The Price We Pay for Family - 37

Cont...

 AJ felt numb as they descended the clouds into the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. The lush green mountains hid vibrant cities that would have taken his breath away at any other time but now didn't even give him a thrill. 

Uncle Sam met them on the platform when they landed and ushered them inside. From then on, it was a blur of doctors and various other people telling them things and dragging them places. Eventually, AJ found himself alone in their scarily big guest rooms. 

Mama had been whisked off by the doctors to get filled in on what was going on, and Cass had jumped at the opportunity to see Shuri's lab, which in AJ's opinion, was a perfect distraction. But no one had even asked him if he wanted to come to either place. So he was left in their very big guest rooms to try and busy himself to distract from the stress and questions. 

He carefully unpacked his bag in his room and then unpacked Cass's. He didn't get past the first item before finally breaking down.

 It was the family photo album Cass had had in his room for a school project. The picture on the cover was of them, all of them, on the pier two summers ago, right after the Blip. They had been awkward and unsure but so happy together. 

Uncle Bucky was grinning in the picture hovering at an awkward distance from Mama's shoulder but looking delighted to even be there. Why did this feel so painful?

 AJ was crying so hard he didn't hear Uncle Sam come back. "Hey, AJ, you good?" Uncle Sam's voice suddenly filters through AJ's head as his uncle lowers himself onto the ground next to him, so they were both leaning against the bed. 

"I- I don't know why I'm crying." AJ hiccuped, "I- I should be happy. What's wrong with me?"

 Uncle Sam wrapped an arm around AJ's shoulders, and the weight that had been pressing on his shoulders just came flashing down like a wave of water as it dispersed. "Sometimes, what we want to feel and what our body needs to work through are two different things." Uncle Sam said gently, "And it's okay to feel conflicted. You just need to get all the emotions out so you can focus on the ones you want." 

"It doesn't feel right to feel guilty or sad." AJ sniffled as the tears finally came to a stop. 

"It doesn't feel right to feel a lot of things when things like this happen." Uncle Sam agreed, pulling back, so they were looking at each other, "But feeling all this at once doesn't make us broken. It makes us human." 

AJ looked at him, leaning against the side table instead of the bed, "And when do these feelings go away?" 

"They fade when their subject becomes more of a steady presence." Uncle Sam shrugged, "It's why stepparents eventually get accepted and vice versa. It just takes time and not being on an adrenaline rush."

 AJ tipped his head back and fiddled with the album cover still in his hands as he labeled his breathing, "He proposed, did you hear that? She said yes. At a time like that, man." AJ shook his head again, "Not sure I can wrap my head around everything that's happened so fast. I don't know what to feel. What to do." 

"I don't think any of us do." Uncle Sam huffed before tilting his head over, looking at AJ, "But we'll get through this together, alright?" 

AJ sat forward and nodded, "Yeah. Alright."

 "Alright, come on." Uncle Sam got up before offering a hand to AJ and pulling him up, "Let's get some dinner going before your mother and brother get back."

 "Why aren't you with her?" AJ asked, following his uncle to the kitchen and living room combo. 

"I was already briefed with all the medical stuff earlier." Uncle Sam shrugged, pulling open cabinets and drawers, "Thought I'd make dinner instead of listening to it again." 

AJ grabbed an apron and pulled it on silently, thinking, "It's not good, is it?"

 Uncle Sam paused and winced before looking over at AJ, "No, it isn't."

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