#thunderlipse

[yennciri]

J: Hey. Be careful, all right? I wish I could be there. M: Yeah, I'll miss you, too.

[yennciri]

Look, John, we got this.

[quintessentiallygifted]

For angst/fluff prompts -- 14, 30, 46 -- either together or just one of those -- thunderblink, or thunderlipse friendship.

Staring outside through one of the windows, eyes unseeing to the dark clouds settled above the building or the heavy curtain of rain as it lashes the ground below. Marcos remains lost in thought. The low hum of the underground crawling through another day is a faint noise reminding him where he is. But he can’t move, can’t be around anyone. Lorna’s out there somewhere. Alone. Where he can’t help her.

It feels like he is drowning. How did they get here? It feels like just days ago they were discussing baby names and planning a future. Together. Everything they stand for, everything they had built together and she walked away from it. Destroying everything in the process. The plane. The underground. Them.

He can’t figure out where he went wrong, what more he could have done? After everything they have been through, they were there for each other. Through every thing, good or bad he’s been there for her. But this?

He still sees the plane falling from the sky. Can’t help but picture the nameless faces of those onboard, the people who were never going home. The children who had lost a parent, all because one man had been on board. A coward who used children as a shield. Who tore apart lives in his quest to eradicate mutants.

He sees Her face as she screamed, her pain as violent as her anger. Then she was gone. He had searched for her, screamed her name until his voice was hoarse. She’s not a killer, no matter what she believes.

His hands ache with the urge to destroy something, to burn something until the pain disappears.

It’s as he is sitting there, staring blindly into the storm that he hears the deliberately heavy footsteps.

Glancing back to confirm his suspicion he sees John. No one else understood quite like they do. That whilst their newest friends supported the cause, their oldest friends had given up.

Marcos stares at John for a moment, sees the flash of emotion cross Johns face. Pity. He doesn’t need sympathy. He needs Lorna. The anger fades, and he just feels broken. Like their promises. Broken like they didn’t matter. He loves her. Will always love her, no matter what. Would welcome her back and try to work out the problems. Which only makes it hurt that much more.

“Marcos..” John trails off at a loss for words. “I’m worried about you.”

Sighing Marcos scrubbed a hand across his face, watching as a strike of lightning illuminated the sky. Feels the harsh burn of light hitting his eyes after being in the dark for so long. “I’m fine man. Just fine.”

John moved to sit near him. “No one would blame you if you were less than fine. No one expected any of this to happen. I’ve known Lorna, worked with her to build this.” He motions to the room around him. “No one expected this” he reiterates, the strain obvious in his voice.

Glancing to his hands, the source of all their conflict, he clenches his hands. Knows he’s left John to handle everything. “Sorry I haven’t been much help. It’s just… I can’t do this on my own. Without her. Lorna is why I fight so hard for our future. For the baby. Now they are just…. gone.”

“It’s okay man, between Clarice and the Struckers we have everything under control.” He pauses before continuing “They are why we keep fighting. We were chosen. Even when it gets hard, especially then, we need to keep fighting. We can’t control the future, but we can control our actions which create the future. Don’t do it for Lorna, do it for your child.”

Their child. Those damn frost sisters don’t care who dies in their quest for dominance. Death doesn’t destroy hate, it produces more. He doesn’t want a future of hate for their child.

“Your right.” Turning away from the window he examines John more closely. He looks like he hasn’t slept, stress lining his face. “Where do we go from here?”

“We rebuild what we lost. A new HQ, new supplies and intel. From the ground up we rebuild the network. Like you said, it’s the people not the place.”

“I did say that didn’t I? It feels like so long ago.” Standing slowly to his feet, shaking out the stiffness he turns to John. “Let’s do it. If you need a break I can take over.”

John shakes his head “Nah, I’ve got a few hours left in me. Are you good?”

Extending a hand to his friend Marcos pulls him to his feet. With a little help from John himself. “Yeah I’m good. Better than I was. Thanks.”

“No problem. Remember your not alone. And Caitlyn made you some soup. It’s got noodles and stuff in it. Pretty sure there’s still some left. Reed tried to get seconds before being scolded,” John laughed at the memory “and Clarice has been worried.”

“You never mentioned what happened there. So you and Clarice?”

“Mmhmm” John murmurs noncommittally but Marcos can see the slight tinge of red deepening his tan skin.

Leaving John alone for the moment, he asks “Have you heard anything about her?” He can’t forget her, it would be like forgetting how to use his ability.

Shaking his head, Marcos knows the answer before he speaks the words. “No. We don’t have the access to the same information without our software, but we haven’t heard anything. Sorry.”

Trying to brush it off, he can think about it later. Now he needs to do something. “So the soup. Is it good?”

“The best!” John grins.

Together they leave, invest themselves again into creating a future they can be proud of. They might not win this war but now is not the time to admit defeat. Defeat doesn’t bring change. They were chosen so they will fight. Even if it’s an uphill battle.