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rawmeknockout · 2 months ago

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Yandere G1 Autobots (★ ω ★) (part 1?)

Optimus Prime

00 + Optimus isn't hard to win over. If anything, he's certain it was sparkmates at first sight. He sees you as energetic and full of life, a bright light in the midst of so much pain. Seeing you openly and eagerly interacting with the his beloved comrades, getting up everyday ready to take on whatever life offers, this is what gets his spark pounding for you. He doesn't show it, especially not to the other Autobots, but there are many days where even getting up out of berth is hard for him. Optimus questions whether he's truly doing the right thing, if his choices will only result in his friends and the people he's trying to protect suffering in vain, but knowing he will get to see your smile is enough to pull him out of a glum mood. At this point, you may as well be the reason his spark beats...

01 + He's not so insecure and pushy as to think he has to watch you 24/7. In fact, observing you in secret is somewhat of a luxury to him, not an obligation, but he is incredibly protective. It's embedded in his coding. Even if you've proved countless times that you can care for yourself, Optimus obviously worries more for you than for any soldier under his command.

02 + He's never voiced it aloud to you (it's still far too early in, what Optimus is sure will be, your long and prosperous relationship) but he believes you two are fated for each other, Primus-ordained sparkmates if you will. In his processor, you two fit together like complementary pieces. He was made for you and you for him. He bristles at the mere mention another mech might have optics for you, but Optimus knows you two will be together. The idea that you might not be keen on dating your superior, much less be in a serious relationship with a Prime, is something he actively tries not to think about.

03 + Optimus has never used it, to your knowledge, but he does have access to all the rooms on the Ark. Just the idea is thrilling to him. That he could access you, your most personal space, any time he wants. The guilt and shame is still too much to actually use this access when you're in your habsuite, but he's invited himself in during one or two particularly hard days, so he can press his face into your pillow to inhale your scent and run his fingers along your most prized items. Imagining holding you in your very own berth is enough to send a shiver up his spinal strut. But it's only a matter of time before the novelty wears off.

04 + It's not immediately obvious to most mechs, but he tends to be much more stern when you're involved. He tries not to let it be too apparent. Once, Sideswipe clipped your leg when he was racing Sunstreaker to the rec room, and Optimus tore into them (well, for Optimus Prime) in front of the rest of the Autobots. They were on clean-up duty for two months and bumped to the latest lunch schedule.

05 + Should he find you getting too close to another mech, Optimus, though loathe to do it, is not above using his authority and social standing to put a wedge between you two. The mech may come to Optimus for relationship advice, or general advice on handling being so close to someone while in the middle of a war, and OP would pounce on the opportunity to gently convey just how dangerous that is for you; what a strain that could put on the Autobots' morale and camaraderie, should this mech find themselves too distracted with your safety in the heat of battle. If they don't come to him, Optimus might instead reach out to them or you to express concern over how much of a distraction this could be for the Autobot cause.

06 + If really pushed, if you really tried to put distance between you and him, or, Primus forbid, tried to leave, Optimus wouldn't be the type to use brute force. However, he's definitely not leaving you unrestrained. Getting you locked up in the brig is his first choice, since it makes sense for his position, but if you continued to be fussy and difficult, he would instead make it a permanent solution by locking you up in his quarters. Optimus isn't proud of it, and certainly would prefer to let you roam free, but you're clearly not thinking rationally. You may not understand now, but he knows you'll eventually see that the two of you were made for each other. You just haven't caught up yet. The Matrix allows him to understand and see the universe for how it ought to be; a way to convene with Primus' will, some believe. Optimus feels a pull to you that must be something divine. You just haven't felt it yet.

Prowl

00 + Most likely is drawn to you if you're soft and agreeable. He's not attracted to the overly sentimental, not usually, but you're able to 'see passed' his hardass demeanor and try to see the mech underneath all the logical armor. What you don't know is, that's just Prowl. Yes, he's got a spark and feelings, but the Prowl you see is who he truly is. Only later do you realize, and by then it's too late. Prowl is smitten with you. He's never been the object of so much positive attention and earnest effort. He's absolutely ravenous for more.

01 + Will write you up to keep you on the Ark, safe from Decepticon activity. In his strategic plans, you're almost always pushed back away from the frontlines. Prowl rationalizes, even to himself, that your ranged capabilities are much more important for the Autobot offense/defense than any hand-to-hand grappling you could do. Whether or not that actually proves to be true...

02 + Even if it's not actually logistically possible, Prowl is pretty intent on keeping you away from the other Autobots. At least socially and intimately. Assigning you the longest patrol routes, putting you in the brig for extended periods for minor violations, and, most egregiously, covertly spreading (false) rumors of your Decepticon ties. Anything to keep you isolated from what he sees as corrupting influences. Prowl is quite aware that if you have the option of other mechs for company, you're less likely to choose your stern superior. Even if you come to him out of desperation, for now that's good enough.

03 + Prowl is likely significantly older than you, even if there's no species difference, so he feels almost obligated, responsible, for showing you the ways of the world. Guiding you like a mentor would. To him, it's not just about keeping you safe but it's also romantic. That he gets his own servos on shaping and molding you, on fitting your experience with the world in a way that is... appropriate, according to his sensibilities. He doesn't just want to impress his own sense of rationale and morality upon you, although that is part of it, but also ensure you understand why a mech like him is the obvious choice for someone like you. He's certain you'll come to understand his logic and embrace it.

04 + Even with you, even should you miraculously put up with him, Prowl isn't going to readily share his loneliness with you. He finally has you within reach, he's not going to mess this up. If anything, the idea of having you firmly within his grasp only makes him more uptight. He's just waiting for some bot to try to swoop in and steal you away, a scenario he's quite paranoid about. He's tried to come up with multiple strategies to avoid this, but his most effective, and most used, by far is isolating you from other mechs. It's fine if you're lonely, it's fine if you end up ostracized like him, but you aren't allowed to leave him. He's going to keep you by his side and that's that.

05 + He's not the easiest to talk to, but, like Jazz, he can recite everything you've ever told him word for word. Prowl even takes a bit of pride in cataloguing the information you let him have. He's a logical kind of mech, not able to handle emotions well, but how you think and feel: well, that's just a fact about you to be filed away for later. How other mechs feel can be a way to manipulate them, a way to pinpoint their weaknesses, but from you it's a way to delve deeper into your processor and find out how you really tick. With this information, in his mind, Prowl can find out what you need in order to stay at least complacent at his side.

06 + The end justifies the means, so Prowl is definitely not opposed to using force. He won't necessarily like it, but there's plenty of things he's had to do that he doesn't like. If he needs to take limbs, he will take limbs. If he has to keep you suspended in a cage, he'll make it happen. This is something you will come to live with, he's certain of it. Every being can be bent to fit they mold they live in, adapted to the environment given enough time. It's only logical that an upright spinal strut will bend. You will come to learn that what you need, Prowl can provide, and, hopefully, one day you'll be grateful to him for what you have.

Jazz

00 + Jazz is used to being the life of the party, close to every mech in the Ark, but you draw him in with how quiet and understanding you appear. Gentle. It's much different from all the mechs Jazz is around day in and day out, used to the rough and tumble, the rowdy, the friendly bordering on manic, but you are quieter in your kindness. Jazz loves a good party, but what he would love even more is a pair of arms to wrap around him like they'll never let go, like they never want to let go. He's almost a bit crazy for it.

01 + Equal parts friendly and enigmatic, Jazz is impossible to get away from. If he's not by your side he's got optics on you. Not necessarily physical optics, either. You can be in a room totally alone and yet feel like you're being watched constantly. Gathering intel is second nature to Jazz at this point, so it's hardly a chore to him to keep tabs on you. In fact, the thought has never crossed his mind that maybe he shouldn't. If he's not by your side, he still wants to know every part of your day. Just in case you try to lie to him.

02 + Even with his visor on, his gaze is piercing. It can feel like Jazz is dissecting you in the middle of small talk. He still has that friendly smile on, but every word feels like you need to make a deliberate choice to keep him happy. Intense, you could call it. In his processor, Jazz is just taking in everything there is about your features, committing them to memory. He already has a good idea of how you'll answer his questions, so really it's just a way to spend time with you.

03 + You'll want to treat him like a friend and a confidante. This is Jazz, the life of the party and everyone's favorite superior, why wouldn't you want an excuse to spend time with him. But the more time you spend with him the more wrong it will feel. Somehow he'll weasel his way into getting an invitation to your habsuite, carefully inspecting everything and asking questions about your life. Before you realize it, you're spending every day with him at your side. And every part of it feels off. He's your cool, fun-loving superior. Spending time with him is doing wonders for your credibility among the other Autobots. Still, there's something overbearing, something just under the surface, that you can't quite name. An intention or an expectation, perhaps. Somehow, you feel like you may be expected to pay him back...

04 + He loves to leave his items in your habsuite, and would love it if you would , in turn, leave things in his room, as well. The intermingling of your items. As if you two are but a hop away from living together. If you insist on keeping your things separate, picking up items you may have left, he may be forced to 'lift' a few things from your room. Of course, he'll always play it off like you forgot these items in his habsuite yourself, feigning concern over your strenuous work schedule, but Jazz is all smiles. This would be so much less of a problem if you would just room with him.

05 + Jazz would prefer you come to him rather than him having to tie you up, but he's not exactly opposed to the idea. He just prefers the assurance that you want him when you come to him of your own accord, even if that is because of his own slow pulling and prodding. It's like the old myth of the frog in the pot of water, Jazz will slowly get you used to the idea of being with him, so that overtime you become amenable to actions and situations that should be kept between romantic partners. Slowly he blurs the line between you, where you don't think to question whether he's your friend or lover. You'll simply seek him out without asking yourself why.

06 + A Jazz that isn't smiling is not one you want to be alone with. He's not happy with how you've been avoiding him, seeking out other mechs, trying to explain to Optimus that Jazz is making you uncomfortable. That hurts, love. He's just trying to be friendly. But perhaps you're trying to push him to take action on what he feels. If you wanted him to show you what you do to him then he's happy to oblige.

Ironhide

00 + He's unequivocally drawn to how playful you are with him. Perhaps you two will banter back and forth, nothing really venomous despite the jabs at his age and the scars across his frame. Perhaps you've just got a silly, lighthearted way about you, making off-kilter, borderline incomprehensible jokes that never fail to get a laugh out of the more gruff and serious Autobots. Ironhide likes that you have a way of keeping things bright and lively, laughing even when the odds are against you.

01 + He doesn't like to admit he's got a soft spot for you. Ironhide doesn't like to admit he's got a soft side at all (though he's not as repressed as Brawn when it comes to his feelings). He knows there's a time and place for being open and vulnerable, but Ironhide isn't one for poetic words or giving you flowers. He's all about holding you down in the ways that count, even if you don't ask or want him to. Ironhide is more about blowing a Decepticon's face off if they so much as lay a servo on you. That's romance in Ironhide's book.

02 + Ironhide knows he's older than most mechs, but that doesn't get him down. In fact, he sees it as a bit of a challenge from younger impertinent mechs. Sure, he doesn't have a smooth faceplate or a sexy alt-mode, but he's got more to offer. He has what you need, what he knows you need, even if you don't realize it yourself.

03 + He expects to be 'taking the lead' in your (nonexistent) relationship, so while he tends to be bossy towards every Autobot it's most prevalent with you. He has to keep you in line, is all, and keep you out of trouble. He's also not opposed to mech-handling you if need be. It's acceptable, in his opinion, because you two are basically an item and conjunxes need to be firm and raw with each other. You need to do right by your conjunx even if other mechs don't understand or approve.

04 + Has been known to pull you down onto his lap while he's in the middle of a card game with the other higher ups. Try as you might, fidgeting and nervous laughing, he's got a firm grasp and doesn't intend to let his paramour slip away in his free time. There's nothing he likes better than spending his break sipping high-grade, playing cards, and holding his wriggling sweetspark on his lap.

05 + He doesn't mind a chase, but don't make him chain you down. Ironhide likes when you play coy and hard to get, but eventually the game gets old. He'll chase you down if he has to, but he can't promise you'll like what happens when he catches you. Is much more keen on using physical intimidation to keep you compliant. Ironhide doesn't want to go through the hassle of keeping you locked up, and really where's the fun in keeping you all cooped up in his habsuite? No, he prefers reminding you why it's only him that can keep you safe, even if that means you have to get hurt in the process.

06 + Won't just mech-handle you into his lap once he's determined you won't be so fussy with him anymore. You may grumble and complain, but Ironhide argues that he needs to hold you on his lap while he writes these boring reports. Don't worry, he assures, he'll reward you for good behavior. But the crooked grin on his face says this reward will do more for him than it will for you.

Ratchet

00 + You probably drew his attention with your earnest and hardworking nature and/or bravery in the face of the unknown. He's met plenty of bots in his time, seen some of the brightest sparks dim in under the crushing weight of the war, but there are a special few that stand out as resilient and everlasting. Ratchet has learned to hold these individuals close, otherwise there is no point. There is no meaning to the struggle if there's not something beautiful and righteous to fight for.

01 + Ratchet is overwhelmingly the most paranoid about your safety. Plenty of Autobots have seen casualties of war, but none more so than Ratchet. He's the one who has to patch every mech up for Primus' sake, the one to put all the pieces back together. He's seen the worst of what the Decepticons can do and he's determined to never have to put you back together. In his concern, Ratchet can be quite overbearing and mean. Of all the mechs, he's probably the hardest to get along with the more love he holds for you. He's almost more stubborn and unmovable than Prowl. Almost.

02 + This is a mech that's really kind of stumped on how to get close to you. He's older than you by a large amount, he's not exactly the friendliest mech, and it's been a while since he's had to push himself to socialize with someone new. Someone he feels so strongly for. Ratchet's way of handling this is probably to force you into the medbay to learn a thing or two about basic repairs and medical practice. It's important and it kills two birds with one stone: you get a bit more hands-on experience with medical care and he gets to be around you. Maybe this way, some of that worry he's constantly holding for you will diminish (it doesn't).

03 + Perhaps the most ornery when it comes to other mechs showing interest in you. Ratchet is well aware how hard he is to get along with, and feels the distance between you, so it puts him on edge when he even thinks about someone more suitable for you figuring out that they could, hypothetically, have a chance. He may not be the youngest bot or the strongest or the most romantic, but what he feels for you is deeper and more meaningful than the way these grunts thirst for you like unruly mutts. They just want something succulent to sink their teeth into, Ratchet, on the other hand, knows what love is. He's fought tooth and nail to keep everything he has safe, he knows the worth of an honest spark. Just let him show you what you mean to him.

04 + He doesn't rush to use his position as CMO to influence you, even though he has overriding authority in cases involving the health and safety of the Autobots. Ratchet doesn't like lording his position over others in the first place. That being said, if there were certain circumstances, such as you being specifically, aggressively targeted by the Decepticons or perhaps a recent near-death encounter, then Ratchet isn't unwilling to formally request you be put on a strictly monitored schedule. Preferably one where you have to frequently check in with a commanding officer in the medbay at certain times.

05 + In fact, with your frequent visits to the medbay, courtesy of scheduled mandatory checkups, you find yourself feeling more weak and lethargic over time. Ratchet assures you he's looking for the cause, but encourages you to rest on a medical berth any time you feel dizzy or faint. Maybe it's your recent workload? Or maybe it's the supplement shots Ratchet has been giving you? He insists you need them for you, supposed, weak constitution. The ceiling of the medbay has become a familiar sight with all the time you spend resting there.

06 + Ratchet is more than pleased with how things have turned out. Sure, he doesn't love drugging you to keep you compliant and docile and, most importantly, within easy access, but a mech has to do what he has to do. When you give him that sleepy, sweet smile and thank him for all his help, apologize for the burden you've put on him, that makes all of this worth it. There's been such a notable shift in your relationship with him, how much more you've come to rely on him, that it wipes away any guilt he might have felt for doing this to you. You're just absolutely darling when you're limp in his arms, letting him ease you back on the medical berth. Hopefully, after the war is settled, he can open up a little clinic on Cybertron, again, and have you close at his side everyday. If he can just keep you safe and out of harms way until then, any questionable action he's had to take will be worth it.

07 + In the event you try to push him away or find out what he's doing, Ratchet won't even have to do anything. Surprisingly, Ratchet is friends (or friendly enough) with quite a few mechs, ones that are obvious and those that are less so, and they will be the ones to pressure you to forgive Ratchet and give him a chance. He's done so much for the Autobots, for Earth, why won't you just let him have this one thing? Give him a chance, he's not that bad once you get to know him. Sure, he's a bit gruff and short-tempered, but he's got a good and noble spark. Ratchet has saved more lives than you could even fathom, has been at the forefront of the war since the beginning, he deserves something meaningful and beautiful. And really, could you even do any better than Ratchet? You're going to be getting pressure from all sides, even plenty of humans owe Ratchet for his willingness and readiness to help. Yikes.

Bumblebee

00 + Let's be real, Bumblebee is probably attracted to you because you make him feel important. It's not necessarily that you make him feel special or that he's craving glory, but you make him feel like 10x the mech he is. You might be delicate or 'fragile' in a sense, someone he sees as vulnerable and in need of protection, but what primarily attracts him to you is that he gets to be the mech that protects you. Perhaps you came to him looking for physical or emotional protection or maybe it's that he's always the first to jump to your defense in battle. You probably have a good history of needing him to be your strength. Bee is known for his overwhelming bravery and good-heart, but very rarely does he actually feel like a hero or a warrior. To him, this position as your guardian is worth more than any military achievement.

01 + Bee doesn't love spying on you. In fact, despite how easy it is for him, he doesn't think it's very romantic or effective when it comes to being close to you. He may be able to gather all the information, but what does it matter if it doesn't lead to a romantic relationship? He'll still do it, just to ensure you don't have a secret lover, but as far as gathering of intel about you it's not his primary way of trying to close the distance. He'd prefer to be close enough to you emotionally that you'll just tell him what he wants to know, anyway.

02 + He's not the strongest the Autobots, but that doesn't make him a pushover. In fact, he's perhaps more scary because he knows he has to play underhanded to keep other mechs away. Bee isn't opposed to getting his servos dirty and hurting other mechs, especially if they're much bigger than him. He once sabotaged Sunstreaker's gym equipment because the mech wouldn't stop pestering you, and this incident put Sunny in the medbay for a week with an injured spinal strut. In Bee's opinion, this is just a necessary evil for the person he loves.

03 + I wouldn't describe him as jealous, because he knows he's a better potential partner than many of the emotionally stunted mechs in the Autobots, but he is unsure whether you'll be attracted to his frame. He's cute, he's harmless, he's not exactly a stud. It's a constant looming insecurity. You make him feel strong and formidable, but is that how you see him? Bee works hard to be the only mech you can think about, the only mech you'll want to think about, sometimes acting in risky or rash ways when he knows you're watching him fight. It's worth any punch to the faceplate if you perceive him as stronger than he is.

04 + Bee 100% wriggles his way into all your free time. It's hard to tell him no, because he's so sweet and friendly. He just wants to be close to you. And he's everybody's little buddy! Would you really tell him to buzz off? Even if you're exasperated, it's often just easier to let him stay by your side than to risk seeing that crestfallen little frown cross his face. He's good company, though, and is willing to sit in silence with you if that's what you want. Just so long as he can be shoulder-to-shoulder with you, in the same space as you, that's all Bee wants for now. Kisses and hugs are common with Bee, he's a more physically comfortable mech than a lot of the other Autobots, and this translates well to his relationship with his human friends. With you, however, the frequency of this type of intimacy can be... not so subtle.

05 + Always volunteers for joint missions with you. If you're going to do anything official, on the field, for the Autobots, he wants to be there. What if he's not there and you get captured? What if he's not there and Starscream has a gun to your head? No, he has to be there! Bee has definitely, over time, filled your mind with all sorts of horror stories of the things he's had to witness over the course of the war. For Bumblebee, this is what he was forged into. The only world he has really experienced. He's just telling you cautionary tales, so maybe you won't stray too far from his side and end up in danger. Even if he's not exactly the strongest mech, when it comes to your safety Bee acts with uncharacteristic ruthlessness. You bring out a side of him that not even his closest friends have seen. He's a different mech entirely when you're involved.

06 + Will blackmail the fuck out of you if you try to push him away. He can't exactly do physical intimidation, even if you're a human. It's just so... barbaric! It's cruel to insinuate he may hurt you (even if it's largely just a bluff). But he's not above playing dirty, as stated before. He'll use anything he has on you at his disposal, even if it makes you turn cold and distant. It's not what he wants to do! You pushed him into it! You have to take as much responsibility as him for this... He's quite scary when he gets serious about hurting you financially/mentally/socially, like a switch has flipped and his sunny personality is gone. You are clearly very important to him.

07 + Don't stay mad at him too long. He may decide he doesn't like the 'new attitude' and get irate with you. Bemoans that you aren't even giving him a chance while he's threatening you. ^.^"

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pcr-alice · 10 months ago

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DPxDC - Subtle Signs

also on AO3

Danny slipped through the shadows quickly, trusting the alarms to cover the noise of his footsteps. He still wasn’t fully used to having his wakizashi hooked to his back again after all this time. It was throwing off his balance. Subtly, but enough to matter. He had considered leaving it behind when he had to run (again). But seeing as he couldn’t exactly get rid of the...gift...his time with the Fentons had given him, he might as well keep the one from his time with the League of Assassins, too. Who would have guessed a sword from a literal death cult would end up being one of his least death-touched possessions.

He reached what remained of the entrance to the now fully crippled GIW facility and paused. There was something wrong. The smallest pressure in his ears, the faintest blur through the sky, the slightest feeling that someone – multiple someones – had entered his space. He crouched further into the shadows and mentally mapped out several escape routes.

What he wasn’t expecting was for one of those someones to drop from the sky. Nor for them to be dressed in bright colors, nor for them to be masked, nor for them to –

“Damian?”

The name was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Directly between two blares of the alarm. Clearly loud enough for that someone to have heard, judging by the way they jerked into a fighting stance and stared directly at his hiding place. They drew a katana that Danny would recognize anywhere and leveled it at him aggressively.

“Show yourself!”

Two green slits appeared from the darkness next to the collapsed entryway. Damian tensed, shifting into a more agile stance and subtly tapping his wrist comm for backup. The glowing eyes shifted, as if the head they were attached to was moving. They inched forward toward the light but didn’t cross the threshold. A single hand extended from the darkness, clenching a long, thin sheathed blade. A wakizashi, judging by the length and curve, with minimal decoration on the mounting save for...

“Danyal?”

Damian dropped his guard, katana dipping to point at the ground in front of him. A figure crept into the light, taking up their own relaxed stance, sheathed blade still held in their off hand. Their eyes were bright Lazarus green, and their hair was subtly glowing white, barely visible under a hood. Their foot was slightly out of position, arm just barely low of where it should be, all still ingrained in muscle memory to perfectly complement their mismatched heights and Damian’s own style while fighting at his side. There was no doubt. That face was etched into his memory, his very being. He would recognize it anywhere. This was Danyal.

Then the wakizashi was drawn. Danyal’s green eyes flicked to Damian’s right in panic just as he heard the smallest crunch of dirt. He tilted his katana up in front of his face and raised his other hand to his side firmly, signaling Father and Grayson to stay back.

They did. But they spread out to better form a perimeter around this unknown (to them) armed (more than he seemed) potential threat (if he wanted to be). And they watched intently, ready to pick up on even the smallest detail. He would have to be cautious. His subtle head shift let the others know he knew Cain and Brown just landed on his other side. Danyal’s eye flick meant he saw them, too.

“How are you here, Danyal? You died.”

“You should know better than most, Damian. Death is not always final.”

Damian was off. Cass noticed it immediately. His stance was different. He was tense in a way she’d never seen him before. His words were hesitant, and when he did speak, his fingers twitched around his katana’s grip. He gave them a small flick with his hand, signaling for them to stay back, then took a step forward. The other boy – Danyal, she presumed – followed his lead step for step, never dropping his guard, even if his stance was slightly imperfect. His hands twitched even more than Damian’s.

Then he flinched and took a step back, eyes snapping to where Batman had taken a step forward. Damian scowled angrily.

“Stay back, Father!”

Cass hadn’t heard that much venom in his voice for many years. Nor had he ever broken codename protocol while they were in costume. Nor had he ever fidgeted or been this nervous. His emotions were strong, barely restrained, confused and angry and somehow eager. He wanted to charge forward, but for what she didn’t know. He was barely holding himself back.

The other boy was unfamiliar, so she had no reference. She couldn’t even see his full face. But he had to be even more nervous than Damian with the way his whole body squirmed minutely when his hands twitched. His anger was colder, deeper, an undercurrent compared to Damian’s storm. There was no confusion, not even at ‘Father’, but there was fear, a suffocating amount of it. He was unsure of himself. Wanting to charge like Damian, but wanting to run perhaps even more. The indecision left him rooted to the spot.

“Why are you here, Danyal?”

“Tying up some loose ends. You?”

“Investigating the destruction of government facilities on behalf of the League.”

Danyal tensed at that.

“The Justice League,” Damian was quick to clarify.

Danyal took that even worse. He curled into himself, the fear overwhelming all his other emotions, his eyes going narrow and glowing a brighter, somehow harsher green. Cass spared a glance back to Damian, whose twitching had spread to his non-sword hand now. Worry was breaking through both his anger and confusion. Movement out of the corner of her eye made her look back to Danyal, who had begun to slide back towards the shadows.

“Danyal, wait!” Damian stepped forward, and to her surprise Danyal did in fact stop moving. “Why are you running?”

He stopped twitching entirely and stared Damian down.

“I will not be taken by either of your Leagues.”

That was confirmation that he was familiar with the League of Assassins, perhaps a former member like Damian.

“The League of Assassins has been dismantled. I can guarantee the Justice League will not harm you.”

“Yet you are here on their behalf.”

“I do not understand, Danyal.”

He wasn’t alone in that. Cass risked a glance to the others. Steph was firmly at her side, waiting for a signal to get involved. Bruce was tense, confused but calculating, processing the apparent familiarity not just with the League, but with Damian and his identity. Dick was clearly confused too, but the concerned for his little brother was even clearer.

“There is much you don’t understand, Damian.”

“Then tell me.”

Damian’s hand gave the smallest of twitches before he charged forward at Danyal, who charged back as if he were expecting it. But this wasn’t one of his normal attack patterns. He was slower and more rigid. This wasn’t right. She raised her arm to Spoiler’s chest, stopping her from joining the battle, her fist clenched to signal the others to hold. Spoiler glanced at her, confused, but stayed at her side. Batman and Nightwing heeded her signal as well after taking a few steps forward.

Their blades clashed as they pressed together, faces nearly touching. Cass swore she saw Danyal’s lips move briefly before they pushed each other back, both already angling for their next attack. What followed was a set of perfect strikes and parries, one for one, back and forth, all much below what she knew Damian’s speed and strength to be. All telegraphed well in advance. Until Danyal pivoted unexpectedly, twisting directly into the path of Damian’s katana.

She saw Damian’s shock, his fear, saw him try to pull back his strike, but it was too late. Danyal raised an arm to shield himself from the blow that was about to cleave into his flesh, but he wasn’t worried. Wasn’t surprised or scared, just...sad?

The katana didn’t hit. A bright green armor plate flashed into existence on Danyal’s arm, and Damian’s blade bounced off it with a clang, vibrating through his arm and tipping him off balance. Danyal dropped his weight and kicked forward, hitting Damian in the chest and knocking him backwards much farther than expected.

Damian twisted in the air and rolled as he hit the ground, leaping back into a defensive stance. Cass saw no anger, just surprise and worry and more confusion. She stomped her foot and shook her fist, insisting that everyone keep holding back. This brought Danyal’s attention to her.

His eyes flicked over to pierce into her. She felt seen, and she couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her spine. He didn’t look at her with any emotion she expected, merely annoyance. He flicked his eyes back to Damian after sparing her a second at most, and then he was empty. No emotion at all. Nothing. Cass gasped. She felt Steph press against her arm gently, a question. She pressed back in response, still holding her fist. Steph placed a hand on her back, silently grounding her.

With Danyal not giving her anything, she shifted her focus back to Damian. He tilted his katana to look at the blade, which she could tell even from a distance had been greatly dulled where it had made contact with the phantom armor. When he pulled his hand away from his ribs, she could see small drops of frost fall to the ground.

“Danyal...when did –”

“I have never set foot in the Lazarus Pits.”

Damian dropped his arms to his side. Cass could see more shock on him now than any emotion she’d read on him ever before. He’d never left himself so open and unguarded at any time she could remember. Despite all that – or perhaps because of it – his hands kept twitching.

“How…”

“I told you, Damian. You don’t even understand just how little you don’t understand.”

Despite not reading any nervousness from Danyal – no emotions at all – his hands kept twitching.

“Then tell me.”

Damian’s voice was soft, more vulnerable than it had ever been. His off hand kept twitching in the same pattern, over and over.

“I can’t.”

Danyal took a step backwards toward the shadows. Damian stepped forward and yelled.

“Danyal, please! I want to understand!”

But he took another step backward, his own off hand twitching in the same pattern as Damian’s.

“Goodbye, Damian.”

Damian took another step forward and raised his hands to his side in a peaceful gesture.

“I will understand, Danyal.”

He switched to his first language, the one he had spoken as a child, and pleaded.

“I swear it on the first star’s light, on the first bird’s song.”

Danyal flinched mid-step. And his facade shattered. Emotions burst through stronger than before. Scared and exhausted and angry, but the tiniest sliver of hope pushing past the wariness. His head tilted up, letting the light pierce the shadow of his hood to reveal bright white hair that somehow shifted under its cloth covering. And his face looked nearly identical to Damian’s.

His flurry of emotions slowly, excruciatingly slowly, steadied as the tension in his body loosened. She watched him take a deep breath and let it out, emotions shifting into pure determination. His off hand twitched again and – no, not a twitch!

They had been signaling to each other.

And then they were charging again. Cass dropped her arm and wrapped it around Steph’s, who tensed at the two boys’ movement, but relaxed as Cass leaned against her. Batman and Nightwing did charge. It was clear they wouldn’t make it in time, even if Danyal’s speed weren’t obviously enhanced.

The boys flipped their swords to hold them backhand and twisted them such that the dull end faced forward. They collided harshly, sword arms clasping around each others shoulders. Danyal knocked Damian back a step, but they held each other tightly, neither allowing the other to fall. Batman and Nightwing stuttered to a stop several feet away and stared in surprised confusion as the boys raised their off hands to cradle each others necks and press their foreheads together.

“I missed you, Brother.”

#dp x dc #dpxdc #my writing #demon twins #or siblings #its not specified #a lot of this is based around lore i built up in my head #for this fic only #so feel free to make up your own #if anything doesnt quite make sense

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