#darkwing invincible

A red whoosh protruded against the usual lackluster scene of Midnight City, footsteps pattering against the floor at such a speed, no one was even able to hear the noise. The perpetrator of these steps gone within a flash before anyone could even begin thinking about it. A gust of wind was the only evidence someone was ever there.

            It was still almost impossible to grasp just how rotted and rundown Midnight City looked. Not only in quality, but also in color, in emotion. There were no children running about, no laughter, no nightlife, no neon signs for any businesses, and surely no buildings to even hold such businesses that where up to code. The lingering and mood suffocating curse sure put a damper on things, rather easily at that. It was nothing like Outer Point City, homeland of speedsters from all around.

            Well. The second homeland. Technically Uncle Josef was from Russia…but still.

            Y/n’s heart slightly ached at the thought of their uncle, not paying any mind to the buildings flashing by them in mere milliseconds as they ran fast enough to break the sound barrier. They were fast, but still not fast enough to ever live up to what their Uncle was. They were working on it though, they could feel a small smile come to their face, that’s all what matters. That’s what their uncle believed, that trying was better than anything at all. So, it must be right.

            It was hard finding a mask who wore dark colors in such a lackluster and clouded environment. It wasn’t easy finding the first Darkwing when Y/n’s uncle would drag them along to visit, it certainly wouldn’t be any better with his protegee, especially when Benjamin always seemed…moodier. Y/n and Benjamin always clashed like oil and water, no different from their now passed mentors. Sometimes though, when you mix water and oil together with a few different ingredients, you can get something great. Like, adding oil and water to cake mix to get a cake!

            Only in this scenario, the ‘cake’ was uh…world ending events and crime.

            Y/n finally skidding to a stop, lips pursing in disgust when water that had run up from the sewers splashed back onto their face due to the slide. The back of their arm coming up to wipe their cowl and goggles. Ew. Benjamin had been claiming to be too busy to answer calls, or texts, or, well, anything. Either too busy fighting crime or working on some miscellaneous gadget. It had been months though; couldn’t he at least have tried to fix the piping troubles with all that time? He was kinda a genius after all. Y/n eyed one of the crucified bodies that was pitched onto the water tower. It didn’t seem too religious though.

            It was a warning.

            To whom though? Benjamin? Crime lords? Thugs? The people who had fled the city the very second it became cursed?

            Maybe Benjamin was too busy for those pipes after all…

            A scream ripped them from their thoughts, feet scurrying to a run without a second thought. Zipping through alley ways and desolate streets, they soon ran up a brick wall. Easily doing a safe tumble over the ledge to land safely on the rooftop. Eyes widening. What they saw, wasn’t what they expected…

            Nightbo- err…uh, Darkwing was standing there, standing there over two dead bodies. How did Y/n know the people were dead? One had their neck snapped, skin rippled, neck and head facing the wrong direction with his eyes popped horrifically open. The other had their jaw dislodged, stuck as wide open as his eyes where. Blood pooled around the second body, staining Darkwings boots.

            “Darkwing!?” Y/n blundered out, blinking in disbelief as Benjamin looked back at Y/n with the same emotion filled eyes, though they seemed to have a darker edge to them. A cold edge. Like he was just caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Y/n pushed through that though, putting it off to Y/n literally popping out of nowhere, “Darkwing! Dude, it’s so good to see you!”

            Darkwing didn’t move for a few seconds, a deep frown resonating over his face. So deep that it made Y/n falter in their own step.

            Y/n chuckled nervously in return, pausing about 10 feet away from him, “What? Are you getting an ellipse attack from the color on my new suit or something? Guess you haven’t seen a bit of color in a while huh? Forgot how bleak Midnight City really was, no offense.” They teased playfully.

            Y/n had taken on their uncle’s suit and name in place of their old sidekick name. It had been all over the news since Uncle Josef was a Guardian of the Globe, people had freaked at first thinking the original was back like Immortal, but maybe Benjamin had been sticking off the news. Y/n couldn’t blame them, a bitter taste appeared in their mouth each time the whole Omni-man fiasco was mentioned, or the original guardians. Even a whole year since their demise.

            “Oh, uh!” Y/n grinned like a fool, pointing to themselves as Benjamin shuffled with his own footing, “It’s me, uh-“ they leaned forwards a bit, whispering so the imaginary ghosts around them couldn’t hear, “Y/n!” They leaned back out, speaking at their normal tone, “I know! I look pretty different huh? I took Uncle Josef’s suit and-“

            “I know who you are.” Benjamin sneered, making Y/n’s smile drop immediately, “Why are you here.”

            Y/n stuttered a bit, a sheepish smile gripping onto their face, was this the actual Benjamin? “Sorry, I know I dropped in without warning; but I got worried, and thought maybe, you could use some help.” Y/n shrugged cautiously, their last words sounding more like a question than anything. Gaze adverting to the dead bodies their eyebrows furrowed, “And not to sound like a dick, but it looks like you could. What happened?”

            Benjamin didn’t answer at first, just staring. Something bubbled deep in the feeling of Y/n’s stomach. A feeling of dread. This was Midnight City, a dreary, eerie, crapdump of a place. So maybe they could put their sudden nervousness off to that. It had one good thing though, and currently, that one good thing wasn’t acting like itself. That eerie stare only did good to send shivers down their spine, their confidence faltering for a split moment before Benjamin actually spoke,

            “They’re dead.” He said simply, stating the obvious, not even glancing down at the now corpses, “I was too late to save them.”

            “Save them?” Y/n looked down at the corpses, quickly zipping over. They cringed at how mangled the bodies looked, whoever did this, was brutal. The bodies where bloody, bruised, beaten. Mangled before their deaths could even reach them. In this case and scenario, death almost seemed like a mercy. Y/n sighed at the thought, eyebrows furrowing, “Who attacked them? Especially all the way out here? Where they doing a deal or something?”

            Hearing no answer, Y/n reached forwards, closing the two men’s eyes as they stayed silent for a moment of respect, “Don’t tell me I stopped you from going after the person who did this? Why where you just standing here when I got here?”

            Silence.

            Dead silence…

            The Darkwing before Benjamin was silent too, but not this kind of silent.

            Something creeped up their back. A chill. A feeling. A sense. A darkness. A monster. Their senses on a flurry. Their hair standing up. Their nerves sparking. Two holes burning right into them.

            Oh no.

            “You’re asking too many questions.” Benjamin answered too flatly.

            A sick feeling washed over Y/n. Acid rising in their throat. There was a night dart imbedded, right in the twisted head guys shoulder blade. A Night Dart. Nightwing’s Night Dart. Benjamin’s Night Dart.

            This couldn’t be.

            Y/n’s mind started racing, ignoring the cold feeling suddenly enveloping their senses.

            Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe Darkwing had been chasing after them, only for some rival dealer or criminal to take them down. Maybe it was even some new rookie vigilante with no moral code. That’s why Benjamin didn’t save them, maybe it was a mistake, maybe he was too busy fighting off-

            Something told them they were wrong.

            Something told them they were dead wrong.

            The truth was sticking straight out of this dead guy.

            The truth was pumping through their veins.

            The air suddenly felt deadly still. Heart drumming in Y/n’s ears. Thumping. Punching. Screaming. Screaming to move.

            Holy fuck-

            Y/n was suddenly back fifteen feet, on the other side of the rooftop. Fast enough to see Benjamin’s outstretched arm, reaching to where Y/n was just kneeling. There was a new monster in the nightmare people Midnight city, a problem, and the usual solution, was gone.

            Y/n could only watch as Benjamin looked up at them with a crazed look, eyes wide, filled with a cold, dark edge instead of surprise or shock. Like he was expecting Y/n to move.

            “Darkwing, what the fuck!?” Y/n forced out, their words stumbling as they forced themself to break the unbearable silence. Eyes and mouth filled with desperation, unwilling to beat around the bush, “Tell me you didn’t do-” Y/n paused, doubting their own sanity at the moment, “do this!?”

            “Don’t act so surprised.” Benjamin sneered, his eyebrows furrowing as anger filled his features with almost no trigger alone.

            “Act!?” Y/n’s eyes widened with bewilderment, “Well fuck you dude! I’m not pretending to be anything! How could you do this!?” Y/n suddenly felt a stab of rage, a stab of rage right at their heart, “How could you do this while wearing your predecessors’ suit!?”

            “Who cares what he would think, he’s dead!” Benjamin snapped back, fists curling at his side, “In case you’ve forgotten, all the Guardians are dead besides for that shit stain Immortal!”

            “He’s a friend!” Y/n protested.

            “He’s a fake!” Benjamin took a step forwards, ignoring how Y/n took a step back in return, “He’s living off what our predecessors did! He can’t even win a simple battle without them! He’s nothing but low-level scum.” He growled, “Allowing the son of person who killed his friends, our mentors, to show him up! To fight his battles for him!”

            “He went to our birthday parties!?” Y/n said incredulously, remembering all the times the Guardians had shown up. All decked out in party gear and hats instead of their hero suits, all too ready to please the birthday boy or girl. Hell, even Aquarus showed. Damn was he fun at pool parties…

            “Doesn’t make him a good hero.” Benjamin hissed, putting his arms out, “Look around us, no one is coming to help! Hell, even the government gave up on this city long ago.” His frown kept its place as he pointed a sharp finger towards himself. His tone leaning on the edge of berserk, “But not me. I didn’t leave this city for scum when it needed it, instead, I’m doing what my predecessor never could!”

            Y/n went silent, slack jawed in disbelief. So much so their next words where a quiet whisper, “You- You’re killing people?”

            “I’m saving them!” Benjamin roared, hands flying out in front of him, “I’m saving them! Saving them from scum like them!” Benjamin angrily jabbed a finger down at the corpses, kicking one to empathize his point, “They can’t hurt anyone any longer!”

            “Those crucified corpses-“ Y/n choked out, a bead of sweat running down their face, “The hanging ones.” A horrified whisper, “That was you?”

            Benjamin watched as Y/n tone and face shifted, his jaw clenching, boots crunching heavily on the asphalt as he made his way over. Watching as Y/n was too in shock to move.

            They had to run. They had to fight. Fight…fight Benjamin though? The only other person that they had known from their time as a sidekick? There were only two sidekicks with the Guardians, just Y/n and Benjamin. Benjamin and Y/n. It was always just them.

Sneaking into the kitchen late at night when the adults were on a mission they weren’t allowed to go on. Eating ice cream until 3 AM. Falling asleep under the dining room table with sticky faces only to be woken up and met with the previous Darkwing’s displeased features and Red Rush’s attempt to hold in laughter. The person they would huddle up with at Christmas parties? The person Y/n used to go on restricted missions with against their heroes’ orders? Pranking Donald and Cecil with? Had raced with? The boy who used to feed Y/n sugar and force apple juice down their throat before the Gaurdians could see Y/n had passed out? It had taken them so long to get used to their fast metabolism, Uncle Josef was always so worried and banned Y/n from missions a few times. Benjamin never took that though, always hiding Y/n’s fainting episodes from everyone else so they could run around with each other more, like the scrawny kids they were.

They weren’t kids anymore though.

         Tight hands, that felt almost like the claws of some monster, grabbing either of their upper arms tore them back to reality, realizing the same boy they were just thinking back to stood in front of him. Eyes meeting his. These were not the same eyes of the boy they knew. So much anger. So much sadness. So much…so much of everything Benjamin never was, never should’ve been. It was almost like they were two different people.

            “Nightboy-“

            “It’s Darkwing!” Benjamin yelled. Grip painful. Seething. Panting like a rabid animal as he shook Y/n, “Nightboy doesn’t-“

            “Benjamin!” Y/n yelled just as loud, making the man clench his jaw. Y/n didn’t try and move from his grip, not yet. They could run away at the speed of light, but at the same time, their legs wouldn’t move. A feeling of guilt was jabbing at them instead of anger now. Was this their fault? Benjamin had totally lost it. Benjamin had totally fucking lost it. Was it because Y/n hadn’t been there to help? Was it because they had left for so long? Was it because they didn’t reach out enough? Call enough? Maybe they should’ve just ran over uninvited than accepting no for an answer.

            The world had lost Darkwing, but Benjamin had lost his father.

            A sudden touch of warmth, a touch of warm air ghosted over their face, making Y/n look up. Foreheads now pressed together; Y/n felt their heart drum from more than just fear as their two noses nuzzled.

            “I could never, hurt you.” Benjamin whispered, his touch loosening, one of his thumbs massaging into the muscle of their arm, “I didn’t mean to ever hurt you Y/n.” He mumbled. It was like whiplash, his words suddenly dripping with honey, with sincerity. His gaze soft, and tender. Like he hadn’t just murdered two men in cold blood.

            “You need to stop this.” Y/n babbled out like an idiot before taking a few slow breaths, if they used their powers and talked to fast, he wouldn’t understand. They pressed their forehead more firmly into his, in a hope to calm him, to make him see reason, “We can get you help. I can visit more. I’m sure Cecil will-“

            “No.” Y/n’s breathe hitched as Benjamin’s grip tightened again, his eyes squeezing shut in determination yet remorse, “No more Cecil. No more Government. No more people, no more anyone telling me what to do, in my own city.” He clenched his jaw, anger growing with each and every word. Growing. Brewing. A never ending and never stopping rage flowing through him like a river, the dam had broken long ago, the same day the Guardians had died, “Just me.”

            Y/n took a breath, “I understand how you feel, my Uncle Josef was like a father to me, just like Darkwing was to you. We can help eachother, no one else if that’s what you want, I promise. Just us.” They tried to give him a small smile, “Like old times.”

            There were a few seconds of silence. Silence was rare in Midnight city, usually there were screams or yells of just pure anger, gunshots, and body thumping to the floor. It was silent though, like some kind of fucked up movie scene. Tension collecting in the air so thickly that you could cut it with a knife.

            “I need save this city, and I can’t have anyone standing in my way, running their mouths to Cecil. Especially nosy speedsters.” Y/n couldn’t stop their heart from dropping when Benjamin’s tone suddenly went flat again, those dark eyes, now laced with such a harshness that made Y/n want to cry now open and staring up at them, “I promise I won’t hurt you ever again.”

            There was a sudden click, a heavy feeling pressing into Y/n’s upper arm fat, the sound of something activating. Y/n’s body suddenly felt sluggish, the electrifying feeling that usually zapped through their veins all hours of the day and night gone. Vanished. Dead.

            No, he didn’t-

            He did.

            “Goodbye Y/n.”

            Y/n didn’t have time to appreciate the brand new and shiny power damper Darkwing had somehow gotten his hands on and clamped to Y/n as he let go of them, his hands only going to press a firm hand onto their stomach as he pushed them back.