it. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault, sweetheart."

[edward-darius]

Edward frowns and his brow furrows as he tries to think about that time. “I was… fourteen.” He thumps his head down on Tony’s shoulder, taking a few shaky breaths. “I hated him, I-“ He takes a shaky breath. “Did he say anything else?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods slowly. God he was so young. He wants to be sick, but he can't right now. He shakes his head and lies. "No. Nothing else, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward nodded and relaxes back into Tony, taking a few deep breaths. “I freaked out so bad cause when I dropped the fork I saw him.” He winces and looks to the side, whining softly and hiding his face in Tony’s shoulder. “Go away!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "That makes sense. I'm sorry you had to do that, then." He losses his head and glowers at the empty space. "You need to leave, now."

[edward-darius]

Edward covers his eyes and hides himself further against Tony, breathing shakily, he coughs again, spitting up black goo and gagging. “Go away- M’sorry just go away! Please! Dad- Dad make him go away!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony really wishes he could see that man right now, not just the blank space where Edward is staring. "I said you need to leave," he snaps again. "Stop hurting me son!"

[edward-darius]

Edward grabs at his hair, staring with wide eyes, black liquid stains his lips and chin. “No, stop talkin’! That’s not true- and my dad would never.” Edward pales drastically after a minute and drops back. “He’s gone.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony's eyes widen, wishing he could hear what the man was saying. He holds Edward close and asks quietly, "What did he say, kid?"

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, going quiet. “Nothin’.” He closes his eyes, the black dripping down onto his shirt collar. “He said nothing-” Edward whines softly.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony wipes some of the black gunk away, worry coursing through him. "I know that isnt true, kid. Talk to me, please."

[edward-darius]

“Don’t touch me-” Edward shoves Tony’s hand away from his chin, he looks… scared. He frowns and sits back, trying to wipe the gunk off his face but failing miserably.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony steps back instantly. "Do you want a cloth?" He offers cautiously not wanting to make a wrong move. Hating how scared he looks.

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down at his hands covered in black liquid and lets out a panicked sob. “Go away! Go away!” He flings himself away from Tony, looking at him with utter fear.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony holds up his hands. "I'm not going to touch you, honey," he says gently. "You're safe, I promise. He lied to you."

[edward-darius]

Edward shoves himself further back into the wall, coughing again and throwing up a dark mouthful of black goo, it’s… alarming. “Go away!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony can't leave him alone like this, he knows that. "Edward," he says slowly. "I'm not going to go anywhere. I won't hurt you."

[edward-darius]

Edward gags and chokes, curling into himself, he looks like a mess, his veins are creeping up, that sickly black green color in them. “Go-“ He gasps before his eyes roll back and he passes out cold.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony immediately rushes over to Edward, catching him. Half of him hopes he's possessed again so he can give that bastard a piece of his mind, but he mostly just wants him to be okay.

[edward-darius]

Edward groans and his head rolls against Tony’s shoulder, he shudders in his arms, gagging and choking on his own salvia.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony quickly rolls him onto his side, going through the motions of first aid he needed, but it was hard with shaking hands.

[edward-darius]

It takes a minute before Edward takes a large gasp of air and throws up, gross black liquid spilling out of him, he gags and coughs, body tensing.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony is next to him immediately. "Are you okay, kid?" He asks carefully, approaching Edqard with clear concern.

[edward-darius]

Edward coughs and wipes at his mouth, wincing violently. “Dad-“ He coughs and struggles to get another mouthful up, it’s a bit… disturbing looking. He shudders and looks towards Tony. “What happened…?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony winces, he hates seeing Edqard coughing up... whatever the hell that is. its so worrying.... "You got really scared of me, then passed out..."

[edward-darius]

Edward collapse down into a small huddle, wrapping his wings around himself and shivering violently, his lips are stained a sickly color. “I don’t really remember… Dad- Dad I don’t feel good.” He winces and struggles to clean up himself.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I can tell," Tony murmurs, grabbing a washer and gently rubbing away the remnants of the black goo. "Do you need a doctor? I can call someone...?"

[edward-darius]

A bit gets on Tony’s skin and it burns like acid. Edward groans and covers himself with his wing. “Today’s been too much…” He whispers shakily. “M’fine… hurts- call… call professor. Phone” Edward holds a hand out for it.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods, and immediately grabs Edward's phone to call Professor X. He's panicking but trying not to show it for Edwards sake.

[edward-darius]

Edward curls further into himself, coughing weakly. The call answers quickly. “Edward, it’s been a while my boy… is everything alright?” The professors voice comes through the phone.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony answers for him. "No. This is Tony Stark, something is wrong. He got possessed by one of his foster parents and now he's coughing up this black gunk.."

[edward-darius]

Edward shakily reaches out and takes Tony’s hand. The professor is silent for a long moment before taking. “He over exhausted himself emotionally and a spirit forced it’s way into his body instead of Edward letting it in… and the poison in his veins sometimes reacts badly to his mutation. He has a bag, it has medicine in it, should look like an Epi-pen, he needs it.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony immediately gets up and goes yo find the epipen. "Okay. I've got it." He squeezes Edwards hand before using the Epi on him, praying that it'll work.

[edward-darius]

Edward cries out sharply in panic when Tony uses it. He shifts and collapses into his arms, clinging to his dad tightly and starting to cry. “I’m sorry!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony holds him tenderly instantly. "Don't be sorry. It's okay, kid. You're okay, Dad's got you, I promise," he whispers, rocking Edward gently in his arms.

[edward-darius]

Edward clings to him and coughs, crying quietly. “Dad- what happened?” He whines and wipes at his face, burying himself into Tony’s arms, letting it soothe him.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[april-barnes]

April shuffles over as she hears Nadia mentioned it. That her dad was struggling, April knew. She knew it might happen, so that's why as she walks behind him. She gently rubs his back, "Hiya..." She whispers out.

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a harsh sob, not lifting his head. "I can't do it-" He whispers, his face flushed with embarrassment. He presses his face further into the table, a hiccuping sob leaving him. "I should be able to!" He sounds incredibly frustrated at himself.

[april-barnes]

April shakes her head as she looks over his shoulder, she leans on him a bit like a weight. "Hey, hey don't try to say that... It's not a bad thing you can't do..." She looks to the math. "Sweetie I can't even do calculus." She admits.

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, grabbing at his hair. "But this is simple! I... I can't even multiply much April-" He wipes at his eyes, letting out another sob.

"I never got to go to school- I should be able to help our eleven year old with her homework! It ain't that hard-" He lets out a broken sob. "I never went to school-"

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she hums. "Hey, sweetie. You don't have to be school smart..." She confessed as she sat with him.

"...I had a feeling you didn't...but that's not your fault. You were just a kid... A lot happened." She eyes him a bit, "..I can teach you a bit if you want. Don't be ashamed of it... It's nothing to be ashamed of." She softly spoke.

April thinks as she tilts her head. She remembers her dad wasn't school smart, she remembers when he couldn't help with her homework. And got upset over it too, she looks down as she gently takes his hand.

[edward-darius]

Edward cries and shakes his head, swiping at his tears. "I can't even help our daughter-" He chokes on his breath, struggling to take a deep one for a moment. "I wanted to go to school, but no one ever let me, they said I was too dumb and... and wasn't worth it."

He glances to April, his expression ashamed and embarrassed. "I am ashamed, I am- and embarrassed." He flushes and looks down, curling his hand around hers. "I'm twenty four years old and I can't do simple school work."

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she rubs his back. She eyes him for a second as she thinks. "Hey...there is nothing to be ashamed of... I promise you there is nothing to be ashamed of." She squeezed his hand as she kissed his hand.

"We can do this together.... We can do some basics together. Maybe too this'll help me... I am gonna be a teacher soon."

She eyes him for a second as she cups his face. "I know me nor none of our babies think differently of you because you didn't get an education baby... I promise you.."

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at her, tears continuing to spill down his face, which is still flushed with shame. The ghost of a smile appears when she kisses his hand. "It's not fair. It's not fair-" He whispers harshly. "I didn't do anything to make them not send me to school-"

Edward takes a shuddering breath, looking down, tears dripping onto the papers on the table. "I know... it just... it makes me feel so stupid and... and like a failure. Even if it ain't my fault I never got school. I feel... stupid. Cause that's what everyone called me."

[april-barnes]

"Sweetie. You are smart. Not school smart, but you have street smart. And that's something I can't teach our kids...that's all you dear." She tilts her head as she scoots in closer. Her knees brushed with his.

"...I promise you're not stupid... It's not fair either that they kept you from something you are allowed to do too....but we can't change the past. But I know I can help now, and with your future too..." She spoke softly as she smiles.

[edward-darius]

Edward immediately leans into April's touch, instead of pulling back. He drops his head onto her shoulder, a few tears still spilling over. "I had to be street smart." He whispers shakily, he bites his lip hard.

"I just don't understand what I did to make them hate me so much." Edward whispers, a fresh wave of tears spilling over. "I just wanted to go to school-"

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she lets him speak. She was shaking as she leans her head over his as she plays with his curls. "...I don't get it either amore..."

She hums a bit as she squeezed his waist a bit as she holds him closer. Letting his wings brush into her even as she just holds him, "it's not fair...a lot of it isn't..."

[edward-darius]

"I was a brat. But... but not as a toddler-" Edward wraps his wings around April, burying himself into her arms and just crying quietly. "I just wanna be able to help my daughter with her homework-"

[april-barnes]

"We can do it together...I promise you. It's okay my love...I promise it's okay.." April was trying to ease his worry. But she understood where it was coming from, he probably felt like he was lacking? That's what she assumes.

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs angrily, he shakes his head, curls falling into his face, his talons sliding out, he sits back and takes a few deep breaths. "I just want- It's not..." He shakes his head, unable to finish his sentence.

[april-barnes]

April rubs his back as she frowns. She sighs softly as she lets him speak, her eyes shook softly. "I am here for you...whatever we gotta do..."

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a shuddering breath, trying to keep himself calm, he turns and buries his face in her chest. “I know- I… I thank you-” He takes a shaky breath, tears steadily streaming down his face.

[april-barnes]

April was quiet as she stares off a bit. She was gently rubbing circles on her back, she closed her eyes eventually as she let him breathing through the cries.

[edward-darius]

About ten minutes later Edward’s cries settle, he hiccups quietly, shakily reaching a hand up to wipe at his eyes. “Sorry…” He whispers, shame crossing his face.

[april-barnes]

April shakes her head as she pecks his cheek. "It's okay.... You're allowed to cry and feel everything you do..."

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a shaky breath and nods, he reaches up and wipes some of his tears away. “I just wanna be normal in one thing for once. And be able to help my daughter.” He lets out a shuddering breath.

[april-barnes]

April eyes her husband as she tilts her head. " You say normal, as if it's the easiest thing to do. Ed, no one is normal. Especially in our lives..." She sighs softly. "Let me help please... You don't have to do this alone. Especially in the sake of our kids, our family."

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to April with watery eyes, he takes a shaky breath and nods. “I want your help. I.. I know I don’t gotta do this alone anymore, m’just… I feel so ashamed of myself, cause I can’t help our kid April. And I… I just…” He shifts and hugs her close. “I feel so embarrassed to ask for help with kids work. M’tryin’.”

[april-barnes]

April shakes her head. "How you think my folks felt... A new time era, learning about phones and technology to new school standards." She sighs softly as she rubs his hands in her hand. "Ask please. Don't be ashamed to ask..... We teach our kids to ask whenever they need help. Why would we not have that same standard?"

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to April carefully. He squeezes her hand lightly. “I… I will. Thank you… I gotta remember that, it’s just so hard…” He tips his forehead against hers, taking a few deep breaths. “I was taught so many things, to not ask for things… I gotta do better.”

[april-barnes]

April nods her head as she smiles to him softly. This was a work in progress, but that was a good sign. Edward was getting the hints and was learning how to grow from his past.

"Good... As long as we try. That's what's more important..." She beams at him as she giggles softly. "I'm proud of you."

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles back shakily, he’s trying his best. It’s hard to break so many things that have been told to him his entire life. But he is trying his best, and actually trying this time, growing. “I’ll try.” He promises her.

Edward pauses and blinks rapidly when tears appear. “You’re proud of me?” He whispers shakily.

[april-barnes]

April eyes him as she rubs her nose with his. "I am..of course I am!" She giggles softly as she kissed his cheek once again. "I love you. I'm proud of you Edward. You're really trying for us ..."

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fiddles with one of his curls, he smiles and kisses her forehead. “I love you too. Always gonna try for you.” He glances to the schoolwork and lets out a shuddering breath. “I’ll learn… it ain’t fair.”

[april-barnes]

April smiles as she looks back to this. "Again, this is algebra... I think Isabella is better at this then me..." She thinks softly. "I suck at math actually."

[edward-darius]

“Yeah but…” Edward stares down at the schoolwork and gives it a small shove. “It ain’t the fact I’m bad at it that bothers me, it’s the fact no one ever cared enough to send me to school.”

[april-barnes]

April stares at him as she hums. "Well I care enough to teach you..." She whispers softly as she smiles to him.

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, giving April a weak smile. “I…. That means a lot.” He shifts and sits at the table, letting out a slow breath.

[april-barnes]

April kissed his cheek as she hums. "Okay the basics then. I'm not the best but I can do basic..." She starts to explain just addition and subtract. Giving him time to get the jist of it.

[edward-darius]

Edward can do that okay, he fidgets with the pencil, frowning a bit as they get to multiplication. He tugs lightly at a curl, brow furrowed.

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony had been over while this was happening, but was busy in another room. He doesn't see it happen. "Edward?" He walks over to his son. "What's wrong?"

[edward-darius]

Edward jerks his head up, eyes tear filled. "It's nothin'!" He drops his head back onto the table, not able to stop himself from letting out an angry sob.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony comes and sits down beside him. "Clearly it isnt. Whats wrong, honey? You know you can talk to me.'

[edward-darius]

Edward's shoulders shake with sobs. "I can't do it- I can't do a nine year olds homework!" He flings back, face flushed with embarrassment, tears steadily streaming down his face.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Oh, honey." Tony immediately pulls Edward into his arms, cradling him close. "Its okay, Edward, I swear..."

[edward-darius]

Edward shifts and lets out a sob into Tony's shoulder. "No it's not okay! I never went to school, I can't do a kids homework!" He pushes away from Tony and presses his face back into the table.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony softens. "There's more to life than book smarts," he says softly. "Besides, you never went to school, know what that means? You can learn now."

[edward-darius]

"But I can't do anything after basic multiplication!" Edward looks up, gulping down a sob. "It's embarrassin' dad." He looks to Tony, tears staining his cheeks.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony brushes away the tears. "Then I'll teach you." He sits beside him. "I know you feel embarrassed, but this isnt your fault, kid."

[edward-darius]

"But it's still embarrassing!" Edward grabs at his curls, holding back an angry sob. "They never let me go to school, what did I do to them?!" He shakes his head. "I can't help my daughter do her homework-"

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Maybe. Not to me." He would never be embarrassed of Edqard. He's furious at his last 'parents' though. "You didnt do anything to deserve that, im sorry, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a harsh breath, wiping his tears away angrily. He stares down at the table for a long moment. "I wasn't worth it. Now I can't even teach my own kid." His eyes flick to a cupboard in the kitchen, his fingers tap rapidly against the table.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Hey, none of that." He moves so Edward is looking directly at him. "You are worth everything. And I will teach you, okay? You're gonna replace Nadia's teachers before you know it."

[edward-darius]

Edward avoids his gaze for a moment before meeting his eyes. "That's what they said to me." He whispers, he runs his hands down his face, oh... he still crying- "It's not fair!"

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Well, they were wrong. But no, its not fair. At all..." Tony shakes his head, furious on Edwards. behalf. Be wishes he could help more.

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, mumbling under his breath in something Tony doesn't understand. He tugs at a curl, tears still slipping down his face. "I hate it- I just wanna be able to help my kid with school!"

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns, wanting to hug Edward again. "You will. You will be able to, I promise. I'll help you."

[edward-darius]

Edward shifts and looks to Tony's arms, seeming strangely shy all of the sudden to ask for a hug. He fidgets with a curl. "Okay- okay..." He whispers shakily. "M'so pathetic- I'm twenty four years old..."

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns at the shyness, and pulls Edward into a firm hug. "You're not pathetic. Please. Don't talk about my son that way, I love him very much."

[edward-darius]

Edward dissolves into sobs when Tony says that, he wraps his arms around him and buries his face in his shoulder. He clings to him tightly, chest heaving with sobs. "I can't even- I can't..."

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony gently rubs his arm, strokes his hair firmly but tenderly. "I know. I know, and I'm so sorry. But you will. Shhh. I've got you." He keeps holding him.

[edward-darius]

Edward cries harshly, he nods shakily and clings to Tony. After a few minutes he calms a bit, hiccuping quietly. "You'll help me?"

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course I will," Tony promises. He kisses his forehead oh so very gently. "Whatever you want to learn."

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles shyly at the forehead kiss, he shifts back and takes a few deep breaths. "M'still embarrassed... but, but I wanna... I want you to help me."

[unofficially-tonystark]

"The embarrasment will go away with time," Tony promises. He ruffles his hair and sits back also. "Wonderful. I've always wondered what I'd be like as a teacher. Want to start with Nadia's work?"

[edward-darius]

Edward nods slowly, wrapping his arms and wings around himself. “Yeah… yeah we can do that.” He quickly wipes his eyes, his face flushed with embarrassment.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony smiles gently. He leans up and wipes one of Edwards tears away before he starts to slowly teach.

[edward-darius]

Edward gets about twenty minutes in, and he seems to actually be okay with Tony teaching him, even happy. But at twenty minutes he lets out an angry cry and throws his pencil down. “I can’t do it!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony is proud of him, even so soon into the teaching. He's clearly smart, just never had the opportunity to learn how to use that intelligence. "Which part is tripping you up, kid?"

[edward-darius]

Edward drops his head onto the table, trying to control his breathing. “I can’t get the stupid math.” He grabs a handful of his curls, looking to Tony. “Why am I so stupid?!” From what Tony could tell, Edward’s intelligence seems above average from the way he’s been learning.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"The stupid maths is hard." Tony gently pulls Edward's from his hair, clasping them in his own. "You're not stupid. The people who told you that were the stupid ones."

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto Tony’s hands tightly. “But I can’t do a kids homework. Dad…” He shakes his head and looks down, tears filling his eyes again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony rubs his thumbs in slow circles. "You can't do a kids homework because you never went to school. That isn't your fault. You can alrady do half of it, without any of the prior knowledge. That isn't stupid."

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Tony’s hand, he lets out a slow breath, calming down slightly. “Right…” He whispers to himself, glancing back down at the school work, just looking sad. “It’s not fair.” He mumbles, swallowing thickly. “Its not fair-“

[unofficially-tonystark]

"It's not fair," Tony echoes. He hates so much that this happened to Edward, that this as done to him. "I'm sorry. But you are learning, bud. I promise."

[edward-darius]

Edward turns and hugs Tony tightly, burying his face into his shoulder. “M’tryin’-“ He gasps out, tears soaking into Tony’s shirt.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I know you are." Tony holds him tightly, running a hand down his head. "You're doing good, kid. Really good.'

[edward-darius]

“Why can’t I just be normal-“ Edward lets out a bitter laugh and sits back, tears in his eyes. He kicks the table lightly, staring down at the school work “I… I- I need a smoke.” He chokes out, tangling his hands together.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Because people are shitheads." Tony offers hi. a smile ans then nods slowly. "Okay. Weed or a cigarette?" He asks slowly.

[edward-darius]

“They are.” Edward mumbles. He drops his head onto the table with a groan. “I want weed so frickin’ bad but I know I shouldn’t.” He huffs annoyed.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony runs a hand through Edward's hair gently. He isn't sure what he should do herre. Harm reduction, right? But still... He doesn't know what to say. "Do you want me to distract you...?"

[edward-darius]

Edward snags a box of cigarettes out of his pocket and nods shakily. “Yes please.” He doesn’t really like regular cigarettes but it feels better than doing nothing. He frowns and eyes a cupboard in the kitchen as he lights the cigarette.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony doesn't comment on the cigarette. He more than most know that it's better than the alternative. "Alright, then. You better share that," he adds, noting the glance to the kitchen.

[edward-darius]

“Ya want one?” Edward offers a cigarette to Tony, taking a long draw from his own. He looks longingly towards the kitchen again before looking back to Tony, he just looks… sad.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Not particularly," Tony says for the sake of honesty. He takes and lights the cigarette. "But I always hated smoking alone."

[edward-darius]

“You don’t have to.” Edward mumbles, fidgeting with his cigarette nervously. “I don’t like smoking’ but I… I feel likes it’s better then the other things.” He glances ti the kitchen again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I don't mind." Tony smiles reassuringly as he looks Edward over. "It's definitely better than some other things."

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and takes another long draw. “There’s booze in the kitchen…” He mumbles, glancing back down at the kitchen “Bein’ sober sucks when ya just wanna forget for a while-” He drops his head onto the table again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Let's not go there tonight, okay?" Tony reaches out and squeezes Edward's hand. He sighs and nods. "Yeah. It really does."

[edward-darius]

Edward puts out his cigarette with a deep sigh. “Yeah… let’s not.” He frowns and turns to face Tony, his hand still in his. “I mean, I wanna be sober, but it sucks.” He glances to the schoolwork again.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods, and squeezes Edward's hand, putting out his own cigarette. "It does suck. But it's impressive that you'rre staying sober despite tht suckishness."

[edward-darius]

Edward gives Tony a small smile. “Thanks… it’s hard but I… I have a wife and kids and… and I want a life? I dunno…” He shifts and rests his head against Tony’s shoulder. “Thank you… dad.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"You deserve to have that life," Tony promises. He kisses his head when he leans against him. "You're welcome, kid," he says warmly. "You feeling any better?"

[edward-darius]

“Thanks…” Edward whispers, he smiles at the kiss and takes a deep breath, looking considerably calmer. “Yeah, yeah m’feelin’ better. Sorry I got upset.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony shakes his head. "You don't have to apologise for feeling upset. I don't mind. I'm glad you were with me instead of alone, honestly," he reassures him.

[edward-darius]

Edward nods slowly, shifting to sit back in his seat. “M’glad ya were here too.” He glances down one of the hallways. “I hope I didn’t upset Nadia.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony looks down the hallway too. "Do you want me to talk to here while you try that equation again?" He offers casually, loooking back to Edward with a smile.

[edward-darius]

Edward relaxes at the offer and nods. “That… that would be nice, thanks dad.” He looks down to the school work, shooting Tony a small smile. “Oh just- careful she doesn’t know much bout’ my past.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course." Tony smiles at him, and then softens. "Alright, bud." He squeezes his shoulder and then walks off into Nadia's room, knocking gently on the door. "You okay, honey?"

[edward-darius]

“Thanks dad.” Edward calls out. Nadia opens her door, eyes a little wide, she smiled when she sees Tony “grandpa-“ she hugs him quickly then frowns. “Is dad okay? He seemed upset.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony hugs her back, ruffling her hair lightly in greeting before he sits down beside her. "Your dad is okay, don't worry. He just got a bit overwhelmed, but he's alright now."

[edward-darius]

Nadia smiles and leans her head against Tony’s shoulder. She nods slowly with a small frown. “Why’d he get overwhelmed? He started saying he was stupid.” She frowns deeply.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns. He's silent for a moment as he wraps an arm around her, thinking. "You know how you were at the orphanage? Your daddy was somewhere similar, once, and some of the people there weren't very nice to him. Sometimes its easier to remember what other people say to us, even if it isnt true."

[edward-darius]

Nadia makes a face at the mention of the orphanage, she immediately snuggles into Tony’s side. “Oh… poor dad.” She frowns and tugs lightly at a strand of her hair, clearly a habit she picked up from Edward. “Did they hurt him? Is that why he freaks out really badly sometimes?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony gently draws patterns on her arm with his fingers, making sure she isn't being too rough with herself. "They weren't good to him," he hedges, "And sometimes, yes. It makes him upset."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nods, smiling a bit at the pattern. “Sometimes we have to stay at someone else’s house and April takes Dad home, and dad’s freaking out so badly he can’t even say goodbye and… and Mom says it’s fun we get to spend the day at someone else’s house but I know it’s just because dad is… is freaking out.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony listens to that quietly, sorry for Nadia. "Im sorry you have to do that, sweetheart," he says to her, voice gentle.

[edward-darius]

Nadia looks up at Tony with wide eyes. “Is dad okay? He used to do it so much-” She shifts and hugs Tony tightly, burying herself into his arms. “I hate it when that happens.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Oh, honey," Tony murmurs, hugging her back tightly. "He's okay. And when he's not, he's got me and so many other people to help him, okay."

[edward-darius]

Nadia buries her face into Tony’s shoulder. “He thinks I don’t notice but I do-” She holds onto Tony tightly. “But you help him, and Mom helps him… yeah?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course you do. But I promise it isn't your job to fix him." he rubs her back gently, soothingly. "We do help him. I promise."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nods and rests heavily against Tony. “Thanks Grandpa… I just worry about Dad.” She whispers. A knock rings out on the door and Edward pops his head in.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I know you do. You're a good kid." He kisses her head gently and then looks up to smile at Edward. "Hey, kid. All good?"

[edward-darius]

Nadia smiles and hugs Tony tightly. Edward smiles shakily, loving seeing his daughter with Tony. “Um yeah, all good. I did it.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony keeps an arm wrapped around Nadia. "Nice work," he says with a proud smile. He gestures for Edward to join them.

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles and sits beside them, tapping his fingers together, not sure what to say or do. Nadia thumps her head lightly on Tony’s shoulder.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony ruffles her hair. "You want to go back to doing your homework, sweetheart?I can cook dinner while your dad helps you.'

[edward-darius]

Nadia grins and nods, getting up. “That sounds good!” She dashes off to the table. Edward looks slightly nervous. “Ya think I can do it?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "I know you can. And if you struggle, then I'll be in the kitchen and I can help you with it."

[edward-darius]

Edward gives him a quick hug. “Thanks Dad.” He smiles and walks off to help Nadia while Tony cooks.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods, kissing his head before he leaves. He moves to the kitchen to start making his mother's spaghetti Bolognese recipe.

[edward-darius]

Edward manages to help Nadia with her homework, he’s surprised he managed to do it. “Do ya want me to set the table?” He calls out as Nadia finishes up.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "Yes, please!" He calls out, putting the finishing touches on the spaghetti. He starts to dish it up into bowls, catching Edward to murmurs, "I'm proud of you, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and sets a few forks down while Nadia gets their drinks. He looks to Tony when he catches him and smiles, almost shy. “Thanks Dad.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony smiles back and ruffles his hair. Then, he claps his hand and brings the plates to the table. "Alright, foodles time!" He announces.

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles and sits down. Nadia plops beside him and digs into her food. “Thanks grandpa!” Edward picks up his fork and stabs it into the food.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony smiles and starts eating his own food. He hasn't made this for Nadia yet, and it's been a while since he cooked it for Edward, but he doesn't mind. He loves cooking for hem.

[edward-darius]

Nadia eats it happily. “This is delicious!” She grins and eats more. Edward takes a small bite and hums happily, though his hand is shaking a little.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony sits down between the father and daughter as he eats his own food. "It was your great grandma's recipe," he tells Nadia.

[edward-darius]

Nadia smiles softly. “Really? That’s amazing.” She eats it happily. Edward takes another bite. “It is good. He munches on it for a moment before his fork slips out of his hand and clatters to the ground. Edward gasps and completely freezes, body going ridged.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"She would've loved you, Im sure," Tony adds with a smile. He looks to Edward and frowns, moving slowly. "You okay, buddy?"

[edward-darius]

“Really?” Nadia beams at that. She frowns and eyes her dad. Edward breathes shakily, he was on edge from the homework, and well… He stares down at the dropped fork, he’s gone completely still.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "Absolutely." He ruffles her hair and then focuses on Edward. "Honey, you're not in trouble. Everything is okay.."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nervously tangles her hands together as she watches Edward. Edward shakes his head very slightly, his eyes glazing over. He’s never quite reacted like this before, whenever he’s been triggered around Tony it’s loud and uncontrollable.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony isnt sure if this is better or worse than how he's usually triggered. "Can you look at me please, kid?"

[edward-darius]

Edward’s eyes jerkily look to Tony, they’re full of panic. “Dad?” Nadia reaches a hand out for him. Edward hisses and yanks his hand away from her.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Nadia, can you excuse your dad and I for a minute please?" tony asks without taking his eyes off Edward. "Edward, honey. You're safe."

[edward-darius]

Nadia nods shakily, she starts crying as she leaves the room. Edward inhales sharply and fully flinches away from Tony, he drops to the ground and crawls under the table.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony hesitates, and gets onto the ground too, but stays out from under the table. He sits their silently, unsure whay to say.

[edward-darius]

Edward curls up under the table incredibly small, he’s never been this quiet before. “M’sorry…” He whispers, shakily picking up the fork he dropped and curling back into himself.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony softens. "Honey, you don't have to be sorry. You didnt do anything wrong, its just a fork. Im not mad."

[edward-darius]

Edward winces and curls up further, his wing hiding himself from Tony. It takes a good ten minutes before he shifts with a small sound. Slowly his hand reaches out for Tony, it’s… covered in blood.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony frowns, panic coursing through him. "Edward, what happened?" He asks, suddenly even more concerned. He takes his hand.

[edward-darius]

Edward makes a small sound, his face is hidden by his wings, his body twisted uncomfortably so Tony can see his hand. There’s deep little circle cuts in his hand that are bleeding, from the prongs of the fork. “Sorry…”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony shakes his head instantly. "Honey, don't apologise. Why are you sorry?" He takes the fork away from him carefully. "I'm not mad. I'm just really worried.'

[edward-darius]

“I dropped fork.” Edward crawls out from under the table, his hand still in Tony’s, blood dripping into Tony’s shirt sleeve. “Why are you worried?” He flinched back.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Because you're injured and clearly scared that something bad is going to happen," Tony answers, keeping his voice oh so gentle.

[edward-darius]

Edward bites down on his lip, eyeing Tony, completely out of it. “Somethin’ bad is gonna happen. I started it… sorry, I did what you ask.” He nods towards the marks in his hand that are still bleeding. It’s rare to see Edward with actual injuries since he usually heals them quickly.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Edward, nothing bad is going to happen," Tony promises. What did he mean 'I did what you ask?' Tony hadn't asked anything like this of him, and it worries him even more.

[edward-darius]

Edward’s eyes flick past Tony, staring at something just past him. He winces and his hand clenches in Tony’s. “I need to be punished for droppin’ it.” He shudders and his entire body twitches.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"no, you don't," Tony says instantly. God, he feels like hes with Bucky or Winter , he hates that Edwards mind goes there. "It's only a fork, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward shakily points past Tony, at… nothing. “He’s tellin’ me too.” He whispers, and Edward looks absolutely terrified.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony is twice as worried now, too. "Edward, who are you looking at? Who are you talking to?"

[edward-darius]

Edward lets out a scared sound and points again at nothing. “Him! My- my foster- gotta be quiet, bad-” He shivers violently, body almost seizing.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Can he see me?" Tony asks, dropping his voice to a whispered. He'll have some words for empty air if he does.

[edward-darius]

“I don’t know-” Edward cuts himself off with a sharp cry of pain, falling backwards and seizing violently, his eyes turning solid black. He sits up slowly, blinking a few times. “Oh… who are you?” He sounds off.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony curses silently when Edward sits up. The strange voice... he assumes he's possessed. "Im Edwards father," he answers.

[edward-darius]

Edward, or, not Edward right now, tilts his head then lets out a short mocking laugh. “Edward’s father? No one’s going to adopt that boy.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Well, I did. Almost six months ago now, actually. He's my son. I wouldnt change that for the world." His tone is fierce.

[edward-darius]

He frowns and makes a face. “That kid’s a brat, hate taking care of that little stupid kid. Why do you even what him?” He glances down and laughs when he sees the bloodied hand. “Oh… he still remembers what to do… good.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He's a wonderful kid. I love him. You're a fool not to see that." tony shakes his head then looks at the hand too, snarling. "You're a bastard."

[edward-darius]

The man’s snorts. “Oh am I? The dumb kid dropped everything, always too noisey too. The only way to make him stop was to have him punished. Stupid child.” The man smirks down at his hands. “I don’t get what you see in him. I mean… he’s fun to mess with…” He gives Tony an absolutely sick look.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He was dropping things!! Children do that! Adults do that!" Tony sounds disgusted and he is. He snarls and he'd hit the man if he wasnt in Edwards body. "You sicko, you get off on hurting children? Bastard "

[edward-darius]

“Oh shut it, you’re a playboy, you haven’t exactly lived a straight nice honest life. Piss off. Edward’s never going this amount to anything.” the man smirks sickly, Edward’s body tenses up for a moment, trembling. “Ugh, brats trying to come back.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Sure, I don't abuse children, though," Tony counters. "And he will. He's an amazing person. Get the fuck out of my son."

[edward-darius]

“It’s not the first time I’ve bee-” He’s cut off by a loud scream from Edward, he drops back and seizes for a moment before his eyes clear, he coughs violently and spits up black liquid. “Dad-”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony's blood runs could at even the half finish sentence and he's really glad for his self control. "Edward!?" He instantly pulls his som close.

[edward-darius]

Edward coughs violently and falls against Tony’s chest, wincing and gagging up more liquid, that’s never happened after a possession before. “Dad- Dad, m’okay-”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"That man, I wish-" He cuts himself off as he rocks Edward in his arms. He can't bear to let go of him.

[edward-darius]

Edward groans softly in pain and massages at his forehead with one hand, leaning heavily into Tony. “Oh… did ya meet a foster parent?” He winces.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Yes." Tony's tone is a little curt as much as he tries to soften it. "Wr didn't get along all that well."

[edward-darius]

“I imagine ya didn’t.” Edward winces and takes a few deep breaths. “I’ve been seein’ him off and on all day, put me on edge.” He flushes and looks to Tony. “What did he do?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course. im sorry." He sighed and looks away. "He just said some assholeish things about you that I hated..."

[edward-darius]

Edward frowns and shifts so Tony has to look at him, brow furrowed. “Like what?” He looks… nervous.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony hesitates. He doesn't know if he should be honest or not. He decides to evade. "Nothing I'm sure you haven't heard before, and certainly nothing you need to hear again."

[edward-darius]

Edward rubs his forehead, frowning a bit. “No, no I wanna know what he said to you.” He bites his lip. “My time with him is… is fuzzy, what did he say?” He coughs and spits up a little black liquid.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"Of course it is," Tony mutters. "He... said that he didn't understand why I adopted you. That he was the one who taught you to.. punish yourself like that." he nods to his hand, feeling sick.

[edward-darius]

“What do ya mean of course it is?” Edward eyes Tony, he looks like he feels a little sick, his eyes flick down to his bloodied hand, he gasps softly and winces, quickly healing the wounds. “Sorry- he… he had me punish myself.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

"He... just seems particularly cruel. It's no wonder you blocked it out." He really doesnt want to tell him the rest of it. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault, sweetheart."

[edward-darius]

Edward frowns and his brow furrows as he tries to think about that time. “I was… fourteen.” He thumps his head down on Tony’s shoulder, taking a few shaky breaths. “I hated him, I-“ He takes a shaky breath. “Did he say anything else?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods slowly. God he was so young. He wants to be sick, but he can't right now. He shakes his head and lies. "No. Nothing else, kid."

[edward-darius]

Edward nodded and relaxes back into Tony, taking a few deep breaths. “I freaked out so bad cause when I dropped the fork I saw him.” He winces and looks to the side, whining softly and hiding his face in Tony’s shoulder. “Go away!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods. "That makes sense. I'm sorry you had to do that, then." He losses his head and glowers at the empty space. "You need to leave, now."

[edward-darius]

Edward covers his eyes and hides himself further against Tony, breathing shakily, he coughs again, spitting up black goo and gagging. “Go away- M’sorry just go away! Please! Dad- Dad make him go away!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony really wishes he could see that man right now, not just the blank space where Edward is staring. "I said you need to leave," he snaps again. "Stop hurting me son!"

[edward-darius]

Edward grabs at his hair, staring with wide eyes, black liquid stains his lips and chin. “No, stop talkin’! That’s not true- and my dad would never.” Edward pales drastically after a minute and drops back. “He’s gone.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony's eyes widen, wishing he could hear what the man was saying. He holds Edward close and asks quietly, "What did he say, kid?"

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, going quiet. “Nothin’.” He closes his eyes, the black dripping down onto his shirt collar. “He said nothing-” Edward whines softly.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony wipes some of the black gunk away, worry coursing through him. "I know that isnt true, kid. Talk to me, please."

[edward-darius]

“Don’t touch me-” Edward shoves Tony’s hand away from his chin, he looks… scared. He frowns and sits back, trying to wipe the gunk off his face but failing miserably.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony steps back instantly. "Do you want a cloth?" He offers cautiously not wanting to make a wrong move. Hating how scared he looks.

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down at his hands covered in black liquid and lets out a panicked sob. “Go away! Go away!” He flings himself away from Tony, looking at him with utter fear.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony holds up his hands. "I'm not going to touch you, honey," he says gently. "You're safe, I promise. He lied to you."

[edward-darius]

Edward shoves himself further back into the wall, coughing again and throwing up a dark mouthful of black goo, it’s… alarming. “Go away!”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony can't leave him alone like this, he knows that. "Edward," he says slowly. "I'm not going to go anywhere. I won't hurt you."

[edward-darius]

Edward gags and chokes, curling into himself, he looks like a mess, his veins are creeping up, that sickly black green color in them. “Go-“ He gasps before his eyes roll back and he passes out cold.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony immediately rushes over to Edward, catching him. Half of him hopes he's possessed again so he can give that bastard a piece of his mind, but he mostly just wants him to be okay.

[edward-darius]

Edward groans and his head rolls against Tony’s shoulder, he shudders in his arms, gagging and choking on his own salvia.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony quickly rolls him onto his side, going through the motions of first aid he needed, but it was hard with shaking hands.

[edward-darius]

It takes a minute before Edward takes a large gasp of air and throws up, gross black liquid spilling out of him, he gags and coughs, body tensing.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony is next to him immediately. "Are you okay, kid?" He asks carefully, approaching Edqard with clear concern.

[edward-darius]

Edward coughs and wipes at his mouth, wincing violently. “Dad-“ He coughs and struggles to get another mouthful up, it’s a bit… disturbing looking. He shudders and looks towards Tony. “What happened…?”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony winces, he hates seeing Edqard coughing up... whatever the hell that is. its so worrying.... "You got really scared of me, then passed out..."

[edward-darius]

Edward collapse down into a small huddle, wrapping his wings around himself and shivering violently, his lips are stained a sickly color. “I don’t really remember… Dad- Dad I don’t feel good.” He winces and struggles to clean up himself.

[unofficially-tonystark]

"I can tell," Tony murmurs, grabbing a washer and gently rubbing away the remnants of the black goo. "Do you need a doctor? I can call someone...?"

[edward-darius]

A bit gets on Tony’s skin and it burns like acid. Edward groans and covers himself with his wing. “Today’s been too much…” He whispers shakily. “M’fine… hurts- call… call professor. Phone” Edward holds a hand out for it.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony nods, and immediately grabs Edward's phone to call Professor X. He's panicking but trying not to show it for Edwards sake.

[edward-darius]

Edward curls further into himself, coughing weakly. The call answers quickly. “Edward, it’s been a while my boy… is everything alright?” The professors voice comes through the phone.

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony answers for him. "No. This is Tony Stark, something is wrong. He got possessed by one of his foster parents and now he's coughing up this black gunk.."

[edward-darius]

Edward shakily reaches out and takes Tony’s hand. The professor is silent for a long moment before taking. “He over exhausted himself emotionally and a spirit forced it’s way into his body instead of Edward letting it in… and the poison in his veins sometimes reacts badly to his mutation. He has a bag, it has medicine in it, should look like an Epi-pen, he needs it.”

[unofficially-tonystark]

Tony immediately gets up and goes yo find the epipen. "Okay. I've got it." He squeezes Edwards hand before using the Epi on him, praying that it'll work.

[edward-darius]

Edward cries out sharply in panic when Tony uses it. He shifts and collapses into his arms, clinging to his dad tightly and starting to cry. “I’m sorry!”

[edward-darius]

Open roleplay

Edward had been helping Nadia with homework, and... he couldn't do it, he didn't understand it. After a long few minutes of struggling he sent Nadia away. He can't do simple schoolwork- He feels pathetic.

Edward drops his head onto the table, letting out a small sob, he can't even do a kids schoolwork! He curls his arms around himself as he cries into the table, he never got to go to school, and now he can't even do this, he's incredibly angry at himself, he should be able to do this. Edward sobs quietly, not even hearing the person behind him arrive.

[sunflower-0180]

“Edward? Nadia just came in and…oh Sparkles.” *They look at him softly, rubbing his back gently as they send a wave of love and affection to him.* “Can you explain to me what’s going on

[edward-darius]

Edward sobs and shakes his head angrily. "M'fine." He doesn't lift his head from the table, his curls hiding his face from Anna. "It's nothin', m'fine-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They gently pull his hands away from his hair, and clear their throat.* “You aren’t fine. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, what happened with Nadia, because she was upset for you about something. Like that she emphasized with you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pulls his hand back, he lifts his head a little, his face is tear stained. "I can't do Nadia's homework! It's an eleven year olds homework!" A sob bubbles out of him, he looks away. "I can't help her with it-"

[sunflower-0180]

*They reach over and hug him, hard.* “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s okay. Eleven year olds homework is tricky because she’s between middle school and high school subjects. But I promise you that it’s okay.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, he doesn't quite hug them back. "It's not okay! I can't do it." He shoves the homework away and drops his head onto the table again, crying harshly. "I never went to school- m'so stupid-"

[sunflower-0180]

“You are not stupid. There are so many different kinds of smart, not just academic smart. I’m not academic smart either.” *They hate how much his heart is breaking, and send him a wave of love.* Like I said, there’s way more kinds of smart than academic smart.”

[edward-darius]

Edward eyes them and shakes his head, hiding his head in his arms, crying. "But I never went to school! I can't help my own daughter do simple homework! I never went to school-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay that you never went to school. You had her to worry about, you wouldn’t have had time anyways to worry about homework and shit when you had her to look at after.” **They look at him, willing him to understand what they meant.*

[edward-darius]

Edward looks to Anna, biting his lip hard. "I never went to any kind of school, not as a kid, a teen, anything. I've never been." He blinks and looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. He tugs lightly at a curl, looking away. "I can't help my kid, Ans."

[sunflower-0180]

“But look at how far you’ve come, look at where you’ve come from.” *They look at him, sending him a wave of understanding.* “I get feeling frustrated and embarrassed about these kinds of things, but the only people that should feel embarrassed about this are the people that failed you by making it so it was impossible for you to go to school. That’s not on you, that’s on them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward shakes his head, yanking at one curl lightly. "I know that- but it doesn't make any of this feel better- I should be able to figure it out! I can't even help my own kid!"

[sunflower-0180]

“I….I’m sorry.” *They bit their lip, looking away, feeling like they were just saying all the wrong things now.* “Do….what can I do to help? I can……Nadia has told me that she’s wanted to play school before, so we can play school while we all work together to figure out her homework?”

[edward-darius]

"No, no Nads can't find out I can't do schoolwork." Edward shakes his head, dropping jt back onto the table. "I don't wanna... I can't-" he frowns and shakes bis head.

[sunflower-0180]

“Okay. Well….maybe we can take some classes together? Like, work on some of the easier stuff together a couple times a week?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Because if you want to be able to help her with her homework, we need to be proactive about this.”

[edward-darius]

Edward pushes away from the table, shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, he starts pacing around the kitchen. "I..." He trails off and takes a shaky breath. "It's not fair. I should be able to do this! It's not- I know... It's-"

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay, just take a breath, take a breath.” *They look at him, trying to keep their own breathing calm for him.* “Just take a minute, and think about what you want to do.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops and leans against the counter, taking a few shaky breaths, his eyes stuck kn the ceiling. His talons slide out and nervously tap together. "It's not fair-"

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *They whisper, looking at him carefully and start to copy his tapping with their own fingers, the tapping helping by giving them something to do.* “I wish that it wasn’t the case for you. And that I could fix it for you.”

@edward-darius

[edward-darius]

Edward takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He scrapes a talon down his face, the angry red lines fading as he does. “I just feel so… so stupid, and I hate it and it’s not fair.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry…..I…I felt stupid I’m school too. Is there an online class that you could take, that would help?” *They’re grateful that he’s starting to try to calm down, the anxiety that was bubbling under their skin starting to calm down.* “Does April have any ideas on things that could help?”

[edward-darius]

Edward stabs his talons lightly into his arms, taking a few shuddering breaths. He stares up at the ceiling with a deep frown. “Not unless I took a kids class- I don’t…” He trails off and angrily shakes his head. He shifts and bites down on his thumb. “She could help yeah, she’s a teacher.” He huffs and shakes his head again. “My wife’s a teacher and I can’t even do basic school.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think desperately for a minute, looking at him worriedly and then at the ceiling.* “Well, maybe we need to ask her for help? And have her work with you for a bit until you feel more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing?” *His energy was calming down, but they didn’t like how he was biting and stabbing himself so they lightly take his hands, like how other people stop them from picking at their scabs.*

[edward-darius]

“I’ll talk to her later.” Edward watches Anna take his hand, he immediately makes the talons disappear. He taps his foot against the floor, biting his lip hard. “It’s just frickin’ embarrassing and I… I don’t want Nadia to know. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through, and I wanna keep it that way.”

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s fair. She’s a kid, she shouldn’t have to know those kinds of things.” *They nod, agreeing with him, as they tighten their grip a little on his hands, looking up at him briefly before looking away again.* “If I was in your shoes, I would definitely feel the same amount of embarrassment, but I don’t think it’s embarrassing, it’s just unfortunate.”

[edward-darius]

“The kids are never gonna find out what I went through or what I did. Ever.” Edward’s eyes darken, he wraps his wings around himself, biting down on his thumb again. He nods slowly. “That’s a good way of describin’ it.” He sighs deeply and looks away, tears in his eyes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They wince slightly when he bites down near their fingers but refuse to let go of his hands and nod.* “They will never find out from me, I swear that to you on my life.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stops biting when they don’t stop holding his hand, he lets out a slow breath and nods. “They know I was in foster care, but that’s it. And they don’t know what happened in it.” He glances towards the homework, just looking… sad.

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him and nod, humming quietly under their breath to ease both of their nerves a bit.* “I mean, that’s not something that you would really talk about with kids, whether they’re your own kids or not. That’s just…..not something that their brains should know.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his jaw, looking down at the floor, his body tensed up. He brushes a hand through his feathers, taking a few deep breaths. “No, it’s not. And they don’t need to know what I did. I just…” He looks towards a cupboard in the kitchen. “Wish I could be a normal dad, who knew how to do homework and… and… I dunno.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They continue to hum, hoping that it’ll ease some of his tension, sending him some comfort, compassion, and love.* “You’re their dad though. That’s what matters. Just because you don’t know how to do certain stuff doesn’t make you any less of a dad. You play with them, you take care of them, you show up for them, you love them, you teach them things in your own way, you are exactly the dad that they need.”

[edward-darius]

Edward watches Anna carefully, he ducks his head down as he listens, fidgeting with a few feathers. “Thanks Ans.” He mumbles, staring at the floor. “But I don’t… I just wish I could help them with their homework and… and do normal dad things like that.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Our dad was smart enough to do that and he never did. Or when I would ask for help, it would end with him getting pissed off and me feeling so much worse than when I had asked him for help in the first place. So those kinds of things are overrated, in my opinion.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at the wall, letting out a small hum. He looks down at his hands, turning them into talons and shaking his head. “I just wanna be a frickin’ normal parent I…” He sighs and turns away, digging through his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to be… keep sayin’ the same thing.” He fidgets with the pack.

[sunflower-0180]

“It’s okay. And you can smoke if you need to.” *They motion towards the pack of cigarettes, trying to force their lungs to relax prematurely.* “I say the same things and get caught in a similar loop all the time, so I understand how your brain just gets locked on one specific thing and won’t let go.”

[edward-darius]

Edward curls his hand around the pack. “I’ll do it outside.” He mumbles, nervously fidgeting with it. “Yeah… it sucks. Just- how could they not have let me go to school, it’s school! Anna they always said they wanted to get rid of me but they never sent me to school-“ He lets out a short breath.

[sunflower-0180]

“Because they’re fucking stupid and two faced, that’s why.” *Their voice is firm, and they nod a few times.* “Do it wherever you want to, it’s your house, this is whatever you want.”

[edward-darius]

Edward clenches his hands and shakes his head. “I just wanted to go to school…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t smoke in the house, it ain’t good for the kids or April.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I know.” *Their eyes are understanding, not pitying, and a spark of pride goes across them.* “I’m proud of you for that. Especially since I know you’ve been really stressed recently and smoking can really help with the stress.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily. “I wanna do more but… but smokin’ helps.” He fidgets with the pack. “Can ya make sure Nadia’s okay while I go have a smoke?”

[sunflower-0180]

“Yeah, of course.” *They smile and stand on their tippy toes to kiss his forehead.* “You’re gonna be okay, Sparkles. I promise.”

[edward-darius]

Edward smiles weakly and nods, he goes outside with his pack, mumbling softly under his breath.

[sunflower-0180]

*They went to check on Nadia, smiling when they saw her playing with her dolls and then walk back to the kitchen and open the door to the back porch, silently sitting next to him. Not giving a shit about their lungs at the moment.*

[edward-darius]

Edward puts the cigarette out as soon as they sit by him, he drops his chin into his hands. He stares out at the backyard, his wings ruffling lightly in the breezes.

[sunflower-0180]

*They glance at him, grateful he put the cigarette out.* “She’s fine. Just playing with her dolls. She wanted me to be the villain, so I was for a little while.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods and fidgets with his curls. “She likes playin’ with her dolls.” He bites his lip and lets out a slow breath. “M’glad she can have a normal childhood.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m glad too.” *They sigh, looking at him and smile.* “I know that she is just happy to be where you are. That’s what makes her the happiest.”

[edward-darius]

Edward snorts and looks down, kicking his legs out. “Yeah right. I lost her for seven years.” He frowns and looks out at the yard. “I doubt she wants me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They look at him, exasperation and fondness in their eyes.* “Are you forgetting that I can literally tell people’s emotions and words related to those emotions? That’s literally something she was thinking while we were playing. “Papa always comes back for me, no matter what” Sparkles, she was literally roleplaying as you coming back to save her. That’s what we were doing.”

[edward-darius]

Edward stares at Anna then bursts into sobs, looking away and covering his face. “She was-” He gasps out, his wings tucking protectively over his body. “But I failed her- I lost her!”

[sunflower-0180]

“You didn’t fail her, she was taken from you. That’s not on you.” *They sit closer to him, but not touching him.* “Even at her age now, she knows that. I don’t know how she does, I just do know it. I think it’s just something she intuitively knows.”

[edward-darius]

“I’ve never told her what happened.” Edward whispers shakily, well, he’s never actually told anyone how it truly happened. “That… it’s hard to believe, even if I know it’s kinda true.” He picks at a few of his feathers.

[sunflower-0180]

*They can tell that there’s something he’s holding back and they look at him carefully.* “Well, I’ll believe it for you until you can believe it more yourself. And you can tell her or anyone else what you’re ready to tell them.”

[edward-darius]

Edward softens when they say that saying that they both use so much for each other. He shifts and nudges Anna with his wing. “Thanks Ans…” He takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve only ever told the basics to anyone… but a lot happened that lead to me being captured and… and Nadia taken from me.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They smile slightly when he nudges them, and they adjust themselves, looking at him gently.* “I’m here to listen if you want to tell me, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too. We can just sit here, talking or not talking. Whatever feels better to you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward yanks a feather out and stares at it, it’s half black half white. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have these.” He huffs and yanks another feather out, expression sad. “They tried to catch many times before they managed to when I was eighteen.”

[sunflower-0180]

“They saw the wings and then tracked you from that?” *They look at him, trying to clarify what he meant.* “I know that they got you when you were eighteen, that’s when I got adopted. Wait no, I was nineteen, I lied.”

[edward-darius]

“Yeah, mutants with physical mutations are the easiest to find because they can’t hide their mutation, like me.” He ruffled his wings with a bitter laugh. “So yeah, I was always runnin’ from them.” He looks to Anna carefully. “I would’ve been workin’ for Magneto when you were adopted.” He frowns a bit. “Huh… that’s a weird thought.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry.” *They honestly weren’t totally sure what they were apologizing for, maybe that he had the physical mutation, maybe that he had been hunted, probably both.* “That is a kinda weird thought. What would have happened if we had met then though? At nineteen instead of twenty two and twenty three?”

[edward-darius]

“Thank you…” Edward whispers, the sorry feels like… like it’s for everything he just said, and it’s comforting. He tucks his wings together and shakes his head. “Oh it would’ve been bad, trust me it’s a very good thing ya didn’t meet me when I was twenty. It wouldn’t have ended well… I wasn’t a good man then, at all.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Would you have…..have hated me then?” *Their voice is almost a whisper, looking at the ground and picking at some pieces of grass.* “Or would you have just decided to not believe me that I was your sibling?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks down, guilt and shame filling his face. “I think I would’ve done both.” He whispers, sounding like he feels devastated at the thought. He clears his throat and looks away. “I wasn’t myself durin’ that time Ans.”

[sunflower-0180]

“Oh.” *Now their voice is a whisper, and they nod quickly.* “I know you weren’t. I know. You were very heavily manipulated by him, you wouldn’t have treated me that way if you had a choice. We were assholes to each other when we first met, remember? I think it’s just a sibling thing to be defensive as hell when you’re meeting someone new.”

[edward-darius]

Edward nods shakily, guilt in his eyes and shame on his face. “I was different then and… and twenty is when I started drugs, hardcore. I was high all the time.” He hums and nods with a sad little chuckle. “We were jerks to each other when we met.”

[sunflower-0180]

“But you’ve never really been angry when you’ve gotten high or drunk. I mean……” *They trail off, thinking for a second.* “For the most part, you really don’t get mad when you’re drunk or high. And yeah, you spilled hot coffee all over me, and then you healed me and then I chased after you, told you about your mutation, and passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, honestly. Just that I couldn’t let go of you for anything.”

[edward-darius]

“Anna, it didn’t used to be like that. I was one of the angriest people ya could possibly meet, and the alcohol and drugs didn’t help.” Edward looks to the side, fidgeting with his feathers, he lets out a slow breath. “I was bitter, angry, and I… I had no hesitation in doing terrible things.” He bites his lip and shakes his head before smiling ever so slightly. “Yeah… I remember that.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I have something I need to tell you.” *It felt like it was an honesty hour sort of thing, and they needed to tell someone this before it burnt a hole in their chest forever.* “You seriously might look at me differently and I get it if you need space for a little while, or a long while, because I….I fucked up. Like, fucked up, fucked up. And I….I haven’t told anyone else this. The only other person that knows is Carlos, and it’s because he found me doing it.”

[edward-darius]

“I ain’t gonna look at ya different. I’ve done enough stuff I can’t judge.” Edward shrugs his wings out, staring out at the yard.

[sunflower-0180]

*They hide their face in their hands, scooting away from him a bit.* “I….oh gods….the third day I was at hydra, there was a guy who had been following me around and being really sneaky to make sure that he was alone with me, and he got me alone because Carlos had a meeting. So he tried to….touch me, and I stabbed him. And I kept stabbing him, I have no idea how many times I stabbed him before Carlos found me, but it was bad. I just know that I didn’t…..I felt fear when he was cornering me, and then I just felt satisfied. No guilt or anything else. Just satisfied.”

[edward-darius]

Edward turns to look at them, looking not shocked at all, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. “Oh well, good for you. A vile man got what he deserved. Ya should feel satisfied ya ended a disgusting man’s life. He deserved to die and ya let out your rage at all the other men that had hurt you on him.” He shrugs his wings and gives them a quick hug. “It’s fine.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They startle slightly, and look at him with tears in their eyes as he hugs them.* “But….but Carlos had to physically stop me from continuing when he found me, I wasn’t going to stop. That’s…..how does that make me better than people that have hurt me in the past if I do something like that and have to be physically stopped like that?”

[edward-darius]

Edward looks at them, blinking a few times. “So? He was a gross man, ya had built up anger at the other men that had down horrible things to you. Doesn’t make ya a bad person, ya wouldn’t do that to a good person, we both know that. So ya maybe let out a lot of aggression on one person and ya regret it. But that doesn’t make what ya did bad in my opinion. That nasty man deserved it. It happens.” He fiddles with a curl.

[sunflower-0180]

*A small sob of relief bubbles out of them before they can stop it, and they try to scrub the tears away, but they just seem to fall faster and faster the more they try to scrub the tears away.* “I can still feel his blood on me sometimes, especially when I get really mad at someone. It’s like this panic reflex that is telling me that I could do that to anyone and-“

[edward-darius]

Edward scoops them up carefully. “But ya won’t. I know you won’t, and I think deep down you know ya won’t either. It’s just a feeling, that’s all it is. And we work through it and we figure out how to channel it into somethin’ else, somethin’ good.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Anna I used to slam my talons into someone who looked at me the wrong way, I’ve enjoyed murdering people, I’ve done it too, that urge ain’t gonna magically go away, but ya can choose to do somethin’ good with that rage.”

[sunflower-0180]

*They struggle once as he cradles them, and then just go almost limp in his arms as they sob for a good few minutes.* “What do we channel it into? What has worked for you? It’s so…..I’m so tired of feeling his blood on me at random times, it’s terrifying.

[edward-darius]

Edward stares up at the sky, taking a few deep breaths. “I have crappy coping mechanisms. But… but I fly, I scribble on a paper as hard as I can, sparring is good without weapons, sometimes ya just gotta scream as loud as ya can. Go for a run, and… and go to someone ya trusts.” He looks away for a moment, talons sliding out. “Killing him wasn’t wrong, by the way. But I’m sorry you have to deal with the feelin’ now.” He winces and tugs at his curls.

[sunflower-0180]

“That’s not fair that I can’t fly.” *They tease him softly and then take his hand, intertwining their fingers so he can’t pull on his hair.* “Yeah, Carlos said it wasn’t wrong either, and that he had been a problem for other agent’s partners before too, not just me. But sometimes that doesn’t make me feel better, when I look at someone else when I’m pissed off and it’s like their bodies switch. Do you….do you ever have that experience?”

[edward-darius]

Edward holds onto their hand tightly, fighting to keep his talons from coming out. “All the time, all the time. I get it Ans, I really do. It sucks, it does. It’s something ya gotta really intentionally work on. And it… ut sucks yeah.”

[sunflower-0180]

“I’m sorry you understand what I mean.” *They look at him in understanding, and then look down at their hands, grateful that he was trying hard to not let his talons out. They didn’t mind feeling his talons, but they had a feeling they were going to cut themselves on his talons this time.* “I think I can follow some of your advice though, because that’s actually something my therapist said I should do. The running and the scribbling thing.”

[edward-darius]

“M’sorry ya feel it too.” Edward gazes over the yard again. His eyes a little empty, he kicks his feet out and ruffles his wings with a soft hum. “It really does help, doin’ those two things. I mean I fly instead of run but…” He smiles and flutters his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“How fast can you fly?” *They look at him curiously, they realized they had never actually asked him that before.* “Do you think you can fly faster than I can run?” *Now they were just trying to push his buttons, because they wanted him to chase them and fly with them for a bit. They hadn’t done that in a while, and wanted to be like a little kid again.*

[edward-darius]

“I have no clue.” Edward shakes his head with a small smile. “Oh I could definitely fly faster then ya can run.” He grins and ruffles his wings out.

[sunflower-0180]

“No you can’t.” *They shake their head, standing up and smirking at him as they start to walk across the yard towards the gate.* “I’m obviously way faster than you.”

[edward-darius]

Edward laughs happily and flys after Anna. He drops in front of them with a wide grin. “Not faster huh?” His curls are a mess from how fast he flew over.

[sunflower-0180]

“Nope!” *They laugh, throwing one of the kids toys at him to throw him off guard, and turn to sprint towards the front yard through the side gate. They get through it, laughing their ass off, feeling that he was close again and try to go even faster.*

[edward-darius]

Edward gets distracted for a moment before he laughs and chases after them, flying quickly, he drops in front of them with a loud ‘oof’ “Ha! I still am faster.” He sits down heavily with a grin.