I hissed as the bandage peeled back, taking a layer of scabs with it. It didn't really hurt, but it did look gross as hell, and it stung a little. Pendragon apologized, probably assuming that it hurt a lot more than it did. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared, my nerves were starting to grow back, but the lack of pain was an awful reminder that my hands might never fully recover.

"Hey, Jack," Pen said, his voice soft and laced with concern. His sympathy only made me more frustrated. "It's going to be okay." I chewed on my lip, fighting my urge to snap at him. How would he know it was going to be okay? Talking to me like I'm too childish to know that it won't.

He couldn't possibly know what I was going through, he was hiding most of the battle. He didn't hear the screams of those monsters in his head whenever he closed his eyes. He didn't hear the crunch of their bones and bodies as they were smashed against the concrete by my hands. He wasn't the one bursting pipes in his sleep…

...Maybe Pen did understand what I'm having to deal with, but he couldn't feel it himself. He wasn't the one dealing with a future without functioning fingers. I felt only the lightest pressure in my hands, wrists, and forearms as he dabbed salve over the red, dimpled, melted looking skin. It was disgusting to look at, and my stomach turned as I told myself that this is me now. How could he even bear to touch me? He moved to a spot on my chest where I'd been burned by Tony's laser thing to break Loki's control. It wasn't that bad, I hadn't even noticed it during the fight, but a week later it was still red and painful. This burn barely needed salve anymore, it was almost healed already, but Pen insisted on it. Who am I to deny him this?

Pendragon started to wind gauze around each arm, from the elbow to the tips of my fingers. Each finger was bandaged with folded gauze between them to prevent them from sticking to each other while healing. Finishing the wrappings with medical tape, he forced a sympathetic smile at me, and began putting away the supplies the hospital has provided. I sat in silence, only vaguely looking in his direction.

The knot in my chest tightened and I felt my eyes water. I flexed my hand, feeling a dull ache inside my palm. The tears clinging to my lashes were pulled away at my command. I held the tiny beads of water in front of me and felt relief that at least my magic was unaffected. I heard footsteps and promptly evaporated the tears, salt dust disappearing to the floor. No evidence of how hurt I really felt.

The couch cushion sagged as Pendragon sat down, and he pulled me into a tight hug. He pressed my cheek against his chest, and I heard his heartbeat and shaky breathing. He shuddered and sniffed, a drop of water landing on the fabric within my vision. Crying. I gingerly wrapped my arms around him and hugged back. If anything, I knew that it was better to let it out than to keep it in.

We stayed like that for several minutes until Jarvis' voice sounded from the nearest speaker. My mother had arrived. Pen excused himself to wash his face and I stayed on the couch, wrapped in a faux fur blanket.

She walked in still dressed in her scrubs, carrying a large envelope in one hand and her purse in the other. Dropping the purse on the coffee table, she let herself fall onto the couch next to me and hugged me.

"Hey honey," she said, smiling tiredly at me, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm managing," I croaked, my voice thick from not being used. I just hadn't wanted to talk in the week that's dragged by after Thor took Loki back to Asgard. Mom brushed some of my hair behind my ear. It was unkempt, tangled, and greasy.

I hadn't showered since leaving the hospital, a combination of not wanting to do anything and not being able to use my hands. I didn't want Pendragon to help me, and I'd been resisting letting Mom help too. I felt myself space out as she commented on my unwashed state and stale pajamas that I haven't changed in a week. It was only when she touched my shoulder that I jolted back to reality.

"I said are you ready for me to help you take a bath?" She asked, using her "bedside" voice. Like I'm one of her patients. I guess I am. I nodded slowly. It's past time, and might help lift my spirits a little. I had overheard Pendragon ask Dr. Banner about possibly prescribing antidepressants, and Dr. Banner explaining that he's not that kind of doctor. I knew everyone was aware of the hole I'd sunk into after everything had quieted down and we had gone into hiding.

Mom opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers. Inside were letters from my teachers, a list of the things that I've missed so far, and a get well card from homeroom. I smiled a little at the card, which was signed by everyone in the class with little well wishes. Mom told me that I was excused for several weeks until I could bear sitting in class for a whole day again, and when I did return they'd give me a helper in each class for note taking and whatever else I needed.

She had gone to my principal and explained that I had been hurt during the invasion. I wasn't the only student who would be absent for a while, and I felt sick at the thought of how many students and teachers wouldn't return at all. Of course I would be excused for my injuries, and everyone else in the city who suffered as a bystander. War doesn't care about innocents.

I slowly sifted through the list of topics I needed to catch up on and frowned. I didn't want to do any of this. Dropping the small stack of paper on the coffee table, I pulled my knees up to my chest and pulled my blanket back over my shoulders. Mom rubbed my back, like she used to do when I was sick as a kid.

"Do you want some hot chocolate before your bath?" She asked. I nodded, feeling warmth swell in my chest at her love and care. Pendragon walked back into the room as Mom stood up, and followed her to the kitchenette on this level. I heard them talking about me before they went out of range. I chewed on my lip again, tasting blood as my skin broke under the constant abuse I had been inflicting. I hate this, all of this.

Reaching for the TV remote, fumbling with my wrapped mummy hands I managed to turn the damn thing on. It was already set to my prefered binge-watching channel, since I've taken to living on the couch I'm basically the only one changing channels.

One commercial break later, Mom and Pendragon returned with a couple mugs. They settled onto the couch and Mom passed me the biggest mug, topped with dissolving marshmallows. I took it carefully with both mittens and brought it to my face. It wasn't too hot to drink immediately, which was nice, and the marshmallows on top stuck to my lip.

"Your lip, it's split," Pen said, but I ignored it. I didn't want to talk about it, it's nothing compared to my hands after all. I sipped for the duration of the show, and clung to the empty mug through another two commercial breaks. Mom's hand on my shoulder snapped me back to reality, and I realized she and Pen were right in front of my face, concerned. I looked down, startled and embarrassed.

"Come with me, honey," Mom said gently but firmly, lifted the mug from my grip and handing it to Pendragon. I stood on shaky legs and followed her to a large bathroom with the tub. Tony really thought of everything when he was building the suites in the tower. She filled the tub with water, helped me undress, put plastic cast protectors over my bandages, and helped me climb in.

The heat from the water felt amazing, and I relaxed as magic bubbled over my skin. My legs fused into the golden scaled tail that I didn't even realise I'd been missing. The bandages and plastic covers were unaffected, probably because the magic knew how badly I needed them. I curled my fin, and smiled a little. I hadn't changed since before the battle, lucky for me the cleansers they used at the hospital didn't trigger my transformation in front of all those people.

I let the water soak the tension out of my body, enjoying the feeling of my mother washing my hair. At her request, Jarvis played some relaxing classical music while I relished the little bit of warmth that I felt in my damaged arms. Even a little feeling is better than nothing I suppose. Time flew, and the next I knew she was draining the water. I steamed the water from my body, wincing from the sting, and Mom helped me climb out of the now dry tub.

She held up a bathrobe for me to put my arms through and I walked with her to my bedroom to get fresh pj's. The clean fabric felt much better against my clean skin, and when I returned to the couch, I wrapped myself back into my blanket feeling refreshed.

Pendragon showed me his laptop screen where he was messaging Tony, who had also been suffering from nightmares due to the invasion. Pen had been updating him about how I was faring, and while we both experienced anxiety and intrusive thoughts, we were expressing it and coping differently. I cleared my throat and asked hoarsely if I could talk too. Pendragon passed the computer to me and Jarvis' access let him translate my voice to text.

Tony was happy to hear that I knew and understood what was happening, well not happy that we were both suffering, but relieved that he wasn't going through it alone. He said that Pepper was struggling with his panic attacks and his growing obsession with designing and making new suits to ward off intrusive thoughts and memories from his encounter with death. I told him about my lethargy, and my dissociation and new addiction to mindless tv to distract me from my fears. We agreed that we were pushing our loved ones away, and I could see the looks of distress Pen and Mom exchanged when I said that I did it because I don't want them to see how broken I've become, and how fragile I felt.

Tony lamented that Pepper's been wanting to help him, but his coping strategy is causing friction between the two. He explained that working on suits helps keep his mind clear and his fears pushed aside, but when he leaves the lab it's a fight to be "normal" again, with the anxiety and depression and PTSD. I told him to seek help, talk therapy, a psychiatrist with the qualifications to write prescriptions for antidepressants and sleeping meds for insomnia. I told him that it's something that I need too, so we aren't alone going through this. Tony pointed out that Dr. Banner could help, and I couldn't suppress a giggle when I told him that Pendragon had already tried that, and that is wouldn't work.

We switched to video and voice talk to make it easier. I couldn't repress my gasp when I saw how haggard he looked. Grease smeared over his cheek. His eyes looked sunken, and there were visible dark circles under them. He looked like he hadn't shaved or showered in as long as I had.

"Oh, Tony," I voiced my concern, "You need to rest, go take a shower!" He looked at me and shook his head a little as he fidgeted. "Tony, I know being alone means that no one has to hurt because of you, but those demons in your head are going to get worse if you don't take care of yourself!" He sighed, and looked back at me for ideas. Mom stepped into view, ready with some suggestions.

"Ask Pepper, she probably feels like she's being pushed away. Tell her that you are going to shower or bathe, then say that you don't want to be alone, and were hoping that she could join you." Tony gave a weak smile, and I blushed at my mother's implication.

"Yeah, I suppose I could give that a try. Now I know it's getting late on your end, so you go get some rest and Jarvis can give us each a list of top rated psychiatrists in our respective areas in the morning." I nodded and bid him goodnight. The call ended and I passed the computer back to Pendragon. He stretched and opened the chat app that we'd "friended" those other mermaids on. He had been giving them updates about how everyone here fared all week, and how quickly the city is getting to repairs. Many small business were open, and a few office buildings had survived untouched. Corporations had workers digging through rubble to collect as many customer records and essential things that could not be replaced so easily.

All of the local hospitals were filled, he told them, and many people in less critical conditions were being shipped off to the surrounding community hospitals for care. They had been watching the news, and they knew death toll was massive. News channels and sites were filled with filled with talk about "The Avengers" and what we had done. Many people were angry, and directed the blame at us, but others were grateful that there were supers available to keep it from getting worse. None mentioned the nuclear bomb that had almost resulted in Tony's death. And there were no comments about the mysterious "magic teens" that were spotted in the fray.

Cleo sent us pictures of Pendragon and I, fuzzy pictures and obscured faces. There were already people conspiring about our identities, and people guessing what my red arms and hands meant. There were questions about Natasha and Clint too, and there were similar photos and theories surrounding them. No one questioned Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Hulk. They were known already. I was a little amused about being a mysterious magic teen, but also relieved to be faceless. I didn't want or need the attention that would come with being a public Avenger. It was hard enough dealing with the emotional and physically recovery from the invasion.

I relaxed into the cushions as fatigue took over, rendering my mind fuzzy and quiet. The tapping of the keys on the laptop faded into background noise. My eyelids drooped as I decided against fighting the call of sleep, stretching myself out on the couch. Pendragon adjusted to compensate for my legs resting over his lap, and I gave myself over to sleep.