#mcd warning

At first I read this as "how does the pack hide from Sky that Time is dying," which upon reread isn't what I think you meant by this ask. But I went through an old draft where I was going to kill Time at the end of the o!Sky series, and since I went to the trouble of finding it, that's what you get.

The answer really is: they can't. And not just because Sky would refuse to leave his side.

MCD under the cut.

Especially when Dick pivots so hard from angst and frustration towards Bruce to " I am the only person who really understands B. Back off. " Against some yippity upstart who dares give lip about Batman, romantic or hostile.

Which led to me to theorise Slade is not equipped to deal with that type of zeal. Which makes the kidnap / apprentice arc trope funny as hell to think about

No like with Slade loyalty is hierarchical. It's trusting your orders more than your own personality.

Dick will bite and scratch and lead an army of teenage superheroes against the Justice League to save the day

But he will also literally rip his beating heart out for Bruce.

So Slade would be so damn uncomfortable carrying that kind of devotion. Because it would not be something terrible when luck runs out for Dick.

And guys like Slade hide behind blood ties and warriors sense of debt and honour. It's an obligation to serve, not a choice.

Dick dying for Slade would be one heck of a catalyst towards a redemption arc, because that euphoric sense of happiness Dick has when putting himself in mortal danger

“Kitty, I will never abandon you."

Felt like drawing these two (in pain).

Something about chat noir tenderly kissing LBs face and hands even when he knows she wont respond is just so. So poetic.

AO3

“Hello Dean.”

Dean almost didn’t look at first - he was ready to write it off as his ears playing tricks on him again like they’d done many, many times in the past. 

He looked, though. 

Of course he did.

Dean slowly lolled his head to one side to see a trench coat-clad figure standing in the corner of his room, a half-smile tugging on the corner of his lips. 

Dean just stared for a moment, squinting, then let out a chuckle. 

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

“I highly doubt that.” Castiel said, looking almost shy. 

Dean hummed. 

“You’ve got some explaining to do, you know.” Dean said, wagging a finger in Castiel’s direction. “Just up and leaving me alone like that? Gives a guy all sorts of mixed signals.”

Castiel dropped his gaze. 

“That wasn’t my intention. I apologize, Dean.” He looked back up and seemed to let himself smile again. “At the time, I - I wasn’t expecting a moment like that to ever present itself.”

“Yeah, well,” Dean cleared his throat, “You should’ve.”

Castiel took a cautious step forward. 

“I know that now.” 

Silence fell between them again as they took the time to stare. 

“So,” Dean said, the first one to break it, “What brings you back? Didja leave something behind?”

The lines of Castiel’s face softened as he looked down at Dean, and nodded as he took a seat in the chair next to his bed. 

“I believe I did.”

Dean swallowed and awkwardly let one of his hands fall open next to him on the bed - an invitation and a question. 

“Well. You know. Guess you should take it back with you.”

Castiel seemed to let out a relieved breath and rested his hand in Dean’s, squeezing once. It was warm and comforting in a way Dean hadn’t felt in a long time, and yet had always felt. 

This is what he’d been missing. 

This is what he’d always had. 

“Don’t worry,” Castiel said reassuringly, “I plan to.”

Dean nearly lost himself staring at Castiel again; he would have been content to stay like that forever.

“Dean?”

Dean turned to look at Sam on the other side of him, who was frowning like something was wrong. 

Sam’s hair was gray, so gray that Dean felt like pointing it out to him, but  for some reason doing so felt like a familiar urge that he’d indulged in several times before already.

“Who are you talking to?”

Day 14 - Overgrown

"I'll take it, don't worry. I'll take it. Just give me a bit more time. Let me age with my- our family for a bit longer. Just a few more weeks and then we'll freshen up this old face for you, yes, my love?"

Anthony asked for a bit more time. He always did. But in the end. In the end, he died quickly and unexpectedly. He died and left Loki with an apple and nothing but regrets. 

They'd promised to stay together forever. The apple, a wedding gift, a show of goodwill from Odin but Frigga was who truly gave it to them.

Anthony had wanted to wait, just for a while. To grow older as Loki's and Anthony's adopted children matured. Harley and Peter, such bright souls. The apple would have taken those years away, solidifying the bond between Loki and his love, matching their years... 

Anthony had never eaten the apple and Loki wouldn't- couldn't leave. 

Thor and Frigga came, they tried to take him and his apple. Tried to separate him from Anthony, but his magic lashed out. Threw them away. 

And they never came back. 

And Loki.

Thank you for always being my there to cheerlead and beta for me @nickelkeep

Also on Ao3 GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH WARNING

“I can fix this!” Dean yells. “It’s not broken!” Cas pleads. He’s on his knees in an angel trap. “I’m not broken!” Holy oil spills over his face, slipping between his lips as he begs. He tries to wipe it away, terrified. He looks up at Dean and opens his mouth to try again, but Dean just pours more oil over his face. It forces its way into his mouth and down his throat. He sputters and chokes. His nose feels funny and he can feel the oil in his lungs. His hair is plastered to his face, and still, he tries. “Dean!” 

“I can fix this!” Dean promises, flicking open the silver lighter. It was never meant for Cas. It was never meant for him. The lighter drops and Cas screams. 

Dean staggers backward, holding his head as he groans. Pain rips through him as he doubles over. He squeezes his eyes shut and blinks through the pain before he looks up and feels his heart stop in his chest. 

“Cas!” He rips off his jacket and throws it over Cas, trying to suffocate the flames. “No. No, no, no, no, no. Cas. No!” 

The flames lick at Dean’s palms but he can’t feel them. He doesn’t care. He pulls Cas’ body out of the angel trap and pats out the flames as he tries to breathe. He can’t feel his heart. He can’t feel. He sees his burned hands shaking. He hears an anguished howl and wonders if it’s from him. 

“Good job,” a voice says. “It was hard work, but we knew you could do it. I knew you could do it. Just took some persuasion.” Zachariah. “What’s wrong, Dean?”

“Bring him back, you son of a bitch. I don’t know what you did, but you will bring him back.” Dean feels the stinging in his nose as tears blur his vision. He refuses to let them fall as he cradles Cas against him. 

“What I did? Oh, no. What you did. This was all you, Dean,” he says with that smile that turns Dean’s stomach. 

It hits him with a wave of nausea. He remembers Cas begging only moments ago. He remembers Cas’ screams. He remembers pouring holy oil over his perfect face and wetting his parted lips. His eyes flicker to his lighter on the floor by the burning angel trap. 

“I know, I know,” Zachariah sighs. “You loved him. You’ll never be the same without him by your side. Blah blah blah. This is good, Dean. We got two birds with one stone! You’re controllable and Castiel? Our broken angel who fell in love with a human? He’s out of the picture. He can’t stand in the way anymore.”

“Fell in love?” Dean breathes harshly, his eyes raking over Cas’ scarred face. His mind is reeling, but he manages to snarl, “I told you once and I will tell you again. I’m not a pawn in your game. I will never say yes.” 

“Come now, Dean. You already killed the only being who will ever love you. What left is there?” 

Dean can’t look away from Cas’ face. He had done this to him. He had killed the love of his life. He wasn’t even in charge of his own body, but he feels the guilt tearing into him like a knife. 

“You will say yes. Now, or when we decide to take control again. You killed your poor, dear Castiel. You’ll kill your brother too.” Zachariah takes a step toward him. “It’s only a matter of time, Dean.”

“Take another step and I’ll kill you and then me,” Dean says without moving. Zachariah stops and Dean runs his hand over the burned cheek of his angel. He never got to tell him that he loved him. His final moments were spend in fear and desperation. 

“You don’t have any weapons. You aren’t going to kill anyone,” Zachariah says. “Anyone else,” he corrects himself with a chuckle. 

Dean grabs Cas’ angel blade from his sleeve and plunges it into his heart. He gasps and watches two tears finally fall onto Cas’ face. 

“I’m not broken!” Cas had yelled in his final moments. 

“But I am,” Dean answers silently as he chokes on his own blood and watches the world tilt and darken.