FATHOMLESS
eldritch detective x reader | 2.1k | mdni
synopsis; everyone claims that the esteemed detective arsené is the best detective in watt city. the problem is that you've never seen him in the precinct before and he has no face.
story warnings; implied dubcon, smoking, drinking, brief mentions of body gore. this is an extremely fictitious take on detective work, y'all. don't take it seriously. a bit trippy in some spots, very nebulous explanation on arsené's existence. not proofread.
a/n: more about arsené at the end. if you enjoyed pls reblog! if enough folks show interest, I'd love to consider a longfic for him!
Everyone at the precinct called him Detective Arsené, but they never said anything about his face.
It was simply that there wasn't one there, not that you were able to discern in any instance you'd seen him wandering the floor. You'd blamed the long hours, the glowing blue screens and useless eye predictions and corporate greed and mixing alcohol with allergy medicine before you finally accepted what you were seeing was real, yet no one else noticed it apart from you.
âWhat's wrong with his face?â you'd ask anyone with the time to spare to listen.
âWho? ArsenĂ©?â they'd laugh, whether in disbelief that you were speaking about Watt Cityâs genius detective in such a fashion, or that they thought you were the funniest person in the office. âWhat are you talking about? He's always looked like that! Lay off the booze, yeah?â
Those responses had never been satisfactory enough, going as far to set you ill at ease for the remainder of your shift, sufficiently distracting you from furthering your workload because your mind always came back to the detective and his non-existent face.
âHe looks pretty normal to me,â said a senior member in your division, an older man you'd come to know as forthright and virtuous with a history showing that integrity. He had taken eyes off his computer screen, set aside his bifocals and pinched the high-point between his brows. âWhat's this about, really? I've worked with ArsenĂ© for years. You know that. He's been here since before I started. Good guy, hard worker. Drinks too much, though. Just like someone else I know.â
But, this was the first time youâd heard from this man that he had worked with ArsenĂ©, let alone acknowledged his existence at all. There was no reason for him to lie; he had spoken without inflection, warily, almost accusatory towards the end when he spoke about the alcohol.
âDetective ArsenĂ©? Well, I think he's really handsome. He just has that look about him, y'know?â The next person you questioned was a junior at the precinct, a pretty woman with silky black hair and long, blunt nails she used the tips of to clack away on her keyboard. âI've heard he has a really specific type, though. I've also never seen him take anyone out, or take a partner on cases, now that I think about it. Isn't he just a stand-up guy? I'd say he's the sort to bring home to mom and dad, but I hear he's got a drinking problem. Why do all the hot ones have vices like that?â
She particularly enjoyed her gossip, especially if it involved the detectives at the precinct; you were positive she'd never mentioned ArsenĂ© before now. As smart as she was, she didn't look below the surface very often when it came to men, so for her to say nothing at all of the detectiveâs smooth face was mystifying.
After that, you started paying attention to Arsené in a way you convinced yourself was discreet: Slowly peeking your eyes above your computer screen to observe his movements across the floor. Always in motion, he stalked around the place with undaunted familiarity, maneuvering the razored corners of desks and blockades from doors and walls, and languidly sidestepped the oncoming traffic of bodies in such a way that seemed premeditated. Practiced. Repeated.
This staunch dedication of yours lasted well over a week before anything came of it, and then one morning you found him waiting in your seat, teetering a bloated manila folder on a thigh while bouncing it impatiently. A very real sensation of unease took hold of the back of your neck, like a cold hand stroking lightly at the downy hairs there until they stood straight.
You thought about pretending you hadn't seen him, swiveling around, and leaving in a burst of urgency. It'd be easy to call in to say you had a personal emergency or became suddenly, very viscously ill and wouldn't be able to handle staring at a screen for twelve hours. No one would ask questions because you were exemplary, always on time, and seldom took time off as you couldn't afford to do so.
ArsenĂ©âs head slanting sideways and the waxy, flat face pointing directly towards you prevented you from acting on that impulse, however. He gestured you over with a lethargic wave, though the jitteriness in his leg seemed to worsen from impatience into sheer excitability.
âClocked in early, aren't you? You have quite the habit of doing that, I've noticed.â He greeted, voice simultaneously undefinable and velvety. It wasn't so deep that you felt like it was gravelly or reverberated in the same way a baritone would, but there was a heftiness to it that weighted in your mind, as if it were possible for someone to reach through all your blood, tissue, and bone and press down directly on your brain. âI've seen you come in a few times, hours before anyone else. And you know what I think? I think, âThatâs the kind of person who keeps a place like this running. That's the kind of person we want here in this precinct. That's the type of person who believes in the work that we do and who Iâd want as my partnerâ.â
As much as you wanted to get away from the horrid sight before you, the no-face and potent voice wriggling around the wrinkles in your brain, you couldn't bring yourself to do so just yet. Not while you had questions you couldn't find answers to, not while you needed to sedate yourself at night because they ruthlessly endangered your dreams and were thieves of peaceful slumber.
âI've never met you before,â you said, giving a cordial handshake when he had offered it to you. The skin of his palm was warm and humanlike, though his grip was all wrong and entirely too firm. You didn't convey this to him, though. âI've seen you around, though. Were you transferred from a different department or precinct? Everyone says you've been around for a long time, but I find it hard to believe I've noticed.â
âOh? Well, they'd be right.â ArsenĂ© said, finally releasing your hand to take up the thick folder. âI've always been there, and I'm always here. Now, that aside, I've cleared it with the Chief and I'd like you to help me on a case that I'm stuck on. If I've read right, you're the most recent person who's looked through everything to update the records, correct?â
âProbably.â You didn't move when he rolled up another chair from a desk nearby. âI'm a Recorder. It's my job to go through files and periodically update them. I'm not qualified to help detectives on their cases, though. You'd need to speak to the Chief about getting an Assistant for that.â
âAh, didn't you hear me? That's all been handled. Sit down. Sit down.â He waved you close, then took you by the arm to sit you in the chair next to him. âWe have a lot to cover. I think we should start from the beginning and work our way through the evidence list, and then the interrogation tapes. After that, it'd be a good idea to revisit the site of the crime. Don't worry about clearances, I've got everything we need.â
It wasn't often that you saw the inside of the precinct after that day as Arsené particularly enjoyed his busywork and bringing you along for it. Most days you simply operated as a Field Recorder by transcribing statements into the handheld device provided by the precinct to maintain a digital trail. The work wasn't especially difficult, but it did take a level of skill and technological literacy to be able to do effectively, more so to be the sort allowed to tail after a detective on his cases and still maintain an overall ninety-eight percent accuracy.
Despite your job dictating it as such, Arsené never allowed you to fade into the background or stand around as a fancy accessory to go with his title. Oftentimes, he utilized you as his sole confidant as he worked through evidence and suspects, waiting in revered silence for you to offer your insight (however weak it actually was), and afterwards only let you bask in a glow of confidence through streams of unending praise.
âEgads! Eureka! Genius! How is it that it never occurred to me that way? Truly, you're spectacular! You're divine! Who knows how long Iâd be running around in circles if I didn't have you as my partner.â They were all slightly variating compliments, though essentially all the same at the core and all very untrue.
You'd never forgotten about the things your colleagues had said about him, of his unrivaled prowess and veneration as the best detective Watt City had ever come to witness. He didn't need you. He had never needed you to solve a case, so you had learned to take his praise in the same vein as you did the silky-haired womanâs comments on men: uninspired and shallow.
When your disinterest became palpable, he seemed to only rely on you more as though he couldn't stand to be burdened with the idea of a rift. He had started calling you late at night about cases, going as far to come knocking at your door and walking inside reeking of stale smoke and a haze of booze, neither of which you could comprehend as possible considering he had no face.
âI just don't get it. I just don't get it! Where am I going wrong?!â He said so wretchedly, sides of his head cradled in his hands that were tucked between his legs. âThis case, itâs getting to me. It's getting under my skin. I can't figure it out. Have I finally met my match? Have I finally been defeated? You! Youâve got to help me. It can't end like this.â
For all his dramatics, there was something obscenely cruel behind his words. Perhaps he thought you wouldn't have caught onto it because you simply a Field Recorder, just a person at the end of the day.
âWhy haven't you mentioned anything about the victim? You're acting like they don't exist, ArsenĂ©. Is this about solving the crime so they get justice and the family gets closure, or for your reputation?â you asked.
He immediately stopped complaining and jolted upright, taken by surprise like he had realized this oversight and wasn't sure how to navigate around it. On that glossy slate of a face, one you knew was piercing deep into you despite a lack of hollow sockets and rolling gelatinous orbs within, you could tell he was now thinking of an answer.
âNeither,â was the answer he gave you. âIt's neither of those. Come here. Sit down and talk to me for a while. I can't go home like this.â
The pitying part of you usually won in those moments where Arsené presented himself as his weakest. There was a part of you that believed he was taking advantage of your feeble-heart, your kindness, your blind generosity because at his worst, he'd find a way to strip you down and fuck you.
At least, that's what you assumed happened. You never really could remember as the memory was pitch black, his body was unfathomable above yours, but you were sure you felt his cock penetrating you, his hands desperately fondling your flesh and fat like there was too much to touch yet too little time to feel it all. He said things to you inside your head, words that you couldnât seem to piece together yet ignited the tension between your legs, lit your skin on fire, and delivered lewd, high-pitched sounds to his ears that he reveled in.
He never left you a mess and he never spoke about those times after they happened. Since you were never sure of them yourself, they suffered the same indifference as his praise and the days simply moved onward in a similar way.
âAnother case solved!â ArsenĂ© cheered, lifting a stout mug in the air for you to reciprocate with the long stem of your wine glass. It was a fragile tinkling sound, a gentle vibration up your fingers and into your wrist as you toasted his success. âI couldn't have done it without you, my beloved partner! If it's you and I, I could do this forever.â
You swirled the liquid inside; a light and dry, raspberry and vaguely earthy smell wafted up your nostrils before you tasted it and let your cheeks pucker. As you drank, you watched as Arsené lifted the stout towards the expanse of taut, clear skin that should've been his face, and saw liquid inside empty into nowhere.
a/n; so, some folks might remember arsené from my last blog, but back then he was just a concept. I haven't really started a deep dive into this character just yet, but the story ideas I have for him currently are pretty fucking wild and trippy.
"eldritch" isn't quite an applicable term for what he is, but it's the closest thing I can compare him to without giving everything away.
what does he actually look like? no one really knows. I didn't touch on it here in this fic, but typically, mc wouldn't know how to describe his appearance at all aside from having "no face". they can get glimpses of his skintone or hair, but immediately forget what those features of him when they look away. he's quite, literally, unfathomable lmao.
is he good or bad? that depends on the situation and context. the technical answer is that he is moralless in the sense that they have no reason to exist for him. he is above them, and below them. he is motivated by things he wants and acts on it whether that's "good" or "bad" on an alignment chart, he'd probably fall chaotic neutral, but not really evil.
does he love the mc? oh, yeah, he does.
anyway, yeah. he's a pretty fun concept to explore and I'd love to explore him more. let me know your thoughts!!
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Batboys as your sugar daddy pt. 2
Donât you know youâre his?
Pairings: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne x fem!reader
Contains: Sugar daddies. Possessive, controlling men. Power imbalances. Theyâre all a little toxic. Allusions to daddy kink in Jasonâs.
Notes: So quick. Very short. I said âoneâ and wrote three. Iâm a giver. 18+ or youâll be blocked. I donât usually do part 2s unless I want to, so please donât request themâthank you!
DICK GRAYSON đ
Standing behind you, Dick dangles a breathtakingly dainty pendant in front of your face. You can feel his smile in the way he holds you: hands on your hips, chest puffed up with pride, lips against your temple.Â
âI got you this,â he says. âYouâll wear it for me, wonât you?â
Mesmerized, you reach out and touch the stone. No, itâs not his name, not even his initial, but a perfectly cut, dark blue-green gemstone nestled in your favorite shade of gold. Dickâs not the flashiest of menâyes, you look at him and instantly know that heâs wealthy, but he has nothing to flaunt because his confidence is as easy as breathing.Â
But he is possessive. Almost everything you own is blue nowâbecause he thinks itâs funny to be so on-the-nose about a secret only a select few people know. He doesnât care who else knows that youâre his, no; itâs that you know youâre his, so much so that straying isnât even a thought in your pretty head.
Why would you, when he spoils you so?
JASON TODD đ
âAre you going to be a good girl and ride my thigh?â
Jason doesnât give you the chance to answer. Itâs not that you canât; he know you can. Youâre his smart girl, his clever baby. You could solve all the worldâs problems if you set your mind to it; you just donât need to.
Because Jason takes care of things for you. Thatâs why, even though he asks, itâs while he already has his hands on your hips to drag you, pants and panties off, back and forth over his muscled thigh.
When he brings you close to his chest, he pressed playful, teasing kisses against your mouth; his eyes are alight with mischief, darkly sparkling in a way that invites you to get lost in them. In him.
Sensation climbs and your mind goes hazy, but thatâs okay. Jasonâs here. He always will be. Always within armâs reach, always ready to give you his full attentionâhands, lips, cockâat the drop of a hat. No matter where you are, youâre his, and he wouldnât allow it to be any other way.
DAMIAN WAYNE đ
âCan you behave?â Damian asks in a tone that suggests he knows you canât.
Itâs his fault, really; he sets impossible rules knowing youâll break them, just because you and he both want to find out what happens. Your lover is brutal, yes, and ruthlessâbut most importantly, he is fair. He answers every one of your whims before you even say the word.
âI can,â you insist, tilting your head in search of his lips. Behind you, he leans away, holding you in place with a firm grip on your hip and shoulder.
When you whine that you canât reach him, he tuts, chuckles, and cups your jaw in one hand. âDo you know what the word means?â
Behave, you think. Of course you know what the word means. Everyone does.
But then he murmurs, voice low in your ear and breath warm on your skin, âShould I show you?â
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