#snazzyprompts

Perhaps it's this show of trust they begin to notice the strangeness that hangs around him like a cloud. The shifting coloured eyes, the coldness in his skin that never seems to go away no matter how much clothing the kid gets bundled in.

The fact that no one knows where he goes once they take their eyes on him? Spooky to say the least, but they're Gothamites! One shady, possibly meta, kid ain't gonna change anything.

So he becomes a staple in everyone's lives, and eventually learned his name is Danny. He talks about having an older sister called Jazz, two best friends and a puppy he named Cujo. (who let their kids watch Cujo???) They also learned he had an innate fear of The Bats, whenever one swept into the streets during their nightly patrol he would just... disappear. He became unfindable and wouldn't appear until the next day.

At first they thought it was him finding a safe place to sleep while the night rolled around and the Rouges came out to play, but that assumption was quickly squashed when he was caught wailing on one of the Jokers henchmen. The white makeup couldn't even cover up the black and blue bruises that covered his face.

It was comical, if not a bit frightening to see this small child practically a baby sitting upon a knocked out, grown ass man. His little stubby legs dangling off the side of his body, too small to even reach the ground.

Of course nothing stays under the Bats radar for long so he end up eventually getting spotted. However none of the Bats where expecting such resistance from the civilians when they offered to take the kid.

Most GIW subjects had not survived when it had came to light, those who had "lived" could not come out of the Ghost Zone because of how fragile their cores had become, and everything was still too risky to send someone over on uncharted territories to get their statement.

The one option they had was a young boy they had found, although he was in a coma and hadn't woken up in weeks. The situation was getting more and more dire as the public and ghosts grew restless with every day that passed.

Martian Manhunter spoke to Danny while he was in his coma, however he was only able to access surface entry due to unknown reasons. This was enough to talk to the boy however, and gain permission to enter his mind and find out more about the situation they had all landed themselves into.

Kim Rook Soo knew he was Aromantic.

Experiencing no romantic attraction was something he felt… not ashamed of, but it wasn't something he liked to talk about while he was in Korea.

He already knew what others thought of him, how he was someone with no emotions, someone that was cold and borderline cruel and loath he would admit it, he didn't want to prove them right, after all isn't love something that all people experience?

He remembers seeing it everywhere growing up. Movies, books and even holidays where focused on the love between two people. Being surrounded by stories of "love at first sight" and "waiting for the right one" always made a little Kim Rok Soo feel even less human as he did before.

The first time he ever got a phone — once he left the orphanage and saved up enough money — Kim Rook Soo couldn't help but search for answers.

"how to love people?"

"can someone learn love?"

"what does love feel like?"

"can you create love?"

Kim Rok Soo couldn't recall how long he was staring at the screen that night reading articles, blogs and even scientific journals, all in a attempt to find an answer to the question he always asked but received no answer too.

Until one day he stumbled upon a blog post.

"Aromanticism is real, and what it's about."

It was recently made, only a few days old and had very little attention, but to Kim Rook Soo it was a lighthouse in the stormy sea he was born in.

Aromantic…. yes that's what he was.

It felt right, if not a little daunting.

Like a ill gotten suit that was much too big for his body, Kim Rok Soo knew that with time he would grow into this new label for himself. For now he wrapped that coat around his bony shoulders and felt the rocking waves ease a little.

For awhile it was a comfort, even when he lost everything and his own mind to his memories, he never lost that part of himself.

Getting close to Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo wasn't apart of the plan; but like all misfortunes in his life they never left him alone.

Of course after knowing each other for so long and spending almost every waking moment being together after becoming Team 1, the questions started.

"Do you ever want to settle down Rook Soo?"

Of course he did, the farm and his slacker life remember?

"Hey, hey Rok Soo! That rookie from the other team was looking at you~"

Probably just staring at his scars Jung Soo, or maybe they where staring at your dumb expression.

"Is there any girl you like dongsaeng?"

Grandma Kim was always nice.

"That's not- okay what about guys? Any interest there Rok Soo-ya?"

Of course not. Only you two like me

After awhile the subject dropped.

He never figured out weather they thought he was that oblivious or they came to understand he simply never felt that way like others do. He hopes they did, they knew him better then anyone else did, maybe even better then he knew himself.

When he- when everyone lost them the grief was insurmountable.

The label he surrounded himself in comfort became a collar that tightened at every word that spilled from their lips.

He cried no tears, so therefore he didn't care.

His face was stone and so was his heart.

He was already a freak in their eyes, what would happen if they ever found out he couldn't feel something as human as love, the love they knew at least.

He knew love, they wouldn't believe him.

Love, was late nights in a broken building squashed between two bodies as they whispered to each other thinking he was asleep.

Love, was giving up the last piece of food because you knew that Choi Jung Soo had a rough day.

Love, was combing through Lee Soo Hyuk's long strip of hair he refused to cut for what ever reason.

Love, was feeling your world crumble around you but choosing to keep putting one foot in front of the other, all because you made a promise.

Love, was waking up in new world and all you can wonder was who would replace the flowers by two graves.

As Kim Rok Soo, no, as Cale lazied in his bed surrounded by pillows and three warm bodies pressed up against him, he couldn't help the feeling of contentment welling up inside him.

Bassen is the heir, so the pressure for him to marry and have kids was off his shoulders and he was confident enough in his family to not pressure him into choosing a wife anyways.

Cale strokes down Hong's back in thought, lips quirked up a in soft smile as two tiny paws begin to make biscuits on his tummy.

'I already have kids anyways' he thought while darkness envelopes him once more.

Two faces meet his in the darkness, but this time his heart was already full and the warmth didn't fade as they called out his name.

It’s been a few days since arriving in the the body of Cale Henituse, and it’s not at all what Kim Rok Soo had expected. Picking up the protagonist of the novel was planned, sure. However finding a pair of kittens, of whom belonged to the Fog Cat Tribe, wasn’t something he remembered being in the novel.

Now he laid awake at night, his mind abuzz with the upcoming Plaza event, and feeling the warm and soft bodies of the kids curled up around him.

Although it could also be because of that insufferable itch between his shoulder blades! He tried everything short of getting up and rubbing his back on a corner wall.

Was it fleas? Couldn’t have been, Hans and Ron would never allow such things to creep inside on the kittens, or himself for that matter.

Perhaps it was an allergic reaction to something that he ate or touched? Cale knows that sometimes allergies can appear spontaneously, or through repeated contact with something. He just hoped it wasn’t what ever Ron uses to wash his sheets and blankets in, he’s gotten used to the soft and pleasant scent they gave off.

Frustrated, Cale screwed his eyes shut and forced himself to stop wiggling against the sheets. It took longer then he would like, but eventually he was pulled into slumber.

Upon morning, as Cale stood there while Ron was dressing him as usual and Hans was brushing out the kids fur, he felt a gloved hand very lightly brush against his back.

A sharp pain bloomed at the minute contact as he unconsciously twitches his back away form the assassins hand, the pain lingers hotly beneath his skin.

Ron let’s out a curious hum as he stares at his young masters back. The skin was an angry inflamed red, small bumps cover the area and he could almost feel the heat radiating through the skin, even with his gloves on.

“It appears you have some kind of rash Young Master.” Ron goes back into Cale’s closet and pulls out a more light and loose shirt, proceeding to tuck it into his high-waisted pants as he puts it on Cale.

“This Ron will quickly grab some cream to put on it, I will be back shortly.” The butler sweeps out of the room silently as he came.

‘Not shortly,’ Cale thinks as he shudders ‘take as much time as you can!’

Cale collapses on his couch with a sigh, being careful not to lean against the back rest. A concerned meow is heard by his feet. Looking down he meets a pair of worried yellow eyes, Hong meows again while Ohn gently taps her paw against his foot.

"Are you alright Young Master?” asked Hans, standing to the side of the table in front of him.

“Yes fine,” Cale waves dismissively, “are you done tending to the kittens?”

“Oh! Yes I am done with the Kitten-nims,” the butler clasps his hands together and puts them to the side of his face, looking at them in an adoring manner, “although the Count has requested you to attend breakfast with them Young Master.”

He only had a few more day’s until they had to set off for the Capital, but as he feels his back burns more, he really couldn’t be bothered keeping up a face for breakfast while knowing he would have to go out into the Henituse territory later in the day to prepare for the trip.

“No not today Hans, just tell them I’ll attend tomorrow.” He hopes that what ever cream Ron brings back has a numbing agent in it.

“Right away Young Master.” with a bow Hans leaves the room.

As soon as the door clicks shut, Hong jumps onto the cushion beside him with Ohn taking his other side. “Are you okay?” Ohn nudges her head very gently against his arm, almost as if just touching him could cause pain.

Cale sighs, and gently pats them both on the head, giving them small scratches behind their ears to ease their worries.

“I’m fine,“ he says “it’s just a rash, it will go away in a few days.”

The kittens looked unconvinced, but before they could say something back Ron strode back into the room with Vicross following behind him with his food fulled trolley.

As his son places the food on the table, Ron gets his Young Master to stand as he gently unbuttons and slides Cale’s shirt down his shoulders. A barely visible frown crinkles the mans between his brows, it seems like the rash had gained more pinprick lumps while he was away.

“Sorry for the long wait Young Master, it was difficult to find a salve with both healing and cooling properties within our medial supplies, it appears we need to restock them.” The assassin heard a hum from Cale as he unscrewed the lid off the jar.

He watched from the side of his eyes as the kittens jump off the couch before creeping to stand behind his Young Master, letting out a small gasp at the sight of his inflamed back.

Ron already had his gloves off and his hands washed before he even entered Cale’s chambers. He walks behind Cale he scooped some of the off white substance onto his fingers.

“Please try to be as still as you can Young Master.”

Cale had to stop himself from twitching as the cream came in contact with his back. Cale’s skin felt raw and hot, and with each slide of Ron’s fingers against his back he couldn’t decide if the slight cooling effect was worth it as each pass over was akin to touching a raw nerve.

Despite the pain he kept quite and his face was like stone, the only give away was the tight and slightly shaking fists he bawled his hands into. Hong and Ohn mewled sadly, and tried to comfort the red head though purring and nuzzling his legs.

With one last slide Ron took his fingers away, he briskly walked to the conjoining bathroom to wash his hands while Cale’s shoulders slumped in relief.

“Almost done Young Master,” Ron says, walking back in and grabbing a roll of gauze he placed on the table earlier without Cale realizing, “I just need to wrap them up to avoid more irritation and possible infection.”

Cale wanted to groan, he already missed his bed and the hot food on the table was beckoning him, as well as the kittens apparently as they kept glancing between him and the plates.

The noble simply raised his arms to allow Ron to begin bandaging the rash as he turned turned his head to the sibling, “Help yourself, no need to wait.” The kittens hesitate, still worried for Cale, before jumping onto the table to eat but keeping him within their line of sight. Individual plates already set out for the two of them.

It was only a few more minutes before Ron was done with the bandages. He tied off the ends of the gauze and pulled Cale’s shirt back up from where it was dangling around his waist, smoothing out any creases.

“All done Young Master, we’ll leave you alone to have breakfast.”

The father and son duo leave the room and Cale finally is able to rest and feed his now gnawing hunger.

The once persistent itch drifts to the back of his mind as he eats Vicross’s wonderful cooking. He tries not to think about the bandages under his shirt and the date of the trip to the Capital looming closer.

Robin, now called Danny, has only ever known a life within the Ghost Zone. The small boy would be often caught running around with a large smile despite the large, gaping wound on his temple. Right bellow a large patch of black hair, the rest being stark white colour.

Somedays his form would flicker to that of someone older, in a brighter set of clothing. Almost of that you would see in a superhero movie, the once eyecatching colours have been speckled with blood. It's unknown if it came from his bleeding head or there was more injuries underneath his clothing, but no one had the heart to ask. Only Frostbite, the best healer in the Far Frozen knows the answers but refuses to speak of them. His eyes would sadden whenever it was asked, so the topic was dropped.

But one thing was certian. This boy had been so brutalized, so beaten and damaged it reflected in his ghost form. It's known that Ghosts can heal from almost anything given enough time and rest, but sometimes there where wounds that could never heal. Not unless you scared over those in your mind first.

An example of this would be Ember. The burns that once covered her body has slowly faded over time as she has come to terms with her own passing. Now only the ones on her back remain, the most important one as a flaming beam had fallen on her before she could escape the burning inferno. The smoke took her mind, but the fire took her body.

Seeing little Danny run around with the forever gushing laceration caused a grave sense of sadness to sweep those who saw him. How young, a little spark blown out before it had the time to be the light they all knew he would've became.

So it was rather a shock when one of the Bats saw the face of a younger Jason infrount of them. Sitting upon the grave of their brother humming a tune long forgotten by the older version, but forever remembered by the younger.

Flowers dropped from their hands as the second Robin turned around, domino mask wide beneath the white and black hair.

Wait... didn't they just see Jason a few days prior? Who is this? Who is wearing their brothers clothing that they swore was still displayed within the tube in the Batcave.

Their hands shook, and body trembled. Blood, oh oh god there was so much blood. The boy, Jason? was covered in it. What happened?

They knelt on the wet soil, plams held up and outwards towards the kid.

"Hey, are you oka-" right as they where about to place a hand of the child's shoulder it just... passed right through. A cold sensation washed over their body, their hand was through his shoulder but crimson stained their knees in the pool bellow them.

A voice whispered in their ear, light and airy, almost as if a passing breeze has blown through the graveyard.