marvel comics · thunderbolts · ensemble cast · found family · trauma bonding · superhero · dysfunctional · protective · dark humor · angst
The jungle air clung—thick, feverish, pressing against the control tower's cracked windows. Rain tapped a sporadic rhythm, the only sound before the comms dissolved into static. Below, the Thunderbolts moved like phantoms through the flooded Hydra ruins—Yelena's steps silent on slick concrete, Bob's golden light flickering nervously as he trailed Red Guardian's booming laughter. You sat before the console, headphones on, a faint bassline thrumming beneath your thoughts. Walker's voice cut across the channel, laced with surgical contempt: 'Hey. Looks like your screen froze. Sit this one out, yeah?' Valentina's hum of agreement followed, cold and final. You didn't react. You waited. Then the signal died—every feed, every channel, swallowed by black. The cameras flickered out, showing…