walkingballpit: (68)
Robbie Baldwin ([personal profile] walkingballpit) wrote in [community profile] legionworld2017-01-23 11:50 am

Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away

Who| Robbie Baldwin and Vance Astrovik
What| Robbie's failing to cope with Silent Horizon (and a lot of prior stuff)
Where| His quarters
When| In the days after Silent Horizon/No Sanity Clause
Warnings/Notes| Self harm ideation, discussion of past self harm likely, present self harm possible.



Nothing was ever going to be good enough.

Robbie sat in his bed with his back against the wall. Since returning to Legion World, he's tried everything to pull himself back up to his normal emotional functioning. He's argued with teammates, smiled at doctors, asked to be left alone to deal with it.

When that didn't shake out how he hoped, Robbie took out the frustration of impotence out on the anonymous horde. He even sharing anonymously, only to be treated like a freak for saying it was part of his normal.

It underlined his opinion that talking about it with Dr. Ryk'rr won't help, but no one wanted to listen.

He tossed the omnicom onto the bed beside him. He was tired of trying to force emotional highs. The only things he's felt in days were guilt, fear, and hundreds of tiny wounds all along his skin. They're gone now.

The medical care was too advanced here, he thinks as he examined his bare forearms. The skin is pale with fine lines of new skin that stand out starkly. Robbie scratched at them, but the doctors didn't leave scabs. He could grab something, trace along the bright pink lines. Just once or twice. He could tell Vance, I guess the doctors missed a few, or ten, or twenty. He should hide them, but he doesn't care. Besides, if his friend is really coming to check him out, denial of access is confirmation of existence.

But he'd have them, and that's what mattered. He'd feel them. It wouldn't be good enough, but it would be better.
sir_vancelot: (Thinking)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-23 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
The mission had sucked. The mission had sucked SO MUCH and, the fact of the matter was? It hadn't even sucked as much for them as it had for the other team that had gone out to the Silent Horizon.

Still, Vance had gotten a whiff of fear gas and it had been enough to throw him back to Earth, back to the aftermath of Cap and Stark's little war. Back to being the survivor of the family, the one who had lived. Only it had been worse because it wasn't just Dwayne and Nita and Robbie gone. Angel lost to cancer. Rich lost with Quill. Elvin, Sil, Mickey, Mike, Rina, Chris. All gone.

It shook him, but Vance put it aside. Rich and Nita and Robbie were all right. Rich and Nita, Vance had already seen with his own eyes after the mission. It was just Robbie that he needed to see and assure himself of now.

And while he knew damned well that what he'd done was damned underhanded, Vance promised himself he'd drop off the soup, make sure Robbie was all right and leave him alone. Promised himself.

With that in mind, he reached up and hit the alert button that would let Robbie know he was at the door.
sir_vancelot: (Down/Shadowed)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-23 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
To be honest, Vance probably should have been a bit more clear about when he was going to show up. He didn't mean to be difficult, but he wasn't thinking the most clearly. The gas combined with what Kid Q had told them had him more anxious than normal.

Still, there was a lot of tension that released in his shoulders when Robbie opened the door. He let out a breath, offering a half smile. "Hey," he replied, looking Robbie over. "I'll get out of your hair quick. I just needed to do the rounds, see everybody and be certain they're al--" His voice caught on the word and Vance cleared his throat. "All right."

Not the word he was going to use, but the one that was probably better.

"I brought some soup, though. So you don't have to go out and face people in the cafeteria if you don't want to."
sir_vancelot: (Default)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-24 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. He was going to have to explain himself, wasn't he?

Vance reached up, rubbing his face. "Well, you can always have it later. I have it on good authority that it reheats."

He stepped inside, glancing over at Robbie as he took off his shirt. He was used to Robbie layering, after all. Even knew the reasons why he did it. Which was one reason why he glanced over Robbie's arms before looking up at Robbie's face. "I know you're not really interested in going yourself, but I thought I'd let you know that I'm going to make an appointment with Dr. Ryk'rr. For myself." He tucked his hands into his pockets. "This last mission made me realize there's still a lot of shit in my head that I've never really dealt with. Might be a good time to do that."
sir_vancelot: (Down/Shadowed)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-25 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
It had always been easier to ignore his own needs to concentrate on Robbie. Robbie needed somebody steady and Vance could do that. Had always done that, ever since the trial. He'd leaned on his friends then, it only seemed right to be the rock for other people to lean on.

Vance took a moment, obviously thinking before he went to sit down. Not like he was thinking of leaving, but more like he was thinking of what to say. Which was a difference Robbie could probably spot. "I'm still going to talk to Dr. Ryk'rr about this," he said, finally. "Not because I'm not going to talk to you or that you aren't enough. But because..." Vance trailed off, frowning. "Because there could be more to it and I think maybe somebody professional can help me identify it."

And that was the crux of it. The fact that he'd been burying things for so much of his life. He was fine. He was always fine. Until he wasn't.

"The mission on Cargg. I didn't run into the Joker, but me and Jason--Amp--ended up tangling with this guy dressed like a scarecrow. I've since found out that he was based on one of the villains from the Joker's time. No powers, but he had this gas that brought up someone's worst fears."
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-25 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Looking up, Vance raised an eyebrow. "You don't necessarily go to the psych because there's something wrong with you," he replied, settling back a bit. "Sometimes, you just need somebody who can listen and give advice. Somebody who can be completely impartial because they're not involved. General you, of course."

Because, no, Vance didn't particularly think there was anything wrong with him. But that didn't mean that having somebody to talk to was a bad thing.

He was quiet when Robbie talked, letting him say things at his own pace. Which, he knew, was sometimes harder for his friend than he would ever admit. When he wasn't forthcoming with more, Vance took the moment to speak again. "For me, it was...loss. It was like when I was at Fort Hammond, but worse because it wasn't just you and Nita and Dwayne that were gone. It was Rich. It was Angel dying of her cancer. The other, older members of the team being gone as well. No Elvin, no Sil, no Mickey or Mike. It was just me, completely on my own and nothing I could have done about any of it."

Which was the crux of it all. The helplessness. Not just being alone, but not being able to stop it.
sir_vancelot: (OU - Thinking)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-27 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
"I know you didn't die." Vance leaned forward, eyes drawn to the scratching but not making note of it verbally. "But I didn't know that right away. I didn't know you were alive until they arrested you and then they buried you so deep in red tape that I couldn't find you."

Which was part of the reason why Vance still hated Tony Stark as much as he did. Because Stark knew where Robbie had been the entire time and had hidden him away for a year in an iron maiden.

"But the thing is that knowing all of that isn't really a balm against the fears. I know that people are okay, but when you're dealing with something kicking right into where all those fears are buried? That sort of knowledge doesn't help." Vance snorted out a half laugh. "Though, seriously. Kaine better never decide to sleep on my floor." A pause. "Or Aracely. I do need to be able to sleep at some point."
sir_vancelot: (Default)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-28 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
"I remember what that's like." Things were different, of course, but Vance was disowned by his mother as well. It had been difficult, though...again, for different reasons.

He puts his elbows on his knees, hands folded between his knees. "Yeah, well, that's the thing, isn't it? We don't get rid of our fears. They don't go away. None of us have ever been without fear." Except maybe Murdock, but that was just the Daredevil shtick, he was pretty certain. "Part of what makes us heroes is that we keep fighting despite them."
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-28 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Except that ignoring things isn't helping. Not me, at least." He wasn't going to speak for Robbie, even though he was pretty certain it wasn't helping him, either. "I mean, this is all cosmic level shit that we're into right now and the bad guys have made it clear that they're not going to leave our heads alone. We may not have time to let things settle again."
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-28 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"Mine was pretty mundane shit, all said. I didn't end up in a pocket of space that was halfway between this universe and another one." Which was probably not exactly what had happened, but that was the way that Vance had interpreted it so far.

He looked up, hands still folded between his knees. "It would take as many sessions as necessary, honestly. But...if you don't want to talk to her, fine. How about talking to me instead?" He let out a breath. "Seriously, Robbie, you have some idea that I'm this...I don't know. Completely and utterly unfazed by the rest of the world or just completely together and I'm not sure if that's just because it's easier to tell yourself that so that you don't have to talk to me or what."

Vance pushed himself up, so that he was sitting more properly. "I do a good job of making people think that I'm something I'm not, Robbie. It's one of those things that...I mean, there were a lot of reasons why I didn't want to restart the New Warriors. The main one is that most of the time? I don't feel qualified to do it. But I hold shit together because somebody has to, you know?"
Edited (I remember who is talking to who here...) 2017-01-28 21:53 (UTC)
sir_vancelot: (Default)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-28 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's part of the problem, though. I don't know what questions to ask." Which sometimes felt like a failing in himself and he was trying to be better. "And...you didn't sandbag me into it. It just took me some time to realize that...I need the New Warriors. Maybe I always wanted to be an Avenger since I was a kid, but the Warriors are something that I need. There's a reason I keep coming back to it.

"And just because I'm not always okay doesn't mean you can't lean on me. Just because I may not need it doesn't mean I don't want it. I've been trying my best to be there for you and..." He frowned slightly. "What happened out there, Robbie?"
sir_vancelot: (Default)

[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-29 02:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Vance made a soft noise at the back of his throat. "You're not a responsibility, Robbie. You're my friend. And part of being friends means being there for you when things are difficult and helping you to hold things together and to help carry the load at the end of the day."

Sure, Vance had his own issues, but they were smaller and he knew that something could be done about them and he was going to do something about them.

"Sounds like it was." He started to scoot the chair forward, then paused and frowned. "Robbie. Are you okay for me to come closer? Do you want to be touched right now?" Because Robbie did look like he needed a hug, but it might not be welcome.
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-29 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Something got into your head and not only brought up a lot of old wounds but also created some physical things coming out of your skin. There are some people in the world that wouldn't react well to being touched after something like that." Vance stood up and stepped over, sitting nearby on the bed. "Wanting to be certain that you want to be touched isn't a bad thing when something has been overstepping a lot of other boundaries."
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-29 04:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't think you were the only one to attack teammates. I think that's what it was going for." Vance finally decided to just screw propriety and, if Robbie was saying it was okay, reached out and pulled him closer for a hug. "Damn it, Robbie, you have just as much right to boundaries and everything else as anybody does. Probably more because people kept fucking yours over so much. You deserve to be able to make peace with yourself."
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-01-29 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
"This is why I think you would do well to talk to somebody professional. Somebody who isn't being paid to keep you turned around and feed into those thoughts." Yes, he knew Robbie had been seeing Doc Samson for a while, but that had been well after the Thunderbolts had done the damage. "Because I can say those things until I'm blue in the face and you won't believe them. Because you're still back in the place and I don't know the way to help you past it."

He pulled away a little, but only enough so that he could look Robbie in the face. "The only person I worry about you letting down is yourself, toothpick. The rest of us who know you and give a shit know that you'd do anything for us. I just want you to do something to take care of yourself, too."
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-02-03 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not going to make you tell anybody," Vance replied. "But...Robbie. The fact that you feel like you don't deserve to have friends...that you don't feel like you deserve food or clothes? That's not healthy."
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[personal profile] sir_vancelot 2017-02-06 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't that Vance didn't want to listen. It was more that Vance was over his head and knew it. It was one thing, being in Nount Wundagore without easy access to psychologists and people that Robbie didn't have to explain things to nearly as much. Though, even then, it probably would have been easy enough to sort out.

Still, Vance snorted. Just a little. "I've seen you eat. I'm not that worried about you missing meals." Too many meals might be something to really worry about, but one or two here and there weren't that bad. "I just...I know you went through a lot of shit and that it left its marks on you. Not just the scars, but mental stuff as well." He sat back a bit, reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose. "I just...I want to help. I just know I don't know how."