TERRAN HAD BEEN GIVEN A WEEK TO DECIDE, NOT BECAUSE HE CONSIDERED SAYING NO, BUT BECAUSE HE HAD TOO MUCH TO SORT OUT BEFORE HE COULD LEAVE. For someone who tried to fly under the radar, he had a good number of affairs to settle before he could even begin to think about calling Fury to let him know he was accepting the assignment. The first concern that presented itself before he could even get his bearings was explaining the situation to his tenants.
To say it could have gone better would be a gross understatement.
"Okay, okay, everyone calm down," Terran called, standing on the first landing of the stairs, looking down at his tenants who were gathered in the foyer, glaring at him, "I get that this isn't ideal—"
"That's one way to put it," Janelle mumbled from where she was standing off to the side, and Terran resisted the urge to glare at her; she was supposed to be on his side.
"The last time you left you had to stay behind for an extra two months for counseling and psych evals to make sure you weren't a danger to society," a voice called out, and Terran searched the crowd, gaze landing on one of the tenants that had been around the longest, a telekinetic who refused to tell him how old they actually were.
"Yeah, well, that was different," he called, clearing his throat and glancing to the side, "I'm more prepared now, and...look, you can't change my mind, I'm just making an announcement, please don't fight me on this."
"Why not?" another voice called, one of the newer tenants, "We care about you, and you looked terrified when they left, how are we supposed to just pretend like that's fine?"
Terran sighed, glancing to the side as he rubbed his hands, trying to keep them warm. "I don't know how you're supposed to, but you have to. Look, the assignments are what keeps us safe, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't try to come in here and recruit you or bother anyone, and they keep an eye on us to make sure no one else tries to bother us either. It's a good trade."
"Yeah, in theory, but when was the last time they did anything for us? I don't remember them being here when Rhett showed up," someone else called, and Terran didn't even bother to look for them at that point.
"Okay, first off, what happened wasn't Rhett's fault, so stop with that," he began, waving his hand over the entire group, "And S.H.I.E.L.D. was there when Rhett showed up, and during that attack on the building, I just made sure you guys didn't have to hear about it. That's half of the agreement, keeping you guys out of it."
That seemed to catch a few of them off guard, and Terran appreciated the silence that followed his words, though when he looked over to Janelle, she gave him an unimpressed look. He once again fought the urge to glare at her, instead turning to look back towards the larger group.
"Look, I'm going whether we like it or not, so just hang tight and I'll let you know what the plan is moving forward once I figure it out," he clapped his hands, nodding in finality, "Glad we had this talk, meeting adjourned, see you later."
If anyone asked, Terran would insist that he most certainly did not sprint up to hide in his room, but considering that he had managed to lock the door before any of the other tenants could use their powers to keep him in place until they were satisfied with his answers, it was safe to say that, at the very least, he had skipped a few steps along his way.
He would, however, openly admit that he hid in his room for the rest of the night, throwing himself into his work while blasting random videos through his headphones to drown out the various threats and loud knocking on the other side of his door, trying to pretend that the slight shaking of his desk and chair every so often was just his imagination and not a group of his tenants trying to break down his door.
Of course, he couldn't keep working for the rest of the night—or, rather, he could, but knew better than to actually do so—so, when the minor earthquakes seemed to disappear entirely, he pulled his headphones down over his neck, searching for any sound of life outside his door.
He moved to unlock the door, cracking it open to peer out into the hall. He braced himself to be rushed and shoved back into his room, but when no one tried to ambush him and the only sound he could hear was his shallow breathing, he figured he was in the clear.
Of course, then he stepped out into the hall and found Janelle sitting on the ground, staring up at him.
"It's cute you think I would give up as easily as the rest of them," she said, her smile only widening when Terran made a face at her, his entire body slumping against the doorframe.
She patted the ground beside her and he groaned, sliding along the doorframe until he had nothing left to lean against, free falling onto the carpet, Janelle shifting to the side before he fell on her, snorting when he whined, his shoulder hitting the ground harder than he was expecting.
The two fell into a silence that was only somewhat uncomfortable, Terran trying not to fidget as he searched for what to say so his best friend would actually look at him instead of looking across the way, her lips pulled into a small smile that was meant to fool no one, least of all him.
"I'm sorry," he sighed, unable to think of anything better, "I know you don't want me to, but I really don't have a choice. A choice that I'm willing to take," he added quickly, before she could respond, her eyebrows furrowed.
It was Janelle's turn to sigh, her head tilting back to the wall with a soft thump. She stared up towards the ceiling that towered above them, and all Terran could do was tilt his body so he could face her, his chest heavy as he took in her glassy eyes.
The two fell into a heavy silence, and Terran couldn't help but remember all the times at the mansion when they would get into a fight because one of them had had a bad day and the other was too upset to try and let the words slide. They had sat in silence for hours before they finally spoke, waiting until the tension threatened to suffocate them whole.
"You know I won't stop you," she finally said, Terran not knowing how much time had passed, "But I'm worried."
"Look," he began, his entire body growing heavy, "I know it was scary last time—"
"It's not just last time," she snapped, finally turning to look at him, and her glare was so strong that Terran startled back, feeling burned, "It's every time. It's even from before, it's—"
She tore her gaze away from him, closing her eyes to take a deep breath before continuing, hugging her knees to her chest. "You know how terrifying you were when you first showed up. Don't pretend you don't know just how much of what they made you still lingers, because I know it does, I've seen it. How do you know this won't be the last straw?"
"I won't let it," he grit out, clenching his jaw to keep from spitting his words, tamping down the rising anger and frustration clawing at his chest, "I'll be fine. I've made it this long, there's nothing to worry about."
Janelle barked out a laugh and he prepared himself for her argument, his shoulders tensing as he watched her own raise up to her ears, her hands grasping the opposite arm as they continued to wrap around her legs which she leaned in towards, making herself smaller, seeming more like a spring under pressure, just waiting to be released.
But that time never came.
Instead, she seemed to unfurl, her legs relaxing, pushing at her linked arms until her hands began to fall away, following her arms as she began to roll her shoulders, her back popping as she stretched out her legs, moving them into a crossed position. She took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it go, all the tension dissipating, her body leaning back against the wall, her head thumping lightly as she tilted it up, her eyes falling closed.
Terran could only stare at her, his stomach turning as he desperately searched his past to try and understand how he had gotten to this point where his best friend felt like giving up was a better option than trying to convince him of her position; how much trouble had he truly caused to wind up here, and how had he not noticed this whole time.
"Terran, I can hear you thinking, stop before your brain keels over from shock, it's not used to more than one coherent thought per day," she complained, breaking Terran out of his reverie.
Her eyes were still shut, but her lips were quirked in the familiar smirk that had become as permanent in Terran's life as the woman herself, and it was as if there was never any problem to begin with, and they could both pretend, for a moment, that they were just two young friends sitting in the hall, worrying over nothing in particular.
But it had been years since that time, and Terran knew better than to ever truly believe he had ever once been in a position to worry over nothing important; he was fearing for his life for as long as he could remember, though considering most of his early memories were fabricated, he could never truly say how accurate that feeling was. But it was real enough to him, and that was all that mattered, unfortunately.
"Just check in with me nightly, I don't want you to just disappear off the face of the earth like last time. And make sure you never do anything on your own, especially not if it involves going out," she said, her smile replaced with a hard-set line, lips pressed together.
"I will. I promise," he said, reaching out to take her arm, giving her space to pull away, but holding on just enough to make his point, "You know me. All of me. You know what I'm like. At least, how I try to be like."
"I do," Janelle sighed, her expression fond but exasperated, and Terran felt his lips tug into a broad grin, "And that's why I believe you when you say that, because there's a lot of reasons why I shouldn't."
Terran smiled, giving her arm a light squeeze before pulling away. He sighed, shifting to sit closer to her, mirroring her position. The two fell into the comfortable silence that was as familiar to them as they were to each other, and Terran hadn't realized just how much tension had built up throughout the day until it started to ebb away, exhausting him instantly.
Of course, Janelle noticed immediately.
"Go to sleep," she commanded, smacking his leg, "You have a big day tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?" he asked, trying to remember if Fury's visit had been that morning or two weeks prior, unsure of what he had even done in the hours after they had left.
Janelle rolled her eyes, forcing him onto his feet and shoving him into his room, giving him a pitying smile as he flopped onto his bed, his back cracking with pained relief.
"Nicky and Rhett are coming over. So good luck with that."
º º º
The conversation had gone about how Terran had expected.
He had woken up early to check his emails and figure out what else was needed of him before going on to continue making various lesson plans with enough flexibility so the substitute would feel comfortable enough to work with the kids' needs rather than what he explicitly wrote on the agenda. He didn't know how long he was going to be gone, and while he was hoping it wouldn't be more than three months, he wasn't about to put anyone through the wringer if he wound up being gone for longer.
He hoped he would at least be there for the goodbye party, he always gave each kid a personalized handwritten letter before they left, and he would be damned if Constantin ruined that for him as well.
He was in the middle of writing a passive aggressive email reminding his superiors that they have all the documents they need to be able to let him take this leave, and requiring him to disclose was not only illegal, but reason enough for him to sue, when Nicky kicked the door open.
Or, to be more accurate, Rhett kicked the door open, and Nicky threw himself in immediately after, demanding to know what was going on.
"What do they mean 'you're leaving'?" Nicky demanded, just barely catching himself as he stumbled forward, hitting Terran's bed, "They already have the Avengers, why does S.H.I.E.L.D. need you?"
Terran stood up, holding his hands out placatingly. He glanced over at Rhett, the man definitely confused, but nowhere near the level of distress Nicky was in, which made it easier to deal with the situation; when it came down to it, Nicky was the one they had to worry about.
"I'm the only one who's survived after meeting this guy, they need my expertise," Terran explained, his tone soothing, but he could see Nicky's response before he even finished speaking.
"What, they're gonna make you go up against a guy who nearly killed you, what kind of expertise is that?" he shrieked, And it's not as if you know what he's like now, you haven't seen him in years, what kind of—"
"Hey," he whispered, moving to pull the younger man into his arms, shushing him softly, "Deep breaths, okay? I'm right here, you can finish, just relax for a bit, okay?"
He tightened his hold just slightly as Nicky leaned into him, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths, and all Terran could do was look at Rhett, the other blond holding his gaze with a furrowed brow, concern radiating off him in ways.
"If they wanted to figure out how he attacks, they wouldn't need you," Rhett said softly, Nicky nodding furiously, face buried in the front of Terran's shirt, "They're going to use you as bait. But you know that, don't you."
Nicky pulled back to look up at Terran who nodded, lips pursed, and he fought the urge to look down at Nicky immediately, forcing himself to wait for a few moments before his gaze flitted from Rhett's tense blue eyes to Nicky's scared green.
He reached up to take the hands that were fisted in the fabric of his shirt, carefully releasing them so Nicky could hold onto him, trying not to sigh at the steel firm hold Nicky had, clearly seeing how tense the younger man was even after calming down.
"I know they are," he said, only glancing at Rhett for a moment because they both knew who needed the support more, "I know what I'm getting into, I promise. And, yes, they will use me as bait, but I'm not going in alone, and those people are definitely going to have enough to get anyone who tries to get me."
"I know that's supposed to make me feel better, but I'm not feeling any better," Nicky said, his voice breaking as tears pricked the corner of his eyes, and it was a wonder he hadn't burst into the room crying to begin with.
"I know, baby, I'm sorry," Terran whispered, raising their clasped hands to wipe away the stray tears with his thumb, "But I can't back out now. Even if I could, I won't. This guy is still around and free, I don't think I could just live like usual knowing that and not doing anything."
Nicky opened his mouth to argue, but Terran held his gaze, watching as the younger man skimmed through every possibly talking point, catching the exact moment he realized there was nothing he could do, able to prepare himself when the man slumped forward, freed from his tension but weighed down by his grief.
"It's not like I can't call you," Terran tried, lips forced into a tight smile, "Nothing's really changing, I'm just going away for a bit. It's a business trip not prison, I'll come back when it's all over."
Nicky fiddled with the buttons on Terran's shirt, not meeting his eye. "Promise?"
"Promise," he soothed, holding up his pinky, a ghost of a smile on Nicky's lips as he raised his own pinky.
Behind them, Rhett was fighting to point out to Terran the dangers of promising anything to anyone, especially when it came to things like that, but when the taller man caught his eye, an understanding passed through them both; there was no winning the situation, but a false promise was better than unnecessary fear and anxiety.
"How long until you have to leave?" Nicky asked, following Terran who guided him and Rhett onto his massive bed.
"The rest of the week," he said, pulling the younger man into his arms, he and Rhett on either side of the youngest man, "I have a lot of loose ends to tie up with the school and all that."
"I can sub for you," Rhett said, his foot bumping against Terran's leg, "I'm already registered as a sub at the school, so it won't be an issue. I can call them right now if that helps."
Terran let out a loud groan, relief relaxing all his muscles, even for just a moment. "God, Rhett, I owe you my entire life, thank you so much. I swear, I'll get you a date with Captain America, I won't come back until I do."
Rhett rolled his eyes, standing up and walking to the door, sparing one glance back to the pair, gaze lingering on Nicky who refused to meet his eye, instead drawing patterns into the covers, seemingly in a daze.
Rhett left, closing the door behind him, and Terran lightly touched Nicky's arm, the younger man turning in the man's arms, looking up at him. The blond sighed, smiling sadly as his hand moved to smooth out the crease between the younger man's brows, leaning forward to press a light kiss to the same spot.
"You've been doing great on your own and I'll only be a few hours away. This won't change anything. You'll be okay," he said, and Nicky nodded, hiding his face in the front of Terran's shirt.
"Can we stay here until you leave?" the smaller man asked, and Terran was instantly reminded of the teenager he had brought in all those years ago, though it wasn't as if he had ever truly forgotten to begin with.
"This is still your home, you know," Terran pointed out, holding him closer, "No matter what, we'll always be here if you need us."
"Promise?" Nicky whispered, finally raising his head, green eyes filled with unshed tears.
Terran held up his pinky, smiling softly, hooking his finger around Nicky's own, looking him in the eye, pouring out as much love and truth into his words as he could; if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he would always be there if Nicky needed him.
"I promise."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
( 06.09.18 ; 03.04.21 )
This wasn't what I was expecting this chapter to be, I thought I'd show more about the rest of the week, but then conversations took too long, and honestly these were more important than the casual stuff I was gonna show, so I'll just mention them next chapter, it's no big deal.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
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