A spleenless Tim is delirious with a fever and asks Dick, the only one who isn't too busy to take care of him at the moment, for his mother. It is suddenly very clear to Dick that their family has no default maternal figure, if he had asked for his father there would be a multitude of people Dick could bring to sooth him, like Bruce, Clark, Ollie, etc. But mothers? Bruce and Selina were on the outs at the moment so she was out of the question, Talia was never in the question if you asked Dick, and Tim was not particularly close with any of the female Leaguers, nor did any of them really resemble Janet Drake so they couldn't even try to trick his febrile mind. He briefly considered Harley but quickly decided against it and Tim is crying at this point so Dick called the first woman he could think of that has ever been good at calming Tim down when he isnāt all there; Barbara.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
Idk, I'm bored, I'm lore dropping about all the beasts
Split cus this WILL be long as fuck ā„
First, the order they corrupted in (in my AU ofc) :3
Shadow Milk Cookie! He fell first, then began spreading lies ^^
Mystic Flour Cookie :3 She fell next, yes, I am going with the fan theory that the false rumor there were treasures in her cocoon was spread by Shadow, thanks for noticing :3
Burning Spice! He fell third, as that one song I hear in all those Burning Spice edits says: Waiting drives you crazy.
Eternal Sugar fell fourth ^^ She was the support system for the other Virutes, and practically all the cookies she knew! But, she also took comfort in the fact that Fount and Saint came to her with their problems, and calming them down made her feel less alone and less stressed. So, when they both fell, and then Herald fell as well (she talked with him about his problems less, but she still did it, and that still helped), so she ended up with no support system, and only cookies that used her as their support system! None of which she was close enough with to feel calm/less alone while comforting, which led to her fall.
Silent Salt cannonly falls last in the game :3
Anyways!! Now onto ways you can torture them whenever you find them on my blogs!! ^^
Shadow Milk:
He HATES talking about his past! He can't even remember how he used to look actually; he tore apart anything that accurately showed his face!
He hates answering most questions, to the point that if you ask him one, he will give you the most obviously wrong answer in an attempt to make you stop asking him them :3
He doesn't like personal questions, for obvious reasons, but he was also asked them much too often when he was Fount, so he tends to lash out when asked them now ^-^
He's a lonely little shit, but he pushes away anyone who tries to get close to him!
Shadow hates physical touch unless from specific cookies (The other beasts.)
Don't mention PV in any AU where he's already met him! (I don't think I have a blog for that, though, but feel free to ask him his feelings about PV in my mismatched beast AU!)
Mystic Flour Cookie:
The Beast of Apathy! One would assume she didn't have many fears, but in any au where she isn't fully fallen, she's actually quite jumpy! Under her mask, she's a ball of anxiety, constantly watching and listening for the slightest sound of danger :3
She hates loud noises. They remind her of some of the cookies that used to visit her pagoda: loud and demanding! Continuing on with the noise trend, the ringing of a bell sends her into a panic attack! No matter if she's half-fallen, fully fallen, or redeemed!
Mystic Flour hates physical touch (unless from Sugar or Cloud Haetae), whether she's Saint, fallen, half-fallen, or redeemed!
Mystic is actually super sensitive! She uses apathy as a shield and pushes down her actual emotions :3 In my mismatched pairs AU, she actually ended up having an anxiety attack the second she managed to let her mask down! (Luckily, she was alone with Hollyberry when it happened; she hates showing weakness/negative emotions in front of others she doesn't feel fully comfortable around.)
She's actually a really cuddly sweetheart when she likes someone, as Saint, she's super cuddly with Bringer (and Glimmering Cheese Cookie in my Fallen Ancients/Virutes AU), while fallen, she just allows Sugar much more freedom to mess with and be touchy with her than she does anyone else (She allows Sugar to do practically whatever she wants, she does her angry stare at anyone else), she also allows Cloud Haetae to cuddle with her. In my Mismatched pairs AU, she's very sweet with Holly :3
Mystic actually has horrible nightmares every time she goes to sleep. Because of this, she avoids sleeping and instead meditates, as she doesn't need sleep anyways.
Burning Spice:
Burning Spice hates sitting still, it reminds him too much of when he was forced to sit in his room watching history repeat itself over and over again, becasue of this, he has a really hard time getting to sleep, as he just wants to keep moving. Much like Mystic Flour, he just doesn't sleep due to the difficulty.
He actually has really nice dreams if he does manage to go to sleep, mostly those of still being a virtue and hanging out with the others, or of being able to actually walk around and interact with his kingdoms!
The fire on Burning Spice's tail gets larger with his emotions! WHen he's angry, excited, or scared, it flares up, when stressed, sad, content, or happy, it dies down.
You may have been able to see this from my designs of him, but he's part bull! He's specifically a Spanish Fighting Bull in breed, which may add a bit to why he hates staying still so much.
He kind of sees Nutmeg as a daughter, and is actually sometimes more lenient with her than others, though not by much, and at times it actually causes him to push her even harder than the other spices!
Burning Spice is actually very cuddly with Eternal Sugar (when he has a few minutes to calm down. Girly has no self-respect, and if you were once friends, she will stay with you until you hurt someone she cares about that isn't you or her, even if you constantly threaten to rip her wings off.)
Eternal Sugar:
Speaking of this self-respect-lacking girlypop, she's actually really anxious all the time! She avoids being alone as it causes her to stress out about someone possibly suffering without her knowing!
I may or may not have stolen this from someone else on Janitor (I told them I was stealing the headcannon, and they were fine with it dw ā„), but if you notice she has silver cuffs around her neck, ankles, and wrists (if there's not a different acessory on her arms already), these cuffs are actually permanetly burning her dough! (I finally updated my design to match the headcannon just recently TvT') They're quite painful, but she's learned to live with them, to the point where she has a concerningly high pain tolerance, as every time she gets used to the cuffs, they somehow realize she's become numb to the pain, and then pain from the burn becomes worse, so yeah, she has an unreasonably high pain tolerance ^^
Eternal Sugar can actually control her scent! She can make it sweeter depending on who she's with and how she's feeling; her true scent is actually much milder and slightly stale! When around Sugarfly, she tends to make herself smell even sweeter than normal, as the sweet scent distracts the fae more than it does other cookies, and she finds that cute :3
She uses sloth as a coping mechanism (wowwwwww, ground-breakingggggggggg, who would have guesseddddddd) yeah, yeah, I know, that's practically canon, whatever, I'm expanding on it ¬¬ She often has dreams about the past, much like Burning Spice does, hers are much more often though, as she's normally sleeping, she's able to expand upon them more, whether it be cuddling with Saint, talking with Fount, plaing board games with Herald, or talking walks with Knight, her dreams always revlove around spending time with the other virtues, and generally being fluffy with them! Which makes it all the more disappointing for her whenever she wakes up, which is why she spends so much time asleep and avoids doing so; she prefers dreaming, where she can be happy with her friends, to the waking world, where everything has fallen apart. Her sloth is actually the main reason she truly smells stale; she's spent so much time asleep that her very dough has begun to smell dead, despite her still being alive.
Though she'd never admit it, Sugar hates her new body. She misses having two pairs of feathered wings, prefers when her hands were de-clawed, and her canines were filed down, as at least back then, with the pain of claw-less hands, and filed teeth, she had no chance of accidentally hurting someone when their hands touched. She doesn't like her tail either. While it may be more versatile than her tail feathers were, it has thorns on it whenever she gets upset, which is potentially dangerous for others!
The best way to upset/stress out Eternal Sugar (besides leaving the garden) is actually hurting someone she cares about; she doesn't care much about herself being harmed. It's much more effective to harm one of her children, or just some other cookie she cares about, it stresses her to no end for someone she loves to be in danger, especially if she can't do anything about it, and is by far the most effective way to bully her. She also hates accepting help from others, as it's her job to make other cookies happy and help them feel better, not their job to care for her.
Silent Salt:
Silent Salt actually has no head under his helmet! He still has a body, but it's quite fragmented and broken up. He has purple dough with black stains on it :3
Ironically, for being the Virtue of Solidarity, he's not very observant, which is why he's so confused about the stress the others are obviously under in my half-fallen AU. He doesn't understand what caused such reactions from them, even though they've mentioned each of their reasons multiple times in the past! (He and Sugar are actually the least fallen in my Half-fallen AU, with Saint and Herald ironically being the most fallen, despite coming after Fount. This is because Sugar still has her support system in Fount, Saint, and Herald, but seeing what they're going through is putting so much stress on her that she's beginning to slip into the "everything will be better if we just never leave the garden" mindset, which Kniight somehow doesn't notice in the slightest.)
Knight and Sugar were actually the closest personality-wise before they both fell, as both their virtues required them to interact with other cookies and be friendly with them! The main difference is that Sugar was forced to be a therapist, and used for the cookie's comfort, while Knight was seen as an equal, not one to be used to make themselves feel better, but a source of comfort in the fact that he can understand what the other cookies are going through, and help them to get through it ^^
Silent Salt actually does feel kind of bad for trapping the other beasts. He could hear them while the five of them were trapped, though they stopped talking pretty quickly; there was only screaming and pleading for the first day or so. After that, all he heard was rapid/heavy breathing, the sound of one throwing themself against the wall, the flapping of wings, lashing tails, pounding on the walls, crying, the crackles of a fire, and the faint sound of a spider clawing at the walls. These sounds continued on much longer. It was impossible to keep track of time in the tree, but he assumes it must have been eons that the others were in what seemed to be near constant panic attacks, he could hear coos and trills coming from Sugar, hissing and clicking from Flour, snorts and growls from Spice, and bleating and growling from Milk, they all sounded so distressed and small, it was hard not to feel bad that he causes such noises to come from what used to be his friends, especially whenever he heard one of them throw themself at the walls. It was almost more disturbing once everyone fell quiet, though, only the occasional sob, desperate but hopeless coo, ruffle of wings, or lashing of a tail from Sugar, whimpering, soft growls of still trying to be angry rather than terrified, and the sound of a furry tail swaying against the ground from Milk. Flour had fallen entirely silent, save for the occasional uneven breath that implied crying, and Spice was barely even scratching at the walls anymore, only the occasional pawing of hooves, the near-constant sound of him pacing, the swishing and crackling of his tail and the fire on it, and rare thumps of him throwing himself against the wall that caused the other three to audibly flinch. And even then, they were all barely audible anymore.
Now that I'm done writing a whole ass fanfic, Salt is actually very talkative when he's comfortable around someone! As he enjoys sharing with others.
He is actually not the beast who still has faith in their virtue; in fact, he's one of the four who absolutely despise his virtue, as he believes that Cookiekind doesn't deserve it anymore. Eternal Sugar is the beast with the most faith still remaining in her original virtue, even if she doesn't go about it in the best way.
Extras (all):
Everyone besides Salt actually has severe claustrophobia and a horrible fear of the dark from having been in the tree for so long. Salt only doesn't have this because he was voluntarily in the tree, and would honestly be fine with going back once the other beasts are dealt with. The others have panic attacks when in confined spaces, and, unless with someone else, absolutely hate being in full darkness. Being in both is especially bad. The sound of a bell, claustrophobia, and it being too dark are actually just about the only things that can easily make Mystic Flour show her emotions, as, again, she has severe panic attacks. Sugar actually sleeps with a night-light because of these fears (and can't fall asleep unless curled around something warm, she usually uses a heated pillow). Spice uses his tail as a light source, and he couldn't even see his tail back in the tree, so knowing that he can see the fire at all means he isn't in the tree, which is a huge comfort to him. Shadow also sleeps with a night-light and curls up around heated plushies or pillows to go to sleep. The warmth reminds them of another cookie; the tree was cold, and they couldn't feel each other (or really anything beyond themselves and their clothing) while in it, so being able to curl up around something warm and solid is a huge comfort.
All of them have some sort of "childish" fear; the dark doesn't count, as that's severely trauma-related. Sugar has Autophobia (the fear of abandonment), yes, but she's also scared of clowns (she's used to Shadow, but it was quite awkward when they all first met after falling...). Flour has severe cynophobia (She was attacked by a cakehound, that's why she has the scar, she's fine with Cloud Heatae because they're not a dog, they're a haetae.), but she also has a fear of most bugs (she's fine with spiders, butterflies, and moths (I actually have an irrational fear of moths, they're so cute in vidoes, but then they fly at me T-T), everything else terrifies her). Spice has gamophobia (the fear of commitment) due to all the things he's lost over the eons, but he's also scared of the rain. Milk has Autophobia as well, but he's also scared of small birds (specifically small birds, not large ones). Salt has a minor fear of the dark, unlike the others, his is more of the fear that a little kid has, you know, like turn off the lights and then run to your room where the light is on, get ready for bed, and then turn the light off and go to sleep anyway, unlike the others he can handle being in the dark, he just has a more childish fear of it, while they have full on panic attacks. He actually doesn't have any major phobias, unless you want me to mention for the third time that the beasts have abandonment issues (yes, all of them, just varying levels, it can only really be called a phobia for Shadow and Sugar).
BY THE WITCHES THAT WAS LONG T-T thanks for reading me yap about fictional cookies buddy, I hope you liked the headcannons and stuff, tell me if you use any of them or take them for your own, I love to know when people are interested in my stuff/take inspiration from me :3
Anyway, can YOU spot the AO3 author with ADHD?????
Try to guess who my favorite and least favorite beasts to headcannon are, bet you can pretty easily :3
Hi. I've been gone for a while I know but I have good reason. And the reasons this.
I've spent 3 days drawing this, going over it twice and thrice, making sure to shade it in and choosing the right flesh tone and the result: my masterpiece.
So I know you've a lot of questions: Why is his emblem changed, why does he have a visor, what happened to his batarang?? And those are good questions! So. Here's what I based the drawing off of:
This is a render from the mobile game: Guarding the Globe. The hero you see is Darkwing, Invincible's parody of Batman
Now why the emblem change? Simply put: i didn't like it. I actually thought i made him too basic as I based it off Damian Batman but I kept some ideas. Now he has a Nightwing thing going on which is still a W.I.P... Now originally he was gonna have purple gloves but I thought it looked bad compared to light blue gloves. The yellow in his cape was something I think symbolises that outside he's a dark and broody guy but inside he's a bright and happy guy.
Now for some E-117 stories:
ā Bruce Wayne was born in 1973, 3 years before Selina Kyle. Bruce originally was going to be a younger brother but due to a miscarriage it never happened.
ā Bruce met Alfred in England when he was 13 as he was staying with his Uncle Philip Wayne, Bruce graduated top of his class and with honours. Bruce also served a short time in the military but left too travel the world.
ā Bruce and Selina dated for a while but broke up, during this he dated Diana Prince but broke up after having sex. They wanted to keep it friendly.
ā Bruce was heavily anxious and scared during the wedding hoping it all goes well and if Selina will love it all. The answer was yes. She loved it.
ā Bruce was the 2nd founding member of the Justice League, followed after: Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Flash Barry Allen, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, and Aquaman. Making Wonder Woman the founding member.
ā Helena was an accidental Christmas present if you know what I mean...
ā Bruce chose blue and black after Helena was born.
concept: sambucky divorce but it's a rom-com crackfic āØ
inspired by this post!! https://www.tumblr.com/flightlogmcu/791421722559758336/because-i-like-drama-and-chaos-more-than-loki-does?source=share
ā®āĖ
the divorce is divorce-ing. bucky is brooding. sam still hasn't texted him, and it's been two weeks, yelena, stop telling him it's no big deal and that they're both just idiots.
but then sam makes an instagram post and everything goes even more downhill than it already was. sam, in fact, has been with this girl lately. john will later claim that, when he shoved the phone in bucky's face to show him, he looked in bucky's eyes and saw murder.
overall, john just thinks it's funny, because it's not like this is anything new. they're living proof of the enemies-to-lovers arc. sam and bucky are destined because they hate each other slightly less than they hate everyone else, and he's firsthand witnessed this fact.
alexei sides with bucky and downvotes every post that sam makes. he also tries to lure bucky out of his room by cooking. it doesn't work. but the food was probably burnt anyways.
bob is very concernedā¢ļø and tells bucky that he'd give him dating advice if he had any (bob's flirting methods are truly disturbing. he practiced on yelena. so the lack of advice may be for the better). they watch the lord of the rings trilogy while eating ice cream to cope.
the ice cream is avengers-themed. bucky thinks the whole marketing scheme is stupid, but once he ate an entire carton of hunka-hulka-burning fudge. bob, meanwhile, likes the raspberry thorbet flavor. captain america's red-white-and-blue neapolitan is banned from the tower. however, that doesn't stop yelena from buying the "cap's cocoa crunch" flavor next time they need cereal just to annoy bucky.
that's also banned after bucky nearly punches a hole in the table when he sees sam's face on the cereal box, which is unfair because it's not bucky's fault that sam is a self-absorbed idiot.
alexei lets it slide, because the cereal's avengers-themed and maybe he's finally got yelena to see the light on the potential of avengerZ marketing.
for the record, she hasn't.
"kill bill" may or may not have been played on top volume through the common room speakers.
john is very not amused by this fact and threatens to break the entire speakers system. mistki? taylor swift? this is supposed to be a professional workplace enviroment, not a high school.
bob was the one who introduced bucky to mitski. "washing machine heart" is a favorite.
ava makes bucky hot chocolate one night, argentinian style. at least somebody's on his side.
good news, plot twist, newsbreak: one day bob runs into the common room to announce that he's found out the girl is just sam's cousin and the romantic beach selfie was actually just a beach selfie.
john will not let go of this fact either. bucky stays in his room for the next three days.
yelena bribes him out again with mac 'n cheese. nobody knows where she got her cooking skills from, since it definitely wasn't alexei. yelena suggests that bucky stop brooding and go talk to sam. the idea is not even considered.
for the record, bucky has confirmed he'd rather die than talk to sam. no, he's not going to go sing love songs outside sam's apartment with bob and yelena as backup chorus.
and because it's totally not cheesy either, bucky starts sending sam anonymous bouquets. mostly sunflowers and roses, because, y'know, they're the flower of fiery burning passion and unrequited love. bucky gives no explaination for the sunflowers. meanwhile, sam's office starts looking like a florist's shop. joaquin thinks it's hilarious, and he reads all the attached messages aloud in an overdramatic british accent (???) whenever a new one's delivered.
for the record, the said messages are all old-fashioned love poems.
sam is confused, to say the least. he calls sarah for advice, and he can practically hear her rolling her eyes over the phone.
bucky has also been calling sarah for advice. she needs a raise, she really does.
sam is meanwhile wondering why bucky keeps leaving him on read, so he eventually stops texting him. what happened to court and then pancakes? bucky loves pancakes. maybe he's just in one of his moods and he'll answer when he gets over it. besides, it's not like bucky's ever acted normal.
for the record, they're taking valentina to court to get their copyright back, but bucky zoned out after sam joked that he might as well sue bucky for starting a new team without him while they're there. sam's invitation to have lunch at the pancake house afterwards went unheard. they shook on it, sam said it was a date (a date-date? maybe), but all bucky heard was i'm suing you.
bob offers to iron bucky's dress shirt when the court date rolls around, cause hey, maybe sam will be so starstruck he'll change his mind and they'll be signing marriage papers instead of divorce ones. they'll already be in suits!
john, ava, and yelena give bob the side eye when he proposes this scenario. but never say never.
things are getting desperate. court is a week away. maybe they really should just go ahead and lock sam and bucky in a closet. john declares that if it backfires and they start making out in said closet, then he will burn the building and everyone in it. ("backfires? i thought that agressively making out was the plan?")
ava also supports arson if the supply closet is disgraced. but still, she's tired of bucky's default moods being either brooding in the dark or hopelessly pining.
alexei just shrugs. his instagram is now a shrine to captain america x the winter soldier. ao3 may or may not be involved in this saga.
for the record, spider-man has liked alexei's instagram posts.
it's finally the morning of the trial. bucky allows bob to style his hair. the thunderbolts weren't technically invited to court, but there's no way they're not tagging along. it's a free rom-com drama series, and they've been (somewhat unwillingly) involved since episode one.
as soon as bucky sees sam, he turns back around. not subtle at all. he probably would've walked right back out those doors if john hadn't rolled his eyes, grabbed bucky by the arm, and shoved him in sam's direction.
sam is wearing a suit. a suit. a sleek navy-blue suit. half the people in this room are wearing suits. bucky might die.
he's also holding a bouquet of flowers? he's sending stupid valentina off to jail (hopefully) with a present??
what even is this. what.
bucky is incapable of forming sentences right now, actually. sam is smiling like he's the sun incarnate and walking towards them. bob frantically glances between them. yelena, ava, alexei, and joaquin are fist-bumping in the background. it's a very professional affair.
sam walks up to bucky and says "can't believe it, but i missed you. feeling any better yet?" before handing him the bouquet- roses and sunflowers. "and sending me flowers while you ignore me is kinda a mixed message, y'know."
and then
and THEN
the impossible happens. the stars align. a miracle occurs. sam grabs bucky's tie and gently pulls him down so he can press a kiss to his cheek.
h e k i s s e s h i s c h e e k ? ! ?
bucky's brain has currently left the chat. the suit almost killed him, but nothing on this earth could've prepared bucky for that. he is now actually dead. dead. no longer breathing.
yelena is snort-laughing so hard she almost passes out too. again, it's a very professional affair.
the judge calls for order. people start sitting down. sam smiles and walks off, saying something about kicking valentina's butt and pancakes that bucky doesn't hear, because as previously stated, his soul has now left his body.
bob catches the flowers before they hit the floor.
EPILOGUE:
one day later: the copyright now belongs to sam wilson and bucky barnes, the thunderbolts and the avengers have merged into the new avengers, and yelena, bob, and ava lounge around the common room while eating leftover pancakes. alexei is attempting to make omelets as a side (there's pieces of shattered eggshell in them, but he tries). at the center of the table, the flowers are arranged very neatly in a nice vase, courtesy of bob.
nothing out of the usual. nope. things are good.
and that's when john walks into the room with murder in his eyes and a lighter in his hand.
long story short, everybody avoids the hallway with the now-cursed supply closet for the next hour.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
āThe bathrooms were full, so I was trying to find one up hereā¦.ā
āThis isnāt a bathroom.ā the man said, cocking his brow. Did he think you were stupid? He was sure talking to you like you were.
āI know that,ā you snapped back, before you reeled yourself in. āI didnāt want to open a bunch of random doors in a strangerās house. This door was already open, and I saw this andā¦. thought it looked nice?ā Okay, this definitely sounds stupid said out loud. Maybe he was right.
āI find it hard to believe that the door to my bedroom was conveniently unlocked and open.ā
Oh you should not have come out here.
Or: Your roommates friend invites you to a college party. You just so happen to stumble into the room of the one guy she shit talks.
wc: 10.3k
rating: explicit for sure
Hereās my Sukuna x Reader fix on ao3! Iāll be making a tumblr post for it soon as well, Iām just more familiar with ao3ās layout
A few days ago I rebloged a prediction of @a-cold-day-in-pentagram-city and wrote a short story in the reblog called "The First Sinner to His First Winner" and... I couldnāt help myself, here's a part 2!
Now I don't know if they have their own interpretation of how Cain will look/act if or when he is introduced in the Hazbin Hotel, but this version of Cain is from my own interpretation that I have, but enough of my yapping, here's the story and I hope you enjoy.
"The First Sinner to His First Winner: part 2:
Roots of Home and Brotherhood
Cain's descent into the lower Pride Ring was soundless.
The roots carried him and Abel down through layers of old stone, cooled magma, and earth older than language. Only when the world dimmed to a gentle, ember-like glow did the roots unfurl, placing Cain's feet gently on the cavern floor.
Abel clung to him until Cain whispered, "It's alright, little one. We're safe." Abel almost felt a shiver from the familiarity of that statement, one he hasn't heard or felt in eons.
The cavern was enormous, but warm, quiet and lived-in. A lake of soft golden light shimmered across the rough walls, cast by glowing crystals embedded high overhead. The air smelled like fresh soil, warm steam, and something sweet.
Abel blinked rapidly. "This is⦠your home?"
Cain fiddled will his hood slightly as he exhaled. "It's where I belong, though there are two other places I resign. I just like solitude at times."
He set Abel onto a cushioned chair made of thick woven roots, soft as moss but sturdy as steel. Abel sank into it immediately, the feeling similar to one of those beanbag chairs Emily showed him. Cain knelt in front of him, hands gentle but inspection exact, the way their mother used to examine scraped knees and feverish foreheads way, way back on earth before humanity truly bloomed and it was just them, their mother and father.
"Are you hurt?" Cain asked gently, not taking chances when their late father's bitch lieutenant had the nerve to rally up the fucking Vees of all sinners to kill his younger brother.
Abel shook his head. "N-No- I don't think so- just- shaken- Cain, they were really going to-"
Cain's clawed hand rested gently on Abel's cheek. So gentle and loving like he does it every day. "You're safe. I swear on the Bible."
Abel nodded, breath trembling. "Thank you. Really⦠thank you."
Cain cupped the back of Abel's head briefly, then stood, buzzing with a nervous energy clearly new to even him. "Tea."
He moved with quiet purpose toward a kettle heated by a ring of softly glowing crystals and rocks, in which an assortment of odd mushrooms lay that, once heated, turned into multi-colored fire. Abel watched him, stunned the unique materials of Hell⦠and then something nudged his ankle, making him jump a little.
A tiny creature, something like a pudgy fox with moth wings and gemstone eyes (Hell was a stranger place the more time he spent here), blinked up at him. It squeaked and patted his boot.
Abel gasped. "Oh- hello!" He bent down to pet it, which it seemed to like.
Another peeked from a hole in the wall. Then three more darted past with chirps. Abel stared.
Cain glanced over. "Don't mind them. They live down here. They don't break anything and make good company."
"They're⦠so cute!" Abel said in awe, like a child being given a puppy.
Cain allowed the smallest smile. "Most things in Hell are, if you give them a chance." He, reluctantly, decided against teasing Abel about his inner shepard coming out, even if it was fucking adorable.
Abel looked around properly for the first time, since Cain was busy with tea, wondering what his big brother has been up to these past thousands of years.
Books were scattered around. There were dozens, hundreds, thousands, probably more. All stacked, shelved, piled in meticulously organized chaos. Topics ranged from ancient philosophy to cooking guides, from simple enough earth fauna and flora to as complicated as astrophysics.
Abel even saw a Bible which took him off guard for a second, but then again Cain was always the most religious in the family, even more so them mom and dad. So it made sense that he'd want to get his hands on one as soon as he learnt of their existence when they eventually became widely available around mid 15th century.
There were glass containers holding crystals, pressed flowers, artifacts, notes scrawled in graceful handwriting (looks like Cain had time to practice calligraphy), fossils, woodworking tools, art supplies, embroidery needles, a sowing machine, three different cameras from different periods, vases that seemed to have been made on a nearby pottery wheel, typewriter and several different instruments (Abel made a note to maybe bring his guitar of he ever visits again).
Abel wandered to the next alcove and froze upon an all too familiar sight when it came to Cain: a greenhouse. Underground, glowing with crystalline lights to make up for the lack of actual sunlight. Rows of plants, herbs, fruit trees, some earthly on the first glance and some distinctly Hellborn, cane-like vines cradled flowers heād never seen before, the soil looked impossibly rich.
Cain's voice carried gently from behind him. "Couldnāt let myself forget what I used to enjoy."
"You still farm," Abel whispered, smiling. Memories of eating the delicious crops for his big brother's fields made his gap tooth grin almost glow.
Cain stepped beside him, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Some loves outlive death."
Abel let the warmth fill his chest. Then something caught his eye. It was a painting on the wall, one of many and, judging by the few supplies laying around, Cain was responsible for at least some of them. Cain, surrounded by Lucifer, Lilith, and a younger Charlie perched on his knee with a crown she seemed to have insisted he wear (knowing her and her enthusiasm and family oriented nature whether someone was related or not).
Abel's brows lifted. "Youāre⦠close with the Morningstars?"
"They found me early, when I only just arrived in Hell." Cain admitted. "They kept my existence quiet as Heaven wasn't ready to hear Adam and Eve's firstborn was down here... That and with early hell having one unorganized ring, first demonic creature causing a havoc, sinners slowly arriving, first overlords- It was a lot... Still, I'm practically their secret adopted son by this point."
Abel winced and the realization that this was going to get messy real quick if they're not careful in their approach. "Sera is going to-"
"That can wait." Cain steered him to the table as he set out steaming mugs. "Drink." Abel obeyed. The tea was herbal, calming, warm in his chest. Then Cain placed a small wooden bowl in front of him, slices of a blue-speckled fruit shimmered with faint gold. Abel bit one and his wings gave a startled flutter. "Oh- this is good!"
Cain's expression softened in a way Abel hadn't seen in so long. "I'm glad." There was always this quiet pride and genuine joy in his face whenever someone, like Abel and their mother, but especially when their dad or the angels enjoyed whatever he had grown that season, like his hard work and dedication was acknowledged and motivated him to try new things and work harder.
They sat like that for a moment, quiet and breathing, being brothers again after more than a thousand lifetimes apart.
Abel drew in a breath. "Cain⦠Sera and Emily are going to think I abandoned my post and-"
Cain lifted a hand, stopping him gently. "Let me speak first... Please, brother."
Abel blinked. "H-huh?"
Cain looked⦠cracked. Not necessarily angry or ashamed. Just⦠broken in a way Abel had never seen in someone as strong and seeming unbeatable like his big brother. His eyes had so much regret and sadness, even while looking hellish after death. "I'm sorry."
Abel stared. "ā¦For saving me?" Why would Cain apologize for- "For killing you."
Oh.
The fruit slipped from Abel's hand.
Cain gripped the edge of the table with his clawed hand. "I have lived with that moment for every breath of eternity down here. You were my baby brother... My responsibility... My- My everything. And I failed you in the ugliest way imaginable."
Abel's gaze softened into something close to heartbreak himself. "Cain-"
"I told myself it was an accident. I told myself I didn't mean to pick up that stone. But it was my hand... My rage and... My fault." His golden eyes dimmed, molten grief. "I took your life. And the moment you were in my arms just now after I saved you- I remembered the sound you made as you fell after that rock struck you... The way your head hit the ground... I have never forgotten... I never will forget that horrible nightmare."
Abel's throat constricted with emotions he couldnāt name.
Cain's voice dropped to a whisper. "You don't have to forgive me. Ever. If you want me to take you back to Heaven and disappear again, I will. If you want nothing to do with me, I will-"
"Cain." Abel interrupted, Cain froze. He had never heard his little brother sound so serious. Abel stood... Trembling, small, but unshakably gentle... And stepped forward. He took Cain's clawed hands in his own. "It was an accident." Cain's breath hitched.
"You didn't mean it," Abel continued, voice soft but solid. "You never wanted to hurt me. You loved me and I know that. Even then, even now."
"Abel-"
"And I forgive you."
Cain reeled like someone had struck him.
Abel squeezed his hands tighter. "I forgave you the moment I woke up. I knew you wouldn't have done it on purpose. I knew you'd feel guilty forever if I didn't say something. I knew you- I knew youād already be punishing yourself."
Cain's vision blurred with tears he hadn't shed since the world was young.
Abel's own lip trembled. "I didn't want you to be alone. I just⦠wanted my big brother back."
The cavern went quiet.
The roots around them stirred softly, curling toward Cain like an embrace... And Cain broke.
He sank to his knees, pulling Abel into a crushing, trembling hug. Abel wrapped his arms around him without hesitation, burying his face into Cain's shoulder.
Cain's voice cracked into Abel's hair. "I'm so sorry."
"I know," Abel whispered. "And I'm here... I'm not going anywhere."
Cain held him tighter and Abel held him back.
For the first time since the dawn of sin, the First Sinner wasn't alone.
And Abel... the innocent, the gentle, the soft one, the First Winner... Finally had his big brother again.
The tea cooled, the crystals glimmered softly; the cavern, the roots, the creatures of Hell all settled into a hush.
Because forgiveness, real forgiveness, was quieter than any war and stronger than any sin.
He isn't suicidal, he's actually pretty content with living, despite the challenges.
Tim has always seen value in life and he's got so much to live for. His friends (both caped and otherwise), his family, his boyfriend, pizza, the next fnaf movie and Dispatch 2. There's still so many things he wants to see and experience before his number is called.
But he's not afraid of death.
He hasn't been truly afraid of dying since that first year as Robin. He had plenty to fear then. What would his parents think? What would Bruce do? How would Dick unravel? Could they take another loss? He had woven his way into the bats' lives and they cared for him as he did them even if they pretended he wasn't is as much as he was.
That year he was still so young and had his whole life ahead of him. He had to guard Bruce, become a temporary crutch to Batman, and that is exactly what he did. Batman is doing the best he has in years with so many supports it's astonishing to look back and see how far they've all come.
Tim is proud of all he accomplished. He created a whole superhero team and lead it with pride. He's saved the world from evils most can't even imagine. He's brought people together, building and rebuilding bridges all through his life.
So no, Tim Drake may not long for death, but he will welcome it when it comes.
It's happend a few times now. He'll be in the midst of a battle he knows he can't win and he won't give up, that's not in his blood, but he will accept what he sees as inevitable. Finish the job and then you can rest. He trusts the others to take care of it past that point.
He's had a last will and testament set up since he was thirteen and though it's changed a lot since then it still exists. It's fool proof, how he's crafted his words to keep everything in line. His money, estates, titles, and collectibles. Everything is listed to make things as easy as possible when he goes out because Tim has never wanted to be a burden and he refuses to let his death be all that troublesome.
He has individual letters for each of his friends and family memebers. He's made one for Bernard even though it scared him to do it, the idea of it being passed to him shaking him to his core.
The letters are a farewell message as well as written memories that he's shared with each individual, and his hopes for them after he's gone.
Tim has dealt with enough grief, both his own and others, to know what to look out for and what may ease them. Because even though he knows that, sure, they'll miss him. He took up space in their lives and now it will be gone, but the thing Tim never understands no matter how close to the afterlife he's gotten, Tim still thinks they'll move on. He did his job and now they can breath just that bit easier. (That's not how it will go, of course not. Those people grieve like it's their job. But Tim will never truly understand how important he is to them, not really.)
So whether it's Ra's kicking him out of a high story window, being run through with a sword, being beaten into the ground, his immune system backfiring and bleeding from his eyes, alien robots with lasers firing at him on all cylinders, or a heartattack while he's alseep. One day Tim Drake-Wayne will die and he will embrace it with open arms.
But until then he's got a date to go on tonight and a movie night this weekend and he can't forget to call Dick at three.