Nine years after the events of Visne's attack, Edward and Micheal are happily married and living a quiet life. NightHawk and Antennes are well-known in the hero community, both having made a name for themselves, and things seem like they are finally...
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'I am here at the scene of another bank robbery happening downtown at the First National Bank, where it seems that some sort of slime villain has taken several hostages– Oh my–! There was just an explosion. I am unsure who... Wait, no, I think I see him. Ladies and gentlemen, Antennes has just entered the scene and is taking out the villain! I see multiple explosions but have lost track of the hero... Hostages are running out of the building... There! I can see Antennes; he has secured the villain and is bringing him into custody!' Micheal chuckled into his coffee mug fondly as he watched the screen, adjusting his reading glasses before turning back down to his book. The front door unlocked and opened in the other room, the sound of shuffling and groaning making Mike's lips twitch up.
"You're on TV again." He called, flipping to the next page. A drawn-out groan grew louder as Edward approached, hair in disarray and suit slightly charred, a bruise blossoming over his left cheek.
"Ugh, don't remind me of this guy. Do you know how gross it is to punch someone covered in slime? Not to mention it was warm– Bleh! Almost puked!" He leaned down to kiss Mike's head, who hummed, and then straightened and pulled off his mask.
"Bad day?" Mike asked, watching Ed kick off his boots and take off his suit. Over the years, they'd upgraded the suit's a lot, and they were now heavy-duty and light-weight, providing optimal protection while keeping their respective colors– Red and black for Antennes; tan, brown, and orange for NightHawk. Edward shook his head.
"Not really, just long. A few drawn-out fights here and there. How was your day?"
"I did absolutely nothing today." Mike smiled. Edward laughed, moving into the kitchen with the top of his suit pulled down around his hips, showing off his sweaty and bruised torso. Micheal could hear him rooting around in the fridge and cupboards.
"Nice! Exactly what you're supposed to do. You need to relax more, babe." Mike smiled and set down his book, coming to stand with Ed while he made and ate a sandwich. He scrunched his nose, leaning away a little.
"Yikes, bud, you planning on taking a shower?" Ed rolled his eyes.
"Yes, dear, I am. You think I like smelling like a wet dumpster dog?"
"I'm pretty sure wet dumpster dogs smell better than you right now. What were you doing, fighting in a sauna?"
"No, I was fighting some annoying wanna-be supervillain who'd created some weird robot contraption, which he used to throw me into the back of a garbage truck. And a dumpster." Mike winced, taking a step back.
"Right. Eat, and then go clean up." Ed smirked, leaning in towards Mike with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Oh? No hug?" Mike held his hand up, glaring.
"Don't you dare."
"Dare what? Come on, gimme a hug." Ed chased after him, both of them running around the kitchen island. Mike laughed, ducking out of the way when Ed tried to tackle him.
"No! You stink– I am not touching you!" Ed, who was kneeled on the floor, laughed breathily, wiping at his eyes.
"Fine, fine, I'm going. I want a hug after, though." Mike smacked his back lightly, watching him walk up the stairs. It had been nine years since the events of Visne's attack, and a lot had happened during that time, including NightHawk and Antennes becoming pro-heroes, Mike and Ed getting married three years ago, and buying a house, among other things. Now they were in their late thirties, and their careers were going well, with Antennes having been mostly accepted as a hero. Mike was proud of him– of them both, really– and what they'd accomplished together. It hadn't all been easy, though. Ed still had a slight droop to his eye from the fight nine years ago that grew worse when he was stressed, and Mike's nightmares had been horrible for nearly a year, visions of Edward dying in his arms still haunting him. Not to mention, of course, that they were getting older, and with age came sore muscles and aching backs– and to both of their horror– grey hairs. Pam said it was probably from stress, but Mike still felt like no thirty-eight-year-old man should have grey hairs. Despite it all, though, they'd stuck together like glue, and Mike, for one, couldn't be happier. He settled back down on the couch with his book, waiting for Edward to come back down so they could relax.
Ed toweled off his hair and pulled on his t-shirt and pajama pants, finishing cleaning himself off before going downstairs. Mike was once again resting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table, black glasses perched on the tip of his nose. Ed smiled softly, squeezing his shoulder and sitting next to him, arms touching as he glanced down at the pages. Mike had started reading yesterday and had made good progress from the looks of it.
"Good so far?" He asked. Mike hummed.
"Yeah, it is. I think you'd like it. It's about a detective investigating a case just like one he'd done years ago. I'm pretty sure I already figured out what's going on." Edward grinned at that.
"I wouldn't be surprised. Oh hey, Pam called me earlier. Asked if she could come over next week."
"She doesn't have to ask; she's welcome anytime."
"I've told her that before, but she knows you haven't been feeling well, so she didn't want just to show up." Mike turned to him, glaring.
"You told her?" Ed felt guilty, but only a little bit.
"Yeah, I did. I hadn't even meant to tell her, but she asked about you, and I wasn't going to lie. I didn't go into detail if that's what you're worried about." Mike deflated a bit.
"I just hate this." Ed pulled him into his side, rubbing his arm.
"I know," He whispered. "But it'll be fine. You're burnt out, babe, and I'm honestly surprised it hasn't happened sooner. You just need some time to rest up." It was true. Mike had nearly collapsed a couple of days ago while on patrol, about giving Ed a heart attack in the process, and then got sick. He'd gone to the hospital to get checked out, but in the end, it was found that it was just general burnout with a cold to boot. Rest, relaxation and some TLC were all he'd need. Ed, of course, was more than prepared to give that to him and had spent the last two days working and making sure Mike did nothing but sit back and take it easy. So far, he'd succeeded, and he wasn't afraid to say he was proud of himself for it.
"So what did you tell her?" Mike asked.
"Nothing yet. I said I'd ask you."
"I'd like to see her. Would she bring Squishy?" Squishy was Pam's daughter, Danielle, who'd Mike had given the nickname 'Squishy' because of how chubby her cheeks were as a baby. Needless to say, Mike was Danielle's favorite uncle.
"I'd imagine so, but I'll ask. So, is next week good? We can all hang out here." Mike nodded, leaning further into Edward's arms.
"I'd like that." Ed sighed, holding him close. Overall, life was good. Not perfect, but good.
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Short and slow start, but I want to sort of set the scene since its such a large time-jump from the end of TIaaC to here. I really hope it's good so far despite that! Things'll pick up soon. In the meantime, I'd love to get comments on how the story feels to you guys so far. If something isn't right, or if you want to see something happen, please just let me know!
