#plus team

[ejzah]

A/N: Inspired by a conversation on the “Pod Meets World” podcast (they rewatch Boy Meets World).

***

The team is playing “Would You Rather”.

Nell, mischievously: Ok, here’s one: Kensi and Deeks, would you rather give up sex or food for the rest of your life?

Deeks: Ooh, that’s a tough one. Hmm.

Kensi, conflicted: I know. Tacos are so good, but…

Sam, in disbelief: This is really a hard choice for you? You choose food. It keeps you alive.

Deeks, shrugging: And sex is amazing.

Sam, disgusted: You two are hopeless.

Callen: I’m surprised you’re shocked. They’re the entire reason we knock on closed doors before entering.

Eric, under his breath: I’m so glad it wasn’t my turn.

Kensi: Oh my god, this is so hard. I’d miss cake.

Deeks, catching her eye: Remwmber last time we were at Mammoth? In front of the fire?

Kensi, eyes widening: Oh yeah. Ok, definitely sex.

Callen: That checks out.

Nell, intrigued: Interesting. The three of us are going to have to talk soon. I have some questions.

Sam: I work with a bunch of degenerates.

[densi-mber]

Bring out the Holly

“Hey, how are we doing on snacks?” Kensi asked, turning to Deeks as he popped in the kitchen with a load of empty bowls. She was currently wrist deep in a bowl of cheese dip. Her stomach turned slightly at the squelching sound as it mixed, but so far, she’d done pretty well by sipping on 7UP.

“Uh, we need more chips. And if Arkady keep going at his current rate, way more vodka,” Deeks responded. He dumped the rest of a bag of potato chips and then tortilla strips into bowls.

“Well, it’s a good thing we stocked up.”

Deeks grinned, making a detour to kiss her firmly while they had a moment. They’d been going pretty much non-stop since this morning, and the pace had only picked up once guests started arriving.

Kensi heard a loud cheer, which she assumed had something to do with Arkady, and possibly Roberta. She could only imagine what they were getting up to.

Deeks dragged in a deep breath. “Ok, I’m headed back into the wild. Keep me in your prayers. Kensi snorted, watching him balance the bowls of snacks before she turned back to the dip.

Deciding it was as mixed as it would get, she transferred it to a cut glass dish Roberta had insisted giving them during her recent move, washed up, and fortified herself with another sip of fizzy pop.

When she made it out to the living room and few minutes later, she found everyone spread out in little groups. Fatima and Rountree were talking with Rosa by the Christmas tree. Sam, Callen, and Anna appeared to be in a lively conversation with Arkady. Meanwhile, Nell and Eric were sandwiched between Julia and Roberta on the couch. Deeks was circling the room making sure everyone had enough to drink and eat.

When Nell caught sight of her, she hurried over, enveloping Kensi in a massive hug.

“Hey you!”

“Hey. You know, we did see each other less than 20 minutes ago,” Kensi reminded her teasingly.

“I know, but I really missed you,” Nell said, reaching up to straighten her Christmas inspired headband. Miniature ornaments hung from her earlobes and she wore a piece of sparkly garland as a necklace. Looking over her shoulder, she added, “Plus, I needed a minute. Your moms are grilling us about out relationship.”

“Oh, do tell?”

“Uh, you know everything thing there is to know, and I am not delving into that very complicated can of worms on Christmas.”

“Fair enough,” Kensi agreed. “But, once the holidays are over, be prepared to be grilled.”

A pair of arms wrapped around Kensi’s waist, followed by the familiar and reassuring presence of Deeks’ chest.

“Just so you know, Fatima and Rountree are trying to convince our daughter to move out of state for college,” he murmured.

“How dare they.”

“Ooh, I didn’t get a Shaggy hug yet,” Nell realized, reaching around Kensi to give Deeks a very big hug.

“I missed you too, Velma,” Deeks said, grinning as he pulled a couple pieces of tinsel from Nell’s outfit out of his mouth. “Maybe we should go rescue your partner in crime, he’s looking a little suffocated.”

“Yeah, I’m going to need at least one more drink before that happens.”

“Fair enough.”

Sam, Callen, and Anna wandered over then, making a pit stop for snacks on the way.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve been here since you two completed all the renovations. It looks good,” Sam commented. Kensi had no doubt that he’d been discreetly examining the drywall and flooring.

“Thanks. We had a lot of help from good friends,” Deeks said.

“Mostly thanks to Deeks’ surfing connections.”

“So, your first Christmas as parents in your new home. How’s that feel?” Sam asked, grinning when Deeks groaned.

“Terrifying,” Kensi answered. “Amazing, but terrifying.” Anna reached out to squeeze her hand.

“Alright, time for a new topic before we stress out our hosts,” Nell decided. Kensi sent her a grateful look.

“Ok, how about Arkady’s taken command of your kitchen?” Callen suggested. “His words, not mine.”

“Do I want to know what he’s doing in there?”

“According to him, making a famous Russian drink that only our family know,” Anna answered with a raised brow for emphasis. “I would not go in there right now.”

“Fantastic,” Deeks said, shaking his head. “But, It’s Christmas, so we’re not going to worry about it.”

“What are we not worrying about?” Eric asked, positioning himself between Nell and Deeks.

Kensi noticed that he automatically wrapped his arm around Nell’s waist. She pressed her lips together, holding back a litany of pointed comments. That could wait for later.

“Whatever weird and wonderful things Arkady is currently doing in our kitchen. How’d you escape the terrifying duo that are our mothers?” Deeks glanced over to the couch, but Julia and Roberta had moved on to join Rosa’s little group.

“Uh, with my extremely agile way with words,” Eric answered. “I learned from the master after all.” He bowed to Deeks and then casually added, “By the way, we’re having a June wedding.”

“Great, we can make it a double wedding.” Callen grinned and raised his glass of egg nog in a mock toast, ignoring Nell and Anna’s twin glares.

“It’s been nice knowing you, brother,” Sam said, slapping Callen on the back,

Fortunately, Rosa, Fatima, and Rountree came over before things could get too out of control.

Kensi noticed Rosa wore the birthstone necklace they’d given her that morning. She’d worried it was a little too personal, or Rosa might find it cheesy, so seeing her with it now warmed Kensi’s heart.

She took a quick sip of ginger ale before her hormones got completely out of control and she started crying.

“So there’s this Christmas game going around. I thought it would be fun to play,” Rosa said, more animated than usual. Kensi wondered just what she’d been talking about with Rountree and Fatima. “Basically, you put a bunch of gift bows on the table, and each person takes a turn trying to scoop them into a basket while blindfolded.”

“You want to blindfold a bunch of highly competitive people, at least half of whom know multiple fighting styles,” Deeks summed up, pulling a face. “I see absolutely nothing going wrong here.”

“Hush, we can behave ourselves,” Sam protested with a smirk.

“We’re also going to need a lot of dollar bills,” Fatima added. “It’s part of the game.”

“Well, I don’t have any ones, but I got a stack of 20s,” Eric offered.

“Why the hell do you have a bunch of 20s, Eric?”

“He likes to be prepared.” Nell patted his shoulder, looking up at her not-fiancé with a happy smile.

“Oh, this is a going to be a massive disaster,” Deeks commented with a chuckle as everyone headed off to gather bows and spatulas. Callen was making side bets on who would collect the most bows.

“Definitely,” Kensi agreed. She took advantage of the relative privacy to pull Deeks in for a deep kiss. “But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

***

A/N: I would describe this as the happy chaos that develops when you gather a bunch of different people together for the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

[asexualaromanticautistic]

What if we were the opposites of each other but when you boil us down to the core we are inherently the same (and we were both autistic)

[rubikor]

sumeru golden trio

[cutiesigh]

❤️🖤🩷

Wuthering Waves has taken over all of my free time recently, so here's a sketch of Scar!Ren I originally shared in da 14DWY Discord!!

[umblrspectrum]

hi heres art so you pay attention to me now go read the tags

[a-dope-fiend]

It irritates me alot when people say that making medic more compassionate is ''missing the point of his character'' when he is literally shown to be in the comics.... did you miss the part where he showed concern for both sniper and miss pauling's well being in comic 5 and 6.

His actions are a combination of genuine attachment + clinical interest and these things do not cancel out one another. He is always pushing boundaries and going against the grain and i think this is what led to him losing his license in the first place. He felt stifled by the rules imposed on him.

He is shown to be extremely passionate so it makes sense that he would use his endless fascination with medicine as a way to show his affection. He loves his friends so he will find a way to make them borderline indestructible. Malpractice is his love language.

[chuuowos]

just a group of friends bonding

[dunkledog]

can you believe it guys? gay people are finally real. and so are birds. birds are real. i promise.

the valve head guy spoke to me in a joan of arc vision and told me himself that these things are real now.

[hyakunana]

POV: Even with advantage and buffs, your local folk hero just rolled 1 in Intimidation

[ejzah]

The Other Part Shoe, Part 7

***

“Deeks? Deeks!” Kensi shouted, throwing herself across the room just in time to catch his shoulders before his head hit the hard floor. She cradled his head in her lap, gently rubbing his cheek with one hand while she held the other over his chest.

“Kensi, is he alright?” Sam asked, reminding her that there were other people in the room. She heard Callen talking with someone on the phone in short, terse words.

“His heartbeat is kind of thready, but he’s breathing.” Her voice sounded strange and distant to her own ears.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. Distraught. “How long on the ambulance?”

“They’ll be here in less than 10 minutes,” Callen answered, standing above them. Ten minutes sounded like an eternity when they didn’t know what was wrong with Deeks.

Sam squatted beside Kensi on the floor, pressing his palm to Deeks’ forehead and then briefly checking the pulse in his wrist. “His pulse is steady enough.”

“But he’s so clammy.” His skin was grayer than she’d ever seen it, even before his diagnosis when he’d been horribly sick.

“Hey Rountree, go wait outside for the ambulance,” Sam said, and Rountree hurriedly followed his directions. Kensi was too consumed with Deeks to see the look of dismay he threw their way.

“It’s ok, baby,” Kensi murmured, leaning down to kiss Deeks’ damp forehead.

***

Deeks opened his eyes slowly, head pounding, and totally disoriented. Something pressed over his mouth and nose; he swiped at it, slowly realizing it was a oxygen mask.

“Kensi?” He was surprised how bad his voice sounded, wincing as the low croak reverberated through his aching skull.

“Oh my god, Deeks,” Kensi gasped, her hand grasping his before she came into his field of vision. “No, don’t take that off.” She gently nudged his hand away as he attempted to remove the mask again.

“What happened?” he asked. He tried to remember, but his mind felt like it was filled with thick sludge, slowing his thought processes.

“You passed out. You’re at the hospital now,” Kensi answered softly, a blurry figure above him. He blinked a couple times until he could see her more clearly.

“Oh good, now there’s only one of you,” he sighed without his usual energy. Kensi seemed to appreciate his attempt at humor though. She brushed his hair back from his temple with a soft laugh, a few tears coursing down her cheeks. “Hey, don’t cry.”

“I’m just so glad your awake. It was really terrifying.”

“You said I passed out?”

“Yeah, in the bullpen. We were discussing the case, and then you stood up to go up to OSP, and you…crumpled to the floor. Do you remember what happened before that?”

He vaguely recalled being in the bullpen, but everything else from there was disjointed or nonexistent. Pressing a fist to his forehead, he made a noise of frustration.

“No. It’s like somebody took my brain and filled it with concrete or something. I can’t remember anything after early this morning.” He had a sudden horrible thought. “Wait, it’s still the same day, right?”

“Yes, it is,” Kensi assured him gently. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s ok if you don’t know. The doctor said you might be disoriented for a while. He’s running some tests now and Dr. Nehme is on his way.”

He’d realized, much slower than he normally would, that he was in a small hospital room. He nodded in response to Kensi, instantly regretting that decision when it sent a sharp spike of pain through the center of his head, followed by an intense wave of nausea. Acid filled his throat, he squeezed his eyes shut as he gagged, fighting the urge to throw up with everything he had.

Kensi’s hands smoothed over his skin, cool on his suddenly overheated and sweaty skin. He concentrated on her touch and the sound of her voice, even if he couldn’t discern the actual words at the moment. Inhaling deeply through his nose, Deeks willed himself not to throw up, knowing how much worse he’d feel if he did.

After what felt like an eternity, the pain dulled to a slightly less head-splitting throb.

“Oh god,” he whispered, totally exhausted from the episode.

“Deeks, what hurts?” Kensi asked softly, hands dropping to his shoulders. He was grateful she instinctively new to keep her voice lowered since every sound seemed amplified times ten.

“My head.” He couldn’t contain a small whimper. “Feels like it’s going to explode.”

“Ok, I’m going to find a doctor or nurse and see if they can get you some pain meds or something.”

He didn’t respond, not wanting to risk moving again. Instead, Deeks laid still with his eyes closed until he was pretty sure he wouldn’t immediately be sick or pass out from the pain. He was just on the verge of sleep when the curtain around his bed slid open, startling him. Or at least as started as could be with zero energy.

Kensi had returned, with Dr. Nehme in tow.

“Hello Deeks. I found Kensi harassing the nursing staff.” Nehme gave her a look that on anyone less serious, would be teasing. “I was hoping I wouldn’t see you hear so soon.”

“Yeah, I’ve been a troublemaker all my life,” Deeks joked weakly. Nehme offered a half-smirk as he quickly reviewed the chart at the end of Deeks’ bed, and scanned the monitors.

“I heard Kensi telling one of the nurses that you’re experiencing a severe headache,” he said, getting right to the point as usual. “What other symptoms are you experiencing?”

“Nausea, exhaustion, but that’s not really new, and some confusion,” Deeks admitted, sighing at the last one. “I can’t really remember much leading up to when I collapsed.”

“That’s fairly common when you lose consciousness.” Once again,Deeks appreciated Nehme’s calming and straightforward demeanor. “I’m more concerned about the erratic heart rate you came in with upon admittance and your headache. Now, your heart rate, pulse, and oxygen have stabilized since then.”

“So what caused this?” Kensi asked, moving to stand beside Kensi’s bed. She wordlessly reached to clasp his left hand, which wasn’t encumbered by a pulse monitor.

“I can’t be certain until we get those blood tests back.” He held up a hand before Kensi could inquire. “I’m expediting them. But, based on your symptoms and prior experience, I think you have hypokalemia, or extremely low potassium.”

“I thought I had to worry about too much potassium,” Deeks said.

“Usually it is. Hypokalemia is fairly uncommon with kidney disease and kidney failure, but it does occur,” Nehme explained. “It’s also extremely serious if left unchecked.”

“So why wasn’t this caught before this?” Deeks heard the growing anger in Kensi’s voice, and squeezed her hand, catching her eye when she looked down. He shook his head minutely.

“I understand your concern, Kensi.” Dr. Nehme spoke on the same calming tone. “Unfortunately, these kinds of issues can develop suddenly and without much warning. I am sorry that it wasn’t caught though.”

Kensi accepted his apology with a sigh, her grip on Deeks’ hand tightening.

“I guess the next question is, what does this mean for me? Do I have to stop dialysis?”

“No, we’re definitely continuing dialysis. If the test results come back as I anticipate, we’ll continue with the same treatment plan, perhaps a little shorter dialysis sessions, and add in a low-potassium supplement. We’ll test for potassium and other minerals to prevent something like this from happening again.”

He hesitated ever so slightly, but Deeks, even in his less than stellar state didn’t miss it. Kensi caught it too based on the way her fingers trembled in his.

“What else?” she whispered.

“We may be heading into territory where transplant is necessary in the very near future. Before it’s too late.”

***

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Poor Deeks just can’t catch a break. As always, I do tweak some of the medical information I use to fit my needs. I’m also not a medical expert.

[densi-mber]

A Friendly Competition

A/N: Now for some pure silliness. Set post Deeks’ time at FLETC.

***

“Ah, the returning hero!” Sam said grandly, standing like he was announcing the entrance of royalty.

Deeks accepted the the teasing with good grace, pausing in the middle of the bullpen with Kensi by his side while the rest of the team applauded. It was his first, official day back from FLETC.

Grinning, Sam gave him a firm hug, squeezing his shoulder.

“So, how’s it feel, Investigator Deeks?”

“A little surreal, difficult at times. Glad I don’t have to take anymore tests,” Deeks summed up, and Nell scoffed.

“Oh, please. Deeks, you were gone for weeks. We need more than that!”

“He’s been surprisingly reticent,” Kensi spoke up. She patted his shoulder. “But I’ve been able to weasel a few things out of him. From all accounts, his performance was very impressive.”

“Kens.” Deeks dipped his head in embarrassment, but Kensi ignored his protest.

“From what I heard, he was at the top in all his classes, he tutored some of the other candidates, and, they even asked him to present one time,” Kensi filled in proudly.

“Wow, that is impressive,” Callen commented. “Especially from a guy of your advanced age.”

“G, you’re older than Deeks.” Sam game him a perturbed look.

“True, but I was not the one who had to pass FLETC. Because I’m not a glutton for punishment.”

“Well, congratulations, Deeks,” Eric offered, speaking over Sam and a Callen as they continued to bicker. “It sounds like you did really well.”

“Thanks, man.��

“I’m just sad I wasn’t there to see it all,” Nell said mournfully. “Especially your final run.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention that Deeks also had the fastest time for his last run.” Kensi grinned up at Deeks. “He’s going to get a little plaque and everything.”

“Nice. I was very much middle of the pack during my training.” Making a face, Nell made a gesture to her body as a whole. “I can’t keep up with you people and freaking long legs.”

“You know, I think I could still keep up if I had to do it all over again,” Sam mused. “I’ve kept in shape.”

“I seem to recall that you had issues with speed. Something to do with being too bulky, wasn’t it?” Callen said. Sam’s expression turned truly menacing, but Callen just grinned, completely unbothered.

“I tripped over a root. My speed was fine.”

“Yeah, I think I ran into that root a couple times, too,” Deeks said, chuckling.

“What about you, Kensi?”

“For sure.” She answered without hesitation. “I bet I could even beat Deeks.”

He raised his brows in surprise, not sure when she had gone from supportive to competitive.

“Oh, really?” He crossed his arms, staring his down. “Would you like to put a wager on that?”

“What did you have in mind?”

Deeks considered the possibilities for a second.

“If I win, you have to fill out my expense reports for a week.”

“And if I win, which I will, you wash my laundry for a week,” Kensi decided. He chuckled, because of course after all this time, she’d still do anything to get out of housework.

“I accept your bet.”

“I’ll put two weeks of coffee runs on Sam,” Callen added.

“Why the hell are you bringing me into this?” Sam asked, quickly switching from amusement to disbelief and annoyance.

“Are you saying you can’t compete?” Callen raised one eyebrow in an obvious taunt.

“Of course not. I’m in.” Sam scowled at everyone, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Now let's get this over with.”

“Anyone else want to join in?”

“Oh no, I am completely fine just keeping everyone time,” Nell said, naturally appointing herself as racing secretary. “I’ll grab my stopwatch, you guys better change.”

***

Half an hour later, they’d gathered outside behind the mission. While the participants changed into running clothes, Nell and Eric marked off a mile-long track.

Kensi was performing a series of stretches while Sam paced angrily. Deeks decided on a set of warmup squats, in part because it helped loosen up his joints, but mostly because every time he sank towards the ground, Sam muttered under his breath.

“Alright, runners, on your marks!” Eric called out. They lined up, Sam on the far left, Kensi in the middle, and Deeks on her other side. “Set, go!”

They all took off, staying pretty even for the first quarter mile. Then Kensi pulled ahead, lengthening her stride to its full limits, and Sam put on a burst of speed to keep up. Deeks kept the same pace, the same way he’d learned in high school track, and then relearned at FLETC.

He blocked out the sound of Nell and Eric’s cheers, as well as Callen’s playful taunts directed at each of them in turn. He kept sight of Sam and Kensi, to make sure they didn’t get too far ahead.

At the quarter mile marker, Sam began to flag. He growled, pumping his arms even faster, as though it would increase his speed. Deeks easily passed him, then caught up to Kensi.

He really should have warmed up more; his muscles were beginning to tighten up a little, but he pushed on. As they approached the last tenth of a mile, Deeks extended his stride to its full limit, bringing him in line with one another.

For several seconds, they were neck and neck. Kensi growled, desperately trying to force her legs a little faster. It wasn’t enough though, and Deeks crossed the finish line a couple strides ahead of her to the sounds of cheers.

Kensi followed him a few seconds later as Deeks bent in half, hands on his knees, and dragged in deep breaths. Sam brought up the rear, sweat dripping down his temples.

“Damn it!” Kensi gasped out, looking at him in disbelief. “You didn’t used to be this fast.”

“Well, something about having the equivalent of a very large drill shouting at you puts the fear of God into you. Plus, I don’t have the energy to run like that every day.”

“I want a rematch,” Sam said.

“I’m afraid not, the times stand as they are. Deeks is the winner,” Nell decided, and no one had the nerve to argue with her. “Congrats, Deeks.” She them at the finish line and hugged him.

“Don’t you think that’s a little biased for the grandmaster of the race?” Kensi asked.

“Oh, the grandmaster always congratulates the winner.”

“Don’t be jealous I’m the favorite,” Deeks teased, winking at Kensi.

“Don’t worry big guy, maybe you’ll win next time.” Callen stood up with a massive grin and gave Sam a conciliatory pat on the shoulder.

“Why are you so happy?” Eric asked. “You lost your bet.”

“I don’t care, it was worth it,” Callen decided happily.

“This is all your fault,” Sam grumbled.

“You’re welcome.”

“Congrats babe,” Kensi said reluctantly.

“Thanks. You know, I think I’ll have that plaque framed. Maybe put it up on behind my desk.” He spread his hands out like he was describing a marquee. “Marty Deeks, Office of Special Projects Fastest Runner.”

He ignored Sam and Kensi’s groans, addressing an amused Nell.

“I’m thinking gold plate is absolutely necessary.

[luxaofhesperides]

Soulmate AU: First Words + End of the World ; requested by @justwannabecat!

Duke has long since accepted that he doesn’t have great luck. Most things in his life tend to go wrong very quickly, or complicate situations he was already struggling in (see: being a meta and getting his powers in the middle of a fight). Having an incomprehensible soulmark is an unpleasant discovery on the morning of his nineteenth birthday, but not entirely unexpected.

He had been hoping for something simple, a common one like hi it’s nice to meet you or sorry, didn’t mean to bump into you.

What Duke gets instead isn’t even words. 

Scrawled across his left hipbone is a string of symbols glowing a faint green. They’re not in a language he recognizes, and the symbols seem to move, shifting ever so slightly so they look different every time he blinks.

“Well,” he says after a solid five minutes of staring into the mirror, unable to rip his eyes off his soulmate’s words, “I hope theirs looks nicer than mine.”

He spends his birthday in a bit of a daze, enjoying time spent with the Waynes and his friends. It’s hard to be fully present when he’s all too aware of the soreness on his hipbone flaring up each time he moves. It’s hard to keep his mind off of it, wanting nothing more than to search for answers, unravel the mystery of his soulmate’s first words.

“Something on your mind?” Jason asks, as the attention shifts off of him for a brief moment as Harper and Cullen get ready to leave and everyone rushes to give their goodbyes,

Duke shrugs, carefully keeping his hands still so they don’t drift to where his soulmark is hidden beneath his clothes. “Yeah. Nothing you need to worry about, though.”

Jason looks him over critically, then nods. 

Duke resigns himself to being investigated by the rest of the Bats. If he’s off enough that Jason had to comment on it, then that means everyone’s noticed and are trying to figure out what’s happened. They’re not going to ask him, because they think he needs space to work through whatever’s got him so distracted, but they’re also not going to just do nothing. 

This won’t be the first time they’ve done this. Duke expects it. Frankly, it would be stranger and much more concerning if they didn’t try to dig up all his secrets the moment they caught wind of him hiding something.

He’ll tell them about getting his soulmark soon. Soulmarks can appear on any birthday between the ages of thirteen to twenty five; they might suspect he got his, but they won’t be able to confirm.

For now, Duke can keep his soulmate’s first words (whatever that gibberish means) to himself.

He makes the decision then and there, as his birthday party winds down, to tell them in a week.

And because his luck is abysmal, a world ending threat hits five days later and suddenly there is no time for soulmarks and first words.

Duke is the last to arrive at the Fortress of Solitude, hitching a ride from Superboy to get there. The biting cold and the harsh winds keep the place far from the reaches of the rest of humanity, surrounded by nothing but deadly white. 

Desolate as the landscape is, it’s still in better shape than the rest of the world.

Things would be better if it was alien invaders. It would be more bearable if some sort of cosmic colossus tried to eat their solar system. At least then there would be something physical that they could fight.

Instead, the world is breaking apart, the sky and earth both fracturing to reveal glowing green faultlines. Timelines are getting mixed up and muddled; just yesterday, Duke had to evacuate a building that had been demolished forty years ago, then stop a gang leader who wouldn’t be born for another eight years from taking over a neighborhood block and holding the residents hostage. Strange creatures are appearing out of nowhere, crawling out of shadows and tide pools and from beneath the roots of trees, all horrible, monstrous things that go after people with teeth and claws. 

The Flashes and the rest of the speedsters are nowhere to be found. The last time anyone get communication from them, it had been Impulse sending Red Robin a glitchy, barely audible video chat saying something along the lines of “trying to fix—unstable—keep us here—never been alive before.” All things that are very concerning to hear, made worse by the fact that no one had been able to contact them at all. 

The quiet loneliness of the Fortress of Solitude is a welcome change from the constant screaming, death, and destruction that’s taken over Gotham as well as the rest of the world. Last he heard, even Justice League China was at the end of their rope. 

“In here,” Superboy instructs, guiding Duke through the halls. There’s no time to look around at Superman’s secret base. All his focus is stuck on staying conscious for another few hours to see if this gathering of heroes is able to find a solution to the world breaking apart.

Batman stands besides Superman. Both nod at Duke when he enters the room. Wonder Woman is watching over John Constantine as he writes something on the floor, muttering under his breath. The rest of the Justice League lean against each other, visibly exhausted as they wait for Constantine to finish up what he’s doing. A few other heroes are here too, and Duke goes to join them where they lean against a wall, fighting to keep their eyes open.

“Hey,” he greets, voice low. “Hanging in there?”

Wonder Girl sighs. “Somehow. I don’t know how much longer we can do this. There’s just too much…”

“We’ll get through this. I mean, even without us out there, plenty of civilians have formed rescue and relief groups to help with keeping things under control,” Speedy says, gently knocking her arm against Wonder Girl’s. “We just gotta keep going. No giving up.”

“What’s this plan, anyways? I just heard that they needed me here to some attempt to fix things.”

“Well, without the speedsters, you’re kind of the only one who can help with time and power related stuff,” Speedy says.

“That’s definitely a stretch. My powers don’t really have anything to do with time. It’s all just light and shadow.”

Speedy shrugs. “Well, you’re here, aren’t you? Too late to complain about it now.”

Duke doesn’t get a chance to say anything else when a loud clap catches his attention. The entire room goes still and silent as Constantine stands up and surveys the circle and symbols he’s written, taking up an entire corner of the large room. 

“Alright,” he says. “Time to get started. Remember, let me do the talking. If you have to speak, it’s only to back me up or when a question is directed to you.”

Batman nods to the other Justice Leaguers, and suddenly everyone is falling into formation behind Constantine. Duke hurries to join them with Wonder Girl and Speedy, taking a place on the edge of the group where he’s a little closer to the circle than the others. 

Constantine begins chanting. His voice is steady though none of the sounds make any sense, refusing to form themselves into recognizable words, and the air the in the room feels heavier. The chalk circle glows a blinding white and Duke can see magic swirling through the air, his power kicking in the let him watch as reality tears and a glowing star in the shape of a boy comes out of it.

Duke blinks, forcing his power down. The hypnotic swirls of magic fade from sight, but the boy still glows, bright and terrible as he floats above the circle and surveys them all. A crown engulfed in blue flame hovers above his head and the fabric of the cosmos is draped over his shoulders as a cape. 

Just from presence alone, Duke can tell that this figure is now the strongest existence in this universe. He hopes this boy king is kind; no one, not even Superman, would be able to beat him in a fight.

The boy king opens his mouth and speaks, but it’s not words than comes out. A strange static like sound emerges, but light and almost melodic. 

His left hipbone burns.

Duke gasps, hand flying down to it, and the boy king’s gaze snaps to meet his.

The world stands still. No one moves. No one dares to breathe.

And then the boy king drops to the floor and walks out of the circle.

“I thought you said that would hold him!” Batman hisses at Constantine, who is looking more and more distressed.

“It was supposed to! I wrote it specifically to hold the King of the Infinite Realms!”

The boy king glances at Constantine. This time, when he speaks, it’s in smooth English. “Did you name the king in your circle?”

“Yeah, I named Pariah Dark… Bloody hell, you ain’t him, are ya?”

“No,” the boy king smiles, “I’m Phantom.”

The cape and crown fade away, and suddenly it’s not an all powerful, terrifying king standing before them, but a young man with white hair and green eyes who looks Duke’s age. Like he could be any other new generation hero in the room. 

“Phantom,” Duke repeats lightly, just under his breath, but it makes Phantom look at him again.

He walks forward, ignoring the other heroes’ aborted attempts to stop him, coupled with Constantine’s frantic back off motion happening behind him. Phantom leaves the circle and the Justice Leaguers behind to stand before Duke, a soft smile on his face.

“Hi,” he says softly, “I dreamed of you.”

“You—what?”

“I dreamed of you. I have for years now. To think that being summoned was what made us meet—” Phantom breaks off into a breathless laugh.

Duke swallows, then drops his had from where it had been pressed against his hip. “So we’re really—? You have my first words too?”

In the corner of his eye, he sees Batman stiffen up. Maybe he should have just told them the day after his birthday, but in Duke’s defense, this is the definition of extenuation circumstances. 

“First words?” Phantom repeats, “Is that… Do we have different soulmate connections?”

“I think so. Here, everyone gets the first words their soulmates say to them appearing somewhere on their body.”

Phantom’s gaze darts down to Duke’s hip, then back up. “Oh. I get dreams. Where I’m from, we dream of our soulmates, and the closer we get to meeting them, the more we remember the dreams.”

“And you dreamed of me.”

“I did.”

“As touching as this is,” Constantine interrupts, and Duke gets to watch as Phantom rolls his eyes, “We summoned you here for a reason. Our world is falling apart at the seams and we need someone powerful, from the Realms, to help us fix it.”

“Okay.”

“...What do you mean ‘okay’?”

“I’ll help,” Phantom says.

“Just like that? No deal to be made, no price to be paid?”

“Just like that. I’m not one for deals anyways. If I can help, then I will. But I do want to see what the problem is with my soulmate by my side, if you don’t mind.”

Batman steps in, fixing Duke with a steady gaze, a barely noticeable tilt of his head. “Signal?”

“Yeah I’ll go with him. Of course I will. The sooner the better, in fact, because everything’s gone to shit.” Duke turns to Phantom, taking hold of one of his hands. “It is really bad out there,” he warns, “If you need help—”

“I’ll ask for help from others in the Realms,” Phantom says. “No offense or anything, but if it’s really that bad, I doubt living mortals will be able to do much to fix things. It’s why I was summoned, right?”

“Right. Let’s get to it, then.”

There’s a flash of mischief in Phantom’s eyes, and cheeky grin stealing across his face for a moment, before he says, “Aye aye, captain!” and picks Duke up like he weighs nothing and flies up through the ceiling.

Duke is able to hear everyone’s surprised, panicked shouts before they’re outside the Fortress of Solitude and Phantom is flying them away. He only needs a few directions from Duke before he finds the first of the large fractures in the sky.

“Yikes,” is all he says, which is not a great thing to hear. “I think I know how to fix it, though. We’ll need to do a little investigating as to who, exactly, started messing around with reality, but once we find the source, it’ll be an easy fix.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all week.”

“Even better than meeting your soulmate?”

“I haven’t slept for more than four hours all week. Knowing there’s an end in sight beats everything else.”

Phantom laughs, throwing his head back and Duke can’t help but drink in the sight of him, so ethereal and bright and full of life. “Fair enough! Got any ideas as to where we should start?”

“I’ve got an entire crew of detective vigilantes,” Duke replies. He’s not taking any more chances. No more waiting to talk about important things; he messed up by keeping his soulmark to himself, so he needs to make sure everyone meets his soulmate before shit goes south again. 

“Let’s go find them, then!”

They take off again, soaring through the skies that are barely holding themselves together. 

The world is still ending, and every hero is being stretched thin, but held carefully in Phantom’s arms, racing head first into a solution, Duke can’t help but feel that everything’s going to be alright now. 

He’s had enough bad luck. Now, his soulmate with him, bearing the title of King with grace, things are finally starting to look up.

[homkamiro]

You're feeling very sick inside, well, okay...

So you've had a bad day?

I don’t know what to say...

Look what’s become of my doctor...

[forgetful-nerd]

I like the “Rise! Leo is the team medic” head cannon. But I find it super weird when it’s used as a point of contrast between Rise! Leo and 2012! Leo.

[teamfurtress]

You have such a cute artstyle! ( ・∇・)

Do you have any animal head cannons for the other mercs? 👀

TYYYY (〃＾▽＾〃)

fwumffyi sheepie