real life | quiet hours

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*ANGST*

the medbay was quiet at night, lit only by the soft glow of monitors and dim ceiling lights humming faintly overhead. it was a calm kind of silence - the kind that existed in the background of grief, of healing, of people putting themselves back together. most of the tower had gone quiet too, its usual controlled chaos dialled back to allow the ones who needed it some peace.

cartia stirred beneath the blanket, a faint crease forming between her brows as her body adjusted to yet another dose of nutrients being delivered through the iv drip beside her. her face was no longer ghost-pale, a soft warmth returning to her cheeks in the last day or so. but her body was still frail - she'd been starved, dehydrated, her system so fragile they were easing her back in with calculated care.

bruce had insisted on 5 days of medical supervision minimum. tony had agreed, and that was all anyone needed to know.

jordan stood outside the glass-panelled medbay room, arms folded, hoodie zipped all the way up, one shoulder leaning into the door frame. he'd barely moved in the last hour, his eyes flicking between the monitor stats and cartia's sleeping form. occasionally, his jaw tightened.

he hated that he'd been cleared before her. hated that even when they'd been locked up in that godforsaken place, they'd still treated him better - as if he wasn't the one they really wanted. no, cartia had been the target. he was just the leverage.

the door slid open behind him with a soft whoosh, and he flinched - gods, he hated how he flinched - before remembering where he was. then, he didn't even glance back. 

"bit late, isn't it?" he muttered, voice low.

peter stepped in beside him, carrying two paper cups. he handed one over silently. "it's decaf," he said, then added, "bruce would kill me if i brought anything else in here."

jordan accepted it with a small nod. "thanks."

they stood in silence for a moment, both watching cartia. she shifted again, her fingers twitching slightly at her sides, brows twitching like she was caught between sleep and something else.

"she's been doing that a lot?" peter asked gently.

jordan nodded. "yeah. never wakes up all the way. but sometimes she mumbles. says names. cries a bit." his throat tightened. "she's not... there, not yet. but she's trying."

peter glanced down at his trainers "i wish i'd gotten there sooner."

jordan didn't answer that. there wasn't anything to say. no one had gotten there sooner.

after a pause, jordan turned to the door and quietly slipped inside. peter stayed where he was, knowing some moments needed to happen without an audience.

meanwhile, in the dimly lit kitchen two floors above, the sound of the fridge door opening cut through the quiet. emily stood barefoot on the cool tiles, her cardigan hanging loose over one of jordan's old t-shirts. she poured herself a glass of water, staring out the window into the night sky, before frowning slightly.

she hadn't felt jordan beside her when she stirred an hour ago.

he hadn't sent anything. hadn't sent a message.

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