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danny-chase · 3 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman (Comics), Batgirl (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Dick Grayson Characters: Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon (momentarily), Alfred Pennyworth (mentioned) - Character Additional Tags: Stephanie Brown POV, Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Chocolate Milk, post mission talks, Damian Wayne is a brat with a heart of gold, Stitches, Canon Typical Violence, but not for long, because i like fluff better, Fluff, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Dick Grayson is Batman, Damian Wayne is Robin, Sneezing, Coughing, Dick Grayson is Damian Wayne's almost parent, Stephanie Brown is Damian Wayne's almost big sister, And kind of Dick's little sister Summary:

Steph hasn't worked with the new Batman and Robin duo long, but she doesn't hesitate to come when they call for backup. Their family's a little rough around the edges, but she'll do what she can to smooth things out.

“C’mon, faster!” Stephanie hated when Barbara seemed anxious, when she was anxious, generally something was about to go wrong. Really, really, wrong.

“I’m homing in on the coordinates.” Barbara was driving on autopilot, but she couldn’t resist saying the line. Damian’s tracker blinked closer and closer. The kid had run off earlier that night, Dick, however, was getting better at predicting when it would happen and followed. She’d been on call for backup, Damian needed space, but he was also a magnet for trouble and unfortunately for them-

“Robin retreat! Retreat! Get out of here!” Dick screamed over the comms. The kid shouldn’t be out in the first place, still recovering from a concussion. She rounded the corner. Victor Zsasz was pushing forward aggressively trying to circumvent Batman to get a stab at Robin. Dick was holding his own but kept taking hits for a dazed looking Damian.

“Get Robin and get out! Maneuver 23.” Barbara commanded. She was seconds away, Zsasz was too close, she wasn’t going to make it, not going to make it-

“CATCH!” She complied, automatically responding to Barbara’s harsh tone, spreading her arms as the bike swerved right.

“JUMP!” Damian appeared to do the same with Dick, who tackled Zsasz out of range.

“FUCK!” She yelled, because Damian jumped right into the path of her oncoming bike and-

They grasped each other’s wrists in a practiced motion, using momentum to swing Damian onto the backseat of the bike.

“Holy fuck.” She whispered. Hadn’t expected that to work. Sure, they’d done it a billion times practicing, but like… damn. That was freaking awesome. But also-

“Are you okay?” She turned to look back at a pale Damian, blood staining the right side of his uniform. He nodded curtly, she could see a sheen of sweat glistening under the streetlights. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts.

“We cannot retreat, Batman needs backup! Turn around at once!” He demanded, swaying in his spot. On a motorcycle. She might die for this, but she turned around, pulled him closer (surprisingly without argument) and started applying pressure to his side. One hand on the wound, the other keeping him propped upright. Maybe she would die, but Damian would fall off over her dead body.

“Yeah no, I’m just gonna try to keep your blood on the inside till we get to the Bunker.” She felt a raindrop plop on her forehead, all the more reason to keep on course. Damian was already injured and tired, she would not be the one responsible for making his situation worse. “Then you can bleed out in peace.”

Stephanie sighed as she swirled milk and cocoa together on the stove, rain pattering steadily outside. Where would she be if she’d had a normal father, or a normal life? She had a standing invite to some party; she could be out with friends. But some little gremlin child would have been murdered by Zsasz blocks away and no. She wouldn’t trade Damian’s life for normality. She was Stephanie Brown after all, abnormal was her middle name, and she accepted it with pride.

Sure, she wasn’t mixing alcoholic drinks right now, but she was mixing chocolate milk and that was close enough. Damian clomped up the stairs, and angrily settled at the table. Think of the gremlin, and he shall appear.

“You shouldn’t have retreated.” He muttered, slumping in the seat. His cheeks were already flush from the exertion of walking up the steps.

“And you should go to bed.” He glared at her, looking utterly nonthreatening in his pajamas. He was wearing one of Dick’s old t-shirts, oversized, draping down past his elbows. He must have his own clothes, but she’d never seen him sleep in anything else.

“Then why are you preparing two mugs of hot chocolate?” He asked smugly. Well, as smugly as he could with twelve stitches in his side.

“Because I know you won’t listen to me.” The grin was replaced with a frown. “But I don’t mind, that’s why I made enough for two.” She quickly continued. Damian stared ahead at a place on the table. She weighed her next words. They both knew fully well that he wouldn’t sleep until Dick made it home in one piece, and for that matter that she would either. Leaving Damian alone with his thoughts seemed cruel under the circumstances.

“You didn’t listen to me earlier.” He accused agitatedly, breaking the silence.

“I don’t make a habit of listening to Robins.” She said with a smirk, attempting to lighten the mood. She carefully poured the steaming cocoa into the mugs, keenly aware of Damian’s eyes following her every move.

“You listen to Gordon.” He pouted. She placed a mug in front of him and sat down across from him.

“Most of the time, and she’s not a Robin. I don’t listen to you, Tim, or Dick, and certainly not Jason.”

“Why not?” He challenged, not making a move to touch his mug, still glaring at her with a dark expression on his face. “You were a Robin, were you not? You think you’re above us-”

“No, Dames, you gotta read the situation you know?” She took a long sip of cocoa. Damian crossed his arms. She sighed. “Look, if we always listened to Dick, he’d be dead already.” He nodded carefully. “Same thing with you and Tim.” His nose scrunched at the mention of Tim.

“Don’t compare me to-”

“Whatever it is, I’m not, I’m just saying, I’d be a lot happier if you weren’t shish kabobbed by Zsasz.” His brow furrowed. “Okay fine, I messed up, you probably would have been fine. We shouldn’t have retreated. But you were down, and we made a judgement call – not just me, Dick would rather die than-” Damian’s eyes went wide. “Poor choice of words, I take it back. He’s not going to die, he just…” God, what was she doing? What was she even trying to say?

“I know you’re not worried, because you’re you, but if I was you, I would be worried, but I shouldn’t be worried, because Dick’s a badass, so he’ll be fine, and knowing that you’re safe will help him stay focused on the fight. So you’re helping by staying right here, yeah?” She leaned back against the seat. Smooth, real smooth.

Damian’s lips were pursed by the end of her rambling. “I’m not worried.” She heard him mumble under his breath. He took a sip of cocoa. “Grayson is a competent fighter; he would not be so easily defeated.” She pretended not to hear his voice wobble slightly at the end. The poor kid.

“He’ll be home any minute now.” She assured.

“And he’ll yell at you for not making enough for him.” He added sagely.

“Then he’ll yell at you for not being in bed.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“I shall already be in bed by the time he makes it up the stairs.” So confident in his abilities. Dick probably let him think he got away with it.

“Well, then he’ll anxiously pace outside of your room, and peak in to fuss over your stiches.” She predicted. Damian snorted, and took another sip of cocoa.

“Damian, you could have been seriously hurt, you’ve got to be more careful!” He perfectly imitated Dick’s voice. Steph had to fight back laughter and swallow her cocoa. “Why did you give him sugar, it’s his bedtime?” He directed at her.

“Robin, cease with the hot chocolate immediately.” She croaked out in a gravelly Batman impression.

“Holy hot chocolate Batman!” Stephanie lost it as he did a perfect impression of Dick’s normal voice. Damian allowed himself a small smile.

“Oh my God, you have to teach me how to do that.”

“Are you sure you have the talent for it?” He asked smugly. She brushed off the comment. Smug Damian was better than sad and worried Damian.

“Sure, also can you do Scooby-Doo?” Damian’s brow furrowed.

“Who?”

“What do you mean who!?” She half yelled. Damian flinched. “Okay, since we’re already up, you’re getting an education tonight, we’re moving to the couch, let’s go, move it people.”

Two episodes later, Damian’s wide eyes still looked through the screen rather than at it. Not all things, she supposed, could be fixed with dumb cartoons and hot chocolate.

“Brown?” He softly spoke, as the credits played.

“Mm?” Silence resounded through the room. Whatever question Damian had died in his throat. “I’m sure he’ll be back any minute, he’s probably overseeing the trip to Arkham.” She guessed.

“Yes.” Another pause. “He’ll be upset when he arrives home.”

“He won’t be too upset.” Damian tucked his knees to his chest. “Everyone made it home safe.”

“Father would have been angry.” She couldn’t deny that. Bruce was, well, Bruce.

“But Dick isn’t Bruce.” She let the words hang in the air for a moment. “He was Robin too once, you know?” Dick got mad, heck, he killed the Joker like three days after she first met him. He’d been upset with her, for being Batgirl, but his anger wasn’t like Bruce’s, and it hadn’t lasted for long.

“I know.” He turned to face her on the couch. “He’ll say he’s disappointed.”

“Ah.” Her heart melted. “That’s always worse.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“I’ve had worse punishments.” He paused. Damn the League. “But it’s… different.” Steph could sympathize.

“My dad used to lock me in closets when he was mad.” Damian nodded.

“I would too.” She groaned. Sometimes she was trying to have meaningful heartfelt conversations with a ten-year-old.

“Brat. I’m trying to have a moment.” She complained. He fell silent, shrugging his shoulders, possibly as an attempt at an apology. “The point being my mom was always disappointed. And just because one sucked more than the other, didn’t mean both didn’t suck.”

“Hmm.” Damian leaned back against the pillows. “But I had to do something, he was,” he paled slightly, his eyes widening, “Zsasz was going to kill children again.” He looked at her earnestly. “I couldn’t let him-”

“Look, no one’s mad at you for trying to do something good. It’s just like… we worry about you, okay?” Damian rolled his eyes again.

“No need I’m-”

“You’re staying up until Dick gets back, want to remind me why that is?” He turned to face the rain smeared window. “It’s the same for him, and the same for me. We worry about you too, okay?”

“You shouldn’t.” Damian muttered. “I’m perfectly capable on my own, I’m trained in twenty-”

“Doesn’t matter how trained you are if you’re concussed.” She pointed out.

“It didn’t matter if I was concussed in the League.” Assholes.

“Well, this isn’t the League, and we care if you’re concussed.”

“Whatever.” He fell silent after, gluing his eyes back to the screen in an attempt to block her out.

“Just, let me know next time, and I’ll come with you.” Maybe she was imagining it, but she caught a minute nod.

Carefully, she reached out, projecting her moves, and ruffled his hair. He didn’t seem much happier, some of the tension bled out of his shoulders. Maybe she didn’t know what she was doing, but whatever mediocre amount of comfort she could supply would have to be enough. She leaned back into her end of the couch, content to sit in silent companionship and let her mind wander off, no longer focused on the cartoon, but on a family forged in chaos.

“M’ere bud, time for bed.” Someone whispered to her right. Cracking open her eyes slowly, the time on the television box read 3:28. Damian groggily groaned in protest next to her. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out the vague outline of Dick sweeping a tired Damian (who was clearly feigning sleep) into his arms. “You should get some sleep too.” He hissed at her, as his footsteps padded away.

She stretched out on the couch, four hours of sleep, that wasn’t too bad, but her neck was definitely stiff after that. She groaned, turning on the lamp next to her, shutting her eyes again and slowly allowing them to adjust to the light. Dick popped his head back into the doorway.

“You need anything? The guest room has some spare clothes in your size, we have extra toothbrushes, you can use my shampoo if you want.” He rambled off. It was strange, she could never tell if he was being nice to make up for his initial rejection, or if that was just how he was.

“Don’t be too hard on Damian.” She curled into her spot on the couch. Dick stepped forward into view, leaning against the doorframe. A pink bathrobe was draped over his shoulder, his wet hair dripping. He tiredly sunk against the wall.

“I won’t be.” He slid into a squat, then all the way down to the floor. “Was he mad I followed him?”

“Probably. I think he was more worried you wouldn’t come home.” Damian’s last experience with Zsasz had been… unpleasant. And the villain had carried a grudge ever since.

“Oh. Sorry it took so long, Alfred kick you guys to bed or something?” She nodded. They’d been whisked out of the command room before she’d hardly tugged off her cape. No doubt Damian would have tried to leave again if they’d been listening on the comms.

“You’re okay?” It was so weird. She was sitting on a couch, talking down to a cowl-less Batman in a pink bathrobe, sitting on the floor.

“Fit as a fiddle.” He sneezed, as if on cue.

“It’s raining pretty hard.” Her eyes flicked towards the window.

“You don’t say.” He deadpanned, following her gaze. “It let up about an hour ago. Zsasz is back and Arkham, we found the kids he grabbed, I was trying to track down any relatives.” She nodded, Gotham’s foster care system was abysmal, and the social workers overbooked. Finding relatives could save a kid from ending up in a supervillain’s lair.

“All’s well that ends well.” Dick sneezed again. “I could have helped.”

“Babs and I had it under control.” She rolled her eyes, typical of the ‘big kids’ to leave her in the kiddies room. “Thank you for watching him.” He nodded at the empty mugs. “It was sweet of you to stick around.” Warmth swelled in her chest at the remark, she didn’t need his approval of course, but it was nice to have it.

“Yeah well, cut him some slack for me yeah?” He opened his mouth to reply, then paused to cough for a bit.

“I won’t be hard on him, but no patrol until his stiches heal.” He assured, regaining his composure.

“I’m sure you won’t patrol until your cold’s passed.” She commented sarcastically. It would do the boys good to spend some time together anyways.

“Did Babs put you up to this? I-”, sneeze, “told her I was fine. You guys are worse than Alfred.”

“Nope.” She popped the p. “But I think your kid might feel a little bit guilty about tonight, and it wouldn’t hurt to stay in with him.”

“He’s not my…” Dick stared up at the ceiling. Tucking his knees up to his chin, just the same as Damian, he went silent.

“He’s your kid.” She said after a moment. Dick smiled ruefully.

“He’s your kid too.” She snorted. He was like the little brother she’d never had, not that she’d admit it.

“Not a chance, he’s all yours and Alfred’s. Babs and I don’t work with minors.” Aside from the times she had.

“Mmmhmm. So that’s why you were drinking hot chocolate and watching cartoons with him, because he’s not your kid. I guess you don’t think of him as family” He sighed. “And to think, I was going to bring you to the aquarium with us tomorrow, but if we aren’t your family then why even-”

“Woah, woah, woah. Let’s not go that far, I want to see him next to penguins-er I mean, I want to see the uhh... You know what nope, not ashamed, I want to see the look on his face at the touch tank.” She paused. “Aren’t you rewarding bad behavior with that though?”

“Well, don’t worry about it, he’s my kid after all.” He chided smugly. “In all seriousness, I just want to distract him long enough he doesn’t go out again.” Another sneeze. “Jeez, stupid rain. Also, Babs is coming, it’s a party.”

“You’re sure he won’t see it as a reward?” She wasn’t taking children’s psychology for nothing after all.

“Nah, knowing him, he might take it as a punishment.” He closed his eyes, leaning back into the frame. “But, I try to keep capes and normal life separate, he’ll be grounded from patrol, but I won’t ground him during the day for stuff he pulls at night.” That seemed reasonable. “He’s been doing really well with homeschool.” He opened his eyes again, looking fondly at the opposite doorframe. “I think he’ll really like the aquarium, he’s been studying aquatic life recently and-”

Dick mumbled on for a while, listing all Damian’s accomplishments, how he was multiple grade levels ahead, and scoring well in all the classes they made for him. How he could go on to do anything he wanted, was on track to take college courses by the time he was in high school, and how bright his future was. Again, she was glad her life wasn’t normal, as he rambled on and on, pride shining on his face.

“He’s so your kid.” She interrupted after a coughing fit, having lost track of the conversation. Dick blinked at her. “Bedtime.” He nodded, sneezing halfway through.

“Bedtime.”

They didn’t make it to the aquarium, as predictably, Dick was running a fever by the morning. But that didn’t stop the party. Barbara brought soup, Alfred made cookies, and Steph settled on the couch next to Damian, picking up where they left off, marathoning Scooby Doo.

Dick picked apart the episodes from his isolated recliner (they quarantined him three feet away), Damian chiming in to predict the villain’s identity. Barbara grumbled about normal people being easier to watch TV with, and Alfred settled in a chair by the door. If Cass were here, she’d bounce off the walls, and Tim would lie on the floor. Pieces were broken and missing, but as the remaining members of her pseudo-family chattered away, she had hope that things, eventually, would work out.

#stephanie brown #damian wayne #dick grayson #my writing #batfam #Dick!bats era #some fluff for a friday #i want to do a bad things happen bingo soon but the blog is on hiatus so here's some practice that could possibly fill a few prompts #if you have suggestions for other prompts lmk!#tw sewaring #tw blood

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chubbyooo · 4 years

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Blurred Lines: Cursed Past Chapter 87 - Echoes of Her Memory

ooo dear I feel evil but ill feel eviler soon Zash has been learning the ways of Magick but Kyradia is in hot pursuit but will her surroundings get the better of her

Terri had never been so bored in her life, she’d been protecting the ship for what felt like a month but was more likely a week, Zash was learning with the sisters and she wasn’t allowed to be there for some reason; she wondered what she’d done Zash had never put her on the sidelines before. Zash had said it was because she wanted the ship to be safe and ready in case the commander caught up again, she knew that made sense but she felt like something was off.

Still she had done as Zash said she had to trust her like she said, she slumped down in her chair her white hair draped over her head she’d already sewed 8 or so scarfs to pass the time but it hadn’t stopped the boredom. Terri was wearing all the scarfs for fun, each a different colour, it was something her and Lusari had done when they were bored at the academy, she felt a sudden twinge of sadness thinking about Lusari had they done the right thing? It didn’t feel like it when Zash was leaving her in the ship and after what the commander had said about admitting flaws, it seemed fairly arbitrary but why would the commander admit to being cruel and trying to be better. She didn’t know who to trust anymore the Jedi looked down on them and she never knew which sith were trustworthy, she’d tried to look up Zash but there wasn’t much about her apart from her ascension to Darth she couldn’t find anything too wrong with her but there was plenty on the commander.

She’d looked it up during the week during the Eternal War there were so many allies she had killed, some she got they messed up, but death? It seemed like too much but then again she’d saved the galaxy right? She didn’t know what to think about the Commander except she wouldn’t stop chasing them. Zash and her history was clearly complicated; she wondered if they could come to some sort of peace but it seemed unlikely with the commanders track record.

She’d thought about a lot of this stuff over the time she was watching the ship, she hadn’t really had a chance to stop and think for a while but it just left her with more worries than answers. She sighed she guessed she had to keep going; she didn’t know how else to honour Lusari and her wishes.

A little later her comm flickered to life and she answered it “Terri come in is everything good on your end?” Terri didn’t even move she’d heard this everyday

She sighed “yeah everythings great here I found a new level of boredom I didn’t know was possible, how’s learning awesome nightsister magic? oh I wish I knew” she’d become increasingly sulky each conversation they had

Zash just sighed “it’s going well I have managed to understand the basic manipulations of Magick, and don’t worry I will teach you at some point” Terri hoped so she wouldn’t mind a little advantage over the rest of the sith

Terri complained “why can’t I just learn it now Zash I’ve been here all week and there’s no sign of any people coming near the ship” she’d asked this before but thought why not maybe Zash would change her mind

Zash exhaled heavily clearly irritated “as I keep telling you with the rate the commander has been catching us she is likely to again and I doubt I can keep fighting all three of them off Terri so we need a quick escape until we’re ready ok” Terri pouted she was so sick of waiting around

Terri folded her arms “why can’t we just make peace with the commander she doesn’t seem so bad she’s trying to be better” Zash tutted shaking her head

She sighed “Terri she is clearly lying to you so she can expose your weakness, you saw what she did on Savereen she’d say anything to get what she wants she certainly did before she trapped me in that prison” she got very stern and serious “she is so bad and she won’t stop but we’re one step ahead right so we can win” Terri shrunk down she felt stupid of course the commander was lying to her

Terri nodded “yeah I guess you’re right I hadn’t considered she was lying about that too sorry, you said I should only trust you I was just frustrated” Zash nodded

She smiled “it’s ok Terri don’t worry it’s fair to be impatient but I have a lot to do so please for me keep it to a minimum” Terri nodded as the comm shut off she felt bad she was being pretty childish Zash was probably a lot more stressed…

Kyradia tapped her foot impatiently as they travelled towards Ragna III even when she’d been in control of their weird dream space Zash had still managed to get inside her head on Savereen, she had to be vigilant and careful she was already vulnerable and she couldn’t let Zash capitalise. Her mentor had been running circles around her like Kyradia hadn’t experienced in years she didn’t get how she kept getting outsmarted, the extreme power Zash had gained from the acolyte had definitely helped but now she wanted more and she wanted the source of Kyradia’s power. She shuddered Zash with that kind of power could do so much damage it certainly wouldn’t benefit anyone, Ashara had mentioned the Mirialan girl and about trying to get through to her. Kyradia knew what that position was like and wouldn’t wish it upon anyone but she could also expose a weakness in Zash, she had definitely told the girl one million lies already and it was going to be hard to untangle them.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as Ashara shook her “Kyradia are you ok you look really anxious” she clearly was worried and Kyradia appreciated that but there was little to be done about it

Kyradia sighed “I am Zash has been playing me like a fool and I’m worried it’s going to get worse and” she took a deep breath “I’m worried I’m gonna make another mistake like Ossus or… you” Ashara’s face softened and she hugged Kyradia

Kyradia fidgeted awkwardly really uncomfortable “we won't let that happen me and Malora will be right beside you I promise just like on Savereen right Malora” Malora was focussing on her device but gave a half assed nod which was about as good as she could’ve hoped for

Kyradia sighed “I know I know but every time I see her she gets to me I don’t know if I trust myself enough to face her, we have to stop her but… it’s getting to me” Ashara let go nodding and continuing to comfort her

She smiled “then let me take some of the burden you know I will I’m with you till the end whether I like it or not” she half laughed followed by a weak smile

Kyradia nodded “thanks Ashara you’re the best friend I could ask for” Ashara gave her a very genuine smile as the planet came into view, Kyradia took a deep breath and she was ready.

They made their way down to the surface but Kyradia couldn’t quite sense Zash she turned to the others “do you sense?-” Malora interrupted still staring at the tracker

She finished Kyradia’s sentence “the potent force energy yes it appears they are not the only force users here” without regard for the other two she walked out to the landing ramp “the nanobots are on the verge of decomposing so we need to find her coordinates soon” Kyradia would never understand the tech speak but Ashara peered over her shoulder

Ashara frowned “this is all we have to go on coordinates?” Malora ignored her as she confirmed the coordinates on her datapad

She turned to Ashara “so do you have a better way of tracking Zash you’ve been hiding from all of us” she frowned the friction between the two was clear

Ashara pouted “no but I’m just being cautious” Malora raised her eyebrow clearly whatever heart to heart they had didn’t stop their squabbling

Malora tutted “ah so you don’t have a plan so how about you trust me and follow me to the large caves to the west which match up perfectly with the last coordinates of the nanobots” Ashara scrunched up her face clearly livid as Malora passed the map to Kyradia

Kyradia had a look at it and she raised her eyebrow “it seems there’s some kind of tribal settlement do you think Zash went there?” Malora nodded as she got out a pair of goggles

She nodded “I believe it’s probable but why I’m not sure I thought she was collecting ingredients” Kyradia had to agree it was a little strange there was one reason she could think of but she’d rather not

Ashara shrugged “maybe the tribe have knowledge of how to collect the next ingredient” Kyradia hoped so as they began to walk

Malora was quick to grab Ashara’s collar as she walked ahead “hey what the Kriff Malora not cool” Malora tutted adjusting her goggles

She took out a small torch and bent down to break a tripwire “you’re welcome” a rope net zipped up in front of them “this area is likely to be trapped you need to be careful Ashara” Kyradia just stayed behind them looking at the sticks and little tribal structures she hated how eerily familiar they were

Ashara pouted “why didn’t you tell me this area was going to be trapped Malora” Kyradia already knew the response

Malora blinked her goggles briefly closing “I thought the goggles made it obvious but more importantly why wouldn’t you have expected traps Ashara you need to take care of yourself” Kyradia rolled her eyes had she and Andronikos ever been like that?

Ashara folded her arms “I’m more proficient in the force ok I’m not extremely spatially aware” Malora seemed to note it down in a datapad

She groaned “fine I will point them out to you and maybe I’ll make you a set of goggles when we get back” Kyradia walked past the two of them they’d be here all day if she let that continue

She rolled her eyes “can you two bicker and make up later we don’t have time for you exchanging gifts” they both looked embarrassed and followed Kyradia forward, the next hour Malora would point out and disable a trap and then move slightly closer to the cave whoever was here didn’t want visitors.

They reached the edge of the forest and Malora held them both back “I sense something strange but my goggles show no sign of a trap” she frowned looking to each of them, Kyradia could also sense something but she wasn’t sure what

Kyradia nodded “I sense it too but it’s not very strong we should be careful” they both nodded and slowly crept forward towards the cliff and the cave entrance around the side, Malora breathed a sigh of relief as nothing went wrong.

Kyradia frowned the area was weirdly flat she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the area it certainly seemed manmade

Ashara smiled “see no need to be so para-” as they spoke suddenly they all felt the ground beneath their feet disappear and they began to tumble down a hole where the floor had been

Kyradia felt herself fall and then slam against the ground she stood up getting her bearings, her eyes widened as she saw bars around her, to her left and right Malora and Ashara were in identical cells and a chamber lit by torches jutted out.

Malora groaned “you just had to say it didn’t you” she stood up as Kyradia looked around the room her eyes wide she recognised this design, the green flames, the tribal walkways with wispy mist underneath

Ashara stumbled up “hey I wasn’t going to anticipate a floor that disappears how did they do that” Kyradia looked back and forth and began to breathe heavily but concentrated and kept her mind on Zash she couldn’t let this get to her

She exhaled “Magick” as she said that two figures came round the corner dressed in those red wrappings that cause Kyradia to twitch nervously

Ashara gasped “Nightsisters” Kyradia wasn’t sure how much she’d told Ashara about the sisters themselves but she’d know about the Wrath at least “We gotta be careful” Kyradia nodded as they arrived

Malora frowned “I thought they were only native to Dathomir” the two reveal their hoods each sporting black hair with a sliver of white through it

The taller one tutted “oh well that’s the idea we’re not exactly an open organisation but you’re special acquisitions apparently” she turned to look at Kyradia “oh wow a Dathomiri Zabrak a rare commodity what did they do to you then” Kyradia twitched as she bit her lip trying to control her emotions

She snarled “don’t you talk to me like that” she concentrated and tried to stride out but slammed into the a green barrier causing her to become very dizzy and groggy as the force energy filled her brain

The sister laughed “Oh I wouldn’t do that this enchantment stops prisoners form being well difficult” Kyradia shook her head she knew this feeling

Ashara rattled the bars “let us out now” she drew her saber and slammed it against the barrier but it merely bounced off

Kyradia tried to get her bearings as the sisters laughed “the Outsider said some trouble would be coming and she also told us to bring the native” the barrier in front of Kyradia disappeared as she tried her best to fight them off before they jabbed something into her neck “I assume that’s you Zabrak, there that should dull your muscles” Kyradia felt as her muscles became extremely lethargic no she had to stop this she couldn’t let them take her not again

Malora snarled at them “you dare take her and I’ll make sure you don’t see the light of day” they grabbed Kyradia’s arms as she struggled to focus she’d fallen right into their trap just because she wanted to ignore the signs of her past her head was so muddled so many bad memories all at once

Ashara called out echoed due to Kyradia’s lethargic state “I promise we’ll get you out of this” Kyradia tried to nod as she felt the sisters drag her out of the chamber, she tried to struggle but her limbs wouldn’t obey she had to concentrate

The sisters seemed to talk as she was dragged but she couldn’t make it out, she felt so overwhelmed but she used that energy and began channeling it into anger and felt her muscles begin to regain some control she just had to be patient.

But still everything she saw reminded her of home, of that, they exited the building they’d been in and entered the walkways, the green mist under the platforms licking and curling around their feet she hated that mist more than anything. She was dragged into a large chamber where a cauldron sat in the middle on one side was a tall older nightsister, her black hair much longer with more white streaks and on the other was Zash smiling like a devil. Nightsisters surrounded them clearly they had a plan and Kyradia could only imagine Zash had her own.

But Kyradia’s eyes were fixed on something else, a table with restraints she felt herself start to breath heavily, her pupils dilated and her fist clenched as she was dragged towards it no no no not again…

Ashara was freaking out unsure what to do as she watched her former master dragged off “Malora we have to find a way out of here right now! The nightsisters are bad I can’t be sure but Kyradia has a lot of bad experiences with them and we can’t let them hurt her” Malora merely nodded and scuffed her shoe.

Ashara didn’t even know what to try she’d never dealt with sorcery like this “how could we have been so stupid Zash is here to learn sith sorcery it’s so her, and we fell right for the trap we should’ve been more careful, I should’ve sensed something” Malora continued silently scuffing her shoe and nodding

Ashara started to hyperventilate “we have to find a way out of here we can’t let anything bad happen I saw her pain I gotta help her I just gotta give her a chance, can you stop JUST SCUFFING YOUR SHOE MALORA WE HAVE TO HELP HER” Malora turned to her clearly agitated

Malora took a deep breath scuffing her shoe once more and a bunch of parts came out of the sole “I am finding a way out I just thought your inane babbling would get in the way” she starts to construct a little box “and it did but I have a solution; you’re welcome so please calm down” Ashara did calm down and take a deep breath

She sighed “sorry it’s just this is bad and it could’ve been avoided I didn’t mean to yell” Malora nodded as the box fit together and she raised it up “so what does your cool little box do” Malora looked at her quizzically

She almost smiled “thanks for asking? Basically this is magic force energy so likely normal force techniques will be useless but a bit of science mixed with the force allows me to collect such energies” she held out the box as it began to absorb the barrier “like so, I keep one on me at all times just in case” Ashara nodded actually very impressed

The barrier disappeared and Malora ignited her saber “and you keep it in your shoe” Malora sliced through the bars and walked over to Ashara’s cell

She frowned “that’s the part you question I will never understand you Jedi” she stood there as Ashara frowned

She pouted “well I don’t know any tech questions” she paused “are you gonna let me out” Malora frowned holding up the box

She stifled a laugh “of course I’m not just going to leave you there you’re still a valuable ally if annoying” Ashara decided to take that as a compliment as she cut through her own bars

She rushed forward “well thanks and we need to hurry if we’re gonna save Kyradia before anything goes wrong” she took Malora’s hand “come on I can turn us invisible” Malora nodded as they set off to save Kyradia but as they got closer they already heard signs of conflict...

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jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets · 6 years

Text

Lost in Translation

Title: Lost in Translation

Fandom: Star Trek

Pairing: Mckirk

Rating: i have recently been advised that i should use the “citrus scale” so... Lemon (eventually)

Tags: minor character death, hurt, little bit of self destruction, stranded, possible smut down the line

Summary:

“Attention citizens. This is the crew of the Enterprise asking for your aid. On Stardate 2264.78 a shuttle manned by our captain and fourteen cadets was ambushed by an unknown source and chased out of sight of our ship and into open space. Those cadets as well as our captain, James Tiberius Kirk, are still missing. We are asking anyone with any information on their whereabouts, or regarding the attack, to please contact the Enterprise immediately. Our family would appreciate any assistance you can give.”

AO3 Link

Masterlist

Special Thanks: wanted to give a huge shout out to my girl Katie, AKA @goingknowherewastaken for being a huge inspiration for this fic as well as for being a huge help (especially when it comes to putting up with my frantic ramblings lol) you're awesome boo <3

A/N: So this is a work in progress but it’s basically finished and I’ve been making great headway with this recently, so this will be the first fic I’ve ever finished! Woohoo!! And I'm thinking that I’ll probably stick to a Sunday post schedule.

Also a little note for y’all to keep in mind while reading. I have tagged this fic “possible eventual smut” and that’s because right now I don’t have any planned buuuuut… I'm going to leave that option up to you guys! Between the readers here and AO3, if you're still with me by the end of this fic, leave a comment and let me know if you would be interested in an epilogue or end scene with smut. I’ll post a reminder at the end, but keep it in mind while reading.

And if anyone is interested in being tagged for future posts for this fic or any others I may post, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list! Thanks for reading <3

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Chapter 5

Leonard slammed a fist on his desk and ran the other hand down his face, ending the comm. He couldn’t take much more of this. If someone didn’t find Jim soon he was going to have some kind of nervous break down, in fact, he was surprised he hadn’t had one already.

He decided to take himself up on that drink and left his office, not even giving a wave to anyone at the nurse’s station as he stalked past. He was on his way to his room when that old saying popped violently into his head, playing over and over again, “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone,” and hell if that weren’t true.

He’d known Jim Kirk since the day he sat next to him on the shuttle in Riverside, and he’d be the last to admit that there had been something between them right from the get go, but now he wished he had. He’d spent years trying to convince himself that what he felt for the kid wasn’t anything more then friendship, but after a few close calls he started to realize that maybe he couldn’t keep up that charade for much longer. Now Jim was missing, and every emotion that he had tried for all those years to push down and ignore, because ain’t no way the kid would have feelings for a grumpy old man like him, came quickly flooding back to him, pushing him into a sort of self destructive spiral.

It started slow. The first few nights Jim was missing he had spent them locked up in his room, trying to quell the frequent panic attacks that were suddenly plaguing him. Thoughts and visions filled his head of Jim dying in so many different ways. Jim floating in space, mangled in the shuttle crash, by infection, by dehydration or starvation… alone. The thoughts quickened his heart and tightened his chest, but no matter what he did he couldn’t vanquish the thought of Jim dying alone and without knowing what he should have told him years ago.

He had hoped that throwing himself fully into the rescue efforts for Jim and the cadets would maybe help deter these thoughts, but it only made them worse. Each day he would join Spock, Nyota, and a few other members of their crew in mapping out different routes and possible locations. Only, when Leonard started seeing for himself what kinds of planets Jim could have landed on, he was sure one of his panic attacks would turn into a heart attack. As he stood motionless and silent in the ready room off the bridge, looking at pictures and listening to Spock talk about different planets along the shuttles possible routes, “volcanic planet,” “made up of 87.65% water,” “host to a race of hostile inhabitants,” and more, Leonard could hardly contain his very high, and quickly rising, level of anxiety.

He managed to hide it fairly well during these meetings with Jim's rescue crew. Holding the emotions inside and saving his attacks for when he was in the privacy of his own room, alone, where he could drown his fears in a glass of bourbon. And that’s where it quickly went down hill, and fast. What started off as his usual one or two glasses a night, turned into three, then four, and eventually he found that even the entire bottle couldn’t stop the scenes from running through his mind.

Now, eighteen days into searching for Jim and again coming up empty handed, he found himself sitting on his couch, having already emptied bottle number one, and half way through bottle number two. And even that didn’t seem to be enough tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lieutenants log, Stardate 2264.96. It has been eighteen days and still no sign of the captain or our missing cadets. I have sent out alerts in all areas of the quadrant in all native languages as well as several foreign ones, and still no one has reported seeing our missing shuttle or crew members...”

Nyota sighed, running a hand down her face. She had been on the bridge for she didn’t know how long, composing alerts and translating them into as many languages as she knew in an attempt to find Jim, or at the very least have someone come forward with some information that could lead them in the right direction. At this point they were grasping at straws and practically guessing when it came to searching planets. They might as well have closed their eyes and thrown a dart at a map. They had no idea where the shuttle had even gone, and no one in this entire quadrant seemed to know either.

She ended her comm and turned back to the screen where she was working on her latest translation. The bridge had been quiet all shift, everyone solely focused on finding their missing captain and crew.

She heard the rush of air as the turbo lift doors opened and closed, and heard the footsteps as they walked steadily across the bridge and stopped behind her. Though she didn’t turn around and instead continued her work.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder, an attempt to gain her attention. “Lieutenant,” the steady voice of their acting captain broke through the silence, “have you been here for both shifts?”

She turned to face Spock, realizing now that the bridge crew behind him were not the faces her usual shift crew. Quickly turning back to her screen and looking at the time she sighed and slumped back in her chair, “Yeah, I guess I have.”

Spock leaned over her slightly, looking at the screen, “Are you sending out another alert about the captain and the cadets?”

“Yes.”

“How many have you sent out?”

“Not including the thirteen native languages of this quadrant…” she thought for a moment, “this will be the eighth.”

“What language?”

“This one’s in Klingon.”

“May I?” She gestured to the screen and pushed her chair to the side so Spock could better view the message. He leaned fully forwards and began reading the text, “Attention Klingon citizens in the Omarian quadrant. This is the crew of the Enterprise asking for your help. On Stardate 2264.78 a shuttle manned by our captain and fourteen cadets was ambushed by an unknown source and chased out of sight of our ship. Those cadets as well as our captain, James Tiberius Kirk, are still missing. We are asking anyone with any information on their whereabouts, or regarding the attack, to please contact the Enterprise immediately. Our family would appreciate any assistance you can give.”

When he finished reading the passage, he backed away and turned to her, hands folded behind his back, “Do you think the Klingons would help us if they did hold information pertinent to the captain’s rescue?”

She shrugged, “It’s worth a shot at this point. So far everything else has been a bust.”

“You do have a point, Lieutenant.” She nodded in response and Spock watched as her head slowly began to fall into her chest. He placed his hand on her shoulder again, jolting her from her half asleep state, “Come, Lieutenant, you must rest. If any information is discovered I will contact you immediately.”

“No,” she said as she stood from the chair and Spock began gently guiding her towards the lift, “Spock, I have a few more languages I wanted to translate that message into. Just-”

“Nyota,” he stopped her with a hard look, “we will be no help to Jim, the missing cadets, or the rest of the crew if we are not well rested. Get some rest and we can continue the translations tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, getting into the lift, “you're right. I’ll be here tomorrow morning to continue the translations.”

Spock gave a nod as the doors closed and she ordered the lift to her deck. In seconds the lift doors opened again and she slowly made way to her room. She was just about there when a familiar blonde head of hair came towards her from down the hall.

“Christine, what are you doing up so late?”

“Emergency surgery on one of the engineering crew,” she huffed a breath and rubbed her already red eyes, “I was actually already off shift and in bed when M’benga called me in to help.”

“Doesn’t doctor McCoy usually take the reigns on these kinds of things?” She quirked a brow and crossed her arms, “At the very least he's usually present during the surgery.”

“That’s just the thing,” she shrugged, “no ones been able to get him on comms. He left the sickbay around noon without telling anyone and no ones heard from him all day.”

“That’s odd.”

Christine rubbed a hand up her arm, shifting slightly closer to whisper to Nyota, “I'm worried about him, Ny,” she stepped back, not sure if she should disclose this next bit of information to a lieutenant, but she needed to tell someone and she didn’t think that someone should be Spock, considering his track record with Leonard, “I keep finding empty bottles of alcohol all over his office, he's leaving shift early, I don’t think he's done a surgery or even an exam on anyone in weeks, he won’t talk to anyone, spends most of his time in his office gaping at those maps. I know this all has to do with Jim going missing, and believe me we are all feeling the loss right now, but I'm afraid he's spiralling into something he won’t be able to pull himself out of and soon it might… it might get really bad if someone doesn’t pull him out.”

“You’re right,” she nodded, “what's his room number? I’ll check on him.”

Christine pulled up the padd in her hand and tapped away for a second before looking back to Nyota, “Room, 226.”

“Ok, I'm on my way,” she turned to head back to the lift before calling out, “I’ll comm you when I’ve got him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Nyota arrived at room 226, the room of her good friend Doctor Leonard McCoy. She knocked and waited, looking around the deserted hallway. It was long past midnight and the ship was eerily quite as she waited. When she heard no answer or rousing from the other side she knocked again, this time shouting, “Leonard, I know you’re in there, please let me in. I know this change in you is because of Jim but we can talk it out, just open the door. People are worried about you.”

Still no one answered and she would admit that she was starting to get worried too. She took another look around the halls, making sure she was still alone, before quickly hacking into the lock pad beside Len’s door and breaking in.

She entered to the room in complete darkness. She closed the door behind her and called out for Len but again there was no answer. She ordered the computer to turn the lights on and gasped when she was finally able to see. And what she was met with was a room full of countless empty bottles, a passed out doctor on the floor in front of the couch, and a bottle of half empty bourbon slowly leaking in his hand.

She ran over to him, turning him over and taking his face in her hands shaking him gently, “Leonard, wake up!”

When all she got in response was a groan and a still unconscious Leonard, she grabbed her comm and called Christine.

“Uhora!” Christine’s voice came through the comm, “Did you talk to Leonard?”

“Not exactly,” she grunted as she hauled the limp doctor off the floor and slung his arm over her shoulder, “meet me back in sickbay, find an empty room and prep a bed for me. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Before anything else could be said she ended the call and began dragging Leonard across the room and slowly down the hall. He was no help to her at all, only grunting in protest at the upright position and occasionally shuffling his feet and throwing them both off balance. And after what seemed like a life time they finally made it to the lift that would take them to Christine.

When she had first laid eyes on Leonard lying lifeless on the floor, her first thought was to call Spock. He was after all, their acting captain in Jim's stead, but when rethinking that strategy she decided against it. Spock and the doctor did not have the best past and she could only imagine the fight that would ensue when Spock found out that his chief medical officer had nearly drank himself into a coma. And with Jim being gone and tensions already on the rise, she was sure it would most likely end in a blood bath. Instead she decided it best to keep this incident quiet and leave Len in the trustworthy hands of nurse Chapel.

When the lift door opened Christine was already there waiting for them, eyes blowing wide upon seeing the limp state of Leonard hanging off uhora’s shoulder. She quickly ran inside the lift taking up Len’s other side and lead them all to the room she had prepped in the far back of the sick bay.

They landed Leonard on the bed and shaded the windows before closing the door, leaving the three alone.

“What happened?!” Christine instantly began scanning Leonard, checking all vitals while waiting for an explanation.

Uhora sighed, running a hand through her hair before answering, “Jim still missing has clearly put a strain on all of us in many different ways. I found him passed out in his room surrounded by empty bourbon bottles. I can’t even begin to guess how many bottles he drank before he passed out.”

Chapel ran a scanner over him, eyes on her padd. “He’s lucky you found him and not someone else.”

“Those were my thoughts exactly,” she nodded, “I thought about calling Spock for help but I thought maybe it would be best to keep this quiet.”

“You’re probably right.” She pulled the scanner away, placing it back in her pocket and put the padd on the bedside table before turning to Uhora, “He’ll be fine. Nothing I can’t fix with a few good hypos.”

Uhora smirked, crossing her arms and standing, “I’ll be back in the morning to talk to him when he’s more himself, so don’t let him leave this room until I get here.” Chapel nodded, “And you should get some sleep too, Christine. Don’t let this fool keep you up all night.”

“I will. Good night, Nyota.”

“Good night.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

For the first time in a long time Leonard woke up to a blinding headache. His eyes were so heavy and sore they didn’t even want to open, and sitting up was definitely not going to happen right now.

He ran a shaking hand down his face trying to remember what happened. He remembered making it to his room, then soon after receiving a comm from Spock informing him that the mission had yet again been a failure, and they would have to move on to another planet to search for Jim. Next thing, he had a bottle of bourbon in his hand and the rest is a haze.

Though he didn’t remember what happened he was sure he could put two and two together and figure it out, but how he had ended up in the sickbay would remain a mystery.

As he rifled through his jumbled thoughts for an answer the door opened, letting in a little too much light for his over sensitive eyes, and he shot a hand up to cover them.

“Oh, is that too bright for you?” A woman's voice hit his ears and he groaned in response, “I'm sorry, let me just open it a little more then. Or how about I do you one better. Computer, lights one hundred percent!”

As more light flooded the room Leonard hissed and rolled onto his side, which was a horrible idea as he felt his stomach lurch with the motion. Though he was far too stubborn to blow his stomach contents, and also not willing to stand to run to the bathroom, and forced himself to get over the sudden wave of nausea.

He let out one more groan as his stomach screamed at him, along with his liver, and he slit his eyes open just enough to see a familiar figure standing before him, arms crossed. “Uhora. What are you doing here? And why am I here?”

“You don’t remember?” She spat, walking closer to him, “I had to drag your dumb ass here after I found you passed out on your floor last night! I had to pull Chapel out of her room after she already worked a double and assisted on an emergency surgery because you were nowhere to be found, just so she could save your sorry hide from dying of alcohol poisoning!”

Yep, it was just as he had suspected. He clutched his stomach as another wave of nausea hit him and he looked up at her, “Look, Uhora, I-”

She raised a hand to stop him, “I don’t even want to hear your lame excuse Leonard. I had every intention of coming in here this morning and being as sympathetic as I could, but I couldn’t do it. I know your situation is slightly different then the rest of us, but you're not the only one who’s effected by Jim's absence!”

His brows furrowed and he pulled himself up in the bed to sit up slightly, “What do you mean my situation is different?”

She met his confused eyes with ones filled with pity. “Leonard, I know how you feel about Jim, I think everyone knows.”

“How I feel about him?”

She moved to sit on the edge of the bed facing him, all sternness replaced with the sympathy she spoke of before as she placed a hand on his shoulder, “The two of you were made for each other. I’ve seen the way you look at him, and how he looks at you, I’ve seen the way you act around each other and I know it’s more then merely friendship between you. But Leonard, you have got to pull yourself together. Jim is out there somewhere, along with fourteen other cadets who all need our help. No doubt when we find them they are going to need their chief medical officer in top condition to patch them up, and Jim is surely going to need his Bones just the same way.” He laid his head heavily back on the bed, letting it all sink in as she continued, “If you love him as much as I know you do, you'll sober up and get ready for when we do find him. And when he does get back, you should probably do something about that unspoken bond between the two of you. If this is anything to learn from, it’s that our lives are too dangerous and unpredictable to wait until it’s too late.”

She gave his arm a pat and left him alone to wallow in her words. He sighed, thinking over what she had said and decided that as always, Uhora was right… about everything.

He rolled to his side again and searched the room for his comm finding it on top of his shoes beside the bed. He grabbed it and rolled to his back, holding the comm in front of his face, before taking a deep breath and speaking as calmly as he could. “CMO’s log, stardate 2264.97. It’s… it’s day nineteen now in our search for the captain, and I won’t lie… I am struggling with his absence. After some much needed words of wisdom from Lieutenant Uhora I’ve come to realize some things, or rather finally come to fully accept them. All I’ve got to say is we better find you soon, Jim, and we better find you alive, cuz I’ve got a lot to say to you kid… a whole hell of a lot.”

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A/N: A very Leonard heavy chapter XD And I hope y’all are still enjoying this despite the horrible things I do to our boys, but I promise there are some good times ahead! As always let me know if you would like to be tagged, and thanks for reading <3 Tags: @goingknowherewastaken @bi-e-ne @weresilver-in-space @medicatemedrmccoy @reading-in-moonlight @resistance-is-futile81 @0dannyphantom0 @haveyouseenmymind @jimboy-mccoy @flaminglupine

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