(Untitled)

[amazonofthe21st]

Rachel has been busy. Actually, Rachel hasn't been seen much around Metropolis. In fact, Rachel hasn't been seen much of anywhere... aside from DetroitShe comes back to the apartment in Metropolis at night, because Tobias sleeps there, too, and would worry if she didn't. And while she's never seen him, Rachel has a sneaking suspicion that she's

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[whoiwasmeant2be]

Outside the pharmacy, which she has to leave eventually, there is a hawk perched rather conspicuously. He's on top of one of the dozens of wrecked cars that still litter the streets, and while he looks like he might be sleeping... Well, he's not.

[amazonofthe21st]

Yeah, Rachel doesn't think so either.

But then, she's been injured. And the healing process was less than pleasant. And it still hurts.

So if he wants to talk to her about it, he's going to have to deal with being glared at for a moment before she starts stomping down the street toward the apartment.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

is what he asks as he launches himself into the air.

Hey, it's better than his first two thoughts: "I told you not to go without telling me" and "who sewed that up?" Tobias isn't completely stupid.

[amazonofthe21st]

Which is important, if he wants to continue spending most of his time near Rachel.

He gets a glare anyway, though. That's not too surprising.

(it's possible she heard the two questions anyway, even without them being spoken aloud)

[whoiwasmeant2be]

He's a hawk, so he doesn't sigh. And, as we mentioned, he's no dummy, so he doesn't sigh mentally either. Instead Tobias lets his glide path sink lower, bringing him in closer to her.

Just because he wants to be close to her.

[amazonofthe21st]

...yeah.

After a few minutes of walking, Rachel's expression gentles. She glances up when his shadow gets bigger, sees how close he is.

And very carefully, pulls her hair over one shoulder. So he knows which one he can land on without hurting her.

If he wants to.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

That's an invitation. From Rachel. Tobias isn't about to let that go by without taking advantage of it. He glides in on a shallow path, landing far more gently than he might have if she weren't injured.

Then he leans his head lightly against hers.

[amazonofthe21st]

That's okay. She's leaning her head back.

"Were you watching today?"

Sometimes, she can't tell.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

he trails off, letting the 'injured' part go unsaid.

He isn't quite going to say it's his fault, but... He does feel like it's at least partially his fault.

[amazonofthe21st]

She shrugs the shoulder he's sitting on. Not as an expression, but to jostle him a little, like she might nudge someone in the shoulder.

"I'm fine."

And the thing that cut her definitely is not.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

he responds, shifting to bump her back lightly. Whether that's an admonition to her, or an admission of his own mistake, or some combination of the two, isn't entirely clear.

[amazonofthe21st]

Rachel doesn't say anything at first.

You could have been.

You didn't want to be.

I wasn't going to ask again.

"You're there sometimes," she says, without accusation. He said he wouldn't go - but he's there sometimes, watching her back.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

He's there sometimes. Just not when it matters.

He doesn't say that, but... Rachel knows how he thinks.

[amazonofthe21st]

"This is the first time."

Literally. She's never been scarred from a fight in her human body before.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

If he had been there. Which he knows with absolute certainty despite not having any idea of the particulars of that little incident.

[amazonofthe21st]

"Unless you were distracted by something else."

She's been hurt before. Been cut, been shot, been ripped open. She's lost limbs. And it wasn't that Tobias wasn't looking out for her, it was that he had his own fight to focus on, his own limbs to avoid losing.

It's just that neither of them were human when this was happening, and none of those injuries were permanent.