#an even briefer reference to obsidian age

[cringelordlikesplaz]

A Thousand Stolen Moments

aw yea, another fanfic, featuring the one, the only, PlasDad. Takes place in the Terrifics run, some time after Luke Joins the party. A

Characters: Plastic Man, Phantom Girl

Warnings: Attempted angst? Fluff. also crying. Also you probably need context for... all of this, go read The Terrifics if you haven’t already. If you have, dive right on in.

The night air was chilly. Not quite cold, but not temperate either. A breeze would throw itself past every now and again, but Linnya couldn't care less. She chose to be intangible, in that moment, so the wind couldn't touch her anyway.

Her breathing came out harsh but quiet. She knew the chances of anyone else in the building hearing her were abysmal, but some sort of paranoia kept her silent. This wasn't anyone's problem but hers, after all.

Nothing had felt right after she came home. Not her old home, not her new home, not anywhere. Well, maybe that was exaggerating. Sometimes, things did feel okay. More than okay, in fact. Times where she could take in the sun and the sky and the fresh air and be filled with so much joy she might burst.

Linnya was very, very glad to be alive.

But sometimes... she wasn't.

It was hard to describe, the clinging loneliness that hung odd her mind like a shroud. She loved her friends, her new family she had found, but sometimes they were too much. The city, the planet, the noise, it was all too much.

And it wasn't their fault, she knew. It was all in her head, these lingering ghosts of a nightmare long passed. But no matter how many times she told herself this, it never seemed to stick.

(A part of her screams; she needs to go back, back to the quiet and the isolation and the never-ending despair. At least it made sense, then. No confusion or fear, the simple pain was easier to handle than all these complicated feelings. But that part of her scares her more than anything else, and she desperately tries to drown it out.)

She was locked in this loop of wanting and wanting and never being able to settle. Her skin didn't fit right anymore, not around all these people, the ones who knew her and the ones who didn't. She wanted things to go back to the way they were before, before the Dark Matter Universe, but with all the good things she had gotten when she was set free. She wants a world where both her parents were alive and weren't old and they both still loved her and with Michael and Rex and Patrick and Luke there too. 

She wanted to go on adventures but not be haunted by the feeling it could slip from her grasp at any moment. 

She just wanted to feel okay.

A blanket was abruptly dropped through her.

"Oops, looks like that plan was a bust." 

She turned in the air, and was greeted with the sight of Plastic Man, or rather Patrick O'Brian, swathed in a bathrobe and holding a steaming mug in one hand. His hair was ruffled, an odd thing to see when she was so used to seeing it slicked back. His goggles, which he almost always wore, were nowhere to be found. He was grinning, but it was clear he was tired, and the smile was crooked and didn't hide the bags under his eyes.

"Mornin' bud, what're you doing out here?" He said, taking a seat next to her on the cement steps. She wasn't actually sitting on the steps, rather floating an inch above them, but she didn't think that mattered too much in this instance. 

She glanced at the blanket that had fallen through her and fallen to the ground.

"You should pick that up. I grabbed it fresh out of the dryers; it should still be warm." He said.

Carefully, Linnya became solid and draped the blanket over her shoulders. And it was true- it was still cozy and warm.

"Thanks," She said, her voice quieter than intended.

"Here," Patrick pressed the mug into her hands.

"Hot chocolate?" She asked, finally looking inside the mug.

"Yup. It looked like you needed it." He said.

"Oh- I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"What? No, I was coming down to get food. I saw you outside and figured, 'Hey, she looks like she needs a warm blanket and some hot cocoa.' And here we are." He said. 

She swallowed, "Oh,"

"You okay?" Patrick asked.

"...Yeah,"

"That doesn't sound very convincing. We need to work on your lying." He said.

Despite her mood, she managed to crack a smile.

"Sorry," She said.

"Don't be sorry. You haven't even done anything." He said, gently bumping their shoulders together. The contact was appreciated more than he could ever know.

They sat in silence for a while, looking up at the starry sky. The sounds of the city were far away, like some other world beyond their bubble in time.

"...You wanna talk about it?" Patrick said at last.

Before she could answer he was speaking again, "It doesn't have to be with me, of course! Rex or T are good too, or we could get you a professional-"

"No, no, it's alright. I... I wanna talk now. If that's alright." She said.

He immediately shut his mouth.

"I- I just-" Linnya felt nonexistent water choke her throat. It bubbled up and up and up and began to spill out from her eyes.

She buried her face in her hands, strangled sobs escaping her.

A hesitant hand was placed on her back, quickly becoming more confident and soon she found herself tucked into Patrick's arms, crying on his robe, mug forgotten on the stairs.

She clung to him, because he was there, and he was real, and he was warm and nice and smelled like chocolate and he was muttering reassurances to her she could barely make out.

"I-" She hiccupped, "I was gone for so long-"

"I know, I know, it's not fair, you're okay, let it out," He soothed.

"And I'm never getting- I'm never getting those years back- I'm-" Linnya's words became gargled as she broke down into another sobbing fit.

She wasn't sure how long she cried. She knew it was long enough that the stars began to dim and light began to creep over the horizon.

When she finally got control over her breathing, her hot chocolate was cold chocolate.

"...Sorry," She said, wiping her face and nose.

"What did I say? You didn't do anything. You're all good in my book, kiddo." Patrick said, grinning.

She smiled, watery but genuine, "Thanks, Plas."

"No problem." He grinned and ruffled her hair, causing one of her hair pins to come loose.

She grinned back, and reached up to fix her hair.

"No, but, seriously. Thank you. I know you didn't have to sit here and listen to me cry." She said.

"Psh, yeah I did. What are teammates for?" Patrick said, "Besides, I would have killed for a shoulder to cry on when I came back, it makes sense to offer one to you."

She smiled, her head tilted just an inch to the side, wondering. Did he mean the Dark Matter Universe?

"C'mon. Let's go make some grub. I was gonna make something new today." He said, standing.

"Is it breakfast food?" She said, rising to follow him.

"Haha! No. It's dessert. Don't tell Rex." He said, winking at her before abruptly transforming into his usual outfit, goggles and all.

They went inside, the cup of cold cocoa left out in the quickly warming air.