SPOILERS for Children's Crusade #9

[assguardian]

What's gonna happen now?

Cassie, Jonas, Nate, and even Eli — now what?

I can't do this.

Comments

dfjsldkf BUCKY

[assguardian]

[Wet laughter. Friends? Two are dead, one at the hands of another, and two have left the team for good.

What kind of friends are they, now?]

Friends. What kind of friend leads his friends to die?

I haven't even CAUGHT UP WITH THE YA YET AND HE STILL HAD TO TRY HELPING

[a_survivor]

The human kind. Unless he meant them to die, which I won't believe was the case.

[Hurting, that kind. All the more in need of each other. Teams aren't the most important part of friendship.]

Also the kind who will have to face the fact that they also chose to follow him of their own free will and believing that what he was leading them to was worth fighting for.

And the kind who will have to realize that not everything is his fault.

have tissues at the ready :(

[assguardian]

But what if it was?

[Walking out on the Avengers, pushing the issue to find Wanda - and then it's one bad decision after another, one stupid idea after another, and for all the good it did he's lost four friends without having to lift a finger.

This isn't how kids are supposed to grow up.]

Is it always this hard?

I gathered. Then again, I've been crying regularly over comics already, so... water's still wet.

[a_survivor]

It... yeah, it is usually this hard. But you don't always lose so much. [except when you do. Which ... he can figure out on his own.]

Making mistakes doesn't put you in fault. Intentional actions do. Your decisions mean responsibility, yes, but it's for putting them in the line of fire. The fault for their deaths lies with those who killed them alone. Not with you.

[slightly wry smile] As somebody who died where a friend led me... I followed willingly. Eagerly. I know it wasn't his fault. Does this help?

Re: I gathered. Then again, I've been crying regularly over comics already, so... water's still wet.

[assguardian]

[billy smiles weakly. It does, and he wishes it didn't.]

Just a bit.

But Jesus Christ I'm gonna miss them.

[a_survivor]

*have a shoulder-grip? With his normal hand.*

Yeah, there's no way around that part... and there shouldn't be. It's part of being alive.