#the other swercy

[mikanliza]

hello im very much a them fan

his smile when it comes to her

[subwaylesbians]

once again thinking about same train home. about how every other time we see mercy challenged or her worth questioned she comes out swinging (either verbally or with a very literal baseball bat), but this time she shrinks instead. and how seeing that throws swan enough that for a moment they trade roles and swan becomes the impulsive one. important to me

[mega-banette]

Not at all going insane over how in ‘A Light or Something’ Swan sings “Then you’ll go” while Mercy sings “Then we’ll go”

And then in the finale when Mercy says “I need to be free” and Swan says “Stay with me” ???? The implications

[threetrenchcoatsinatrenchcoat]

we were one word off and it changes everything

ok oh my god so exhibit a: Mercy says "and if we ever somehow get out of this place // then we'll go // it's all new // the light at the end of this tunnel's got nothin on you"

but exhibit b: Swan says "and if we ever somehow get out of this place // then you'll go // find somethin new // Mercy the light at the end of this tunnel's got nothin on you"

it sounds at first like they're finally agreeing, that they wanna get away together and their big someday hopes for each other will fuel the small hopes through the night, right? like i'm always going to see hope where i can see you, right? but only Mercy's saying that.

Swan's really saying (using almost the exact same words!) if we survive, you'll go, you'll get bored and leave me. Swan's saying cause Mercy you're bigger and brighter than any hope i can see at the end of the problems i've pulled you into.

and still. on that line they harmonize so richly. if you asked Swan the character why, she wouldn't yet have an answer, she thinks there's nothing she can offer Mercy.

it takes until Same Train Home for Swan to find out she's wrong.

[all-our-turf]

warriors parallels / lyric callbacks

i know some of these are really obvious but i wanted to compile them into a post because i think they're neat - feel free to add more that i've missed or any thoughts on some of them!

(all lyrics pulled from the official lyric book)

under a cut because this ended up being longer than i expected

warriors' cypher // going down (luther)

warriors' cypher // a light or somethin' (mercy) // finale

derailed // reunion square

derailed // sick of runnin'

quiet girls // outside gray's papaya // reunion square

woodlawn cemetery // outside gray's papaya

leave the bronx alive // we got you // we got you (reprise)

going down // finale (swan)

orphan town // a light or somethin' (swan)

call me mercy // same train home

[flowersandskeletons526]

Okay no but like listen to me: "The Only Thing Left" by Vincent Lima is a Swercy song to the fucking bones of it

The whole thing is about a couple coming out of the end of the world still together. A main line that repeats in the verses is "I'm/We're one day removed from the worst day on earth" which is them meeting after the peace meeting AKA the worst day ever for the Warriors. The second verse is about walking out of hell towards a new beginning which is swercy walking through the subway tunnel and later together on the train back to coney, looking towards safety, looking towards home.

"Life tried to teach me it only gets worse / but I met you right after the end of the world" Mercy is Swan's light at the end of the tunnel, she meets her after the world falls down like come on.

"I finally trust that you love me / and I finally think I love you" like I'm sorry but Swan "be careful I'm broken" Warchief THAT'S HER. FINALLY BELIEVING MERCY LOVES HER. LETTING HERSELF LOVE MERCY BACK. BELIEVING SHE'S WORTHY OF IT. COME ON!!!!!!

The whole song just gives the vibe of seeing horror and expecting yourself to be the next to fall to it and someone coming in and giving you the strength to keep going on, to make it home, letting yourself love and be loved and doing it even if the next day might be the end of everything.

THAT'S FUCKING SWERCY TO A GODDAMN T!!!!!!

anyway I'm done my ramblings, I've just been listening to that song on repeat while trying to outline a swercy fic and my brain decided to analyze lyrics and make little animatics in my mind instead

[xaiverscorner]

Okay.. so since the warriors is set in the late 70's of course being lgbtq+ was like. Unacceptable. So I imagine Swans parents finding out that she's lesbian when she were with them. So.. her going out and kissing and doing whatever to try to get 'rid' of being lesbian by going out with boys and all this stuff , but she can never date them for more than a week or so because she just doesn't feel attraction to them. So! She has internalized homophobia until she just accepts that she is the way she is , no matter if something is wrong with it or not because she can't seem to change this.

I also have this headcanon that swan enjoys going around the 5 boroughs every once and a while ( which could be one of the reasons shes Cleons #2 ) so she's seen mercy and mercy has seen her like a few times, and thats why she flirted with her because shes like a hallway crush. And finally getting to go with her? Hell yeah, there's her chance. I feel like mercy DEFINITELY helped Swan start to accept herself.

[gay-barbarian]

You're My One True Love, I'm Your Destiny

Just a little something I cooked up for valentine's day. Five times Mercy made Swan blush and one time the roles were reversed.

You can also read on ao3

This first time Mercy made Swan blush was during their first night back in Coney. Mercy was staying with Swan and Cleon and Swan had offered her her bed, saying she would sleep on the couch for the night. While setting things up on the couch, Swan realised she forgot to take a new shirt so she naturally went into her room. Knocking once before entering without leaving any time for Mercy to tell her anything Swan announced herself “Hey I’m just getting clean cl-” the words died in her throat as she stared at a half-naked Mercy. Mercy looked surprised for a second but rapidly smiled at Swan's red face. 

“I’ll come back later,” Swan said without moving a muscle.

“No no, it’s okay. It’s your room.” Mercy searched in the dresser placed in a corner of the room, took out a random t-shirt from it. She got close to Swan and put a hand on her shoulder, forcing the second in command to look at her.

“Here” Mercy gave her the shirt with a teasing smile. “You can look y’know? I don’t bite” She winked as Swan took the shirt and tried her best not to stare at Mercy’s chest.

“I should go… Goodnight Mercy.” Swan said quickly as she got out the room and closed the door before Mercy could say anything more. Mercy smiled to herself, happy to make such an impression on Swan. “Goodnight Swan.” She said to herself.

The second time was just a few days later. Swan and Mercy didn’t have the discussion about what they were to each other just yet, but it wasn’t rare to see them holding hands or cuddling on the sofa during movie night. The rest of the Warriors all assumed they were together. The one thing they hadn’t done since the train ride back to Coney Island the night from hell? Kiss.

That night, they had gone out to a club with Rembrandt and Cowgirl. Swan had gone to the bar to get each of them a drink while Mercy, Rembrandt and Cowgirl sat down at one of the many tables. They talked about the latest movie they had seen until Cowgirl elbowed Mercy in the ribs. “Hey Mercy, I think someone’s flirting with your girl” Cowgirl pointed to Swan chatting with a conventionally pretty woman. 

Mercy tried to not look too jealous considering they never said they were exclusive. She turned her gaze away from Swan to the table and said between gritted teeth “She’s not my girl. We’re… I don’t know what we are actually”. 

Rembrandt looked at Mercy with big eyes “What do you mean you two are not together? You’re always glued to one another” 

“Unlike you and Ajax” Cowgirl scoffed at Rembrandt. Rembrandt turned red and waved a hand in front of her “Not the subject right now”. She turned back to Mercy “Do you want her to be your girlfriend?”

“Of course I do, have you seen her?” Mercy sighed.

“Then go get the girl!” Cowgirl offered, patting her on the back.

Mercy took a deep breath and stood up “Yeah! I’ll go get her!” She sat back down “How do I do that?”

“Kiss her. It will show everyone that she’s with you.” Rembrandt said. 

“Damn Rem, why don’t you follow your own tip?” Cowgirl teased. 

Rembrandt slapped Cowgirl on the arm “Not the point”.

“Okay, I’ll go. Wish me luck”. Mercy said as she stood back up and walked to Swan that was trying to keep the four drinks in her two hands. 

Swan smiled as soon as she saw Mercy marching towards her. She opened her mouth to ask for her help with the drinks but Mercy took her by the collar and put her lips on hers before she could speak. Swan took a moment to understand what was happening before deepening the kiss, she could vaguely hear Cowgirl and Rembrandt hollering and cheering from their table.

When Mercy ended the kiss, Swan looked at her puzzled, her cheek redden and a dorky smile plastered on her face. “What was that about?” She asked.

“You wanna be my girlfriend?” Mercy asked using all her courage.

Swan kissed her again. Mercy broke the kiss again “Is that a yes?” 

Swan giggled, something she rarely did before meeting Mercy “Yes”.

The third time was during one of their weekly dinners with Cleon, Cochise, Cowgirl, Ajax and Rembrandt. The seven girls were chatting and passing food around the table. Mercy had her hand on Swan’s knee squeezing it whenever Swan tried to start a fight with Ajax. As the night progressed, Mercy’s hand slowly slid up Swan’s leg until it rested on her inner thigh, making the warchief’s ear flush, but Swan didn’t try to get the hand off her. 

Swan got used to the placement of Mercy’s hand, discussing art with Cochise and Rembrandt like normal until the new warrior started massaging her inner thigh. At that moment, Swan shot up hitting her knee under the table as Mercy retracted her hand. 

Cleon looked at her second in command “You’re alright Swan?” 

Swan’s face and neck had turned a deep shade of red while Mercy tried to swallow a laugh. 

“I’m fine, I think I just need to lay down for a minute.” Swan hastily said before making her way to her bedroom door only turning back to the others to awkwardly wave goodbye. Mercy waited two minutes before also standing up “I should go see how she’s doing.” she said with a fake sorry smile. She was gone an instant later.

The fourth time Mercy didn’t even know she had made Swan blush. Swan had heard Mercy and Cleon talk in the kitchen when she was just waking up in the early morning. The discussion seemed important and well Swan wasn’t trying to listen but she did anyway.

“Cleon, I’m serious about her. She’s the first person that gets me. She acts like she doesn't care but she cares so much about everyone. You know how she is. She is the most incredible person I have ever met. She grounds me. She’s everything to me. I love her, I’m not just fooling around, I promise.” Mercy sounded so sincere and full of love that Swan couldn’t stop herself from feeling a little embarrassed that all that had been said in front of Cleon of all people. 

“She trusts you, so I will too. You’re one of us now, Mercy, and I’ll treat you as such. But Swan will always pass first. So if anything happens to her because of you, you’re out. Got it?” Cleon's tone was assertive, but Swan knew Cleon really trusted Mercy. She would never have said anything about her own relation with Swan if she didn’t trust the new warrior.

“Loud and clear.” Mercy answered.

“Alright then, I’m glad you’re here with us.” Cleon's voice sounded lighter as if she was happy that conversation was over. 

Swan heard the chairs dragging on the floor as she jumped back into bed acting like she was still asleep before Mercy came back. 

All she could think about was “Mercy loves me”.

The fifth time Mercy made Swan blush, it was planned. They were at the movie theater watching the latest John Travolta movie. Swan was enjoying the film popping a fistfull of popcorn in her mouth from time to time eyes fixed on the pictures moving in front of them. Mercy was bored. She wasn’t a big fan of Travolta but she knew Swan was so who was she to say no to her girlfriend when she asked to go to the cinema? But still, she was bored and she wanted attention on herself. 

Waiting for a more boring part of the movie, Mercy leaned over to Swan cheeks planting a kiss on it. She then approached her mouth to Swan’s ear, already happy with her plan. She took her best sultry voice before beginning to describe to Swan everything she would do for her once they were home. The more she talked, the more hot and red Swan’s whole body got. Until Swan took Mercy’s hand and led her out the building.

“What about Travolta?” Mercy asked with a fake pout.

“We can always come back. Walk faster.” Swan answered to Mercy’s satisfaction as they walked as fast as possible without looking crazy to their apartment.

The first time Swan made Mercy blush, they had been officially girlfriends for only a few weeks. They were at home eating Chinese takeout and talking about their day, something they did regularly. Mercy was going on and on about the rude customers she served at the bar and how Cowgirl and her would bet on which one would have to get cut off first. Swan had finished eating a while ago now just looking at her girlfriend with stars in her eyes, nodding or laughing from time to time to show she was listening.  

Mercy was rambling about how she made a huge mess because she forgot to put a glass under the tap before pouring the beer, when Swan cut in “You’re beautiful” 

The words were blurted out like they had come out on their own will and not because Swan actually planned to say them. 

Mercy stopped her rambling to look at Swan, a light blush making its way to her cheeks. Seeing that Mercy was silent, Swan quickly added “Not that it’s all you are, you know I think you more than just beautiful, you’re smart and confident and passionate and-” Mercy had cupped Swan’s face in her hands. Looking into her eyes with a shy smile she whispered “You think I’m beautiful?” 

Swan smiled softly, moving a strand of hair away from her girlfriend's face “Since I first laid eyes on you”. 

Mercy blushed even more as she led Swan into a soft kiss.

[thewhizzyhead]

hi hello so just to recap i have three detectivey games on my laptop right now: the first ace attorney trilogy, buried stars, and disco elysium. we can make that 4 if we count the batman telltale series too. i have yet to finish any of the three aforementioned games - and guess what bitches, this bitch just found yet another shiny detectivey game that she wants to so desperately play aka song of farca. take note too that i have the outer worlds AND baldurs gate 3 installed as well. do you see what my problem is here

[icarus-summer]

New swercy shortfic! whaat?

Here's what happens when Mercy decides she wants Swan's vest. And Mercy always gets what she wants.

•

“Mercy, the light at the end of this tunnel got nothing on you.”

That’s what Swan said. She didn’t even process what came out of her mouth. It was the truth, however. To her, Mercy shined brighter than whatever light they could find. And the other woman probably didn’t even realize that. She was just naturally like that, which made everything worse.

Swan wasn’t the type to like someone so fast. Usually it took months to her warm up to a new crew member. And even still, there were only a handful she really felt like she could trust.

But Mercy was like the sun. It was impossible to run from her light. And it was way too easy to get burn.

The silence that came before scared Swan. Had she gone too far?

But then, just as her worries grew, Mercy ended the distance between them with a kiss.

It was passionate. Half kiss, half fight. And it burned. Swan’s body went hotter, like a fire ignited inside her. She reciprocated the kiss immediately, holding Mercy as if the girl was about to fall in the tracks.

“The rest of the warriors are waiting...”

“There’s no way they’re already in union square” Mercy said, cutting her sentence with another kiss. As if she would disappear if they stopped kissing for more than two seconds. “We got a couple minutes.”

And Swan caved. Because, if she was being honest, she was never going to put much of a fight anyway. She wanted this just as much and Mercy. Probably more. Ever since she left Coney, this was the first moment where her mind wasn’t worrying about something.

There was only one thought in her mind:

Mercy.

Mercy, she really wasn’t being very merciful right now. Her hands skillfully caressed Swan’s hair, like she knew exactly that this was her soft spot. And her mouth, that damn mouth that had got them in trouble before, was now busy kissing Swan’s lips. And her face. And slowly making her way to Swan’s neck, causing her body to shiver.

She stopped right where Swan’s vest covered her body. Mercy looked up to the taller woman with a side smile and an obvious question in her expression. That was usually when the voice in her head manifested to say something like “you need to get to union square now” or “maybe don’t kiss a girl you just met”. But, again, Swan didn’t have any worries right now. Then, without saying anything, she took her vest off.

Mercy downed her kisses to Swan’s collarbone. Swan responded by putting her hands inside Mercy’s shirt, feeling her warm body in her fingertips and wishing that this moment could last forever.

It was only when Mercy gave her a small bite and she felt teeth sinking in her skin that she woke up from her trance.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed, with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Mercy answered with an innocent smile.

“Sorry.”

Swan’s whole face went red. God, what were they doing? They were still in public. And that fucking bite would for sure leave a mark.

“We definitely need to go now.”

“Fine by me.”

Swan didn’t even question the change in tune by Mercy. She simply adjusted her shirt, passed her hands through her hair and started walking, with Mercy following behind.

Wait...

She stopped. Was she forgetting something? As she patted herself down, she realized what the problem was. Her vest was missing. The most important thing Swan owned. Where was her head at? She turned back to look for it, only to be met with Mercy’s playful smile. And, of course, she was wearing Swan’s vest.

“What are you doing?”

Swan crossed her arms, a bit amused with the situation, but trying not to show it. It was better not to encourage Mercy’s antics.

“I told you I wanted this vest.”

The ex-orphan simply shrugged, as if that answer explained everything.

“Oh my god... Did you kiss me just to get my vest?”

“No! I kissed you because I wanted you. And your vest.”

The worst part is that Mercy looked fucking good with it too. Swan would’ve believed that she was a warrior, especially with the way her eyes shined with determination. But, to be fair, Mercy would look good with anything. It wasn’t even fair.

“You’re...” Swan found herself suddenly without words to the girl’s antics. “Insane.”

“Insane...ly smart, you mean!”

“No. Just insane.” She rolled her eyes. It was basically impossible to hide her smile. “And I want my vest back.”

“Ha! Good luck.” Mercy got dangerously close to Swan, with her chin up in a challenging expression.  “If you want it back, you gonna have to take it off me.”

Swan finally openly smiled. That woman would be her end. And maybe Swan was fine with that. There were worse ends.

“It’s on, Mercy.”

[nextdoor-loser]

As a fandom, we should decide what's swan x mercy ship name

is it swercy? swancy? some other combination?

Give me your best idea guys

[asthedeathoflight]

The Ajax/Cleon vision is soooo specific but its so real and important to me. We've been talking the swercy + remjax love square but you guys need to understand that if we're talking Warriors polycule the Ajax/Cleon spoke is vital to the whole thing. Its the courtly romance of it all. Its the fact that if Cleon were less dedicated to her role as leader and not just commander, if Ajax were less attached to structure and hierarchy to orient herself in the world, if they were anyone else in any other life, they could make it work. But they're in the one life where they can't. It's about getting drunk just the two of them and just being people for a second, really seeing each other for a second, and then waking up in the morning and going back to the way it was because Cleon will never not feel responsible for Ajax and Ajax will never be able to not lean the whole weight of her faith in the world on Cleon. Its everything they can't have, so its just "you'd better have my back, cause this is happening." Its the yuri of absence.

[subwaylesbians]

for the ones who sing in the dead of night (chapter one)

a swercy orpheus and eurydice au. in which ‘the ghosts of the city live underground’ is taken very, very literally

Change was coming. Swan was good at listening, and if you kept an ear to the ground in this city, it was all you heard. When summer bled into autumn, this time, they wouldn’t be left cold. Wouldn’t be left hungry. Cyrus was going to change things.

She wouldn’t call herself convinced - plenty of gang leaders had come and gone, promising the same, and she still shivered herself to sleep under the boardwalk every night. But there was something different this time. A conviction in people’s voices, in their eyes. Whether or not Cyrus was all they claimed, people believed in her. Beyond affiliation, beyond borough, and that had to count for something. So, when she catches a whispered date and time, she knows she wants to be there. The last day of summer, in Van Cortlandt park. On the other side of the damn city, but knowing which way the wind is blowing keeps you alive. It’s worth the trip.

She knows what happens to scruffy-looking seventeen-year-olds who try to slip past the conductors on the bus, as though the cops have nothing better to do than shake you down for sixty cents you don’t have. And the subway is out of the question - it may have been built for those of them up top, but it has long since ceased to be their territory. She doesn’t know what they were thinking, really, carving down into the earth. Digging their steel beams and signalling cables into the halfway point between domains, and then past it, until they were erecting stone platforms that would only ever be used by ghosts. Her skin prickles, thinking about it. Definitely, definitely out of the question.

And so she walks. It’s how she got to Coney in the first place, desperate to put as much space as possible between her and the house she’d grown up in. It’s harder to sleep, once she leaves Coney - her body won’t unwind, even on a park bench in the middle of a sunlit day. She knows familiarity doesn’t mean safety, but she misses the sound of the sea lapping the pier. By the time the third night draws to a close, she’s unsteady on her feet. She’s somewhere in the West Bronx, passing a burned-out apartment block that seems as safe a place as any to rest. Soot stains still trail from the shattered windows, and she suspects nobody will be coming back here for a long time. The window wedges open, into a black chasm of a lobby. She settles herself midway up the stairwell, where she can see every entrance, and rests her head on the wall. Closes her eyes.

. . .

“I wouldn’t do that here, if I was you.”

Swan jerks back to consciousness, grasping for her knife - but it’s just a girl. Her age, maybe, amusement in her eyes as Swan scrambles upright.

“Sully isn’t known for his hospitality.”

Sully… The name, together with the green bandana threaded through the girl’s dark hair, stirs something in her memory. “You’re with… the Orphans?”

The girl smiles in a way that says unfortunately. “You’re in our territory. All four grand blocks of it.”

“I’ll move along.”

“You could.” The girl sits herself down, a step below Swan. She must have seen the knife, before Swan slipped it back into her pocket, but she seems unconcerned. It’s slightly insulting. “Or you could tell me where you’re headed. I’m on watch for another three hours, and there’s only so many rocks I can kick.”

Swan must still be half-asleep, because she gets all the way to opening her mouth before she catches herself. Gives herself a shake, for good measure. “Why the fuck would I tell you anything?”

The girl shrugs, unbothered. “Let me show you something, then.”

Which is how she finds herself following a complete stranger up the stairwell, onto a rooftop in territory she has no affiliation with. Stupid, she chides herself, but doesn’t stop walking. They stop a couple metres back from the ledge, and the girl points with her chin to where the sky is starting to streak orange and violet. “Good sunrises from up here.”

Swan is so utterly lost on how to respond to this, that she says, “I came to see Cyrus.”

The girl’s eyes widen. Then, as though the two things are related, “I’m Mercy.”

“... Swan.”

“You think it’s true, about Cyrus? That she’s gonna fix this place up?”

Swan shrugs. “Plenty of people have tried. Hasn’t changed much.”

Mercy shakes her head, sits forward. “Maybe. But they say she’s the real deal.”

“Then why aren’t you going?”

She almost smiles at the face Mercy pulls. “We don’t need no goddamn woman telling us how to run this city,” she intones, in a nasal voice that is presumably Sully’s.

“He sounds like a dick.”

“He is a dick. But no one’s real big on change around here. They’re happy playing warlord over the tiniest territory known to man.”

“Then how come you’re still here?

Mercy raises a playful eyebrow. “Why? Something better on offer?”

Swan decides it’s in her best interests to stop talking. She turns back to the view, and Mercy wasn’t kidding about the sunrise - it’s slowly working its way across the city, painting everything copper.

The light is licking up onto their rooftop by the time Mercy breaks the silence. “You with anyone?” She gestures to the bandana.

“Just me. It’s the Destroyers, out in Coney, but they’ve been on the way out for a while now. Apparently someone new is trying to challenge ‘em, but I’ve never seen her.”

“Her?” Mercy sits back, impressed. “So how long’d it take you to get up here?”

“Couple days.”

She laughs. “What, did you walk?” Then, when Swan doesn’t respond, “Oh my god. You did.”

Swan shrugs. “Wanted to see Cyrus.”

Mercy’s expression does something complicated she can’t quite follow, and then she says, “Take me with you.”

“What?”

“You walked here. From Coney. If you think she’s worth that, I want to see. Take me with you.”

She’s trying to find the words for that would be a terrible decision on your part when someone calls, “Mercy?”

“Shit.” She grabs for Swan’s hand, dragging her towards the fire escape. They climb, boots hitting the pavement just in time for a boy in ratty jeans to round the corner.

“You’re meant to be watching the street, not the goddamn sun-” he catches sight of Swan, and his eyes narrow. One hand slides towards his pocket. “Who the-”

They do not wait for him to finish. She reaches for Mercy’s hand, this time, lets her take the lead through the unfamiliar alleyways. Sully’s footsteps pound behind them for a few blocks, but when he breaks off wheezing they’re still running. Across a road, into a park, down the winding walking track and into a copse of trees.

Mercy pulls them to a stop, collapsing dramatically into the grass. This early there isn’t another soul in sight. Swan’s breath is coming back, finally, and the laugh that comes with it surprises her as much as anyone. Mercy props herself up on an elbow, eyebrow raised.

“Nothing, just…” She shakes her head, composes herself. “Your impression of him. Sully. It was perfect.”

Mercy shoots her a smug smile, flops back onto the lawn. “Guess I’m coming to see Cyrus.”

Swan sinks down beside her, back against an oak. “I guess you are.”

“What will you do, if she does change everything?”

She gives a non-committal shrug. The temptation is there, to think about it - to let her mind wander back to a full stomach and a warm bed and someone who noticed whether or not she got out of it in the mornings. But that’s a dangerous place to go. “What about you?”

Mercy hums. “Never take another order from a teenage boy, that’s for sure. Eat my weight in those pancakes from that diner on 231st street - I’ve only seen them through the window. Oh! I want to see the ocean.”

Adrenaline fading, Swan feels herself drift slightly. The exhaustion she’s been ignoring for the past two days feels heavy in her limbs. “You never been?”

“Never. I’d like to see Coney.”

“We could do that.” She immediately regrets the we. But Mercy, who seems to already consider this a foregone conclusion, just smiles and looks back to the sky.

Swan tips her head back against the tree trunk, lets her eyes close. She’s never been a good sleeper, but her usual vigilance is no match for the tiredness tugging at her edges. And maybe - it’s only half-conscious that she will admit this to herself - it’s the not being alone. She can’t remember the last time she wasn’t alone, and then she does, which makes it worse. But Mercy resumes her to-do list for after the meeting - either she’s pulling things out of thin air or the girl has really thought about this - and Swan half-listens until she drifts off.

-

trying a new thing where instead of leaving fics in my google drive for 500 years I post them. @flowersandskeletons526 is heavily implicated in this thing’s existence, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about an orpheus/eurydice au since seeing this post. thank you for reading <3 same place next week for chapter 2

[mega-banette]

part 2: swercy edition

[whatcannotbesaid-shallbewept]

Guys which is better

[all-our-turf]

scared to live (scared to die)

Ajax and Swan are out on a mission when they have a run in with the cops. It rattles Ajax more than she was prepared for.

--

explored swan & ajax dynamic post canon but also lots of remjax and background swercy! read under the cut or on ao3 !!

+++++

It wasn’t often that Cleon sent anyone out with express permission to start a fight, but when she got wind of a group of guys harassing women on the edge of Warrior turf, she told Ajax and Swan to “handle it”. 

Ajax suspects it might have been a ploy to try and get her and Swan to actually talk to each other, but Cleon underestimated just how willing the two of them were to spend the entire walk in dead silence. 

Ever since Ajax got out of jail, things between her and Swan have been - well. Complicated, to say the least. The first few days were especially volatile, and Ajax knows she hasn’t done much to make it easier. Once the burning anger faded away, she and Swan seemed content to avoid each other, despite some of the other Warriors trying to get them to just talk about it. But everything between them - everything they probably should say to one another - felt too heavy, too wide and dangerous of a distance to even attempt to cross. 

Which brings them to where they are now, walking side by side and refusing to look at each other. Ajax shoves her hands deeper into her pockets, trying to ignore the way her mind is buzzing in the tense silence. Before leaving, Rembrandt had asked her to try, and part of Ajax wanted to. 

She hates this weird limbo they’re in, hates that it’s putting Rembrandt and the other Warriors in an awkward position. She knows Rembrandt wants things to go back to how they used to be, and Ajax can admit that she wants that too. If Cleon had given her and Swan this mission six months ago, they would’ve spent the whole time shoving at each other and bickering playfully, placing bets on who could end their fight the fastest, and Ajax felt a pang of longing go through her at the thought. 

But nothing done could be undone. And considering how Swan hasn’t made any effort to cross that bridge either, Ajax doesn’t know if there’s any hope of salvaging what’s left of their relationship. 

She’s brought out of her depressing train of thought by the sound of shouting up ahead, and as her and Swan turn a corner they find what they set out to look for. 

There’s a group of four guys up ahead, whistling and getting closer to a girl who couldn’t have been older than 16. Ajax glances over at Swan and finds her already looking back, the same fury lighting up in her eyes. Despite the situation, Ajax grasps onto this one moment of normalcy, of her and Swan being on the same page for what must be the first time since before that night. Without a word, they both stalk forward towards the guys. 

“What’s going on over here, boys?” Swan calls out, a clear warning in her voice as they approach. 

Go as far as you need to get the point across. 

Cleon’s words echo in Ajax’s head as her and Swan place themselves in front of the girl. She hears the girl inhale sharply at the sight of the red W on the back of their vests. Ajax glances back and finds her staring at them in wide eyed awe, and for a moment she’s reminded of Fox. The memory of her lodges itself painfully in her chest. Ajax lets it fester into anger. 

“Just talkin’. You ladies shouldn’t be out by your lonesome this late, ya know.” The one in the front says, his voice a sleazy drawl. The others chuckle at his words. 

“This is Warriors territory. Fuck off while you still can.” Swan’s itching for just as much a fight as Ajax is, clearly, considering her half assed efforts to diffuse the situation with words. 

The guys laugh again, and one of them is stupid enough to take a step closer, nearly leaning into Swan’s space. 

“Don’t worry, there’s more than enough of us to go around. I’m sure I could show you a good time.” He bares his teeth in what he must think is a charming smile. He reaches a hand out towards Swan’s face and Ajax flexes her fingers at her side, but keeps her eyes locked on the other three so they don’t try anything. “I bet a girl like you likes it rough, I -” 

His sentence cuts off in a cry of pain when Swan stops him from touching her - probably by breaking his fingers. Ajax doesn’t give the others time to react. 

“Think it’s funny to harass women, motherfuckers? Fucking try it with us,” She snarls, sending the first guy crumpling to the floor with a violent kick between his legs, punching wildly at the other as he tries to get his arms up to block. She suspects the third one has gone to defend his friend against Swan, but considering the pathetic noises the two in front of her are letting out, she’s not too worried about Swan holding her own. 

Ajax vaguely registers the girl they saved running off, but she can’t bring herself to care much about anything other than the assholes in front of her. It’s been too long since she got to throw herself into a fight like this, and maybe if Ajax were a better person she’d think of that as a good thing. Cleon’s been working so hard to make Cyrus’s dream a reality, to make it so they don’t have to fight, but this anger - this violence - has been a part of Ajax for as long as she can remember, has clawed and ravaged at her insides, begging to be let out, and the urge has only gotten stronger since that night. Since Fox. Since prison. Since Swan stopped being able to look at her. 

Ajax doesn’t think you could even call this a fight, really, but she doesn’t stop. The guys are on the ground, barely moving, but she can’t bring herself to stop, even as something crunches under her fists and her knuckles split open and blood spills over her hands. Swan never moves to stop her, and Ajax suspects Swan is taking the same chance to finally let loose in the way she always holds herself back from. 

They’ve always been more similar than either would care to admit. Ajax knows the anger that rages inside her also lays dormant inside Swan. Ajax wonders if they’ve been carrying the same pain for the past few months. 

“Hey! You two! Stop!” 

It’s not the voice that pulls Ajax out of her head - it’s the way the world flashes blue and red immediately after, the sound of sirens piercing through the air. Something foreign curls in her chest - something that makes her lungs stop working and every muscle in her body tense. 

This feels too familiar.

She remembers the park, the metal closing around her wrist, the concrete box she was locked in for weeks. Being away from Rembrandt, from the Warriors, not being there to protect the people she was supposed to protect. 

It must be panic that’s taking root in her chest because all Ajax can think is that she can’t go back there. 

Suddenly Swan’s in front of her, grabbing onto the fabric of Ajax’s vest and shoving her forward.

“Ajax, fucking run!”

And for the first time in her life, Ajax doesn’t stop to question the orders. She turns and takes off at a sprint, away from those fucking lights. 

Her feet pound against the pavement, but she can hardly hear anything over the deafening sound of her own heartbeat in her ears. Judging by the sharp pain that blooms in her side, Ajax doesn’t think she even breathes. She can’t even think of anything aside from getting as far from those fucking cops as possible - of making it back home. 

She makes it all the way back to the Warriors’ apartment building, flying halfway up the steps before she finally starts to come back to herself. She grasps at the railing, desperately gasping for air and listening for the sound of anyone chasing her. 

She can still hear the sirens, but they’re further away now, and when she turns there isn’t another person in sight. 

Ajax freezes for an entirely different reason, her stomach dropping. 

Swan isn’t behind her. 

Ajax waits, a lump in her throat, hoping, wishing, praying that at any moment now Swan will whirl around the corner, indifferent as always, and make a quip about Ajax worrying about her. The seconds tick by. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

Ajax flies up the rest of the stairs, pounding on the door to Cleon’s apartment, where the others are likely waiting for their return. 

The door finally opens, and Cleon’s suddenly in front of her with a warm smile that immediately fades at the sight of Ajax. 

“What happened?” 

She ushers Ajax inside to the living room, where the others are sprawled out. Everyone sits up when she comes in, and Rembrandt is in front of her in half a second. 

“Ajax? What’s wrong?” Rembrandt cups her face with the softest hands, soft in a way Ajax doesn’t deserve right now. Not when she just ran and left Swan behind. “Baby, you’re shaking.”

“Where’s Swan?”

Ajax looks up, meeting Mercy’s gaze over Rembrandt’s head. She feels like her insides are trembling, and she’s briefly worried she’s about to throw up in front of everyone. 

“I -“ Ajax’s voice hitches uncharacteristically. “I don’t know.”

Mercy’s face twists, and before anyone can react she’s ripping Ajax from Rembrandt’s grip, shoving her against a wall and fisting a hand into her collar. 

“What the fuck do you mean you don’t know?!”

Ajax swallows harshly, forcing herself not to look away from the storm raging in Mercy’s eyes and lifting a hand up to stop Rembrandt from trying to get in between them. 

“Cops pulled up on us,” she forces the words out, and everyone in the room seems to go still, the same thought likely flitting through their heads. 

Not again. 

“They took her?” Cleon clenches her fists at her side as she fights to keep her voice even. She’s not successful in hiding the way it wavers around the words. 

“No I - I don’t know. She told me to run and I took off. I thought she was right behind me but -“ Ajax cuts herself off, feeling the way Mercy’s grip tightens around her collar. 

“How fucking far did you run before you realized she wasn’t with you?” Mercy’s voice is quiet, dangerous, and Ajax swallows harshly, guilt threatening to suffocate her if Mercy doesn’t do it first. 

She must take too long to answer because Mercy is pulling her forward just enough to slam her back into the wall, voice raising into a yell. “How fucking far, Ajax?”

“Mercy, come on, this isn’t going to help.” Cochise tries to intervene, placing a hand on Mercy’s shoulder. Mercy shrugs it away without taking her eyes off of Ajax. 

“I only realized once I made it back here,” Ajax finally admits, her head hanging. “I don’t know if I lost her on the way or if -“

She’s cut off by Mercy’s fist slamming into her cheekbone. 

Mercy manages to get three solid hits in before Cochise and Cowgirl are wrenching her away, and Rembrandt is stepping protectively in front of Ajax. Mercy curses, flailing wildly in their grip. 

“Enough!” Cleon’s voice makes everyone freeze, rough and raw in a way it rarely is. She’s leaning heavily on the back of the couch, gripping onto it so tightly her knuckles turn pale. She takes a carefully controlled breath. Then another. Finally, she looks up, pinning Ajax in place with her stare. “Ajax. Tell me exactly what happened.” 

Ajax nods immediately, and Rembrandt guides her to sit in an armchair. She collapses into it, watching as Cochise and Cowgirl gently push Mercy down to sit on the couch. 

Ajax is still shaking. 

She manages to fumble her way through the story, starting from the moment they saw those guys pulling up on the young girl. There’s not much to say. The last thing Ajax remembers is Swan shoving her forward and telling her to run. Everything else feels like a blur. 

“We have to go look for her.” Mercy frantically looks at Cleon, but Cleon just shakes her head. “Cleon -“

“They either took her in or are still out looking. Going out just risks the rest of us. All we can do is wait.” Cleon looks like she’d rather be saying anything else. 

“This is bullshit!” Mercy jumps to her feet, gesturing wildly. “If it were anyone else, Swan would be -“

“Swan would be telling you the same thing I am.”

“If any of us got into trouble because we went out looking, Swan would never forgive herself,” Cochise adds, reaching out to grab Mercy’s hand. 

Mercy makes a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. Her gaze lands on Ajax again, and her face darkens. 

Rembrandt immediately puts herself in between Ajax and Mercy. 

“Rembrandt, move.”

“No. You don’t get to blame Ajax for this.”

“Like hell I don’t -“

“Swan can keep up with Ajax just fine - if she wanted to run with her she would’ve. She made a different choice, that’s not on Ajax.”

Mercy laughs humorlessly, but Rembrandt continues before she gets a chance to disagree. 

“Was it Swan’s fault when Ajax got arrested?”

Mercy goes still, jaw clenching tight. Ajax rises to her feet, reaching out to grab Rembrandt’s arm and pull her back. “Rem, don’t -“

Rembrandt ignores her, keeping her eyes on Mercy, the two of them locked in a tense staring contest. “You’re scared and you’re looking for someone to blame. I’ve been there, remember? But you don’t get to take your emotions out on Ajax.”

“Why not?” Mercy sneers cruelly. “Isn’t that what Ajax did to Swan after getting out of prison?”

Ajax flinches as if the words were a physical blow. She feels sick to her stomach. 

“Okay, maybe let’s all take a breath and calm down.” Cochise makes an effort to pull Mercy back to the couch, but Mercy roughly pushes her away. 

“No, fuck that.” Mercy instead takes a step closer to Ajax and Rembrandt. “You were handcuffed to a bench, surrounded, and Swan still nearly stayed behind to try and help you. Did you even hesitate before turning and running?” 

“This is not the same.” Rembrandt’s voice hardens.

Mercy ignores her. “You couldn’t even be bothered to fucking glance back to see where she was?”

Ajax can barely breathe around the lump in her throat, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Rembrandt doesn’t give her a chance to speak even if she wanted to. 

“What difference would it have made?!” Rembrandt shoves Mercy back with a hand on her chest. “Back the fuck off. Like Cleon said, either Swan got caught or she didn’t. Ajax wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it either way.”

“At least then we’d fucking know!” Mercy screams. “If you’d just cared enough about Swan to look, to fucking check if she was with you before you up and left her behind, maybe then we’d know if she was caught or if she ran another way or - or -“ Mercy’s voice breaks around the unspoken alternative, and she presses a hand to her mouth to muffle a strangled sob.

“Mercy -“ Cowgirl reaches for her, but Mercy shoves her way past them and disappears down the hall. The door to her and Swan’s bedroom slams shut a moment later.  

“Fuck.” Ajax crumples back into her chair, burying her head in her hands. Rembrandt kneels down in front of her with a sigh, grabbing onto Ajax’s wrists and rubbing soothing circles into her skin. 

“Come on,” Rembrandt murmurs softly. “Let’s get your hands cleaned up.” 

Ajax blinks, looking down at her knuckles. They’re still split open and bleeding from the fight, but she hadn’t even registered the pain. Her body feels wired, heart pounding with adrenaline from her sprint here. Still, she nods and lets Rembrandt lead her over to the kitchen table, where Cochise joins them with the first aid kit. 

Cochise is almost done, wrapping her knuckles carefully in bandages, when Ajax startles at a hand falling heavily on her shoulder. She looks up to find Cleon standing there, her gaze unfocused and jaw clenching as if she’s trying desperately to hold herself together. Ajax braces herself, expecting the worst. 

But Cleon just inhales shakily and squeezes her shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault.” 

Ajax doesn’t respond, keeping her eyes trained on the table in front of her. Cleon sighs, like she expected this. She squeezes her shoulder once more before letting go. “You’re still shaking. Go up to the roof with Rembrandt and try to calm down.” 

She doesn’t phrase it as a request, so once Cochise finishes with her hands Ajax rises to her feet and heads out the door, Rembrandt right behind her. 

Ajax immediately goes to lean against the railing, tilting her head to stare up at the night sky and willing her heart to return to a normal rhythm. She fishes a cigarette out from her pocket and holds it between trembling fingers. 

“It wasn’t your fault.” Rembrandt leans into her side, echoing Cleon’s words. “I meant everything I said to Mercy. You couldn’t have done anything.” 

“If someone had to stay behind it should’ve been me,” Ajax says quietly. 

“Ajax -”

“No, you know it’s true. Swan’s our number two, the Warriors need her - Cleon needs her -”

“That doesn’t mean her life is worth more than yours -”

“But it is!” Ajax snaps, and they both freeze. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Ajax,” Rembrandt’s voice wavers around her name. Ajax stubbornly avoids her gaze, so Rembrandt reaches forward to cup her face. Their eyes meet, and Ajax swallows at the intensity she finds in Rembrandt’s. “I need you here. Do you understand that? I wouldn’t be able to handle you getting taken away again.” 

Ajax huffs, but Rembrandt’s grip on her tightens. “I’m fucking serious. I could barely do it the first time around, I won’t survive having to do it again.” 

“I don’t think I would either,” Ajax finally admits shamefully. She squeezes her eyes shut. “I fucking ran, Rem. Those cops showed up and it - it was like it was that night again and I couldn’t even move until Swan snapped me out of it, and then I couldn’t think of anything other than getting away and making it back to you. I - I was -” Ajax chokes on her words. 

“Scared,” Rembrandt finishes for her, tugging Ajax forward. Ajax falls into her, burying her face into Rembrandt’s shoulder with a pathetic whimper as she starts to finally feel the events of the night come crashing down on her. 

“I can’t go back there.” Her words are barely more than a whisper. 

Rembrandt cups the back of her head. “You won’t. You made it back home to me, Ajax. That’s the most important thing.” 

Ajax shudders, wrapping her arms tight around Rembrandt’s waist. Ajax has no idea how much time passes while they stay there, wrapped in each other's arms, swaying lightly. Eventually, she breaks the silence, mumbling, “Mercy’s never gonna forgive me for this. Swan might not either.” 

Rembrandt frowns. “Swan told you to run and you did. Even if she did get caught, she wouldn’t hold it against you. You know Swan’s not like that.” 

Ajax shrugs helplessly. “I don’t know anything when it comes to me and Swan anymore.” 

Something a little sad flashes across Rembrandt’s face, but she doesn’t bother trying to dispute the claim. Instead she sighs, and they both shift to look over the railing. 

“The thought of Swan and Mercy going through what we did…fuck, I can’t even stomach it,” Ajax says, staring down at her hands. She’s still dangling a cigarette loosely between her fingers, but she makes no effort to light it. 

“We don’t know if she was caught,” Rembrandt reminds her quietly. “But…yeah. Me neither. If it’d been you they’d probably lock you away for longer, though, since you have a record from barely a few months ago. Maybe - maybe we’d be able to get Swan out faster.” 

Ajax shakes her head. “Swan spent half her childhood in juvie. Her record’s worse than mine is.” 

“Fuck.” Rembrandt swallows harshly. “We don’t know if she was caught.” She repeats the words, though Ajax suspects she’s trying to reassure herself just as much. They desperately hold on to this shred of hope. 

+++++

Eventually, Ajax and Rembrandt head back down to join the others in Cleon’s apartment. Mercy’s come out of her room, her eyes red rimmed, but she doesn’t look in Ajax’s direction. Ajax isn’t sure if that’s better or worse.

They heat up leftovers from the fridge, but no one seems to have much of an appetite. A silence settles heavily over the apartment. 

There’s nothing to do but wait. 

The night drags on, but there’s no sign of Swan. Cochise and Cowgirl have sprawled out on the floor in a nest of blankets, both of them having dozed off a few hours in. Rembrandt is half conscious against Ajax’s shoulder on the couch. Mercy paces through the apartment like a caged animal, while Cleon sits by the phone and stares at the door. Despite the night she’s had, Ajax can’t bring herself to sleep, so she watches Rembrandt and tries to quiet the voices in her head screaming that this is her fault. 

The sun is just starting to rise when there’s the distinct sound of a key scraping the lock of the front door. Ajax startles so violently that she knocks Rembrandt’s head from where it was resting, and her girlfriend blinks awake. Cleon and Mercy are across the room in half a second, yanking the door open. 

Ajax barely catches a glimpse of Swan before Mercy is throwing herself at her, both of them stumbling into the hallway. Mercy’s yelling, and she can hear Swan murmuring reassurances to try and calm her down, and the commotion has Cochise and Cowgirl jerking awake. The two of them scramble to their feet when they realize what’s going on, rushing towards the door and hollering excitedly. Eventually, Swan seems to manage to extricate herself from Mercy’s grip, and Ajax hears the first thing she asks. 

“Where’s Ajax?” Swan’s voice is low, dangerous, and Rembrandt immediately tenses next to her. 

Ajax squeezes her hand, murmuring quickly, “Don’t try to get in between us.” 

“But -”

“Please. Let me handle it.” 

Rembrandt clenches her jaw, but nods reluctantly, and Ajax rises unsteadily to her feet. The others finally move enough to let Swan through and into the apartment, and she sees Swan’s eyes frantically scan over the living room before landing on her. Swan looks rough, covered in grime and sweat, and there’s a few scrapes along her exposed skin and rips in her clothes. Her knuckles look much like Ajax’s did, bruised and bloody, but she doesn’t seem injured beyond that. There’s something wild in Swan’s expression that sets Ajax on edge. 

“Swan. I -” Ajax doesn’t get to finish her sentence, because suddenly Swan is crossing the room and gripping onto the front of her shirt. Ajax braces herself for a blow. 

But a blow never comes. Instead, Swan is yanking her forward into a fierce embrace, burying her head into Ajax’s shoulder. Ajax shares a wide eyed look with Rembrandt, and finds the other Warriors seem equally dumb founded. Cleon's expression morphs into a sad smile, and she nods at Ajax. 

Ajax doesn’t hesitate, wrapping her arms around Swan’s back and fisting her hands in the back of her vest, holding her just as tightly. Swan’s trembling slightly against her, but Ajax’s movement prompts her to relax even further into the enforcer’s body, letting out a relieved exhale. Ajax feels something settle in her chest, and she lets her own body finally relax, her head falling forward to rest against Swan’s. 

Swan pulls away first, but it’s only enough to lean her forehead against Ajax’s in a gesture that used to be normal for them, but Ajax can’t help the strangled gasp that escapes her at the motion. There’s tears threatening to slip down her cheeks, but she doesn’t move to put any distance between them, instead stares down at Swan and finds the same vulnerability staring back at her. She can’t remember the last time her and Swan even looked this closely at each other, much less without all their carefully guarded walls. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Am I okay?” Ajax scoffs wetly. “Are you?” 

Swan nods slowly. “Yeah. Better now.”

Ajax flexes her fingers in the fabric of Swan’s vest before splaying her palms out, feeling the rapid pounding of Swan’s heart. She finds she can breathe easier knowing Swan’s here, that she’s alive, that she won’t have to go through what Ajax went through at the hands of those fucking cops. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Swan furrows her brow, leaning back slightly to look at Ajax properly and tilting her head. Ajax meets her gaze, hoping Swan can read her expression and understand everything Ajax is trying to say with those two words. 

And Swan does, because she nods again and wraps Ajax in another hug. “Yeah. Me too.” 

Ajax feels like a weight has been lifted off her chest when her and Swan finally separate from each other. The corner of her mouth lifts in a tentative smile. “You look like shit, by the way.” 

Swan huffs out a laugh, shoving lightly at Ajax’s shoulder, and Ajax’s heart leaps at the familiar gesture. Their moment’s broken by Rembrandt pushing past Ajax and jumping at Swan, her arms wrapping around Swan’s neck. 

Swan stumbles slightly in surprise, but a split second later she’s hugging Rembrandt back, lifting the tagger off of her feet. Ajax knows the tension between her and Swan has affected Rembrandt’s relationship with her too, and she can’t help but grin at the sight of them now. She glances past them and spots Cochise and Cowgirl excitedly nudging each other. Cleon’s got a relieved smile growing on her face, and Ajax thinks maybe all the Warriors have been desperate for Ajax and Swan to sort their shit out. 

Well - almost all of them. Mercy’s staring at Ajax with narrowed eyes, her mouth twisted to the side. Ajax looks away.  

Swan finally sets Rembrandt back on her feet, and Ajax catches the quiet words Rembrandt whispers to her. 

“Thank you for getting her home.” 

Swan nods, and Rembrandt finds her way to Ajax’s side as Mercy takes her place wrapped around Swan, holding on like she’s worried Swan will slip through her fingers. Ajax knows the feeling. 

“So,” Cowgirl drawls. “Where the hell have you been? You were gone for hours.” 

“Why didn’t you run with Ajax?” Cleon narrows her eyes, and Swan sighs heavily like she’d been expecting this question. 

“They had two patrol cars, and even if we got away I didn’t want them sniffing around so close to where we all live. So I ran the other way. Well - I chucked a rock through their window and then ran the other way.” 

Ajax can’t stop herself from snorting at that. Mercy and Cleon make varying noises of disapproval, but Swan ignores them. 

“I led them on a chase halfway across the island before finding a spot to lay low until they were gone. Assholes stuck around for longer than I hoped they would, but once they fucked off I came straight back.”

They all look at Cleon, waiting. Cleon pinches the bridge of her nose and inhales heavily. 

“You can’t be mad at me for this - I made the right call!” Swan defends herself preemptively from the oncoming lecture. 

“I’m not mad at you.” Cleon pauses, reconsidering. “Well maybe a little for throwing a rock through a cop’s window.” 

Swan winces, and Ajax presses a hand to her mouth to muffle another amused chuckle. 

“Hey, maybe we finish this conversation later? Sounds like Swan’s had a long night,” Ajax says, studying Swan. If Ajax was tired from the sprint back home, she can only imagine how drained Swan must be after getting chased all night. 

She notices how heavily Swan’s leaning against Mercy, the exhaustion that clings to her expression, and she knows she’s right. Cleon seems to come to the same conclusion. 

“Yeah. I think we’re all in need of some sleep. Swan, let Cochise bandage your knuckles and any other rough scrapes and then go to bed. Everyone else, find somewhere to sleep, I don’t want anyone leaving this apartment just yet.”

Swan throws Ajax a grateful smile, collapsing into a chair at the kitchen table. Mercy stands behind her, and Swan leans her head back against Mercy’s stomach and lets her eyes flutter shut. Mercy carefully brushes her hair back from her face, and it’s a testament to how exhausted Swan must be because she holds her hands out for Cochise without complaint. 

Ajax busies herself with helping Rembrandt and Cleon distribute pillows and blankets. Cowgirl’s already returned to her nest on the floor, well on her way to sleep. Cochise works quickly, determining none of the other scrapes require attention and telling Mercy to take her girl to bed before she passes out on the table. 

A small smile curls at Ajax’s lips as she watches Swan grumble discontentedly when Mercy coaxes her out of the chair. She tugs Swan down towards their bedroom, but Swan pauses in the living room. The night seems to have fully caught up to her now, but she stumbles groggily towards where the other three Warriors are standing by the couch. She reaches Rembrandt first, wrapping the smaller girl in a brief hug. Cleon’s grabbing her the moment the two separate, and Ajax can practically see the relief pouring off the warchief in waves as she nearly suffocates Swan in her grip, prompting half hearted protests. Cleon presses a kiss to the top of Swan’s head before finally letting go. 

Ajax fidgets awkwardly for a moment, but Swan falls easily into her, and Ajax hugs back just as fiercely. 

She finds Mercy staring at her over Swan’s head, and Ajax leaves her expression open for Mercy to read whatever she wants from it. Mercy’s eyes shift to where Swan is leaning heavily against Ajax, her head nestled comfortable under Ajax’s chin. 

Mercy softens, and when she looks at Ajax again she nods in acknowledgement. Ajax returns it. It’s not perfect, but it’s enough for now. 

Later, Mercy and Swan have disappeared to their room, and Rembrandt is fast asleep on top of Ajax on the couch. She can hear Cowgirl’s quiet snores on the other side of the room. Cochise is bunking with Cleon, and Ajax assumes both of them are fast asleep too. Ajax stares up at the ceiling, breathing slow as she gets lost in her head. 

She can finally admit to herself that yeah - today was fucking terrifying. But only because she has so much to lose. 

Maybe this whole being emotionally vulnerable thing wasn’t so bad, though. 

Rembrandt shifts against her, nuzzling in closer, and Ajax settles into a feeling of warm contentment.

They’ll be okay.