thenixart

[thenixart]

Getting the fuck out of dodge (opening)

Moonlight shines as bright as the afternoon sun, Jin cuts through the woods with ease. The forest is alive with the sounds of animals and insects. It breathes around him, it breathes with him. Jiji’s eyes have a purple shine to them when he glances at his reflection in the creek as he crosses it, like a dog’s would. Maybe it matters, he remembers the last few mediums saying he might be cursed. Maybe it doesn’t, he remembers that he’s developing powers. 

Ferns brush his hands lovingly, his fingers caress bark as he passes trees, the sweet earthy scent of loam curls into his nose every time he steps in thick leaf litter. The forest feels like home, like something that belongs to him and only him. If not for the Kito family and the haunting, this mountain would be a perfect place to live [So get rid of the problem, they think]. He doesn’t even mind the ghost, its pale body dancing this way and that, as it follows behind him down his-their-its mountain. If the ghost had been haunting the woods instead of his house, then nothing bad would have happened to his parents. It looks like something that would be more at home in the woods than stalking the halls of a house. Maybe there’s a story there?

Jiji reaches the base of the mountain with a pleasant burn in his muscles. He’s not anywhere near to being exhausted yet. It's been getting harder and harder to reach that point in the past few weeks. His stamina is getting better and better. That’s definitely a result of his powers developing more. The meditation exercises were helping a lot!

[thenixart]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Dandadan (Anime), Dandadan (Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Ayase Momo & Enjouji “Jiji” Jin, Enjouji “Jiji” Jin & Takakura “Okarun” Ken Characters: Enjouji “Jiji” Jin, Evil Eye (Dandadan), Kito Family Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Possession, Mind Meld, Stalking, Sexual Harassment, Attempted Sexual Assault, Worms don’t work like that, If yer gonna use a spirit as a character give that spirit traits that its actually fucking known for, Evil Eye is a Yamanoke, Ki Use, Suicide Attempt, Kludge Mind, Body Horror, hunger, Jiji Enjouji needs a hug, Insomnia Summary:

Jiji’s house is haunted. His parents are… sick. He needs help.

–

It watches. It waits. The vessel could be better… but they’re tired of waiting. They want revenge now.

– [Note: Going over the Cursed House/Evil Eye arcs so warning for the bathhouse sexual assault scene. Brief mentions of Jiji being sexually harassed by a pedophile.]

[thenixart]

Let's get exorcists involved (ending)

…Jiji doesn’t know how exorcisms are supposed to go, not really, but he’s pretty sure people aren’t supposed to start screaming and panicking. The prayer beads probably shouldn't be catching fire and the talismans or whatever those are likely shouldn't be turning black either. When the monk collapses and Jiji has to call an ambulance for him, Jiji assumes that the exorcism went very poorly actually.

Damn.

—

Once the damnitable monk had been carted away with its glare burned into the man’s soul, they turned their attention back to the vessel. To the sliver of power it rooted deep in the boy’s soul. They ignore the boy’s emotions, largely confusion and worry, hardly any different to what he’d been feeling, to poke at the edges of his ki. 

The root holds fast, the monk hadn't damaged it. Likely hadn’t even noticed it given how little humans are capable of perceiving. The vessel’s power continues to grow steadily around the root in leaps and bounds. Good. It would be better if the vessel was a girl, a better fit for it, but they’ll take what they can get. 

Especially because they’re tired of waiting.

Hatred roils under their ghostly flesh. A thirst for revenge throbs in their core. Its youki seeps into every corner of its mountain, tracking the intruders as they leave its territory. The monk most certainly will not return, not with the curse of a scar that they left in the man’s mind and soul.

……

For the next few days, it goes against the nature of the kind of spirit it grew into to stay awake during the day to keep an eye on its investment. The vessel is clearly unhappy and aggravated to see glimpses of it watching from the shadows.

They had expected something to happen with the vessel after the Worm tried to make a move. That damnitable serpent is still sulking, hungry and annoyed about not being fed yet. It is good for them, and the vessel, and the Parents that the vessel had been old enough and strong enough to save the Parents. The assimilated ones still miss their lost Parents… it can’t relate. But it understands want and the hatred of having something important stolen from them.

Those People have been getting greedy, they’ve been luring families with older kids for the past few decades. Bigger kids means more meat. More food for the Worm. That’s why it's fairly certain that those People will try to wait until the Parents return to do their ritual.

Which is good for them.

The vessel is still growing into his potential. The root of power it left in the boy accelerating and warping the growth of his ki like a wasp sting making a gall. But it will take some time before the vessel is ripe for them to use. 

……

It knows the monk is dead days before the vessel gets a call about it. The sliver of power it used to curse the holy man returns to it as the man dies. Good riddance.

The vessel seems distraught, but that’s not their problem.

[thenixart]

Death and Meditation (opening)

Jiji Enjoji feels like he’s very slowly losing his mind. Even if he feels refreshed every morning the months of lack of sleep are still eating at him. Wearing down his nerves much like the constant staring of the ghost. Every now and then it causes his temper to wind up tight and explode towards the end of the day. Thankfully, that usually means during practice or a game so he had something he can pour that unnatural rage into. But sometimes it comes upon him without such an excuse when he can’t get out of socializing. 

It’s not damaged his reputation yet. Years of good will and the whole situation with his parents getting sick and still being hospitalized help people give him a bit of slack for a bit of a bad attitude.

Plus, it’s also helping Jiji’s rep that he’s been upping his charm game on the local teenage girl population. He feels scummy doing it, but he’s so Hungry and he has to make what funds he has last for who knows how long. It’s not ok to trick girls that he knows don’t get much attention from boys into thinking he wants to date them, his mom is probably gonna make him do laps around the whole town every day for weeks if she ever finds out. But… if honeyed words and a few kisses can get him enough food on a regular basis to keep the yawning pit in his belly satisfied and his bank account in the black, he’ll just apologize to them all after this whole ordeal is over. 

Feeling guilty is terrible but not nearly as bad as under-eating while whatever powers he developed are trying to keep him from keeling over from extreme sleep deprivation. And Jiji has a pretty good idea that he might actually die if he doesn't eat enough. Not quickly, no, but the symptoms of sleep deprivation do start catching up to him whenever he goes a day or two without eating like he’s on a bulk.

The other boys on the soccer team make jokes when they see him eating now, asking if he’s got another massive growth spurt on the way like he’d had the other year. Jiji wishes he was just experiencing some annoying effects of puberty instead of the supernatural hell he was currently in.

He hires another exorcist.

[thenixart]

[id: Digital art of the Pokemon, boldore, a deep blue and orange rock monster with three limbs and two yellow lined ears in the middle of its face in the place of eyes laying down on a simple green grass background bordered with grey. /end id]

@what-a-strange-cat commissioned me to draw the Pokemon, Boldore, laying down in grass.

[thenixart]

[id: Three images: a banner and two pictures listing prices with sample artwork. The banner reads 'The Screaming Emu' in orange across a blue, black, and green bird monster.

The second image shows Andalite heads in varying levels of detail with prices listed: $10 for a sketch, $15 for line art, $20 for line art with flat colors, and $25 for line art with full coloring and shading.

The third image shows a dragon standing upright with lines marking off segments of its body listed with prices: No additional charge for the head, +$10 for a bust up drawing, +$15 for a waist up drawing, and +$25 for a full body drawing. /end id]

Hey! My commissions are open. For a lot of reasons I need more money than I’m currently able to make at my job. I would be incredibly grateful if you commissioned me.

Contact me via private message or ask through @thenixart​ or via my email: JayTHarris42@gmail.com

Payments through Paypal or kofi (ko-fi.com/nixkat > accepts card payment). Products are digital and will be emailed in .png format unless otherwise specified.

Extras!

-Additional characters are $5 per character. -Simple backgrounds like colored rectangles or circles or polka dots cost nothing. Complex backgrounds are $15. -Saucy/Suggestive art (T&A mostly and some kinks) has an additional charge of $25

I draw:

-Monsters, aliens, fantasy creatures -Animals and Furries/Anthros -Humans

I do not draw:

- Genitals, Body fluids, Sexual Acts - Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual Assault/harassment

Art examples:

[id: A digital painting of two women, one tall Black and with red hair and one shorter white and prematurely gone grey, on a hike in a birch-maple forest in autumn. They are on a wood planked path with a split in the path in front of them. The taller woman holds a map folded in one hand and points at the path directly in front of them while the shorter woman looks at her and looks to be speaking. /end id]

[id: A drawing of the head and neck of the titular Kaiju no. 8. The monster is mostly black with his scaley skin and armor plates being different shades. He has bright blue exposed tendons and connective tissues on parts of his neck and mouth corners. The front of his head is a white, horned, skull-like face./end id]

[ID: A simple drawing of Laios Touden from Dungeon Meshi as a wolfman-type werewolf with a tail. He’s drawn from the hips up and wearing his plate armor. /End ID]

[id: Digital art of a a dark grey spotted dragon posed mid landing from a leap against a grey background with a peach square behind the dragon framing it.

The dragon has a purple head with glowing green eyes. Its wings are very large with paler grey membranes. Its tail is forked and the end is pink with the prongs glowing pink. /end id]

[thenixart]

me making water type jack-o'-lantern mons for Haint Blu specificly to reference the type of being they are in African American folklore because that's more fun and folks who know will get it and the ones that don't might go down the rabbit hole looking for answers

[thenixart]

Going to bed but list of things I want to draw when I have the time + energy + desire are:

The orc wife oc and kobold wife oc and the step kids I'm giving Laios for the post canon fic

Dr. Night human and kaiju form for the Kaiju no. 8 fic

Updating Blu from Haint Blu's design

Drawing the other 'player characters' of Haint Blu

Some haint mons from Haint Blu

Maybe some meme redraws if I can find the memes I'm looking for

New banners for my blogs

[thenixart]

Hm, I also need to work more on drawing simplified/cartoony things

[thenixart]

From the ashes (Opening)

The last time Ted Kord was in this much pain was when the monster that killed Superman, slammed his head into asphalt. That incident had put him in a coma for months and left a six-inch long scar down the back of Ted’s head where his skull had cracked. This time the pain was because of that slimy bastard Maxwell Lord shooting him in the head. Fury still boiled in Ted’s pudgy gut from the revelation of Max’s betrayal and shame burned in Ted’s chest that it had taken so long to figure the other man out. It’s not like Max didn’t have a bunch of red flags about his true nature blaring in their faces since the first day he’d been introduced to their Justice League…

Belatedly, it occurs to Ted as he’s struggling to breathe, choking on blood seeping down his throat from his damaged sinuses with his heart fluttering in his chest warning of an impending heart attack that he’s been shot directly in the head. Max couldn’t have missed what with how close he’d been when he pulled the trigger… Ted should be dead.

And yet…

Muffled by the ringing in his ears and the pounding migraine in his head Ted overhears Max make some kind of snide comment about Ted not having the decency to at least die cleanly. With his eye that’s not blurry at the moment, Ted can see the surprise and discomfort on his ex-friend’s face at Ted’s not being dead yet even though he should be.

[You are the Blue Beetle,] A voice both alien and familiar oozes into Ted’s mind. It's a voice from his nightmares of that day, of the thing that brought Dan back to him but twisted and monstrous. The voice of the thing that tried to take him over too once. A chill runs down his spine.

[You are the Blue Beetle,] The voice of the Scarab hisses again, possessively, [You are my host and you are not allowed to die yet.]

Ted is too weak to resist the fog that the Scarab fills his head with. It's distancing him from his body, dulling the pain as it suspends him there on the precipice of death. Drowning without being allowed to be released. Bleeding out while his heart keeps beating erratically twitching empty veins. The sweet release of unconsciousness was just beyond his reach.

[You will be repaired of all damage,] It assures him as Max’s underlings in Checkmate put him into a body bag. A woman says something about the incinerator and destroying his Bug. [You will have vengeance.]

As dull as Ted is to the sensations of his undead body, fire is still fire. The pain is still unimaginable as the door closes to the incinerator. The heat cooks him and he will never forget it.

[thenixart]

Battle

The Haint Battle League specifies that two attackers (two front slots) and one support (one back slot) per team can be on the field at once. The battle only ends once the medium is no longer able to battle themselves even if they have haints that can still battle. Mediums are only allowed to use healing or status items or summon more haints while in the support position. Haints in the attack position have a tendency to favor attacking mediums in the attack position. Haint teams are capped at five haints plus one medium for official League things.

Mediums in the attack position are allowed to use whatever weapon they have on hand to combat haints. Blunt weapons (blessed or blue things like bats, brass knuckles, maces, small vehicles) and martial arts count as physical type attacks. Bladed weapons, weapons that shoot, airhorns, and things that spray haints with salt water or fire count as nonphysical attacks. Mediums are also allowed to wear whatever they want to increase their defense against attacks by haints. Blue and blessed things work best. 

The Death Energy (DE) of a medium offers them a good degree of protection against the elements. The higher their DE rating the higher their levels of physical strength, durability, and stamina. Mediums are known to heal faster than non-mediums.

Bottled ectoplasm drinks, derived from juiced haints, are an excellent support item for mediums to use to recover their own stamina and health.

Only humans, zombies (undead humans killed and resurrected by haints), and mods (genetically modified lab grown human soldiers) are allowed to be mediums as recognized by the Haint Battle League bylaws. Non-human animals, non-human animal zombies, and haints themselves are not allowed to be registered as mediums for official League battles. For safety reasons, mods are required to wear muzzles during official League tournament battles.

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Elements

The general public has classified haints as having elemental affinities as observed from battles between the creatures. Haints of certain elements tend to have certain common abilities and aspects of their appearance and behavior. Experts caution that this kind of unscientific labeling could lead to dangerous overconfidence in handling haints. Experts are rarely listened to.

Haunt, uncommon variants of some haints can have different typings than their typical counterparts. One of the reasons that experts caution against categorizing haints by type.

The Haint Battling League’s marketing team has classified haint elemental types as:

Scream- haints associated with air, the skies, lightning and thunder, or have dangerous sonic cries. While most haints can levitate, scream types are the fastest and most maneuverable in the air. Commonly have wings. Commonly the best talkers of all types of haints. Scream vs Bone -> tie. Scream vs Pyre -> favors Scream. Scream vs Slime -> favors Slime.  Scream is weak to scream.

Bone- haints associated with earth, plants, metals, or have strong sturdy bodies. Frequently parts of their bodies look like skeletons or rocks. These haints have the best physical defenses of all haints and are known to be able to even bruise the living. Commonly rather calm if slow haints with great patience. Bone vs Scream-> tie. Bone vs Pyre -> tie. Bone vs Slime -> favors Slime. Bone is neutral to bone.

Pyre- haints associated with heat, light, and fire. Frequently have parts of their body that look to be on fire. Second fastest haints with high tier attacking power but very weak defense. Have a tendency towards mischief, tend to be a bit hyperactive. Pyre haints are also known to be little arsonists when they find the opportunity.  Pyre vs Slime -> favors Slime. Pyre vs Scream -> favors Scream. Pyre vs Bone-> tie. Pyre is neutral to pyre.

Slime- haints associated with water, the cold, rain, snow and ice, and darkness. Scream haints have the best stamina and second best defense. Frequently these haints appear to be sopping wet even when away from water. They are most often found near sources of water and enjoy leading humans to their doom to drown.  Slime vs Pyre -> favors Slime. Slime vs Scream -> favors Slime. Slime vs Bone -> favors Slime. Slime is weak to slime.

Void- haints that don't really fit into any other category. Frequently used as an argument against haint type classification. These haints affect and are affected by all other types neutrally.

[thenixart]

For the Haint Blu setting:

Haints

Mysterious creatures from another reality that infiltrated this one during the Death Energy Plant Event. The creatures were named ‘haints’ by the lead researcher investigating them, Dr. Day, after folkloric ghostly beings from stories she was raised with.

Haints are attracted to Death Energy (DE), the energy that is produced from living things being afraid, in danger, or dying. They seem to gain power from Death Energy and it may form part of their diet. Haints that absorb enough DE gain the ability to evolve into more powerful forms. These evolved haints can also merge together to reach even greater levels of strength. Most haints have multiple potential evolutions and what they transform into are often determined by change or environmental factors.

Locations high in DE like graveyards, slaughter houses, farmland, hospitals tend to have high populations of wild haints.

People who are haunted by haints or who choose to capture and tame them are called mediums. While it is possible to befriend haints, experts warn against trusting the creatures due to their mischievous, at best, and malicious, at worst, natures. Remember, DE can be generated by death, haints are perfectly capable of choosing to kill a medium to obtain the energy generated by their death. A medium owning more haints than recommended for their DE rating can find themselves getting ganged up on and killed.

Haints have odd interactions with the color blue, possibly due to the wavelength of light involved. Haints can be repelled by the color so its recommended to use on clothing for personal protection or on the outsides of buildings to protect the home. Haints are also ill affected by salt and silver (possibly for their disinfectant properties?) and religious iconography and sripture (possibly due to the user believing it will protect them?).

Due to their strangely fluid nature, haints can be captured in any vessel that can hold liquid. Most Mediums use blue glass soda bottles capped with wax and copper to capture haints they wish to tame. Other colors can be used, red is preferred for capturing rare haints that come in the color blue that seem to have resistance to the effects of the color. However, containers holding captured haints that aren’t blue on the outside can be stolen by wild haints.

[thenixart]

Teddy Bear

“Teddy Bear! Recharge!” Tracey groans loudly as she crosses the threshold into their house, kicking off her heels at the door. Thankfully, Ted was in the living room and she didn’t have to hunt him down for cuddles. On the big flatscreen tv was some computer generated modeling of something physics related and the velvety smooth voice of Neil Degrasse Tyson coming out of the speakers. Huh, right, there was supposed to be some kind of science documentary marathon going on today wasn’t there? Damn, she could have been chilling at home with her man and talking about science instead of socializing.

Unfortunately, Angie wouldn't be terribly comfortable having a lazy day in the house (ok technically it's a mansion but like a small one) with her and Ted in their undies. And having friends means doing things they like sometimes.

“Hey, Trace, how was the poetry slam?” Ted called back without getting up from the couch. Then she hears something rather similar to a stifled burp and raises an eyebrow. Tracey rounds the couch to find Ted with a fist pressed to his mouth and a hand paused in the middle of rubbing circles on a particularly round, stuffed gut. The coffee table is a crime scene of picked clean tex mex takeout containers. There’s a brief flash of panic in his eyes as his chubby cheeks flush a bit from embarrassment from having been caught with evidence of over indulgence.

Then his brain caught up to him and he remembered that Tracey’s not once reprimanded or teased him about his overeating. Sure, she might nag him if his clearly binging from being in a bad funk, especially if he does so to the point of making himself ill, but this wasn’t that. To Tracey it looked a lot like Ted had waited until he was properly hungry to order out, which led to his eyes being bigger than his stomach, and he had finished it all anyway. Because of course he would. Genetics were only part of the equation as to why her hubby became such a chubby chipmunk when he retired from superheroing.

Ted’s cute though, especially when he’s stuffed himself like a turkey. Her cuddly Teddy Bear. Certainly, she enjoys the well fed and well cared for look better than the cut and trim superhero body. Especially since the rolly polly look makes the other superheroes nag Ted less about being Blue Beetle again.

Actually, her husband’s current state was perfect to help her recharge her batteries after being around other people for hours.

Tracey plops down onto the couch next to Ted and gestures for him to lay down on her lap. After some hesitation and more blushing, he complies. The shift in position causes him to need to stifle another burp. She threads her finger through the thick curly mop of hair on his head, grazing her perfectly manicured nails against his scalp as she plays with his hair. Her other hand found its way to the man’s flabby gut, pushing her finger under the worn t-shirt he was wearing.

Ted squirms a bit from the attention but doesn't ask her to stop so Tracey keeps going. Her hand slides up the warm soft expanse of Ted’s belly, auburn happy trail delightfully scratchy against her skin. She reaches up further to the firm area of his gut over his stuffed stomach and starts rubbing little circles across it. Teddy responds with a little happy noise.

“The poetry slam was nice by the way,” Tracey answers eventually as Ted basically melts under her hands from her ministrations, “Angie’s a pretty good poet, I just don’t like being in a cafe for hours. You know how crowds grate on my nerves. You should join us some time.”

Ted makes a noncommittal sound, paying more attention to her fondling his gut than her actual words. But that’s more than fine, she’s having fun too.

[thenixart]

[id: A digitally drawn version of the ‘am i a joke to you’ meme featuring a green reptilian alien with red eyes, three curved blue-green horns on its head, a brown-green curved beak, and green and black spots running down its neck and shoulders.

The image is captioned with: Jara Hamee joke to you? /end id]

“The Animorphs freed Jara and Ket“

I was inspired.

[thenixart]

Trust Me, Trust You

Three inch heels click in a quick tattoo of sound against the linoleum floor as Tracey runs to Ted’s office. The news cameras didn’t pick up most of the fight except from the very beginning with the old Blue Beetle tearing up downtown calling Ted out and the very end with that thing that Teddy turned into holding the old Beetle’s body. Plus the cops maybe getting fried before the cameras went out.

Whatever happened out there Tracey knows that Ted isn’t ok. Never mind bruises and broken bones from fighting a flying brick, the psychological damage would be …bad.

It’s not a secret that Ted has issues. Tracey knows that he has body dysmorphia from being bullied about his weight as a child. She’s pretty sure there’s some undiagnosed depression and anxiety in him that flares up every so often. The daddy issues are just blatant and she’s glad that Ted’s moved on from trying to please the man to being mad at him. It’s probably healthier for him. And then there’s the garishly painted elephant in the room that is Ted’s guilt complex surrounding Professor Garrett’s death.

All this mess is… it’s going to fuck Ted up mentally for a while.

Finally! In Ted’s office she flips the switch that opens the compartment in the wall behind the Bush dartboard. Tracey steps into the small and very fast elevator inside of the compartment and taps her foot impatiently as it rockets down to the sub-sub basement where the Beetle Nest is located. If nothing else Ted is likely to show up here sooner or later.

Once in the Nest, Tracey spots the battered Bug. The kind of forces needed to shatter the vehicle’s windshield or dent its plating were nothing to sneeze at. Plus a few of the old girl’s legs had been snapped off and she was missing an antenna. Ted used the same coatings and materials that he’d developed for his deceased Uncle’s indestructible robots on his semi-aquatic mecha, that Ted took on someone strong enough to bash the Bug like this in a fight? It shook her soul. Her husband could easily die doing all this superhero nonsense.

Of course the Bug limping her way back home didn’t necessarily mean that Teddy came alone for the ride. The Bug’s ai could get her back to the Nest even with Ted asleep at the wheel so long as she has at least ten percent of battery left. But Ted should show up at some point, this is his place, made with his blood, sweat, tears, and memories. He should come, even if he turned into a monster somehow.

After an hour of pacing and watching the news and fending off worried phone calls from people who know Ted’s secret, Tracey spots him. She has no idea when he turned up in the Nest since she didn't hear either the elevator or the tunnel hatch activate. But there’s Ted in the dark on the floor hunched in on himself, somehow turned into a thing of claws and fangs, chitinous armor and scales, something that feels like power and smells like ozone and black licorice.

“Hey Teddy, how’s it going,” Tracey says calmly.

Ted curls tighter and the surface of him sparks, “Stay back, Tracy, this thing–I’m– it’s not safe…”

“I trust that you won’t hurt me.” Tracey says as she walks over to the corner of the Beetle Nest that Ted is trying to hide himself in. It’s the corner that contains his shrine to Professor Garret and her heart aches for him. On the way she turns the lights up to see him better. She kicks her heels off and squats a foot away from him.

“So… what happened?” She asks.

There’s a choked sob in his throat that Ted actively tries to stifle. It takes him a while of wet sniffling before he gets his composure back enough to speak. His tears don’t come through the dark metallic blue armor covering his face but the sorrow is apparent enough in the glowing orange eyes peering out that she gets it.

“I killed Dan. Again,” Ted groans. He slumps more against the wall still in the fetal position.

“Your uncle killed Professor Garrett,” Tracey says firmly, “let me guess? You had to put down whatever that monster was wearing his face. You aren’t a murderer Ted.”

“You know the magic scarab that Dan got his powers from?” Ted asked, his voice wobbling at the edges.

“The one that never worked for you?” She raised an eyebrow, puzzle pieces already started putting themselves together in her head.

“It brought him back,” He nodded, “it made us fight to see who’s worthy of it. It–it forced a bond with me. I–I had to use it to stop Dan. He was going to hurt so many people.”

“It turned me into this,” Ted gestured at himself with a bloody clawed hand.

Tracey stood up, “Well, if it's the same power Professor Garrett had then you’ll be able to change back. Let’s get you something to eat and a shower. I bet it still would feel nice even if you’ve gone all Kafkaesque for now.” ……

Ted is able to change back within a few days. Tracey doesn’t think he’ll ever forgive the Scarab and doubts that he’ll ever call on its power on purpose. Not unless the world was ending at least.

The mental scars from that event last a good deal longer. Her heart still aches for him in sympathy.

[thenixart]

To Relax - Part 2

Days turn to weeks turn to months. Ted doesn’t get back in that costume, even when he clearly wants to or when his Justice League friends come to neg him about getting back in the field. He reminds them that he’s retired. That he’ll help with tech or getting folks from point a to point b but firmly insists that he’s not getting back in that costume. Not getting back on the field himself. They don’t need him like that, they’ve got plenty of manpower. He can help patch things up after, patch people up after if need be, but he’s done putting his life on the line. He can help in other ways.

Of course Ted is Ted. He softens his words with humor and self deprecating jokes. He doesn’t want to lose the friends he’s made even if he doesn’t want to fight alongside them anymore. Her husband is much nicer about being pestered about his choices than she’d be in the same situation. But Tracey isn’t known for being nice or even tempered. 

The longer time passes the more Ted points out that he’s not in shape anymore and couldn’t fit in his costume anyway. By the time it's actually true and not an exaggeration, most of the hero community stop bothering with trying to get him back into the fold.

Damn near everyone at least. Apparently, Booster Gold just refuses to get the memo, continuing to hold out hope that he can convince Ted to be Blue Beetle again. Tracey almost regrets helping Booster out with getting back on his feet financially after he’d helped her look after Ted when her husband was in that coma after that Doomsday monster cracked open Ted’s skull. Wasted sentimentality that resulted in nothing more than a recurring headache, even if he does make Teddy laugh. 

At the very least Booster Gold learned fast enough that she’ll just kick him out of her house or the KORD building even if Teddy doesn’t if he overstays his welcome.

……

Watching Ted finally relax, body and mind, is probably the best part of his retirement. The way that he’s genuinely happier after the first few weeks. The way he’s quicker to laugh and play and act a bit more his age. How he’s got more energy and time to spend that energy. He doesn’t wake in the middle of the night jolting from bed due to nightmares as often. 

Between the slow metabolism, big appetite, and cutting out the more intense parts of his daily exercise routine Ted gets soft as he relaxes. Tracey’s seen it before in college, after she convinced Ted to stop smoking, the way in which Ted’s body blossoms with good care and good food. His muscles lose visible definition as fat builds under his skin. Tracey can tell that they’re still there, still strong as her husband gets fluffier. He gets a good even layer of chub on his whole body making him look thicker and sturdier. Then his belly starts pooching outwards and keeps going until it’s a proper gut.  

Ted looks cute like this, her teddy bear. Soft, hairy, and more than strong enough to lift and carry both her and Murray from the threshold to the bedroom without breaking a sweat. Plenty of soft skin for her and their thirds to nibble and kiss and caress.

A childhood of intense bullying left Ted unable to accept her words that he looks good, handsome, sexy even. The tabloids don’t help running stories with pictures taken at unflattering angles of the young billionaire letting himself go and running rampant speculation as to why. Nor are Ted’s ex-heroing colleges that much better. Ted might laugh along with their cracks about his weight but she knows it gets to him. 

So she lets him know that his body is beautiful in her actions instead. Tracey showers him with physical affection. Holding hands and kissing in public. Giving attention to every part of him when they’re being intimate. Wrapping her arm around his soft waist in challenge to anyone who gets the bright idea to ask why a woman like her is with a guy like him. Shooting biting words at any jerks who are bold enough to insult him in her presence. She’d give them her fists too if Ted would let her, but nooo they have to worry about lawsuits.  

……

Two years after Ted’s retirement, Tracey hums with a paper tray of coffee for Ted and hot sweetened tea for herself in her hand as she comes back to the lab to find her husband half crawled onto the blueprint table as he worked. He’s fully absorbed in his work, not noticing how his shirt has managed to untuck itself and ride up as he’s gone back and forth across the table working on the design of the rent free apartment complex he plans to dedicate in Professor Garrett’s name to help mitigate Hub City’s homelessness issue. The drooping edge of his gut alternates between getting squished against the top of his thigh or plopping against the table depending on his position as he moves. 

The man’s pants fit, of course, she’s not letting her husband run around in ill fitting clothing even if she doesn't agree with his garish fashion sense, but from his positioning and her angle they hug his rear. A nice bubble butt with a good ratio of squish to firmness that there’s nothing really stopping her from giving a good smack to… other than the fact that blueprint paper isn't exactly cheap and she’d hate to spook Ted and make him mess up.

A thought comes to Tracey unbidden, Ted really isn’t getting back into heroing. He’s going to be around and it's unlikely that he’ll suddenly be taken away from her. Not impossible given his wealth and the attacks on their company over the years, but unlikely. Both of them aren’t yet thirty, Ted a few years younger than her. They aren’t old but they aren’t getting any younger. 

Maybe–maybe they could try for children. Now that things are stable. She thinks that Ted would make a good dad, especially now that he’s allowing himself to live his own life. And she wouldn’t mind being a mom even if other people don’t look at her and see kind, caring, or motherly from her demeanor.

“Teddy,” She starts getting his attention, “I have a… familial proposition for you…”