kore_logs | I'm just the way that the doctor made me

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I'm just the way that the doctor made me

Who: Kobra, Lydia. Open to anyone else who wants to see a very sad KK return
Where: Anywhere between the lighthouse and his house near the fountain
When: Day 57
What: He has returned!
Warnings: Severe burns/scarring may come up.

Kobra wakes up in the lighthouse. Fuck! This place freaks him out, even more when there's no Loki here. He thinks back to when he saw that ghostly motherfucker and he takes the spiral stairs two at a time, bursting out of the lighthouse like it's on fucking fire.

Once he's outside, he realizes that he's achy all over. His skin feels stretched and awkward and itchy in some places and when he lifts up his shirt, he's got a gnarly patch of scar tissue still forming over part of his stomach. He winces and pulls the shirt down. How long has he been gone?

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Lydia can't be sure that it's him at first. She doesn't trust her senses not to let her see something she wants so badly to see only to have the image vanish or twist into something terrifying. She changes course, moving hesitantly toward him with an armful of documents for the clinic. Her pace quickens the closer she gets in case there's something lying in wait to snatch him away from her again.

She stops before reaching him, still unsure. "... Kobra?"

He stares at her for a minute. "Lyds?"

Taking a deep breath, he moves towards her quickly, pulling her into a hug, whether she wants it or not. He ignores the pain, because fuck this place if it's going to keep rippin them apart.

She wants it. She's still a little stunned, but she wants it. The folder falls to the ground between them and so she can wrap both arms around him and hold him so tightly. "Wh- where did you go? Why did you leave? I told you not to go!"

The thing with Bruce, it was so minor and he just took off! And then not even his creepy family knew where he was and his brother was gone, too, and-- "Did they take you? Kobra, you've been gone for days."

He winces when she squeezes him. "I--I think so. I think they... did stuff to me."

He presses his face into her hair and closes his eyes as he gets flashes of memory. It's hot. It's so hot and he can't move. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was just trying to go to Gabe's house to see if he could fix shit for me."

"What-- what's wrong?" Don't think she didn't notice that wince, Kobra. "What stuff? What do you remember?" Her grip on him loosens considerably but she doesn't dare let go.

The apologies have her worried. He seems so shaken and hurt? Is he hurt? She wants to look him over but she doesn't want to move. Right now logical, cool, and collected Lydia has been replaced with an over-emotional, slightly manic version that's just thankful he came back to her.

"It's okay. Shhhh, shh, it's okay. You're okay." She reaches up to smooth his hair and kisses the side of his face. "Never do that to me ever again."

"Not really. It just hurts." He exhales slowly. It's weird how comforting it is to just hold her. He really loves the way she smells and the way she feels in his arms and he kind of just wants to drown in that feeling.

"I'll try not to. I didn't mean to." He squeezes her again. "This is where I wanna be."

"Hurts where?" Where she held him, obviously. But anywhere else? "We should get you to the clinic or-- ... back to Jet Star and Fun Ghoul." Stupidest names ever, but they mean more to him than she does.

"They were looking for you. Both of you. We all were." Well, she was looking for Kobra specifically. Minor technicality. Now that she has him back, she can focus on whatever she needs to do to make him happy and keep him safe.

He freezes up in her arms, going all stiff. "Both of us?"

Party's name is suspiciously absent and he knows Party would tear shit up for him. No. No no no. He needs his brother. He needs Party.

He shakes his head. "Lyds, what's going on?"

He doesn't know. They didn't go together-- oh god. She doesn't pull away, but she doesn't pull him closer, either. Not if it hurts him. This is going to hurt enough as it is.

"You both disappeared at the same time. You and Party. Jet contacted the network asking if anyone knew where you were. He's not here, Kobra. He hasn't turned up yet."

He's not going to cry, because grown men don't do that. They don't fuckin' cry.

"Maybe he's just hiding or freaking out that I was missing." Oh, please. He needs Party. It's not okay to not have him. He needs him.

His heart is pounding in his chest and he's having a hard time breathing. Instead of even trying, he just sort of crumples to his knees.

Oh, Kobra. She won't hit him with logic, harsh truths, or likelihoods. There's no point. They won't reassure him and she knows he already knows what the chances of Party 'just hiding' really are. He's in pain and she can't fix it with words. She's not sure if she can fix it at all.

So she sinks to her knees in front of him and gathers him to her chest. "Shhh. Just breathe, baby. Just breathe." Lydia knows this feeling well. It's how she felt when he said goodbye. He could cry if he wants to, she wouldn't say a damn word.

"I love you and I'm right here."

He's not crying. He's not, but his face might be mysteriously wet as he presses it against the side of her neck.

She loves him and he loves her, too. It's not easy to wrap his brain around, but he does love her.

"No one's ever called me baby before. Like... not like that." Not like he was precious or anything.

Really? That's where his mind goes? Well, it's better than anger or sadness or shutting down completely. He's still with her and he's focused on some adorable detail and she just has to laugh.

"Good. I like knowing I'm your first." Because it's kind of like leaving a mark that he's not likely to forget. Something no one else will be able to give him when he strays. "Do you want to go home?" His home, she means. To see what's left of his family. She'll go anywhere he wants.

"Yeah, just... give me a sec." He pulls back enough to brush some hair off of her face. "You're okay, right? And everyone else?"

He needs Party and he's worried as fuck, but he at least needs to know that everyone else is intact.

Kobra had said he wanted to lay low, which Bruce was prepared to respect -- he laid low all the way to India -- but he's been getting worried. Laying low is one thing, but Kobra should at least still be able to check in when Bruce calls him to make sure he's okay, right? In this place, it's too dangerous to disappear because you could actually disappear. And maybe Bruce shouldn't have a reason to be so concerned after their fight, but honestly, Bruce is more concerned about Kobra than anything. He'll take better precautions with himself in the future.

At first, Bruce doesn't quite believe that he sees Kobra because it wouldn't be so easy to just run into him, but no, that's definitely him.

"Kobra?" He comes closer, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "How are you?"

Bruce's voice startles Kobra and for a moment, he looks like he's terrified.

"Bruce..." And then Bruce had better be ready for an armful of Kobra Kid, because it's coming at him. "They took me. I didn't make it to Gabe's." He doesn't remember, not really, but there are little flashes of pain that could be from his marred skin or they might just be memories of what had caused it. Every time he stretches the tender skin, fear rips through him again.

He's not quite ready for the armful, but that doesn't stop him from hugging him back once he has the armful. He sighs heavily to have his fears confirmed, and he rubs his hand gently over Kobra's back.

"Okay, okay. Ssh. You're okay now." Ha, sure. Are any of them okay? Is there any way to keep them from being abducted again? He pushes aside that bitterness and focuses on Kobra instead.

"Do you remember anything?"

It takes Kobra a moment to calm down enough to talk. He's just so fucking happy to know he's safe, even with all the soreness.

"Just little things." He sighs. "Pain and shit. Only way I can tell I was gone is that I feel all shitty and there's shit that's half-healed."

"What's half-healed?" Now he holds Kobra back at arm's length so he can take stock of him. The thought of him being abducted is troublesome enough without thinking about him being hurt, too. Obviously he knows they're not bringing people back for tea time, but Kobra still wearing evidence of his injuries is troubling and reminds him of Sam. As if Kobra weren't unstable enough.

Kobra lifts up his shirt, revealing an angry red patch of healing skin. There are others on his legs and back, but this is the easiest one to show and the only one he's looked at yet.

"Burns. They're not like laser burns, either." He'd know. He's had a ton of them.

Bruce frowns and starts to lean down when Kobra lifts his shirt, but then he stops and pulls out his reading glasses first, sliding them into place. Then he leans over and gently touches a patch of clear, healthy skin near the marks.

"No, they're from fire," he murmurs, looking him over again since he's this close for any other signs of damage before he straightens again and slides his glasses off. He doesn't put them away, just holds them in his hand, fiddling with the stem.

"Not too surprising since last we met you had some fire problems, but I do wonder how you got them." Accidentally self-inflicted? Worse?

"I don't know. I don't remember." But his flame-y powers are gone. He checked.

This is totally scary as fuck, though. They took Lyds and then they took him and what the fuck? This place is just scaring him more and more. He wants to go. He doesn't care where. Can't the all just go somewhere else together?

"Okay. Okay." He glances around them and then nods toward the village. "Let's get you to the clinic and find something to put on those burns. Are you hungry? I might have something there. I definitely should have some tea still."

Bruce wonders what Tony might have to say or think about Kobra being back and under Bruce's care. Not like that's going to stop Bruce at all and if Tony's tendency toward protective jealousy gets out of hand, he won't really stand for it. He just wonders if this is a conversation they'll have to have. Kobra isn't leaving Bruce's life, and he'd rather he and Tony got along.

"Fuck, yes. I am starving, Doc." Getting this shit to heal sounds great and food even better. Bruce is like Jet in a lot of ways. He seems to step easily into this caregiver role that Kobra just can't quite get, but he appreciates that other people can do it. It's awesome.

Despite that first run-in with Loki - whom he hasn't seen since, strangely - , Galen still likes to wander down by the lighthouse on nice days. It's close by, so why not? He misses the water.

He isn't expecting the sound of the lighthouse door bursting open, though, and for a second he's worried that he's pissed someone else off by wandering too close -- but it's not Loki, or even anyone unfamiliar, for that matter. And he looks a mess.

"... Shit. Kobra?"

Party! He turns quickly and fuck, all he wants right now is to hug all the people who matters and his brother's at the top of that list.

His face falls when he turns and sees Galen. "Hi." It's not personal, but he needs his brother like nothing else.

Galen notices that slight double-take, and he can't help it; he feels sort of bad.

"Hey, where were you? Are you alright?" He doesn't look it, of course, but Galen doesn't want to alarm him. Those burns look pretty bad.

"No!" He wraps his arms around himself. "I don't know. Gone, I guess."

He's shaking a little. Fuck, it's not even that cold out. "Is Kenz okay? You have her back when I don't, right?" He knows that Jet and Ghoul and Party have each other and Lyds has Bruce, but he doesn't know Kenzi's housemates as much as he should. He's pretty sure Galen and Jesse have her back, but he's gotta check, because he's a good sidekick.

He's been gone long enough.

Jet has spent a lot of time near the lighthouse. On the beach. It empties his mind enough so that he doesn't need to think, or be concerned at all. He can fix himself - or at least, patch himself up - this way. Jet watches the waves come up on shore, hands behind his back, and only has a mild heart attack when a very familiar killjoy slams out of the lighthouse and takes off.

At first, Jet thinks he's hallucinating, but - he follows after anyway, walking briskly at first, then - faster, running, calling out.

"Kobra Kid!"

Kobra freezes and turns slowly.

"Jet!" He grins. "Jet Fuckin' Star!"

Jet hugs are some of the best hugs and he's going to steal one right now by attaching himself to Jet like he's a fucking starfish. A hurty, sad, scared starfish who needs his friends. Motherfuck.

Kobra isn't the only one who needs his friends. Jet gets his arms around Kobra and absolutely does not let go. He thought Kobra was gone. He'd accepted it. But Kobra's here, and Jet - he can't help it, he just holds Kobra close and hides his face.

"Where have you been?" Jet asks quietly, not letting Kobra pull away. No, it wouldn't do to let Kobra see his face right now, and he's not sure he can control it yet.

"I don't know, but I'm here now. Everything's okay." It's a sentiment he doesn't express often, but as long as he has his boys and Lydia and Kenz and Bruce, he'll be okay. Other people can come and go, but he's got everyone he needs here, minus one half-pint who he hopes is someplace safe.

Jet especially makes him feel like he can get through anything as long as he's got them. He's like a fucking rock in a stormy sea of shit.

"It will be soon enough," Jet murmurs, taking a deep breath. When he thinks he can handle it, he pulls back and looks Kobra over. "Are you hurt? Don't hide anything from me."

He usually does hide this shit, but not from Jet, because Jet has X-ray vision for lies, so he nods and lifts his shirt to show Jet the healing burn. He can feel a few more in other places, too. "Kinda freaking out here."

Nah, Jet would know something was wrong. He's definitely psychic that way - in any case, he takes in the healing burn, and frowns. Wow. That does not look okay. "You - what did they do? Is this the scientists work? Kobra Kid." His voice is a little tense. "What do you remember? Come here, we're going home."

"Don't remember much. Just little things." Pain; trying to move limbs and not being able to; so much bright white.

He moves closer. He's ready to follow Jet wherever. Really.

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I'm just the way that the doctor made me

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