Work Text:
Jason wakes to a familiar voice screaming his name.
“Jason!”
It's Danny’s voice. Danny, his boyfriend of six months, the person he's already picturing forever with, the man he’s completely and utterly in love with. Danny sounds completely terrified.
There’s a sound of cracking bones, and Danny’s voice turns to a pained screech.
That one panicked sound is enough to have Jason swimming through the murky haze of a drugged unconsciousness and breaking the surface to find himself bound and gagged in a deep concrete pit, beside a roiling, undulating thing.
At first he thinks it's some kind of massive hose, unspooling onto the dirty floor beneath him.
Then he notices the thing is moving in a rhythmic pattern, twisting in ways a hose wouldn't, covered in bright white fur, and that's what clues Jason in to the fact that the thing is alive.
He shoves himself back as best he can while tightly hogtied with no way to reach his knives, as far away from the creature as he can get, until he bumps back against the other side of the pit.
It isn't very far.
The pit is maybe twenty feet in diameter. Big enough for a few men to lay down in comfort, big enough for Jason to have space from another person.
But the creature definitely isn't a person.
And there’s no Danny to be seen.
And while he heard Danny yelling for him, he must be somewhere outside of the pit. Jason can’t focus on him just yet, because he finally gets a good look at the creature he’s sharing the pit with, and the breath stills in his lungs.
The creature is beautiful beyond words. Ethereal. Divine. Luminous. All those words and more pass through his mind, but none of them can capture the full majesty of the being before him.
Its face is long and thin, almost vulpine in shape, with pale white fur that glimmers like starlight on frost. Its bright eyes glow, one vibrant green, one icy blue, and when it blinks its eyelashes sweep across lightly furred cheeks. It has long ears and even longer horns between them. Behind the creature's horns and ruff are twisting tentacles, fanning out from vents in the creature's neck like lines of mist, dancing through the air like the aurora borealis.
It's a beautiful sight, even in this situation, and Jason can barely pull his eyes away.
The creature crouches awkwardly against the opposite wall of the pit, its legs tightly bound beneath itself, a long furred tail - the first thing Jason saw - looped around them.
Its front legs - arms maybe - are long and bound tightly as well, lithe hands topped with wicked claws, and when Jason's eyes drop to them, they move, clicking quietly against each other.
Jason's eyes go wide in awe. He wouldn't want to be on the end of those claws, that's for sure.
He's just spotted a glint of bright toxic green on the creature's neck when he hears voices from above, and he wrenches his attention away from the mesmerizing creature with effort.
There's a droning murmur in many unified voices, which can mean only one thing.
“I fuckin’ hate rituals,” Jason mutters into his gag, the noise barely louder than a whisper and completely unintelligible.
The creature notices.
It perks up, turning to face Jason with a languid shift of muscle, fur and long pointed ears ruffling, misted tentacles undulating in the air, legs shifting as much as they can while tied up the way they are.
It makes a whimpering-growl, its mouth open the slightest bit, tilting its head to the side as it regards Jason.
The creature doesn’t speak, but there’s a strange pulse in Jason’s chest that thrums and swells with emotions he knows are not his own.
/ Loving / Hopeful / Inquisitive /
Jason feels the emotions swirl into him from someplace outside himself, and it’s the strangest thing he’s felt in a very long time.
He would grab at his chest if his hands weren’t bound behind him, but all he can do is glance at the creature in confusion. Is this how it speaks? Through projected emotions? Is it trying to communicate?
/ Loving / Free / the creature quickly sends, an emotional vibration that translates in a way that skips right past Jason’s brain and sinks into the very heart of him.
Free? Jason can’t free anybody, least of all another being bound in the same pit he is. He’s useless right now, no help to anyone.
But then the creature reaches out its bound arms toward him.
The chanting of the cultists ramps up.
The creature's graceful hands come closer, and Jason holds his breath.
He tenses up, doesn't close his eyes even for a moment, and the creature's awesome claws just barely touch his cheek.
No, not his cheek. His gag.
The single touch is sharp enough to slice right through the tight fabric of the gag, and then the creature's claws retreat, accompanied by a soft breathy chuffing sound.
/ Free / the creature emotes again.
Jason wastes no time in yanking his chin around enough to loosen the gag entirely.
Oh, he thinks, it's friendly.
And like every dumbass young adult novel protagonist ever, Jason decides to befriend the creature.
In his report he'll claim it was a sound tactical move, gaining an ally against an unknown foe. He’ll claim precedent too, reminding his father of first contact with Martian Manhunter and Superman and Jarro.
But really it's a combination of the drugs still in his system and faintly remembered stories of joining forces with magical creatures.
Eldritch is pretty close to magical, right? Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades at least. And that’s close enough for Jason right now.
“Thanks,” he says, and the creature nods in answer.
/ Successful / Free / it sends.
“You can understand me,” Jason breathes. He knew those YA novels were on to something!
Another nod, more firm this time, while the chanting above them grows ever louder.
“Think you can get me out of these ropes?” Jason asks, and the creature’s third nod is accompanied by a quiet bark.
/ Determined /
The sound registers as an affirmative, and Jason can feel that the creature won’t hurt him.
It’s clear from the pulsing purr in his chest that hums Determination and Loving-kindness and Freedom with every breath.
Jason turns himself over as quickly as he dares, every human instinct screaming at him not to turn his back to such a terrifying predator, but he knows what he feels. Knows when to trust and when to fight. He knows what this strange new sensation in his chest is telling him.
This creature won't hurt him.
He knows it.
And sure enough, a moment later he feels his bonds release, and the creature gives a low, warbling bark that sounds like ‘wow wow wow’. It would be a funny sound under any other circumstance, but here it just sounds reassuring.
/ Loving / Free / the creature emotes again, and as Jason stretches out, he can’t help but agree.
The creature chose to cut the line binding his hands to his feet, so Jason rolls over, hooks his legs through the loop of his arms, and gets his hands in front of him. From there, it's easy to get his hands the rest of the way free. It's even easier to pull one of his holdout knives and cut through the rope tying his feet.
He flings the ropes to the side of the pit, rubbing absently at the chafing left behind, and then he has nothing left to focus on but the creature.
That’s when he realizes that the faint green tinge he sees around the creature’s ropes probably isn’t its natural fur color.
“Shit, lemme get those for you,” he says, stumbling over to the creature’s side. His head is pounding now that he’s upright, but he ignores it as best he can, getting to work on the ropes right away.
He has a fleeting thought that he maybe shouldn’t have rushed the strange being he’s sharing the pit with while holding a knife, but the way the creature relaxes into his touch shoves that thought to the side.
/ Peaceful / Thankful / the creature sends.
And that’s before Jason’s even done anything.
He gets the creature’s arms free first, then goes to work on its legs while the creature hisses and struggles to unwind the ropes fully.
/ Pained / Annoyed / emotes the creature, and Jason looks it over to see what the problem is now.
Jason curses when he sees the raw flesh the ropes left behind, bright green blood bubbling and oozing with some unnaturally dark particles. They must’ve treated the rope with something, and the creature is suffering.
He slices through the ropes and pulls them completely off the creature’s limbs, then focuses on wiping away all the dark specks he possibly can.
The creature pants beneath his hands, tentacles writhing, but it doesn’t twist away, even though his motions surely are hurting it.
/ Discomforted /
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Jason says, and he’d be whispering if he thought the cultists above could hear him, but they’re very loud and very clearly occupied with whatever they’re chanting about. “I’ll get this shit off you.”
One of the dark particles brushes against Jason’s accidentally bared wrist, and he’s suddenly very glad he’s wearing gloves, because that shit hurts.
Just the one speck against his bare skin burns like a blowtorch, and Jason frantically wipes his wrist on his pant leg, desperate to stop the pain.
/ Loving / Provoked / the creature emotes, fiercer than anything else they’ve sent through that strange place in Jason’s chest.
The creature makes a loud hiss and leans close, opening its mouth to reveal a long prehensile tongue that licks a cold stripe all around Jason’s wrist.
/ Loving / the creature sends, just as strong as before.
The burning stops, and Jason breathes a sigh of relief.
The creature hacks and spits out the speck, sticking its tongue out, presumably at the foul taste of whatever the particle was.
“Thanks,” Jason says shakily, and the creature brushes its head against him in response before turning to hiss out a cold breath along its own limbs. The breath is even colder than Jason thought it would be, coating the creature’s injuries with a faintly green frost.
/ Violated / Resentful / the creature emotes, almost grumbling.
Jason reaches up to try to cut the glowing green collar of shifting words from around the being's neck, but his knife slips through it like it isn't even there.
The creature huffs at him, shaking its head in a clear dismissal.
/ Content / Free / Confident / it chides.
Apparently it's not time to focus on that.
Well, if Jason can’t cut the collar now, he'll just have to find a way to do it later.
Now that they are both as unbound as they're gonna get, and neither of them is in active pain, Jason looks up at the walls of the pit.
/ Inquisitive / the creature sends, but Jason doesn’t have any answers for it just yet.
Smooth cement, likely poured down the sides of the pit and then fixed up, too even to get a grip on. He could attempt a wall run and jump for the top, but with how deep the pit is, it’s unlikely he’d get anywhere close to the top.
“Got any ideas for how to get out of here?” He asks his companion, not really expecting an answer.
The creature huffs at him, then crouches down, motioning to its own back with its head.
/ Loving / Confident / it emotes.
Surely it doesn’t mean Jason should climb on, right?
The creature huffs at him again, motioning to its back more firmly.
/ Confident / it sends again, the emotion buzzing strongly in Jason’s chest.
It totally means Jason should climb on.
There's a very young part of his brain that is squealing in glee right now, but Jason tucks that response way deep down and tries to remain professional about this whole thing.
Jason climbs on, doing his best to avoid touching the icy bands wrapping the creature’s injuries. He doesn’t want to hurt it, especially not now that it’s probably going to give him a ride out of the pit.
/ Loving / Joyful / the creature sends as he clambers up, showing no discomfort as his feet and hands find purchase where they can.
He ends up perched just behind the creature’s arms, hands wrapped firmly around its horns while its auroral tentacles wrap around his thighs, and with a last call of ‘wow’ the creature tenses and then leaps.
It surges up out of the pit like a kraken from the deep, snarling and snapping, and at the apex of the jump it twists in the air, a writhing, hunting thing.
/ Successful / Free / Joyful / the emotions come through bright and clear, and Jason laughs as they plummet to the earth.
The creature’s attention focuses on a figure in elaborate robes - probably the leader of the cult - and it dives, slamming its clawed hands around the figure with a fierce gekkering.
The cult leader shrieks, and Jason throws himself off the creature’s back to start in on the other cultists.
Danny’s nowhere to be seen, not tied to a beam or propped against a wall, and it’s not seeming like a good sign that Jason heard his voice so clearly and then can’t find him now.
Jason tries not to worry.
Maybe Danny’s voice was all in his head.
The cultists are still chanting, their voices raising in volume, and Jason knocks a few out as swiftly as he can. He’s really missing his guns right about now.
The creature slams into the cultists and sends them flying like bowling pins.
/ Powerful / Playful / the creature emotes, clearly enjoying itself in the fight, and just as clearly kicking cultist ass.
Jason’s pretty sure they’ve got this in the bag.
Then the chanting reaches a fever pitch, and the creature screams.
/ Pained / Betrayed / it wails through Jason’s very soul.
The projected waves of emotions send Jason to his knees, clawing at his chest as that humming place inside him burns.
The creature thrashes in place, clawing at the flickering writing dancing around its neck, but its claws pass through with no effect, sending fur flying and green blood spattering the ground.
/ Furious / Violated / it keens, and Jason can’t keep down a yell of his own, the creature’s pain channeling through him.
Then with one last agonizing scream, the chanting stops, and the creature slumps to the ground.
There’s no emotion coming through at all.
Jason’s afraid they’ve killed it. That they’ve taken this beautiful creature’s life for whatever they’re summoning.
How could they?
How could they?
One of the cultists steps forward.
“Obey your master, wretched beast!” She yells, and the creature’s claws twitch against the ground.
/ Overwhelmed / Pained / it emotes weakly, and Jason breathes a sigh of relief.
It isn’t dead.
It rises shakily, scraping claws drawing an eerie stuttering screech from the cement floor.
When it finally stands at full height, it pauses, shaking in place, the green writing that makes up the collar whirling rapidly around and around, flaring brightly.
“Take care of Red Hood!” The cultist cries, and the creature snarls.
/ Hateful / Aggressive / its emotions writhe, thrashing harshly against Jason’s soul.
It’s not a good sign.
Jason gets himself ready, hoping that he won’t have to fight the creature now in addition to the cultists.
But despite bracing himself, the creature turns to him so swiftly he doesn’t stand a chance.
/ Indignant /
It snarls, coating the ground with ice as it jumps toward him, slicking the floor beneath itself and slipping belly-down into a slide that sends it straight to Jason’s feet, almost knocking him over. He stumbles back, trying to get away from it, but it’s no use. The creature catches him in its auroral wisps, whipping him onto its back and holding him tightly in place.
/ Threatened / Exposed /
Jason finds himself stretched out along the creature’s thin back, held face down by its tentacles, nearly every inch of him wrapped up in aurora borealis.
/ Pressured / Defensive /
The creature raises its head and twists its neck, turning it almost completely backwards, looking Jason over from head to toe, clearly ignoring the gleeful shrieking of the cultists all around them.
/ Satisfied / Controlled /
Only once it has looked its fill does it turn to the cultists and start to growl, low and menacing.
/ Angry /
It twists itself into a coil of strength, then pounces.
The next few moments are a bloodbath.
The creature tears through the cultists, far more deadly than it was before, slicing with its claws and tearing with its teeth, rending each and every cultist left in the warehouse. Not even the ones that try to run are spared.
And every step, every swipe, every bite, that spot in Jason’s chest pulses with / Angry / Angry / Angry /
And when the carnage is done, the creature stands stock still, breathing heavily, Jason rising and falling on its back with each panting breath.
/ Satisfied / pulses in Jason’s chest, and he exhales a carefully controlled breath of relief.
“Think you got them all, buddy,” Jason says, keeping his voice as level and even as he can. “Pretty sure you can let me go now.”
The creature huffs in response, and tightens its auroras.
/ Skeptical / the creature emotes at him.
Not gonna happen, Jason interprets.
The creature barks again, that strange ‘wow wow’ sound echoing in the empty warehouse.
/ Exposed / Worried /
The strangest thing happens then.
The creature tenses, then flickers. Its form fades out from beneath Jason like it’s made of mist, and he tenses in preparation for the fall.
But he doesn’t move an inch.
He can still feel the tight tentacles holding him steady, even as they flicker.
As if in response to the flicker, the green writing around the creature’s neck flares brightly, and the creature fades back into view with a loud hiss.
/ Pained /
The creature tenses and flickers again, the writing flaring sickeningly bright, and this time Jason watches as his own hands vanish as well.
“Invisibility?” Jason wonders aloud.
The creature’s visibility returns with a pained whine.
/ Pained /
It’s hurting itself, Jason realizes, but before he can say anything, dissuade it or ask questions or offer a different solution, the creature tenses and leaps into the air, turning invisible and flying toward the roof of the warehouse.
/ Pained /
The only thing Jason can see now is the green of the words that make up the creature’s collar, glimmering light circling an invisible neck, but he’s quickly distracted from that by the sight of the warehouse roof drawing quickly closer.
He braces for impact, but just before they hit, he feels a strangely cold shiver pass through his body. Jason sees red blood and viscera drop through the air below them, the remnants of the cultists left behind.
/ Pained /
And they fly right up through the roof, phasing through it rather than hitting it, and all Jason can do is watch.
He’s still held securely, and he can feel the creature’s fur and auroras against his body, but he’s also watching as the warehouse gets smaller and smaller below them.
It’s trippy as all get out.
They fly through the sky, drifting in circles as they rise higher and higher.
Then just as suddenly as they started their flight, the creature chooses a new direction.
It flies off across Gotham, Jason watching as the city lights pass beneath them like stars against the night sky.
/ Loving / Pained / Eager / the creature emotes, and Jason holds tight to invisible fur with invisible fists and hopes for the best.
Jason actually recognizes these streets, he realizes. There’s one of his safehouses passing beneath them now, and the apartment he uses as an occasional crash pad for his civilian identity.
“I see a place we could land,” Jason says, and only now is it striking him as strange that he can neither feel nor hear the wind rushing past them. At the speed they’re moving through the air, there should definitely be some kind of sensation, some kind of sound.
But there’s nothing.
Okay, that’s two powers the creature has thus far, invisibility and density shifting.
On top of it being a clearly eldritch creature in the first place.
Ignorant of Jason’s realizations, the creature simply scoffs.
It sends / Diapproving/ Loving / Trusting / pulsing through him, and Jason takes that as the creature shooting down his suggestion.
“Alright,” Jason huffs into the fur beneath him. “So where are we going? Because I’ve got things to do tonight.”
Things like investigating the cult that kidnapped them and making sure all the cultists are either dead or subdued, and getting some of his guys on the clean up. Things like checking to confirm that Danny is alive and well, and not actually in peril, unlike what Jason’s paranoia is telling him. Things like bragging to Dick that he got to team up with an eldritch creature. And ride it.
The creature just flies faster.
And Jason recognizes these streets too.
They’re almost out of Crime Alley, heading in the direction of the university.
And, more importantly, in the direction of the apartment Jason bought so Danny could come visit him.
“Why are we going this way?” Jason asks, starting to worry about Danny more than he already was. “Do you know about Danny? Is he in trouble?”
The creature does that strange cackling in its throat again and emotes / Playful / Embarrassed / Trusting / so Danny’s probably not in trouble.
Probably.
If the creature knows about Danny in the first place, that is.
“Okay, you’re not worried, I get that. But do you know about Danny? He’s my boyfriend, and I thought I heard his voice in the warehouse while I was waking up, so I’m worried about him.”
The creature huffs, its voice closer than before, and Jason feels a wet nose press against the top of his head.
/ Calm / Content / Peaceful /
Well that’s a good sign.
“He’s okay?” Jason asks, trying to accept the creature’s reassurances for what they are.
/ Optimistic /
“Okay. Okay, he’s probably fine.”
The creature’s nose slides down, as if it’s nodding, and then it leaves Jason’s head, presumably turning to face forward once more.
And sure enough, the creature flies them directly toward Jason’s apartment, phasing through the windows like they aren’t even there.
Jason can feel the auroras holding him twisting, a few releasing him to reach back and pull the curtains closed.
Only then does the creature release its invisibility, settling to the floor with a hiss.
/ Pained / it sends, and Jason’s chest pulses in sympathetic pain.
“Using your powers hurts you right now, doesn’t it?” He asks, still held to the creature’s back.
The creature nods.
“We’re safe now, for sure, so don’t use them anymore, okay?” Jason scolds.
Never thought he’d be scolding an eldritch being in his civilian apartment, but he supposes that’s what he gets for getting involved in hero work again.
The creature huffs, emoting / Content / across their bond.
Wait.
Is he bonded to the creature now? That’s probably something he should know.
“So,” Jason starts, “since we’re conversing with our souls or whatever, are we, uh, bonded now? Is that a thing?”
The creature pauses. It goes completely still, and Jason isn’t sure what that means. Then it starts to quiver, and he’s pretty sure that’s not a good sign.
And then the creature outright cackles. It shakes in place with the force of it, and if they were still flying Jason would be worried about losing altitude.
/ Joyful / Funny / Elated / it emotes, still cackling.
Jason can feel himself flushing.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he groans, rubbing a hand across his face. “Like there’s any way I could know better.”
/ Funny / Funny / Funny /
Jason just rolls his eyes and waits for it to calm down.
The creature laughs itself breathless, huffing away, cackling every few seconds as it catches a breath.
“You done yet?” Jason asks, blowing his hair up off his forehead in exasperation.
The creature nods, little snatches of cackles still escaping its jaws.
/ Funny / Pleased / Happy /
And well, Jason can’t exactly fault the creature for feeling like that.
“Laugh it up, chuckles,” he grouses. He may not be actually upset, but he’s still got an image to maintain. Even in front of an eldritch being that may or may not be from another dimension.
It’s not bonded to him, at least.
Jason denies the small part of him that’s sad over that fact.
/ Embarrassed / Inquisitive / the creature sends, and Jason rolls his eyes again.
“No, I’m not embarrassed,” he lies.
/ Remorseful / Funny / Remorseful / the creature croons in answer.
And now he’s made it feel bad for laughing, that’s just great.
Jason crosses his arms, hissing in pain when his jacket rubs against his wrists.
He looks them over and sees that he must’ve managed to rub them raw against the ropes binding him in the pit.
“Damn cultists,” he says, twisting his wrists back and forth. He starts to move across the apartment, intending to call some of his guys to clean up the mess they left behind in the warehouse. Not that he knows where exactly it is, but he knows the general direction. That’ll be good enough for his guys.
But before he can reach his phone, the creature stops him, moving in front of him and whining, sticking its large head against his stomach and huffing cold air across his wrists.
It catches him in its auroral tentacles again, holding him by the elbows, and it breathes an icy mist across his injuries, coating them in frost much like it had its own.
The frost is cool and soothing on his abrasions, and Jason sighs as the pain ebbs away.
“Thanks,” he says, and when the creature nudges him toward the kitchen table, he goes along.
It gently leads him to a chair, pulling it out from the table with one tentacle and pushing him to sit with another. Then it taps his ankles and makes a little churring sound in its throat, tilting its head to the side.
/ Inquisitive / it emotes, but Jason shakes his head.
“No pain there, buddy. My pants and boots cushioned me against the rope.”
The creature chuffs, and then turns to face the kitchen counter.
Oddly, it then proceeds to open the fridge with one tentacle, open two cabinets with another, and start pulling out ingredients from all three.
“Hey,” Jason protests, “what’re you doing now?”
The creature grabs a spoon with yet another tentacle and waves it at him threateningly, just like Danny when Jason questions his cooking prowess.
/ Indignant / it sends, still waving the spoon.
Jason snorts, batting the spoon out of his face.
“No really, what are you doing?”
The creature looks at him over its shoulder.
The creature rolls its eyes and sends / Confident / Trusting / to Jason, then presents him with its findings.
There’s a tupperware of the chicken and avocado salad Jason made in preparation for tonight’s dinner floating in one aurora and a tin of precooked cornmeal in another. Jason can see more tentacles setting down salt and oil by the stove and getting out a bowl and a fork for whisking.
“Arepas?” Jason asks, and the creature nods, prodding at Jason’s stomach with its tail.
“Well, yeah I’m hungry, but how do you know how to cook?” He can’t help but ask.
/ Loving / Chiding / the creature sends, and Jason can literally feel how fond it is of him.
It feels far too deeply about him to have just met him in the pit, he thinks. Have they met before? And how on earth does this eldritch being know how to make Jason’s favorite comfort food?
But sure enough, the creature mixes the cornmeal and salt, letting the sink run so the water will warm up enough to properly remove lumps from the dough.
The creature is / Content / while it whisks, the feeling settling around Jason like a warm blanket.
It’s making the tortillas properly, setting the bowl aside to rest and pouring oil into a skillet in the meantime.
It uses its tentacles to twist the skillet, tipping it to ensure the oil coats the bottom entirely, just the way Jason taught Danny.
No. No way.
Jason can’t even fathom it.
He sits silent for the whole five minutes, watching as the creature impatiently checks the time on the stovetop clock, watching as the creature taps the clock to make sure the time is right, just like Danny does.
/ Impatient / it emotes as it taps the clock again.
It - he? - divides the dough into eight balls and flattens them, just a little too much, the way Danny always does, even though Jason usually reminds him to take it easy.
He doesn’t remind the creature, because he’s not sure he believes what his brain is trying to tell him.
But the creature - Danny? - cooks the arepas skillfully, covering the skillet and waiting impatiently for the dough to brown.
/ Impatient / Impatient / the creature emotes, almost absently.
It flips them right on the seven minute mark, and Jason’s almost convinced this is Danny now, because there are so many little idiosyncrasies that would be nearly impossible to recreate.
The creature - is it really Danny? - finishes with the first batch, putting the second batch in to cook as it splits the arepas and stuffs them with the avocado chicken salad.
And then it arranges them on a plate, just so, exactly how Danny does, and presents the plate to Jason with a flourish and a feeling of / Proud / Successful /.
And the thing is.
The thing is.
Jason doesn’t let anyone but Alfred cook for him.
He can’t.
He loves being looked after and cared for, and he just can’t let anyone else close enough to do that.
But Danny figured him out, just a few months into dating him, and asked Jason to let him take care of him. And Jason said yes. And he loves it.
/ Loving / Inquisitive / the creature emotes at him.
And then it reaches out an aurora and strokes it along Jason’s jaw, the same way Danny caresses Jason’s jawline with his hands, and Jason knows it’s him.
“Danny?” Jason asks, scared to believe it.
The creature nods, gently stroking its tentacle along Jason’s jaw.
/ Thankful / Peaceful / Loving / it sends him.
It - He - Danny - sits back, tail swishing slowly across the floor, clearly pleased that Jason’s figured out who he is.
/ Pleased / Loving / Pleased / it emotes, the feelings so strong they almost knock Jason out of his chair.
“Danny, what-” Jason says, unable to voice all the thoughts rushing through his head.
“What happened?” He asks.
Danny shrugs, the movement strangely elegant in this form. He brings up a clawed hand and motions at his neck, at the green words still wrapped around him like a collar.
/ Confused / Vulnerable / he sends.
Then he turns back to the stove.
“Danny, forget about the arepas, what happened?” Jason asks, trying not to be exasperated with his boyfriend.
Danny huffs, ignoring him and carefully turning the arepas with a spatula.
/ Busy / he emotes, and Jason can practically hear Danny singing ‘Busy!’ along with the emotion.
“Danny!” Jason says, reaching up and taking Danny’s aurora in one hand.
/ Loving / Danny emotes, squeezing his hand, and then he simply continues making arepas.
“Danny, did those cultists turn you into this creature?” Jason asks, his voice going dark in building fury.
/ Indifferent / he sends Jason, not fully focused on the emotion.
But Danny shakes his head, focused now on taking the arepas out and splitting the second batch.
/ Focused / Danny emotes, an almost chiding feeling to it.
He fills these arepas too, and brings a second plate to the table for himself, pushing his usual chair out of the way and sitting on his haunches to eat.
/ Hungry / he sends Jason, and turns his attention fully to his food.
It’s strange watching him eat.
His auroras pick up an arepa and hold it still, and then Danny carefully opens his mouth and wraps his long tongue around the entire thing, pulling it back into his mouth and practically swallowing it whole.
He chuffs happily at the taste, licking at his mouth.
Then he looks at Jason and nudges the other plate closer to him.
Jason doesn’t move.
Danny nudges the plate closer again.
/ Inquisitive / Loving / Hungry / he emotes.
And Jason sighs and picks up an arepa for himself.
“Fine, I’ll eat. But after that, you and I are going to talk about this,” he says, motioning to Danny with his food.
Danny leans back, away from the table, and waves a hand down his entire form.
/ Cheeky / he sends, his lip lifting in a clear attempt at a grin.
‘You just gestured to all of me,’ Jason interprets. He knows his boyfriend, and he knows exactly what kind of joke Danny would be making right now. Namely, memes.
Jason rolls his eyes, and Danny cackles quietly before turning back to his food.
Danny finishes his food in four bites, but he doesn’t even look at Jason’s food.
Jason even offers him another arepa, but Danny just pushes his hand away.
/ Annoyed / Disapproving / he sends.
Danny’s gotta be hungrier in this form, but he’s pretty damn insistent that Jason eat just as much as him, and Jason gives in, just like Danny probably knew he would.
He’s so soft for Danny it’s ridiculous, even when Danny’s an eldritch creature.
Only once they’ve finished their food does Jason attempt to ask questions again.
“So, did the cultists do this to you, Danny?” He asks, because even though Danny said no, Jason might’ve misinterpreted. Also, he’s pretty sure that would be the easiest answer.
But Danny shakes his head again.
He pats himself with a clawed hand, careful to curl his claws inward to avoid cutting himself.
/ Accepted / Content / he emotes.
Well, if they didn’t turn Danny into this creature…
“Did someone else?” Jason asks, the next logical conclusion, but Danny shakes his head again, tapping at his chest more firmly, decisive in his movements.
/ Content / Accepted / Content / he emotes again, more insistent this time.
If the cultists didn’t turn Danny into this creature, and no one else did either, then…
“Is this normal for you?” Jason asks, unsure.
Danny nods with an attempt at a smile, giving a fond chuff and leaning forward, his long neck stretching forward, nuzzling his head against Jason’s own.
/ Elated / Content / Ecstatic / he sends across their bond.
His fur is soft against Jason’s face, and he hesitantly wraps his arms around Danny’s vulpine head, automatically scritching behind his ears.
Danny rumbles, happily pressing up into Jason’s hands, and Jason pets down his long neck.
/ Content / he rumbles again, clearly content.
So this is normal for Danny. Or, normal enough. But why isn’t he turning human again?
Danny distracts Jason from his thoughts by licking a cold line up his face.
“Danny!” Jason yelps, and Danny huffs at him, cackling quietly as he hops a step or two away from the table.
/ Playful / he emotes, wiggling his entire body with the emotion.
Danny’s clearly feeling fine, but Jason’s worried. If this is normal for Danny, why hasn’t he ever done this before?
Well, there’s an easy answer to that. It’s not like Jason had told Danny that he’s Red Hood, after all, even if that cat’s out of the bag now, what with the cultist screaming his identity to all and sundry. They’ve both been keeping secrets, it seems.
But, in addition to Danny never telling Jason about this form, there’s something else bothering Jason.
This conversation would be a lot simpler if Danny were human for it, but he’s still in eldritch fox form. Why?
Why isn’t Danny turning human? Is he stuck?
“Danny, let’s get you back to human form,” Jason says, wanting to talk to him, to make sure his boyfriend is safe and sound, planning to bandage his injuries and take care of him, just the way he’s taken care of Jason so often in the past.
Danny rears back, moving as far from Jason as he can get in the kitchen.
He sits back on his haunches and whines.
/ Sad / Vulnerable / Guilty / he sends, tilting his head in a clear question.
Jason is excellent at charades. He’s pretty sure he could maneuver his way through this conversation with charades alone. So he’s feeling pretty okay about communicating with Danny like this.
That, and he’s also listening to that feeling in his chest that seems to be translating Danny’s feelings for him.
/ Worried / Anxious / Nervous / Inquisitive / Danny sends the emotions to that feeling in Jason’s chest, and he’s easily able to understand after all their strange emotive conversation over the last couple hours, and after six months spent getting closer to Danny.
“Nothing’s wrong, Danny,” Jason says, getting up out of his chair and moving closer to his boyfriend, “I’m just worried about your injuries. I don’t want them to get any worse, so we should take care of them right away.”
/ Worried / Incredulous / Danny emotes, clearly not concerned at all.
Danny scoffs, and twists his arm to show Jason the band of ice wrapped around it. He brings his head down to his arm and breathes another cold breath.
“Yes, I know you patched yourself up, but-” Jason cuts himself off, because instead of coating Danny’s arm in more ice, the breath is melting the old ice right before his eyes, revealing new, unbroken skin.
“How the hell-” Jason whispers, completely shocked.
/ Funny / Danny emotes. Danny makes that little cackling sound in the back of his throat again, and Jason rolls his eyes.
“Alright, I can see you’re fine, is that what you wanted to show me?” Jason asks, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
Danny nods, and then he grips Jason’s hands in his tentacles and pulls him to the couch.
He gently encourages Jason to sit, namely by slowly leaning into Jason until he falls onto the couch cushions.
Danny then proceeds to pretend to be a lapdog, and climbs up to lay down across Jason’s thighs.
“Danny,” Jason sighs, resigning himself to being half-crushed by his eldritch vulpine boyfriend.
/ Content / Accepted / Danny emotes, and being this relaxed and this close, Jason can actually feel a buzzing sensation that accompanies the emotions.
Jason reaches up and scratches around Danny’s ears again.
He sighs to himself, then gives in and wraps his arms around as much of Danny as he can reach.
“I’m so glad you’re alright,” he breathes, and Danny chuffs in response.
/ Content / Peaceful / Loving / Danny sends him.
Jason sighs again, the breath shaky and long.
“Yeah, me too. I love you too, Danny.”