NovaPrime

By this point, Jean knew not to go into Richard’s head. It wasn’t like everyone elses, and he had just woken up. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him again. “You were going to go underground with me?” Surprise coated her voice. He had seemed so solid on what he believed, she never would have guessed. It took a second, but Jean followed along with what the rest of what he was saying. “I didn’t realize that it could do that. Richard,” she paused. “just know that whatever you did when it was in control wasn’t your fault. Coming to terms with that makes your life a lot easier. Take it from someone who knows very well.”

“Is it that shocking a statement?” He laughed off, scratching his head. “I know it wasn’t my fault. I’m still responsible for whatever I did, though. It was still me. I knew it could make me its puppet and I let it control me. I let it live, right? So I’m responsible for that. I fixed it though. Now it’s... it’s paying for it. You can even check my head. Go ahead, look. Worldmind free.”

“How the hell is that even possible?” Sam says, clamping his hand over his mouth but quickly realizing his mom isn’t here, so he doesn’t need to watch his tongue.

“Xandar? What’s a Xandar? How would you die without it? Is it because of what Captain Laser Beams did to you? Wooops, sorry, you probably don’t want to talk about that.”

Sam looks at him when he mentions his existence. “But I’m a Black Nova, what if we have a different Nova Force? Because I have full access to it, right?”

“Xandar is the home of the Nova Corps. Or it was. You should’ve seen it, buddy.” He awed. “And I don’t really know why I’d die, but that’s what the science heads told me when I came back to Earth during my quarantine medical. Another thing you should probably know: Nova Corps members are supposed to do a six week in-suit quarantine after other planetary contact when coming to Earth. All the galactic diseases and infections and all that. But we’ll let it slide. I’ll catch you up.”

Rich clasped his hands together. “As for the Black Nova stuff, I really don’t know much about it.” He admitted. “But dude, what Captain Laser Beams did to me?” Richard raised a questioning brow. “What are you talking about? I’m lost.”

#c;sam #nova²

“Maybe I will.” Jean laughed slightly. She was not normally a depressed person, but she also hadn’t been smiling a lot as of late. The smile was short lived however, because as soon as Richard continued to talk it died away. “What do you mean it’s hazy?” She asked, eyes narrowed. Jean remembered their phone call. She had been a Phoenix driven ass, per usual. “You really don’t remember what happened?” Jean did, and all too well. She saw it again and again in her head. The image of Scott blasting Richard had been burned into her memory.

“I really don’t. Parts of the past month or so I felt myself, I was myself. But it’s all whizzed around with parts that I wasn't. Like a fog when I try to think back. I was ready to give it all up. Come find you, go underground. When people I knew started getting hurt... it brought it all into perspective. We shouldn’t live ignoring the difficulties of others. I realised that. Sooner than we would all know it, all of us would become the others, and no one would be left to fight in our corner.” Richard looked to the floor for a moment. He wasn’t great at explaining things or putting his feelings into words. He knew it. Trying to do so brought the man back to his younger years; shy and anxious and disliked. “And that’s when the Worldmind shut me out. I think.”

walkingtalkingbouncyball-deacti

Now that it came down to it, Robbie found himself struggling with how to tell the story. He had known Richard deserved to hear about this, but like most things concerning the SHRA, that fight wasn’t a good memory. He wrinkled his nose, more seriously. “Something along the lines of a fight took place down in the sewers. We were fighting the anti-reg at first, but then some Sentinels showed up, so we all teamed up against the common foe and defeated them… but Captain America died. I’m not sure who killed him. It was a bullet. If I were to take a poll, I’m pretty sure the majority would blame Stark. That’s the short version.” He smiled mildly again, though not too much, because of what he had just said. But things actually didn’t seem so very much depressing right now, since Rich was back. Sure, a fear still lingered in his mind that Rich would fall back asleep again with the slightest shock — though he tried to keep it out of his expression, he knew his friend wouldn’t appreciate that — but talking to Richard, this felt comfortable. It was good.

“Sentinels? What the hell are—” Richard was cut short by what Robbie said next. Steve. Steve Rogers. Captain America. Dead. The words were as much a punch to the stomach as anything physical. The Captain, all his heroics, they were told to every New York kid. City, State, it didn't matter. He was their hero. Now he was gone. Again. Rich said the only words that meant anything to any of it. “Tony wouldn’t. He couldn’t. That would never ever be the truth of this, Robbie. Even if people think it is.”

#c;robbie

“Funny,” he responds with a smirk, wiping a tear from his eye, “My dad’s a janitor at my school. Or I guess was. He’s gone, and my new school is here.”

Sam’s eyes go wide, and for a second he takes a step back, staring at Rich only to realize just how terrified he was. This was scary, being able to access the power while not wearing the helmet, it was insane. But once he grew to appreciate just how cool it was he steps forward, picking up the helmet to look at it.

“Holy crap!” he exclaims. “That was so cool! I thought using my helmet to record that new Fast and the Furious movie was cool, I replayed it after and it felt like I was in the driver’s seat the whole time. But this, that’s…. how’d you do that without wearing the helmet? And how’d you get those veins in your arm to glow blue? I mean I have abs, but I’m not vein-y or anything, do you think I can do that too?”

#c;sam #for my crappy reply i can only say sorry

“I don’t need my helmet any more. The Force is in every cell, apparently. And a lot of it. Everything Xandar had— or at least all it thought it had. Your existence brings that into question, obviously. But I’d die without what I have now.”

Rich looked to his arms, the flow receding. “As for this? This is new. I didn’t even know I could do this.”

#for eurovision of course #plus it's appropriate??#r;soundtrack

Jean kissed him back, and once it ended she nodded. “I’ll try. I’m an over analyzer by nature, but I’m really going to try. I don’t know if I’ve said this yet, but I’m so glad that you aren’t dead.” Jean couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he had died. She barely could have handled him being in a coma. Resting her hand on his cheek, she gave him a small smile. “The war ended, by the way.”

“I think you might have—” Rich smiled; dimples showing. “You can keep saying so, though. Don’t mind in the slightest.” Maybe now was the time to explain. “About that... I mean, I’m happy it has, but the last thing I really remember is talking to you on the phone. It’s all hazy from there. Something obviously happened that landed me in here."

walkingtalkingbouncyball-deacti

“Awful sense of humor? Me? Now I know you’re brain-damaged.” He grinned and sat back up when Richard did; relief flooding him that his friend seemed fairly normal. But Robbie’s heart was still pounding so hard it hurt. “It’s good to see you too, Rich, I was so afraid… I was afraid you were going to oversleep through all the fun! And through aaalllllllll the not-so-fun, too, but it was probably more fun for you missing out on the end of that.”

“And what exactly happened at the end of aaaaall that?” Richard sat back. He had avoided talking about the mess left behind. About the Act. But this was Robbie. They used to be team-mates— if anyone knew how to fill him in, it was Speedball.

#c;robbie

“My mom is always right, trust me I know that. And I’m not just saying it, she’s literally always right.” Sam places a hand on Rich’s shoulder to support him when he reaches for the folder. He knows offering to get it for him will get him nowhere, so he doesn’t bother with it. “That’s fine, I don’t want to tell you about it to be honest, it’s all I ever hear.”

Sam looks over to him when he mentions his helmet again. Having looked away for a second out the window when a bird flew by he’d been distracted, but now he had to wonder why Rich was so concerned about it. “Why, whats wrong with my helmet?”

He scratches the back of his head, listening to Rich list off everything, a queasy pit beginning to form in his stomach, or it was until he started laughing uncontrollably. “Did you just say blue blazes?” he asks. “And the dent on your helmet, I swear that wasn’t me. I think it was actually you, but I don’t know.”

walkingtalkingbouncyball-deacti

“I did.” His body fell into laughing, too. “This is what happens when you’re brought up by a high school principle. No cursing allowed.” Rich explained.

Dropping the folder and picking up his helmet instead, he noted the gold dome was bent in at the back. Obviously from where he’d smacked his head. Richard weighed it in one hand casually— up and down —and the other raised around the dent. Choosing to distract instead of telling Sam what could go wrong with his helmet and likely causing him some sort of traumatic anxiety, he moved on.

“Wanna see a trick?” Sam might have discovered it all on his own; or he might not have had reason to yet. Either way, Rich could take on the role of mentor in this situation. It was all too easy to forget the younger Nova hadn’t had his training, hadn’t got to visit Xandar, hadn’t patrolled with the Corps like Rich had. At least to the best of his knowledge.

The hand hovering over the dent glowed blue. Now with the full force at his command, none of the Worldmind’s interference, the veins in his arm raised and glowed too. He couldn't see: but his eyes matched. White and iris and pupil. UV bright, sea deep blue. It was exhilarating. Richard realised he had to reel it back. He didn't need this much.

With a finger tap on the dent and a POP— the metallic material restored to its usual shape.

#c;sam

novablasts:

“That’s good,” Sam exclaims, though he quickly realizes he shouted a bit too loudly for a hospital room. “It’s fine, I’m just glad you’re awake, and talking, you took a really hard hit to the head. Your neck sounded like it snapped when it hit the wall, it was disgusting….. I totally shouldn’t say that, right? Damn, my mom always says I ramble when I’m excited maybe she’s right?” When the question about his helmet comes up Sam pulls the bag around his shoulder closer to his chest, folding his arms over it.

“I haven’t worn it in two weeks to be honest, I couldn’t tell you one way or another. Things are weird here now, while we wait for the Act to be repealed, we can’t leave.”

“Definitely rambling. Moms are always right. But hey, let’s see what the damage actually was—” Rich reached down for the bottom of his bed, where a folder was clipped to the frame. Sitting back he popped it open and read; speaking through. “To be 100% honest with you, Sam, I don’t want to talk about the Act. Like at all. So I’m going to play the sickbed card and do that. Do let me know if things get weird with your helmet though.” His eyes flickered back up pointedly. “It’s important.” The man went back to reading from the file. “Yep: snapped vertebrae. Guess that was disgusting sound. Multiple skeletal fractures, lil bitta’ organ failure too. Thank the heavens for healing. Oh man. I was out of it for almost a month? Blue blazes.”

#c;sam

He climbed off the chair and crouched rather uncomfortably to level his face as close as he could to Richard’s field-of-view. “Yeah sleepyhead, it’s me, the good old Masked Marvel in whose spotlight you bask. And I asked about your dream, but… how are you feeling? Do you want me to get a nurse? Do you think you’re permanently brain-damaged? —because I’m not sure you could ever afford that!” He was worried; it was hard for him to stop rambling.

“Brain damaged? Might be. Who knows. I feel fine, so that’s a good sign. I think.” Rich sat up. “No nurses, not unless they’re here to repair your awful sense of humour.” He joked, expression perking up to a smile. “It’s good to see you buddy.”

#c;robbie

“Hate you? Rich, we were just on opposing sides of a war. I could never hate you.” Jean just couldn’t believe that he didn’t hate her. She was already quite mad at herself for even getting into the mess in the first place. Her hand moving to rest on Richard’s where it sat on her shoulder, Jean took it and pressed it to her face. “I’m… Yes. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” The noises were beginning to die down, and the brief panic attack had ended. Maybe it wasn’t fair to him, but without thinking Jean leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. At least, she was telling herself that she wasn’t thinking about it. In reality Jean was going at a million miles hour. She pulled away, face flushed and eyes searching Richard’s. “I’m sorry.”

Being reminded of what he’d been forced to do gave Richard a churning of rage, feeling like it was twisting his insides; but when she took his hand it calmed. One day he would explain. Richard accepted the kiss— and when she pulled away, he moved in for his own. “Don’t be.”

Sam nods, eyebrows heavy with concern as his eyes dart over the man before him, making sure that maybe he was okay. He was shocked to see him awake, having not expected it this soon. “How are you feeling? Do you want me to fly off and get you some food?”

“I feel... better.” Richard smiled reassuringly. “Sorry ‘bout all that there. Not sure what happened.” Well, he did. All the Nova Force he held? It was his to control in its entirety now— with him locking the Worldmind out. And it surged with the shock in his body; like he had meant it to so he could wake. “Sam, quick question. Humour me here, but you haven’t had any voices coming through your helmet or your head, have you?” The kid was gonna think he was crazy. Nevertheless, with another Nova in the vicinity, he had to ask.

#c;sam

Jean hadn’t thought it possible for her mind to get any louder, but now it was practically pulsating with thoughts. Her control was out the window, she was picking up every thought in the Institute and she had no choice but to close her eyes and take a series of deep breath to get everything under control. That was what Richard did to her. When she was positive that her eyes weren’t glowing and she wasn’t losing it, Jean was able to look to Richard once more. “I…” Yes, very intelligent. This was Richard. Her friend. Why couldn’t she think of words to say? “Scott kissed me. You were gone. I wasn’t sure if you were alive and he kissed me. I kissed him back. He loves me, and I…” She paused, taking a shaking breath. “I don’t deserve your love. You are just about my favorite person that I’ve ever met, and I didn’t even realize that I had fallen for you and when I did I couldn’t believe how strongly I felt. How strongly I feel.” She pressed her hands to her temples, closing her eyes. “I can’t think.”

“Scott? Oh. That’s no big deal. I thought you were about to say you hated me for saying for a second there.” He was relieved. Not pleased. Of course it was not exactly what he had idealised hearing in reaction... but it wasn't catastrophic. Which he had come to expect in life. “Look, if the last time you were with someone else was two hours or two years ago, I don’t care. It doesn’t change how I feel about you now. I’m a grown ass man. Apparently. It’s about what’s in here,” He pointed to his chest. “Not what’s been on here.” Richard’s hand waved up and down his body before moving to her shoulder reassuringly. “But maybe you should take some time— are you okay?” A twinge of concern crept up.