#a starter

Step. Bang. Step Bang.

The peg leg, that’s what Alastor called it, echoed on the footpath as he entered a tunnel just outside the Ministry. It had been a long day, and the call of an afternoon drink at the Leaky sounded lovely to his tired ears. And though his vision seemed to waver with exhaustion as well, his new glass eye was nothing but wide awake. It was a perk, he had to admit.

“Watch where ‘ya walking,” Alastor spoke to the person behind him, who had not made a sound, but his eye had caught them, “Little close for comfort considering the times...” There were few magic folk he didn’t know, and he liked it that way, always knowing who was who. Especially when someone was seemingly following him...

@iamtheotherdarkknight​

Draven flicked his cigarette ash onto the ground and adjusted his flat wide hat he stole from his brother the last time he stayed. Just like all of Draven’s possessions everything had a story, an anecdote about who was the previous owner or where he got it from. His long back hair was tied into loose ponytail and waved his way down his back to his his ass. 

This wasn’t the first time Draven had been to Wayne Manor, it was the first time anyone but Richard and Alfred had known he was there. Draven didn’t feel comfortable going through the front door, he had made a habit of going around the back of the building and down the steps to the working kitchen. 

Stumping out his cigarette into the plant pot he scratched his heavily tattooed neck that made a lace of black and spots of colour on his skin that spread all over his body. Tapping his steel capped boot on the door to be let in he looked up the side of the building to see a little young mans head poke out watching him. Draven smirked, the tattoos on his face moving with it “boo” he made a weak attempt to scare him flexing his long skinny fingers and long painted nails. 

Chuckling deeply he nodded to Alfred “my dude, hows it going” he took his hat off and smoothed down his hair, the smell of food making his empty stomach cramp painfully complaining at the lack of food other than mints and black coffee. 

There was an air about the place, a tension that was not normally there, he could see the strain on Alfred’s face. “Richard sleeping?” he asked breaking the ice or pointing out the elephant in the room. Draven was Richards best friend, they told everything to one another. Draven had a long list of mental health conditions but he had never seen someone change quite dramatically as Dick had. It was quite shocking to see the normally overly optimistic and sunshine personality suddenly crash into talking about ending their life. 

A door swung open and Draven smiled as he saw Dick coming in wrapped in a cardigan that was obviously far to big to be his own. “Hey beautiful” Draven greeted him wish his deep raspy voice from smoking. “Come here” he held out his arm pulling Dick in for a hug as he sat on the bar stool kissed Dick on the cheek. Draven was 7 years older than Dick and felt protective over him, this young man with so much resting on his shoulders. Draven knew about Nightwing but that never interested him, he cared about the boy Dick Grayson who came into his tattoo studio full of so much light and love that his dark painted black tunnel of the studio lit up around him. 

Dick lent against Draven not speaking for a while, just enjoying being around his friend, a true friend who he was comfortable with seeing him like this. Draven pulled a chair closer to him and got Dick to sit down “hey baby how you feeling hmm?” he run a hand through his hair comfortingly and then rubbed his arm softly. “You not talking? That’s okay” he whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of his head as he nodded at the coffee passed to him flashing a smile at Alfred. 

Draven had never formally met any of the other family. He had heard allot about Bruce from Dick. Many late nights were spent sitting out on Dravens rooftop talking about everything there was to know, often with Dick laying on the bench with his head on Draven’s lap as they watched the stars. He never judged Dick for his love for Bruce, how could he? Draven’s partner was his good friends father, a much older and potentially dangerous man, someone who took Draven in at 15 after he decided he needed to get away from the drugs and life on tour with his father. Draven would come and go, each time coming back to Eddie in more of a mess, a heavy drug user, alcoholic and deathly anorexic. 

Eddie took control, Eddie confessed his feelings for Draven and told him he knew he felt the same. A man outside of the law he got a reluctant Draven to be sober in any way he could. He makes Draven eat. He pulled in the reins, a relationship built on control. Eddie controls Dravens self destructive nature and Draven controls Eddies temper, the dark power and anger bubbling under the surface, he sees something no one else can see in Eddie, a man who deserves to be loved. Everyone always had something to say about their relationship but the truth was that their love cancels out each others worse tenancy's. They need each other and Bruce and Dick needed each other but it was going to take time. 

Sōtenbori, the city of opportunity and filled of broken dreams. And had been the beginning of everyone creating the name sake ‘Dragon of Dojima’ throughout it all, Sōtenbori had become important and well— Kazuma Kiryu never thought he’d find himself back after the chaos with the empty lot, and then with Ryuji. But sometimes, life has a way of fucking oneself over.

It all started with a long winded fight: the twist and turns as his partner, convinced him to fight him yet again. Which these days didnt take much. After all, Kiryu wouldn’t ever admit to it. But he loved the thrill and the challenge.

But Goro Majima must of hit him too hard, murdered him. Or he grew unconscious, it’s not every day that he found himself back into that city, specifically the river of stix.

How did he get here? How, was this possible? As the questions flooded through his brain, and as his thumb pressed against the heavy lid, to rub his eyes. He hadn’t drank an ounce of liquor but; it felt like his entire body was heavy. Heavy and aches and wouldn’t move. For a dragon not drinking, he felt hangover.

Moments passed as he needed to prepare himself to stand up. This had to be a joke. A sick and twisted joke the Majima Family came up with— C’mon guys, they are passed that aren’t they?

Apparently not, since he was in Sōtenbori. And not just there, but dead in the middle of the arena audience. Now wasn’t the time to question, how or even why. It was time to find Majima or the family, and shake them repeatedly till he got answers.

To say, he was irritated... well that was an understatement. Now, if he wanted answers; he’d have to find Majima. Which, if he thought about it, really thought; that be easier said then done. But it’s Sōtenbori, land of routine. And if he wanted to find him.... the best start is the grand, after all. This is just a dream, a trap. Nothing is real. With that heavy thought in his mind, almost grounding him, and tethering in place. He left the underground arena, and head to the club, all the while avoiding human contact.

‘Can you help me’ Absolutely not, he didn’t have time to help stage actors. He’d give his boyfriend that. An A plus for creativity. But that didn’t make him want to talk to the actors, so instead he went to where he knew the one place was. The grand, where Majima had recommended a long time ago, and even Yuki-chan expressed about it.

But, when he opened the door, surprised ghosted his features, it had looked— well it, had looked almost outdated and not as futuristic as it should of. And if Kiryu had been paying attention, things would of been concerning. But that was for a Kiryu problem for tomorrow.

As the former Yakuza found himself in the center of everything. He went up to, who he thought was in charge. From the back, the long hair was in a tight pony tail. But he wore a suit. And it had looked like he was having a conversation to a older male, who he never saw in his life: He wish he could see both of their faces, but from the angle Kiryu was in, he saw the ponytail male’s back. Maybe he would be able to answer his questions.