(Double Chap. Sorry for last week. I had food poisoning and can’t get out of bed for days.)
[Edward POV]
"I an, if you want to show I’m still pro-governnt, which I never was... then I guess you have to show your sincerity first," I said, hinting at the governnt representative who ca to visit at the hospital with my eyes.
The President rolled his eyes as he asked, "What do you want?"
"Just so uranium. No, not so. A lot of uranium. I need to test out the new rocket energy reactor."
"Fine," the President sighed.
"Also, another thing..."
"Alright."
"I also need..."
"Okay. Are you done now?"
I smiled giddily and said, "Boy, heroes are stupid for not taking advantage of their actions for selfish reasons. Glad I’m not like those guys. One last thing..."
As we worked out the details for the uranium deal, the President asked in a whisper, "Since the threat level has gotten considerably higher, I need to place a commission for a next-level defensive suit."
"Right." I looked at him with a deadpan expression. The entire country now believed that Peter had thods for creating super soldiers. For the President, it ant he needed a contingency plan for them.
I couldn’t even say the threat wasn’t real, even if I wanted to. There was no way for to explain why the agents I was fighting could throw down like that.
"Ohh... I actually have sothing," I suddenly rembered. The President’s eyes lit up as he said, "You have?"
"Yeah. Um... Give a pen and paper. Go to these coordinates, and soone will guide you to it."
The President left with a spring in his footsteps. We posed for a picture. I recorded an Instagram video with him, showing that there was no strained relationship between and the governnt of the United States.
At the coordinates, there was a prototype Iron-Bat lightweight chanical suit that I had been tinkering with. It was sothing I made just for the fun of it. But it has a serious energy consumption issue without the android core as part of its build.
There were a lot of angry citizens in the country because of the incident. A few hundred of them even decided to camp outside of the hospital, raising banners and protesting hard against the governnt.
There were even a few rap verses dedicated to by rappers such as Eminem and 50 Cent. Gifts poured into the hospital, and when I woke up, the room was almost full of flowers and get-well-soon baskets.
My dad flew to New York imdiately during the incident, bringing my mother, my aunt, Amy, and Maggie, along with Vader. Only Vader was left at my place, as my dad kicked out everyone except for Vanessa to avoid bothering while I got so rest.
I didn’t stay long at the hospital and returned ho that Monday afternoon. As I lay down on my couch after taking a much-needed shower, Vader jumped on top of my chest, owing anxiously at my face.
I rubbed her head to calm her down before turning on the TV. Vader curled up on top of and purred.
Vanessa looked at with disbelief and said, "Really? You’re going to watch cartoons right now?"
"It’s Teen Titans. Of course I’m going to watch it," I replied incredulously. As I looked at her, I saw her chin quivering and her arms crossed.
"Are you okay, Ness? Do you want a hug?" I asked as I opened my arms wide.
Vanessa didn’t hesitate; she rushed toward and jumped into my arms. Vader was startled as she was suddenly sandwiched between the two humans.
Vanessa wrapped her arms around my neck, resting her face on my chest, sobbing silently.
I patted her hair and said, "You must’ve been really worried, huh?"
"Who wouldn’t, you son of a bitch?" Vanessa said, using my shirt as a handkerchief to dry her eyes.
"There, there. I won’t do it again. I promise," I said comfortingly. "But I would do it if you’re up for it," I added with teasing eyes.
Vanessa jolted back and slapped on my shoulder, saying, "The doctor told you not to do anything strenuous for at least three weeks."
"I just need three days to heal. Besides, the whole thing is a moot point if I didn’t have to do all the moving."
"Still no!"
"Maybe a ’happy’?"
"No! JUST REST and watch your cartoon!" Vanessa ran away from imdiately.
I shouted, "Did you go away because you feel like you cannot control yourself from jumping my bones if you stay here?"
"What do you think?!" she replied angrily.
"Hey, I’m going to the 99th precinct to thank the cops who helped save . Do you want to co?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I do!" she replied without changing her angry tone.
Finally left alone, I activated my healing palm jutsu and placed it on my stab wounds. Vader was astonished when she saw the light coming from my palm, and she looked at in shock.
With my Uzumaki bloodlines, I would’ve healed in just a few days, but I didn’t want to wait that long.
After an hour, the wound was fully healed. Then, I moved on to the broken and fractured ribs. But before I could completely heal myself, I fell asleep.
...
"Huh? What?" I jolted awake, disoriented, and abruptly sat up, launching Vader off the edge of the sofa. She landed with a disgruntled ow and stalked away, tail flicking in annoyance.
"Sorry, Vadie," I mumbled, turning to see that the room was shrouded in darkness. The sun had set, and my stomach gurgled in protest.
"What ti is it?" I glanced at the clock, my heart sinking as I saw the glaring numbers—3 AM. "Was I out the entire day?" I couldn’t wrap my mind around it; this sort of thing never happened to .
A sound from the kitchen pulled from my thoughts. "Ness?" I called softly, moving cautiously toward the source.
My heart raced when I spotted the group of agents I had been fighting against, standing in the kitchen. They charged toward with alarming speed, reaching their hands to grab , blood all over their bodies.
...
"Huarghh!" I woke up screaming. Vanessa, startled, flinched as she was about to sit beside the couch, a glass of water in hand.
"What’s wrong with you?" she asked, concern etching her features.
I panted, glancing at the window to see the sun still shining. The credits for the Teen Titans show rolled, aning I had only been out for ten minutes.
"Nothing," I replied, shaking my head. "Here, drink so water and take your ds. You need to take them an hour before eating." She handed the pills, then the water.
I swallowed them in silence. After drinking water, I declared, "Let’s go out and eat."
For so reason, I couldn’t sit still. Vanessa’s brow furrowed. "Your dad is bringing the food here for lunch."
"Then I’ll work out for a bit," I insisted, attempting to rise, but she gently pushed back down.
"You ARE INJURED! The world won’t end if you just rest for a while!" she scolded.
Monts later, my dad arrived early with the food. As we gathered around the table, he asked, "So, Edward, how are your ribs?"
"It’s fine, a little oily." I replied, digging into the baby back ribs. "He’s talking about your rib bone," Amy interjected, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
"Oh, that." Before I could respond, Vanessa jumped in. "The doctor said he shouldn’t do anything strenuous for about a month, so we all need to keep an eye on him."
Maggie nodded sympathetically. "He’ll definitely try to do it secretly if we don’t."
My aunt chid in, "Worse. He’ll say, ’It’s ti for leg day’ to get around the doctor’s orders."
My mother chuckled childishly. "Edward, you’re a weakling."
I stared at them, incredulous. "Fine. If that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll stay still. But just know that I’m going to use all my energy to make your lives miserable. And believe , I have plenty of energy."
Amy smirked. "Yes. Now that your doctor told you not to do anything with your girlfriend anymore, I guess you’ll have a lot of pent-up energy."
"Do what?" My mother looked at Amy, curiosity piqued. Everyone turned to Amy, who blushed under their scrutiny.
"Ah, Dad, how about your wedding?" I quickly changed the subject. "Thank goodness I’ve already made the rings."
"About that..." My dad hesitated. "We’ve decided to postpone the wedding."
My heart sank. "Why are you postponing it? It’s not because of , is it? Because, you see, my kidnapping is a yearly thing. I’m already out of the being-kidnapped quota this year."
Raising his hand to calm , my dad said, "First of all, it’s not because of you. Secondly, we’re only postponing it for a week to better manage everyone’s schedule."
"Oh... okay then."
I eyed my dad suspiciously throughout lunch. He was in disbelief from my attitude, but he didn’t try to convince . While we were eating, a helicopter suddenly flew near the building.
A reporter tried to film the inside of the penthouse as my location was leaked. My dad furrowed his brow and said, "They are really too much."
"It’s fine. I have so contingency in place." I said with a cold tone. As the reporter was trying to go live on air, the entire channel who was broadcasting the show was shut down.
The channel flickered to a blue screen, accompanied by a high-pitched noise in the background. The producer and engineer desperately tried to regain the feed, but their efforts were in vain.
A helicopter faded into the distance as an NYPD chopper approached, escorting them toward the landing pad. Everyone aboard the helicopter was arrested, including the producer who had sought the exclusive footage.
Other channels attempted to capture the story, but all t the sa fate. Their entire operations were shut down, and no one dared to try again. They tried to sue, but well, I had the president on my back. I also countersued them for emotional distress.
Later that evening, I made my way to the NYPD 99th precinct, carrying a few gift baskets with . Mickey pull around a wagon full of the gifts, and also in his hands.
As soon as I stepped off the elevator, Terry’s face lit up. "Hey everyone! Newgate is here!"
Jake, Amy, Gina, and Boyle turned to greet , but Rosa marched ahead, her expression a mix of concern and annoyance. "What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be out of bed yet," she scolded.
I shrugged. "I had to co. I can’t calm down without thanking my saviors."
"You’re welco. Now go ho!" Rosa tried to push away, but I slipped past her and placed a gift basket on Jake’s desk.
I grabbed another from Mickey, who was drowning in gifts, and set it on Boyle’s. Then I moved to Amy, Hitchcock, Scully, and Terry.
Boyle bead. "Hi, Mr. Edward Newgate! It’s our first ti eting!"
I shook his hand and replied casually, "Just call Eddy, Detective Boyle. Jake’s best friend deserves to call that."
"You hear that, Jake?" Charles turned to Jake, beaming with pride. "He said I can call him Eddy."
"Edward, Rosa is right. You shouldn’t be here. I’ve seen the doctor’s report. How are you even standing right now?" Jake asked, concern etched on his face.
"I heal fast," I replied nonchalantly.
Captain Holt suddenly erged from his office, surveying the scene. "What is going on here? Why do all of you have gift baskets on your desks?"
"Don’t worry, Captain. I didn’t forget about you." I handed him a fruit basket.
He hesitated. "Although it’s a kind gesture, I must inform you that as police officers, it is illegal for us to accept gifts from the citizens we serve—"
I pressed the basket into his hands. "Only if the gift’s value is more than $20. Also, I get all of this for free. So there’s no money involved—just my heartfelt sincerity."
"Well, since it’s free..." Hitchcock exclaid, snatching all the extra gift baskets from Mickey’s hands.
"Hitchcock, no!" Holt shouted, but Hitchcock had already torn open a chocolate bar, saring his mouth with it.
Rosa sighed and approached . "Now that you’re done, go ho."
"I’m fine, Rosa," I replied, a hint of annoyance creeping into my voice.
"Are you?" Rosa raised an eyebrow, then jabbed lightly at my chest, but I anticipated the move.
"See? You can’t touch ," I smirked. "Also, I’m here to convey so news."
"What news?" Jake asked, happily munching on candy from the gift basket.
"Detectives Rosa Diaz and Jake Peralta, both of you are to go to the White House to receive accolades from the President of the United States for your bravery in the fight against superhuman terrorists." I announced in an official tone.
Rosa’s eyes widened in disbelief, while Jake’s face broke into a grin. Boyle leaped up from his chair, cheering for the two detectives, and the entire precinct erupted into applause.
"What about ? I fought with those guys too," Mickey interjected, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"You’ll get a bonus from . They can’t, so they only get a dal with no real value," I said, trying to appease him, but it only made Rosa more annoyed.
Jake said, "Wow. Now I don’t feel as good about getting that dal from the President." Suddenly, his grin returned. "No, wait, I still am!"
Rosa chid in, "If we’re getting dals, then there’s another person who also deserves a reward."
"Who?" I asked, curious.
"The forensic intern who helped us find your location. I’ll call her," Jake said, pulling out his phone.
Suddenly, Holt interjected, "If you’re talking about Abigail, I’ve already asked her to co by the precinct today to give her statent. She’ll be here soon after finishing her work at the National Forensic Laboratory."
The elevator dinged, and a brunette with twin tails and a tallica shirt walked onto the floor.
"Oh, great timing. She’s already here," Holt said.
My eyes widened at the sight of her. The familiar face, the playful jiggle, the eyeshadow, and black lipstick.
"Abby?" I called out, disbelief flooding my voice. "You... found ?" I asked, still in shock. Abby approached, her expression warm. "I found you," she murmured affectionately.
A brief silence enveloped the room. Jake smiled awkwardly and interjected, "Uh, what’s happening?"
"That’s his ex," Vanessa explained, her eyes filled with concern. "His whaaa—" Jake exclaid, astonished.
"Hi, Edward," Abby said with a childish grin. "Wow, you’ve gotten really tall. You used to be at my height." She looked up to et my gaze.
"Well, you too," I replied casually. Abby nodded, placing her palm beneath her chest. "Yeah, they’ve grown as big as my mom’s now."
"No, wait. I didn’t an that—although..." I had to agree with her.
"Really, Newgate? Within two minutes of us eting again?" Abby teased.
"You’re the one who brought it up," I retorted. I noticed Vanessa’s right eye twitching. Abby suddenly leaned in and hugged . "I’m so glad you’re back safely."
I wrapped my arms around her, feeling a wave of relief. " too."
"Also, you have to show the knife wound. I really want to see what it looks like in real life." She slid her cold hands beneath my shirt.
Before she could pull my shirt up, Vanessa interjected, "Hi. I’m Vanessa. I’m his... friend."
"Hi, Vanessa who’s his friend," Abby replied, catching the subtle implication. She quickly removed her hands.
"Why don’t we all catch up back at our— I an, his place? You guys haven’t seen each other in years. I’m sure both of you have a lot of stories to tell," Vanessa suggested.
...
Back at my place, Vanessa sat sulkily on the bed while I removed the bandages from my abdon.
"Why didn’t the doctor give you braces for your ribs?" Vanessa asked curiously.
I replied seriously, "Because it’s not dically necessary. Broken ribs usually heal with pain managent and breathing exercises. They’ll heal naturally, and braces could cause breathing complications."
"Great. Now that you’ve answered that question, here’s another: Why didn’t you let Abby co back to the penthouse today?"
I turned to Vanessa, incredulous. "Because there are a lot of people at my place today."
"So you want to be alone with her?"
"I’d rather not have her around my entire family in case it gets awkward. Besides, you’ll still be there when she cos by tomorrow, so why are you still angry? May I remind you that I’m still a patient with a lot of injuries?"
Vanessa pursed her lips. "Now you rember that you’re still a patient."
"Ow—sorry, I can’t hear you over the pain of my knife wound," I whined, laying my head on her lap.
At first, she hesitated, but then she brushed my hair affectionately. "Okay, fine. I won’t bring it up again... today."
"Wow, so I have two hours before the deadline ends," I chuckled lightly.
"Now, the doctor told I can’t, but I guess having a romantic mont with you in a nurse’s outfit, giving a sponge bath in the shower doesn’t count, right?" I flirted.
Vanessa tried to appear angry but failed, a smile breaking through. "I don’t have a nurse’s outfit."
"Don’t worry. If you say you would, I’ll have an outfit flown over in just a few minutes," I said earnestly.
Vanessa giggled. "Why not? I could wash you while wearing nothing."
"What if—and hear out—you wore a nurse’s outfit?" I insisted.
After so playful banter and flirtation, I took a shower together, then headed to the balcony of the penthouse after she fell asleep. With a lighter in one hand and a joint in the other, I smoked while gazing at the stunning New York night skyline.
My dad approached as I finished smoking. "Edward, are you okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Yeah, I’m fine. Just have a lot on my mind," I replied, still not looking his way.
"So that’s why you made your girlfriend dress up like a nurse?" He said with a cunning smile.
"I don’t believe that Frankie never dresses up for you."
"Actually, she never did. Maybe that’s sothing fun to do on our honeymoon."
"That’s gross. I’m your son. I don’t need to hear that."
"I also don’t need to hear you and your girlfriend frolicking around, but life has its ways of disappointing us."
We talked for a mont in which I teased him a few tis. "RDJ and the others will co tomorrow to shoot the horsen eting scene, so I need to go to bed. You’re leaving tomorrow night to Wisconsin, right? Bring Max and Caroline with you."
"The wedding is postponed, so I’m not going to go anywhere. I’ll stay with you until the filming ends."
I looked at him with suspicion and yelled, "I KNEW IT!"
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