dec catch all

[deconstruct]

Who: Andyr + plotted peeps
When: all of December
Where: planet sad times
What: stuff, lori. things.
Warnings: will warn in thread headers


[ see threads below for starters, hit me up at wuzzafuzzle if you want a thing!! there's an OTA top level over here as well! ]

Comments

JESSE; being saved (again) like a loser

[deconstruct]

[ andyr should fucking know better - the constant stabbing pain in his back is a clear enough reminder of what he doesn't have in enhanced genes anymore, and yet, did he hesitate a moment before charging his stupid ass into the herd of freaky, teeth-faced monster things? nope.

that's likely what has him bleeding out of a huge gash on his side, another on a shoulder, and a last on a forearm. the things are, at least, dead, but if andyr doesn't get all this bandaged up and the wounds cleaned soon, he'll be following right behind them. defensive fighting is a thing he needs to relearn, he's hoping Jesse won't bring this up to Snake later, and get him in trouble. Not that whatever huge bandage he ends up with on his arm will hide it well. ]

Um. [ there's a grimace on his features, wounds hurting much more than he's ever used to something like this being. part of his durability and pain tolerance is psychological, but with so much of it devoted to the ports aching with each movement of his spine, it makes things like this all the worse. unfortunately, the racket of the fight seems to have called over another bitey-faced friend, who's now rounded the corner, heading straight for the two of them where they're standing in the ruined streets of the abandoned city. Ah. ] I got this. I got this, just-- I got this.

[ andyr mutters out, with a hand pressed against the torn and ruined fabric of his hoodie, as it presses against the gross wound (that might have actually had a chunk of his muscle bitten out) on his side, right before he... falls the fuck over. oops. halp. ]

gdi andyr

[heisenbitch]

Stop, stop!

[ Jesse snatches Andyr's shirt with a shove against his chest, trying to force Andyr to stop in his tracks. Jesse throws a wild, panicked look over his shoulder at the thing approaching them at the same time - and teeters forward as Andyr staggers back. With his fingers clutching Andyr's shirt, Jesse nearly falls down with him. He catches his weight just in time, hands snatching at Andyr's shoulders for balance. Jesse can hear the thing fast gaining in on them. ]

Just-- stay here, yo, don't-don't do anything stupid!

[ His shoes are a mad scramble on the stony ground as he turns and launches into a run. ]

Hey! Hey!

[ Dashing out into full view of the thing with terrified determination in his eyes. He throws his arms up, waving them madly, leaping up and down on the spot to get the thing's attention. And then, a gasping: ] Oh, fuck-- [ to himself as he darts sideways and legs it on his scrawny legs. The teeth-faced freak's attention turns from Andyr to Jesse, and the thing starts after Jesse with fierce bloodlust.

Jesse lures it around a corner into another cave. All that can be heard is Jesse yelling out and the thing roaring. Then there's a sick thud, followed by another, and another, with Jesse letting out an exerted shriek.

Less than a thirty seconds later, Jesse runs back into view, making a hurried beeline for Andyr. Blood is splattered across Jesse's shirt and speckled across his face. He skids to a stop in front of Andyr and crouches down. He's so panicked and worried out of his mind about Andyr, and stunned with what he'd just done, and pissed off. It's bringing out the hard-edged, take-charge side of Jesse that Mr. White drummed into him. ]

What's wrong with you?! You keep being a stubborn asshole and saying you got this, we won't even make it back to camp. You got that, yo?

DUTCH; slumber party/hunting

[deconstruct]

[ it seems ronan's out for the night, so after andyr and dutch come back from hunting down one of the deer things and getting it cooked up for several meals in the coming week, they're worn and tired, and dutch's own tent is halfway across camp. instead of making her walk, andyr just waves her into his own, extra pillows and blankets already set up for the nights ronan's been spending in here with him as well. ]

Come on. You can just chill here for the night. Promise I don't snore.

[ which is actually the truth. andyr's an incredibly light sleeper - his own snoring would likely wake him up. there's nothing that seems sexual or presumptuous in the offer, as andyr's mind is usually pretty far from the subject, until it's brought up to him. dutch is a friend, a close one, and a beloved one, so it only seems natural that they could curl up and get some Zs in with relative comfort between them. the tent isn't terribly large, but big enough two people can get good sleep in it. ]

[curiousnotmalicious]

[ Hunting isn’t something Dutch is used to, but she acclimates to it quickly enough. In fact, it’s something she’s pretty good at, so when they get close to Andyr’s tent Dutch is practically radiating pride.

When Andyr suggests she crash at his tent for the night, it sounds like a brilliant idea to her. She hasn’t had a proper sleepover in years and that’s what she’s envisioning, minus watching scary movies and braiding hair (obviously Andyr’s hair is too short for that.) Dutch nods her head with a smile. ]

That’s an idea I can get behind. Also, I can promise that I only snore when my nose is stuffy, and…

[ She makes a show of inhaling and exhaling through her nostrils, flaring them a little. ]

It is perfectly clear tonight!

[ Dutch smiles and gives him a one-armed hug. ]

Thank you for this offer, Andyr. You are truly a gem.

VENOM; sparring + The Talk

[deconstruct]

You ever wonder about this place? Like... how real it is? [ Andyr speaks up, in the middle of a sparring session he'd started up with Venom, half out of boredom. Past the second gate, Andyr no longer has all that's enhanced in his genes giving him boosted strength, or speed, or healing, or durability. Just a boy who knows how to kick ass, but he thinks he's been relying too much on those advantages. Better he train some with Venom now, when they're on equal footing, to sharpen that part of himself. However, as they wear themselves down, and as Andyr's mind wanders with thought, he eventually brings something up that been plaguing his mind for months. Since the very beginning of all of this, really, but of late, after Bucky The Second's arrival, it's been near consuming. something andyr's having to actively purge from his mind, at times, to keep himself from going into a panic. ]

I mean, a space ship that pulls in people from alternate dimensions? Resurrects people? Some machine that feeds off living energy, and a planet like this? [ if anyone's likely to take him seriously, or at least not look at him like he's crazy for it, andyr thinks ahab would be one. he'd told him about a lot of his reality back home, without sugar coating. he isn't the kind to try soothing his paranoia just for the sake of soothing. at least, andyr hopes he isn't. he needs something real to dispel this, more than just soft words. ]

They had these VR hook ups, back home. The city had shops that would keep 'em, give people the chance to live stuff they'd never be able to experience normally. Medical uses too - like for the terminally ill, so they wouldn't have to notice how much pain they were in while they died. Lessened it, at least. [ Andyr sniffs, rubbing the back of his hand at his nose, then palm against his forehead to wipe at some sweat, as he steps back, disengaging for a moment. ] Houses used them too. For the ones they didn't need moving.

[ a pause, and he breathes in, shaky. ] More shit like this happens, more I think my head must be stuck in one. And I'm just the idiot that doesn't get it yet.

[alterplex]

[ Venom turns his cassette player off with one hand when Andyr starts talking, cutting off the quiet undercurrent of Laura Branigan's "Gloria" humming under the downbeat of their sparring session.

("you really don't remember; was it something that he said? are the voices in your head calling—").

Sweat pools by his temple, and Venom grinds it with his heel where it lands in dust. Listening to the spread of Andyr's words, a steady stream of consciousness accompanying the rise and fall of their pulses.

It's a lot to consider. ]

How real this place is, huh.

...That depends.

[ He finally says, after he gives himself a moment to digest. As if he has to dismantle this loaded weapon carefully, not that he thinks Andyr needs anyone to be delicate with him, to treat him like a breakable object. ]

If this isn't real [ posing the hypothetical first, without discrediting the possibility altogether ], then you're gonna have to think about why it is that you're choosing to see what you're seeing.

[ His forearm swipes along his brow, shrapnel-horn glinting dully in uneven light. ]

What you described, I'm guessing those things were for utility. This... [ a wave towards their surroundings. ] ...if this is supposed to benefit you, someone has a bad sense of humor.

RONAN + T + NOAH; emf reader shenanigans and ronan dreams up a car

[deconstruct]

What're we actually supposed to be looking for? Is shit gonna glow or something?

[ magic scavenger hunts are not Andyr's bag. Magic anything isn't Andyr's bag, in fact, Andyr's bag is limited to 1: murder and 2: useless fish related trivia. And that's it. So this? Waving some electronic around and looking at little wavey lines and listening to beeps? He may as well be useless, aside from the fact he can take care or any surprise ambushes, in the incredibly unlikely chance they occur.

Instead, he's shuffling along at Ronan's side, trying not to ask "did you find it yet" too many times in a row, hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket. Eventually, he leans out to address Noah instead, with a possibly very dumb question. But what the hell does he know about all this junk anyway? ]

You don't get any, like, ghost mojo feelings or something for this?

[deadthing]

[It is, surprisingly, not all that dumb of a question. Back home, Noah was tied to the ley line such that the strength of his presence waxed and waned with any fluctuation in its energy. Here, though... if there is a ley line nearby, it is one entirely separate from his being. Whatever source he's been drawing power from thus far is more nebulous, less intimately connected.

He shrugs at Andyr as they trudge along.]

Sometimes? I think I would feel it if we were on one.

BADOU; cave spelunking, sacrificing ur buddy to monsters

[deconstruct]

[ of the people he could be stuck exploring with, it had to be this noisy turd of a human being. but everyone he actually likes had already paired up and headed out today, so while he may not like badou much, he at least knows that he's fairly harmless of a person, and less likely to stab him in the back. thus, the turd.

the cave is something they find along the way, something huge and creepy looking, and the thought comes to andyr as something more out of a want to alleviate boredom than suspecting anything of much note to be inside that cave. ]

You know, people've been finding all kind of shit left behind in the houses. You think maybe there'll be stuff like that in there too? Might even have cigarettes.

[brokeassgoing]

[Speaking of poop, Badou's been looking into the mouth of the cave like he's been constipated for three days. That expression now shifts to Andyr, and he is no more impressed with the other man's toilet habits.]

Why the hell would they be in there? Its probably too wet...they'd be soggy.

[but then again he could suuuuuure use some cigs. he shifts his weight, clearly torn.]

Sides, there's nothing worse than bein' stuck underground.

KAZ; scouting + mom

[deconstruct]

[ the first couple people andyr looks to, once the louder members of the crew start making game plans and strategies for how to approach the planet they'd been stranded on, is Kaz and Ahab. Andyr trusts Ahab with his life, and he gets the feeling Ahab trusts Kaz with his, it also doesn't hurt that Miller's done a lot for Andyr in terms of simulation training, and helping facilitate his need to rain down punishment on the slaver scum back on the minicolony. he trusts the two of them to know best what needs to be done, as well as consider the whole of the crew.

currently, that seems to mean scouting out these houses and crap. despite the fact andyr's been perfectly ready to run off on his own to handle this, there remains the fact that his genetic enhancements have been severely muffled, since passing the gate into this sector. that, he can't hide from anyone. the part he hasn't been so open with is his pain tolerance and durability - it means the mild annoyance of an ache the ports once had been, is now a constant, sometimes stabbing, pain, leading him to distraction and fatigue. andyr's done well to seem normal, but back pack he'd been wearing for the first week or so of trekking is now gone, just the pacdisc in his pocket. the jacket he wears is loose, but heavy, protecting the ports, but not so tight as to jostle them when his shoulders or arms move.

in light of that, it'd been an even better idea than Kaz knows, to make sure Andyr has a buddy with him while scouting. still, he isn't being any less reckless than he typically is, hopping around ruins, jaunting into abandoned buildings without any manner of stealth. an elbow is jabbed into a window at one point, shattering it inward, and Andyr waves a hand to Kaz, signalling he's free to hope into the house first, if he so pleases. ]

[warandpeace]

[Kaz would hope that Ahab would trust him with his life. Ahab (if indirectly) is the reason that Kaz deals with his own pain every day. Kaz would lay down literal life and limb for him. And if he knew what Andyr was going through, he would offer him advice. After all, the constant ache is something he and Venom have learned to cope with.]

[But so far he's just taking stock, recording all the places they've looked through, where they're going, using his new TAB to map out the terrain and locations to the best of his ability.]

[He's not dressed as tidily as he normally is (is anyone?), the sleeves to his rumpled uniform rolled up so the artificial arm is more obvious, easy to see through as he grabs the broken window sill with a half-transparent hand and hauls himself in through it.] There's a tripwire. I'll take care of it.

[His feet shuffle across a dusty floor as he carefully makes his way over with great care.]

SHEPARD; scavenging and fish probably

[deconstruct]

Shepard! Get your ass over here!

[ andyr's calling out to his scavenging buddy, from another tunnel in the cave they've been spelunking through while scavenging for basically anything that might help them either survive, or get further into the Hub. some have found water in places, or, at least, something that passes for it, but nothing of life in said water, as far as andyr's noticed.

now, there's this stream, and the second he sees them, andyr's nearly losing his shit with excitement. as shepard's making her way to him, he's already pulled a small, transport tank from the pacdisc, and set about gathering up some of the stream water. the moment his friend gets close enough to see, Andyr's pointing aggressively towards the water, and a small school of neon, glowing fish, just hanging out and munching at some plants. ]

They look freaking awesome, right?

[squadgoals]

[It hadn't taken long to learn that whenever Andyr said "scavenging" or "exploring", he really only meant one thing: let's go find some new fuckin fish!!

If they found supplies along the way, it was generally counted as a bonus, rather than their prime directive. Far from annoying, Shepard found it relaxing — she had enough time to do the serious scavenging with other people, and beside that, she genuinely enjoyed Andyr's exuberant fish-loving company.

At the sound of his voice, she pauses from collecting a water sample, and makes her way over to her companion, chuckling as she looks along his finger to the neon fish, ad nodding at his assessment.]

Definitely, wow — look at that color. Want to watch them for a minute or so before we make our move, just so we don't miss anything?

SNAKE; i brought u a panther, halp

[deconstruct]

Snake! [ Andyr's voice calling out from not far, as he's backwards walking his way towards Snake, dragging something large, furry, and motionless behind him. Once he's close enough, Andyr drops it at Snake's feet, wiping his bloodied hands on his jeans, before gesturing at what looks like a purple, alien panther, lying dead in front of the two of them. ] Hey, uh. This thing was trying to kill me, so I killed it back.

[ andyr doesn't take any joy in killing animals, but if it's between him and a thing that wants to eat him, no thanks, he'll live. and so that it isn't just a worthless kill, he's brought it here. To Snake. Who seems like he's very good at surviving. And maybe doesn't eat parasites like Ahab does. ] Figured, maybe, we could try to get some food from it?

But... [ this is the part where andyr admits to being useless. ] How do I do that?

[soldiergenes]

[ It's rare enough for someone to call out for him like this that Snake turns on his heel as soon as he hears his name, head tilting to one side as he watches Andyr drag the carcass of one of those panther-like aliens toward him. They're definitely the apex predator of this region, so it doesn't surprise him to hear that Andyr had been attacked. The fact that he'd managed to get out of that encounter unscathed is another testament to what he can do.

It probably shouldn't surprise Snake that someone would look at him and think "survival guy," even if it's something that Big Boss (and by proxy, Ahab) would be better at doing. That doesn't mean that he's going to turn Andyr away. If anything, this is a good chance to brush up on his skills.

He'd received the same survival training as anyone in FOXHOUND and had also made use of those skills in the Green Berets, but it hasn't been a necessity lately. Since his infiltration missions have been more urban, and he can take in rations to keep himself fed, roughing it out in the wilderness is going to take some adjusting. ]

Never skinned an animal before, huh? [ Snake unsheathes the survival knife that the captain had been kind enough to provide to all of them, then circles the carcass, sizing it up. ] I don't know the anatomy of this thing, but if it's anything like an Earth mammal, we should be in decent shape.

STEVE; getting lost in a cave/making a donation box for steve rogers to get new pants

[deconstruct]

[ let's be clear on one thing: andyr's sense of direction is pathetic. it has always been pathetic. everyone should know this about him already, so really, from the moment they'd stepped into this cave, steve should've known he was responsible for making sure they found their way back out.

steve has failed in his duty.

instead, they are somewhere close to probably the freaking core of the planet by now, with all they've wandered, trying to find their way back out. it's late, around night time outside, at least as far as andyr's watch tells him, and they've accepted defeat for now, settling down as andyr pulls out Val's pacdisc, to remove his tent from it and get it set up for the night. they'll just have to hope nothing eats them in the night. steve had gone off not far to try to gather them up some water from the stream they'd been following, and when Andyr pops his head back out of the tent he'd just put together, it's to steve, soaked head to toe. uh. ]

Usually people take baths without their clothes on. Just saying.

[abide]

[ He'd meant it to be some simple trip there and back, something that didn't involve falling head-first into a stream as deep as he was tall and struggling to drag himself back out. Yet, here he is, and there he is under the scrutiny of Andyr's judgment, though it really doesn't bother him too much considering he'd brought water with him all the same. He sets the bottles down next to the tent and then sits with them, slowly beginning the tedious work of pulling his boots off. Does he really have to explain what had happened? Maybe only enough Andyr gets the general idea. ]

I slipped. [ He's smiling about it, which means he's purposely being a dick, and he sets both of his boots to the side, unable to suppress an unconscious shiver that slides down his spine. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered him, but things have changed a lot since they'd landed on the Hub. ] Looks like you had a better time than I did. [ Just a casual comment, and Steve leans up to peel himself out of his shirt, up on his knees now so he can wring the water out of it. ]

ANGELA; officially Meeting + fish feeding idk

[deconstruct]

placeholder

SHORT TONY; begrudging scavenging that is still somehow productive

[deconstruct]

[ the situation is not ideal - having to go scavenging today with the tony stark he's much less tolerant of as his buddy. but, this is what andyr gets for waking up late. the early bird gets the preferred adventure buddy.

instead, he's here, wandering the abandoned streets, picking through abandoned houses, and keeping an eye out for teeth-faced zombie things while they try to pick up food and anything that might be remotely useful to getting them all through to the center of the hub. water, too, would be lovely. they've found bits and pieces of things useful to survival, despite unsavory company. ducking his head into another houses, andyr leans out, calling out to his partner. ]

I'm checking in here. Don't kick it while I'm gone. Or do. Whatever. [ okay, well, no, he doesn't want him dying, he doesn't dislike him that much. and really, the dislike isn't terribly strong anymore, especially after tony'd done so much to decipher the journals that got them to the hub. but, you know, can't let him know he might actually be okay with his existence a little. ]

[arcreact]

[ Look. Tony's not exactly thrilled either, but on the other hand, Andyr's frank and relentless shit-giving suits him just fine. Imagine having to spend hours doing this with someone excessively friendly and polite? That sounds really and truly exhausting.

Tony's crouched down to examine something near the base of the house that might just be one of the native rock formations - making guesstimates about what the mineral composites might be and how potentially useful they are, because he's a fucking nerd - when Andyr calls out. He makes a grand show of rolling his eyes. ]

If I do, I'll be sure to write your name in blood.

WS!BUCKY; andyr takes purple steroids, bucky carries his regretful ass back to the tent

[deconstruct]

[ this purple stuff is awesome. it's amazing, and andyr feels better than he has in weeks, the ache in his back dulled down to a barely there hum, and all his strength and speed returned in a flood. the crowd of toothy face zombie horrors that'd surrounded him and bucky in the cave they'd stumbled into lay in a bloody heap now, and andyr feels adrenaline pumping through him like the best kind of ecstasy.

so much so, that when he marches back over to his friend, eyes bright and wild and full of energy, he takes bucky's face in his hands and presses a hard, thrilled kiss to him - nothing lewd, but definitely excited beyond what words can say.

that is, right up to the point those few minutes of power rapidly fade out, draining him and leaving him even weaker than he'd been before. andyr's expression falls, and then his body does, crumbling against Bucky's chest, weak hands hardly able to even clutch to his shirt to hold himself up. ah, this was, perhaps, not the best idea. ]

...Balls.

[dislocked]

[ They've done worse back on the lagoon, and Bucky's learned never to take this kind of thing very seriously. It's not like anyone's mad enough to want to be associated with him that way (but see, that's a story for another day). Still, it doesn't take much to realise that something's off; something else is powering that kind of reaction, and when he collapses, Bucky thinks of a puppet with strings cut, and he catches Andyr in time, an arm wrapping solidly around him.

His adrenaline's still racing; they'd made a good team when it came to eliminating the zombie horrors (Bucky's actually getting used to monsters, imagine that), which is why he's able to heft the younger man over his shoulder easily when Andyr's much heavier than he looks. ]

Let's get you back. [ He says quietly, making a note never to touch the purple steroids because like hell he's going to let anything fuck with his system again. ] How much did you take?

ALVA; feelings and stuff

[deconstruct]

[ Andyr's tired of losing people, being the last on standing, not allowed to just fall with the rest of them. Losing Steve had been a bright new agony he'd thought himself numb to by now, and Ronan... The teenager had become so special to him in so little time, Andyr having admitting things to him he hadn't breathed into words in a long, long time. Perhaps never, it's difficult to remember. And yet, the idea of trying to force him to stay alive when he doesn't want to any long just feels so absolutely cruel to Andyr, who'd spent the last six years suffering exactly that.

Trudging through the camp, he knows where he's going, because there's only ever been a single truly safe, truly trusted place for him, and that's wherever Alva is. He'd decided, some time ago, that regardless of if Alva betrayed him, or fucked up, it wouldn't matter. He could turn out to be the new director of Hapsburg and Andyr would still adore him, because Alva is all he has truly left. Ducking into the tent he knows his friend has been staying in, Petra's tucked in the pocket of his hoodie, and as Andyr unceremoniously plops himself down next to where Alva's sitting, tucked close to his side, he lets the little cat free to explore the inside of the tent.

All this business with Ronan and Adam and He Won't Possibly Love Me Anymore and complication over what he'd done with his body and what it meant, it's been swirling around in his head. The two of them, him and Alva, have been here nearly half a year, and they've still never breathed a word in recognition of what they'd done together a few night before the raid, have they? Either Alva to unconcerned to make a big deal of it, or Andyr too paralyzed with the same kind of doomsaying crap Ronan's up to to even acknowledge that it'd happened at all. He still doesn't think they'll ever be more than what they are, and doesn't believe he could try to live next to Alva and Miray and stomach it, even if they do actually make it free from the houses for any real stretch of time.

And yet, there's a sudden fear of what that would leave, if one of them didn't make it, and the other had to keep going. Andyr's head is leaned on Alva's shoulder, fighting the urge to just curl in on him, and he's never been good at voice this sort of thing, but - ]

You know I love you, right? [ it comes out in a small voice, quiet, almost afraid. ]

Body double incident

[unaffluent]

[Adam still can't quite move but he knows that whatever Kavinsky had shot him with was starting to wear off. He is pretty sure he can wiggle his toes and he'd been able to get out a few curses. He'd been dragged off from the camp to one of the covers of the houses, the corpse double had been dragged off somewhere else nearby. Unlike the corpse, Adam looks mostly fine, a bump on the head the worst of it, really.

He still doesn't have control over his hands or his legs and his breath is coming in panicked spurts, his mind wheeling between terror and anger. There's nothing in the world that's worse, he thinks, than losing control like this, than Kavinsky having been able to do anything he wanted to him and he couldn't do anything. And Adam knows that whatever that double body was for, it was meant to get to Ronan.

But just like when he'd been choking Ronan, he couldn't do anything. Had Ronan already found it? He's trying not to let himself focus on his own panic but the worry of what would happen if Ronan found that body before he could get to him. It's hard not to focus on the fact that you have no control when you have none and it's what you need. But he doesn't have time to fall apart about it, to think about anything. He doesn't have time to be weak or to finally crack under the pressure of everything that's happened.]

[deconstruct]

[ it's a little ridiculous, how adam parrish keeps ending up such an important facet of andyr's days, not because he knows the boy well or even particularly likes him much (he's okay - andyr doesn't know him well enough to say otherwise), but more so just what seems to happen around or about or because of this boy. now, out of all of the odds, with all the houses andyr could've gone exploring into, it's adam that he finds sprawled out here, at first seeming motionless, but too uncomfortably placed to be asleep. ]

Adam? [ andyr voices carefully, the immediate fear streaking through him - that maybe he's dead. that he'll have to be the one to tell ronan that this boy he's wrapped the worth of his life around is gone, forever. the inevitability that ronan will immediately follow after him. he's still, watching the body, enough that he can see his chest rise and fall, see a foot twitch just slightly, and hear the rattle in his throat of a curse trying to make it out. he's alive, thank fucking christ.

andyr jerks into motion, shooting to his side to drop to his knees, and look over him, hands hovering, not sure where to put them or how to help him. it's clear enough he wasn't taking a fucking nap, and there's a bruise on his head that hadn't been there last time andyr stalked saw him. ] Adam. Shit. Can you talk? What happened?