Eddie finally lets Jeff talk him into going on this blind date. It's not like he's against dating, he just doesn't expect fireworks from an hour of small talk over an overpriced dinner, y'know? Jeff swore by this guy, though, assuring Eddie that they would hit it off, but Eddie will never know because the guy doesn't show.
That's right, he gets stood up, Jeff texts him a string of apologies saying the guy chickened out. So Eddie’s just sitting there alone, trying not to sulk when the waitress asks if he's still waiting to order. Fuck it, he refuses to be the most miserable person in the restaurant, looking around to find someone equally as pathetic, and lo and behold:
Three tables away, there's a guy getting dumped.
Eddie eavesdrops because he has nothing better to do. It’s a pretty standard breakup. Sounds like they haven't been together long and things fizzled out. Neither of them seem to be invested enough to try and salvage it.
"Aren't you gonna say anything, Steve?"
No, Steve isn't. He just sits there while his former boyfriend leaves, doesn't try to stop him at all. Not in a hardened douchebag way, but in a dejected 'why do I even bother' way that Eddie knows all about.
And well, Eddie might be a cynic but his curiosity isn't dead. This Steve is far too pretty to be getting dumped in a seafood place and Eddie has to know what the deal is. It leads him right over to Steve's table. He looks up at Eddie, not quite dead behind the eyes yet, but maybe a little lonely. Just needs a spark.
"Alright well, something tells me that a stranger bugging you won't be the worst thing to happen to you tonight, so I'm just gonna take this empty seat and maybe we can help each other figure out why we're both alone on a Friday night. What do you say?"
Steve blinks, a little taken back at first, then he matches the nonchalance that Eddie's so good at faking with a smirk and a shrug, "Depends. Do you have all night?"
Turns out, Jeff was right about one thing, Eddie does hit it off with someone and it doesn't take all night. They leave the restaurant together, spend hours just walking the town and even breaking into a park after hours. It's the most fun Eddie's had in a while, and even though he doesn't get a goodnight kiss just yet, he gets a second date, which is even better.
He walks home with a skip in his step and a fire in his belly that he hasn't felt in years. He never thought he'd be so glad to get stood up before.
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The Curse Of Hope
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Danny is in another universe. He had a reason, but he doesn’t remember anymore. He can only stare, horrified and disgusted, at the sickest city spirit he’s ever seen. Shivering and swaying with every step, core exposed, and ectoplasm leaking from wounds that are decades old. A ratty blanket was thrown over their shoulders, barely hiding the spirit’s pale grey skin and protruding black bones.
The spirit didn’t even sense him until he reached out to touch its wispy shoulders. The spirit flinched, clutching at the dozens of trinkets hanging from their neck and tucking in on themselves like they were expecting a blow.
“Oh, shit,” He swore, floating back a few feet, hands in the air, to show he meant no harm. “I’m sorry. I promise, I’m not here to steal from you.” The spirit shivered again and rolled a pearl necklace in between their fingers. A nervous habit. “Uh, I like that pocket watch? It’s very nice.”
That got their attention. They peeked at Danny, and he saw that more tattered cloth was covering their eyes, blending in with the stringy hair that reached the ground. Their blanket fluttered weakly, revealing hundreds of thousands of tiny marks etched into their skin. Scars, really. Scars that wrote out curse after curse onto the spirit’s very being. They burned with evil intent, and even reached inside the spirit’s body and wrapped around their core.
Occasionally, blinding specks of color raced across their body, temporarily erasing the writing, but it always returned quickly. He watched, a little detached, as one particular line rewrote itself across their rough forearm, drawing fresh ectoplasm like someone was writing it with a thin knife.
“Are you…alright?” Danny stuttered. A stupid question.
The spirit cocked its head. He couldn’t see their eyes, but he felt their burning gaze as they pondered the question.
“The pain of others becomes mine own.” They rasped. “The lights of the city dim as rotten wealth clogs mine veins. Magicks long forgotten have eaten mine skins, pulled mine cloak, and darkened mine skies. Helios has refused to grace mine doorstep, and the seasons of the Earth have revoked their kindness.”
Danny held his breath. It felt like he was the one with the exposed core, not the spirit.
The spirit shivered once more. “Tell mine soul, little lamb. How could this Forsaken City know peace, when it was long since ripped from mine hands?”
Shit, he needed Frostbite. And maybe Clockwork. Now.
-Or-
Danny meets the spirit of Gotham City. The villains and rogues that have plagued the city for decades are literal curses that are taking quite the toll on Gotham, and honestly, Danny isn’t sure how much longer they can hold out. The heroes seem to be doing some help, and are probably the reason Gotham made it this far, but the poor city needs help from the Realms if they want to get better.
Luckily, Danny can provide that help.
But only if he could get Gotham to leave their city behind. Because recovery is going to take a very long time.
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Forever and Always
Summary: Just some thoughts on how marrying Simon would go in my head. Grossly fluffy. Read at your own discretion.
Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader
Warnings: None, soft and SFW
Word Count: 450ish
There is no big wedding. There are just not too many people left from his side of the family and you don't get along too well with yours either. Neither of you are the type of person he would enjoy a big celebration with all the attention on you anyways.
He takes you away on a trip away from the city, takes a few weeks off of work and rents a cabin for the two of you so you could spend time just enjoying each other's company without life getting in teh way.
He insisted on you getting a dress even though you didn’t want to spend that much money on something you’ll just wear once. Please. For me. I'd like to see you in one.
It’s not a conventional wedding at all, but you like it like that. He is the one in the room with you, helping you lace up your dress, kissing your neck and shoulders and telling you how pretty you are, how he is so, so lucky that you are his and how he can’t wait for you to be his wife, to keep you forever.
You walk down to the lake hand in hand, you can’t keep your eyes off of each other, he looks so good in his suit and he can’t help himself from grinning, a sight that is so rare.
He’s so pretty in the warm light of the sunset, blond hair almost glowing and his scars look like shooting stars on his skin. You tell him and he gets so flustered.
It’s a warm evening and the sun is slowly setting beyond the forest. He has a speech prepared and his hands are shaking as he unfolds the paper to read it out to you.
His words are so kind, so soft, so genuine. It is about how you met, how hard he fell for you and how incredibly lucky he is that he has you.
You speak too, but you are less prepared than he is, speaking from your heart. You tell him what he needs to hear, how beautiful he is, how easy it is to love him, how grateful you are for every day with him. He is trying so hard not to cry but ultimately he can't help himself.
You can’t help but giggle as he puts the ring on your finger, you are just so excited that you are here together.
You almost drop the ring when it’s time to put it on his. Easy, girl. No need to hurry. I’m not running away.
You stand there for a moment, just staring at the rings on your fingers, in disbelief that you finally did it.
Can I kiss the bride now?
You kiss, and then you just hold each other for a long, long time, sitting on the beach and watching the sun finally set. It’s perfect like this.
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