𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀

LISTEN— born to nothing all the people put you down, boy won’t you take me don’t nobody [ want ] you around, boy and the only reason to stay be together than to stay today the sky won’t seem like much i got 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓈 i can touch i give them e v e r y t h i n g to keep from going under i just want to believe in SOMETHING 𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖 if right or wrong i just want to believe in SOMETHING i cannot make it on my own

[hankroosevlt]

misbhaves‌:

it was rare that lucien bothered answering the door, even in the rare occasion that someone rang on the doorbell. even rarer when someone decided to knock instead, since his study was far enough from the front door that he was unlikely to hear it. lucky for them, and unlucky for him, he wasn’t working for once. his head was still throbbing from a glass of cognac too many and he still hadn’t managed to muster the motivation for anything other than a mimosa and moving around the house on his segway. his tablet was held within one hand, dr. phil’s shiny bald head staring up at him as he pedantically used his outdated psychiatric credentials to tell some poor degenerate just how terrible they were while the other hand held the aforementioned mimosa and occasionally lifted upward to his mouth so he could take a sip.

so, he happened to be near enough to the door to hear it. it was with a dramatic sigh that he set down his tablet and manouvred toward the door, pressing his finger over the screen by the door. a smirk tugged at his mouth when he saw who was waiting for him at the other end. none other than his ex-wife’s most annoying friend. he brushed a hand over the sleeve of his louis vuitton robe and then reached for the door handle, pulling it open with a cheshire grin on his face. 

“good morning, sheriff roosevelt,” he greeted jovially in a candied tone. “i see you’ve found my winter address. i’m starting to think you have a little crush on me.” with that, the segway rotated and carried him further into the house. “door duty, hm? how very cute. have you been demoted, my dear sheriff? i can fix you a drink if you’d like to discuss your woes.” 

once the segway reached the counter, he set his own drink down. “a cigar perhaps?” he made a show of yawning, stretching his arms out. “i’ll be honest, i’m very tired, so if you could keep to your word and not take up too much of my time, i would be grateful.”

sometimes, not always but sometimes, hank doubted every detective bone in his body. sometimes he was confronted with such a reality defying knowledge that he had to reconsider everything he knew. sometimes he could not make sense of lucien.

that moment, walking inside his house, moving through the place lucien lived in as he heard the other made light of their current situation, that was one of those times. hank wanted to understand the other man, he wanted to know what the hell went through his mind to lead both of them to their current situation, but every version of reality he flipped through landed him on the same certainty: lucien was on the wrong side of history.

“ no, i, i wanted to come here myself, talk to you. ” talk some sense into him if that was at all possible still at that point. “ can’t drink on duty, sorry. ” not that hank would ever be willing to accept anything he offered either. those who eat or drink anything in the the underworld may never return from it.

“ listen, lucien, i’m not gonna beat around the bush here, what the hell are you doing ? the city looked apocalyptic during those fires. people got hurt in that little stunt of yours, mutants got hurt during it. is that what you want ? that became your goal now ? hurting innocent bystander ? ”

[hankroosevlt]

kimkins-blr‌:

The amount of stranger danger Lulu felt for the sheriff while in uniform was through the roof. The mounties of Canada couldn’t begin to inspire fear in the young woman, but the man in front of her put her in her best behavior.  Eric would have been so proud if he were there. She even stood up straight as she opened the door to that apartment complex building. The gymnastics classes she’d taken so long ago left an impression.  Knowing that he’d likely have her files at his disposal for the petty crimes she’d been caught for she let him in the building, and when a humble bow of her head she listened to his queries. 

Though the laughter of a defeat inside stirred, and it was heightened when he pressed for an interview.  The nervous chuckles from her were hidden behind the palm of her hand as eyes lit up and met the old fellow’s gaze. 

“  Whatcha gotta ask me chief? You trying some new recruitment tactics?  If you’re trying to sell me something, let’s start with pay, eh?  ” 

He couldn’t help but smile. It was small, almost non-existent, but it was there still. Despite how guilty or not the person might have been, that small shown of childish teasing was enough to brighten his mood. In a way, it helped. Knowing the person was a bit immature, that they weren’t all that old. In a way, it eased the thought of them being guilty; A lost funny kid being corrupted by the Syndicate was a lot easier to dissuade than someone who thought they were doing right in the wrong way. 

“ I wanna ask you about the fires that happened a while ago, you think you can answer a couple questions. ” He still wanted, with everything in him to be wrong, to have misunderstood the situation, to be at the wrong place, have followed the wrong clue, but even if he was, at that point, couldn’t he convince that nice kid to get drop the Syndicate in exchange for a clean slate. “ You remember where you were that night ? ”

[hankroosevlt]

xsvervn‌:

Saeran had been in the middle of a game, their hair tied back from their face, a hoodie the only thing covering their otherwise bare torse rested unzipped on their shoulders, black sweatpants with various phrases scribbled in white across them. This was the first moment of calm and relaxation that they’d had in a moment. They weren’t shaking from hunger, their brain had totally shut out their usual nagging unrest over literally everything, and for once they just felt… okay. That was until there was a knock on the door of the motel they’d been hanging out in the last few days.  Saeran tossed the controller down, hands running through a mess of dark hair as they climbed from their spot at the poorly made bed and walked to the door. One hand tugged the zipper up as the door was yanked open– for their five feet three inches Saeran certainly had a personality.  “wha–” They broke off, eyes centering on Hank, confusion being the prevailing emotion at that moment. “Uh… well, I’m not sure how you found me all the way out here… this isn’t my usual place, ah, obviously…” They trailed off, stepping back to pull the door the rest of the way open. “Come in…?” 

He wanted to be wrong, he wanted to be wrong, he wanted to be wrong. That was the only thing in Hank’s mind: how much he wanted, needed to be wrong about all of it; How much he wanted, needed, to have gotten the wrong person, to have misunderstood Saeran’s involvement with the fires in any way, shape or form. 

This kid was the kid that got in trouble every now and again, the kid that he didn’t mind helping out, the kid Hank would take a fall for just so they would be safe. The Syndicate couldn’t have corrupted them. Hank had to be wrong.

With a small nod, he makes his way inside, lacking words, lacking courage to voice his accusations. His eyes wander, towards the bed, the videogame, the details around the hotel room. “ I’ve been a policeman for more than twenty years now, I can find someone when I’m looking for them, Saeran. ” and it wasn’t supposed to sound like a threat, it wasn’t supposed to come out like I will find you if you run, but it did.

He wanted to be wrong so goddamn badly, all Hank needed was an excuse to look elsewhere, a pretext to find someone else to put this on. “ Saeran, what were you doing the night of the fires ? Where were you ? ”

[hankroosevlt]

chxoticpulse‌:

 Visiting his father had become an awful usual situation as Robin looked for answers about, well…  everything! While he didn’t condone his father’s actions to burn half of the city down, the boy still felt unable admiration for the man that had managed to build an evil empire in such a short time; but overall, the immense control he had over his abilities, something that Robin was still having a hard time grasping.    Add the unbearable itching on his upper back was getting his anger out of control.

Someone knocks at the door and while he is lazily laying on the couch waiting for the person to desist, a gut feeling pulls him up and towards the door, opening it with a yawn that is almost swallowed back at the presence of his uncle. Robin let’s him speak as he turns his head to see if Lucien is not around and soon, he is quick to exit the penthouse and almost push Hank outside as he closed the door behind him.

“Are you crazy?? Dad will pulverize you if he sees you around!”, Robin expresses in a loud whisper; “were you really going to interrogate him? Should’ve sent mom! She’s the only one that can deal with him”.

Hank is forced a few steps back, he staggers his way out of the door, towards the hallway, finds balance a second later. It’s out of habit that he extends his hand out, out of worry that he touches Robin arm softly, out of a faint attempt to calm the kid down that the words come rushed, almost whispered: “ Hey, hey, kid, breath, it’s okay, alright ? Your dad is not gonna hurt me. ” Or at least Hank liked to believe so, that somewhere in that thick head of his Lucien still had humanity left in him, that Lucien’s warped quest for peace was only misguided, not really cruel.

The next words come out slowly, clearly. “ Your mom wasn’t voted sheriff, Robin. I was. Just because the two of them treat this city as their private battleground, it doesn’t mean it is. ” there is a small shake of the head, a tinier even nod, “ You don’t have to worry about me, alright ? I might not have magic at my fingertips, but I know how to take care of myself, and I have known your parents for a little while longer than you have. ” 

When Hank fixes his own posture a second later, it’s forcing himself back into the role of sheriff leaving the one of uncle. “ Robin, help me out really quick, where we were the night of the fires ? ”

[hankroosevlt]

ghculishscn‌:

Damn it, Ender couldn’t help but reprimand himself viciously in the back of his mind. He knew that he’d made a massive mistake leaving without the Ghoul gear on the day of the fires. But he hummed softly in understanding all the same then stepped to the side in order to grant Hank entrance into the house. “We’re going to have to be quiet though,” he started while he led the way into the kitchen so he could get started on some coffee for both of them. “Husband’s asleep upstairs and not too sure if Dalton actually went back to bed or if he’s eavesdropping. Also, would you like some coffee?”

Anxiety and panic had still managed to flood into his veins at the thought of either being arrested for any number of reasons or the fact that he might have to reveal his alter ego to try saving his skin. He trusted Hank with everything he had and would happily give the sheriff the shirt off his back if it ever came down to it, but it was still daunting to even think about for a multitude of reasons. Yet the detective was trapped between the rock and the hard place with little to no idea for how to handle the situation. This was just as much uncharted territory as married life had been at first or as parenthood still was. Ender still managed to settle into the routine of making his own coffee though since just those basic actions made an incredible difference with settling his nerves.

“Said they saw me running towards a fire?” he repeated in a questioning tone. Even though a few moments had passed his mind was still racing as he tried to figure out some solution other than the one he really didn’t want to go with. Eventually, Ender took a deep breath as he set his mug of coffee on the kitchen island and slipped one for Hank under the coffeemaker just in case the other accepted his offer. While he poured creamer into his own and stirred it, he replied, “Well, your witnesses aren’t wrong about that. But I swear on my father’s grave it’s not because I’m a member of the Syndicate. Quite the opposite actually.” He let the implications linger unsaid in the air for a few moments before he added, “It’s because I’m a member of the League. I was trying to stop the fire at the library that day.”

Hank held a finger to his lips, nodded along. “ They won’t even know I’m here. ” his attempt to sound compassionate and non-threatening came with an agreement “ I’d love some coffee, thanks. ” it was followed up with the subject of the child that had accompanied Ender. “ Cute kid, by the way. Looks like he is about my boy’s age. They are adorable little nightmares, aren’t them ? ” 

He removed the sunglasses, rested his hat atop his own chest, made body language out of openness and comprehension. It would be a friendly conversation, it would be a fine outcome. there was no reason for Hank’s anxious blabber to take up space in the conversation. Ender wasn’t guilty, he couldn’t be. 

The overwhelming wave of relief that washed over Hank a second later was unparalleled. He tried to keep himself still, to make sure it didn’t look like he wanted that to be the answer, but his body worked against him. There was a audible sigh of relief, the immediate dropping of tension on his shoulder. Ender wasn’t guilty.

“ You got a way to prove me that ? Like a shiny badge or some technological stuff made my silver knight ? ” His own connection to the league had turned a lot more complicated than Hank wanted admit nowadays. His affection towards Harriet making forcing Hank to allow her a lot more leeway than he usually would, his own fear of alienating her stopping him from questioning any of her methods. Everything was so confused and complicated, Hank just wanted to believe in something simple: The league wasn’t perfect but at least it wasn’t the Syndicate. “ I won’t share your identity with anyone at the station, you don’t have to worry about that. ”

[hankroosevlt]

ghculishscn‌:

It was way too early in the morning for anybody to be awake let alone knocking at someone’s front door. But all the same, Ender had extracted himself from the warmth of the bed he shared with his husband then made his way downstairs as he gently rubbed sleep out of his eyes. Light footsteps behind him told him that he wasn’t the only one awakened by the sound of knocking. He ruffled Dalton’s hair as the father-son duo walked through the kitchen and towards the front door.

Now, under completely normal circumstances, Ender definitely would’ve had some metaphorical hackles raised. Ever since this whole mess had started with his father’s death, he’d been on alert every waking moment. Then the fires happened and that only exacerbated his jumpiness as well as his protectiveness. He kept sharp eyes trained on Dalton even when he was in the house with friends, he texted his husband more often throughout the day just to make sure everything was alright. And all for reasons that he couldn’t talk to either of them about. As far as they knew, it was just his detective nature playing up again, even at home. Not that combined with the worry his work as Ghoul might one day catch up and play out one of those tired movie cliches. But he did the best he could to clear those thoughts out of his mind in order to open the door.

And Hank’s rather blurry face greeted him. Damn, he’d forgotten both his glasses along with his contact lenses upstairs in his sleepy rush to get downstairs quickly. Once the other had finished speaking, Ender gave Dalton a gentle pat on the back. “It’s alright bud, go on back to bed,” he reassured, sleepiness heavily laced in his tone of voice. As the eight year old scampered back upstairs, the twenty six year old’s attention flicked back to the sheriff. “Sorry Sheriff Roosevelt, think you got the wrong house. Detective Ender Scott.”

he hated the idea of it: that somehow a detective in the force was involved with the syndicate, that they weren’t only woven into the fabric of the city, but into the very group that should uphold the law, keep the peace. he hated the corruption of it too: what looked like a good kid, a fine detective, mayor scott’s son somehow wrapped up in all that vileness, convinced to cause harm in order to achieve a warped version of peace. hank’s eyes barely landed on the kid before the sigh rolled off his lips. god, how he wanted to be wrong, how he wanted to have messed up somewhere along that investigation. 

“ i’m sorry, kid, ” is the only thing he mentions, though. a short quick apology, as a person, as someone who’d met him already, as someone who had a lot respect towards his father. every word sunken was into the same apologetic tone. “ i got the right place here. some witnesses are placing you in one of the fires that happened a while ago. saying they saw you going towards one instead of running away. ”

he could be wrong, they could have been mistaken. ender didn’t have that unique of a face. white guy, dark hair, mid-20s. this place wasn’t that descriptive either. it could be anyone, living anywhere, it didn’t have to be him. “ look, i won’t take too much of your time, alright ? i don’t wanna have to pull you into an interrogation room and press some charges to keep you locked up. help me out here. if you don’t have anything to hide, all our conversation will do is clear your name. ” and really that was all hank was hoping for.

[hankroosevlt]

he knocks twice. calmly waits at the door. hank knew already which group of criminals was responsible for setting the city on fire. they piratically signed their names at the end of the chaos, virtually claimed ownership of the wreck they had turned crystalline in. ( he failed to see how to someone could attach themselves to that group and still think they were in the right. ) but it didn’t really matter.

not what he knew, not how proud the criminals were of it, not how unfit to deal with the situation his officers were, none of it change anything at the end of the day. what was right was still right. the law was still the law. and so, he opened an investigation, all the same, as if it was any ordinary crime. worked to follow clues, get people on the case, take accounts from any and all witnesses they could find. the personal need to stay at the top of it all instead of letting other officers deal with it was mostly due to fear. hank could take a hit from a mutant, he could end up at a hospital. his officers, on the other hand, had families, girlfriends, boyfriends, children, lives that would be could wrecked, ruined. he wouldn’t let that happen.

all the clues led to that place. hank made sure to be the one there going there, by himself, so no one else would be harmed in the process. —— when owner of the place finally opened the door for him, he removed his glasses, attempt a small smile. “ hello, hm, good morning, i’m sheriff roosevelt, i was wondering if you could answer a few questions ? i’ll try not to take up too much of your time ”

[hankroosevlt]

ofobservctions‌:

luna had never been pulled over, not once in her life and seeing the lights had caused an overwhelming panic. tears in her blue hues even after she had pulled over in the shoulder, and seen him approach. blinking back tears, was she really crying ? maybe, more so because again she had never been pulled over. that of a small smile on her features. “ no sir, i’m sorry for whatever i did. had a rough day just trying to get HOME.”

“ you ran a red light back there, ms. wanting to get home after a rough day does not excuse reckless driving, does it ? your day would be even rougher if you had caused an accident. ” he only really noticed her distress a second later, after a quick moment of distraction. hank had to take of his sunglasses, to let the frown settle on his features before the her watery eyes really dawned on him. “ hey, ” suddenly, the angry authority voice vanished into thin air, turned concerned instead. “ are you alright ? ”

[hankroosevlt]

( @ofobservctions​ )

hank had lost the habit of doing it. sunk into his sheriff duties, let go of his police officer ones. it almost passed by unnoticed, disappeared without a second thought. he wasn’t really doing rounds, he was mostly trying to clear his mind, driving in the police car with no intent or direction, except— he caught sight of her car at the corner of his eye, noticed the violation without really meaning to. old habits die hard. — a few moments later, and they were both parked at the shoulder of the road. hank looking over his aviators glasses, staring down at the young girl behind the wheel as he stood besides her car. “ ms, do you know why i pulled you over ? ”

[hankroosevlt]

( @oblame​ )

“ you know what ? the next time i find you here at this hour, i’m going to arrest you. i can legally hold you for forty-eight hours, harriet haggis, i’ll be damned if you won’t sleep then. ” the way hank says it, the way the words escape his lips, sounds almost reprimanding, angry and still, somehow, it’s easy to catch the affection lacing itself to what he means. the obvious worry attached to his chest. — he’s caught her there at the headquarters, hunched over work and isolated from the rest of the world way too many times. enough was enough. — if he could do something to stop this, he would. if he could do anything at all to make her happier, less an troubled and stressed, he would.

“ whatever it is you are doing, you are stopping it right now. i don’t care if it’s the cure for cancer, it can wait. ” hands move to aid the speech, getting a hold of hers, as softly as he can manage, hank pulls her away from whatever she was doing, as kindly as the movement allows him, as slowly as his own tired body will allow him to. “ you are coming with me right now. no is not an option. ”

[crazyexedits]

[hankroosevlt]

shortcircvit‌:

Iris’ eyes were wide before she jolted into action. “Oh, oh! Uh,” She reached inside her jacket pocket, fumbling blindly in her bid to unearth the packet. She held it out towards the other, smiling politely. “You’re right, it isn’t. It feels so… dystopian. Almost like it’s the end of the world.” A shiver shook her shoulders. “Yeah. It has to. But right now, I’m not feeling optimistic.”

he should give up on this habit too. he told himself he would do it. a hundred times before, but then again, everything was noise. loud, terrible, cruel, and hank only needed to take one drag of the cigarette in order to be washed over with relief. “ ah, god, thank you so much. ” there was the smallest of sighs. it looked the world was ending in front of them. it looked like there would never be peace again. “ maybe we can just pretend ? i mean, i’m not one to ignore reality, but we just close our eyes and take a deep breath and pretend that it’s all okay. just for tonight. ”

[hankroosevlt]

ghculishscn‌:

“You’re welcome and hey, just saying. But it’s honestly the least I could do since I kinda sorta requested it in the first place,” Ender responded. If somebody was kind enough to take some time out of their day in order to lend him a listening ear and help him work through whatever problem was on his mind, he’d give them his full attention in return. That even exchange had been instilled in his mind during childhood and had stuck around ever since then. “Plus, you’ve got some fantastic advice. Further motivational speaker evidence.” He gave a tiny nod as well as a hum as he listened to the next set of advice. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, so thanks again. Think that won’t be too much of a problem with assistance from focusing on my family as well as my job.” Then his mind flicked back to the topic of creating change, a positive difference, everything that his dad had hoped to. “Well, then here’s to hoping that I can live up to my dad’s legacy just a little bit. Use this to fuel a campaign to help get Crystalline back on the tracks he had laid out.”

There was a small laugh. “ Well, maybe I’ll just drop the whole sheriff thing and go out there to speak to the youth about doing good. Maybe that will actually change a thing out there in the world.” There was this uncharacteristic bitterness to his words. Despite his smile, despite the softness of his features, Hank could not shake away the underlying resentment in his sentence. The kind of fatigue that seemed way easier to spot lately than it had ever been before. “ What do you do, kid ? You know, for a living. You are a philosophy major or something ? ”

Slowly, the honesty behind his smile came back, made itself more obvious. Hank nodded his head, took a sip of his coffee, as if toasting to the boy’s words. “ Cheers to that. ” That was a nice thought, a nice sentiment too. He wondered if someone day, maybe, hopefully, his son would be able to say the same thing about him and the things he had done. “ Who was your dad ? Anyone I might know ? ”

[hankroosevlt]

chxoticpulse‌:

His fists tighten in stressing frustration as Hank proves again to have the upper hand in wisdom. The sheriff’s arguments were right and Robin knew it deep down, which is why he was only getting more and more upset about the whole thing. He was basically looking for an excuse to go on a kill spree to relief his pain; he knew his actions would only cause more uproar, but maybe, just maybe, that kind of disruptive situation was necessary, MAYBE A WAR WAS NECESSARY.

 “My father’s methods don’t work just as my mother’s methods don’t work either and that’s because of their closed off minds , he points out looking up at him “There is only black and white for them, but they are unable to see the whole picture. We need the gray vision as well”, a smile draws up on his face as he stands up and leans forward on the desk with bright eyes, “you’re right, Hank! Their methods aren’t going to work… so I have to find MINE, I have find the perfect balance; that’s what we need, balance!”, Robin grinned and still, he walked back once again when his uncle gave him the idea to go away maybe forever, but no, he couldn’t. This war became his the moment he was abducted by those monsters. “No, uncle Hank, I cannot leave. I cannot turn my back to my parents, my friends or you”, he explains, “I appreciate your advice, but running has never been in the blood of this family, you should know it by now”, he comments with a little side-smirk.

Still up from his seat, his eyes finally go down to the files his uncle was reading instants before he sneaked into his office. “The cases you are working on… are related to the same thing?”

He watched he small outburst ensue with a frown set across his features. Eyes looking up at the boy as if to take in every small movement of his, every hint of an emotion displayed on his expression. Hank had to wonder if this was the last time he would see him. If this was the last time he would look at Robin and recognize the person standing in front of him. 

He did not flinch, he did not move away, the only thing that really changed was the tone in Hank’s voice, from soft to absolutely certain. “ There is no middle ground between violence and non-violence, Robin. You are not working around their methods, you are a choosing a side and you are choosing the wrong one. Striking fear into the citizens of Crystalline is not going to give you what you want, it’s only going to make things worse. People do stupid horrible things when they are scared. ”

There is a beat. A second of silence. A moment for his mind to register what is happening. His eyes move to the cases of missing mutants over his desk, the notes about violence from unexplained forces. 

His eyes move back towards the boy just as the thought hits him. “ Robin, if your goal is to help your friends, me, why don’t you join me around here ? You are smart, you are charismatic, you are a capable kid, you sure as hell can run more than me. I could use someone like you around. There are people: humans and mutants alike getting the hurt in the crossfire of your parent’s war. You could help them. Here. With me. You could make sure they are safe. ”

[burritos-r-neato]

You will get so kissed.

[fateofophelias]

I’M DRUNK IN THE BACK OF THE CAR AND I CRIED LIKE A BABY COMING HOME FROM THE BAR SAID I’M FINE BUT IT WASN’T TRUE ᴵ ᵈᵒⁿ’ᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵏᵉᵉᵖ ˢᵉᶜʳᵉᵗˢ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵏᵉᵉᵖ ʸᵒᵘ AND I SNUCK IN THROUGH GARDEN GATE EVERY NIGHT THAT SUMMER JUST TO SEAL MY FATE I SCREAMED FOR WHATEVER IT’S WORTH ᴵ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃᶦⁿ’ᵗ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˢᵗ ᵗʰᶦⁿᵍ ʸᵒᵘ ᵉᵛᵉʳ ʰᵉᵃʳᵈ h̵e̵ ̷l̴o̷o̸k̴s̵ ̷u̴p̶ ̵g̸r̵i̶n̷n̵i̶n̴g̶ ̴l̴i̷k̵e̴ ̶a̵ ̴d̵e̵v̷i̶l̸ ̴

[hankroosevlt]

ghculishscn‌:

Ender listened and honestly, felt tempted to make a note of what was being said right now so that he could save it for a rainy day. But his phone was placed back face-down on his table in order to show that he was actually, truthfully, paying attention to what was being said instead of making it seem like it was going in one ear and right out the other. “On a lighter note before we dive back in, you should honestly be a motivational speaker. Like no joke, this conversation right now is energizing me more than the coffee,” he started off with a grateful, warmhearted smile then took a deep breath in order to prepare himself for the dive back down.

“But thank you very much for listening and all that. You definitely raise some great points that would be much better to focus on,” he added. He knew the feeling of wanting to bury his head in the sand all too well since that was his usual desire back in junior high as well as high school whenever he’d done something particularly embarrassing. “That’s a great way of looking at the situation though. Even with the constant onslaught of problems, at least you’re getting an idea of what needs to be fixed at the current moment.”

hank couldn’t really help the soft laughter that escaped past his lips, “ thanks, kid. now that, that’s a first. ” mostly, he was just telling the boy what he told himself when it felt a little harder to go on, when the weight of the world on his shoulders was a little too heavy. they had to try. everything else seemed doubtful lately, everything else he could question, but that he was sure of: they had to, at least, try. “ actually you might be the first person ever to listen to what i’m saying, instead of ignoring my advice as soon as you’ve heard it, so thank you for that. ”

there was a small shake of the head, an even smaller shrug, “ look, it’s— it’s okay to take a break, you know ? you don’t gotta stare at it until you burn yourself out. ” at least hank had half a mind to advise people against repeating his own mistakes. “ sometimes it really is just— noise. but then you go out there and you do something to change it. i mean, there is a happy medium there, you know ? ”