#background madmare

[bookwormscififan]

I Will Never Let the Nightmares Destroy You

Read on AO3!

A/N: I wanted to do a PhantomHero twist on that nightmare angst I wrote for MadMare a while back, and I think this one may be a little sweeter than the previous one.

--

He squinted through the dirt swirling around him, wind whipping at his hair and making it hard to breathe. Distantly he registered a dull pain in his leg, forcing him to his knees as the fierce cyclone around him roared louder.

He let out a tortured scream, barely audible over the wind screeching in his ears, and he struggled to lift his hands to cover them as his eyes closed. Questions circled in his mind: what was he doing here? Where was Jackie? Were his powers the cause of this catastrophe?

Coughing, Phantom fell forward, burning tears running through the soot on his face, feeling the storm around him getting stronger as his despair grew deeper.

--

It wasn’t often that Jackie returned home exhausted, shoulders slumped as he walked down the street to the ramshackle home at the edge of town that Phantom had put a glamour over to look like a nice little townhouse. He barely noticed the uneven pavers leading to the front door as he lifted his hand to open it and walk inside.

Pushing his hood back, Jackie’s eyes widened when he noticed that the glamour of the house was non-existent, exposed roof beams letting moonlight through the ceiling, and a red glow was coming from the bedroom. Hero instincts kicking in, Jackie sped down the hall and threw open the door, gasping at the sight that greeted him.

The room was ablaze in red flames, sheets singed with red smoke making a hazy cloud against the ceiling. Phantom’s glamour was still up in the bedroom, making it the only normal room in the house, flames licking at the paint on the walls and the wood of the dressers. Tossing and turning in the middle of the bed, Phantom flailed, eyes closed tightly as small yelps and whimpers passed his lips.

“Phan.” Jackie immediately climbed into the bed, dodging the flames and wisps that followed the directions of Phantom’s hands, reaching out to gently hold Phantom’s shoulder and rouse him. “Phantom, wake up, you’re having a—”

In a blink, he was thrown across the room by a powerful force, vision tinting red before he shook his head and got back up, crouching beside Phantom’s side of the bed and reaching out to try and rouse him again. He flinched when Phantom grabbed his wrist in an iron grip, hand glowing red with magic as it seared Jackie’s skin.

“Phantom!” Jackie’s shout finally woke the barman, and he sat up with wide eyes full of fear to look at Jackie. Realising his grip on the hero’s arm, he pulled his hand away, holding it to his chest as he watched Jackie for signs of pain or mistrust.

“I’m so… oh god, Jackie, I’m sorry. I—are you hurt?” His voice shook as he spoke, waving his hand to disperse the fire and smoke around the room, then leaning over the edge of the bed to check on Jackie.

“I-I’m fine, Phan,” Jackie gasped, turning his hand, and hissing at the slight pain that greeted him. “I’ll heal; you can heal me. Are you alright? You were having a nightmare, and the glamour on the house had fallen…” Jackie trailed off as he turned blue eyes toward Phantom, searching his face for signs of trouble.

Phantom hesitated, then helped Jackie to climb back into bed, moving to sit with his back against the hero’s chest as he pulled Jackie’s injured arm forward, resting his hand over it and letting warmth flow between them. He let out a sigh, curling against Jackie as he leaned his head back against his shoulder.

“I thought it was over,” he began, hand glowing as he worked to heal Jackie’s arm. “I haven’t had a nightmare that strong in ages. Mare and I used to make the worst storms with our nightmares, but Night had taught us different ways to handle them. I must have lost control…”

Jackie shushed him gently, kissing the top of his head and wrapping his good arm around his chest to pull him close. “You’re alright,” he whispered, resting his forehead on Phantom’s head. “I’m not hurt that badly, and you didn’t cause any damage to the rest of the house. Maybe we can find another way to control those nightmares.”

Phantom nodded silently, releasing his arm to entwine their fingers. He sat against Jackie for a while, contemplating, before voicing his thoughts, telling Jackie about the nightmare and what it could mean.

“When I have nightmares,” Jackie began, moving away from Phantom to get out of his clothes and lay down in bed. “The thing that helps me is being able to sense you nearby. I can smell you on the pillows, or I can reach out and touch you. With my patrols, I can’t be by your side all the time, but maybe I could record something for you to listen to while you sleep.”

“What would you record?” Phantom asked, laying down beside Jackie and propping his head up with an arm. “Would you just record yourself reading me a novel, or would it be some senseless conversation?”

“Leave me to decide,” Jackie replied, kissing the top of Phantom’s head. “I’ll figure something out.”

--

“Mad helped a little,” Jackie admitted with a chuckle as he set up a CD player beside the bed. “He took voice clips from messages I’d left on your phone, then mashed together some recordings of things I say to myself as I moved around the house. It’ll play on a loop, so you’ll hear me even in your sleep.”

“This feels weird,” Phantom stated, climbing into bed and pulling a face when Jackie moved to tuck him in. “I feel like a child needing some sort of lullaby to get to sleep.” His pout disappeared when Jackie lightly kissed him.

“Just give it a try,” the hero said, pressing the button on the player and heading out. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll ask Mad for that serum he gives Mare.” Closing the door, he left Phantom to lie in bed and listen to the quiet whir of the CD player reading the disc.

“We don’t need another hero,” Jackie’s voice crooned from the speakers, making Phantom smile. “I’m doing this for you, Phan, because I love you. I won’t let a nightmare destroy you.”

“I guess it might work,” Phantom mused as he settled into the bed, closing his eyes and letting sleep drag him into dreamland.

-----------------------------

@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch @dungeon-dragons-dragons @rattyboyisemo

[iamfruitie]

Hold on, cause this whole MadMare science/vampire thing gave me an idea for Mad’s background story but it’s ANGSTY AND IDK IF I SHOULD ANGST UP THE FRUITY BLOG 😭

— 🦋

Oh, trust me, Mad's got a hella angsty backstory XD

[iamvegorott]

Written by @rainymae523

----

(To preface, this uses some of my own personal headcanons that I would gladly talk about if you have questions! And this is my first time writing MadMare, so hopefully it helps!)

MadMare Cuddles

Mare had gotten into a fight with Phantom and needs some cuddles from his favorite boy

Mare appeared in a plume of smoke that Mad knew all too well as he curled into the chair that was kept in Mad's office just for him. Mad didn't need to turn from his book to know something was wrong. The nightmare smoke was thick enough that he could hardly see his book, could hardly think anyway. His worst nightmares started to appear in hallucinations around him as he tried to ignore them, closing his book and just picking up Mare.

"Come on, cuddle time."

Mad is answered with a soft nod to his chest, feeling his shirt slowly soaking as he sees the streaks on Mare's face are darker than normal. He gets hot cocoa and turns on music in the background, holding Mare close.

"Bad day? Can't sleep?"

Mare's reply is muffled, "Can't sleep, need cuddles, Phantom kicked me out. Wanted time alone."

Mad can't help feeling a tightness in his chest as he holds him close, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, "Well, you've got me. I won't kick you out. But I will kick Phantom's ass."

That earns him a soft smile as the nightmare smoke dissipates, and Mad laughs softly, "There you are. Now, you wanna hear what I was reading about?"

A nod later, Mad starts rambling, playing with Mare's hair as he curls tightly against him, knowing he'll fall asleep in no time.

[bookwormscififan]

The Best Stress Relief is a Good Cuddle

Read on AO3!

A/N: @iamvegorott gave me the prompt of Phantom stress baking and Jackie coming in to suggest a cuddle instead. [Also side note but if you aren't familiar with my set up for PhantomHero: Phantom uses his illusion magic to make their rundown house look amazing]

--

Jackie peered into the kitchen, attracted by the smells of several different things baking, eyes widening when he saw Phantom among the multiple ovens he’d managed to conjure up. If the eight batches of cookies on the counter were anything to go by, Jackie’s gut guess was that Phantom was stressed.

“Phan?” He called, frowning when the barman continued to work, clearly having not heard him. “Phan, dear, can-can we talk?” He tried again, stepping into the kitchen to tap Phantom’s shoulder when he didn’t reply. “Phantom.” The mixing bowl hit the bench with a dull thud, Phantom leaning into Jackie’s hold with a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes, letting the hero wrap his arms around him.

“Jackie, I—do you have any requests for cookies? Or cupcakes? Cake? I can summon another oven to make macarons if that’s what you want. I just… there’s all this paperwork at the bar that I need to get filled out, and Mare and Mad had this whole thing planned with like a light show and everything but I don’t think we’ll have the budget for it, Mad had this thing he wanted to try out to see if it would suppress our magic for short periods of time and I don’t have the time to test it for him—”

“Disperse the oven illusions,” Jackie interrupted quietly, waiting for Phantom to wave his hand to make the ovens disappear. “Do you want to cuddle in bed with a dumb superhero movie instead, and we can handle everything tomorrow?”

He could feel the moment Phantom relaxed, adjusting his hold to pick him up bridal style as the barman went practically boneless in his arms, letting out an even heavier sigh before resting his head on Jackie’s shoulder. The rest of the kitchen’s façade dissolved as Jackie carried him to the bedroom, setting him gently on the bed before going to the dresser to get his comfiest hoodie for Phantom to wear.

“Thank you,” Phantom whispered as Jackie gently pulled the hoodie over his head, leaning up to give the hero a kiss when the hoodie got past his head. “I just get so stressed sometimes, and baking makes me happy.”

“We’ll send Mad and Mare some of those cookies,” Jackie said with a chuckle as he pulled Phantom close into his side, putting on some B-grade superhero movie to watch while they relaxed. “Next time you get this stressed, come and find me, and we’ll cuddle instead.”

“I like that.” Phantom curled into Jackie’s side, resting his head on his chest to watch the movie, falling asleep before the opening credits had even finished.

--------------------

@brokentimewatch @dungeon-dragons-dragons @rattyboyisemo

[bookwormscififan]

Consolation

Read on AO3!

Concept art

A/N: A little thing for my deaf Jackie AU, where Phan finds out about Jackie's deafness and promises to keep him safe.

Phantom watched the hero work, admiring the way his muscles moved under his clothes. He eyed the graceful curve of his back as he backflipped over an enemy, eyes focused as he landed perfectly and immediately got into a fighting stance.

--

“I think I’m in love,” Phantom sighed as he laid on the sofa, throwing his legs into Mare’s lap with a dramatic groan. “I think I’m in love, and I’m sure he doesn’t even know I exist.” He dropped his arm over his eyes, lifting it to peer at Mare when his brother hummed and gently nudged his legs away.

“It’s Jackie, right?” He smirked at Phantom’s silence, barely dodging being jabbed in the ribs with a toe and letting out a soft chuckle. “He knows you exist, idiot. Mad’s noticed Jackie never stops talking about you. Just ask him out already.” He laughed when he turned to see Phantom glaring at him with a bright red face, turning off his phone and getting off the sofa before Phantom could kick him off.

--

It took several attempts, a few dumb songs tossed in the trash, and a painful attempt at playing the helpless citizen, but eventually Jackie agreed to a date with Phantom. He’d kicked Mare out of the apartment for the night, putting on his best clothes and fidgeting anxiously while he waited for Jackie to arrive.

Phantom nearly jumped out of his skin when the knock sounded at the door, pulling it open and meeting the gaze of a very flustered Jackie, a miserable-looking bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“Am I late? I’m so sorry, I completely forgot the address and had to go ask Chase—” he stopped as Phantom pulled him inside, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug before releasing him. “Not quite the welcome I was expecting, but not unwelcome,” he commented, offering Phantom the flowers.

“Not late, just on time,” Phantom said, chuckling awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. “Would you like to go out for dinner, or stay here? I’m not the greatest chef, but Mare always cooks extras, so I’m sure we can find—”

“Phan, slow down, take a breath,” Jackie laughed, resting a hand on Phantom’s shoulder to stop his ramble. “I’m fine to do whatever you want me to do. Leftovers for dinner sounds great. Take me to the kitchen.”

--

“You do realise Jackie’s deaf?” Mad’s question made Phantom sit upright, looking at the man curled into Mare’s side. “He’s only got about 15% of his hearing, needs aids to help him hear everything. The doctors asked me to help, and I’m pretty sure Anti added some kind of spark to it to amplify the gain.” Mad blinked at Phantom’s blank face, looking up at Mare before returning to Phantom.

“Did you not know?”

“I thought he was just a bad listener,” Phantom whispered, feeling a coldness settle in the pit of his stomach. “Is he alright? Like, does he think I wouldn’t like him because of that?” He bit his lip as he thought back over his time with Jackie, the ways Phantom had joked about certain things, wondering if he’d said something to offend Jackie that led to his being here with Mare and Mad asking why Jackie hadn’t returned his calls.

“Mare, your brother’s an idiot,” Mad stated, standing and heading out of the living room. “I need to get some prototypes set up for some equipment.” Rolling his eyes at Phantom, he left the room, giving Mare time to talk to his twin alone.

“You need to talk to Jackie,” Mare started after a deep sigh, setting his book aside. “You need to go to him, and talk to him. Explain that you didn’t know about his deafness, tell him how you feel. There really isn’t anything we can do to help you in this.”

“I know,” Phantom replied, lowering his head. “Do you think he’ll be angry?”

----

It was four days before Phantom finally plucked up enough courage to visit Jackie. With a shaking hand, he knocked on the door, pulling out his phone and sending the hero a short message: I’m at your front door. Can we talk?

The door opened to reveal Jackie in an oversized grey hoodie, eyes puffy from crying and hair a greasy mess atop his head. In his free hand he held a tissue crunched into a ball from rubbing at his eyes, and he looked at Phantom with pure heartbroken grief that made Phantom want to hold him.

“Come in.” His voice was hoarse, croaky implying he had been crying for a while. “Chase usually stays here with me to help out, but he’s out with Marvin at the moment.” Shuffling into the kitchen, Jackie turned on the kettle and leaned against the bench, looking at Phantom with a pout.

“Jackie, I want to apologise,” Phantom started, making sure to shape the words properly when he noticed Jackie looking at his mouth. Lip reading. Does he not have his aids in? “I’m such an idiot. I didn’t realise you were… you had… I’m so dumb and thought you didn’t listen properly.”

“Technically, you’re right,” Jackie chuckled, pouring hot water into two mugs to make coffee. “I don’t listen properly, but that is because I can’t hear much. And I’ve been an idiot, too. I didn’t wear my aids around you because I was afraid that you’d dump me.”

“Dump you?” Phantom stared at Jackie, incredulous. “Why would I dump you for an impairment? If you’d told me, I would have stopped trying to serenade you, and gone with something else, like a joke.”

“Not many people like finding out that the city’s greatest hero’s deaf,” Jackie said bitterly, handing Phantom his mug and hugging himself. “I was scared, because I feel so deeply for you, and I wouldn’t have been able to cope if you’d left.”

“Jackie…” Phantom set his coffee aside, pulling Jackie into a tight embrace. Gently he placed his hands on Jackie’s ears, summoning a small bit of his power so that Jackie could hear his next words. “I would never leave you, because I love you far too much to ever let you go.”

He moved his hands when a sob rattled through Jackie, the hero falling to his knees and holding Phantom tightly, pressing his face into his vest as fresh tears began to fall. Phantom held Jackie back, ensuring he was aware of his presence.

“I know you,” he began, taking advantage of the last seconds of power to make an oath to Jackie. “I understand you, and I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure you’re safe with me.” Gently moving Jackie, Phantom knelt in front of him, hands cupping his cheeks as he lifted his face to look at him. “I love you, Jackie. I love everything about you.”

Jackie let out one final choked sob before leaning forward to kiss Phantom, hands curling in his shirt to hold him tightly.

-------------

@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch

[bookwormscififan]

Soothing Comfort

Read on AO3!

Concept Art

A/N: Mad's having a bad mental health day, and Mare's there to help.

--

Mare knew Mad’s moods better than he knew his own. He could tell from the second he opened his eyes in the morning whether Mad would be in a good mood or not, whether it would be best to cancel his plans for the day or if he could go out with just a kiss. He knew Mad’s moods as though they were his own.

So when he woke up that morning to find Mad curled into a tight ball by his side, blankets covering his head, he knew something was wrong. Mare placed his hand on Mad’s shoulder, wincing when Mad flinched, then placed a gentle kiss to the top of the pile of blankets before sitting up.

“I’m going to make some coffee,” he whispered as he climbed out of bed, seeing Mad move slightly from the loss of warmth. “Come out to the living room when you’re ready.” He waited until Mad relaxed slightly, then pulled on a shirt and sweatpants before quietly leaving the room to make some breakfast.

--

Mad was still in bed when Mare returned to have a shower two hours later. With a sympathetic frown, Mare set a mug of coffee on the side table as he leaned down to kiss Mad’s head, stepping back with a small smile as a thought came to mind.

“I’m going to have a shower,” he stated, tilting his head when Mad didn’t move. “Would you like to join me?” He waited while Mad considered the offer, watching Mad slowly pull the blankets away from his face to turn red puffy eyes at him.

“Come back into bed, Mare.” His voice was quiet, hoarse from the obvious crying he’d been doing, and Mare almost obeyed without a second thought. “Can we just pretend today doesn’t exist?”

“Oh, dearest, you know I’d do anything you ask,” Mare started, hand pressed to his heart. “But there are things to do today, including changing the sheets. How about we cuddle on the couch instead?” Kneeling beside the bed, Mare slid a hand under the blanket to hold Mad’s hand. “You need to eat something, love.”

It took a little convincing, but eventually Mad climbed out of the bed, wrapping one of their fluffy throw blankets around his shoulders. He accepted Mare’s kisses, feeling tears welling in his eyes again before being led down the hall to curl up on the couch.

Mare tenderly fed him some warm chicken soup, then made him a fresh pot of coffee before adjusting the couch cushions to act as a makeshift cocoon for Mad. He’d brought all his music work to the living room table, prepared to work while being ready to take care of Mad whenever he was ready to talk through his mood.

He was just beginning to read through his work when Mad suddenly crawled into his lap, curling up against his chest with silent sobs making him shake. Concerned, Mare set his work down and wrapped his arms around Mad, holding him close as Mad tangled their arms together.

Unsure of what else to do, Mare began to quietly hum, running his hands up and down Mad’s arms to soothe him as he continued to cry.

--

“Hey, Mare! What gives? You missed the meeting with Night, so you’d better have a good… is he alright?” Phantom’s rant cut off as he noticed Mare holding a sleeping Mad in his lap. Mare looked up at Phantom and lifted a hand to hold a finger to his lips.

“He fell asleep,” Mare said in a quiet voice, trying not to wake Mad. “He’d been crying for the last three hours.” Looking down at Mad, he tenderly brushed hair from his face, pursing his lips at the bags under his eyes and the redness around his stuffy nose.

“What happened? Did he get hurt? Is he alright now?” Phantom’s questions came out in a soft rush, crouching in front of the couch as he took in the damp patches on Mare’s shirt.

“I think so,” Mare replied, holding Mad tighter and pressing his nose into Mad’s hair. “He’s got me holding him, so I think he’ll be better now.” Kissing Mad’s temple, Mare looked up at Phantom with an apologetic expression on his face. “Was there anything important I missed at the meeting?”

“He just needed an update on some of our jobs,” Phantom said dismissively, reaching out to gently pat Mad’s knee. “You can text him later, when Mad’s better. I wanted to make sure you weren’t dead, that’s why I came over.”

“If I was dead, you’d know,” Mare chuckled, tucking Mad’s head under his chin when Mad mumbled to himself. “There’d probably be some huge wave of power from my death; you know I wouldn’t go down without a fight.”

“That’s true,” Phantom sighed, getting up and adjusting his shirt. “Look after yourself, alright? I know you always put Mad’s feelings before your own, but I don’t need you to be a mess at my doorstep.” Giving Mare a wink, he walked to the door, pausing when he heard Mare’s quiet “thanks” behind him.

“Text me if you need food delivered.” With that statement, Phantom left the house, taking a deep breath before sending himself home and into Jackie’s arms.

Mare closed his eyes with a deep sigh, lifting Mad’s head to nuzzle at his neck before leaning sideways to get them laying on the couch. Both hands cupped Mad’s cheeks before he kissed him deeply, smiling against his lips when Mad returned the kiss.

“Feeling better?” Mare chuckled when Mad pulled away, eyes half-lidded yet still puffy from the crying.

“Much,” Mad croaked before dropping his head onto Mare’s shoulder, holding him tightly as Mare laughed, peppering kisses over every bit of skin he could reach.

---------------

@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch @dungeon-dragons-dragons

[bookwormscififan]

Feelin' Alright

Read on AO3!

A/N: One day I'm going to write a full-blown 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel song related fic, with Mare being the protagonist from the song, but for now I'll weave the song into the fic as much as I can. Have fun with the intertextuality of this one.

--

Mare leaned his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his palm as he watched Mad walk over with their drinks. His gaze trailed from Mad’s nervous smile to the turquoise button-down he’d convinced him to wear, sleeves rolled up to the elbows with the hem untucked.

How he’d managed to drag Mad out to Phantom’s bar at 9 o’clock on a Saturday night, Mare didn’t know, but he was so grateful to see Mad in the casual setting. The usual crowd had started to shuffle in, heightening Mad’s nerves, but a reassuring smile from Mare usually calmed him for a short time.

“I didn’t realise someone so drunk could be so involved in a drink,” Mad commented as he sat down, passing Mare his drink before sipping from his own glass of Diet Coke. “There’s a guy at the bar with tonic and gin, and he seems to be in a pretty intense relationship with it.” His phrasing made Mare laugh, sputtering into his drink as he smiled warmly at Mad.

“Who taught you that phrase?” He managed, eyes gleaming while he continued to look at Mad, feeling a flutter in his chest from the faint red tint on Mad’s cheeks. “I know you didn’t come up with that on your own.”

“Jackie said the guy was ‘making love to his tonic and gin’,” Mad replied sheepishly, shrugging as he drank from his glass again. “He also said the guy’s been asking for a song for a while, but can’t remember the melody.”

“He’s always asking for a song,” Mare replied, speaking into his drink as he held it to his lips. “It’s a sad and sweet song, but Phan’s banned me from ever singing it again. Says it gets everyone too rowdy for a Saturday night crowd.”

“Have I ever heard it?” Mad asked, peering up at Mare to look into his purple-tinted eyes curiously.

“It’s the song that gave birth to the pet name you gave me. Piano Man. It’s a good song, but I’m not allowed to sing it here,” Mare answered, glancing at Mad before returning his attention to the bar, watching Jackie serve drinks while Phantom stood behind him with a flirty smile.

“Sing it to me when we get home?” Mad leaned his head against Mare’s shoulder, sighing happily when Mare hummed in agreement, moving his arm to wrap around Mad’s shoulders and pull him closer.

“I’ll always be singing for you, dear heart,” Mare whispered, catching Phantom’s gaze and sending his brother a short nod before downing his drink. “I’ll sing to you whenever you want, wherever you want. I love the look in your eyes when you’re listening to me sing or play.”

--

When Mare went to order more drinks, Phantom leaned across the bar to speak to his brother, voice tinged with annoyance: “Go flirt with your boyfriend somewhere you don’t take the attention off me. All anyone’s talking about is your complete aura of adoration.”

“What you need,” Mare responded, voice low but teasing, “Is something more attracting than me. A few more kisses with Jackie should do the trick.” With a wink and a click of the tongue, Mare collected his drinks and headed back to Mad, leaving Phantom to gape after him.

“Nothing beats your bond with Mad,” Phantom grumbled as he went back to work.

------------------

@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch @dungeon-dragons-dragons

[bookwormscififan]

Power Inventory

Read on AO3!

A/N: I wanted to essentially make a list of all the powers I'd give Mare and Phantom, and some background MadMare angst slipped in.

“You said Mad wanted us to figure out what all our powers are?” Phantom asked as he walked with Mare to a small field in a ranch one of the egos had inherited. “Why does he want to know that?”

“He’s a scientist,” Mare replied, cracking his knuckles and tilting his head. “He wants to know how powerful we are so that he can ensure people are safe.” He didn’t add the real reason: that Mare had messed around with reality in the house while having a nightmare and freaked Mad out to the point he was sleeping in the lab more often.

“Your boyfriend wants to know how dangerous we are.” Phantom’s statement was blunt, the end of the conversation, and he flicked his wrist at an overgrown thistle in the middle of the field, smirking as it caught fire but didn’t catch the grass.

“He wants everyone to be safe,” Mare reiterated, plucking a flower from the ground and flicking it away, watching as it crumbled to dust and blew away in the wind. “He never used the word dangerous.”

“Alright, fine. We’ve got pyrokinesis and object decay,” Phantom listed off, waving his arm to spread hazy smoke around the field, changing the area into a sparse warehouse. “We know illusion magic. I can change the scenery, and you can do it too, and together we can make entire worlds.”

“Dream manipulation,” Mare noted quietly, twisting his hand to disperse Phantom’s illusion. “I control dreams, make nightmares good. You make them real.” He sat heavily on the ground, rolling blades of grass between his fingers before sending them away in crumbled shards.

“That’s all of them,” Phantom concluded, sitting beside Mare and snapping his fingers at the burning thistle to put it out, returning it to its original state. “Four categories with varying levels of skill. Both of us using the powers together boosts it to a point where it’s super strong.”

“Can you still use your powers to send you to other places?” Mare asked, picking at the seed pods of the grass now. “Places you’ve been, like popping to the store and back home without having to drive there?”

“We can both do that,” Phantom laughed, leaning back with his hands on the ground behind him. “How else would we go to Night? That’s part of the reason we can sense that Night’s on his way. I’m sure Mad’s got some scientific explanation for that, like we can sense the shift in the air or something.”

“Shift in particle waves.” Mare wasn’t looking at Phantom as he parroted Mad’s words. “We can tell when there’s a disturbance in the sound and light waves that make the world. Night breaks through those and rewrites them to get to places.”

“Mare, are you alright?” Phantom asked, finally noticing the dark circles under Mare’s eyes and the flat tone of his voice. “You look like death.”

“I’m fine. We’re finished here; I’ll give Mad the list.” Mare stood up and sent himself away, leaving Phantom to stare at the tiny cloud of purple smoke that lingered in the air before disappearing.

-----------

@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch

[bookwormscififan]

Preparation for the Event

Read on AO3!

A/N: Phantom in a waistcoat/vest, a hint at something important, some background Chaos Twins, and some MadMare. A short little thing for the evening. Also, PhantomHero.

Warnings: Implied smut.

-

Jackie watched as Phantom brushed his hand through the several vests in the closet, plucking out a simple black one with a satin back and slipping it over his shirt. There was apparently a big event happening at Phantom’s bar, and he wanted to dress more formally than usual for it.

“That one looks good,” Jackie commented, setting his phone aside and adjusting his glasses on his nose, smiling when Phantom paused in fastening his vest. “I like the back.”

“It’s not meant to look good,” Phantom huffed, throwing his arms into the air. “It’s supposed to look professional. I’ve never hosted something this big before. Are you sure this shirt is right?” He picked at the collar of his shirt, frowning at his reflection in the mirror.

Jackie climbed off the bed and stood behind Phantom, fixing his collar and tightening the tab on the back of his vest before leaning in to rest his chin on Phantom’s shoulder. He picked some lint off the vest and adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, then met Phantom’s eye in the mirror.

“It looks fine,” he repeated, tapping Phantom’s chest. “You’re going to do great. What event is this important, anyway?” He stepped back when Phantom turned around, slipping his hands into the back pockets of Jackie’s jeans and leaning closer.

“Dark’s having a meeting with some of the others,” Phantom explained, pulling Jackie in so their hips pressed against each other. “Night’s gonna be there, and he has a specific criteria for how meetings should go. Mare said he’d help out, but he isn’t sure how long he’ll be there.”

“You’ve closed the bar for the night,” Jackie stated, resting his head on Phantom’s chest. “You just need to worry about Dark and Night. I’ll help you, too.” He hummed when Phantom sighed, leaning into Jackie’s embrace in relief.

“Thank you, Jackie,” Phantom said softly, moving his hands to rest in the dip of Jackie’s back. “Night requested a small performance from Mare and me, so it would be nice to have you there for support.”

“I’ll always support you, even when you don’t want me to,” Jackie promised, breath hitching when Phantom started moving his hips against him, hand on the back of his head guiding him into a kiss.

-

Phantom and Jackie stepped into the bar just before the meeting, and Jackie immediately headed to the counter to chat with Mad while Mare headed to Phantom.

“He’ll be here soon,” Mare said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall beside his twin. “Nice vest.”

“Yours, too,” Phantom replied, nodding slightly to Dark across the bar with his acquaintances. “Got a song planned?” He tensed as the air around them shifted, announcing the arrival of Night.

“I’ve got something prepared,” Mare answered, pushing off the wall and rolling his shoulders. “Let’s get the night started.”

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