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professorthaddeus · 8 months

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butterfly effects

The air has been saturated with a sharp, tangy sense of urgency ever since the freeway collapsed, but here in the back alleys by Conrad’s home, the cobbled streets are cold as ever, the walls dark and damp from the recent brainstorm. Justin pads along by his side, a comforting presence at his feet, and Conrad could almost pretend it’s just another day on the job, on the way to his paper route.

Except for one thing. The Fix’s hulking form lumbers ahead of him, his shoulders barely squeezing through the alleyways. In the shadows, he practically looks like a wall himself—solid, unyielding stone, brought to life to eliminate any obstacles ahead of him. No, ahead of all three of them.

It’s been a long, long time since any grownup took an interest in Conrad. Now, there are five grownups looking out for him. Trying to save him.

It’s a lot.

Well, maybe that’s not fair. Mister F—the owner of Sugah’s has always paid attention to him. Even if their interactions weren’t the most pleasant on Conrad’s end, the club owner always remembered his name and cared where he was. Well. Cared if he was too close to Sugah’s, at least.

The Fix keeps glancing back at him to make sure he’s following. It’s funny—one look from someone so intimidating would usually send Conrad scrambling into corners to hide, but he doesn’t feel that itch under his skin tonight. That gaze, concerned and watchful, those giant hands swinging by The Fix’s sides, capable of so much violence but so much care, too… they’re so familiar. Echoes of bright points in a dark, forgotten place.

The next time The Fix looks back, Conrad clears his throat and tries to project his voice far enough to reach the henchman’s ears above. “Um, Mister The Fix?”

“Just The Fix is fine, kid.”

Conrad swallows. “Oh, okay. Um. Earlier, you wanted to know why I trusted you so quickly, right? I didn’t really know myself, then, but I think I’ve figured it out.” He scuffs his feet, the words faltering on his tongue as the memories come into focus.

“Oh?” The Fix is giving him an encouraging nod.

“I… I think I know you. From before we met recently, I mean. You used to come to Madame Loathing’s, didn’t you?”

The Fix blinks. “Yes, I did. I still do. But I don’t remember seeing you there.”

Conrad shrugs. “I usually kept to myself when I lived there. But you… you were impossible to miss.”

The other children would always get so excited when their benefactor came to visit. Conrad stayed back, but he still caught the man’s endless patience as he listened to Ronnie ramble about snakes, as he watched Matilda practice her magic tricks. Still felt the draw of a grownup who really cared, a grownup who was kind.

“You used to nurture the wayward interests, didn’t you? You wanted to protect them so that they could grow.” Now that Conrad remembers, it seems so odd that he ever forgot. Then again, it’s been a long time since he ran away. And The Fix’s visits had gotten less and less frequent over the years. Conrad frowns. “But now… you just do whatever the DA tells you to do, and the DA only cares about the big guy’s job. What happened?”

“Hey now, nothing happened.” The Fix’s brow furrows. “I do what I do for the big guy, same as any other worker here, and after a while, he began to value ambition the most.”

“But you’re so strong. You could do so much good if you just—”

The Fix’s mouth twists into a grimace as he rolls a shoulder. It’s probably just in discomfort, and he doesn’t move forward, but Conrad still flinches back reflexively, and Justin rumbles a low growl in warning. The Fix’s eyes soften, the irritation vanishing from his face.

“People come after you a lot, don’t they?”

“Well… yeah. I get it, though. People don’t like a little kid telling them what they should do. Like I just did with you.” Conrad winces. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” The Fix shakes his head. “I’ll be honest, I’m not very comfortable with your mission to change the big guy’s mind. But you’re a part of the mind, too, and that’s your purpose. Maybe you have a point.”

“No, you don’t have to say that, I shouldn’t have—look, I’m not trying to blame you," Conrad stammers. "I can’t really talk, anyway. I know I’m kind of failing as the big guy’s moral conscience here—oh sorry, not that I’m saying you’re failing, but…” He sighs, shifting his weight. “Most people’s consciences talk to them a lot, and actually make a difference. I mean, even Justin’s always telling me I need to do more.”

“Wha—no, I told you one time that maybe we could be doing a little more than just switching the front page of the newspaper.”

“Oh, right.”

Justin nudges Conrad’s leg. “I know you do the best you can, and sometimes that’s all we can do,” he justifies.

Conrad’s eyes well up with a familiar emotion. He’s so lucky to have this dog by his side. “Justin, you’re my best friend.”

“You’re my best friend.”

The Fix kneels, interrupting Conrad’s move to give Justin a hug. Conrad is suddenly struck with an image of this mountain of a man crouching down in the entryway at Madame Loathing’s to let Jimmy the prospective gymnast clamber all over him. “I’m glad the two of you have each other; you’re both really good friends. But you don’t have to do this by yourselves anymore. I’d like to be your friend, too.”

Conrad flushes. “I… I appreciate that, Mister—I mean, The Fix.” He looks down, fiddling with the fraying strap of his bag. “But I still don’t know if I can do more, even with help. I’d like to, but the one time I tried and it actually worked, I—I got the big guy hurt real bad, and…” An innocent kid died. Ichabod. Conrad shudders, his shoulders curling in on himself. Things have been crazy, and it’s all his fault. The collapsed highway, the darkened switchboard, the eyes being closed… he might’ve gotten the big guy hurt again.

The Fix tilts his head, considering him intently in a way that makes Conrad want to squirm away. The Fix hums awkwardly. “You know, back in the 70s, there was this man named Edward Norton Lorenz who developed a hypothesis that contributed a lot to chaos theory. He theorized that Earth’s weather patterns are pretty much impossible to predict perfectly because, for example, the smallest changes in atmospheric pressure can build into storms, or a gust of wind can send clouds on a completely different path.”

Conrad looks to Justin for help, but his friend looks just as bewildered as he feels.

“What?”

The Fix sighs. “What I’m trying to say is, I think I was right. You’re important, Conrad—you’re the butterfly. And it’s okay if you feel like you can’t do too much right now.” He ventures a smile. Conrad gets a feeling The Fix doesn’t do that much. The smile’s a little lopsided, but it’s gentle. “Even the tiniest butterfly can make a big change with just a flap of its wings.”

Conrad’s eyes widen. His first instinct is to protest—history has shown him that he can’t affect anything. He doesn’t deserve to, anyway, after the harm he’s caused. But maybe that’s not exactly true. After all, because of Conrad—or at least, because The Fix saw Conrad, he went from blindly following the DA’s orders without considering the consequences to actively lying to his boss, giving voice to his old desire to protect.

It’s too much. Justin presses against his legs, and Conrad worries at his lip, resisting the urge to curl up into a ball on the ground. There’s something fluttering inside him, an unfamiliar warmth settling tentatively alongside the ever-present whirlpool of guilt. It’s weird. It’s kind of nice.

The Fix stands, turning to face the industrial lights of Occipital Park in the distance. “Come on, we should probably get going to meet up with the others.” Conrad adjusts his bag and takes a deep breath, straightening his spine.

“Okay.”

The Fix is reaching out to offer him a hand. He takes it.

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also on ao3 (if you'd like to give your local fic writer some contraband dopamine kudos :p)

#dimension 20 #mentopolis #conrad schintz #the fix #justin fication #d20 mentopolis #my writing #my ramblings #not cr #hiiii i'm back just here to drop a super niche d20 fic because this relationship has captured my whole whole heart #both the fix and conrad have such specific speech patterns so this was such a fun exercise #dropout

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can-i-roll-for-it · 8 months

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The case of 'What is going on with Dan Fucks' (Solved by Hunch Curio): A hunchfucks Oneshot

Also posted on Ao3: The case of 'What is going on with Dan Fucks' (solved by Hunch Curio) - Tina_ya_boi - Mentopolis - Fandom [Archive of Our Own]

Posting the I wrote here too because I like it hehe

Summary:

Longing and pleasure....

Dan leaned back as he stared up at his ceiling, twirling an empty glass in his hand. Sughas was having quite a slow night tonight. Dan had finished any paperwork he had to get finished for the night, meaning currently, he had a bit of free time on his hands.

Unfortunately. Free time means he has time to think, which is the last thing he wants to do right now.

It's been a few weeks since a certain...incident. One Dan can't be sure if he is that proud of. A few weeks ago, he had been beaten half dead, (quite heroically he would recall, no matter what anyone else says). After that, he wasn't sure how much time had passed, until he started having a,,,dream. He thinks. He isn't fully sure what it was, in all honesty, but he remembers waking up with what can only be considered a feeling of,,,yearning.

Ever since that happened, Dan has been feeling..weird. Maybe even vulnerable. Especially around Hunch. Really only around Hunch.

He didn't like it.

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Dan has been feeling weird ever since Hunch helped him in his office, and Hunch comes to figure out why.

Fic under cut:

Longing and pleasure....

Unfortunately. Free time means he has time to think, which is the last thing he wants to do right now.

With the first thing Dan saw upon waking being Hunch strapping a bunch of frozen steaks to his head.

Everyone would find that attachive right?

Well, currently, that's what Dan was debating. Ever since that happened, Dan has been feeling..weird. Maybe even vulnerable. Especially around Hunch. Really only around Hunch.

He didn't like it.

Dan liked having control over situations, and getting to be the one to get the last word in. Which is hard when you're stuck inside your head wondering what things mean.

Dan is snapped out of his thoughts by the sounds of the door of Sughas opening and the sound of footsteps. Of course. This isn't a distraction that can save Dan from his thoughts. Dan glanced over at the source of the noise and here comes Hunch Curio, the man of the hour, walking toward him

"Fucks!" Hunch yelled, announced himself as he made his way across the room and leaned on the counter across from Dan. He paused. Then grinned "Heya!"

Dan looked at him. He placed the cup he was holding down and put on a sly smile to try to chase those remaining thoughts away, and look collected. "Hunch, my good man!" Dan grinned and stood up "What do you need? You know we got something new I bet you would like!"

"You do?" Hunch's eyes lit up at the sound of the word new. Dan just hummed contently and nodded, looking for what he was referring to behind the bar, when he found it he slid a glass over to Hunch.

Hunch bounced excitedly, and grasped the cup in his hands and he hummed a "Thanks." Clearly more fascinated by the new drink than talking right now. He turned it over in his hands. As Hunch did that, Dan took it as an opportunity to sit back down across from Hunch.

"Anything for my favorite customer!" Dan laughed as he leaned down on the counter.

Hunch looked up. "Awe come on, is that really all I am to you after everything?" Hunch laughed. He was joking, of course but there was a certain look in his eyes. It disappeared so fast that Dan couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it didn't look that positive. In fact. It seemed quite sad.

Dan didn't really like seeing that look on his face.

Dan goes to say something but, as if the previous exchange never happened, Hunch leaned back and shot back the drink Dan had given him. He dropped the cup on the counter and he grinned wide. He laughed more like before, but this time more lightheartedly. "You never disappoint, Dan."

Dan stared at Hunch. That smile. Something about it was bringing back those feelings again. Which made him feel,,,breathless. "I...I try not to." He mumbled in response.

Holy shit he felt pathetic.

Hunch frowned. "You're being weird again."

"What?" Dan blinked. Shaking away any of the thoughts he had. "What are you talking about, my man?" Dan tried to laugh, but it came out like a nervous chuckle. Shit.

"You, Daniel Fucks!" Hunch jumped up and crossed his arms, before immediately changing pose to point at Dan "Have been acting weird since we saved the big guy."

Dan blinked and stared at Hunch, he sat up and crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? I have not." He said confidently. Of course he knew he was lying. He knew he was being strange, and despite however much he denied it. He knew exactly why he was being weird.

Feelings were a tricky subject though.

"Yes you have!" Hunch slammed his hands on the bar counter. "That is why I have personally set myself on solving the case of 'Whats going in with Dan Fucks'." Hunch stared down intently at Dan, from where Hunch was standing and Dan was still sitting.

Dan swallowed a bit nervously, but he tried to play it cool. He grabbed the empty glass he was messing with before and started twirling it again.

At least he hoped it made him look cool.

"Now now, Detective," Dan started, purposely not looking Hunch in the eye "You have always been good at putting evidence together, but I'm afraid this case may run cold. Nothing is going on with me"

"You're a terrible liar." Hunch simply stated. Was that true? Or was Hunch just good at telling when he was lying. Dan wasn't sure.

"Well then, tell me Hunch, how have I been acting 'weird." Dan hummed.

"Well it's simple really." Hunch started. "You've had this dazed look in your eye lately. You randomly get quite quiet, and just before you seemed very nervous, and you never get nervous, and if you do, you don't show it!" As Hunch spoke, he slowly leaned across the counter toward Dan. Supposedly to emphasize his point. Although Dan wasn't sure if Hunch realized how close they were by the end of that.

Dan swallowed again. "Well. You must pay quite close attention to me to notice all that."

"It would be obvious to anyone, I think." Hunch just shrugged.

"I wouldn't say so." Dan sighed. Finally willing himself to look Hunch in the eyes. "Tell me Hunch, do you know anyone else who thinks I've been 'off'."

"Well, no." Hunch started. And Dan thought that would be the end of this. He had won, and he won't have to confront this issue again. Until Hunch continued "but I figured. If you aren't being weird around anyone else. Then. I think you may only be acting weird around me."

Hunch was a good detective. A great Detective.Dan admired that, but now it seems it will be Dan's downfall.

The look in Hunch's eye had returned. The sad one, from before. Expect this time it lingered on his face. It made Dan feel sick.

"I'm asking Dan." Hunch started back up. "What's going on with you...I'm..I'm quite worried, I gotta say."

Dan paused. Worried. He was worried. Staring up at Hunch. A possibility dawned over Dan. One he felt he had to clear up now. While they were like this.

Dan dropped the cup again. "Tell me Hunch. How do you feel about me?" He started, slowly.

Hunch paused, and was silent for a long moment. "I." He started. Then stopped. Then continued "I don't see how that is related with this case."

"Ahh, well that is where you are wrong." Dan started, finally standing up, but they were still close and he continued to look Hunch in the eye. "In fact, I think the case of 'How Hunch Curio feels about Dan Fucks' and 'Whats going on with Dan Fucks' may even be the same case.". It was sort of a bluff. If Dan was wrong this would be embarrassing.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just answer the question." Dan hated how desperate he sounded when he said that. Truly. "How about this," he hummed. "Answer my question, and I promise I will tell you why I have been acting so strange. You would like that, wouldn't you?"

Dan didn't miss the way Hunch's eye went wide at the thought of finally getting the answers he had been wanting. Hunch took a deep breath "..Alright. I say that is a fair deal." Hunch tilted his head "You may not like what you learn though."

Either Dan is right or Hunch is about to tell him how much he hates him. Dan figured either option would help him move on from the weird way he was feeling. Eventually. Though he was really hoping he was right.

Hunch chewed on his bottom lip as he spoke up. "I find you fascinating."

"Oh?" Dan whispered in response. Their faces were very close now. Dan felt Hunch's breath on his face as he spoke. It wouldn't take much to close that gap between them.

Hunch continued. "I like that you help me find new stuff, but also, to be honest. I am always trying to learn more about you."

Dan nodded slowly.

"I believe I'm in love with you." Hunch nodded. "That's how I feel."

"I see.." Dan hummed quietly. He chose to ignore the fluttering feeling in his stomach as he glanced down at Hunch's lips. He figured Hunch noticed.

"Uh- you know due to my years of detective work, I get the feeling,, we are going to kiss?"

"If you would like to then yes, we are."

"Oh. Well. I would like to."

With that there was zero question behind it. Dan immediately closed the gap between them, bringing his hands up to cup Hunch's face. Hunch's hands eventually landed on holding on to the sides of Dan's shirt.

Perhaps it was a bit awkward. Kissing on opposite sides of a bar counter, but with the way the two of them were pulling at each other, it's possible neither of them noticed.

When they broke for air, it didn't last long. Dan quickly moved back in to continue, and Hunch didn't seem to mind much. A bit later Hunch backed away slightly and choked out a small "holdon-"

Dan paused, he backed away "You wanna stop?"

"No- I- yes but not really-"

Dan backed up. He looked at Hunch. "What's up?"

"You never told me what was going on with you."

Dan pouted. "Hunch, my good man, would you really not rather do something more exciting than just talking right now?"

Hunch pouted in return "You promised."

Dan leaned his head back and sighed. He dropped Hunch's face and put his hands down. "Alright alright. I did promise didn't I.. fine." Dan took this as an opportunity to finally walk around the counter and then stop to stand next to Hunch. He looked at him. "You want to know what was going on?"

"Please." Hunch pleaded.

Dan sighed, he ran his hands over his face. "I think I was scared."

Hunch raised an eyebrow "scared? Of?"

"I don't know" Dan groaned, he leaned his back against the counter and crossed his arms "I know you said I don't get nervous, but. Shit. Who knows. I'm just not used to having such strong feelings for one person I guess."

Hunch looked utterly shocked. "You've...had strong feelings? For who?..Me?"

Dan looked over at him. His face softened slightly. "Yes, Hunch, you make me feel like a fool" He laughed.

"Hey now," Hunch started, but he couldn't find anything else to say. He looked at Dan and couldn't stop himself from laughing as well.

Dan got off the counter as the two of them laughed together. This felt easier than he expected. Dan moved to drape his arms over Hunch's shoulders. "Well then," he let his remaining laugher finish out "Are you OK with that answer?"

Hunch wrapped his arms around Dan's back, with no counter between them it was much easier for them to pull each other much closer. "I think I can finally say the case of 'What is going on with Dan Fucks' has been closed." Hunch smiled triumphantly. Like this was all part of his plan to solve a case.

Dan smirked "And the case of 'How Hunch Curio feels about Dan Fucks" hm?"

"Oh that was solved long ago!" Hunch laughed. Dan gasped "You've been holding out on me Detective!"

"I could say the same for you!" Hunch grinned. That big beautiful grin.

"Alright, alright" Dan hummed. "Well let's stop stalling then. Should we get back to business?"

And with that, this time Hunch was the one to close the gap between the two of them, and Dan figured maybe he was OK feeling like a fool sometimes. If he got to do this.

#hunchfucks #mentopolis #mentopolis spoilers #dimension 20 #daniel fucks #dan fucks #hunch curio #fuckshunch #my fics

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